A Worthwhile Lead

Chen Wentian followed the elder immortal down and entered the palace. He secretly had to admit that it was quite impressive. It had four tiered levels, golden roof files, redwood beams for windows, and white marble for the walls. It looked worthy of an immortal.

His own was rather plain in comparison but he didn't mind much. He wasn't planning on having that many disciples. He would never be able to manage them all properly.

Kun Yi took Chen Wentian to the grand hall, which grand as its name suggested. It was a wide room with three-story-tall ceilings. The floors and walls were adorned with as much exotic material as one could afford. It was a vain attempt to show off.

They sat down and made small talk until Kun Fei arrived a few minutes later with two people in tow, one man and one woman.

"Father, Lord Chen, I have brought Kun Meng and Shen Kexing." Ken Fei said.

"Mmm, sit. Kun Meng, Shen Kexing!"

"Yes, Grandmaster!" They bowed reverently.

"Introduce yourselves to our guest, Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian!"

"Greetings, Lord Chen!"

"Lord Chen, this one's name is Kun Meng. I am a core disciple of Rainbow Canyon Temple. My ranking is within the top three and I am seeking the immortal Dao. I met Lord Chen's disciples at the entrance of Hell's Grotto. They were new to the place and I offered them some assistance. I gave them a lot of background information about the caves and offered to be their guide but they declined. We parted on good terms." Kun Meng said evenly.

Shen Kexing went next and said mostly similar things. She was slightly weaker, but also a core disciple. Both seemed relaxed and unworried. Perhaps Kun Fei had already spoken to them prior and prepared them. Chen Wentian wasn't going to get any clues from this conversion but it wasn't his purpose in the first place.

"Good, two excellent people, two talented cultivators." Chen Wentian praised, "As a token of appreciation from my disciples, I have brought gifts for your upcoming good fortune. I hope you can accept it freely."

Two items appeared in his hand. One was a gleaming long saber. The other was a necklace made of gold and precious gems. Both gave off an aura at the upper levels of the Spirit Initiate Realm. He floated the items over to the two, whose eyes gleamed with surprise and happiness.

"Thank you, Lord Chen!" They said quickly.

Kun Yi and Kun Fei nodded approvingly, as Chen Wentian's expensive gifts had given them a lot of face.

Chen Wentian laughed, "Why don't you two try it out, so I can make sure they are suitable for you."

"Yes!"

Kun Meng waved the saber around experimentally, putting what he thought was a show for the visiting immortal. Shen Kexing put on the necklace and twirled around. She shot Chen Wentian a few flirty looks in the process.

"Great, looks like a great fit." Chen Wentian then got up, "Elder Lord Kun, Lord Kun, that concludes my intended business for today. I have to leave."

"Lord Chen, can't you stay a little longer, as least for lunch?" Kun Fei said.

"No need, no need." Chen Wentian said, "These gifts, I hope you can accept them freely. I still have to watch over my disciples as they participate in the Golden Feather Hunt.

Kun Fei looked at his father who nodded.

"Very well, let me escort you out. Please." Kun Fei said, rising.

"Please, lead the way." Chen Wentian said and followed.

---

Chen Wentian was safely escorted out of the territory of Rainbow Canyon Temple. Kun Fei returned to the great hall where the other three remained.

"Anything?" He asked the elder immortal.

Kun Yi shook his head, "The two gifts are safe. There is no tampering or anything. I don't know why he chose to give us these gifts. They are quite valuable. Chen Wentian is quite a strange man. So young and yet so eccentric."

Kun Fei frowned, "I will send some disciples to keep an eye out for him and his disciples around the capital."

"Good, good. Let's do it like that. You two, you can go."

"Yes, grandmaster, master!"

Kun Meng and Shen Kexing bowed and left the grand hall. They walked out of the main palace together and eventually arrived at a separate set of buildings nearby. It was the dormitory for the core disciples.

They entered a private courtyard and residence whereupon Shen Kexing immediately buried herself into Kun Meng's chest.

"Brother Meng, I'm worried." She said in a soft voice, "Do you think that immortal suspects anything."

Kun Meng hugged her intimately, "Xing'er, don't be. Grandfather will protect us no matter what happens."

Their relationship was clear. It was not uncommon for male and female disciples to hook up or even get married. What was notable was that they were together when they were both supposed to be getting married to other people in a short time.

The amorous pair chatted idly until their desires got the better of them. They fell onto the bed and tumbled together for several rounds. They got up afterward, cultivated together, and then fought in bed for another round.

"Brother Meng, after the marriage, you can't abandon me to that useless man, Xin Zhen." Shen Kexing teased after they untangled their bodies.

"Hahaha, how could I? Your womb is carrying my child. I have to check up on you often." Kun Meng replied.

Shen Kexing giggled, "Right, it works out perfectly. I can refuse him while the child is growing. When the child is born, I can still ignore him for the baby. By the time the baby has grown up a little, the impotency drugs should have already ruined him."

The couple shared a conspiratorial laugh.

"I apologize for letting you suffer." Kun Meng said, "I would have preferred that he didn't even touch you once. Who knew that idiot still had his virgin yang, what a freak."

"Sigh… it's all for Brother Meng's future. I am willing to do anything!"

He rubbed her stomach and then got up. He walked to the wall opposite the bed which was adorned with an interesting inscription array and several paintings. There was a pentagram with the characters of the five elements; fire, earth, water, metal, and wood. Each had a corresponding color of red, yellow, blue, gray-white, and green. Under four of the elements hung portraits of four different women with Shen Kexing being the one under the element of water. The only missing one was of fire.

"Ying Shenwu was the best candidate of the fire element I could find." He muttered, half to himself, "With her, I will be able to complete the Wuxing Color Transformation and move into the lesser realm of Spiritual Growth."

"Mmm, Brother Meng, although you took longer than your two elder brothers to complete the Wuxing, the quality of your women is heads and shoulders above theirs. They thought they had already jumped ahead of you for the successor position but they are only fooling themselves."

Kun Meng thumped his chest with his fist, "Grandfather and Grandmaster also know this, or else they would not have supported me. Our sect has never had less than two spirit lords. My generation is the last chance to continue this streak. I won't let them down; I will be the future sect master. It's the only way we can keep our standing among the vassals of the Eastern Light Clan!"

Filled with determination, he pulled Ying Shenwu for another round of 'practice'.

---

Chen Wentian finished reviewing the intelligence from the shadow anchors he laid down in the Rainbow Canyon Temple. He finally found a worthwhile lead after sacrificing two good items. The shadow anchors were initially attached to the saber and necklace but as soon as two disciples touched them, the anchors moved onto their bodies. No matter how hard those two Spirit Lords examined, there was no more trace of anything left on the gifts.

He knew there had to be a power backing the sect and now he knew which one it was the Eastern Light Clan. Although sects could operate independently, this was only superficial. With four Spirit King factions in one capital, they were constantly competing for power and influence. It was impossible for a Spirit Lord faction to remain independent forever in such a place.

The Eastern Light Clan was already on his hit list and now, it had moved up to the top. He was going to peel off their skin and reveal their ugly, true nature of the world.