A few moments later, the last wispy image of Ji Wuye in his flowing white robe fluttered and faded away as he descended the stone stairs from the cliff's edge, leaving Elder Qiao and her disciples standing in a momentary trance, their eyes squinting against the brilliant morning sunlight that had long since burned away the dawn haze.

Outside the elegant main residence, in the outer area, meticulously landscaped gardens surrounded a large koi pond that glistened with dappled reflections, separating two areas.

Nearby, Elder Qiao settled herself upon an ornately carved stone chair, her robes pooling gracefully around her feet. Noticing her disciples still appeared dazed, their gazes unfocused as their minds whirled to process Ji Wuye's astonishing display of skill, she finally broke the reverent silence.

"What do you make of it, Yi'er?" Elder Qiao's gentle voice rang out, bringing them back to the present.

At the same time, Li Rong blinked rapidly, snapping out of her stupor. She immediately crossed the wooden bridge, took the zither, and returned to hand it to her Master.

Su Xinyi, or Yi'er as her Master addressed her, furrowed her brow in contemplation, full lips parting slightly as she organized her thoughts. After a moment, she met Elder Qiao's warm, expectant gaze directly.

A slight smile curved Elder Qiao's mouth, silently encouraging her disciple to share her insights.

"The skill that Junior Brother Ji brought from the Tower is truly remarkable," Su Xinyi began, her eyes sparkling with intellectual curiosity. "Not only does it seem capable of neutralizing any form of attack, regardless of its power..." Her voice trailed off as images of the mind-boggling display replayed in her mind's eye.

While Su Xinyi was explaining, the peaceful melody of the zither strings plucked by Elder Qiao's deft fingers harmonized with the rhythmic susurrus of winds whispering through the craggy mountain peaks looming above them.

Su Xinyi continued, "Not only that! From what I observed, Junior Brother Ji didn't appear to suffer any lasting injury or adverse effects from Sister Xun's attack."

At this, Su Xinyi's luminous eyes took on an envious gleam as she imagined how useful that skill would be if she had it. But then her gaze cooled, lips pressing together pensively as a new thought took hold. "However... there is one perplexing detail that doesn't make sense to me."

"That's enough for now," Elder Qiao's gentle tones cut through, her fingers still lightly dancing across the zither strings.

Elder Qiao's eyes then shifted to another of her disciples, Wei Xun, who had attacked Ji Wuye as she had instructed.

"Your insights, Xun'er?" she prompted, her serene focus returning to coaxing resonant melodies from the instrument cradled in her lap.

Elder Qiao raised her slender neck, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to become fully immersed in the tranquil, soothing melody her fingers coaxed from the zither's taut strings.

"Sister Xinyi raises a valid point," Wei Xun spoke up, her rich voice carrying clearly across the garden. Her raven tresses, bound in a half-updo, fluttered in the mountain breeze as her plump, womanly figure swayed slightly.

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Facing her Master with eyes narrowed in concentration, hands cupped formally before her, she continued, "While Junior Brother's skill is indeed incredible, I can't help but notice there's simply no way it should have been able to keep pace with the full force of my attack over time."

Wei Xun paused, plump lips pressing together as she carefully considered her next words.

"At that time, the moment I closed within striking range, his awareness, the way his eyes measured every subtle movement..."

She trailed off with a slight shake of her head, causing the full swell of her chest to shift beneath her white martial robe. "It was too fast, too precise - inhuman. It was as if his body was forced to perceive my attack."

As Wei Xun laid out her perplexing observations, Li Rong felt her eyes widen, shimmering with dawning realization as the pieces began to click into place. Her lips curved into a slow smile, for her Sisters' accounts matched the strange sensations she herself had grappled with after her own failed attack.

All three young women turned their gazes expectantly toward Elder Qiao, silently seeking enlightenment. Their Master promptly opened her eyes, the melody fading away as her fingers stilled upon the zither strings.

"Well deduced, my disciples," she praised with a faint smile. "All of your insights, alongside Rong'er's own experience, ring true where Little Brother Ji is concerned."

Placing the zither aside on the stone table before her, Elder Qiao's piercing gaze drifted toward the hazy distance visible from their lofty vantage point high up the cliff.

Even from this height, she could make out the blurred landscape and hints of civilization far below.

"From his inquiries about how to manifest a Sword Aura to his request to join our Yearly Competition..." Elder Qiao continued, letting the implication linger for a pregnant pause before confirming, "All of it was merely a front, a facade constructed to obfuscate his true abilities and intentions."

Su Xinyi felt her curiosity burning ever brighter at this revelation. Unable to contain herself, she blurted out the question that begged to be asked, "So then... does Junior Brother Ji truly possess the level of power befitting a 7th realm martial artist?"

The reason was simple: Ji Wuye had managed to block her Sister Xun's attack thanks to the skill he got from the Tower, but his reflexes that she had mentioned suggested another hidden truth, which prompted this conclusion.

As for her previous cold and indifferent demeanor, it was also just a facade as her Master had instructed. Now she was revealing the true extent of her burning curiosity, to the point that Su Xinyi even found herself holding her breath in anticipation as she awaited her Master's response.

Yet Elder Qiao's lips curved into an enigmatic smile.

"Who can say for certain?" Elder Qiao's vague words were somewhat deflating, and she could not help but be faintly amused by the way her disciples' eager gazes dimmed ever so slightly at her nonchalant reply. "Uncovering the truth behind Little Brother's obscured abilities shall be your task, Rong'er."

"Me?" Li Rong's startled gaze snapped up to meet her Master's, disbelief written plainly across her delicate features. Even her Sisters regarded her with looks of surprise and confusion.

"But why Sister Rong, Master? Surely you would be better served choosing me instead?" Wei Xun's request unexpectedly broke the stillness before Su Xinyi could find her words. The latter's eyes widened infinitesimally at her normally reserved Sister's uncharacteristic outburst.

"Sister Xun? Why must you be so impatient?" Su Xinyi tutted, unable to conceal the faint hints of envy and disappointment that tinged her reprimand. "Clearly the proper course is for Master to entrust this crucial duty to me."

Unlike the flustered Li Rong, the two Sisters' eyes burned with fierce determination to unravel the layers of mystery surrounding their intriguing Junior Brother.

From his cryptic conversation with their Master, they had already pieced together an indelible impression of Ji Wuye's unfathomable depths. After all, what woman could resist the thrill of unveiling such an alluring enigma?

"Fu fu fu..." Elder Qiao's soft laughter rippled across the garden like a gentle brook as she took in her disciples' eagerness to claim the irresistible assignment for themselves. "Now now, enough of that. Can you not see how uncomfortable you've rendered your poor Sister with your overzealousness?"

Li Rong started, her Master's words causing the flush of embarrassment staining her cheeks to deepen into a crimson blush. She had indeed looked displeased at her Sisters' overt jockeying to usurp the task, but now her discomfiture was palpable.

"N-No, I...that is..." She stammered, floundering for words under the weight of her Master's pointed gaze.

"As for you, Xun'er," Elder Qiao continued smoothly, "Your duty shall be to summon that girl from the Lin family before me. I believe the time is ripe for her to take her place among us as your Sister."

As she spoke, a shimmering aura of azure Qi began to emanate from Elder Qiao's fingertips, rapidly spreading outward to enshroud the zither's strings in a soft bluish radiance.

TWANG!

…

At that very moment, having descended the white marble steps leading down from Elder Qiao's private cliffside abode, Ji Wuye found his path unexpectedly obstructed by a familiar figure.

"Junior?" The woman's lilting voice rang out with a tone of surprise.

She was garbed in an immaculate white martial robe with dark blue stripes that seemed to shimmer like rippling water as she moved.

A cascade of silken obsidian tresses tumbled past her shoulders, framing an exquisite porcelain visage.

Almond-shaped eyes, fringed with sooty lashes, widened infinitesimally as they met his own startled gaze.

There could be no mistaking this vision of ethereal beauty - it was none other than his own Senior Sister...