Chapter 4050: A Private Talk

Zhenyu stroked his beard. "Go on."

"I am willing to tell you what I know in private," the Grand Elder continued. "Afterward, if, Senior believes that the information should be made public, you are free to share it."

Zhenyu’s eyebrows rose and Lin Mu immediately understood what the old man was doing. ’So he doesn’t want to be judged for revealing it himself.’

It was a clever arrangement.

The Grand Elder would disclose the information privately, allowing Zhenyu to decide what should be done with it. If the matter eventually became public, the responsibility for revealing it would rest primarily upon the ancient Junior Elder.

And considering Zhenyu’s supposed seniority, there would be very few people willing to challenge his decision.

’He is giving me the choice while keeping himself out of trouble,’ Lin Mu thought. ’Though that also means he considers the information dangerous enough to avoid taking responsibility for it.’

That only made him more curious. Still, Lin Mu saw little reason to reject the proposal. He had already obtained the reactions he wanted, and forcing the matter further might cause the Grand Elder to become defensive.

Zhenyu gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Very well. If you insist on making such a fuss over an old pavilion, we’ll speak privately."

The Grand Elder relaxed slightly. "Thank you for understanding, Senior."

"Hmph. Don’t thank me yet. I still expect a proper explanation."

"Naturally."

The Grand Elder then turned toward the woman beside him. "Clarity Peak Head."

The woman understood immediately and she nodded before raising her right hand.

A small bead appeared above her palm. It was about the size of a thumb, perfectly spherical, and possessed a pale translucent surface. At first glance, it resembled a polished pearl, though faint streams of silver and blue light could be seen moving deep within it.

Lin Mu’s eyes sharpened. ’High Grade Immortal Tool.’

He recognized its quality almost immediately. More importantly, he could sense the formations contained within it. There were several layers of restriction arrays woven together in an extremely intricate manner.

Some were designed to suppress energy fluctuations, while others isolated sound, light, and spiritual perception. A particularly complex formation seemed capable of reversing the direction of perception itself.

’Interesting. A restriction and sealing tool,’ Lin Mu assessed.

Such treasures were useful for confidential meetings, private cultivation, and concealing sensitive operations. The more powerful versions could even prevent Transcendent Immortals from observing what happened within them.

The Clarity Peak Head glanced toward Zhenyu. "Senior, I will activate a privacy formation. I hope you do not mind."

"Do as you please," Zhenyu replied, though he noted that even she was speaking respectfully now.

The woman infused Immortal Qi into the bead.

WENG!

The small treasure rose from her palm and its translucent surface brightened as countless fine runes appeared around it. The runes spread outward in concentric circles, forming an intricate web of light.

Then the space around the three cultivators rippled.

HUALA!

A spherical barrier expanded from the bead, rapidly growing until it reached a diameter of ten meters. The sphere swallowed Zhenyu, the Grand Elder, and the Clarity Peak Head. From outside, the transformation was immediate.

The three figures disappeared behind an opaque surface resembling flowing white mist. Even the shadows of their bodies vanished, leaving the surrounding cultivators staring at a perfectly smooth sphere of pale light.

Daoist Bone Ruler narrowed his eyes and briefly extended his Immortal Sense, but it stopped at the barrier. He could neither penetrate it nor detect the slightest fluctuation from within. The Sword Peak Head attempted something similar before withdrawing his perception.

"Clarity Reversal Bead," he muttered.

High Elder Shatter Peak frowned. "What’s that?"

"A treasured Immortal Tool of Clarity Peak," High Elder Palm Saber answered. "It’s supposed to be capable of isolating an area from almost every conventional method of observation."

High Elder Shatter Peak stared at the sphere. "Can it stop a punch?"

Daoist Bone Ruler slowly turned toward him. "Please don’t."

"I was just asking."

"Then don’t ask."

High Elder Shatter Peak snorted and folded his arms. Meanwhile, inside the sphere, Lin Mu examined the formation with considerable interest. The interior was entirely different from the exterior.

He could see everything happening outside with perfect clarity. High Elder Shatter Peak, Palm Saber, Daoist Bone Ruler, the Sword Peak Head, and the other cultivators remained visible.

Their voices, however, had disappeared. Even the Immortal Qi fluctuations outside seemed strangely distant, as though the barrier had separated the three of them from the surrounding world.

’One-way perception,’ Lin Mu thought.

He briefly examined the spatial fabric around the barrier.

The formations had created several layers of isolation, though the space itself remained connected to the surroundings. The tool was clearly sophisticated, but it did not possess the kind of spatial manipulation Lin Mu had encountered within the Mad Demon Depths.

If necessary, he could probably find a way to leave and that was reassuring.

"This is the Clarity Reversal Bead," the Clarity Peak Head explained. "It is one of our Peak’s treasured Immortal Tools. Its formations reverse external perception and prevent information from escaping the enclosed area. We can see the outside, while those outside cannot perceive anything happening within."

Zhenyu looked around. "Quite a convenient little toy."

The woman’s eyebrow twitched at his description of a treasured High Grade Immortal Tool.

Still, she continued calmly. "Even most Transcendent Immortals would struggle to observe the interior without damaging the barrier. Our conversation will remain private."

Zhenyu nodded. "Good." He then looked toward the Grand Elder. "Now, what did you have to say?"

His tone carried a trace of impatience.

Lin Mu deliberately allowed that impatience to show. He wanted the two experts to feel that Zhenyu was merely indulging their desire for secrecy and had little interest in elaborate explanations.

The Grand Elder took a moment to gather his thoughts. The Clarity Peak Head stood beside him with her hands folded before her waist. Her expression had become considerably more solemn now that they were alone.

"The history of the Hopeful Star Pavilion is complicated," the Grand Elder finally began. "Its current status is even more so."

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