Chapter 84: Inspection Mission
Over the next few days, the fact that Chu Feifei had twice rejected invitations from inner sect senior brothers began to spread. This was especially true among female disciples who considered themselves more talented than her, fueling their resentment.
At that moment, it was as if Chu Feifei had become the public enemy of the miscellaneous disciples in Formation Peak. Many had taken note of her steady progress over the years, and jealousy had long been brewing. Now that she was caught in a storm of rumors, plenty of people were fanning the flames, hoping to tarnish her reputation.
This kind of situation was common among the miscellaneous disciples, and even among outer sect disciples, similar occurrences were not rare.
As for why Gu Mo had never encountered such trouble, the reason was simple—he had risen too quickly. His ascent was so rapid that both the miscellaneous disciples of the Spiritual Herb Hall and the outer sect disciples had no time to be envious; instead, they scrambled to ingratiate themselves with him, hoping to exchange for more Water Spirit Rice.
Chu Feifei paid no attention to the rumors outside. She simply focused on her cultivation, knowing that strength was the sharpest blade to cut through all malice.
Her current priority was to reach the third level of Qi Refining as soon as possible and inherit the legacy of an array master. Once she successfully became a formal array master, she would be promoted from a miscellaneous disciple to an outer sect disciple.
At that point, the rumors would collapse on their own. After all, if a miscellaneous disciple maliciously slandered an outer sect disciple and was caught, the punishment would be severe.
However, given her current state, it would take at least one to two years for her to break through to the third level of Qi Refining. Originally, it would have taken her two to three years, but ever since Gu Mo's perfected Cleaning Technique had permanently wiped away a layer of dust that concealed her special constitution, her natural talent and aptitude had improved.
Advancing to the third level in one to two years was already an impressive speed. But for Chu Feifei, who was stuck in the midst of rumors, it was still too slow. If she wanted to cultivate even faster, her only option was to seek out Gu Mo and have him fully awaken her special constitution. Only then could she step into the third level of Qi Refining in the shortest possible time.
Yet, with so many eyes on her, she couldn't afford to visit Gu Mo. If anyone found out, he would be dragged into the storm as well.
So, she had to find another way.
That opportunity soon presented itself.
An inspection mission for the sect's Protective Mountain Array, issued by Formation Peak's steward, Lan Shuying.
Inspecting the Protective Mountain Array was the top-priority mission of Formation Peak. All other tasks were secondary to it. Even disciples from other peaks were required to cooperate fully when faced with a Protective Mountain Array inspection.
The reason was simple—this grand array was crucial to Qinglu Sect. Ever since the sect's old ancestor perished, the only thing protecting Qinglu Sect was this Fourth-Tier Protective Mountain Array.
However, the mission issued by Steward Lan this time was not a routine inspection but a temporary one.
Such temporary inspections generally did not involve critical nodes of the Protective Mountain Array, making them accessible to even miscellaneous disciples.
Yet, the mission's classification remained at the outer sect disciple level—the minimum rank for a Protective Mountain Array inspection. This meant that if a miscellaneous disciple managed to accept and complete the mission, they would receive an outer sect-level reward.
This time, Steward Lan had offered the right to inherit the array master's legacy as a reward.
For Chu Feifei, this reward was a godsend. Given her current comprehension of array formations, she was just one step away from becoming a true array master. The array master's legacy would be the key to bridging that final gap.
Without hesitation, she headed to the Mission Hall and took the task. Thanks to her flawless mission completion record over the past few years, there were no issues in her acceptance.
—
"Senior Sister Chu, don't forget about me once you become an outer sect disciple!" A young miscellaneous disciple looked at Chu Feifei pitifully as she prepared to set off for the Protective Mountain Array inspection.
The young girl had also applied for the mission but was mercilessly rejected for lacking sufficient capability. Many miscellaneous disciples had been turned away this time, and only a handful had been approved.
"You and that love-struck brain of yours... I wouldn't feel at ease letting you go. You'd get tricked before you even knew it." Chu Feifei chided her, half-amused.
This particular junior was the only one at Formation Peak with whom Chu Feifei could actually talk. If she had the chance to help, she naturally wouldn't hold back.
After finishing her preparations, she headed to the gathering plaza, drawing quite a few gazes upon arrival. Chu Feifei ignored them.
"Let's go."
After a short wait, Lan Shuying arrived. She swept her gaze briefly over Chu Feifei before leading the Formation Peak disciples to their assigned mission site.
—
Inspecting the Protective Mountain Array was not all that different from inspecting other formations. The primary difference was that the standards were much stricter.
For instance, array stones that didn't necessarily need replacing in other formations would have to be swapped out within the Protective Mountain Array.
"This area's array stones will be your responsibility to replace. That section is yours…"
Upon reaching the mission site, Lan Shuying efficiently assigned tasks to the disciples.
Chu Feifei received her designated area and immediately took out her tools, carefully replacing the degraded array stones.
Suddenly, as she extracted a particular array stone, the formation violently trembled.
In the next instant, a chain reaction followed—stones across the area shattered in succession.
The section of the array before her eyes had become dangerously unstable.
"What's going on?!"
Just as Chu Feifei was at a loss, Lan Shuying appeared and stabilized the grand formation once again. Then, her gaze swept toward Chu Feifei.
"I... I..."
Chu Feifei opened her mouth, but for a moment, she had no idea what had happened. She had followed the manual precisely when replacing the formation stone, yet the grand formation had suddenly collapsed.
"What is your name? Damaging the sect-protecting grand formation is a serious crime," Lan Shuying interrupted harshly, cutting off Chu Feifei's attempt to explain.
"Ah!"
Hearing this, Chu Feifei was completely stunned. This was supposed to be a simple task—how had it turned into a crime of destroying the sect's protective formation?
"Deacon Lan, I truly didn't intend to destroy the formation, I swear..." Chu Feifei hurriedly defended herself. She knew all too well that if she were found guilty of this, even in the best-case scenario, she would be expelled from the sect.
"How do you expect me to believe you?" Lan Shuying's expression was one of deep disappointment. "However, considering your usual good performance, I'll give you a chance."
"If you want to prove your innocence, find someone of sufficient status to vouch for you." Lan Shuying revealed her final condition.
Someone of sufficient status? What kind of person would that be? At the very least, it would have to be an inner disciple. But Chu Feifei was only a mere servant disciple—how could she possibly know any inner disciples? Even if she begged one for help, why would any of them be willing to vouch for someone accused of damaging the sect's grand formation?
In the end, Chu Feifei was left with only one choice—the one person who had once invited her to join them: Ye Yuqi.
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