Chương 41: Professional Thief.

Upon reaching Meteor Island, Xiao Cai landed the bird near a cave entrance, saying, "Good. It seems we aren't being followed. This place is suitable for our stay. Please wait an hour while I prepare the area." Ren Qingquan and Fatty Zhang simply nodded in response. At the same time, I also sent him a message notifying him that he has completed a mission. [Ding! Congratulations, you've completed the 'Go To Meteor Island' mission! You have been rewarded with 1 chance to learn any technique (or method). After giving the mission completion notice, I shared my thoughts with Ren Qingquan. [Host, the System suggests exploring the island; there might be treasure or clues about where cultivators gathered.] Ren Qingquan initially agreed to explore but paused after reading the last sentence in my message.' I understand about the treasure. But why can't I just ask Xiao Cai about the gathering place for cultivators? I don't think she'll mind when I ask. After all, I am also a cultivator now. So, it wouldn't be too weird if I knew she's also a cultivator. In this world, there should be a lot of techniques that allow the user to determine whether someone is a cultivator.' Ren Qingquan also added, 'I think it's even weirder that I never asked her about it.' Wait a minute, I hate to admit it, but Ren Qingquan is absolutely right. [...] I believe being alone in this godforsaken space for who knows how long has taken a toll on my mind. I might still think I am somewhat sane, but there's a real possibility I've already gone completely insane. To think I couldn't think of such a simple method. As I silently reflected on my state of mind, Ren Qingquan approached Xiao Cai. He didn't waste words and got straight to the point." Xiao Cai, I know you're also a cultivator. Do you know where other cultivators are? I don't think I've seen anyone else besides you, dad, and the old man guarding our family's library."" The place where cultivators gather?" Xiao Cai seems a bit surprised at what Ren Qingquan asked." It's located far away, basically impossible to reach through normal means," Xiao Cai replied once she regained her bearing." But don't worry. Eventually, the master will take you there."' See?' Ren Qingquan said to me smugly as he nodded to Xiao Cai and brought along Fatty, who was still slightly dazed. Unlike Ren Qingquan, most of Fatty Zhang's family is affected by the recent rebellion. So, it's understandable that his mind is preoccupied as he tries to understand his current situation. After Ren Qingquan received an answer from Xiao Cai, he brought Fatty Zhang to check the surroundings while Xiao Cai prepared a campsite for them. Both of them wandered through the forest and even found some ruins. But with time tight, Ren Qingquan returned before he could conduct any thorough investigation. After an hour, both of them returned to the cave. As she said, Xiao Cai has finished preparing the place. In the initially empty cave, there are now three stacks of leaves with a hole in the middle, where some dried firewood is placed. I assume it's used to light a bonfire on cold nights. Ren Qingquan entered the cave and saw the leaves and the hole." Is this where we're sleeping?"" Please make do with this space. I've also sprinkled special leaves to repel insects, so we can sleep without disturbances," Xiao Cai nodded." We'll need to endure for about a week. By then, the enemy's encirclement should weaken, and we can return to Burning Sky City."" Okay." After two days of nearly nonstop flying, Ren Qingquan was extremely tired and decided to sleep first.' It's a bit uncomfortable, but better than sleeping on hard ground. I didn't help prepare the place, so I can't complain.' Ren Qingquan thought as he lay on the makeshift bed Xiao Cai made. Soon after, Ren Qingquan drifted into sleep. While he sleeps, I remain alert and keep using [Scan] to ensure his surroundings are safe. Most of my attention is on the Female Martial Emperor, who has returned to the Capital City. After returning to the capital, she went to a villa courtyard where nearly thirty people had gathered, The thirty people include the Martial Spirit Sect's leader, vice leader, and the shady Martial Emperor who attempted to assassinate the Palace's librarian. I believe most, if not all of them, are at the Martial Emperor realm. After another person entered, the Martial Spirit Sect's master said, "We still haven't found the imperial seal nor the Azure Emperor himself. Without the imperial seal, we wouldn't be able to take full control of the military, especially those hard-headed generals who are only loyal to the emperor. Our plan to enthrone the successor we've prepared will also fail. Although we've gathered many people who have been dissatisfied with the Azure emperor, who hasn't attended court for a long time, our force is still insufficient to start our great cause without the imperial seal."" Now that all of you are gathered, we must aggressively break into the palace and thoroughly search every corner for the Azure Emperor and the imperial seal. If we remain in this stalemate, the forces outside will catch wind of the situation, and we will lose our only opportunity to restore our sect's honor." The Sect Master spoke rapidly, almost as if possessed by Ren Shiluo, who often talks like a machine gun. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. After some preparation, the Martial Spirit Sect's Martial Emperors, along with a hundred other experts, headed toward the palace. I used my [Scan] to check some of the hundred newly joined people and found they were all at the Martial Lord realm. Soon, the members of the Martial Spirit Sect arrived at the palace wall's gate. The palace gate was tightly shut, with guards posted above. When the guards saw the hundreds of Martial Artists, they sounded the alarm, but this did not deter the Sect members. Like a natural disaster, the Martial Emperors repeatedly struck the gate with martial arts techniques. After three Martial Emperors attacked the gate in succession, a hole cracked open in the palace wall's gate. The guards standing above tried to block them, but the people from the Martial Spirit Sect easily handled them. Even so, the Martial Spirit Sect didn't advance easily because, as they moved, more and more reinforcements arrived at the gate. From the guards protecting the palace to the patrols handling the mess left by the Martial Spirit Sect, everyone set aside their previous duties and began blocking the sect's advance. After arriving at the palace complex, the sect master of the Martial Spirit Sect instructed everyone, "Disperse into groups and search for the Azure Emperor. The Imperial Seal should be in his possession." Before they began to split, several guards dressed in elaborate armor and a few individuals in extremely luxurious clothing stood before them. Among these luxuriously dressed individuals was an elderly woman wearing a shawl that magically floated in midair. Seeing the group, an old man carrying a whip stepped forward from the Martial Spirit Sect's side. He looked at the elderly woman and said, "Huo Tianying, long time no see. It seems you still have the spirit tool you stole from us." Huo Tianying ignored him. Instead, she lightly touched the floating shawl she wore. Instantly, the two ends of the floating shawl suddenly extended and smashed the Martial Spirit Sect's group like a whip. Caught off guard by the surprise attack, some members of the Martial Spirit Sect were pushed back a few meters until they hit a building. It is unclear if they survived. Starting with Huo Tianying's attack, a fierce brawl erupted immediately. Most fighters fought like normal martial artists, but the old man wielding a whip and Huo Tianying, who wore a magical floating shawl, constantly exchanged powerful moves far beyond human limits. At one point, the old man suddenly flicked his wrist, releasing wind blades that flew in all directions, while Huo Tianying retreated, her shawl's end shooting toward the old man and slapping the wind blades while trying to attack the old man. Although the battle was intense, something else caught my eye. After briefly observing the combat, I shifted my focus to Ren Xuan. After hiding for so long, Ren Xuan finally acted when he saw the Martial Spirit Sect members storming into the palace. He employed a stealth technique and quietly entered the palace. I don't know what kind of crazy method it is, but it made him invisible. At the same time, I couldn't even hear the sound of his heartbeat leaving Ren Xuan's body. His body also stopped emitting any natural odor. If I hadn't anchored him or activated my [Scan]'s energy detection ability, he might have completely disappeared from my view. That's when I realized that limiting my [Scan] to save computing power was a bad idea. As I watched Ren Xuan move into the palace, I began gradually unsealing my [Scan]'s capabilities, adding sensors for heat, wind fluctuations, and more. Previously, I found [Scan]'s information overwhelming and had to seal most of it, leaving only the data used for scanning light, noise, and smell accessible. However, I am now accustomed to the [Scan] function and can unseal some previously restricted features. With these adjustments, I could now see Ren Xuan clearly. Still in his stealth state, Ren Xuan arrived at the battlefield where a brawl was ongoing between the members of the Martial Spirit Sect and those from the Palace. On the Palace's side, there was a new reinforcement, a Martial Emperor wielding a dagger-shaped spirit tool. However, they remained at a disadvantage because of the overwhelming number of high-level fighters from the Martial Spirit Sect's side. Ren Xuan kept his eyes on the fighters, especially those from the Palace. As chaos erupted and swallowed more and more of the palace area, he moved to a safe spot where he wouldn't get accidentally involved in the battle. He waited quietly until another elderly man holding an octagonal mirror appeared to assist the Martial Emperor from the palace. When Ren Xuan saw the old man's mirror shoot a laser-like beam at everyone, breaking several Martial Emperors' and Martial Lords' stealth techniques, he finally decided to act and ran deeper into the palace. Soon, he reached a deserted area with a large pagoda. The pagoda has no windows, only a single double door on the first floor. Above the entrance, there's a small, empty octagonal dent that reminds me of the mirror-shaped spiritual tool one of the Martial Emperors recently brought into the nearby battle. I think Ren Xuan was worried about the mirror's ability to break stealth. So, he waited until the old man had taken the mirror away before visiting the pagoda. Standing beneath the pagoda, Ren Xuan tried to casually push the door, but it wouldn't open at all." As expected, this building is definitely made of spiritual materials. It probably came from Meteor Island." While admiring the pagoda, I noticed Ren Xuan's leg muscles enlarged as he suddenly jumped and delivered a dropkick to one of the doors. After a dull thud, a small slit appeared between the pagoda's double doors. Seeing it, Ren Xuan launched another drop kick while muttering, "Even a Martial Emperor would have difficulty opening this door. No wonder they left this place unguarded." After three kicks, the door finally swung open enough for a person to enter, and Ren Xuan quickly slipped inside. Inside the pagoda, darkness fills the space. The only light inside came from the open door. But because I am a System (fake), the darkness doesn't bother me. I used [Scan] to observe the surroundings and saw several wooden boxes. Some of these boxes were open, revealing stacks of gold and silver ingots. Ren Xuan paid no attention to the riches. Instead, he headed toward the stairs and moved upstairs. On the second floor, there were many stored weapons. However, Ren Xuan only glanced at them briefly before moving on. He also ignored the books on the third floor, stopping only to pick some precious medicine stored on the fourth floor before ascending to the top. The top floor was strewn with miscellaneous items. Ren Xuan examined the items, touching some and occasionally shaking his head. After checking everything, he held a dagger and a flute in his hands. When he held them, my [Scan] sensed the spirit qi within. These two items are actually spirit tools! Holding the spirit tools, Ren Xuan muttered in delight, "There's indeed some spirit tool still kept in the palace treasury!" After muttering that, he silently left the pagoda with the two spirit tools he had just obtained.