But no matter how he thought about it, Xiao Chen was certain he had never heard of the Chief Disciple receiving any extra resources or support.
'It was clearly just an empty title!'
Having never been groomed by a family clan, Xiao Chen could only think in terms of personal gain for the moment. He truly didn't realize the importance of such a status to a family.
Besides, he had no real interest in an empty title like Chief Disciple.
In that case… "No problem. Then it's a deal. You help me keep my secret, and I'll support your bid for Chief Disciple in the future."
Su Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. 'This is great.'
What Xiao Chen didn't know was that the combat prowess he had revealed had actually put immense psychological pressure on Su Wanqing.
Although the Chief Disciple's Cultivation wasn't the most critical factor, that was only because everyone's Cultivation was usually about the same.
In the Immortal Realm, when all was said and done, strength was what commanded respect.
If someone like Xiao Chen—who was clearly invincible among his peers—were to compete with her for the position of Chief Disciple, Su Wanqing was genuinely worried she wouldn't be able to win.
It might have seemed like she was worrying for nothing.
But Su Wanqing's intuition told her that Xiao Chen, with his extraordinary combat strength, was anything but simple.
He might only be at the fifth layer of Qi Refining now, but in a few years, perhaps even within a year or two, he could very well surpass her in Realm as well.
Fortunately, that threat was now gone. Not only was Xiao Chen willing to give up the competition, but he had also become one of her own supporters.
Su Wanqing smiled and extended her hand. "A promise is a promise!"
Xiao Chen reached out and high-fived her. "Sealed!"
To ensure neither would break the agreement, they both swore a Dao Heart oath.
Then, they happily exchanged Jade Tokens, Spirit Stones, and the Cloak, each feeling they had gotten the better end of the deal.
"Take care, Senior Brother!"
Watching Xiao Chen leave, Su Wanqing's eyes curved into crescents.
'This is perfect. I've successfully dealt with a potential rival and gained a powerful ally. And all it cost me was a Magical Artifact I didn't even like.'
'It's a win-win, where I win twice.'
Meanwhile, Xiao Chen, having completed the Refinement of the Stealth Cloak, was also quite pleased.
'This is perfect. Not only did I earn back a large sum of Spirit Stones ahead of schedule, but I also scored a free Magical Artifact. And all it cost me was giving up a useless, empty title.'
'It's a win-win, where I win twice.'
He unfolded the Cloak, draped it over his shoulders, and instantly transformed into a different person.
Even more magically, his Magical Power fluctuations and even his voice changed to match his new appearance.
Although this Cloak was only a Low-Grade Magical Artifact, that was just to reduce its Magical Power consumption, making it easier to use for Low-Tier Cultivators like Su Wanqing.
Its craftsmanship was excellent and its design thoughtful, employing a layering method.
It added extra modifications on top of the Cultivator's original presence, so the disguise effect changed depending on the wearer.
Even if he ran into Su Wanqing again, she would only be suspicious and couldn't confirm it was Xiao Chen inside.
'This way, I think I can make a few more trades.'
He had been worried that trading with multiple disciples would be too conspicuous. Something like this would affect his trial ranking, so he definitely couldn't let everyone know about it.
But now, with the Stealth Cloak, he could hide his identity while trading.
This would also happen to solve another new problem: he seemed to have collected a few too many points.
Just now, when trading with Su Wanqing, she had only been willing to exchange for thirty points, stating that any more would make her score seem unrealistic.
The problem was, although Xiao Chen had ended up selling forty points' worth of Jade Tokens at a discount for one Middle-Grade Spirit Stone, he still had a full two hundred and seventy points left.
Even though Chen Guangyu had promised earlier to buy as many points as he had, Xiao Chen felt it was better to have a backup plan.
So, wearing the Cloak, he continued his search for Spirit Beasts while also actively looking for other disciples.
He soon found an extinguished campfire and footprints near a mountain spring.
Following the footprints, he soon spotted a senior brother in a patch of grass not far away, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.
His body was standing in a patch of white thatch grass nearly a man's height, with only his head visible. Hearing a sound, he opened his eyes and looked over.
"Greetings, Senior Brother. For certain reasons, I must keep my face covered. I hope you'll excuse me."
Considering his completely concealed appearance, Xiao Chen spoke up to explain and avoid any misunderstanding.
But who would have thought? The senior brother's eyes suddenly bulged, and his face flushed red, as if he were both angry and terrified.
"Senior Brother, please don't misunderstand. I just want to make a points trade with you."
As he spoke, Xiao Chen took out a large handful of Points Jade Tokens to prove his words and show off his goods.
"Mmph! Mmph—, mmph!!!"
Unexpectedly, the senior brother across from him began blinking frantically while making muffled sounds, as if his mouth was gagged and he was trying to call for help.
"Golden light, cover my body."
Xiao Chen immediately cast the Golden Light Technique, took two cautious steps back, and surveyed his surroundings.
No matter how slow-witted he was, he could now see that something was wrong. The senior brother was clearly being controlled by someone.
Scanning the area, Xiao Chen suddenly snorted. "Hmph, so it's you. Come on out!"
In reality, he hadn't seen anyone; he was just trying to bluff out any hidden enemies.
However, the surroundings remained perfectly quiet. No enemy leaped out.
All he could hear was the senior brother's whimpering. "Mmm-mm, mm-mmph."
While whimpering, he was also shaking his head constantly.
"Senior Brother, are you trying to say something?"
A nod.
Xiao Chen sucked in a breath. 'Hiss… could it be that the person isn't nearby?'
Frantic nodding!
"Ahem. Senior Brother, hold on. I'm coming to rescue you."
Xiao Chen was a little speechless. He really hadn't expected the kidnapper to not even be at the scene.
Huh?
'Not at the scene? Does that make sense?'
With that in mind, he remained wary, keeping the golden light around his body active to guard against a sneak attack.
As Xiao Chen approached step by step, the Ghost-faced Spider in the grass readied its large web.
As a very special type of Spirit Beast, it had unexpectedly awakened a portion of its ancestral bloodline and thus wasn't affected by the drug.
It was currently lying in ambush in the grass, waiting for an unlucky soul to pass by.
In its eyes, the approaching Xiao Chen, though seemingly cautious, was a complete novice—not even as smart as it was.
That thin layer of golden light would be as easy to tear as a sheet of paper; all it would take was a light jab from its mouthpiece.
Seeing Xiao Chen draw near, now less than ten feet away, the Ghost-faced Spider could finally wait no longer.
BANG!
A loud explosion erupted.
The senior brother, who had been staring pleadingly at Xiao Chen, suddenly opened a gaping, bloody maw from which a long, sharp proboscis shot out, slamming violently against the golden light.
If it advanced just half an inch more, it would have shattered Xiao Chen's throat.
However, the seemingly fragile golden light didn't shatter as easily as it had with its previous prey.
The Ghost-faced Spider was a bit stunned. 'What's going on?'