Goddess Painting

"I take my leave!"

After saying that, he didn't dare to stay a second longer, turned around and left, his steps so fast it was as if a ghost was chasing him.

Hua Muyao stood alone in front of the cave entrance, watching the departing figure, her doubts deepening.

That inexplicable sense of familiarity was like a feather, gently tickling her heart, lingering there.

……

Return to Tian Shu Peak.

Qin Feng immediately went into the room and began refining the "Golden Cloud Armor".

As spiritual energy was injected, the golden armor transformed into a stream of light and merged into the body, instantly becoming transparent and invisible, as if it had never existed at all.

But Qin Feng could clearly feel that an indestructible protective shield was constantly protecting his vital organs!

"My darling!"

"With this, even if I were to be ambushed by a Qi Refining Realm expert, I could withstand a few blows!"

"The journey into the next secret realm is now much more secure!"

After finishing the refining, Qin Feng remembered Hua Muyao's question when they parted, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"It seems the influence of the world depicted in the painting is greater than I imagined."

"Although Elder Hua doesn't have clear memories, that subconscious feeling can't be faked."

"I'll have to be more careful in the future and try to avoid having too much contact with her, lest I give myself away."

Silent all night.

Qin Feng spent his time cultivating.

As dawn broke, he slowly opened his eyes, and a soft sound came from within his body.

The seventh level of the New Realm... Peak!

"call……"

Qin Feng clenched his fist, feeling the explosive power within his body.

"With each advancement in the New Realm, one's strength will increase by a thousand jin."

"Right now, my physical strength alone has probably exceeded ten thousand jin!"

"If I were to encounter Chu Kuang again, I could easily defeat him!"

Just then.

boom!

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Lin Wan'er rushed in, her face pale and flustered.

"Husband! Something terrible has happened!"

Qin Feng's heart tightened, and he immediately stood up: "What's wrong? Wan'er, don't rush, tell me slowly."

Lin Wan'er took his hand and led him outside:

"You should go out and take a look!"

"There are so many people outside!"

"So many people?" Qin Feng was taken aback. "What are they doing here?"

"They said they came to...become disciples of Tian Shu Peak!"

……

outside the hall.

The once deserted square was now filled with twenty or thirty people!

They were all travel-worn, but their eyes were fixed intently on the entrance to the main hall.

Qin Feng and Lin Wan'er came out and saw this scene; their brows instantly furrowed into a deep frown.

"strangeness……"

"Just a few days ago, twenty disciples were forced to withdraw en masse. This news must have already spread throughout the entire sect."

"The crisis at Tian Shu Peak is not over yet; everyone knows it's a trap."

"How come so many people suddenly appeared?"

Suppressing his doubts, Qin Feng calmly stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

"What brings you all gathered before the gates of my Tian Shu Peak?"

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

Soon, a young man dressed in the clothes of a servant disciple came out.

This person was about twenty years old, with a cultivation level of the fifth level of the Body Forging Realm. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looked quite energetic.

"Disciple Zhao Ming, along with fellow cultivators, has come to pay respects to Peak Master Qin!"

Zhao Ming bowed deeply, his attitude so respectful that no one could find fault with him.

"We have all heard that Peak Master Qin defeated Senior Brother Chu Kuang, a man of immense power, on the arena, displaying unparalleled might and captivating heroism!"

"I've also heard that Tian Shu Peak offers excellent benefits, and that the peak master is a generous and righteous person!"

"Therefore, I have taken the liberty of coming here to offer my services! I am willing to contribute my meager strength to the reconstruction of Tian Shu Peak!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other disciples behind him echoed his words:

"Yes, Peak Master Qin! We all come from poor backgrounds. In other places, we could only be menial servants, suffering endless scorn!"

"I heard that Tian Shu Peak doesn't care about background, only character, and the treatment is good. This is exactly the place we've been dreaming of!"

"Peak Master Qin! We are willing to follow you and strive for a better future!"

"We've heard that the Peak Master has a powerful backer, and his future looks very promising! We also want to become elders of Tian Shu Peak!"

The reasons are very valid.

Their attitude was very sincere.

The emotions are very strong.

But the more Qin Feng listened, the more he felt something was wrong.

"What a coincidence!"

"Wang Tianyi and Lin Zhengnan just used underhanded tactics to force my men out, and they've already replaced them?"

"Is this some kind of seamless transition?"

"Or is it... that someone is truly willing to take risks for riches and is willing to gamble on this?"

Qin Feng observed the crowd calmly, his heart filled with doubt and unease.

"Since that's the case..."

Qin Feng pondered for a moment, then spoke:

"Then let's follow the rules of Tian Shu Peak."

"Everyone, take turns testing your spiritual root aptitude."

Those with intermediate-grade spiritual roots or above may proceed to the next round.

Soon, a simple spirit-testing tablet was brought out.

More than 30 people took turns testing.

In the end, twenty people reached the standard of a mid-grade spiritual root, exactly twenty!

Qin Feng then conducted a brief inquiry with these twenty people.

Background, experience, reasons for joining...

Everyone's answers were similar: either they admired Qin Feng, or they couldn't make it in other peaks and wanted a change of environment.

Watertight.

"I still can't see any obvious problem..."

Qin Feng frowned slightly.

"Am I overthinking it?"

In the end, he accepted the twenty people.

After all, the task of reopening Tian Shu Peak is urgent. If someone offers it to us, we can't just turn them away, can we?

"Zhao Ming, take everyone to collect basic supplies and arrange accommodations."

"Yes, Peak Master!"

These new disciples were incredibly diligent, starting to take the initiative to do chores as soon as they entered the school.

"Peak Master! Leave this small matter to me!"

"Peak Master, please rest! I'll sweep the floor!"

"Oh dear, that part isn't fixed yet! I'll go fix it!"

Looking at this bustling scene, Qin Feng felt a sense of relief, but a lingering doubt remained.

……

Back to the main hall.

Qin Feng sat in the chair, his brows furrowed.

Something's not right.

"This all... went too smoothly, and it was too coincidental."

"It's like something someone meticulously planned."

After thinking for a moment, Qin Feng took out a communication jade talisman and contacted Bai Ziyu.

"Ziyu."

"Master! What are your orders?" The reply came instantly.

"I have something I need you to do secretly."

Qin Feng said in a deep voice:

"Before you, I had already taken Qin Feng of Tian Shu Peak as my disciple."

"Twenty new disciples have joined Tian Shu Peak. I will send you the list later."

"You must use all your connections and resources to secretly investigate these twenty people thoroughly!"

"The more details the better! Especially their specific experiences before joining Tian Shu Peak, their interpersonal relationships, and whether there were any unusual financial transactions!"

"Remember! It must be done secretly! Don't alert anyone, and don't let them find out!"

"Your disciple obeys!"

Bai Ziyu patted his chest and assured him, "I have some connections when it comes to investigating backgrounds! I will definitely find out and report to Master as soon as possible!"

……

That night.

Bai Ziyu's message then came back.

However, after listening to the report, Qin Feng's brows furrowed even more.

"No abnormalities found?"

"Clean background? Impeccable family history?"

"Has it had absolutely no connection with the Lin family or Wang Tianyi?"

It's so clean!

It was as clean as a blank sheet of paper!

"Wan'er..."

Lin Wan'er brought in tea and, seeing Qin Feng's worried expression, wrote on his palm:

[My lord, now that we have all twenty disciples and have met one of the requirements for restarting Tian Shu Peak, why are you still so gloomy?]

Qin Feng rubbed his temples and sighed.

"It's precisely because things are going too smoothly that I'm worried."

"These people's backgrounds... are too clean."

"Although they were all menial laborers, they weren't in such dire straits that they had no choice but to come to Tian Shu Peak."

"You know, the previous batch of disciples were all forced to come here because they had no other choice."

"This group of people... there's something strange about them no matter how you look at them."

Lin Wan'er pondered for a moment and wrote:

[Does my husband mean... that their involvement might not be as simple as it seems on the surface?]

Qin Feng nodded: "That's right."

[Could it be that my husband is overthinking things?]

Lin Wan'er blinked, trying to comfort him:

[They might genuinely have been captivated by their husbands' charm!]

[Having heard rumors about Master Feng, and believing that Tian Shu Peak has great potential, they want to offer timely assistance and gamble on its future?]

After all, it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. If the gamble pays off, the rewards can be enormous.

Looking into his wife's pure eyes, Qin Feng felt a little relieved, and his expression softened.

"You have a point."

"Perhaps... I'm just overthinking it."

He said it out loud, but he remained vigilant in his heart.

Wan'er is kind-hearted by nature and tends to think the best of people.

But the cultivation world is a treacherous place, and things are probably not that simple!