Chapter 119: First Encounter with Purple Tenuity

The conference room was a spacious prefabricated building with four armed soldiers standing guard at the entrance. As He Ming and his group approached, one of the soldiers raised his left hand, signaling them to stop. Although they recognized the uniforms worn by He Ming and Zhang Ziying as belonging to the Zixiao Heavenly Group, they did not know every member personally. They were ordinary soldiers, far removed from people like He Ming, and rarely interacted with them; they simply fulfilled their duties to the best of their ability.

The group halted, and He Ming said to the soldier, "Please announce us. Zixiao Earthly Branch 'Wu Ma' (Horse) reporting for duty."

"Understood. Please wait a moment, Elder."

The Zixiao organization was divided into Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. The Heavenly Stems were addressed as "Venerables," while the Earthly Branches were addressed as "Elders." Although their titles differed, their status was equivalent. Currently, the cultivation levels of the Heavenly Stem members were generally higher than those of the Earthly Branch members, though it remained to be seen if any Earthly Branch members might eventually surpass them.

The soldier turned and knocked on the door. Two seconds later, the door swung open on its own—not by an automated mechanism, but by someone using telekinesis. The soldier stepped inside, stood at the threshold, saluted, and announced, "Reporting to the commander, Elder Wu Ma has arrived."

A steady baritone voice resonated from within: "Send him in."

"Yes, sir." The soldier saluted again, retreated, and gestured to the side, saying, "Please, Elder."

He Ming nodded to him and turned to Li Yunfei, saying, "You three, come in with me."

Li Yunfei and his companions followed He Ming into the conference room, while A-Bao turned away and headed toward his living quarters; he wanted to tell his sister that they would have an endless supply of spirit bamboo from now on.

The interior was simple, featuring an oval conference table surrounded by wooden chairs. A map of the Changping ancient battlefield hung on the wall. A dozen people were seated around the table, mostly middle-aged or young, with the exception of one white-haired elder.

On the left side, there were eight seats, seven of which were occupied by six men and one woman. They all wore white Zhongshan-style uniforms; the eldest appeared to be in his forties, while the youngest seemed to be in their twenties. The seat at the head of the left row was occupied by the only elder present. He wore a bright yellow Taoist robe embroidered with Bagua patterns and a matching headpiece. He looked to be sixty or seventy, with a refined appearance and a vigorous spirit. Despite his white hair, his face was devoid of wrinkles.

The seat below him was empty; it was clearly meant for He Ming. On the right side, there were also eight seats, with only five occupied. Sitting in the central seat facing the door was a middle-aged man of similar age to He Ming, possessing an extraordinary and imposing air. He wore a purple Tang-style jacket adorned with intricate and peculiar patterns.

Li Yunfei, following closely behind He Ming, studied the patterns carefully and realized they were not standard circular designs, but a star chart based on "Ziwei Doushu" (Purple Star Astrology). This was undoubtedly Ziwei.

On their way, He Ming had already explained Ziwei’s background: his father was a prominent military leader, and he himself was the personal disciple of the sect leader. Gifted with extraordinary talent, he was the first in the cultivation community to reach the Golden Core stage, which made his appointment as the leader of the Zixiao organization undisputed.

Time had proven that he was worthy of the trust placed in him. In dealing with the undead crisis, his calm planning and decisive actions had demonstrated exceptional foresight and leadership. Li Yunfei held him in genuine respect. His significance was much like that of General Dukao in "The Super Seminary," yet he was far more formidable because he possessed top-tier combat strength, ensuring he would never face a "decapitation" strike from enemies. To have Ziwei was truly a stroke of great fortune.

As He Ming led his group into the room, Ziwei and the others rose from the table to greet them. He Ming walked up to Ziwei, stepped aside, and gestured toward Li Yunfei’s group, introducing them: "This is Comrade Li Yunfei, and this is his sister, Li Xiaohong. I believe everyone is already familiar with Ziying, so no introduction is needed."

Seeing Ziwei and the others offer her kind smiles, Zhang Ziying felt quite flattered. Although her instructor had mentioned that the state highly valued her, she hadn't truly grasped the scale of it until now. Only then did she realize that those were not just words of encouragement; the high-level leadership of Zixiao was truly watching her.

Once He Ming finished the introductions, Li Yunfei cupped his hands in a salute to Ziwei and the other Heavenly Stem members, saying, "Junior Li Yunfei pays his respects to all the seniors."

Ziwei raised a hand and smiled, "No need for such formality."

Li Yunfei straightened up and offered a military salute, "Greetings, Commanders." The members nodded back with smiles.

After the pleasantries, Ziwei spoke first: "A year and a half ago, the organization conducted physical examinations for all active-duty military personnel. At that time, Yunfei, your aptitude for cultivation was not detected."

"Unexpectedly, a year and a half later, you have reached the late stage of the Yin Spirit realm. It seems you have had quite an extraordinary journey during this time."

Li Yunfei hadn't known the significance of that examination at the time, thinking it was just a routine check. It was only after learning about the Zixiao organization recently that he understood that the exam had been the signal for its formation.

Li Yunfei smiled, "Yes, it was all a matter of luck."

Ziwei shook his head with a laugh, "In Taoist terms, luck is 'Qi Yun' (destiny). Your current achievements are proof enough that you are a person of great destiny."

"Liu Bin has already reported the situation in detail. Your willingness to join Zixiao is a blessing for the nation. We can discuss the specifics later, but first, let me introduce you to everyone here."

Through Ziwei’s introduction, Li Yunfei gained his first glimpse of the members present. The white-haired elder was Taoist Master Yuling, the current sect leader of the Shangqing lineage of the Maoshan Sect. A practitioner at the early Golden Core stage, he was known as the "Bing Fire" among the ten Heavenly Stems, codenamed "Rou Zhao," or "Venerable Rou Zhao."

Upon hearing that Li Yunfei had inherited the Shangqing lineage, he had been filled with curiosity and had long wanted to meet this supposedly young successor of the Shangqing Taoist arts. Seeing him in person, he was struck by how young Li Yunfei was, yet his cultivation at the late Yin Spirit stage was unmistakably genuine. Moreover, his spiritual energy was upright and pure, untainted by heterodox methods. Yuling was overjoyed, feeling reassured that the Shangqing lineage had a worthy successor.