The following day, Shin Sumi was on the path leading to Fen Wudao's house early in the morning.

She had made up her mind but more importantly she wanted to clarify certain aspects of her upcoming mission.

She was greeted at the door by a meditating Fen Wudao whose divine sense had picked up her presence. Not too long after, they were both sipping on tea when Patriarch Sen arrived.

***

"It is settled then. In three days' time you will leave for the Sky Earth Sect. Should any situation that you can't handle arise, use the Jade Compass to communicate with us."

Shin Sumi sent divine sense into the pale green object, immediately sensing the powerful spirit formation engraved within the artefact. Her knowledge of spirit formations had greatly improved over her time in the Cloud-Formation Pavilion. She could tell that the power of the artefact was high, allowing for communication across incredible distances, but in turn the number of communications was very limited.

Anyway, it was reassuring to know that she had a way back to the Dark Sky Starry Sect, should she ever need it.

When she left the company of the other two Ghosts, Shin Sumi was feeling excited and anxious at the same time. For her it was very reminiscent of the day she fled her family mansion in East Seaside village for the big city.

"Who could have guessed I would end up in an Immortal Sect, about to go undercover into enemy territory to retrieve a centuries old artefact..."

Neither Fen Wudao nor the Patriarch were able to answer her when she inquired about how long she would have to remain hidden in the Sky Earth Sect. She was on her own when it came to judging the right time to go into action without being caught by the Sky Earth Sect's cultivators.

The plan was frighteningly simple for a mission with such stakes. Shin Sumi would present herself as one of the young women from the surrounding cities, basically reenacting her own first step in the cultivation world.

She would become the daughter of a farmer escaping a marriage she didn't want. She would pass the tests to enter the Sky Earth Sect and settle inside.

In her bag of holding, Shin Sumi had a few divine jades, compilations of information coming from previous spies sent to the Sky Earth Sect over the years. With such an arsenal, she would be able to fit in quite easily as well as know the way to reach there, of course.

Shin Sumi's life might have been very valuable to the Ghosts and the Dark Sky Starry Sect but she was still ultimately disposable. The amount of resources and information given to her, on the other hand, were the fruit of years of work and many a spy's life.

It went to show how important her mission was for the Ghosts and that they were confident in her ability.

Shin Sumi left the two Ghosts for her last three days in the upper valley. She was feeling proud to be given such a big mission and especially an opportunity to cross more than half of the Blue Fire Empire.

Coming from the small East Seaside Village in the Silver Sea region, at the very extremity of the continent, Shin Sumi had never gone further than the Blue Fire Mountain Range where the Dark Sky Starry Sect was located.

"I wonder if there are any delicacies or curiosities specific to the Sky Earth Sect's area that I can bring back to Xiao Yue and my friends" she told Nuan as she walked the paths of the upper valley.

She gently patted the Lion Bat's back, right between the skeletal bat wings in a spot that made Nuan purr with pleasure.

"You know, I would have not accepted this mission, had I not been able to bring you with me. You'll just have to hide for a few months at most, and then I will 'find' you and you will become my spirit animal once again, okay sweet girl?"

It was one of Shin Sumi's earliest questions to Patriarch Sen when she arrived to Fen Wudao's home this morning. Shin Sumi had to bring Nuan with her along the mission and she was relieved to hear that the Sky Earth Sect practiced a similar kind of spirit creatures training as their own Divine-Beasts Pavilion.

"I should have guessed that" she thought as she read the information on one of the divine jades, the one with records of the Sky Earth Sect's hierarchy and cultivation genres, "the two sects have only split a few centuries ago, it is normal that the cultivation types and techniques would remain highly similar."

***

The first person on Shin Sumi's path of farewells was Lan Hui, quickly followed by Bai Xuengen.

Shin Sumi felt bad about leaving her friends without any information but she was very conscious of the fact that she could not tell them anything. Not that she didn't trust them but rather because a Ghost might be watching.

Spending a few hours with each of them, soon Shin Sumi had also met and laughed with Fu Xue, Mei Yunei and of course Xiao Yue, to whom she told a bit more than to the others.

"Does that count as a farewell?" she even asked herself when she waved enthusiastically from afar at a cold stone-faced Sui Lin.

"Pffiou, thank the Gods for not having to use a Confusion Pill every time I want to switch identities anymore. I don't think I've ever alternated so much in only two days' time."

For every person she met and wanted to talk to, she would hide somewhere and take on the features of either Bai Fulong, Yan Yan, or more rarely herself.

"Oi, I should also go to the lower valley for a while before I leave, chat a bit with Brother Azu to see how he is doing!"

Shin Sumi took out her identification jade, sending one divine sense message before entering the carved flight of stairs in the cliff joining the two valleys.

When she exited the tunnel at the bottom, stepping between the stone pillars at the entrance of the lower valley, Yan Yan's silhouette cast a shadow in front of her.

The Liquid Realm disciple in charge of guarding the passage, recording which Honorary Disciple tried to ascend as well as the Liquid Realm practitioners trying to descend, didn't take long in noticing her and standing in her way.

"What are you doing here? It is strictly forbidden for Liquid Realm disciples to leave the upper valley. Are you one of those who try to come here to bully the lower level disciples in the Shinsoo Gathering stage to give you their spirit stones?"

The disciple's assurance was wavering because with a single glance he was able to tell that her cultivation level was higher than his and yet he couldn't let her pass.

"Listen, Senior Sister. For you I am willing to let it go and not report you to the Affairs Pavilion but please do me a favor and go back from where you came, okay?"

Shin Sumi held her hands open in front of her, as to signify she didn't want trouble.

"Of course, I'm sorry, I don't want to cause trouble for you. I have been allowed to come here, just wait for a bit, Brother...?"

Seeing as Yan Yan seemed to not want to cause trouble, the disciple slightly relaxed.

"Sezhuan. You can call me Sezhuan Mon."

For a couple minutes, Yan Yan and Sezhuan Mon chatted, to the point that the boy would be willing to let her pass. He was probably intoxicated by Yan Yan's gentle traits and beautiful figure, and wondered if his lucky day had finally come when a whooshing noise came from above and a silver streak stopped right before them.

"Younger Sister Yan, are you okay?" asked a manly but warm voice full of smiles.

Fen Wudao looked at Yan Yan and the other disciple with a slightly confused face before understanding almost immediately what was going on.

"S-Senior Brother Fen...! Sezhuan is deeply sorry. This humble one didn't know that Senior Sister Yan was sent here by your person. I will step aside now" the boy immediately bowed and mumbled all sorts of apologies.

Yan Yan looked intensely at Fen Wudao as she walked past Sezhuan Mon, expressing with her eyes all the thanks she could.

She felt bad for using Fen Wudao in order to get entrance to the lower valley, but Fen Wudao understood.

"If everything is settled here I will leave first. I trust that you will reach the second step soon, Brother Sezhuan, here's something that might help you" said Fen Wudao while tossing him a medium grade spirit stone.

The boy immediately forgot that a Liquid Realm disciple had entered the lower valley, failing to notify Yan Yan's presence, simply happy to have met a beautiful girl, Fen Wudao and even getting a nice spirit stone in the process.

Fen Wudao's silver arrow flew away in a few seconds and when Sezhuan Mon's eyes returned to the ground, Yan Yan was gone too. Silently, he returned to his post and proceeded to sit down and meditate with the medium grade spirit stone.

Now successfully in the lower valley, Shin Sumi walked around, purposefully reigning in her cultivation base to not intimidate the Honorary Disciples she crossed paths with.

She remembered the first time she had felt Fen Wudao's full presence in the marketplace, when he let all of his divine sense and aura out in front of a bunch of Shinsoo Gathering cultivators.

Quite naturally, her feet soon took her to the market of the lower valley, where Yan Yan had spent most of her time accumulating quite the amount of spirit stones. She then had Nuan refine them into high grade ones.

In front of the spot she once used to occupy herself, she met a few people she recognized as previous customers.

"Sister Yan!" a few of the male disciples immediately got close to her even though they hadn't met in a few years.

"Brother Yuo, Brother Sun!" she smiled at them, chatting peacefully.

Unlike before when she was living in the lower valley, none of the disciples tried to flirt with her. Although her old acquaintances feigned nonchalance, they were now obviously filled with a sense of respect and intimidation due to the fact that she was a Liquid Realm cultivator.

After a while, Shin Sumi left them, ignoring the loud relief sigh her Liquid Realm ears picked up from a distance behind her back.

One of the male disciples had told her about seeing Little Azu in the Affairs Pavilion, which became her current destination.

With a troubled mind, Shin Sumi walked slowly towards Elder Zhu's Pavilion. Ever since the Rising Star Tournament, she had not heard from the Elder, and she hoped it stayed that way forever.

Many times she had wanted to do something about the old man's dark actions towards the disciples of the sect but with his status, Elder Zhu was untouchable.

Stopping once on the way to the Affairs Pavilion, Shin Sumi abandoned Yan Yan's features. She wanted to meet Little Azu as herself. She also used a hiding profound formation to make her presence as discreet as possible and change her divine sense quite a bit. She hoped the little trick would be sufficient in avoiding Elder Zhu seeing her, should he be at the Affairs Pavilion at the same time as Little Azu.

What troubled Shin Sumi the most was the fact that Patriarch Sen seemed to trust the Elder completely. Since becoming part of the Ghost Pavilion, she had learned that it was the Patriarch who had asked Elder Zhu to deliver her a Liquid Pellet and tell her to wait until the Rising Star Tournament to break through to the second Realm of cultivation.

Naturally she didn't think Patriarch Sen knew about Elder Zhu's tampering with the Liquid Pellet.

Only Lan Hui and herself knew exactly what kind of experiments Elder Zhu was conducting on his disciples. Because of his network of acquaintances in the lower valley, Lan Hui was charged with keeping track of his actions from afar. However as far as they knew, since the Rising Star Tournament, none of the Honorary Disciples had met the same fate as the desiccated corpses hidden in the lower valley training grounds.

"When I leave the sect, maybe I'll send a message to Fen Wudao and explain to him everything I know. He can then contact Lan Hui and make sure Elder Zhu doesn't do anything bad ever again" she thought as she entered the grand building.

A ball immediately formed in her stomach, for as soon as she put down her foot inside the doorframe a strong divine sense washed over her. The divine sense was stronger than hers by a lot, definitely from the Liquid Realm's ninth and last step.

With the level of somebody stuck at the great circle of the Liquid Realm, Elder Zhu had seen through her hiding formation as if it had not even existed in the first place.

"Ooooh! Green talented girl! It's been a while, what brings you here?" Little Azu was full of joy and energy like always, insisting on calling her 'green talented girl' even though the two had met and talked a few times, with Shin Sumi telling him to call her by her name each time.

"Good evening Brother Azu-" Shin Sumi started answering, her nervousness reaching a peak before she was interrupted by a powerful but old voice coming from deep into the building.

"Disciple Shin, what a pleasure to have you here. May I formally invite you to join me for a cup of fragrant tea?" said Elder Zhu, following his words with a strong divine sense assault.

Little Azu heard the booming voice, confused as to why Shin Sumi instantly turned pale and clenched her teeth, even closing one eye in the process of withstanding Elder Zhu's divine sense.

"Are you alright?" the Liquid Realm first step boy asked.

Shin Sumi considered turning on her heels and escaping but the divine sense wouldn't let her. It was actually a relief when she drew closer to the door leading to the insides of the Affairs Pavilion.

"Yes Brother Azu, I just remembered something but it's fine. I have to pay my respects to Elder Zhu first. How can I refuse such an honor?" she tried her best not to sound pained and sarcastic.

After the first corridor, the door to the small garden was already open. At the far end, behind heaps of beautiful flowers and plants, a tall figure dressed in light green robes stood with their back to her.

"Elder Zhu" Shin Sumi acknowledged the person, nodding her head in the smallest bow as per the etiquette engrained in her. Had she thought about it, she would never have bowed to a man like him.

The man in green robes turned slowly, his face full of smiles. Wrinkles circled his eyes and his forehead, under his long white hair. Only his beard still had traces of black mixed within the dominantly white hair.

"What happened to him?" Shin Sumi asked herself, a bit shocked at the Elder's appearance.

Without a doubt, the man at the other side of the garden was Elder Zhu, and yet he looked dozens of years older than when she had last seen him. He used to look like a middle aged man with black hair but now he was nothing more than an old man.

For most cultivators, after reaching a certain age, the body didn't represent one's ability or power. Because the physical body grew old but the cultivation base only grew stronger, a lot of Immortals preferred to hold back their appearance, instead endorsing the traits of somebody half their age or even more.

While Shin Sumi didn't know Elder Zhu's age precisely, she knew that he was way past his forties like he used to seem. This was also obviously the case for Patriarch Sen who had been alive for centuries and yet seemed barely over seventy. Had he chosen to, Patriarch Sen surely would be able to take on the features of a middle-aged man, or even a teenager twenty times younger than he really was.

But for Elder Zhu the process seemed different. He even confirmed it as he spoke in an old voice.

"Disciple Shin. Liquid Realm second step. It is a great feat of cultivation that you have accomplished in the short few years you've been in the Dark Sky Starry Sect. You are definitely worthy of your talent and the sect couldn't hope for a better generation, in the face of such predicaments like the upcoming war. Ah, to be young again. Sit down with me."

Elder Zhu motioned a seat while he himself sat down on the opposite side of the tea table. Shin Sumi sat down carefully, her muscles taunt and on high alert. She didn't know what Elder Zhu wanted but she had no choice for now.

"As you can see I am way past my prime. In fact I celebrated my hundred and thirtieth birthday last week. You don't need to congratulate me, this number only brings me closer to death."

To Shin Sumi, Elder Zhu's speech about his own mortality felt strange. In her ears it resembled a call for help, while being incredibly cold and realistically objective. Her instincts knew exactly what type of man Elder Zhu was despite never having encountered someone like him.

The old man in front of him knew of his own mortality. He was ready to do anything. As if his actions wouldn't matter anymore, nothing was stopping him from reaching his goals.

"You must be wondering why I'm rambling like that. Or maybe, judging from how your eyes look at me, you already have an idea?"

Shin Sumi breathed out and in again, slowly. Like the old man she was facing, she decided to let all pretenses go and speak her mind. There was no changing what was going to happen very soon.

As she put down the cup of tea she had left untouched, she said "You've been keenly aware of your past prime for a long time. I guess that is the reason you've been searching for ways to extend your lifetime. Liquid Realm practitioners can only live up to a hundred and fifty years at the most and in the best condition, while Core-Development cultivators can easily reach five hundred years of age. Being stuck half a step before Core Development must be enraging."

Elder Zhu smiled sincerely. It seemed he expected Shin Sumi to already reach that conclusion. Curious, he motioned her to continue.