When Zhou Yin woke up, Huang Wenjun and the others were gathered around his bed.

Seeing him open his eyes, they all exclaimed in surprise and joy: "Ah Yin, you're awake?!"

"Ah Yin, do you know where you are now? After we reported to Ye-shishu, he further reported it to the inner peak. The Sect Leader personally arranged this place for you to recuperate."

"I also met the Sect Leader! ..."

Zhou Yin's head buzzed from the overlapping voices.

Seeing him frown, He Yun quickly said, "Senior Brother said you're fine, just rest well. We'll go out first."

The room finally quieted down.

Zhou Yin checked his injuries. Indeed there was no major issue. Previously, when he used the sword controlling technique beyond his level, it greatly damaged his vital energy. Plus the sword wound on his back from Lü Hanyuan, although it looked severe, as long as he recuperated with elixirs for a few months, he would fully recover.

But this was not the most important matter at the moment.

Them being pursued by people from Qinggu Sect was no small matter. When they finally escaped back, it must have alerted those in the inner peak. Based on how inexperienced Huang Wenjun and the others were, they had likely already reported everything to the upper echelons of Mirror Sea Sect.  

If Lü Hanyuan could resist the temptation of the magic treasure, return and hand it over to his sect, and push the blame for Fan Ximu's death onto Mirror Sea Sect, he could say that the Mirror Sea Sect juniors coveted the treasure, killed and robbed, and he happened to pass by and retrieved the treasure. In that case, Mirror Sea Sect would face the wrath of the third largest sect on the continent and even risk extermination.

But based on the previous situation, it was very likely that Lü Hanyuan would take the Purple Mist Falling Shadow Lamp and flee. When Qinggu Sect couldn't find him, they would come to question Mirror Sea Sect. At that time, it would depend on Mirror Sea Sect's attitude.

Would they hand over Zhou Yin and the other three to Qinggu Sect to settle the matter, or would they refuse in order to preserve the sect's dignity?

Zhou Yin did not overestimate his and Huang Wenjun's status. As outer sect disciples, handing them over was no big deal. Mirror Sea Sect wouldn't offend Qinggu Sect for the sake of some insignificant pawns.

But if they did that, Mirror Sea Sect would lose all face, unable to even protect their own disciples. They wouldn't be able to establish a foothold on the continent in the future.

In this world, absolute power meant absolute truth. When one's strength reached a certain level, they could disregard any rules of the game. In his previous life, before He Lian became powerful, he also spent his days scheming step by step.

It's always best to consider the worst case scenario in order to be fully prepared.

It's a pity that he had not reached the core formation stage and could not open the cave dwelling from his past life. Otherwise, he could take out some magic treasures to increase his odds of success, instead of having his life in someone else's hands like now, which was not a good feeling.

He made cold calculations with an expressionless face. Under the sunlight from the window, his pale complexion had a jade-like texture.

Just then, footsteps approached and someone pushed the door open.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you're awake. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" The person who entered was none other than Lu Yanping, the top disciple of Mirror Sea Sect who had come to Zhou Village to select children back then. He was holding a box in his hands.

"I'm fine."

Lu Yanping smiled, seemingly not minding his indifference. "These are elixirs for healing your injuries. The Sect Leader ordered me to deliver them. Also, he wants to see you. Since you're awake, let's go see him."

Mirror Sea Sword Sect had one Sect Leader and three Elders. Even in the eyes of junior disciples like Huang Wenjun who couldn't even enter the inner peak, the revered status of the Sect Leader and Elders was deeply admired. But in reality, for a third-rate sect, four cultivators at the core formation stage was already the limit of what the sect could produce.

It was more difficult for a sect that had fallen from first-rate to third-rate than a sect that had always been third-rate.

From the day he became the Sect Leader, Zou Jingyuan had been constantly thinking about how to revitalize the sect. Unfortunately, after nearly 500 years of painstaking efforts, until his core formation stage lifespan was about to end, he still hadn't been able to lead the sect onto the path of revival. He was well aware that although it was time for him to enter closed-door cultivation to attempt reaching the nascent soul stage, there was an 80% chance he would not succeed this time.

Zou Jingyuan looked at the youth entering from outside.

He was just over ten years old. His complexion was pale due to his injuries, but his expression was cold and composed. He was not excited or fearful about meeting the Sect Leader, unlike Huang Wenjun and the other outer sect disciples who were clearly inferior in comparison.

He sighed inwardly, feeling a tinge of envy for the other party's youth. His face remained kind as he said, "You are Zhou Yin?"

Zhou Yin performed a disciple's greeting. Although his indifference hadn't faded, it was impeccable.

"I have already learned about what happened from those children, but I still want to hear it from you again," Zou Jingyuan said mildly.

Zhou Yin didn't waste words. He picked out some key points and briefly recounted with a few sentences.  

Zou Jingyuan acknowledged with a "hmm". It was generally consistent with what Huang Wenjun and the others had said, but...

"As a qi refining disciple, how were you able to use the sword controlling technique that should only be usable at the foundation establishment stage?"

"This disciple once saw Ye-shishu use it. The situation was critical, so I had no regard for anything else."

Zou Jingyuan nodded to himself. As an outer sect disciple, he didn't give up on himself. Without the constant guidance of masters, he was able to cultivate to the 7th level of qi refining on his own. And when facing the enemy, he remained fearless and calmly assessed the situation. Even the top disciple Lu Yanping might not necessarily be able to do this.

His voice became even gentler, "Qinggu Sect will likely try to come find trouble over this matter, but don't worry. You were all innocently implicated and are people of my sect. Mirror Sea Sect will certainly protect you."

This was both a promise and a stance.

In fact, this outcome had caused a debate among the few Elders. Some felt there was no need to offend Qinggu Sect for the sake of a few nameless pawns. It was best to take the initiative to send them over before the other party came to condemn them.

However, this proposal was firmly vetoed by Zou Jingyuan. Although Mirror Sea Sect was small, it still needed to save face. If they lost even that last bit of dignity, how could they establish a foothold?

However, Zou Jingyuan had also said these comforting words in front of Huang Wenjun and the others. But unlike the excitement of the others upon hearing it, this youth in front of him still calmly performed a greeting and expressed his thanks.

When he returned from Zou Jingyuan's place, Huang Wenjun, He Yun and the others were all waiting in the courtyard where he was recuperating. As soon as they saw him, they surrounded him and asked questions.

"What did the Sect Leader say? Did he reward you?"

"Ah Yin, if you become the Sect Leader's personal disciple, don't forget about us!"

"Ah Yin..."

"When will you fix the habit of talking over each other?"

Zhou Yin's voice extinguished the three people's gossip enthusiasm like snow water, and they immediately shut up.

It had to be said that if the previous Zhou Yin was close to them only because of his diligence and erudition in cultivation, then after that life-and-death incident, they had developed an unconscious awe towards Zhou Yin.

Being able to talk eloquently in normal times was one thing, but in critical moments, many people failed to perform due to various reasons.

In the cultivation world, bullying the weak by the strong happened from time to time, and sneak attacks and schemes were not uncommon. If one was not vigilant and responsive enough, cultivation alone was useless.

Huang Wenjun and the others were very clear that if it weren't for Zhou Yin, they might have been dead long ago, let alone being able to come back to report.

Liu Xiaowan said timidly, "Sorry, Ah Yin, we were just happy that you came back. Don't be angry."

He Yun glared at her, secretly sneering in her heart. She just couldn't stand Liu Xiaowan's delicate and pitiful appearance.

Huang Wenjun scratched his head and said with an embarrassed smile, "Ah Yin, what did the Sect Leader say to you?"

Zhou Yin: "He asked about what happened that day."

"Ah? He didn't say to let you go directly to the inner peak? That's impossible. Your performance this time was good enough!"

"If it's something one can achieve by oneself, why would one need the charity of others?"

Huang Wenjun was stunned for a moment. Looking at Zhou Yin's indifferent brows and eyes, he suddenly felt that the other party was very far away from them.

That kind of pride engraved in the bones, as if he was...

Supposed to stand aloof on the peak of the mountains.

What if it were himself?

If an opportunity to directly enter the inner peak was placed in front of him, he would probably agree immediately.

Huang Wenjun thought about it and felt a little depressed. It was the first time he discovered that he was indeed not as good as Zhou Yin.

But he didn't know that the soul inside this teenager who was about the same age as him was actually a demonic cultivation master of thousands of years old. This soul had relied on himself and walked out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood step by step since he started cultivating in his previous life.

So even if he would be hit repeatedly in the future, it was very normal.

This matter was put aside just like that. As Zhou Yin expected, Lü Hanyuan was indeed greedy for the magic treasure and did not return to the sect. The Qinggu Sect couldn't find him, so naturally they understood what was going on.

Although they had sent people to the Mirror Sea Sect to inquire about what happened, in the end they returned without success. They had no excuse to come again. Lü Hanyuan's escape saved the Mirror Sea Sect a lot of trouble.

After staying in the inner peak for two days, Zhou Yin packed up the elixirs and returned to the outer peak without lingering.

In the eyes of others, this was also a very incredible behavior. When there was a rare opportunity to stay in the inner peak, who wouldn't take the opportunity to inquire about information, build good relationships with senior martial brothers and sisters in the inner peak, and find a backer? But he was eager to leave, as if showing how aloof he was.

Zhou Yin would not care about other people's thoughts. He had no time to care, because not long after, it would be the sect's trial conference.