I walk sideways in the game world

Ren Xiaoyao suddenly opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes, and the Qi in his body surged like a river. He had successfully broken through! Breaking through to the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage!

He let out a long sigh and slowly finished his practice, feeling the power filling his body. A smile appeared on his lips. Just then, there was a rapid knock on the door, accompanied by the anxious voice of Senior Sister Mingyue: "Junior Brother Xiaoyao, are you there?"

"Senior Sister Mingyue, what happened?" Ren Xiaoyao opened the door and asked in confusion.

"There was a conflict between Hall Master Qingfeng and Senior Brother Tiexue. They are now facing each other in the martial arts arena. You should go and take a look!" Senior Sister Mingyue said in a hurried tone, her face full of worry.

Ren Xiaoyao was shocked. Master Qingfeng and Senior Brother Tiexue were both outstanding figures in the sect and had a harmonious relationship. How could they suddenly clash? He didn't have time to think about it and hurriedly followed Senior Sister Mingyue to the martial arts training ground.

Before reaching the martial arts arena, they heard cheers and applause, mixed with the clang of weapons. Ren Xiaoyao squeezed into the crowd and saw the Qingfeng Hall Master and Tiexue Senior Brother locked in a fierce battle.

"Junior Brother Tiexue, what's wrong with you? Why did you attack me?" The head of Qingfeng Hall asked loudly while resisting the attack of Senior Brother Tiexue.

"Hmph, Senior Brother? You're not worthy!" Senior Brother Tiexue's eyes were red, and he attacked without mercy. "You embezzled the sect's resources and bullied your fellow disciples. Everyone has the right to kill you!"

Ren Xiaoyao's brow furrowed. He keenly sensed that this wasn't just a simple conflict; there seemed to be a larger conspiracy behind it. He turned to look at Xia Lin beside him and whispered, "Senior Sister, I feel something's amiss. Let's investigate secretly."

Xia Lin nodded, and the two of them quietly left the crowd and walked towards the sect's resource allocation office.

The Resource Allocation Office was located in a quiet courtyard in the back of the sect, rarely visited on weekdays. Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin climbed over the wall into the courtyard and came to the warehouse where the resource records were stored.

The door to the warehouse was ajar. Ren Xiaoyao gently pushed it open, and a musty smell hit his nose. The room was dimly lit, with only a small window letting in a few rays of light, which shone on the piles of scrolls.

"It seems that what we are looking for is here." Xia Lin took out a night pearl from her bag, and the soft light instantly illuminated the entire room.

The two men split up and carefully read through the scrolls, which recorded the sect's resource allocation in recent years, detailing everything from the smallest to the smallest.

Time passed by, scroll after scroll was flipped through, but nothing unusual was found. Just when the two were about to give up, Ren Xiaoyao suddenly found a pile of scrolls discarded in a corner.

These scrolls were obviously older than the others, and covered in dust, as if no one had touched them in a long time. Ren Xiaoyao picked up one, gently blew away the dust, and examined it carefully in the light of the night pearl.

The scroll recorded the distribution of the sect's resources five years ago. Ren Xiaoyao glanced at it quickly, and suddenly, his eyes stopped on a name - Elder Xuanfeng!

Elder Xuanfeng was the sect's Grand Elder, highly respected and admired by his disciples. However, behind Elder Xuanfeng's name on this scroll was a staggering amount of resource allocation!

"This is impossible!" Ren Xiaoyao was full of doubts. With the identity and status of Elder Xuanfeng, there was no need for him to embezzle the sect's resources.

He continued reading and found that there were many similar situations, and the amount of resources involved each time was huge.

"Xiaoyao, look at this!" Xia Lin's voice suddenly sounded, with a hint of surprise in her tone.

Ren Xiaoyao hurried over and saw Xia Lin holding an account book in her hand, which recorded the details of the sect's income and expenditure in recent years.

"What are these expenditures?" Charlene asked in confusion, pointing to a series of unfamiliar items in the account book.

"These... seem to be materials for some kind of elixir." Ren Xiaoyao identified them carefully, and suddenly an ominous premonition arose in his heart.

"Could it be..."

Meanwhile, Senior Sister Mingyue and Senior Brother Tiexue were each investigating the truth behind the conflict. Sister Mingyue, a perceptive figure, noticed that the Qingfeng Hall Master's recent behavior had been somewhat erratic, as if he were deliberately hiding something. Senior Brother Tiexue, on the other hand, was more direct, gathering his trusted fellow disciples and preparing to force the Qingfeng Hall Master to reveal the truth.

A bigger storm is quietly brewing...

"We must tell Master about this as soon as possible!" Ren Xiaoyao closed the scroll and said solemnly.

With heavy hearts, Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin rushed back to their master's residence overnight. However, their master was not in the room. There was only a note under the teacup. On the note was the master's vigorous handwriting: "Come to the forbidden area in the back mountain quickly."

The forbidden area in the back mountain is the sect's most important place. Only the sect leader and elders can enter. Ren Xiaoyao was puzzled. Why did the master summon them so urgently?

They hurried along until they reached the entrance to the forbidden area. The two disciples guarding the area wore solemn expressions, and upon seeing Ren Xiaoyao and the others, they simply nodded. Entering the forbidden area, an ancient and mysterious aura filled them.

The master stood under a towering ancient tree, with his back to them, seemingly lost in thought.

"Master, are you looking for us?" Ren Xiaoyao stepped forward and asked with a bow.

The master slowly turned around, looked at them with a deep gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Xiaoyao, have you made any progress in your recent investigation?"

Ren Xiaoyao was shocked that his master knew about their secret investigation! But he quickly calmed down and told his master everything about the anomalies he had discovered in the resource allocation department and his suspicions about Elder Xuanfeng.

After hearing this, the master showed no surprise, but simply said calmly, "I already know about this."

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.

"Xiaoyao, do you know why I asked you to investigate this matter?" asked the master.

Ren Xiaoyao shook his head. He always thought that his master had discovered something unusual within the sect and asked him to investigate secretly.

"Because I'm also secretly investigating this matter." The master said in a low voice, "And, I've already found some clues."

The master's words were like thunder, exploding in Ren Xiaoyao's ears. The master he had always respected was actually secretly investigating the secrets within the sect!

"Master, what is going on?" Ren Xiaoyao asked anxiously.

The master was silent for a moment before he slowly said, "This is a long story. I only have one question for you: do you believe me?"

Ren Xiaoyao nodded without hesitation: "Disciple believes in Master!"

"Okay!" The master patted Ren Xiaoyao's shoulder. "This matter is of great importance. You must not act rashly. Follow my arrangements."

"Yes!"

After leaving the forbidden area, Ren Xiaoyao's doubts not only did not resolve, but became even more intense. He decided to quickly find out the truth and find the hidden hand within the sect!

Meanwhile, the head of Qingfeng Hall was pacing back and forth in his room, looking anxious. He had received an anonymous letter exposing the conspiracy of the Xuanfeng elders and warning him not to interfere, or he would suffer the consequences.

The head of the Qingfeng Hall was torn between two sides. He was well aware of Elder Xuanfeng's status in the sect, and knew the uproar it would cause if this matter were exposed. But he could not sit idly by and allow Elder Xuanfeng to push the sect into the abyss.

"Someone come here!" The leader of Qingfeng Hall suddenly stopped and shouted outside the door.

A disciple hurried into the room and bowed, "Master, what are your instructions?"

"Go, call Ren Xiaoyao and tell him that I have something important to discuss with you." The head of Qingfeng Hall said in a deep voice.

The disciple took the order and left.

The head of Qingfeng Hall looked at his disciple's back, a complicated look flashing in his eyes. He didn't know if his choice was right, but he knew he had to make a choice.

When Ren Xiaoyao arrived at the room of Qingfeng Hall, he found that the master of Qingfeng Hall was sitting on a chair with a frown on his face, as if he was thinking about some difficult problem.

"Disciple Ren Xiaoyao, here to meet the hall master." Ren Xiaoyao saluted.

The head of Qingfeng Hall raised his head, looked at Ren Xiaoyao with deep eyes, and said slowly: "Xiaoyao, do you know why I asked you to come?"

Ren Xiaoyao's heart moved. Could it be that the Qingfeng Hall Master also knew something? He replied cautiously, "I don't know. Please tell me clearly, Hall Master."

The head of Qingfeng Hall stood up, walked to the window, looked at the sky in the distance, and said quietly, "What do you think about the future of our sect?"

... "Master, what do you mean by this?" Ren Xiaoyao frowned slightly. He vaguely felt that there was something behind Master Qingfeng's words.

The head of Qingfeng Hall turned around, a complicated look flashing in his eyes. "Xiaoyao, do you believe that there is absolute justice in this world?"

Ren Xiaoyao's heart trembled. He had asked himself this question countless times before. Coming from a society ruled by law, he knew that justice was not always present. But after entering this world, he had always adhered to his inner conviction that good could prevail over evil.

"Disciple believes it." Ren Xiaoyao said in a firm tone, looking at the leader of Qingfeng Hall without any hesitation.

The Qingfeng Hall Master gave a bitter laugh, "But sometimes, we have to make some compromises, or even sacrifice some things, in order to preserve the greater good."

"I don't understand what you mean." Ren Xiaoyao was even more confused. He felt that the leader of Qingfeng Hall seemed to be hinting at something, but he didn't say it clearly.

The head of Qingfeng Hall walked to the table, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said slowly: "Xiaoyao, do you know why I asked you to investigate Elder Xuanfeng?"

"Disciple, I don't know." Ren Xiaoyao answered truthfully.

"Because I suspect he has ill intentions and intends to overthrow the sect." The head of Qingfeng Hall spoke in a low voice, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Ren Xiaoyao was shocked. He had had this guess before, but he had no conclusive evidence.

"Master, do you have any evidence?" Ren Xiaoyao asked.

The head of Qingfeng Hall shook his head. "I only have an anonymous letter in my hand. The letter reveals Elder Xuanfeng's conspiracy, but there is no solid evidence."

"Anonymous letter..." Ren Xiaoyao pondered for a moment, "Perhaps we can start with the sender and find out the truth."

The head of Qingfeng Hall sighed, "I've already sent someone to investigate, but the messenger was very cunning and didn't leave any clues."

Ren Xiaoyao fell silent. He knew that the current situation was very tricky. Without evidence, he could not reveal the true identity of Elder Xuanfeng, but if he allowed him to continue, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Hall Master, I have an idea." Ren Xiaoyao suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with determination, "I decided to approach Elder Xuanfeng and look for evidence from him."

The Qingfeng Hall Master was shocked. "This is too dangerous! Elder Xuanfeng is cunning and treacherous. If he finds you, the consequences will be disastrous!"

"I know, but this is the only way now." Ren Xiaoyao said firmly, "Please believe me, I will definitely find out the truth and will never let the sect fall into danger!"

The head of Qingfeng Hall looked at Ren Xiaoyao deeply, and finally nodded, "Okay, I promise you. But you must be extremely careful. If there is any danger, evacuate immediately!"

"Yes!" Ren Xiaoyao bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left the room.

He already had a plan in mind. He wanted to use his master's connections to find a way to get close to Elder Xuanfeng, and then wait for an opportunity to find evidence.

He knew that this road was full of dangers, but he had made up his mind to prevent this civil unrest from happening no matter what!

Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Ren Xiaoyao came to his master's residence alone and gently knocked on the door.

"Who?"

The door opened and the master appeared at the door.

"Master, it's me."

"Xiaoyao? Why are you here so late?" The master was a little surprised.

"Master, I have something important to tell you." Ren Xiaoyao walked into the room, closed the door, and said in a low voice, "It's about Elder Xuanfeng..."

The master frowned slightly and motioned Ren Xiaoyao to continue.

"Master, I have decided..."