My virtue is above yours.

Zhu Lingyun remained frozen on the tree, afraid of being discovered. He listened to the sect leader's thunderous voice again and again. His mind was filled with the scene of the crowded square. Just thinking about how people would look at him with strange eyes and say some cringe-inducing flattering words made him want to slap himself.

After waiting for a long time, there was still no movement in the sky above the square.

The sect leader laughed and said, "It seems he won't be coming. Such an opportunity shouldn't be given away. Chen Jingxuan, since you're the one who did this, there's no need to be so modest."

Huh? He actually believed it!

Shouldn't I be punished for being late?

Why is everyone looking at me with such admiration?

How did I become a hero who doesn't claim credit for his achievements?

The crowd began to discuss it again.

"He's actually being modest?"

"I told you you'd be proven wrong."

"A gentleman of refined manners, gentle and elegant, and so handsome, much better than my senior brother."

The disciples in green robes all stared at Chen Jingxuan.

"The sect leader smiled; that's quite rare. It seems the sect leader is quite fond of this young man. We should try to cultivate good relations with him in the future."

The sect leader continued, "All disciples should learn more from Chen Jingxuan. As the saying goes, Taoism has three treasures: first, compassion; second, frugality; and third, not daring to be the first in the world. These qualities are rare and precious."

Immediately, a thunderous shout of "Disciple will remember" rang out in the square.

Amidst the complex gazes of the crowd, Chen Jingxuan tried his best to suppress the restless corners of his mouth. He kept bowing respectfully as he entered the queue, and he could see many female Daoists in the crowd casting admiring glances at him.

"This is the first time I've realized that I'm such a humble person. The more you dig into my strengths, the more you discover."

Wherever he went, the young Taoist priests greeted him and even introduced themselves, hoping to become familiar with him.

Under the arrangement of his senior brothers, Chen Jingxuan came to the far left of the first row of the group. Next to him was a tall, graceful female Taoist priest in a green robe with dragon and tiger patterns on her shoulders.

He should be a disciple of the main sect at the Qi Cultivation Realm.

The woman had skin as smooth as cream and an unparalleled beauty, the most striking feature being a beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Her beauty often attracted the attention of the disciples in the back row, and now that Chen Jingxuan, the focus of the entire audience, was next to her, everyone was even more open about it.

Chen Jingxuan stood still, looking at the high platform in front of him.

The woman suddenly said coldly, "A cultivator should keep their path well hidden. Your ostentatious display, while seeking temporary fame, will only lead to being plotted against."

Chen Jingxuan was taken aback, looking around. "Are you talking to me?"

"Otherwise what? I am Jiang Zhen, the personally instructed disciple of the abbot."

"Can you tell what kind of cultivation I practice?"

Chen Jingxuan's tone was not panicked, but full of anticipation.

As expected, there are many talented people in the capital; even my master couldn't recognize my path. The main sect's library must contain many rare materials, and this woman, as a direct disciple, likely knows more than her master.

Jiang Zhen leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Six out of ten people in this square can guess that you cultivate the Path of Humility. I'm just reminding you that with so many people knowing about your path, you're bound to be targeted. I see that you have exceptional talent; if you submit to me and serve me, I can offer you protection."

"Are you ill?" Chen Jingxuan asked politely.

Jiang Zhen was taken aback: "No. Are you worried about me?"

"If there is an illness, please examine it."

He thought the other party knew some secret, but it turned out that the other party had inferred that he was practicing humility because he saw that he was not complacent after achieving success. That was too arbitrary.

It's like everyone thinks I'm a jerk just because I'm handsome—that's too arbitrary!

Although humility is not a common practice like benevolence or violence, his master analyzed that his methods had nothing to do with humility.

Most importantly, he is never humble except today, yet his cultivation level keeps increasing!

This Jiang Zhen is too strange. He immediately asked me to submit and even claimed to offer protection. Are all the direct disciples of the main sect this arrogant?

The ceremony ended quickly.

The sect leader announced that in five days, the newly arrived disciples in the capital would be assigned duties as a form of evaluation.

Chen Jingxuan had always had a question.

Why did the sect leader really believe I did it even though my senior brother didn't come? That doesn't make sense. How did someone with that level of intelligence become the sect leader? Could it be that he's helping me? But why would the sect leader help me? Could it be that Master isn't actually some nobody banished to the wilderness, but a hidden master of the Heavenly Dao Sect? That doesn't seem likely at all!

Under the arrangement of the senior disciple in charge, he and another disciple went to the backyard.

His senior colleague told him, "In a few days, you will be assigned to various areas around the capital for duty. This is the duty information."

Chen Jingxuan took the note from his senior brother, which simply read, "October 17th, go to Xinyangfang for a consultation. Come one day in advance to pick up your medicine box," along with a specific address.

They were led together into a room in the disciples' dormitory in the backyard.

"This will be your dwelling place from now on."

The room was simply furnished with only two beds, a writing desk, and two cabinets.

Chubby roommate Zhao Qingshan complained, "Senior brother, this place is too shabby. Aren't there any maids?"

The head steward gritted his teeth and said, "How about I become your maid?"

His roommate, Zhao Qingshan, sized him up and said reluctantly, "It's not impossible. Can you warm my bed?"

"Get lost! If you're so capable, go buy your own house outside! You're already being generous by letting you live in Qingyao Mountain for free."

Looking at the neat supplies, Chen Jingxuan thought of his patched quilt. He originally thought that the main sect's conditions were already very good, but he did not expect that there were also experts.

Dude, where are you from? Are you still hiring?

He was changing his clothes when he felt Zhao Qingshan staring at him.

"What are you doing? I'm not going to warm your bed."

"I didn't mean that," Zhao Qingshan said with a smile as he sat on the bed to cover his embarrassment.

While Chen Jingxuan was tidying up the house, he would steal glances at him from time to time, trying to confirm a hypothesis.

But after looking him up and down, he realized that Chen Jingxuan and the sect leader did not resemble each other at all.

He concluded that if the disciples in green robes couldn't handle the demonic beast, Chen Jingxuan certainly couldn't either.

He didn't mean to look down on the other party; it's just that although there's only one level between the Chaoche Realm and the Yangqi Realm, they are worlds apart. Although there are instances of the lower class overthrowing the higher class, they are quite rare.

The truth of the matter is definitely not as simple as Chen Jingxuan said; there must be a conspiracy involved.

It's likely that his fellow disciples exhausted the demonic beasts one by one, allowing Chen Jingxuan to reap the benefits. He deliberately rushed over during the ceremony, bringing no demonic beasts with him, instead relying on the two guards outside for assistance. Finally, the sect leader would give the final verdict, elevating his reputation to its peak. He would then become a proud and unassuming prodigy, a chosen one of heaven.

The fact that he can mobilize so many senior disciples while making his own disciples mere background figures suggests that he must be the sect leader's illegitimate son!

Zhao Qingshan looked at Chen Jingxuan again, but still couldn't find any common ground with the sect leader. He seemed more like the handsome and dashing supervisor.

He suddenly realized that Chen Jingxuan was actually the abbot's illegitimate son. The abbot and the sect leader played good cop and bad cop respectively to avoid revealing their relationship!

That must be it!

"Brother Chen, let me help you."

Zhao Qingshan suddenly sprang up from the bed, his face full of flattery, his fat squeezing his eyes into slits.

"I've finished everything."

Chen Jingxuan took off his shoes and sat on the bed.

"Then let me give you a back massage. You must be exhausted from your fierce battle with the monster."

Before Chen Jingxuan could refuse, the bed slammed shut as a huge object slammed onto it and began massaging his shoulders and back.

He said somewhat awkwardly, "Senior Brother Qingshan, why bother?"

"I've always been like this; we're like brothers. Just enjoy yourself."

With a "crack," the bed board suddenly collapsed, and the two people sank into the bed.

Chen Jingxuan looked at the other person with a resentful expression.

Zhao Qingshan forced a fawning smile again: "You don't need to move, I'll fix it for you."

On the twelfth floor of the tower, Abbot Zhang Shun'an looked out towards the backyard: "Senior brother, you clearly knew Chen Jingxuan wasn't capable of subduing demonic beasts, so why did you say those things?"

"He's just a junior, why be so harsh? Let's just downplay this."

Zhang Shunan said expressionlessly, "This kind of behavior is very unfair, and I can't stand by and watch it."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"As the sect leader, Senior Brother makes all the decisions on matters large and small at Qingyao Mountain. How could I possibly refuse Senior Brother's face in front of all the disciples over such a trivial matter?"

The sect leader smiled slightly: "Junior brother, you've changed. You're no longer as upright. Was it Master who instructed you?"

Zhang Shunan turned his head, not letting the other person notice his expression: "Father did indeed instruct me. But I still don't understand. Not only Chen Jingxuan, but also Tongxuan's other two disciples, Zhu Lingyun and Lu Yunci, you have taken good care of them. But you don't have a deep relationship with Tongxuan, so why did you do this?"

"Who said that Tongxuan and I aren't close? I just felt that you and Tongxuan had a rift, and I was afraid that you would mistreat his disciples, so I took care of you."

Zhang Shunan said solemnly, "What kind of person do you take me for, Senior Brother? I would never make things difficult for juniors!"

"You are indeed fair and just. But what about your disciples? Won't they make things difficult for others? I heard Jiang Zhen's threats against Chen Jingxuan just now."

Zhang Shunan was taken aback, then nodded: "Senior brother is right, I understand, I will remind them."

He turned around, transformed into a beam of light, and vanished into thin air.

Beneath the twelve-story tower, Chen Jingxuan strode out of the mountain gate, sketch in hand. He cried out loudly in the forest, "Senior brother! Where are you! You've caused me so much trouble!"