Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible-Chapter 217: Keep The Hidden Talents Hidden

Kong Ye reconsidered his decision three times before pushing open the door to Sect Master Xuan Zi’s resting chambers.

The older man was sitting inside languidly. There were stacks of expensive-looking magic scrolls and Jade slips piled all around him, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of opening any of them. Rather, he was busy tossing some marbles up and down, eyes unfocused.

His relaxed demeanor made Kong Ye relax as well. He strode in, eyeing the marbles curiously.

Xuan Zi looked pleasantly surprised to see him, as if he hadn’t been aware of Kong Ye’s entry into the mansion. All except one red marble slipped past his palm and fell into his lap. But as he stared at the remaining marble, a sudden realization seemed to dawn on him.

A cunning gleam flashed under his eyes as he said, "Little Ye, it really looks like teaching suits you. Your parents would be proud."

Kong Ye distinctly felt that his motive for the visit had been seen through way too quickly. It wouldn’t be the first time for that to happen, nor the fastest instance of having his thoughts read.

Still, a little pretense had to be shown by way of politeness.

So he hurriedly replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Sect Master. Were you expecting me already? I’m not sure what you mean!"

The old man’s gaze didn’t leave the marbles. "Take a seat first. What’s with the antsy attitude?"

Kong Ye sighed and grabbed a chair from nearby.

"To tell you the truth, Little Ye, I still think that your family made a big mistake when they exiled you all the way here, that too under me, of all people.

You’re a bright star of your generation, full of talent and ambition, destined for something glorious, I’m sure; unlike a bag of old bones like me, who is long past his prime, having nothing but a miserable, lonely death to look forward to.

You, Little Ye, shouldn’t have been sent here in the middle of these barren sectors of the macrocosm, looking for disciples, not at your age."

Kong Ye lightly shook his head in disagreement, but he didn’t retort verbally. He had sat through such conversations with too many people over the years.

Those people, albeit having goodwill towards him, didn’t know his big secret.

After getting ’the system’, he had slowly come to love the concept of teaching young cultivators. It was such an incredible way of improving himself!

He didn’t have to consume resources like a bottomless abyss, he didn’t have to run after dangerous earthly treasures, battle others, and risk grievous injuries. He didn’t even have to sit in a room for years trying to break through to a new realm!

All he had to do was find talented young children and guide them! His system took care of the rest. His strength and resources expanded automatically. Which cultivator in this universe had a life so smooth as his?

"You look distracted, Little Ye. Speak up. What’s on your mind?" Xuan Zi said, interrupting his daydreams.

"Sect Master, you admitted it moments ago yourself. I am indeed suited for teaching. I’m actually quite content with my life here. Never thought guiding children would be this fun. So why must you rue my current status?"

"That’s good to hear." Xuan Zi shrugged and went back to playing with the red marble in his hand.

"Also, you’re correct in assuming that I was expecting your visit. You’re here to discuss the apprenticeship affair with me, aren’t you?"

Kong Ye nodded in response, feeling resigned. Did this old man spend his free time trying to figure out what everyone else around him was thinking?

Oh well, he wouldn’t be the only Sect Master with such creepy habits...

"Elder Daheng, the overseer of the Salted Fish mountain peak, told me about your interest in his mountain peak’s disciples a few days ago... and it seems like you’ve figured out a thing or two, Little Ye," Xuan Zi said, his eyes set on the marble as if it were far more interesting than the conversation.

Kong Ye could hear a subtle amusement creep into his voice. The attitude annoyed him quite a bit, truth be told. So he didn’t hesitate to strike back.

"It really was quite a surprise, Sect Master. I didn’t think you’d be able to gather so many children of great destiny in one place. Don’t you think shoving them all into that one, poorly managed mountain peak would be disastrous?"

His tone was partly disparaging, partly full of curiosity. Kong Ye really wanted to know what this wily old fox was thinking.

"Good question, that. We’ll get to it. But first, tell me something, Little Ye. Why do you think those children are meant to have great destinies?

What exactly are the abnormalities that you’ve discovered about them so far? I did do my best to keep most of it hidden. And you don’t come from a lineage whose expertise lies in reading fate."

Kong Ye took a deep breath and started describing his findings one by one, carefully avoiding any reference to his actual means of investigation.

"Mu Ran, the most high-profile disciple of his generation, seems to have an extremely abnormal foundation tower. The pressure his spiritual body exudes can easily stand up to the core disciples in my family. That, by itself, is enough of an anomaly.

His cultivation speed, qi cycling technique, and martial skills are also abnormally advanced compared to anyone from such a background. Moreover, his soul is definitely in a strange state, where even my spiritual senses cannot glean any remnants of information from it."

Xuan Zi’s expression didn’t change a bit as he listened, not that Kong Ye expected much of a reaction from him. He was sure that the sect master knew far more than he did about these oddities.

It would be more abnormal if he did manage to surprise Xuan Zi...

"The other sensation among the disciples, that girl named Xuanyuan Zhou... We all saw what she did a few days ago. That tribulation thunder summoning technique is as insidious as it is innovative.

I’ve never seen such sophistication and recklessness contained in one technique so fluidly.

She risked the lives of all of those disciples under her spell, took control of their spiritual resonance, used a brutal method to harmonize their soul signature with her music and calibrate it all to stimulate the soul signature of a cultivator who is about to break through to the Soul Reformation realm!

The way it was executed, combined with her absurd skills and knowledge of techniques unheard of in these neutral territories, makes her the ideal apprentice candidate for all the Elders in the sect.

I believe she is aware of the apprenticeship tradition and made the commotion specifically to get the most qualified and resourceful Elders interested in her talent!"

Xuan Zi cranked his neck away from the marble and towards Kong Ye for a brief moment, expression unreadable.

With a snort, he then remarked, "She’s a smart little girl, I’ll give you that. But I hope you’ve realized how cold-blooded she is. Talent, resources, and a ruthless nature make for a combination that very few can nurture. You’d know that better than anyone else, hahhaha!"

Kong Ye’s expression stiffened.

"Are you willing to take the risk, little Ye?"

"...Yes, I am."

Of course he was. Kong Ye’s system needed him to nurture disciples with the halo of great destinies, the sort whose potential ranked up to the S-tier according to the System’s unique measurement methods.

He wouldn’t let go of such a wonderful disciple, such an enormous opportunity, even with his life on the line!

Xuan Zi seemed to have heard the conviction in his tone. Nodding imperceptibly, he gestured at Kong Ye to continue.

"Then there’s that boy, Xiao Wu. I believe he has a very special bloodline. I don’t have any proof to verify my suspicion right now. But his qi cycling, the positioning of his meridians, and a lot of tiny details over months of observation have only fortified my suspicions.

I doubt a regular Elder of this small, half-abandoned sect can unlock the boy’s full potential. Why not give him to me?"

"Is that all?" Xuan Zi said, clamping his fingers around the red marble.

"No, I’m not done yet. There are two other female disciples on the Salted Fish mountain peak," Kong Ye said.

For the briefest fraction of a moment, Xuan Zi’s hand, clutching the marble, shook. An intense gloom appeared in his eyes as he stared at it through a tiny gap between his closed fingers.

Not noticing the minor detail, Kong Ye continued to talk.

"I haven’t been able to gather much about them since they almost never appear in classes. All I know is that one of them is called Zi Wei.

The other one... I can’t find any information about her in the Sect’s archives. She’s like an invisible ghost hiding in the outer court-"

"Little Ye, stop."

Xuan Zi finally dropped the marble from his grip, straightened up, and placed a finger above his own lips in a silencing gesture.

"If you don’t want to get yourself killed, stop taking this very instant."