019 Phoenix Feather

019 Phoenix Feather

Jiang Zhen rarely had a chance to sneak away from the Sect and

have fun.

Most of the time, the Elders either threw a tantrum or

threatened him with suicide

if he even

thought

about it.

“Sect Master, if you leave now, I will set myself on fire.”

“Sect Master, if you disappear again, I will starve myself to death!”

“Sect Master, we are still recovering from last time! What if another demonic beast appears?!”

Jiang Zhen sighed.

It wasn’t

his

fault they were so dramatic.

This time, though, he had a

decent excuse.

A Sacred Beast called

Lake Marigold

—a Fourth Realm spirit fish—had turned

demonic.

As the leader of the Isolation Path Sect, it was his

duty

to handle it.

Which, of course, he did.

Easily.

With the problem swiftly dealt with, Jiang Zhen saw an

opportunity.

Using his

Shapeshifting Technique,

he infiltrated a group of Sect disciples and an Elder who were traveling to

Yellow Dragon City.

Officially, the trip was for

diplomatic relations.

Jiang Zhen knew better.

It was about an auction.

Some treasure had caught the Sect’s attention, and the Elders wanted to acquire it before

anyone else.

Jiang Zhen, however,

couldn’t care less

about some random treasure. The Elders could handle that mess

themselves.

Instead, his interest lay elsewhere—

Selling

goldfish.

More specifically, the

offspring

of Lake Marigold.

Each fish carried a trace of spirituality, and

one in a thousand

had the potential to awaken their

spark.

It was a harmless little experiment. Jiang Zhen wasn’t a

monster.

He didn’t force anything upon the fish—if one of them was destined for greatness, then so be it.

Of course, none of this would be

fun

if he sold them

normally.

So, naturally—

He pretended to be a

mortal.

An ordinary old man.

And thus, his

goldfish arcade stall

was born.

A little game of

chance.

A test of

fate.

It was purely for research.

It was

definitely

not about having fun.

…

Maybe.

And then walked in the strange guy.

Jiang Zhen had seen

many

cultivators in his time.

But this one?

This one was

weird.

At first glance, he almost mistook the young man for a

true mortal.

His stealth technique was

almost

as good as Jiang Zhen’s own, an impressive feat for someone so

young.

Almost.

Unfortunately for the kid, Jiang Zhen wasn’t

blind.

The boy’s body was

compact, refined, and deceptively powerful.

His muscles weren’t those of a simple laborer—they had

intent,

the kind honed through

Body-Tempering techniques.

And

that

was the problem.

Stealth techniques and Body-Tempering techniques did

not

mix well. A different kind of training was required, The Sword Canopy Sect had two famous ones—

Iron Skin

and

Sword Body

—both of which made their practitioners

physically unshakable.

But no matter how well one hid their presence, a trained eye could

always

recognize the signs.

The way he moved.

The way his muscles responded to every small shift.

The natural stability in his posture.

Sigh.

The folly of youth.

As a

responsible

Senior, Jiang Zhen decided to

educate

the foolish young man who thought he could mix

stealth and body refinement.

Rather than

education,

though—

It was more of a

prank.

Every time the young man

almost

caught a goldfish, Jiang Zhen popped the paper net with a subtle

burst of qi,

freeing the fish.

And then—

The kid tried again.

And again.

And again.

For

two entire days.

What kind of lunatic spent

two days

playing an arcade game

rigged

against them?

Jiang Zhen

offered

to just

sell

him a goldfish. Thirty copper coins. Simple. Fair.

The boy ignored him.

Utterly

ignored

him.

Jiang Zhen squinted at the strange young man, trying to figure out what exactly was

wrong

with him.

Why waste time playing when you should be cultivating?

Young people nowadays were so

daring and reckless.

Back in his day, fun was only allowed after one became an

Immortal.

…

Er.

Or maybe after one became a

Sect Master.

Jiang Zhen had to admit—there

were

body-tempering techniques compatible with stealth arts.

The Isolation Path Sect, for example, had a few. Techniques that honed the body

without

making one move like a walking fortress. But whatever sect this kid had come from?

Didn’t have them.

The contrast was jarring.

The kid’s stealth technique was brilliant

.

His presence melted into the surroundings with the ease of a seasoned assassin. It was as if the kid didn’t have qi. If Jiang Zhen hadn’t been

who he was

, he might’ve mistaken him for a simple, unassuming mortal.

But that

body refinement

stuck out like a sore thumb.

Jiang Zhen almost felt tempted to take the young man as a disciple, just to

fix

the contradiction. Someone with this level of talent in stealth? If properly trained, he could be an

invaluable

asset to the Isolation Path Sect.

“A second disciple isn’t so bad.”

Imagine,

Jiang Zhen thought,

a diamond in the rough, polished under my guidance…

And so, when the young man approached his stall again—

Jiang Zhen felt a

hint

of excitement.

…

Then he saw the

demonic cultivator

beside him.

Jiang Zhen immediately sobered.

He was

old

, but he wasn’t

senile.

Moreover, his qi sensory was top-notch. The girl standing with the young man had the lingering scent of demonic cultivation clinging to her soul.

Not the type that could be washed away with repentance.

Jiang Zhen’s first instinct was to

warn

the young man—tell him to

be careful

, to avoid unnecessary trouble—

But then—

The young man

opened his mouth

—

And

exposed him.

Jiang Zhen was speechless.

A

hundred thoughts

passed through his mind in an instant.

How did the kid find out?!

No one—not a

single soul

—should’ve been able to recognize him!

For years, Jiang Zhen had perfected his mortal disguise. He was a master of deception, a

true

expert in blending in. And yet, this

brat

had waltzed up to him and

torn off his mask

as if it were nothing!

This was bad.

This was

very bad.

He

couldn’t

let his sect members find out about this. They were in Yellow Dragon City right now, dealing with an auction… and probably a martial tournament. If word got out that he was here—

playing arcade games

—instead of back home, the Elders would

riot.

He needed to

retreat.

Jiang Zhen decided to

go nuclear.

“Hah! Don’t blame me if you can’t win a simple arcade game!” he shouted, his voice rising. “It’s definitely your fault, kid! A

skill issue!

Eh? Eh? What now? Gonna hit me?!"

Meanwhile—

Underneath his sleeve, he was

charging a hidden talisman.

This wasn’t an ordinary escape talisman.

It was an

Isolation Path Sect life-saving talisman

—a technique derived from

demonic arts

but refined into something

far more specialized.

It couldn’t be interrupted. It was

instantaneous.

The moment it fully charged, it would

teleport him directly back to the sect.

It took

time

to activate, sure—

But it was unbeatable.

Once triggered,

nothing

could stop it.

He just needed a few more—

“Judgment Severance.”

Jiang Zhen’s breath hitched.

A golden

cross-shaped rupture

briefly

flashed

in the air between him and the young man.

Then—

Shatter.

Jiang Zhen felt it before he saw it.

The talisman under his sleeve—

It broke.

Like

glass.

Tiny, glittering fragments of golden dust drifted from his fingers.

The teleportation never triggered.

Jiang Zhen stared, utterly confused.

That was impossible.

Jiang Zhen reached for his face—

And

froze.

His

disguise was gone.

The wrinkles, the frail-looking features—vanished. His previously all-white hair had recovered a few strands of black, making him look more

middle-aged

than elderly.

The bystanders stared.

Jiang Zhen could feel their awe.

Not because he was handsome—

though yes, he was absolutely handsome

—but because of what his transformation implied.

He had been a cultivator all along.

And these people—fellow stall owners, city folk, simple mortals—had interacted with him like

family

for the past few days. They had gossiped with him, shared meals, played games, laughed, and treated him like

one of their own.

Now?

Their attitudes shifted instantly.

No one spoke.

No one

dared

to approach.

Jiang Zhen sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sheesh… It was fun while it lasted."

Thankfully, no one recognized him as the Sect Master of the Isolation Path Sect. He rarely showed his face in public, after all. Even within his own sect, only the Elders regularly saw him.

But still.

The

distance

between him and the people around him felt palpable.

No matter how well he blended in—

At the end of the day, he was not one of them.

That realization left a

bitter taste

in his mouth.

Jiang Zhen exhaled.

"No point lingering."

He turned toward the

infuriating

young man who had exposed him.

“Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Before the young man could respond, Jiang Zhen flickered—

—reappearing atop a high building some distance away.

He frowned.

The moment his feet touched the rooftop—

The young man appeared beside him.

At the same time.

Jiang Zhen’s eyes narrowed.

I didn’t even notice the fluctuation of his qi.

It was unsettling.

One of the most annoying things about stealth techniques was how difficult they made gauging someone’s strength. It was usually Jiang Zhen himself who enjoyed this advantage—taking pleasure in others failing to see through

his

power.

But now?

He was the one left

guessing.

Jiang Zhen sighed.

This kid was no

ordinary

young man.

His voice took on a new edge of curiosity. “Your stealth technique is impressive… it’s as if you have no qi at all.”

The mysterious young man

faked a cough.

“Ah, don’t think too much about it.”

His tone was light, almost casual—

But Jiang Zhen could

feel

something beneath it.

It was

flustered.

Embarrassed, even.

Jiang Zhen narrowed his eyes further.

Now

that

was interesting.

Jiang Zhen was a blunt man.

“What’s your realm?”

The young man tilted his head. “Guess.”

“I don’t want to.”

The young man smirked. “We should do introductions first, you know?”

Jiang Zhen almost felt

offended.

“You don’t know me?”

“Wow, you are such a prick… introductions first, old man. It’s nice to put a name to a face.”

Jiang Zhen narrowed his eyes. “You go first.”

The young man grinned. “Da Wei.”

Jiang Zhen frowned. “I don’t recognize your name.”

“I’d be surprised if you did.”

“A foreigner, then.”

Da Wei chuckled. “Heh, don’t leave me hanging.”

Jiang Zhen crossed his arms. “I should apologize for leaving you hanging, but I don’t want to.”

“Wow, you are so childish.”

Jiang Zhen sighed. “My name is Jiang Zhen.”

Da Wei furrowed his brows. “Jangjen? Jamjin? Changcheng?”

Jiang Zhen’s eye twitched. “It is

Ji-ang Zh-en.

”

“Got it,

Changcheng.

”

Jiang Zhen exhaled slowly through his nose, suppressing the urge to flick the young man off the rooftop. “What do you want with the Isolation Path Sect?”

Da Wei rested a hand on his hip. “It’s for my follower. She was forced into discipleship by a demonic cultivator—practically forced to learn a demonic technique that would kill her if she stopped practicing it.”

Jiang Zhen’s eyes flickered toward the girl in question. She stood a few rooftops away, head bowed, breathing harsh, shoulders stiff, and hugging the fishbowl as if it were a lifeline.

He returned his gaze to Da Wei. “And you believe her?”

Da Wei didn’t hesitate. “I heard the Isolation Path Sect has a method to transform demonic techniques into non-demonic techniques. If the Isolation Path Sect is indeed righteous as they claim, they should be able to help her without discrimination, correct?”

Jiang Zhen let out a small chuckle. “The Isolation Path Sect

is

very knowledgeable on everything demonic, but why would they help her? Why would

I

help her?”

Jiang Zhen scoffed. “As if you have anything I’d want—”

Da Wei pulled something from under his sleeve. A single crimson feather, brimming with life force and radiating pure fire qi, pulsed in his grasp.

Jiang Zhen’s words caught in his throat. His eyes widened, jaw slightly open as he took in the feather’s brilliance. The warmth it emitted wasn’t just heat—it was

alive.

Da Wei tilted his head. “How about a trade? A life for a life. Seems fitting, doesn’t it?”

Jiang Zhen swallowed, his mind racing. “What is that?”

Da Wei smirked. “Phoenix Feather.”