The next morning, a massive aura descended upon the sect.

Sect Master Li Xuanzong had finally returned from his extended diplomatic mission.

As the supreme leader of the Radiant Sky Sect, Li Xuanzong projected the image of a majestic immortal. He possessed a sharp, commanding gaze and wore pristine, golden-threaded robes that seemed to gently ripple even when there was no wind.

However, beneath the majestic exterior, the "CEO" of the sect was exhausted.

He hadn’t even set foot in his private quarters before he noticed the incredibly tense atmosphere in the mortal city below. The sheer concentration of foreign Qi signatures and ill-disguised spies loitering in the teahouses was impossible to miss.

He had read the frantic messenger-talismans sent to him on the road, but seeing the geopolitical crisis firsthand made his expression darken.

Immediately upon his arrival, the great bronze bells of Radiant Zenith Peak tolled, summoning the executive board to an emergency closed-door meeting.

Inside the grand, vaulted ceiling of the Sect Master’s hall, all the Peak Masters took their respective seats around a massive, circular jade table.

Before addressing the crisis at their gates, Li Xuanzong delivered his report.

"The summit was arduous," the Sect Master began. His voice echoed with profound authority. "The major factions attempted to monopolize the entry rights. However, I managed to secure five slots for our disciples."

A murmur of genuine surprise and approval rippled around the table.

An ancient Mystic Realm (a sealed pocket dimension overflowing with prehistoric resources and lost legacies) was scheduled to open in three months. The political maneuvering to secure entry tokens was always a bloodbath. Securing five slots was a massive victory for the Radiant Sky Sect.

"We will hold the Inner Sect Tournament next month to decide which five disciples will represent us," Li Xuanzong declared, stamping the agenda closed. He then leaned forward. His aura suddenly shifted from ’diplomat’ to ’warlord’. "Now. Let us discuss the rats gathering at our front door."

The room grew heavy.

Just as Peak Master Yao Ding opened his mouth to speak, a high-ranking guarding disciple rushed into the hall, bowing deeply.

"Sect Master! Peak Masters!" the guard announced nervously. "A formal envoy from another sect has arrived at the mountain gates. They... they are requesting an immediate audience with the Sect Master to congratulate us on our recent ’Heavenly Blessing’."

The entire hall fell dead silent.

The outside world had immediately realized the Sect Master was back. The rival factions were making their move.

Li Xuanzong’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Tell the envoys that I am recovering from my journey. We will formally receive them tomorrow morning at the break of dawn."

"Yes, Sect Master!" The guard bowed and hastily retreated.

The moment the heavy doors clicked shut, the ’righteous’ facade of the Radiant Sky Sect’s upper management completely shattered.

The gentle, scholarly aura of these old men and women vanished, replaced by a terrifying, suffocating bloodlust. Before they were the polite managers of a righteous sect, these people had been absolute terrors who had scoured the continent, bathing in the blood of the Fissure War alongside Su Bai’s father.

Peak Master Yao Ding slammed his fist onto the jade table. "It seems the world has forgotten how fierce we were in our youth. They dare set up a siege of spies at our very gates?"

"We have acted too righteously for too long," Peak Master Hou Yan of Heavenly Forge Peak sneered. His beard was practically sparking with stray flames. "Those cunning bastards. They are not here to congratulate us. Tomorrow, they will propose a ’Friendly Exchange of Pointers’ between disciples, or a ’Joint Business Venture.’ It is the same old schemes just to get their Elders inside our arrays to scan our mountain."

"In the past, no one dared to act like this," Peak Master Jian Wushuang of Azure Sword Peak hissed. His hand rested instinctively on his hilt. "We have been silent for decades. Perhaps it is time my sword tasted blood again."

The air in the room was thick enough to choke a normal man. They were fully prepared to march down the mountain and slaughter the spies to make a point.

But then, a perfectly flat, monotonous voice cut through the bloodlust.

"It is still too early to reveal our cards," Peak Master Shen Youran stated.

The terrifying Head of Law Enforcement sat perfectly still. Her face was an unreadable mask of ice. The Heartless Sutra kept her completely objective.

"If we slaughter the envoys, we give them a justifiable casus belli for a coalition war. We must not let the tragedies of the past repeat themselves. We must play the political game."

At those words, the fiery tempers of the old masters instantly cooled. None of them wanted to be reprimanded by Shen Youran, and her logic was flawless.

If the Radiant Sky Sect closed its doors or acted aggressively after a massive Dao Manifestation, it screamed to the entire world that they were hiding a supreme, vulnerable anomaly.

They had to let the envoys in.

Sect Master Li Xuanzong nodded slowly in agreement. He then turned his sharp gaze toward the eccentric old man sitting quietly at the end of the table.

"Brother Canghai," Li Xuanzong called out softly.

Lu Canghai looked up. His expression was unreadable.

"It is too early for the world to notice your disciple," the Sect Master said. His voice dropped to a serious whisper. "If the rival sects realize that another Su Qingshan has appeared in the world... there will be absolute chaos. They will pool their resources to assassinate him before he can grow."

Lu Canghai’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "I am aware. What do you propose?"

Li Xuanzong’s eyes gleamed with a sudden, cunning light. "On my way back, I received an intelligence report from the border. There is a strange famine occurring in the mortal city located in the Northern Region. The famine is unnatural. Our scouts suspect it is being caused by a hidden cell of Demonic Cultivators poisoning the soil."

The other Peak Masters exchanged surprised glances. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"It is the perfect opportunity," Li Xuanzong continued with a sly smile. "We formally issue Su Bai his first mandatory Sect Mission to investigate the famine. We get him off the mountain tonight, before the envoys arrive tomorrow."

Lu Canghai stroked his white beard. His mind raced.

The mortal city was far enough from the geopolitical crosshairs of the sect.

Furthermore, if there really were Demonic Cultivators poisoning the land, Lu Canghai wasn’t worried in the slightest. He almost pitied the demonic bastards.

Su Bai’s Reversal Body was the absolute, hard-counter to poison and miasma. Sending Su Bai into a plague zone was basically sending him to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"I find this arrangement highly fitting," Lu Canghai said. A smug, deeply satisfied smile returned to his face. "My disciple will handle the investigation flawlessly."

The executive board nodded in unison. The corporate relocation strategy was finalized.

Meanwhile, completely unaware that he had just been volunteered to fly into a demonic plague-zone, Su Bai was sitting happily in his courtyard, admiring the pristine edge of his new flying sword.