Zhang Hong knew what he was doing. His eyes narrowed on the youth as he smiled just as kindly as a benevolent old man, but... there was a cunning in his eyes that he tried to hide.


    His smile, his movements, his voice – all were fake. The only thing he wanted was to worm his way into Xie Qing''s trust and seize his treasures. And when he became useless...


    He would discard him like a lizard sheds its tail.


    This was the face of devilish cultivators. Trusting them was like soaping your own neck for the executioner.


    And Xie Qing was nning to exploit this situation to the fullest.


    ***


    "This…"


    The youth raised his head, and his face clearly showed a struggle – worry, greed, and... desperation. In the end, Xie Qing gritted his teeth and waved his hand. His spatial ring shed.


    "This!..."


    Elder Zhang Hong widened his eyes, looking at the contents of Xie Qing''s hand. Another flower, but... such dense devilish Qi? This... was of amazing quality!


    "Hoo…!"


    The elder''s smile began to widen, twisting into an ugly grimace of greed.


    "Well, I''ll ept this gift... and your spatial ring," Zhang Hong smirked and extended his hand. He tilted his head up to the right, looking down at the youth: "So... be a good nephew."


    "Y-yes…"


    Xie Qing''s expression reflected desperation, but he obediently handed over the spatial ring. Zhang Hong''s eyes gleamed with greed as he took the flower.


    "Tsk…"


    Checking the ring, Zhang Hong found only two low-quality flowers. He put the flower in his own spatial ring and the youth''s ring in his pocket. Then he dismissively waved his hand, as if shooing away an annoying fly.


    "Nephew, I have verified your reliability and am confident that you pose no threat to our sect. You may return to your quarters."


    Xie Qing bowed and then left. As soon as he closed the door, Zhang Hong smiled brightly.


    "Hahaha! What luck! Bastards, see? This is what patience looks like! At least, I made him understand that only I can help him! And no one else!"


    The elder''s n was simple – to make Xie Qing believe in him and rely on him as a lifeline. This would help him control the youth for his own purposes.


    He could even im some of the youth''s achievements. Zhang Hong smirked at the thought.


    Looking at his spatial ring, he couldn''t help butugh, which sounded simply disgusting.


    "Hahahahaha!"


    Zhang Hong was already celebrating his victory, but... is there ever free cheese in a mousetrap?


    ***


    Xie Qing returned to his quarters. He wasn''t worried about what Zhang Hong might be plotting against him. In any case, if he didn''t like it, he could simply leave – it wasn''t that difficult.


    In any case, for some reason, items rted to alchemy had started appearing in the system after absorbing the pill.


    And there were pills that had a masking effect. That''s why Xie Qing wasn''t worried about concealing his identity.


    In any case... he had a double skin.


    Sitting on the bed in a lotus position, the youth closed his eyes and began to meditate.


    "In any case, an interesting show awaits me."


    ***


    Surprisingly, Zhang Hong turned out not to be all talk. After that, no one bothered him. This made Xie Qing wonder – did this guy really have connections?


    Although, considering the flower that Xie Qing had given him, such a minor incident could easily be smoothed over given the benefit.


    Devilish cultivators were vengeful, but that didn''t mean they couldn''t be reasoned with. Xie Qing got up from the bed and cracked his neck.


    "What disgusting Qi…"


    Although he could absorb devilish Qi and refine it, the devilish Qi in the outer court was just too... poor! Seriously, it wasn''t even enough to break through to the next stage!


    This was one of the main reasons why Xie Qing wanted to enter the inner court.


    And for that... he had to wait six months!


    ***


    Half a yearter. The Sect of Bone Circle remained unchanged, although a notable change was that a formidable figure had appeared in the outer court.


    Chang E. Someone with such a... strange name attracted a lot of attention, but not because of his name.


    He was strong. Damn strong. And his cold, indifferent demeanor when he dealt with the former top dogs of the outer court made many disciples interested in him, and for the girls, he became an object of desire.


    Because of this, Zhang Hong was forced to set up protection around the youth''s house, as every night crazy fans tried to break in.


    Of course, with Xie Qing''s strength, it was impossible for anyone to enter his room, so he easily stopped the girls and threw them out. But...


    This only excited them more! After that incident, even more girls started flocking to him, as if they had gone mad!


    Elder Zhang Hong''s head was aching terribly. Xie Qing was a problematic disciple. Although he spent most of his time meditating – as soon as he went outside, trouble started immediately.


    Notably, the youth somehow managed to beat up forty disciples in one day! In. One. Day!


    Zhang Hong gritted his teeth. He sat in his room, and women''s clothes were scattered on the floor. Lately, he had been under a lot of stress because this guy, Xie Qing, literally had no leverage.


    "Elder Zhang! Elder...ins that your nephew has caused bodily harm to his disciple and demands an exnation!"


    "Elder Zhang, this... girls are flocking to that disciple''s house again, and the boys areining that their partners are leaving them! The outer court is in chaos!"


    "Elder Zhang, your nephew..."


    "Elder..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Zhang Hong frowned and looked at the door, and then...


    "AAAAAAAAGH!"


    He grabbed his head. How many times had it been today? He had already heard fortyints from his colleagues or disciples. This guy... had absolutely no sense of responsibility!


    "How annoying! Can''t he spend one day without causing trouble?!"


    The worst thing... was that Zhang Hong couldn''t even reprimand him! This guy had a simply disgusting character! Moreover, Zhang Hong couldn''t even beat him – this kid... was just disgustingly strong!


    "AAAAAAAGH! I''m so tired!"


    Unfortunately for the elder... Xie Qing didn''t miss the opportunity to get back at him for the rudeness Zhang Hong had shown him.


    Here''s the tranted text with the given glossary and instructions:


    But soon…


    A turning point came. The inner court exam.


    ***


    The inner court exam. Well, it sounds quite intimidating, but the requirements were rtively simple.


    Cultivation level: Soul Nascent - 1nd stage minimum, wealth, and… the approval of the elders.


    Xie Qing stepped into the building where the exam was being held. It was a pavilion. The first floor was fully upied by seats where those waiting for their turn could sit.


    In a normal situation… Xie Qing would have had to wait for a long time. However!


    "Young master Cheng, it''s good that you''vee! We have registered a ce for you!"


    Silence. Until then, the first floor was filled with noise.


    But as soon as Xie Qing stepped through the doorway with his usual indifferent face, suddenly all the disciples fell silent. The guys looked at him with fear and caution, and the girls with abnormal adoration.


    The recent rising star of the outer court. Even the disciples of the inner court would find it difficult to pick a fight with him.


    Firstly, they would get beaten up.


    Secondly… this guy somehow caught the attention of one of the inner court elders. Since then, no one had really caused him any trouble.


    But the thing is… this guy… he challenged the top of the outer court, which angered them. But then… he easily beat them all up.


    Nodding at the servant''s words, he went up to the second floor. Only when his back disappeared did the people manage to sigh in relief.


    "Phew! Finally, that storm has passed!"


    "Damn, his aura is so terrifying! He''s like a block of ice!"


    "Aura? Hmm? Why didn''t I feel anything? If I hadn''t seen that guy beat up the Heart Thief, I would have thought he was an ordinary person!"


    "Pfft, of course! You just broke through and can''t properly use your Qi. That''s why you can''t see that terrifying aura..."


    Nheless, regardless of how terrified people were of this guy, everyone considered him a target. Both for emtion and for defeat!


    ***


    "Haha,e on in, sit down, nephew!"


    Zhang Hong, of course, was among the examiners. He smiled amiably, but inwardly, he was seething with anger.


    "There you are, you bastard! If it weren''t for your usefulness, I would have strangled you long ago!"


    Compared to Zhang Hong''s reaction, the other elders were more indifferent, some even openly despised him. However, they did not want toplicate the task for the ideal candidate for the inner court.


    Except for the fact that the young man was obviously wealthy, his strength had already proven itself. The elders would face dire consequences if the inner court found out that they were holding back a talented disciple due to personal grudges.