A big question still stood for Shaoyan Qianyu; if a disciple was intending on harming another fellow disciple, she had to take an action for it.

But just to know the rest of the story, she decided to hold back.

"Tell me more.

" She said.

~huu~

Lin Mu took a deep breath and recited the story that he had prepared all this time. He had practiced this many times in his heart so that it was believable.

Overall, the story went like this:

He was Wu Lian, who came from a small village. His parents were killed by a disciple of the Tri Cauldron peony sect casually just because they offended him by not knowing his identity. After that the disciple humiliated him and stepped on him, telling him that trash like him who can never cultivate should know his place. Time passed and Wu Lian took an oath that he would definitely take revenge on that disciple and had been diligently cultivating all this time.

If one were to hear it, they would find it to be quite generic and they would have heard it from a lot of storytellers that roamed the settlements. Shaoyan Qianyu also found all of it to be a bit too much and doubted it.

"So when is it that you will let your name be known?

" She asked, just to entertain him a bit.

"When I reach the Nascent Soul realm.

" Lin Mu stated without hesitation.

Shaoyan Qianyu had a strange look in her eyes, which Lin Mu noticed quickly. Knowing what she was thinking, he closed his eyes for a moment before releasing his aura.

Suddenly the peak master's eyes went wide as she felt the full extent of his cultivation base.

"Absolute peak of the Core condensation realm…?

" She muttered.

Lin Mu gently nodded his head and said,

"I have been hiding my capabilities all this time so that my enemy does not notice me and try to kill me beforehand. He and his background are quite strong and I cannot go against them yet.

I hope the peak master understands and keeps my identity hidden.

" Lin Mu added.

Shaoyan Qianyu narrowed her eyes and asked,

"this enemy of yours… is he related to some elder?

"

"Indeed, peak master… he is… quite strong and his background even stronger.

" Lin Mu answered.

Shaoyan Qianyu almost face-palmed but managed to stop her to keep her appearance as the superior. Now she could honestly believe Lin Mu, as she knew of the people of the sect. She had been part of the sect for long enough to know how the elders behaved and how bad their offspring could be.

They were entitled and would act without a care in the world, when they went out of the sect. For them, commoners were less than dirt. Before she couldn't do much, even if she wanted to and thus could only ignore it.

She could understand Lin Mu's pain on a certain level, as she too was once a commoner.

~Sigh~

"Alright, I'll keep your identity hidden. But you need to show me how you ignited the intermediate ranked Qi flame. I want to confirm it myself before I can give you the reward token.

" Shaoyan Qianyu said.

"Of course, peak master.

" Lin Mu said with a smile, knowing that the plan had worked.

Had it not been for the intel Wu Hei had given Lin Mu on the backgrounds of the elders of the sect, Lin Mu would have been unable to come up with this plan. In the information that he was given it was said that peak master Shaoyan Qianyu was a cold woman but was not unjust.

She was of low birth and had become an elder over five hundred years ago. Thus Lin Mu built upon this point and appealed to the sympathy within her.

Lin Mu closed his eyes for a bit before extending his palm in front. Spirit Qi rose from his meridians and formed into a thick circle. It then kept on condensing within itself before finally a blue fame ignited with a flash.

"This…

" Shaoyan Qianyu murmured.

'How did he? How does he know my method of igniting the intermediate ranked Qi flame? Unless… he comprehended on his own.' Shaoyan Qianyu thought to herself.

She was extremely sure that no disciple had ever seen her use this method before, except for the other peak masters and a few elders. Thus the only option left was that he had learned this on his own. This gave rise to a strange feeling within Shaoyan Qianyu's heart, and she didn't know what to think of it.

"That's enough.

" She said, and Lin Mu extinguished the flame.

~phew~

Lin Mu took a breath of relief while thinking, 'thankfully she asked to stop early or she would have seen I have no actual control over it.'

"That confirms it. You are indeed qualified to receive the reward.

" Shaoyan Qianyu said before retrieving the token for the first place.

She placed it on the table and Lin Mu picked it up.

"Thank you peak master, for understanding me. I shall not forget this grace.

" Lin Mu spoke.

"It is fine. Though once you are done, I want you to join the Herb peak.

" Shaoyan Qianyu added, taking the opportunity to nab him for her peak.

She could very well see that Lin Mu was obviously talented and would one day become a Nascent Soul realm cultivator himself. While she could not tell his age exactly, she reckoned that he was probably less than two hundred years old, which made him more talented than Alchemist Bilao.

Shaoyan Qianyu now felt excited at finding this hidden gem.

"Will you be taking the reward now?

" Shaoyan Qianyu asked.

"No, peak master. I still have a lot of preparations. Only when I am done, shall I deem myself worthy of choosing the right reward from the vault.

" Lin Mu answered.

"That is wise. Choosing the right herb for your breakthrough will be the proper choice indeed.

" She said, thinking that Lin Mu wanted to support his breakthrough with the help of herbs.