A max-level player in Jade Dynasty: Awakening the Innate Dao at the start.

The Jade Purity Hall was terribly empty, so quiet that you could hear the echo of your own breathing.

Standing in the center of the hall, Zhang Xiaofan truly experienced the weight of the words "unfathomable" for the first time.

Two years ago, when I met Dao Xuan Zhenren, I felt that this sect leader was as majestic as a mountain.

Now that he had broken through to the Upper Clarity Realm, his spiritual senses were more than ten times sharper. Looking up again—

Dao Xuan Zhenren sat upright in the position of sect leader, his aura as harmonious as an ancient well, without the slightest ripple.

But Zhang Xiaofan didn't even dare to think about how deep the well was or how cold the water was.

Taiqing Realm?

No, at this moment, Dao Xuan gave him the feeling of being someone who had concealed all his sharpness.

Like a sword sheathed in its sheath, you can't see the blade, but you can feel the air in the entire hall curving slightly in that direction.

longevity.

Taiqing.

These two words have never been so clearly etched into his mind as they are now.

"Disciple Zhang Xiaofan greets Sect Leader Uncle."

He bowed deeply, his voice echoing softly between the thick pillars of the palace.

Dao Xuan opened his eyes.

Those eyes have witnessed a century of trials and tribulations for the Qingyun Sect.

At this moment, the light falling on Zhang Xiaofan was like two lamps that could illuminate one's very soul.

"How much skill did Senior Brother Wan teach you?"

They got straight to the point, skipping even the most polite greetings.

Zhang Xiaofan lowered his gaze: "Two or three tenths."

The hall was silent for three seconds.

"Two or three tenths?" Dao Xuan tapped his finger lightly on the armrest of the chair. The sound was soft, but it made the flames of the ever-burning lamps flicker.

"Your talent surpasses Lin Jingyu's. In two years, Senior Brother Wan taught you everything he knew—and you say you've only learned two or three tenths of it?"

Zhang Xiaofan raised his eyes and met Dao Xuan's gaze.

"Your disciple is dull-witted."

"Stupid?" Dao Xuan laughed, but the laughter didn't reach his eyes.

"You're trying to hide your true strengths and keep your trump card up your sleeve."

That's a good idea, but you don't need to put on such a show in front of me.

Silence spread between the two.

The wind outside the hall whistled softly through the eaves.

"Seventy percent," Zhang Xiaofan changed his answer.

Dao Xuan nodded, this time seemingly believing him.

"His talent is truly amazing."

But your tendency to hide your talents is unlike Senior Brother Wan or Junior Brother Tian.

He paused.

"Back then, Senior Brother Wan roamed the world with the Dragon-Slaying Sword, his brilliance shining through."

Junior Brother Tian is very concerned about his image; he has three points of skill but wants to show off ten.

You, on the other hand, have ten points to offer, but choose to hide seven.

Zhang Xiaofan's gaze lingered on Dao Xuan's face for a moment.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Dao Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"This disciple is thinking,"

Zhang Xiaofan said slowly.

"This ability to conceal one's talents may have been learned from you, Sect Leader."

Dao Xuan's smile faded slightly.

"I don't need to hide my talents."

He said, "The Qingyun Sect Leader is the leader of the righteous path, and he should demonstrate the strength that is due."

"Trump card? My control of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation is the greatest trump card in the world."

As soon as he finished speaking, the temperature in the hall seemed to drop a little.

Zhang Xiaofan took a step forward.

This step was taken very suddenly.

The footsteps were particularly clear in the empty hall.

The night birds perched on the beams were startled, and the sound of their flapping wings came from the high rooftop.

"After Ancestor Qingye, no one from Qingyun Sect has stepped into the Taiqing Realm for a thousand years."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into wood, "until now."

The calm expression on Dao Xuan's face was like the first crack appearing on the surface of ice.

Zhang Xiaofan looked directly at him and said the words that had been brewing in his heart for a long time:

"Sect Leader, you have actually... broken through to the Taiqing Realm, haven't you?"

The air seemed to freeze.

Dao Xuan's figure disappeared from the position of sect leader—not by flying, not by using a teleportation technique, but simply by vanishing into thin air.

In the next instant, he was already standing in front of Zhang Xiaofan, with less than three feet between them.

His expression changed.

That face, which had remained as calm as an ancient well for centuries, was now rippled with emotion.

Something was churning deep within his pupils—the shock of having his secret exposed, and a deeper, more profound unease.

"You..." Dao Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice low and hoarse, "I fooled everyone."

Zhang Xiaofan did not retreat.

He met Dao Xuan's gaze and suddenly smiled:

"So, when I said earlier that I learned the skill of concealing my abilities from you—was I wrong to say that?"

A deathly silence.

Then Daoxuan burst into laughter.

Laughter welled up from deep in his throat, initially suppressed.

Then they released it, and finally the beams of the palace trembled slightly from the shock.

The flame of the eternal lamp flickered violently, casting a wildly dancing shadow on the wall.

This Qingyun Sect Leader hadn't laughed like this in many years; tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he laughed.

"Good! Good!" he said twice, patting Zhang Xiaofan on the shoulder.

"I really want to crack open your head and see what's inside."

You guessed right about Senior Brother Wan, and you saw through the situation in the Taiqing Realm too—Zhang Xiaofan, how did you manage to do that?

"This disciple simply feels..."

Zhang Xiaofan bore the weight of that hand on his shoulder, his tone remaining calm.

"A sect leader who could orchestrate such a massive scheme as 'cultivation gone mad,' and who could patiently plan and strategize for decades..."

To say that his cultivation level is only at the peak of the Upper Clarity Realm would be far too unreasonable.

Dao Xuan stopped laughing, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Just based on this?"

"And the Daoist aura surrounding you."

Zhang Xiaofan said, "Perfect harmony without flaws, returning to simplicity and authenticity."

Even if one reaches the peak of the Shangqing Realm, there will eventually come a time when their brilliance is revealed.

But you sit here, just like... just like the Jade Purity Hall itself.

Dao Xuan stared at him for a long time before slowly withdrawing his hand.

"I originally thought this secret was something I'd take to my grave."

He turned and walked back to his position as sect leader, his shadow stretching long in the lamplight.

"The Qingyun Sect needs a leader at the Taiqing Realm to stabilize morale."

But what we need even more is a sect leader at the peak of the Shangqing Realm, so that certain people... can lower their guard.

Some people.

Three words, but with profound meaning.

Zhang Xiaofan didn't ask who it was.

Some things are safer to know in your heart than to say aloud.

"Therefore, my answer of 'seventy percent' was not wrong."

He returned to his original question.

"I have indeed learned about 70% of Master Wan's skills."

The remaining 30% is the method of concealing one's shortcomings that this disciple "stole" from you.

Dao Xuan sat back down, and this time he genuinely smiled.

"Junior Brother Tian always says that the disciples of Dazhu Peak are honest."

He shook his head. "I wonder what he would think if he saw you like this."

The two looked at each other, and a tacit understanding was reached in their eyes.

You know my secrets, and I know your secrets.

This relationship transcends the ordinary master-disciple dynamic; it's more like a kind of... alliance.

"What level of cultivation have you reached now?"

Dao Xuan suddenly asked, as if casually mentioning it, "You've reached the ninth level of Jade Purity?"

Zhang Xiaofan nodded: "Yes."

He answered so naturally, without even his heart skipping a beat.

The spiritual power of the Upper Clarity Realm lay dormant deep within his dantian, its surface only emanating the aura of the ninth level of the Jade Clarity Realm.

With the breath-concealing technique personally taught by Wan Jianyi, coupled with the ultimate control over spiritual power through the dual cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism, he was confident that he could deceive anyone below the Taiqing Realm.

Including Dao Xuan right in front of us.

"Two years, from the eighth to the ninth level of Yuqing."

Dao Xuan's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair.

"Speaking of this progress, it would be considered genius for an ordinary disciple."

But for you…

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Xiaofan with an almost tangible intensity.

"Xiao Yicai has followed me for thirty years, and now he's stuck at the threshold of Shangqing Realm."

Dao Xuan said slowly, "Your talent has already surpassed his."

Zhang Xiaofan lowered his gaze: "Senior Brother's cultivation is profound; this disciple dares not compare."

"No need to be modest."

Dao Xuan waved his hand.

"The top spot in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament—you should understand without me saying it—is already yours for the taking."

The question now isn't whether you can get first place, but rather what percentage of your potential you're willing to use to achieve it.

"Lu Xueqi will be a formidable opponent," Zhang Xiaofan said.

Dao Xuan raised an eyebrow: "The owner of the Tianya Sword has already mastered the essence of the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique. Have you met her?"

We met briefly two years ago.

"To judge someone as a formidable rival based on just one meeting?"

Dao Xuan smiled enigmatically, "Then I'll have to look forward to your duel."

Dao Xuan suddenly remembered something:

"By the way, two years ago I said you had gone mad with qi, and that news spread quite widely."

Now that you have returned unharmed, it is inevitable that people will speculate.

If it damages your reputation...

"The sect leader did this to protect his disciples."

Zhang Xiaofan picked up the conversation.

"But if this 'lifelong reputation' is damaged, and if I perform poorly in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament, those rumors will be confirmed."

Dao Xuan laughed and scolded, "You slippery fellow! You just want everyone to think your cultivation has regressed, don't you?"

Zhang Xiaofan laughed too, and after he finished laughing, he asked:

"Has Senior Brother Qi Hao reacted at all?"

The atmosphere in the hall paused slightly upon hearing this name.

"He declared that he would fight you at the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament."

Dao Xuan said calmly,

"He still remembers the sneak attack you launched two years ago that seriously injured him."

Now that he has broken through to the Upper Clarity Realm, he feels absolutely confident.

Zhang Xiaofan nodded without saying anything.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Dao Xuan asked.

"Scared?" Zhang Xiaofan raised his head, something flashing across his eyes.

"I'm just thinking about how badly I should beat him this time."

Dao Xuan frowned: "When fellow disciples spar, let's stop when we've reached our goal."

"Then let's stop here."

Zhang Xiaofan spoke calmly.

"Make him pay back all the losses he suffered back then, with interest."

These words were spoken calmly, yet they made Dao Xuan's eye twitch.

He suddenly realized that this seemingly gentle boy possessed an almost ruthless decisiveness deep down.

"Alright." Dao Xuan waved his hand.

"Go back and prepare. It's been two years since we last went back; Junior Brother Tian must be getting impatient."

Zhang Xiaofan bowed and left the main hall.

As I stepped out the door, Dao Xuan's voice came from behind me:

"Remember, concealing your abilities is a means, not an end. When it's time to draw your sword—show no mercy."

Under the moonlight, the Rainbow Bridge resembles an arch made of white jade.

As Zhang Xiaofan walked across the bridge, the fire poker at his waist trembled slightly.

He calmly pressed down on the staff, completely sealing off the malevolent energy of the Bloodthirsty Bead and the Soul-Sealing Staff.

The Spirit Lord turned over in the depths of the pool, stirring up a wave, but ultimately did not reveal himself.

As he rose up with his staff, he glanced back at the Jade Purity Palace.

The eternal flame shone lonely in the night, like a star that refused to go out.

Then he turned towards Dazhu Peak.

A night breeze swept over me, carrying the unique crispness of the Qingyun Mountains.

The peaks below slumber in the moonlight; in three days, this place will witness a grand event that occurs only once every seven years.

The elites from all the peaks, and the eyes of the world, will all converge here.

He will bear the burden of the rumor that his cultivation was damaged after "going into a state of demonic possession".

With his "ordinary" cultivation level of the ninth level of Jade Purity, he stepped onto that stage.

Qi Hao was waiting.

Lu Xueqi was waiting.

The entire Qingyun Sect was waiting.

A very faint smile appeared on Zhang Xiaofan's lips.

Let them wait then.

When they see with their own eyes how dazzling the light will be when the fire poker cuts through the sky.