Chapter 206 Taiji Sect
Everyone present was dumbfounded. What was happening, and how had Xia Liu become an elder?
Li Qianqian stared blankly at Xia Liu. She had a feeling that he was keeping a lot of secrets from her.
"Ahem, ahem, so, can we go in and investigate now?" Xia Liu cleared his throat.
How could he possibly know about the so-called headquarters of Taiji Sect? Anyway, he had claimed to be an elder.
And seeing how respectfully he was behaving, agreeing to it definitely wouldn't be wrong.
"Of course, of course!" Chongming said with a sweaty, nervous laugh.
The headquarters of the Taiji Sect was superior to all its branches.
An elder from the headquarters was to be treated with the highest courtesy by the branches.
"Brother, what..." Chongfan looked at his senior brother, puzzled. He couldn't comprehend what was happening at all.
"Junior brother, come over quickly and pay your respects to Elder Taiyi!"
"Taiyi! Could it be the one mentioned in the archives?" Chongfan stared at Xia Liu, wide-eyed in shock.
The Taiji Sect had many branches worldwide, and it was said that there was an even grander and more prosperous sect above the Taiji Sect.
Its name was Taiyi!
For many years, Taiyi had not contacted the Taiji Sect, leading them to believe that Taiyi had abandoned them.
Hearing the name Taiyi again, Chongfan and Chongming were so moved they were almost brought to tears.
After respectfully paying homage to Xia Liu, Chongfan led them through the mountain gate.
Li Qianqian and Chang Wusheng exchanged puzzled glances, completely baffled by the act Xia Liu was putting on.
"Xia Liu, are you really an elder of this sect?" Li Qianqian followed Xia Liu's steps and asked him quietly by his side, confused.
"Probably not, I am also hearing about this sect for the first time. I've always been abroad or in the village before this."
"Ah! You're not an elder of the Taiji Sect!"
"My dear sister, can you keep it down? If these two guys find out, we're going to have trouble bluffing our way through later!"
Xia Liu was left speechless by Li Qianqian's continuous surprises.
Li Qianqian saw Chongming and Chongfan leading the way with excitement and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She decided that no matter what, she couldn't reveal Xia Liu's true identity.
Otherwise, the case definitely wouldn't proceed smoothly.
When they reached the end of the stone steps, Li Qianqian and the others were again astonished by the sight before them.
From a distance, it looked like the houses under the cliff were merely decorations.
The real mystery of the Taiji Sect lay behind the cliff, through a concealed passage.
What unfolded before their eyes was an expanse of sky and earth.
Below, numerous pavilions and towers stood tall.
For miles around, pavilions and houses stretched as far as the eye could see.
The style of the buildings was not much different from that of ancient cities.
At a glance, they had the feel of a grand martial sect right out of a TV show.
Of course, the Taiji Sect was a martial arts training sect, and this feeling was not just a perception, but a reality!
Standing behind the passage, the group could see two people sparring with each other in the central arena of the Taiji Sect below.
There was also a sizable audience, at least three hundred people.
"Elder Xia, today is the Taiji Sect's triennial evaluation. Whoever makes it into the top ten has the chance to go out and gain experience. They will also receive several fine weapons and martial arts skills," Chongming said, leading the way for Xia Liu and introducing the Taiji Sect.
"By the way, what was that about Chongyin you mentioned just now?" Seeing Chongming's enthusiasm, Li Qianqian seized the opportunity to ask.
"Chongyin... It's better to let the Sect Leader explain this to you," Chongming sighed as he spoke of Chongyin.
Li Qianqian calmed down upon hearing this. With Xia Liu posing as an elder here, there was no need to worry about the Sect Leader withholding information.
Descending the stone steps and passing through an area of beautiful residences, the group arrived in front of a huge fighting stage.
The Taiji Sect disciples present turned their attention to the six strangers.
Even the two disciples sparring on the stage stopped their practice.
"Chongming! Who are they?" A middle-aged man sitting above the stage demanded angrily.
Next to the middle-aged man sat an elder with white hair. He appeared listless, yet his eyes were extremely sharp; he noticed the group's arrival in an instant.
"Master, it's a major event! This person claims to be an elder from the Taiyi Sect!" Chongming said excitedly.
"Taiyi Sect!"
The entire crowd of disciples, including Chongming's master and the white-haired elder, were taken aback upon hearing these three words.
Taiyi Sect was the headquarters of the Taiji Sect.
The Taiyi Sect, having lost contact for decades, had finally sent someone!
How could they not be excited?
"Chongming, quickly give us the details!" Despite his excitement, the middle-aged man still maintained his composure.
He looked at Xia Liu and the others' youth, all seemingly in their twenties.
An elder from the Taiyi Sect couldn't possibly be so young.
Upon receiving the command, Chongming immediately recounted everything that had transpired at the mountain gate.
"Taiyi Eight Trigrams Palm!" The corners of the white-haired elder's eyes crinkled slightly.
He was very familiar with the Taiyi Sect, and he knew that the Taiyi Eight Trigrams Palm was indeed a skill only those at the elder level or above could learn.
But Xia Liu was only in his twenties—how could it be possible for him to be an elder, let alone learn the Taiyi Eight Trigrams Palm.
"Chongming, you're still too naive, judging him to be a Taiyi elder just by seeing the starting pose."
After hearing Chongming's explanation, the middle-aged man couldn't help but shake his head.
According to the records, the elders of the Taiyi Sect were all at least fifty years old, with extremely high martial arts cultivation.
Such high martial arts realms were impossible for a youth to achieve.
Chongming and Chongfan were instantly petrified with fear. If Xia Liu truly wasn't an elder of the Taiyi Sect, the only thing awaiting them was the terrifying Regretful Cliff!
"You see an elder and don't show respect, do you want him to return and give you some punishment?"
Li Qianqian, seeing the middle-aged man's pointed words, thought for a moment before revealing Xia Liu's supposed identity, threatening the middle-aged man with it.
"What impudence from a little upstart! This is not your place to speak," the middle-aged man dismissed Li Qianqian without any regard.
He then pointed at Xia Liu and said, "And you, I don't know how you fooled my two disciples, but daring to impersonate a Taiyi elder, today your death sentence may be spared, but you cannot escape punishment!"
"Ah! This…" Chang Wusheng and his teammates broke out in a cold sweat.
There were at least three hundred disciples of the Taiji Sect on the scene. If a fight broke out, with Xia Liu's level of skill, there was no way he could match them.
Furthermore, he was filled with dread, realizing Chongfan's strength was so formidable. If there were three hundred disciples as powerful as Chongfan present...
"Qianqian, let me handle this negotiation," said Xia Liu quickly, stopping Li Qianqian as she seemed ready to draw her weapon.
"Esteemed Elder, when I mentioned earlier, I never claimed to be a Taiyi Sect elder, so let's just overlook that crime, shall we? Besides, my friends and I came here because one of your sect's disciples killed three people in the county!"
When Xia Liu mentioned the Taiji Sect disciple committing murder, the white-haired elder's pupils constricted sharply for an instant, unnoticed by others.