I Can Add Points Infinitely - Chapter 5
“Let me ask you, do you know the disciple named Wang Hui who lives in this chamber?”
The outer disciple had just straightened up when he heard Wang Yanglie’s question.
He quickly bowed again and respectfully replied, “Reporting to the Steward, I know Wang Hui.”
“Where is Wang Hui, and why is he not in his chamber?”
Wang Yanglie continued questioning.
“Well… I’m not sure,” the disciple hesitated, thinking for a moment. “However, I did see Senior Brother Wang Hui around noon. He went out with another outer disciple named Shen Lian. It seemed like they were going to complete a sect gathering task.”
“A gathering task? Are you sure?”
Wang Yanglie frowned.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I definitely saw him leave the sect with Shen Lian,” the disciple replied seriously.
“Alright, you may go.”
Wang Yanglie waved him off, seeing that the disciple couldn’t provide more information.
The disciple bowed once more before turning to leave.
As Wang Hui’s father, Wang Yanglie knew his son’s habits well. Wang Hui usually avoided sect tasks, especially during such a critical time. Something significant must have happened, prompting him to leave his chamber instead of waiting for his father.
“Forget it. I’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
As an outer sect steward, Wang Yanglie had many responsibilities and couldn’t wait around indefinitely. Unable to guess the reason, he returned to his duties, intending to ask his son directly when he saw him.
However, Wang Hui had already been reduced to ashes and would never return.
The next day, Wang Yanglie came looking again, only to find that his son still hadn’t returned to the sect. A sense of unease crept into his heart, though he hadn’t yet considered the worst.
After three or four days with no sign of Wang Hui, Wang Yanglie finally realized something was seriously wrong—his son might have met with misfortune.
With this realization, Wang Yanglie’s expression grew cold and fierce.
He began investigating, eventually discovering that Wang Hui had gone out with an outer disciple named Shen Lian and never returned.
Whatever had happened, Shen Lian was likely the only person who knew.
Unfortunately, Shen Lian was also missing and hadn’t returned.
Wang Yanglie waited another week, hoping for some news, but Shen Lian remained absent. Frustrated, Wang Yanglie’s patience snapped.
He visited the outer sect administration, found Shen Lian’s records, and reviewed a recording crystal to memorize his appearance before setting out to find him.
…
Meanwhile, Shen Lian was blissfully unaware of these developments.
He had fully immersed himself in cultivation.
For nearly two weeks, he spent most of his time in the Shadow Forest, constantly hunting various beasts to hone his skills.
Mastering his nine techniques, Shen Lian grew increasingly familiar with his own combat capabilities.
The continuous hunts gradually honed a unique, cold aura around him.
Swish!
In the forest, a streak of cold light flashed like lightning.
Thud!
A heavy object hit the ground.
Sheathing his sword, Shen Lian’s movements were effortlessly graceful.
Behind him lay the corpse of a fox, about half his height, sprawled lifeless on the ground.
The fox had a glossy, fiery-red coat with no visible wounds except for a single bloody hole in its left eye, from which blood still oozed.
If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would have been astounded, doubting their own eyes.
The fox was a Phantom Flying Fox, a beast at the tenth layer of Body Refining.
While its physical strength was moderate, it was incredibly fast, making it almost impossible to capture. Its fur was therefore highly valuable.
Most cultivators at the Body Refining stage wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of such a creature, let alone kill it.
Yet Shen Lian had slain it with impeccable precision, piercing its eye with a single sword strike. This level of skill demonstrated immense power.
“Not bad. Selling this will probably get me another technique,” Shen Lian remarked with satisfaction as he looked at the fox’s body.
Over the past two weeks of training in the Shadow Forest, he had sold his hunted materials, earning enough to buy two more techniques.
Both were Yellow Grade Lower Rank sword techniques, which Shen Lian had learned and maxed out with skill points.
Interestingly, Shen Lian’s extensive focus on sword techniques seemed to have enhanced his comprehension ability. The two new techniques only cost him fourteen skill points to perfect, leaving him with six more, which he allocated to his Body Tempering Technique.
“Shame the techniques sold outside are still too expensive, and there’s not much of value. Otherwise, being a rogue cultivator wouldn’t be bad—at least there’s more freedom.”
Shen Lian mused, shaking his head.
After storing the Phantom Flying Fox in his pouch, Shen Lian realized it was almost time for the Azure Cloud Sect’s annual inner disciple selection.
Deciding to return to Xiangyong Town, he planned to sell his new spoils and then head back to the sect for the selection.
As he made his way forward, his subtle aura of lethality kept most beasts at bay.
He smoothly exited the Shadow Forest and was approaching its boundary when a figure clad in bright yellow suddenly appeared, heading deeper into the forest.
Recognizing the steward’s uniform, Shen Lian respectfully stopped and bowed.
The figure brushed past without much notice at first.
But after a few steps, he paused and turned back.
“Raise your head,” the figure commanded, stopping in front of Shen Lian.
Shen Lian obeyed, raising his head to see a stern-faced middle-aged man.
He didn’t recognize the man but knew the yellow robes marked him as an outer sect steward of the Azure Cloud Sect.
However, upon seeing Shen Lian’s face, the man’s eyes suddenly flashed with sharp light.
This man was none other than Wang Hui’s father, Wang Yanglie.
Wang Yanglie had been searching for days with no clues.
At first, he didn’t pay Shen Lian much attention, as many outer disciples frequented the Shadow Forest for training.
But something about Shen Lian’s figure felt familiar, prompting him to take a closer look, only to realize it was indeed Shen Lian.
“Your name is Shen Lian?” Wang Yanglie asked in a cold tone.
“Reporting to the Steward, yes, I am,” Shen Lian replied, feigning confusion.
“How long have you been away from the sect?”
“Uh… thirteen days.”
“Did you leave alone?”
“No, I left with Senior Brother Wang Hui.”
“Wang Hui? Where is he now?”
“We split up after leaving and went on our respective tasks. I haven’t seen Senior Brother Wang since.”
…
The two exchanged questions and answers rapidly.
From this brief interaction, Shen Lian quickly deduced Wang Yanglie’s purpose.
He had anticipated this confrontation and maintained a calm facade, answering smoothly and without any discrepancies.
Wang Yanglie scrutinized Shen Lian closely.
Shen Lian’s candid gaze and straightforward answers seemed genuine, leading to Wang Yanglie’s growing disappointment. If Shen Lian was telling the truth, then his only lead had reached a dead end.
Where could Wang Hui possibly be?
“Damn it, where did that brat go?” Wang Yanglie cursed inwardly, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Shen Lian, seething with suppressed anger.
“Hmph, I’ve wasted all these days searching, only for you to know nothing. If that’s the case, there’s no point keeping you around.”
As his words fell, Wang Yanglie suddenly drew his sword and slashed toward Shen Lian’s neck.
If the strike connected, Shen Lian would be decapitated instantly.
Of course, Shen Lian wouldn’t just stand there and die. As the sword flashed, Shen Lian’s upper body remained still, but his feet pushed him backward sharply.
In the blink of an eye, he had retreated half a meter, just enough to evade the blade.
“Hmm?”