I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

"Come on over, you two." Ye Qiao's eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically told them their locations, inviting both of them to come together.

Ye Qiao's attitude...

Something doesn't seem right.

Having been tricked many times before, Song Hansheng was somewhat wary. However, with his family assigning him the task of bringing Ye Qiao over, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to Cloud City at the foot of the mountain with Ye Qinghan.

They rarely go out.

I don't know much about Cloud City, and although it's located at the foot of the Five Sects, theoretically it's more aligned with the Changming Sect. No one would be so bored as to go shopping in the city, except for the people of the Changming Sect. They really are idle.

Two wealthy young masters arrived to pay the bill; all they had to do was follow Ye Qinghan and Song Hansheng around and freeload off them.

They had absolutely no ties with the other two factions. These two wouldn't come to the temple without a reason, and their repeated attempts to strike up a conversation with Ye Qiao meant they definitely had something to say.

Since they've come to us like this, we're definitely going to rip them off.

They bought everything that interested them and, when the bag was too full, they gave it to Ye Qinghan and Song Hansheng to carry.

Seeing Ye Qinghan and Song Hansheng reduced to this state, Chu Xingzhi was furious and wanted to accuse them.

Mingxuan tossed a box precisely into his arms. "You're so unhappy, why don't you help your senior brother carry it?"

Chu Xingzhi glanced at his senior brother, snorted, and snatched it away: "I'll take it then."

Another powerful member joins the ranks of those who carry bags.

Mingxuan and Ye Qiao high-fived.

Ye Qinghan, who witnessed everything: "..."

You guys are toxic.

Knowing that the two sects had come to her door with something in mind, Ye Qiao found a place where they could sit down and chat. After Chu Xingzhi sat down, he was so angry that he kept gnawing on the edge of the wooden table and grinding his teeth.

Ye Qiao turned her head and noticed Chu Xingzhi gnawing on the corner of the table while glaring fiercely at them. She nudged the person next to her and asked, "Who upset him?"

Xue Yu asked earnestly, "Don't you have any self-awareness?"

Apart from Ye Qiao, who else could make Chu Xingzhi so angry?

The creaking sound made them suspect that if they stayed any longer, Chu Xingzhi might bite the table in half.

The cultivators observing from the shadows nearby were also discussing the matter animatedly.

"Wait, wait, wait, this scene is a bit chaotic."

"It seems there are three sects together."

"Uh, aren't you afraid of being discovered?"

"There are so many people in the bustling city of Cloud City, even if they notice us, they won't be able to."

Almost everyone was curious about what a group of close associates would do together out of nothing.

They wouldn't find it strange that Changming Sect and Bishui Sect were traveling; what was strange was why Wenjian Sect and Yueqing Sect had summoned their elusive chiefs.

"Have all three of our cultivation world's top cultivators gathered?"

"Fine, fine, so you'll isolate Chu Xingzhi, won't you?"

Ye Qiao could hear it clearly. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could accurately lock onto any cultivator and distinguish the direction from which the sound came from.

Being spied on wasn't a pleasant feeling. Song Hansheng could also sense many unfamiliar, harmless probing eyes. He affixed a concealment talisman to shield himself from the prying divine senses of the outside world.

Xue Yu initiated the conversation, "Is there something you need from me?"

Song Hansheng spoke first: "We would like to invite you to the Song family home as guests."

They said they were visiting, but their real intention was to bring them into the family as soon as possible.

Every family has its share of skilled individuals they keep. They may be a bit younger in comparison, but it's always wise to strike first. Everyone knows that the Changming Sect has the most geniuses in the cultivation world right now.

Ye Qiao lay on the table: "We refuse."

The atmosphere within the Song family wasn't exactly pleasant, and they didn't want to get involved in the power struggle among the eight major families.

Song Hansheng had anticipated this. After seeing that he had been rejected, Ye Qinghan also asked a question, "There's a training exercise in a few days, and I need to take the Wenjian Sect with me. If there's any emergency later on, can your Changming Sect lead the team?"

Leading the team?

Ye Qiao looked at him, puzzled. "You're going to the secret realm?"

They rarely worked together, but even when they did, Ye Qinghan was always the one leading the team. Unless there were special circumstances, they preferred to fight independently.

But there are always many opportunities in secret realms.

Some spiritual plants and fruits can even boost spiritual energy in a short period of time. If Ye Qinghan is in a bottleneck period, it would indeed be very suitable for her to go to the secret realm.

In other words, the Sword Inquiry Sect doesn't get involved, but if they really encounter a mission, they still need to find someone to lead the team.

The Changming Sect is the perfect fit, whether it's Zhou Xingyun or Ye Qiao. Ye Qiao is more dominant in this regard, provided she's willing.

Ye Qiao muttered to herself, "I could lead a team."

But she hates leading teams.

"If you lead the team, we can get the lion's share of the spoils," Xue Yu analyzed, explaining that this was a benefit.

Nobody wants to be the first to stick their neck out, and being the first to stick your neck out requires strength. The only suitable person is Ye Qiao. Before, he could use his cultivation level as an excuse, but now he is at the Nascent Soul stage.

If you had to choose a sect to lead the team, Changming Sect would obviously be the top choice.

Mingxuan brushed him off, "We'll see. Maybe Qin Huai would be more willing. After all, without you, his opportunity has come."

Qin Huai always wanted to be number one, but he failed repeatedly.

"If Qin Huai isn't willing, there's always Song Hansheng." Ye Qiao felt that Heaven was about to bestow a great responsibility upon this person, so naturally she was happy to lead the team. Putting aside everything else, Song Hansheng and Ye Qinghan had always had an extremely strong sense of honor.

Song Hansheng, who was being called out, was still holding a pile of trash that Ye Qiao had bought.

Yes, rubbish, she bought a bunch of useless talismans.

Crucially, Ye Qiao even asked him, "Do you want it?"

Song Hansheng felt insulted.

Ye Qiao noticed his expression and raised her hand. "I meant the one I drew."

She had a bunch of low-level talismans lying in her storage bag. The sect forbade their sale, and since she had no use for them, she just left them there as trash.

But Ye Qiao knew that Song Hansheng and even those talisman cultivators were quite curious. Although they were furious at her for modifying the talismans passed down from their ancestor, the effects on the competition field were obvious to all. They wanted them, but they couldn't let go of their pride.

Song Hansheng's expression indeed softened.

"I can trade with you." After hesitating for a few seconds, Song Hansheng still said, "Your magical artifacts and talismans are almost completely destroyed, aren't they?"

The magical artifacts and talismans on the market are generally ineffective; the effective ones are mostly made by established families.

You can get talismans from Mingxuan for free, but you have to buy magic weapons from Chengfeng Sect or families that specialize in crafting magic weapons.

In the cultivation world, things are valued for their rarity; all usable magical artifacts are extremely expensive.

Ye Qiao was indeed in dire need of talismans and magical artifacts. She nodded, and Song Hansheng opened the mustard seed bag and gave her a brief glance at it.

Ye Qiao was almost overwhelmed by the smell of money.

Song Hansheng noticed her reaction, and a smug look appeared on his lips. "I can switch with you."

Good, good, good. Ye Qiao loves his foolish charm that he hasn't changed over the years.

She quickly tossed all the junk in her hands to him, saying, "Let them study it if they want; low-level talismans aren't very useful to me."

Song Hansheng's curiosity always stemmed from the underlying principles: why could some talismans be combined or modified? However, if he wanted to take a few back for research, he would have to buy them from Ye Qiao.

Ye Qiao seized the opportunity to pick up the talismans of the Yueqing Sect. The Yueqing Sect's defensive talismans have always been exceptionally strong, a rarity among other sects. Now was the perfect time to take advantage of them.

Song Hansheng also got what his family had asked for, and compared to the spirit stones Ye Qiao had swindled from him before, it only cost him a little money.

Both sides felt they had come out on top.

After the two reached an agreement in front of the Sword Inquiry Sect, Chu Xingzhi pursed his lips, nudged Ye Qinghan's arm, and gestured for his senior brother to continue questioning.

Their main purpose in coming here this time was not just this.

He pointed to the sky, signaling Ye Qinghan to think about the purpose of their trip. They had come to ask Ye Qiao what her connection was with the Heavenly Dao's blessing of the Nascent Soul Tribulation.

Ye Qinghan also noticed something strange.

He couldn't see through Ye Qiao's cultivation level from the very beginning.

Ye Qinghan had some guesses, observing the expressions of the Changming Sect members, and then he suddenly asked, "You've broken through to a higher realm?"

In an instant, Ye Qiao was being subtly glanced at by many eyes, and Ye Qiao guessed that the Sword Sect would not make baseless accusations.

Ye Qinghan, in particular, would only visit the temple if he had something to ask.

"Yes," she replied readily, looking back.

Seeing how quickly she admitted it, Ye Qinghan narrowed his eyes. "So, that Nascent Soul cultivator is you."

How could there be a quasi-god-level being among the demon race?

Aside from monks, they made no other choice.

"You got it right." She leaned on the table, "but there's no reward."

Completely stunned by this earth-shattering news, Song Hansheng exclaimed, "What?! What Nascent Soul stage?"

and many more.

They were clearly chatting the whole time, so where exactly did he miss something?