Zou Tian was curious about why Master had asked him to stay behind, but he wasn’t concerned. As a street rat working as a lookout for gangs back in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, a meeting with the boss was more likely than not a bad thing. It usually meant that the boss thought Zou Tian had done something wrong, be it missing something he should have observed or being lazy or stealing something or whatever other paranoic suspicion happened to pass through the guy’s miniscule brain.

The sect operated much differently. Zou Tian had literally heard of only one case of a member being punished, and that penalty was absolutely earned. Instead, as far as he’d observed, a summons from Master tended to result in either a mission or a gift. Though he was greatly looking forward to hitting Foundation Establishment to become the recipient of all the interesting rewards that came with hitting that mark, he was at least six months from advancing and couldn’t think of any other reason for him to be rewarded.

Thus, he was very interested in what mission the sect leader had in mind. The inclusion of a Nascent Soul in the meeting definitely provided a clue that the task must be important. Whatever it was would definitely be noteworthy. And possibly dangerous.

Regardless, it was Zou Tian’s honor to serve the sect and his master.

After everyone except him, the new Nascent Soul disciple, and Master had left the room, Sun Hua re-entered with tea, and the three of them sat to drink it once she’d left.

“Yuan Yaozu, you’ve met my disciple, Zou Tian, right?” Master said.

“I have. He was one of the juniors who assisted me prior to my trial. Their advice was quite helpful.”

“He’s a good kid,” Master said. “He’s also one of the sect’s resources that I have been severely underutilizing.”

Zou Tian’s ears perked up at that. As he’d suspected, a mission was surely forthcoming. He resolved to keep his mouth shut, though, as the two high realmed cultivators spoke.

Master smiled. “When I first saw him, I knew he was something special. Though he was a mortal through and through, his aspect was already manifesting.”

“A mortal manifesting Shadow? That is special indeed,” Yuan Yaozu said. “The sects snatch up any mortals with aspects that strong, but I guess Shadow would have made it difficult unless you had cause to focus specifically on him.”

“That’s exactly what happened. I was expecting a lookout from the local gangs, and my eyes just slid right past him.”

“Excellent source material for an assassin,” Yuan Yaozu said.

Zou Tian grimaced. That surely would have been his fate had any other sect found him first.

Master shook his head. “That’s a bit too dark from my sensibilities. I understand that, sometimes, there are people who simply need a good killing, but I intend to address such matters myself. And only those who I absolutely must.” He turned to meet Zou Tian’s eyes. “If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to kill someone, I trust that it will be someone who deserves it and that you saw no other path. Know that I won’t second guess you, and the sect will have your back.”

Zou Tian’s heart swelled at the comment. The fact that the most powerful person he’d ever met trusted his judgment so much was extraordinary. “Yes, Master.”

Yuan Yaozu’s brows furrowed, giving him a quizzical look. His expression clearly asked, “If not that purpose, what is his role?”

“He survived as an orphan on the streets of the city by being observant and acting on what he saw to keep himself safe,” Master said. “It’s those qualities that I plan to use. I consider him a scout, someone to move into enemy territory, analyze our opponents, and return with that information so that our fighters can enter battle prepared.”

“I guess I can see that working. It seems more like how the Emperor’s military operates than a sect, though,” Yuan Yaozu said. “My experience is that cultivators mostly act alone or in small teams for missions. But I guess that this information matches what I’ve observed with how you seem to be forming permanent squads for specific purposes.”

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“Exactly. And I think it’s time for young Zou Tian to perform his first bit of active scouting for the sect. I’m assuming you’ve guessed why you’re here?”

“You wish my help in preparing the lad,” Yuan Yaozu said.

“Your oath is only to defend the sect,” Master said, “and this task falls well outside that responsibility. I can promise that, if you assist in this matter, that I’ll make it up to you. A weapon? A technique? Your choice.”

The Nascent Soul cupped his hands. “I would have accepted without any enticement, but I won’t refuse your largess.”

Master had just bribed a Nascent Soul with a priceless treasure to serve as a tutor for a Qi Gathering sect member. If not for already seeing similar actions from the sect leader that were just as over the top, Zou Tian would have been apoplectic at the thought of the value being spent on his behalf. As it was, he was just really, really grateful.

And curious as to how he was expected to serve the sect.

Master cupped his hands in return. “Gratitude.” He turned to Zou Tian. “I’m assuming that you don’t plan on participating in the tournament?”

“Correct, Master. One-on-one spars are not my strength, and my overall usefulness to the sect is enhanced by having fewer people know my abilities.”

“Well stated,” Yuan Yaozu said. “I definitely can work with this kid.”

Master beamed. “He’s got a sharp mind to go with the talent.” He turned again to Zou Tian. “We know that the Jade Chameleons have something planned, but we don’t know what. The Poison Claw Sect will attempt to figure it out, but the situation is important enough for us to use our own resources. Before the tournament, I’d like for you to travel to the city and try to find out what our enemies intend.”

“You want the boy to spy, Sect Leader?” Yuan Yaozu said.

From his tone, the Nascent Soul clearly was against the idea.

“Spying, to me, indicates infiltration. Pretending to be someone he’s not. Developing sources,” Master said. “I don’t want him to do any of those things. No disguises. I just want him to go to taverns and other public places and listen for rumors. See if he can piece together the puzzle.”

Yuan Yaozu frowned. “It’s still dangerous.”

“It is,” Master said. “Zou Tian, sects tend to be prejudiced against those in the Qi Gathering realm. The common belief is that no cultivator can truly serve the sect until they reach at least Foundation Establishment, and honestly, there is a lot of truth to that thinking. Certain cases are exceptions, though. Take Sun Hua. She contributes a great deal to our sect. And not only is she in the Qi Gathering realm, but she would be just as effective as a mortal. With your strong aspect, I think you can be an exception as well.”

Though Zou Tian hadn’t originally felt that way about himself, he’d come to understand that the truly exceptional sect members treated him as a peer. Not believing in himself would be the same as failing to give them face.

He nodded.

“To be clear,” Master said, “you are under no obligation to accept this mission.”

If anyone but Master had made that statement, Zou Tian would have snorted. The sect had given him everything. He owed Master his life. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for that man.

Master shook his head sadly. “I know. There’s no possibility of you refusing, no matter how dangerous it is.”

“Correct, Master.”

“Alright, how about this?” Master said. “Wan Ai has to accept the mission on your behalf, meaning you must convince her it’s safe enough for you to proceed.”

Zou Tian’s jaw dropped. He’d already been concerned about how to break the news of the mission to Wan Ai. Convincing her of the mission’s safety would be crazy difficult.

“Master, please?”

“Sorry. That’s the condition. Look, whatever plot they’ve cooked up was developed at the highest levels of their sect. That means that it’s unlikely you’ll discover their deep dark secrets. Our safety is not dependent on you. That’s on me. Understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

“I’m hoping you find out something that helps me keep the others safe, but I’m not counting on it. Do not put yourself in jeopardy. I don’t want you thinking that you can do something idiotic like sneaking into whatever house they’re using in the city and eavesdropping or something. As a mortal, you were insignificant, and that made it easy for you to hide. You’re actually easier to detect now that you’re a cultivator as spiritual sense can find you.”

“Yes, Master.”

“The good news is that you’ve got months to prepare,” Master said. “Yuan Yaozu can help with planning and training. I’ll get you anything you can think of that can help. Literally, if you can imagine it, I can probably come up with something. You’ll have priority with the Trial Pagoda whenever you need it. Whatever you need to keep yourself safe and help make your mission a success, ask and it’s yours.”

Zou Tian’s head was spinning with all the stuff he needed to determine. The entire resources of the sect had basically been put at his disposal. He just had to figure out how to make the best use of them. Before taking his leave, he made arrangements to meet up with Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu in two days to get the Nascent Soul’s advice and to discuss training and techniques.

In truth, Zou Tian felt great trepidation at leaving the Administration Hall as his next stop was far more intimidating than facing two high realmed cultivators. He had to tell his girlfriend that he wanted to take on a mission that would put his life in danger.

That discussion was sure to go well.