Chapter 187: Chapter 140 Turnaround
Peak Master Zhaoâs mood was complex; he had always believed he did nothing wrong, for defending the cultivators of his peak was his duty as the Peak Master.
Yet, upon hearing Elder Baili refer to Li Shiming as âson-in-lawâ and seeing Yin Shilanâs bashful reaction, he seemed to understand.
He turned his head to look at Yu Sect Leader and, on his squarely-set face, he spotted a hint of slyness and cunning.
Yu Sect Leader obviously knew about the relationship between Li Shiming and Yin Shilan yet hadnât informed him, seemingly waiting for him to fall into this pit.
âXiao Zhao, I am very dissatisfied with you. You will handle this matter again. If even the act of betraying the Sect can be forgiven, then what has the Sky Sea Sect become?â Elder Yin looked at Peak Master Zhao and instructed calmly.
âYes, I dealt with this matter incorrectly and will certainly rectify it!â Peak Master Zhao promised repeatedly, without any objection.
âThat will be all, Junior Quan, Junior Sister Sheng, letâs get together properly tomorrow!â Elder Yin didnât say anything else and saw the guests out.
The two Golden Core cultivators and various high-ranking Foundation Establishment cultivators understood that Elder Yin wanted to speak with his daughter, so they left with smiles.
Only Elder Yin and Yin Shilan remained in front of the cave residence. Yin Shilan also wanted to leave, but catching her fatherâs gaze, she knew she couldnât escape today.
âLanâer, what Old Monster Baili said is true, isnât it? Itâs natural for someone your age to have a sweetheart. I only wish to see for myself what sort of character this young man has, whether heâs worthy of my precious daughter!â Elder Yin said gently.
Yin Shilan felt something was off listening to this; it was different from when her mother tricked her about Li Shimingâdifferent words, but the tone was strikingly similar.
âNo, weâre just friends!â she said softly.
To Elder Yinâs ears, that was as good as saying, âYes, weâre deeply in love,â effectively the same thing.
Although he had just left seclusion, how could he not understand his daughter who had been with him since childhood?
His daughter was born into the Heavenly Sea Sect, where he had already been a Golden Core cultivator at her birth. Other than her sister, she had no friends her age; everyone around her could be her grandfather in the secular world.
Extremely intelligent since childhood, she was tested to have a Heavenly Spirit Root at twelve. Such intelligence and talent, combined with her aptitude for formations, left her unable to find friends her own age.
Cultivators in the sect with Heavenly Spirit Roots, but no talent for formations, found no common ground with Yin Shilan.
Yin Shilan was shy by nature; without a topic of conversation, communication was impossible.
âIn a couple of days, Iâll go with you to see Feiâer!â Elder Yin shifted the topic.
Seeing that her father did not continue probing, Yin Shilan sighed in relief and nodded in agreement.
Upon returning to Gen Peak, the first thing Peak Master Zhao did was to imprison all key personnel of Yunâs Trading House, calling over another Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Yun Family, Yun Song.
âIâve seen the Peak Master!â Already informed about Yunâs Trading House being investigated again, Yun Song didnât ask questions but immediately sped to the Peak Masterâs location.
Yun Song never involved himself in the affairs of Yunâs Trading House, having an extraordinary obsession with cultivation.
Apart from the stipend from the Yun Family, he had little to do with them.
âYun Song, you represent Gen Peak to find Li Shiming. All of Yunâs Trading Houseâs assets are now seized. You may access them as you wish. My only request is to find a way to obtain Li Shimingâs forgiveness. Furthermore, Yun Gang will remain at the Heavenly Sea boundaries indefinitely, and all mid-level and higher personnel of Yunâs Trading House will be treated as traitors to the Sect!â Peak Master Zhao declared solemnly.
The sudden overload of information left Yun Song bewildered, taking a moment to comprehend the situation.
Firstly, the Yun Family was finished. The previous incident had been suppressed by Peak Master Zhao, thus keeping the repercussions at bay.
But now, it seemed all the elite of the Yun Family would bear the stigma of betrayalâa grave accusation, and at the very least, their cultivations would be crippled.
Secondly, Peak Master Zhao was afraid; Li Shimingâs background was beyond imagination, prompting Peak Master Zhao to back down.
Combining todayâs major event of Elder Yin leaving seclusion, how could Yun Song not understand that there was a connection between Li Shiming and Elder Yin?
âI will follow the Peak Masterâs command and handle this!â Yun Song bowed and replied, then turned to leave immediately.
âWait, like this, you probably wonât be able to meet Li Shiming. Find the Sect Leader so he can arrange for someone to bring you to Li Shiming!â Peak Master Zhao seemed to recall something and added the instruction while waving his hand.
Li Shiming on Eagle Beak Island was unaware of the major events occurring in the sect.
He spent most of his days uploading knowledge of formations into the IBMz15; an Intermediate Array Master could gain knowledge of formations below the intermediate level for free.
This was an enormous knowledge system, where normally an array master would choose a speciality while merely touching on other areas.
Thus, array masters would select useful knowledge from this vast system for study, but Li Shiming was differentâhis aim was to upload this knowledge into the IBMz15.
Once the IBMz15 analyzed this knowledge thoroughly, it would share the learning results with him.
He skipped the longest part. What took other array masters ten years to learn, he could master in mere minutes.
Although he had lost some sense of belonging to the sect, and he didnât even proactively claim the two thousand spirit stones and formation resources, he wouldnât pass up on the knowledge of formations.
Not claiming the two thousand spirit stones and formation resources was his way of showing his stance to the sect.
If he was nearly assassinated and the sectâs handling of the situation wasnât fair, it would seem rather false if he didnât show some temper.