THE MEETING OF MOLTEN BRONZE AND VIBRANT GOLD

The sky was just beginning to darken. Or rather, it was the gargantuan walls that fabricated the shade of dusk within the Sect's grounds. Of course, to those outside its bulwarks, the sun had yet to set. Summertime as it was, it still had a long while to traverse the last, reddening stretch of blue.

The summer cicadas within the Sect's boundaries knew not of this, though. As their nature dictated, they still sang their last note and prepared to vacate the stage as their sun slumbered. Their buzzing might echo occasionally, but it would soon be buried by the chirping of the nocturnal crickets.

Amidst their summer songs, Cheng Hao materialized atop a Teleportation Hexagram in a vast courtyard.

The precinct was located in the large ring of land between the Sixth and Seventh Walls, the tall outer walls of the Sect. All year round, it housed millions of aspiring disciples of the Vacant Sect of the Mysterious Light-Shadow.

Off in the distance were uncountable small huts made of stone, where millions of new disciples would lodge from that night onwards. The faint sound of clattering cutlery, barely reaching from far away, had the famished youth yearn for some supper.

Looking around, Cheng Hao's gaze fell on a weary figure resting in their chair, just a dozen measures at the front.

The old man had his arms crossed in front of his chest and his head dangling off to one side. His eyelids were heavy, his breath drawn out and regular. He was sleeping soundly.

In front of the napping elderly was a small desk, much like the Vacant Elder that Cheng Hao had met just before, when he was travelling together with Liu Biao. Unlike that Vacant Elder, this old man wore a set of simple robes. They, Cheng Hao recognized, were neither a Sect Elder's nor a Disciple's garbs.

Behind the sleeping old man and his desk were multiple carts overflowing with black robes, and a noticeboard from which hung hundreds, if not thousands, of keys. Cheng Hao concluded that, however unprofessional he might look, this person was likely one of the groundkeepers of the Sect.

The child stepped off of the now faded Teleportation Hexagram and towards the old-timer that had been caught snoozing on the job. He came to a stop a couple of feet away, a wry smile slowly forming on his thin lips.

Suddenly, almost as if he had sensed the other's condemning gaze, the old man opened his eyes. The irises were metallic, like molten bronze, or aged gold. Raising his head with considerable effort, he cast a murky gaze at the front. There, the unexpected figure of the child was registered in the dark gold eyes. Immediately, the elderly man raised a candid eyebrow as the haze in his pupils vanished.

Unlike most, the experienced Cheng Hao could tell that such fog had never existed in the first place. It had merely served to artificially conceal the depths of that immeasurable gaze.

In his shock, however, the old man's disguise had come to pass as he had dropped his guard. In no time at all, the aged face full of wrinkles had arranged into a thoughtful frown. His languidness was like so brazenly revealed to be but a shrewd act.

On the other hand, the old man truly was just as puzzled as he appeared.

'So begins the performance', Cheng Hao had this very thought as he resisted the urge to chuckle heartily. Instead, he noticeably tilted his head, before flashing a surprised glimmer in his eyes. Then, the corners of his lips conspicuously twitched, as if he couldn't properly contain his excitement and expectations.

Every one of such motions was secretly calculated, as was the slight trembling of his pupils, his controlled breathing, and the curling of his toes underneath the cover of his leather shoes.

Finally, he artfully bowed, and with that bow, a hidden game of cat and mouse had also begun.

Naturally, as the only party fully in the know, Cheng Hao alone had the advantage to steer this conversation in his favour.

"Hello, Senior! This Junior is called Cheng Hao! Junior offers his respects to his Senior!" He grinned, his tone cheerful and a tad fawning. Clearly, it was not to the point where it reached the extreme flattering he had shown towards the arrogant Liu Biao. That would be going overboard, backfiring miserably.

Instead, the subtle motions he had purposefully performed would be the highlights of this conversation.

After all, even his most minute actions would not escape the eye of this one old man.

It was common knowledge for experienced cultivators not to engage in conflict unprepared. Even less so, needlessly.

Why could Liu Biao act so unreservedly against the Vacant Elder? Even behind his irrational outbursts, were measures that had been drilled into him by the harshness of this world and its untold regulations.

Approaching two decades of living as a disciple there, Liu Biao had naturally thoroughly studied the Sect's rulebooks. He was thus completely sure the 'hierarchy' had it so the Sect would be on his side.

Then, with a casual scan, the Inner Disciple had easily made sure that he also had a clear advantage in terms of 'cultivation base'.

And finally, the prodigal son's connections were evidently nothing to scoff at. Case in point, his wealth, now Cheng Hao's wealth, was a strong indicator of his impressive 'background'.

With that, one should also clearly see now why an elderly figure was never to be taken lightly.

Never underestimate the elderly in a world where the talented die young.

Even among mortals, one would find that the elderly oftentimes top the hierarchy. But among cultivators especially, reaching an advanced age in a setting where danger lies at every corner was a badge of honour, worthy of respect. In any Clan, School, or Sect, there would be rules to safeguard such individuals. Especially so when no mortal could avoid old age. Those dictating the rules would eventually find themselves similarly late in their years, and as such would seek to safeguard those fastly approaching days before all else.

Needless to say, age also worked as an indicator of strength, or at least of experience. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, with the passing of the years, one would also make innumerable connections.

Again; unless in the know, never cross the elderly in a harsh world where many die young.

At the Mortal Realm, this was common sense.

Of course, common sense also made it so one could never have envisioned this insignificant, shoddy, old man to secretly be a Reverend Stage powerhouse.

Reverend Stage?

To make a comparison: Liu Biao's 'outstanding' Advanced Stage? Even if dozens, no, hundreds of Liu Biaos were to come charging forward, a single wave of a sleeve from this senior would be enough to blast them all away.

The Advanced was but the third stage of cultivation, only above the initial Inferior Stage and the subsequent Basic Stage, while below many others: after the Inferior, Basic and Advanced Stages would still be the Superior Stage, followed by the Sung Stage, and only then finally coming to the Peak of the Mortal Realm: they were those like this old man, Reverend Stage powerhouses.

In higher planes of existence, Mortal Realm cultivators such as Liu Biao and even this old man might be unremarkable. On the other hand, in a lowly world such as the one Cheng Hao currently found himself in, the Reverend stage was most likely the very pinnacle of existence.

As for why such a powerful person would act as a mere groundkeeper... the golden-eyed child had an inkling. Of course, it was little more than a guess, but it was grounded in the experience he had built over centuries.

Ultimately, he had surmised, it should have to do with the existence of factions among the higher-ups. Screening newcomers for promising seeds to foster and bring in later, and the like.

Of course, the fact that a person at the level of a faction leader was undertaking this task themselves spoke volumes in regards to that faction's status.

Cheng Hao was almost sure that the old man belonged to a group that was likely completely suppressed politically, and as such could only act secretively.

To avoid being discovered, few people in such a group could be active at any time, and only the elites in the organization would have the methods to not leave any traces behind when they took action. Hence, why even a Reverend Stage expert was needed when it came to a trivial matter like roping new blood in.

Meanwhile, the old man was undergoing similar mental gymnastics to make sense of the peculiar situation on his side.

'...how unsettling.'

The initial surprise in the child's gaze was hidden well, but naturally, it wouldn't escape a Reverend Stage's probing. The golden-eyed youth had tilted his head as if he wasn't sure at first, but then the twitching of his lips had still betrayed his excitement at a sort of confirmation. He had even taken a deep breath as if to steady himself before an important test, and only then bowed deeply. Junior this, junior that, no matter how polite one might strive to make it sound, it still clearly held hints of flattery. Flattery towards a groundskeeper dressed in rags.

Indeed. It might sound ridiculous, but the more he replayed the scene in his head, the more the old man became sure that his real strength had just got seen through by a cultivation-less child.

The elderly powerhouse had frowned exactly because he had reached this sort of conclusion. And now, he looked to find more concrete evidence.

As such, he slightly lifted the seal on his cultivation.

Just enough for him to be able to send a strand of Reverend Will to examine the young boy.

Sensing the lightest rippling from a cultivation base rotating expertly, Cheng Hao laughed in his mind but kept his outward expression as clear as a pond of clear water. Then, he even completely ignored the Strand when it began wildly poking at his consciousness, stopping just shy of barging in and wreaking unimaginable havoc: had he reacted to it in any way, such as resisting or even acknowledging it with the slightest change in his heart rate, the old man would have undoubtedly found out that Cheng Hao had means beyond his understanding.

That was not what the youth wanted. Until now, he had schemed to show off enough for this powerhouse to feel the urge to rope him in, but only reveal a pre-meditated version of his real self and capabilities.

A Strand of Will was a strand of one's consciousness, spread using Spiritual Energy as a medium. Being in the Reverend stage, only those on the same Stage or above should be able to sense the ripples from the old man's Will.

Of course, a few exceptions could be found everywhere, but for a child with no cultivation at all to be able to achieve that... it was just unthinkable!

For that reason, seeing no reaction from the boy in front of him after that one round of fierce provocation, the old man did not even bother trying it out again. He even secretly let out a sigh of relief, having feared just for a moment that his whole worldview might just have flipped overnight. To begin with, it had been a wild guess on his part.

At this point, Cheng Hao acted again. His expression suddenly shifted as he looked up from his deep bow, expressing his puzzlement. 'Had he done something wrong to not receive a reply for so long', he seemed to be asking.

The old man's heart steadied as he began entertaining the second, more likely hypothesis in his mind. With a warm smile, he stood up and came to his side, "Worry not, child; you have done nothing wrong! It was just this old man suddenly remembered something unpleasant..."

Feeling the wrinkled hand patting his head, and Will strands secretly inspecting his physical body, Cheng Hao witnessed things unfold just as he had intended.

The small, golden snake, hiding some distance away, also shook his head with a sigh: "How simple..."

The old man, naturally, couldn't be aware of either of these things.

"Young child, you said your name was... Cheng Hao?" the senior inquired.

"Yes... esteemed Elder!" the youth nodded, but his tone was as if he were sounding out something.

Indeed; catching that tone and the wording, the old man became more and more sure of his second hypothesis. He waved his hand dismissively, "You do not have to call me Elder, boy. For starters, I am no Elder. I am but a gatekeeper. My few acquaintances call me Old Lao, as should you..." The old man chuckled and looked forward to the young boy's reply.

Just as he expected, Cheng Hao's expression 'fell', as if something had gone wrong. "No! Not at all!" He shouted.

Then, as he seemed to recover from his panic, he immediately added, "Junior Cheng Hao believes that respect towards the older generation should be given unconditionally from Senior's identity!"

All this, he had recited robotically as if reading off a script.

Seeing that the old man was looking at him amiably, albeit knowingly, the child 'blushed' as if he had been caught with his hands in a jar of sweets.

"Furthermore..." Cheng Hao trailed off as if he were pondering whether he should continue. With a cough, he revealed, "Furthermore... I also have a strong feeling that there's more than meets the eye to Senior's strength! Is Senior… truly just a gatekeeper?"

Old Lao smiled again, and Cheng Hao beamed, 'reinvigorated', as he continued without pausing, "I met another Senior today! From the start, I could tell he was extraordinary! And indeed, with one hand he cleaned my dirty clothes, and with the other he even made me fly! He revealed that he was in fact an amazing, Inner Sect Disciple!"

He excitedly recounted how even the Vacant Elder couldn't raise his head before that senior, and how with a simple punch, a wooden table had been blown up into smithereens. And then, with 'red cheeks', he revealed how he secretly stole Liu Biao's pouch, using the treasure inside it to clear the arduous trial.

All this was information one would be able to find out just by asking around and investigating a bit. Naturally, Cheng Hao had no confidence in keeping any of it under wrap. From the beginning, he had looked to make use of it! This time, he revealed it all!

He also deliberately didn't hide the existence of the pouch hanging by his belt. Not only would it help explain how he, a mere child, had cleared the trial, but it would also give some more insight into the fake persona he had been building up all this while.

Like this, the promising child 'Cheng Hao' is born, he mused:

A youth experienced in manipulating the people around him with his calculated manners and slick tongue, a talented boy blessed with a noteworthy intuition in regards to cultivation: with just a glance, he could more or less tell a person's strength, as well as instinctively use a stranger's treasures, without needing any guidance on their workings. This latter part, he needn't point out himself, but to an experienced cultivator like a Reverend Stage powerhouse, it was undoubtedly a noteworthy point.

A young traveller with a surprisingly sculpted physique for his age, which he hides under voluminous robes to keep his athleticism as a trump card. Similarly, the many scars on his body and the calluses on his hands detailed his tenacity and willpower. Crafty enough to survive alone in the wild, and even outside of his element, such as in the unfamiliar society of a Sect, he's still cunning enough to create as many connections with what, his bizarre intuition magically tells him, are powerhouses of the place.

Truth be told, none of it was technically wrong, just a trivial part of the truth. And that was exactly why this persona appeared even more convincing.

As for Old Lao, no Reverend Stage cultivator would ever be moved by an Advanced Stage's possessions, no matter how prolific they might be. Cheng Hao wasn't in the least worried that those few treasures would get him in trouble. Case in point, Liu Biao had long been walking around without a care, yet nothing had happened to him.

The pin in his hair was out of the question, too. Immortal Realm byproducts were beyond any Mortal Realm's understanding, and it was even currently aptly disguised.

What would catch this peak of the Mortal Realm powerhouse's attention, on the other hand, was unearthing a promising seed.

"...and that's why, what I said just then, I meant every word of it! Senior's potent vibe," Cheng Hao's nostrils flared cutely as he revealed his 'conclusion', "from the very start, I could tell that even brother Liu Biao simply couldn't hope to compare!"

And this shrewd child, that to the end wouldn't forget to flatter and try his best to hide his hand, was akin to a gold nugget falling from the sky to a group valuing secrecy so highly. Though his attempts might look clumsy to the knowing Reverend Stage expert, Old Lao had no doubt the child could make swift work of those unsuspecting watchdogs from the other factions. And for his intellect and intuition to be so uncanny, his talent would naturally not stray far behind.

In a bid to reign in the great turmoil underway in his mind, the old man closed his molten bronze eyes, deep in thought