“Elder Zhao?” The Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Xiao paused for a beat, clearly harboring some apprehension toward the elder named Zhao. He merely ensnared him with his divine sense and tossed him directly outside the Scripture Pavilion, letting out a cold snort. “Even kin of Elder Zhao cannot run wild within this Scripture Pavilion. I will report this matter to Elder Li, and let his esteemed self handle it impartially. The rest of you, quickly select your codices; the time for one stick of incense is nearly up.”

No one dared voice an objection to Elder Xiao’s high-handed decree and frantically searched for valuable scriptures. However, Lei Dong and Li Chuchu now found themselves in a rather awkward position. Li Chuchu, in her haste moments before, had knocked Lei Dong to the ground, and now she lay draped over him in a posture undeniably intimate.

For Li Chuchu, despite possessing exceptional innate talent and having undergone rigorous training as an elite heir of her family, her strictly disciplined upbringing and the towering expectations placed upon her—coupled with her own excessive excellence—meant she had never felt anything akin to romantic sentiment for any male. Yet, this accidental intimacy now left her body weak and almost incapable of movement. Though her mind screamed that this was improper, she felt languidly unable to rise.

The intoxicating fragrance of her being, a taste of forbidden delight, involuntarily surged into Lei Dong’s senses. Having abstained from female company for many years, his spirit could not help but be stirred. However, he was ultimately a man of experience, a Nascent Soul cultivator whose self-control was extraordinary. He immediately reined in his mind, cleared his throat twice, and asked, “Miss Chuchu, are you quite alright?” He deliberately infused his voice with a trace of coolness. This technique, which influences a person's emotions through sound, is extremely common—like certain sound-based spells used by Zen Buddhist schools, or various seductive, enchanting tones. The principle is simple; though Lei Dong had never deeply researched it, executing a few rudimentary applications required little effort on his part.

A chilling sensation, like an ice-cold shower washing from the crown of her head to her toes, struck her. The first overwhelming surge of uncontrollable desire she had ever experienced was utterly purged by that coldness. She scrambled off Lei Dong’s body in haste. Being astute, she naturally understood that Lei Dong had used a sound-based spell, akin to a Clear Heart Incantation, to drive away her impure thoughts. Her cheeks burned privately, and amid the embarrassment, her gaze swept over Lei Dong with a complexity she couldn’t define—was it gratitude or resentment? Her voice took on a frigid edge as she spoke, “The situation was urgent just now; it was unavoidable. I trust Brother Gongsun will not take offense.” A distinct sense of distance permeated her words.

Lei Dong touched his nose, offering a wry smile. It was clear that his recent action seemed to have offended the Heavenly Prodigy of the Li family. Still, he genuinely hadn't wished for any romantic entanglement with this Li family maiden, which was why he acted as he did. Some misunderstandings, perhaps, were best cleared up swiftly to prevent misleading both parties. He adopted a serious expression. “Not at all, not at all. On the contrary, I must thank Miss Chuchu for saving my life.” With that, he swept his divine sense, presenting the jade slip to Li Chuchu, and transmitted telepathically, “Furthermore, Miss Chuchu, this item is likely extraordinary. As a humble rootless wanderer, I fear I cannot accept such a heavenly favor. I implore Miss Chuchu to take it back.”

This single telepathic utterance caused Li Chuchu’s expression to shift rapidly. Her recently settled emotions soured into extreme agitation. She forcefully pushed the jade slip back toward Lei Dong with her divine sense, her telepathic reply laced with obvious trembling rage: “Gongsun Dong, although I, Li Chuchu, am merely a woman, my word is my bond once spoken—like water spilled that cannot be recovered. If I say you are to take this, you take it. If you refuse, then no one shall have it.” In her fury, she thrust a finger forward, sharp as a blade, launching a beam of energy toward the jade slip.

Lei Dong sighed, waved his sleeve, blocked that single strike, and drew the jade slip into the folds of his robe. He cupped his hands courteously. “It is better to obey than to refuse. I thank Miss Li for her guidance.”

“You, surnamed Gongsun, remember this clearly: gifting me this item and saving me earlier—do not presume I have any further interest in you. It is simply returning a favor for a favor, repayment for your assistance during the finals and for stepping in earlier,” Li Chuchu’s voice cut through the air near Lei Dong with undisguised coldness. With that, she casually seized an item nearby and swept away without a backward glance, utterly unconcerned by Lei Dong’s reaction.

Lei Dong paused, saying nothing more, merely smiling and bowing to the others. “I have obtained what I needed and shall take my leave.” After bowing to the Core Formation attendant, he finally offered a distant salute. “Junior Gongsun Dong, thank you just now, Elder Xiao, for your righteous intervention.”

“Hah! Lad, surnamed Gongsun? Heh, it seems a long time since someone with that surname entered the ranks of core disciples,” Elder Xiao transmitted telepathically to Lei Dong with surprising affability. “Boy, you truly have talent. Not only is your strength decent, but you’ve actually managed to make that girl, surnamed Li, take a liking to you. Impressive, impressive. I wonder if Elder Li would have his eyeballs pop out in anger if he knew his proud great-great-granddaughter had taken a fancy to you. Haha, interesting. Lad, Elder supports you! Catching up to that girl surnamed Li could save you a few hundred years of struggle.”

Lei Dong was speechless. They were both Nascent Soul old monsters, yet this Elder Xiao was truly lacking in venerable seniority. However, given Lei Dong’s current state of mind, playing games of romance was out of the question. Moreover, he was merely a passing traveler; how could he possibly harm an innocent young girl? At any rate, he was a Nascent Soul-level powerhouse; how could he commit such shameless acts?

Yet, to avoid arousing suspicion in Elder Xiao, he could only secretly transmit back toward the source of the voice: “Senior jokes. I am merely an obscure boy from a fallen family. How could I possibly merit the favor of the Li family’s jewel?”

“Oh?” Elder Xiao transmitted back, a hint of surprise in his tone. “Impossible! You actually detected my location? And transmitted back with such precision?”

Lei Dong’s heart gave a slight jolt. This did indeed seem to have exposed a flaw, but his expression remained calm, growing even more deferential as he transmitted, “Senior, since childhood, my cultivation granted me superior divine sense. Furthermore, I had a secret, fortuitous encounter when I was young, consuming a rare treasure that enhanced the strength and acuity of my divine sense. Because of this, I could barely discern the direction of Senior’s transmission and guessed broadly—it seems I struck lucky by chance.”

“So that’s it. What divine sense-enhancing treasure did you consume?” Elder Xiao’s tone softened slightly; he didn’t suspect Lei Dong of deceit, but merely asked out of curiosity.

Lei Dong inwardly despaired. This old fellow was not only undignified but also excessively long-winded. With this time, he would be better off cultivating more diligently to break through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul. But for now, he had to patiently continue dealing with him, respectfully fabricating a falsehood and describing the appearance of a certain fruit.

“It sounds like the legendary Heart-Cleansing Fruit,” Elder Xiao murmured, a touch of wistfulness and envy in his voice. “It has been ages since I heard of a wild Heart-Cleansing Fruit appearing. Besides a select few sects across the Great Qian Continent that have grasped some cultivation techniques, this fruit is virtually unheard of. I hear that the younger one is when it is consumed, the better the effect. It cleanses the heart, dispels demons, and eliminates distracting thoughts—a truly excellent item. What a pity that even for those sects with cultivation techniques, their yield is extremely limited, reserved only for key members and disciples. Lad, you are truly blessed with good fortune, to stumble upon a Heart-Cleansing Fruit just by wandering about.”

Good fortune, my foot. This old ghost is too verbose. If I met him out in the wilderness, I might have beaten him soundly, Lei Dong thought grimly, eager to leave and revisit the Scripture Pavilion that night. He recalled vividly how he had risked his life to obtain that Heart-Cleansing Fruit. Yet, his expression remained utterly respectful, and he said no more, hoping the old ghost would allow him to depart.

Unexpectedly, this old rogue surnamed Xiao began pushing his luck. “Lad. I heard you are the runner-up in this Puppet Competition? Is your actual strength even greater than that first-place girl surnamed Li? I think we might have a good connection. Since you will need a master once you officially join the sect, why not become my disciple?”

Lei Dong was already aware that the Myriad Puppet Gate differed from the Yin Sha Sect in that it possessed more Nascent Soul cultivators. Thus, new core disciples joining every ten years were often apprenticed under various Nascent Soul Elders. However, the majority of family disciples, having influential connections, would apprentice under relatives from their own clan, ensuring power passed down through generations. Many families, even if they occasionally produced a Nascent Soul Elder, would eventually decline if their lineage lacked successors.

But newly promoted core disciples without backing often received invitations from several Nascent Soul Elders to be incorporated into their factional strength. Of course, this was a mutually beneficial arrangement—one willing to offer, the other willing to accept. Lei Dong’s strength was exceptional; even before the final stage of the trial, before formally entering the gate, several Nascent Soul Elders had taken notice. Now this old monster surnamed Xiao was jumping in to stake a claim, leaving Lei Dong quite exasperated.

Since offending him was difficult, he could only transmit back, “I thank Senior for your immense kindness. I have not yet formally entered the ranks. If I pass this core disciple assessment, I will prioritize considering Senior’s offer to become your disciple.” Since he was deceiving the elder anyway, Lei Dong didn't much care; once he obtained the Spirit Transformation level puppet technique, he would vanish immediately.

Elder Xiao, who hadn't anticipated such intricacies, was quite pleased by Lei Dong’s agreement. To gain a disciple with such a strong state of mind and power was indeed an asset. He immediately transmitted a jade slip containing cultivation insights to Lei Dong, urging him to study it diligently and strive for the top spot in the final assessment.

Finally shaking off Elder Xiao, Lei Dong returned to his private courtyard and meditated until nightfall. Just as he was about to sneak out to scout the Scripture Pavilion again, a set of slightly disordered and heavy footsteps sounded outside his door. The visitor’s aura was uneven, his breathing strained, clearly indicating a deeply unsettled state of mind.