"Well, that certainly makes me find your character quite trustworthy," said the invisible guy from a direction Han Xuhan was not facing at the moment.

Han Xuhan laughed happily, continuing to look in the direction he had been facing so far as if he could actually see whoever it was speaking to him.

"Thank you, thank you. My master always said I have the most honest character, as well as an honest face; perfect for the job of a spy."

"....How straightforward! Your master was right about the honest character part indeed, it seems."

Han Xuhan had decided to gamble here. He was pretty sure that regardless of how he might attempt to explain his appearance in this foreign....sect, no one would believe that he ended up here accidentally.

Yeah, it had to be a sect. He could sense that the cloudy substance beneath his feet bore some resemblance to the ash-like soil in the island of Crimson Snow sect. This meant that this entire expanse of cloudy periphery of the island he was on right now consisited of first-level domains.

What a marvelous design! Had these people been aware of how this tournament has been designed?

Why else would they keep all the first-level domains so far outside their main base? This structure was obviously intentional, as the first-level domains could easily be damaged compared to the second and third level domains.

With all of the first level domain outside their main base, the defensive capability of the castle had to be very high! How much of it inside was made up of second and third level domains?!

Based on that assumption and his current predicament, a few conclusions could be reached easily.

This sect had been prepared to deal with foreigners, judging by their quick response to his sudden appearance. Perhaps for them, the preliminary round of the tournament had already begun. Their not-so-friendly behavior was apparent. If he had to look for a specific reason for their aggressive attitude....during any competition, members from foreign teams who would come uninvited were rarely welcome. Han Xuhan did not need to think too long to realize that at the moment, he definitely seemed like a spy in their eyes.

Perhaps they were under the assumption that he, as a disciple of a newcomer sect, had come to 'visit' and return with a bountiful harvest of information.

In his mind played the memory of Lady Luo Yi shouting the names of the upcoming trials and disasters. Floods, storms, invasions, robbery, theivery...

Robbery and thievery by whom? At that time he hadn't put much thought into her words. But now it made sense all of a sudden.

So the sects were allowed to ransack each other for resources!

So that was another reason why they weren't allowed to return to their real territory and take resources from there! This was to ensure a fiercer completion among the sects!

Han Xuhan decided to throw a bait once the realization had set in. Since they were expecting him to be a spy/thief/robber, he would play the part....as unsuccessfully as possible. None of them would believe him if he claimed to be an innocent, clueless victim of a terrible prank. It was better to go along with the chain of events they had predicted, and then turn it upside down if he had the opportunity to.

Inside his mind, plan after plan was drawn, modified, and discarded every second.

"Hey, I'm standing here, not over there," the guy spoke once more after a brief silent contemplation. This time, the voice was coming from a different direction.

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"Where?" Han Xuhan asked 'in confusion' while not moving his eyes from the castle in front of him, observing every nook and cranny that could be seen from where he stood.

"Enough of this shit," the other party suddenly muttered and made a move. Han Xuhan barely felt the mobilization of qi in the air before his entire body got slammed against the ground by an invisible force.

"Sect name, your name, the progress of your sect so far– speak. NOW."

"Mu Ran, from the Crimson Snow sect!" Xuhan, lying on his back, gasped amidst wheezing. The heavy weight on his chest did not loosen at all.

"We've just reached the archipelago. My master told me to go take a look at the rest of the powerful sects to see how they were doing and gather information about their methods. Then he threw me down to the sea before I could refuse! I have no idea how I ended up...here..."

As his speech became garbled and slow from asphyxiation, the weight finally shifted.

No, 'shifted' was an understatement. The weight on his chest was thrown off as ferociously as it had subdued him just a few seconds ago. A yelp came from the invisible guy as Han Xuhan sucked in air desperately, his countenance recovering fast.

Grimacing, He was about to get up when a meaty hand thrust itself into his line of sight, offering help.

"Hello, fellow cultivator Mu Ran! Kindly excuse my martial sister's hostility just then. We just haven't had a good experience with outsiders here. Did she cause any injuries that require medical assistance? Can you get up?"

Han Xuhan grabbed the hand and squeezed it as hard as possible while trying to stand. He was familiar with the degree of physical improvement of cultivators more powerful than him due to having so many friends in the sect. This guy's hand indicated that he was close to the peak of physique transformation!

"Oh, sure! I understand. Children are prone to violence pretty often. Not everybody learns basic manners and etiquette. It's okay!" Han Xuhan replied with his trademark honest smile, which froze a second later.

Sister? That invisible asshole was a girl? That voice was too manly, right?

Damn!

He turned to glance behind him and finally saw the girl, who had lost her instability. She looked slightly younger than him, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. Brownish short hair, straight eyebrows, hooked nose, and a square jawline had given her an enviable handsomeness, which was complimented by her thick, emerald robe. Her masculine voice did indeed fit her.

A tomboy waifu!

Han Xuhan felt sour at how fast his thoughts nose-dived down a distasteful route.

She gloomily stared back at him the whole time he was appraising her.

Han Xuhan did not mind. He had vented his anger through the insults, and he would continue to do so, again and again until he was satisfied or made to stop by someone powerful enough to rival Xuan Zi.

Girl, don't let this young master catch your name! You'll not like what I do with it.

"And you would be...?" He asked his rescuer, a short, bald, blocky guy whose muscles were prominent even outside his green robe.

"My name is Shangguang Ce. I'm an apprentice of Elder Zong Ao. This is the Sunrider Sect, well, a replica of it to be exact. We hail from the northern subcontinent." The youth replied proudly. He wore a bright smile on his face that never receded even when he spoke. It almost appeared unnatural.

Han Xuhan did not know how to react to the revelation. All he knew about the northern subcontinent was that it was cold as fuck. Their accents, as well as choice of words often felt jarring. It barely felt like they were speaking the same language. No wonder these people were from another continent!

He had never heard of the Sunrider sect, neither had he read anything about it from the tabloid Xiao Wu had sold him.

Must be a weak sect that never won any significant competition....But when he took another glance at the strikingly beautiful castle , that conclusion did not quite feel organic.

Too many things were happening at the same time. His brain simply failed to keep a leash on everything he needed for a proper plan of action. His mind had still not recovered from his earlier 'enlightenment'. While he was extremely happy that he had finally experienced one, the confusion in its wake took priority. He needed to talk to someone like Kong Ye or Xuan Zi to clear the confusion away. The thing was, the elders at the Crimson Snow sect refused to teach the disciples much about enlightenments. Their logic for refusal was sound enough though.

Young disciples who learned enough about enlightenment will eventually end up being obsessed with pursuing them wholeheartedly. But not all enlightenment bore positive results. A small portion of them also pushed young ones to unorthodox, dark paths of no return. The stronger a cultivator became, the higher the percentage of that type of enlightenment became.

Besides, once a disciple had experienced enlightenment, they'd be addicted to the feeling, a fact Han Xuhan could attest to now. It was easy to get lost in the pursuit of such fleeting pleasures and forget what the core value of one's cultivation was.

Feeling frustrated, Han Xuhan nodded in response to Shangguang Ce and said, "Fellow cultivator Ce, I feel woefully underprepared to tackle this reconnaissance mission my master has ordained me to accomplish. Help me out here, brother and I'll remember the favor for an eternity!"

Shangguang Ce raised an eyebrow, looking nonplussed.

"Are you for real?!" the girl behind him shouted in part anger, part disbelief. "You want us to help you, an invader spy? Your eternal gratitude doesn't mean jackshit to anybody."

"...Well, then maybe not for an eternity. But a long time for sure!" Han Xuhan said bashfully.

Silence stretched between the two parties. Shangguang Ce's eyes narrowed slowly as he matched Xuhan's gaze unblinkingly.

"Wonderful proposal, Brother Ran. Let's get to know each other first," he answered in the end with the ghost of a smile flickering on his face.