THE ELUSIVE THIRD PROTECTOR'S SECRET FACTION

Later that night.

The figure of the old man reappeared in a dilapidated three-story building in the depths of the Fifth Ring, in the Outer Sect. Although its exterior appeared worn down and looked uninhabited, on the inside was a secret expanse of marble halls, with high ceilings and tall columns.

Old Lao wistfully sighed and let himself fall back into his seat, a dignified golden throne atop a flight of marble steps. As he thoughtfully rapped his fingers on the armrest, Old Lao's white brows were still furrowed, distressed by the happenings of a short while ago. Even now, his wrinkled hand was tugging nervously at his pristine goatee.

His bronze eyes finally fell on a few figures clamouring below, gathered by the round table in the middle of the hall. It was large enough to accommodate a banquet, though it was now strewed with pages upon pages of reports. For the most part, they had overflowed and even fell to the floor.

Only then did Old Lao notice that a hot debate was underway in the marble hall.

It seemed to be nearing its end, however, as a representative of the majority appeared to be pushing his closing remarks.

He was standing, as were a few others that stood in opposition to him. But unlike them, who appeared visibly shaken, he exuded confidence and reliability from his every pore. He had one hand on the table, five slender and long fingers extended atop a detailed report, and the other moving about as he talked. He was leaning forward, his gaze firm, his voice mellow.

On his immaculate, white Elder robes there were not one, neither two, nor three, but four; four black stripes, elegantly entwining. The refined pattern went from his left shoulder down to his right ankle, where it faded into white.

Around him, few among the dozens of Elders present could rival the status of this Core Elder in his late thirties.

Old Lao came back to himself just as the Core Elder shared his concluding thoughts with the group.

"More and more of you appear convinced that raising our numbers in terms of the lower Stages would be better in the long run. I need you to understand that we're not denying the importance of unearthing new seeds. However, nurturing new blood would require manpower, which we are severely lacking at the moment. How many rookies would we need to rope in to make a sizeable difference? Thousands? Tens of thousands? We can't possibly spread our personnel that thin."

"No matter how careful we would be, there would always be a near-certain chance of other factions sniffing us out, with so many members active at once."

"It's also unacceptable to take them in in batches, every so often. As I understand it, you planned to divide the process across multiple groupings, every couple of months or so. Are you confident the other Factions won't notice the disappearance of so many talented youths? While we might just take our opposition by surprise at first, they're bound to have preparations in store by the following time. By then, who knows how many of their plants would weed their way in?"

"Need I remind everyone, that our biggest and sole advantage is our secrecy? Even Lord Protector, a Reverend Stage expert in the flesh, has been working himself to the bone to scout seedlings with potential, exactly so there wouldn't be even an inkling of a chance of our true arrangements leaking out."

"Finally, we must also remember that young Zhao Bu is growing stronger at an exceptionally rapid pace. We do not have the luxury to sit still and nurture newcomers when that Zhao prince is already making a name for himself. From the moment he appeared, it was already too late! How could even the most talented youths we might rope in possibly catch up to that once-in-a-lifetime genius, even if they were to receive our full support? He's the prodigy of an era, a Twin Star candidate, for crying out loud!"

Many of the men were nodding now, and even those who entertained the opposing side couldn't help but grimace and acknowledge those words.

The Zhao child was a time bomb that none of them could have foreseen coming, and it still hurt whenever they would recall he was currently in the hands of their most formidable foe, the First Protector's camp.

The Core Elder sighed, "Ultimately, I stand firm in my belief that, given our limited resources, the solution is to further nurture the already capable fighters. Catching up when starting from scratch is impossible, but we have some weathered elites that might just achieve some breakthrough if all those resources were to be granted to them, rather than investing them blindly in newcomers. More importantly, the unoccupied personnel can continue- Mylord?

This Core Elder finally noticed the presence of the old man wearing casual robes and was momentarily stunned.

"Esteemed Third Protector Lao Jianghu, we weren't expecting you tonight. Everyone, show some respect to Lord Third!" He respectfully bowed in the direction of the throne.

The others frantically followed suit, amidst the sound of chairs falling and paper rustling.

"We're delighted to have you grace our presence, Lord Protector!" someone greeted, and others soon chimed in reverence.

The Core Elder that had been interrupted just then cast a worried glance over before he cupped his hands, inquiring: "Esteemed protector, for you to be here today, without warning, has something of notice happened in the Sect?"

Lao Jianghu, the Third Protector of the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect, stroked his long, white beard and chuckled amiably, "Indeed, Bi Liang, but nothing too urgent. I couldn't wait to share this piece of good news with you all, so I intruded on your meeting. If you are not yet finished, I'll gladly wait."

At those words, the faces of every single person in the room lit up: good news? How long had it been since they had heard that term?

"Not at all, Lord Third," Core Elder Bi Liang reassured him, "Nothing but some trivial remarks. Rather, we can't help but be expectant and restless after your words just now, Senior Jianghu. Please, Protector, do enlighten us!"

Lao Jianghu leaned back into his chair and muttered as his molten-bronze eyes twinkled with amusement. Then, he asked in reply, "I'm sure everyone here recalls the conditions to apply for the Twin Star position. Has anyone ever wondered why the first one in particular exists?"

At that, the Elders couldn't help but fall in deep thought.

The first condition was the requirement regarding age: to be eligible as a candidate, one had to have joined the Sect by their tenth birthday.

Bi Liang of the four stripes was the one to finally reply after a short while, "For one, it's a matter of loyalty. To join the Sect at that young age, the child's family would probably have connections within the Sect and thus be intrinsically tied to it. Otherwise, he might hail from a distant power looking for the best upbringing environment. In which case, being so young, they'd be malleable enough to have the Sect's values and core beliefs be instilled in them."

The other Elders nodded in acknowledgement.

"Indeed," recognized the old Protector. "Given the unimaginable cost of financing such individuals, the Sect's first and foremost worry is to ascertain their dedication to the Mysterious Light-Shadow. And there is no better way at that than to instil such fidelity when the talents are still children; blank slates."

"That is immediately apparent…"

Suddenly, Lao Jianghu leaned forward, "But if it truly were just that, then it would be underestimating the wit of the Mysterious Light-Shadow Ancestor!"

The Protector's eyes of molten bronze gleamed as he questioned, "If Loyalty were all there was to it... Why I ask then, would a thing like a problematic test to the Vacant Sect be instated?"

Bi Liang was dazed, as were many others.

Having their full attention, Lao Jianghu slowly unearthed the elusive truth,

"The Mysterious Light-Shadow and its Twin Stars are beyond legends in the eyes of cultivators. They have become a creed of sorts. Which aspiring martial artist wouldn't have dreamed of becoming one from the time they first heard of them? How many promising youths travel across continents, carrying the treasures of their Clans with them, in the hopes of being the ones? Before they can even cultivate, they beg their Seniors for weapons, elixirs, pills, anything that could help them pass the test and make a name for themselves."

"Without lifting a finger, with but a widespread tale, the talented and their wealth gather on our grounds! In fact, the topmost talent comes to subconsciously abhor any other place that isn't the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect."

"While other powers might need to advertise themselves, the Sect alone is unique: the people, from the mortal commoner to the greatest powerhouses of their time, speak for us."

"The topmost environment attracts the topmost talent, and the topmost talent nourishes the topmost environment at their utmost, to its utmost!"

"Even the Great Zhao of the North could only send their most prized youngling from the past four hundred years here, as an impressionable youth. The Ancestor's treasure house, the belongings of the 'sole man to surpass Mortality', is irresistible bait. And with the protections that He left behind, they can only ever be accessed through a proper contest. Even the Great Clan of Zhao can only bite at this bait, all while fully in the know of the hook. On the daily, they scramble to scour the lands for a suitable counterpart to their Zhao Bu, sending caravans after caravans of resources the Sect's way, all in the hopes that a second Twin Star Candidate would appear..."

Lao Jianghu suddenly fell silent. Then, his thick lips curled as he amusedly inquired, "After all those efforts and funding, isn't it just too sad? Who could possibly have the heart to tell them, pray tell... that while they desperately sowed, and the Mysterious Light-Shadow raven ravenously pecked at those seeds, the most lustrous seed would elude them both, only to fall from the sky into our lap?"

Bi Liang's eyes lit up. The Core Elder, touted as a genius since young, shot to his feet as his composed demeanour crumpled.

One by one, the Elders followed suit, in understanding.

"Lord Third! This person..." a Core Elder with a square jaw, Tai Fu, had his fists crumpled tightly into balls, the flesh whose blood had ceased to flow the pale colour of bone.

Almost as if he had been waiting exactly for this, Lao Jianghu theatrically stood up, his tall frame casting a long shadow onto the marble steps as he waved a sleeve. With a slight chuckle, the Third Protector stroked his long beard twice before clarifying, "Not 'this person'. It's 'these people'. Plural, not singular! There are two of them, and given their unfathomable background..." The old man lowered his voice, but for some mysterious reason, it could still be heard clearly regardless, as if he were speaking right into everyone's mind rather than with his mouth, "I believe that, past Zhao Bu, two additional Twin Stars have at long last graced the dark and tumultuous sky of our Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect."

Pandemonium ensued.

"Twin Stars! It's Twin Stars!"

"Hasn't it been little more than five hundred years? I thought they would only appear once every millennium!"

"That Zhao Bu and the Zhao Clan... how pitiful!"

"What a blessing! All of a sudden, the clash with those two old crooks and their lackeys has lost all meaning, so long as we nurture these two well... Even the First Protector can't go against the rules! He'll have to entertain a fair contest, on our terms!"

Everyone was excited, doubtful yet hopeful at the same time. However, the information was reliable. After all, it had come out of the mouth of none other than the Sect's very Third Protector, Lao Jianghu himself! As such, some couldn't help but shout and yell, letting out the feelings of frustration they had been bottling inside themselves for so long. Few even went as far as fiercely rotating their dormant cultivation bases. Before anyone could react, the strong wind currents sent the papers on the round table flying through the air, like fluttering leaves.

"Everybody! You are esteemed Elders, please, show some respect towards Third Protector Lao and tone down a bit!" Core Elder Bi Liang, as the voice of reason, made the slightest of efforts to stop the cheering. Unlike his stern words, however, his mouth was curling upwards uncontrollably.

Indeed, fortune had truly struck them big!