After all, if Yuan Jinsheng had never hidden his cultivation before, suddenly concealing it would be like announcing to the world that he now had a special artifact to hide his cultivation. In doing so, it would also reveal that there was something unusual about his cultivation that he didn't want others to know about.
However, Yuan Jinsheng likely never imagined that the outsider being tested on Wenxin Road was also a Golden Core cultivator.
And not just any cultivator, but one who was well-versed and experienced from the cultivation world.
Meanwhile, in the Miscellaneous Hall, Liu Yunan received Yuan Jinsheng's transmission and immediately got up to head toward Wenxin Road.
Lin Xiao had already informed him of He Yi's background.
He Yi was from the Fuzong Sect, and he possibly had connections with some powerful figures in the cultivation world. If they could leverage He Yi's connections, it would greatly benefit the sect's future development in the cultivation world.
However, any detailed plans for this would need to be carefully laid out later.
For now, since He Yi had arrived and successfully passed the Wenxin Road trial, he needed to be properly received and welcomed.
Still, Lin Xiao had also instructed that if He Yi passed the trial and joined the sect, he should be treated like any other disciple and placed in Qingyun Peak, without any special treatment.
Before heading out, Liu Yunan grabbed a new set of Qingyun Peak disciple starter items, storing them in a pouch for He Yi.
As he walked, he contacted Lin Xiao via his Locking Ring to inform him that He Yi had successfully passed the Wenxin Road trial.
"Good. Just receive him as usual. For housing arrangements, let him build his own residence like the others," Lin Xiao instructed.
After all, it was a tradition in Lingxian Sect that every new disciple had to build their own house upon joining. It was part of the experience.
Given that He Yi was a Golden Core cultivator, building a house shouldn't be difficult for him, right?
"Since he's not familiar with anyone, arrange his residence in a place where he can easily interact with other disciples. Brief him on the sect's rules, the same ones that all the Qingyun Peak disciples know. And mention it to everyone during dinner. I'll handle the rest when I get back."
"Got it, Brother Xiao. When will you be back?" Liu Yunan asked.
Lin Xiao's tone turned serious, "It might be a few days. I've discovered something here that needs further investigation."
Hearing this, Liu Yunan didn't press further, "Alright. Be careful. I'll take care of things here, so don't worry."
After ending the conversation, Liu Yunan hurried to meet He Yi, who was now standing in front of the Ten Mile Peach Blossom Tree on Wenxin Road, seemingly lost in thought.
"Congratulations on passing the Wenxin Road trial," Liu Yunan said as he approached the tree where He Yi was standing, staring at it intently.
Hearing the voice, He Yi slowly turned around, holding a peach leaf in his hand. Though his expression remained calm, his eyes were filled with astonishment.
"Lingxian Sect... has such an extraordinary peach tree?" His tone was full of disbelief.
Liu Yunan, puzzled by He Yi's reaction, looked up at the peach tree he had seen every day for the past three years and asked, "Is there something special about this peach tree?"
Seeing Liu Yunan's nonchalant attitude, He Yi took a deep breath and finally spoke, "I've read an ancient text in Fuzong's library that mentions: 'The Illusory Immortal Peach Tree—its form is ancient, its flowers are graceful, its fragrance pure, and its leaves jade green. With a touch of spiritual energy, the leaves can transform into countless shapes, real and illusory, indistinguishable.'"
As he spoke, He Yi's hand, which was holding the peach leaf, trembled slightly. A faint surge of spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips, covering the leaf. In the next moment, the peach leaf in his hand transformed into a small gray rabbit.
Liu Yunan scanned the rabbit with his divine sense and found that it was alive! If he hadn't seen it transform from the peach leaf himself, he would never have been able to tell that the rabbit was an illusion.
He hadn't expected the Ten Mile Peach Blossom Tree's leaves to have such a unique ability.
While surprised, Liu Yunan quickly recalled that they usually gathered the fallen leaves to later refine into Peach Leaf Pendants. Seeing He Yi's amazement at the tree made him feel a bit self-conscious.
However...
"The Illusory Immortal Peach Tree? No, no, our sect calls this the Ten Mile Peach Blossom Tree," Liu Yunan corrected, confident in what Lin Xiao had told them.
But it seemed He Yi didn't hear him. He turned back to look at the young peaches hanging on the tree, muttering either to himself or to Liu Yunan, "And to think this Illusory Immortal Peach Tree has borne fruit... The ancient texts say that such a tree rarely bears fruit, perhaps once every ten thousand years. Even when it does, the fruits are impossible to harvest. When the fruits ripen, a protective barrier forms around the tree, preventing even the strongest cultivators from approaching. The fruits simply fall to the ground and vanish."
"Some speculate the tree consumes the fruits itself, while others believe the fruits dissolve into the heavens. Because of this, the effects of the Illusory Immortal Peach Tree's fruits remain unknown."
Staring at the rare and mysterious peaches described in the ancient texts, He Yi's voice trailed off, the last few words almost inaudible.
Seeing He Yi's bewildered expression, Liu Yunan scratched his head, unsure of how to handle the situation. This was a first for him.
"Well, when those peaches ripen, we'll see how the Sect Master distributes them. If there are enough, maybe everyone will get to taste one. Then we'll all know what they do, right?" Liu Yunan suggested, holding the new disciple pouch in his hand.
Something in Liu Yunan's words seemed to shake He Yi. He turned to look at Liu Yunan, his tone filled with disbelief, "The sect would give us these Illusory Immortal Peaches to eat?!"
Liu Yunan, uncertain, replied, "Not sure. It'll depend on how the Sect Master arranges things. But you did say no one knows what they do, so if we don't eat them, what else could we do with them?"
He Yi: …
Did they even realize that the Illusory Immortal Peach Tree was something only a select few in the cultivation world, those with access to the rarest ancient texts, had even heard of?
Today had been filled with more surprises than He Yi had encountered in his entire twenty-plus years of life.
Reflecting on the experiences he had just undergone on Wenxin Road, and comparing it to his time in Fuzong and the various sects he had encountered, He Yi felt a deep sense of disorientation.