1762 An Elder Of The Temple



Lin Mu entered the hall where he had felt the strong immortal Qi fluctuations from. 

They were strong but were still contained, thus they didn't feel oppressive. 

'There are no restraints here, thus it shouldn't be an area that is not allowed for one to enter.' Lin Mu thought.

~shua~

And when he went past a certain threshold, Lin Mu could feel a presence scanning him.

'Guess they noticed me…' Lin Mu could sense someone watching him.

The first presence that scanned him belonged to an expert, but a second later Lin Mu also felt a formation checking him. He could feel the formation scan the identity token and then quickly calm down. It was evident that they were just checking who he was and whether he belonged there.

'So they added multiple levels of security despite having the illusory array outside.' Lin Mu noted as more immortal senses came over to check him.

He knew security like this shouldn't normally be needed, especially with there being strong experts here. With a Seventh Tribulation Stage Immortal, there weren't many that would dare to cause trouble. And this was further exaggerated by the fact that they were within the Capital City of the Dao Wind Empire. 

Anyone daring to cause trouble here would be swiftly dealt with.

Even a Transcendent immortal would think several times before doing anything. After all, they wouldn't just be offending the Emperor but also the Temple of the Guardian beasts as it would be the same as interfering in the conductance of the Tournament.

Still, to avoid any possible trouble Lin Mu halted his advance.

Only when the immortal senses withdrew did he proceed. 

'If they have this level of wariness, there must be something that is causing them to be like this.' Lin Mu thought.

While one could have assumed that the security of this level was due to the rewards that were kept here, it really wasn't a big thing for the temple. Stealing those rewards was going to be immensely difficulty, not to mention one would still have to escape the entire empire.

Thus, there wouldn't be anyone that would try it.

Lin Mu instead thought that this level of security was due to the change in the Tournament.

'Something that would make them be cautious despite having the overwhelming advantage… Only a foe that doesn't care for its own life or consequence would act like this.' Lin Mu pondered on it as he continued to walk.

Lin Mu crossed the corridor and arrived in a new hall. This hall was larger than the previous one and seemed to be the central one. He looked up at the plaque that was hung in the hall and noticed the name.

'Announcement Hall'

Here he saw several members of the temple there, doing their tasks. Some were working on large formations that were seemingly filled with information about various tournament related matters, while some had information about the contestants.

"Should they be doing this openly?" Lin Mu muttered in surprise.

The activities going in the hall didn't seem to match the name of the hall at all. Not to mention, there were no contests here other than him either.

Lin Mu's entry into the hall was ignored by the temple's formation masters as they were busy in work. To them, there was nothing to be concerned about, and they needed to focus on work instead. 

"Seems like a curious junior has joined us." But a person finally noticed Lin Mu.

"Mm?" Lin Mu could feel that the voice had come from in front of him. 

He looked further and saw an elder who seemed to be sitting cross legged on an elevated platform. He was rather conspicuous and was dressed in dark brown robes of the Temple. He had the emblem of the temple as well as the unique embellishments that showed his rank as an Elder of the Temple of the Guardian beasts.

What was surprising was that the people sitting around him didn't seem to have heard him speak.

"It is indeed, I that is speaking." Lin Mu heard the voice again, but saw that the man's lips hadn't moved at all. 

"Huh? Voice Transmission technique?" Lin Mu muttered in surprise.

"Oh? Junior recognizes it?" The elder was surprised, too.

"How should I speak so as to not disturb the others?" Lin Mu questioned in a whisper.

He could tell that the elder was talking that way to not bother the others. Thus, Lin Mu decided to follow the same thing.

"Junior is considerate of others. It is a good virtue." The elder said. "You can continue to speak as you wish. They will not hear you." He stated.

"They won't?" Lin Mu spoke normally this time.

He narrowed his eyes and spread his immortal sense. It didn't take him long to figure out what was happening.

"You've isolated their hearing with wind?" Lin Mu analyzed.

"Seems like junior is perceptive too…" The elder replied, his expression changing slightly.

The elder had a long white beard, as well as white eyebrows. The hair on his head though was covered by a hat, but slivers of white hair could still be seen peeking through the edges.

Out of all the temple elders that Lin Mu had seen so far, this was the only man who was wearing a hat like this.

'His ranking seems to be higher than the others… is he a High Elder or something more?' Lin Mu wondered.

The elder seemingly guessed what Lin Mu might e thinking and spoke again, "Junior can call me High Elder Juxue." 

"Greetings, High Elder Juxue. I am Mu Lin." Lin Mu replied respectfully.

"So it is Junior Mu Lin." The old man looked at Lin Mu with interest. "You are among the last winners, the one who won with wits." He spoke.

"Junior is flattered." Lin Mu cupped his hands in response.

"Mmhmm, it is worth being praised. There aren't many that know how to use their brains well enough when they get used to their brawns." High Elder Juxue said. "Though it seems like you lack neither." He added.

"Oh?" Lin Mu raised his brows.

"A Qi cultivation base at the Second Tribulation Stage of the Immortal realm and a body cultivation equivalent to the Third Tribulation Stage… Hmm… very impressive." The High elder said. 

Lin Mu was internally surprised by how easily the old man assessed his cultivation base despite it being contained by him.

"Junior still has a bit of a way to go before he can hide his cultivation base better." High Elder Juxue guessed Lin Mu's thoughts again. "The Body Cultivation technique you are practicing is overbearing and changes your demeanor. You might not notice it yet, but there are subtleties that others can pick up on. Especially with techniques like these." He revealed.

Hearing the man's words, Lin Mu took them seriously.

"Junior thanks the High Elder for his advice. I shall try to improve." Lin Mu replied.

"Hmm… though does Junior know how to hide it better?" The high elder questioned.

"There would be several ways. Using an auxiliary technique to hide it, or to suppress it manually. One could also use an Immortal tool to do the same." Lin Mu answered, thinking that the man was testing him.

"Those are indeed the methods that you can use. But they are still flawed." The old man replied. "If you wish to truly hide it, you first need to understand it better." He added.

"Understand it better?" Lin Mu muttered in doubt.

"Indeed… Junior hasn't cultivated the body cultivation technique for long, has he?" The old man asked.

"I haven't.' Lin Mu shook his head.

"Just as I thought." The old man spoke. "Seems like Junior has practiced the technique but hasn't gotten used to it." 

The high elder's words confused Lin Mu a bit.

'Haven't gotten used to it… what does he mean? I can already use it decently.' Lin Mu thought to himself.

"And I do not mean your proficiency with it." The High Elder continued. "What I mean is the atmosphere of the technique… the aura, the power, the presence." 

Hearing this, Lin Mu was intrigued. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face, making the old man speak again.

"The best way to understand your cultivation technique it to use it… to the fullest. Unleash your power and see the true extent of it. After all, if you do not know the scope of it, you do not know what parts you are supposed to hide." The elder explained.

"I see…" Lin Mu finally understood it and realized that he was indeed lacking a bit. "Junior shall try to improve." 

"Mmhmm… Knowing when and where to reveal one's strength is wiser than using it wastefully. I hope to see Junior's progress." High Elder Juxue replied.

"Junior thanks the high elder for his advice. I am grateful for it." Lin Mu said in a calm tone.

"It wasn't much. It is Junior who is perceptive enough to understand it well." He said with a chuckle.