In the Snow Lake Northern Region, In Lake City, at the Sword Cliff Sect, at the top of a lush green mountain valley, a small waterfall flowed downwards like a strip of silvery silk.
The waterfall's stream flowed into an ancient lake. The ancient lake was deep and dark jade in color, with ripples on the surface of the water.
In the pond, all kinds of carp were swimming about.
On the top of a white rock beside the water, an old man sat closed-legged with his eyes closed.
He has a long, white beard and mustache that give him a distinguished appearance. His spiky, silver-white hair is tied back into a ponytail, adding to his sharp, disciplined look. He wears a long white robe, a testament to his deep-rooted martial arts background.
If anyone was present at this moment, they would have been stunned by the tornado of spiritual Qi swirling behind the old man. The terrifying aura it emanated was enough to send chills down the spine of any cultivator below the body-tempering realm.
Hum!
Majestic Spiritual Qi rolled out, causing heaven and earth to tremble along with it!
In the center of the Spiritual Qi fluctuations, starlight twinkled in Chester's eyes.
Gradually, the Qi tornado began to shrink, its size diminishing at a pace visible to the naked eye. In just a matter of minutes, the entire tornado was fully absorbed by the old man.
"I'm almost there," Chester thought, stroking his long white beard, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement. "A few more weeks, and I'll be ready to attempt a breakthrough into the body-tempering realm."
He allowed himself a moment of quiet reflection, envisioning the possibilities ahead. "Finally, I'll be able to uncover some of Sword Cliff's secrets and even join them on a journey to Snow Lake, where I can attempt to comprehend its hidden mysteries."
Minutes passed, and a profound silence enveloped the mountaintop.
Chester appeared lost in thought, his gaze fixed on a specific location within the Sword Cliff sect. His brows furrowed as he murmured, "I wonder if Romeo was truthful about that kid's strength and mysterious martial arts. He likely was, as he wouldn't dare lie to me."
As he pondered further, another concern crossed his mind. "Now that monopolizing all the resources is a mere wishful dream, given Albon's clan potential backer, I may struggle to gain a foothold in the inner circle of Snow Lake Nation."
For a brief moment, anger flickered across Chester's face, but he quickly regained his composure.
Just then, a young man arrived after climbing the mountain. Chester remained still, quietly waiting for him.
The young man stopped a few meters away from Chester and respectfully clasped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Elder Chester!"
Chester nodded slightly in response and said, "Elijah, are you here to ask for advice again?"
This wasn't the first time. Every time Chester left seclusion and no Qi fluctuations were sensed from his peak, Elijah, a core disciple under him would come to seek advice about cultivation and martial arts techniques.
"No, Elder. I'm here to inform you about the people you instructed me to keep an eye on in Lake City this morning," Elijah paused for a moment before continuing, "Did you forget?"
Chester looked surprised. He hadn't expected news so soon. If he had known it would be this easy, he would have personally gone out to look for the kid.
"Oh? Tell me, did you find the first kid on the list?"
Elijah scratched his head with a troubled look. "No, but Sara, the heir of the Albon Clan, was spotted a few minutes ago entering the gate with a child of similar age to the one you instructed me to find."
"Also," he hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
Chester noticed this and urged him to speak. "Speak. You will be heavily rewarded if the information you provide turns out to be true."
Chester could guess what Elijah was trying to do by holding back, but he didn't mind. After all, cunningness and seizing opportunities were essential traits for anyone who wanted a bright future for themselves and a name that resounded throughout the Northern Region if not the whole continent as a whole.
Elijah's face brightened at his elder's words, and he sighed in relief. If anything had gone wrong and Elder Chester was displeased with his greedy behavior, things could have turned for the worse, potentially threatening his position as a core disciple, if not losing it forever.
He then repeated what he had heard from his subordinates. "The child accompanying the heir of the Albon Clan isn't the same kid you asked me to find, but the ring he's wearing closely resembles the one you described."
He bowed his head, awaiting Chester's response, stealing glances at him to gauge his satisfaction with the information.
'The same potential fifth-grade ring as the one Romeo described, yet not the same kid,' Chester thought, pondering the situation.
'Did he change his appearance to avoid us?' Initially, he considered this but then dismissed it as impossible. The kid was with Sara, so there was no way he would change his appearance and still keep the Albon Clan heir with him.
'Maybe a fellow disciple or someone of similar status from his hidden clan?' Chester found this more plausible.
'But how terrifying must the clan backing them be if each of them has a ring that is likely fifth-grade?' Sweat formed on his forehead as the thought crossed his mind. 'Am I even qualified to ask for cooperation between the two sides?'
He was hesitant about the whole matter and silently cursed his grandson Romeo for bringing him such troubling news.
'No! I have to see the kid in person and examine that ring. Maybe my grandson mistook it for a fifth-grade artifact since he's never seen one before,' Chester thought, his heart racing at the possibility. But he managed to keep his composure and stood up, planning to meet the child in person.
It should be known that the highest grade of spiritual items in the entire Valon Continent was sixth grade, which only the royal family and the top first-ranked sects, like Sword Cliff, possessed.
Even so, Sword Cliff and the other three sects that controlled Snow Lake Nation's four regions with an iron fist were only known to have one such spiritual item each, while the royal family was rumored to have three or four.
And yet, Chester was now being told that two children of mysterious backgrounds, potentially from clans of similar or even greater power, were in possession of two fifth-grade spiritual artifacts.
If Chester didn't know better and wasn't aware of the vast possibilities in their world, he would have slapped his grandson back to reality the moment he mentioned something so terrifying that it made even Chester hesitant to make contact.