"Aside from moving in your dragon form," she asked slowly, "did you also move in a masked form... with simple white robes?"
Tian Lei gave a small nod, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Yes. That was . Many challengers kept coming at —one after another. To avoid the constant hassle of always transforming into a dragon, I simply disguised myself. Changed my clothes, wore a mask. It was easier that way."
Mu Qinxue exhaled softly, a knowing look flickering in her eyes. She gave the faintest nod.
"Aside from the talk about the Dragon, there was another topic of interest in the Secret Realm eting," she said lightly. "At every point, they kept asking about the masked white-robed cultivator who bested everybody he ca across and took their tokens."
Tian Lei only smiled faintly, not bothering to deny it.
"Your legend even earned you a title," she continued, lips quirking. "They call you the Thief in White."
Tian Lei scoffed, folding his arms. "What kind of ridiculous title is that? If they were defeated, it’s not my fault. Weakness carries its own price." He shrugged, sending her a dry look.
Mu Qinxue shook her head once. Seeing his dragon pride flaring once again, she decisively delivered a light chop on his head.
He winced faintly. "Argh, my head... why does it hurt this much?"
"Your body’s strong," she said softly. Then, as if rembering sothing, she glanced at him. "Speaking of which... are you practicing a Body Forging Art?"
"Yes," Tian Lei nodded. "It’s an ancient-rank technique. That’s why my body is this powerful."
Her eyes lit up with interest. "Can I see it?" she asked carefully.
Tian Lei tilted his head, then finally nodded. "I can show you mine, but I have sothing better for a woman. It’s called the Moon Phoenix Divine Body. I think it’s better if you cultivate this one instead."
He handed her the book, and as she opened it, Mu Qinxue’s expression softened with delight. "This is... so much better than my Heaven-rank one."
Tian Lei chuckled. "Of course it is. The Moon Phoenix Divine Body was tailored for won—it harmonizes with yin energy, strengthens the ridians, and grants a rebirth-like resilience. If you master it, your vitality will rival even powerful beasts."
Mu Qinxue’s fingers lingered on the pages as her lips curved into the faintest smile.
"So, you’re giving sothing priceless for free?"
"Well, you are my Master," Tian Lei replied easily, his tone casual but his eyes betraying a quiet sincerity.
For a mont, silence stretched between them, broken only by the rustle of turning pages. Then Mu Qinxue looked up, her gaze soft but resolute.
"Then I’ll cultivate this. And when I succeed, I’ll protect you better that way, so you won’t have to go around wearing masks."
Tian Lei’s smile deepened. "Good. That’s exactly what I want."
"Then there’s another thing I want to say," she continued, her tone shifting. "Look at your sect token."
Tian Lei blinked, then obediently reached into his storage ring. Pulling out the round jade dallion, he noticed it shining with a faint crimson glow.
"It’s red... does that an sothing?" he asked curiously.
Mu Qinxue nodded. "It ans you’ve piled up your due. You haven’t completed a single sect mission for months."
Tian Lei frowned. "Do I really have to? Am I not your personal disciple? Doesn’t the status of being the Sect Master’s disciple exempt from such things?"
"The sect missions are not just chores," Mu Qinxue said firmly. "You don’t beco a powerful man by hiding away in your cave, cultivating endlessly. Missions aren’t busywork—they are tied to an cultivator journey, to give them experierence. If you neglect them, you’ll be penalized. That is the rule of our sect."
Tian Lei sighed, but eventually nodded. "Alright. I understand."
Seeing his reluctant acceptance, Mu Qinxue allowed herself a small smile. But as Tian Lei bowed and left, her expression slowly faded, replaced by the weight of her thoughts. She rembered too clearly the eting she had just co from.
Softly, under her breath, she whispered, "It’s good he has a good head on his shoulders... otherwise, we would already be preparing for war."
Back at that eting, matters were anything but peaceful. Although the disciples of many sects had returned from the Secret Realm relatively unhard, tension seethed beneath the surface. Other sects were in chaos, furious at their losses—after all, they had gained nothing from this year’s Secret Realm expedition.
Everything Tian Lei had done—whether in his dragon form or as the mysterious Thief in White—had led to nearly ninety-eight percent of the sects walking away empty-handed. This alone was enough to drive the assembly into outrage. Voices rose, demanding to know who this Thief in White was and which sect dared to shelter him.
Had they known it was Tian Lei, their fury would surely have turned toward the Azure Feather Sect. The pressure from every corner would have been unbearable; if it ca to that, the sect would have had no choice but to defend him, even if it ant risking annihilation.
Thankfully, Tian Lei had moved from the shadows, keeping his identity hidden. Because of his discretion, no one connected the Azure Feather Sect to the thief who had disrupted the balance. And for now at least, Mu Qinxue—and her sect—were spared from the brink of war.
**
Tian Lei scratched his cheek absentmindedly, muttering to himself. "Hmm... I completely forgot about that pill... ah well, I’ll deal with that later. For now, I should go and complete a sect mission. No point in wasting ti."
With that thought, he made his way toward the Mission Peaks, where sect disciples went to accept tasks. The tall mountain lood before him, its steps bustling with people clad in Azure Feather robes. A constant stream of disciples ca and went, voices overlapping as missions were posted and accepted.
The air slled faintly of ink and incense. Wooden boards lined the central hall, each covered with slips detailing sect missions ranging from the mundane—herb gathering, hunting beasts, delivering supplies—to the perilous, which involved exploring dangerous ruins or clashing with rival sects’ disciples.
Tian Lei glanced over them, sifting quickly through the simpler ones before his eyes landed on sothing more suitable. It wasn’t as grand as his own ambitions, but it had the right level of challenge. Red Heaven City—escort and oversee a trading caravan threatened by bandits.
It was a mid-level mission, one that many disciples hesitated to take due to the rumors of unusually strong attackers lurking along the trade route.
A senior disciple manned the mission desk. When Tian Lei stepped forward with the chosen slip, the disciple arched a brow."Junior brother, you want to take this one?"
"Yes," Tian Lei said without hesitation.
The senior disciple leaned back, studying him carefully. After a mont, he handed over a sect token, then a small jade dallion. "Very well. You have three months to complete it. If it isn’t finished in that ti, it will be recorded as a failure."
"Understood." Tian Lei accepted them both and bowed slightly before turning away.
Once outside, Tian Lei did not imdiately summon his sword. Instead, he made his way toward Spirit Beast Peak, where disciples could rent flying beasts for long journeys. After a brief exchange and showing his sect token, he was led to a tall, elegant creature—its body wreathed in faint mist, feathers white as snow and glowing faintly under the sun.
A Cloud Crane.
It was said to be one of the Azure Feather Sect’s finest aerial transports, capable of covering imnse distances with steady speed and endurance.
Mounting the beast, Tian Lei patted its neck lightly. "To Red Heaven City," he murmured.
The crane gave a resonant cry, then spread its vast wings. With a single beat, it shot into the sky, leaving the sect behind. Clouds stread past as the wind whistled in Tian Lei’s ears, the world below shrinking to scattered patches of mountains and rivers.
The journey took three days in all, with short rests along quiet mountain ridges where the Cloud Crane fed on spirit herbs he brought along for him. Tian Lei used those pauses to cultivate, ditate, and sharpen his sword intent.
At the dawn of the third day, the horizon finally revealed the sprawling silhouette of Red Heaven City. Its crimson-tiled roofs glead under the rising sun, and its towering walls stretched like a fortress of fla across the land.
The Cloud Crane gave a long cry as if announcing their arrival, then began a slow descent. Tian Lei exhaled softly, eyes narrowing.
"Red Heaven City... Finally here."
He leapt down lightly as the crane touched ground, stroking its neck once in thanks. The beast lingered only a mont longer before beating its wings and vanishing back into the skies, leaving Tian Lei to face the city on his own.
Tian Lei then went ahead as he paid the money to city guards and went to the Beautiful and Dangerous Caravan, the one who posted mission at the first place.
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