Chapter 61: Ye Tian's Decision

Seeing this, the Grand Elder stepped forward, his face stern as he declared,
“This must be the result of this boy stealing a secret scroll or something similar, which is how he learned the whereabouts of the Nine-turn Pill. The true culprit here is Ye Tian—he must be executed immediately!”
Li Jiansan sneered, “Why is the Grand Elder so eager to kill and silence him? What exactly are you worried about?”
“Hmph, what do I have to be concerned about? If I am worried at all, it’s only that keeping this person alive will bring harm to our Shengjing Sect!”
The Grand Elder spoke righteously.
Li Jiansan looked at him with mocking amusement, “Is it the Shengjing Sect you’re worried about, or yourself?”
At these words, the Grand Elder’s expression shifted and he barked, “What is that supposed to mean?”
Li Jiansan replied lightly, “Nothing much. I just have a question for the Grand Elder.”
The Grand Elder, unruffled, even smiled as he answered, “I wonder what the Young Sect Master wishes to ask. I will answer truthfully.”
Li Jiansan scoffed inwardly—the old fox was calm, but soon he’d show his true colors.
Staring at the Grand Elder, Li Jiansan asked, “Have you seen Ye Tian in recent days?”
The Grand Elder visibly jolted; the smile vanished from his face in a flash, though he quickly recovered,
“No.”
Li Jiansan grinned slyly, “Is that so? Then why did Chu Xier say she saw you leaving Ye Tian’s room again?”
“Did you perhaps do something… less than proper with him and are embarrassed to admit it?”
Chu Xier, hearing this, was about to speak, but a single glance from Li Jiansan silenced her instantly.
The Grand Elder’s face darkened, “I’m old; my memory is not what it was. Is that a problem?”
Li Jiansan pressed on, “I’m quite satisfied with that answer, but tell me, how long were you alone with Ye Tian in his room?”
“We spoke for an hour,” the Grand Elder replied, unable to see through Li Jiansan’s ploy and forced to answer honestly.
A wicked smile appeared on Li Jiansan’s lips, “An entire hour—Grand Elder, your stamina is impressive indeed.”
The Grand Elder’s face grew uglier, “Watch your words, boy!”
“Then tell us what you were doing in there for so long?”
Even as all eyes turned to him, the Grand Elder’s expression remained unchanged as he said,
“It’s true—I did visit Ye Tian, and we did converse for an hour.”
Now the onlookers’ gazes grew even more curious.

Seeing this, the Grand Elder cleared his throat and continued, “No need to be surprised, everyone. I’m sure you all know that from time to time, I visit each peak to find talented disciples to bring into the sect for special training.”
Hearing this, the crowd found nothing amiss, though Li Jiansan still frowned,
“Selecting disciples is understandable, but does it really take an hour to do so?”
“When I visited that day, I noticed Ye Tian had an unusual talent. My curiosity was piqued, so I spent a long time examining his spiritual roots.
After all, we cannot overlook any talented disciple, and I couldn’t simply abandon Ye Tian without a thorough investigation. If he truly is gifted, losing him would be an immeasurable loss to Shengjing Sect.”
The Grand Elder’s explanation immediately drew looks of admiration from those present; they respected his dedication—for who would spend a whole hour on a disciple of uncertain potential?
At that moment, the Grand Elder glanced at Li Jiansan, “Does the Young Sect Master have any more questions?”
Li Jiansan’s face betrayed no emotion; all was proceeding as he expected. If the Grand Elder’s mouth were so easily pried open, he wouldn’t be who he was.
“In that case, it seems the Grand Elder has nothing to do with this matter. I owe you an apology.”
A satisfied smile appeared on the Grand Elder’s face, but Li Jiansan’s next words froze it instantly.
“Since the Grand Elder is uninvolved, you need not participate in the interrogation of Ye Tian.”
Elder Wei grew anxious at Li Jiansan’s words. The Young Sect Master had made his stance clear—if Wei objected further, it would only make him look suspicious.
“We still don’t know how news of the Nine-turn Pill was leaked. It’s obvious Ye Tian couldn’t have learned of it alone; killing them won’t solve the problem—it’s treating the symptoms, not the cause.”
After Li Jiansan spoke, the crowd immediately understood.
Before, they’d thought he was only intervening to save Chu Xier out of lust, but now they realized they’d been mistaken.
Exchanging glances, they secretly admired Li Jiansan’s cunning.
“The urgent thing now is to have Ye Tian reveal how he obtained this information. This was knowledge reserved for the highest elders—
It’s almost certain someone within our sect orchestrated this, and Ye Tian keeps silent only because that person is here in this very hall!”
With that, Li Jiansan swept his gaze over the assembly, letting his eyes finally rest on the Grand Elder.
Feeling Li Jiansan’s stare, the Grand Elder shuddered inwardly, “Is this brat suspecting me?”
Li Jiansan, noticing the reaction, just smiled and looked away,
“But of course, the least likely person to be involved is the Grand Elder himself. You all heard our exchange—he has nothing to do with this.”
Li Jiansan continued, “And there is only one way to unmask the culprit—make Ye Tian talk!”
“You remain silent because you know you’re doomed, and see no reason to cause further trouble, isn’t that right?”
Li Jiansan fixed Ye Tian with his gaze. “Therefore…”

“I can let you go, and moreover, I’ll give you a third-grade pill.”
The elders burst into an uproar. It was a workable plan, but the price was steep—a third-grade pill was worth a fortune…
As they hesitated, Li Jiansan produced a third-grade pill and waved it enticingly before Ye Tian’s eyes, “Tell us, and it’s yours. Well?”
Several elders’ pupils contracted, “Young Sect Master, that pill…”
A third-grade pill—how could he offer it so lightly?
But they soon reconciled themselves. With a Sect Master for a father, it was no surprise he had such treasures at hand.
“I obtained this myself not long ago,” Li Jiansan added.
At those words, the crowd was again astonished—
He got it himself! Their Young Sect Master had already grown to such heights?
On the other side, Ye Tian retorted with disdain, “Why should I believe you?”
Li Jiansan just smiled, tossing the pill his way, “The pill is yours now; you can use it immediately. If you still don’t trust me, I’ll just… kill you here and now!”
At that, Ye Tian’s expression finally changed, though he still looked hesitant.
Seeing Ye Tian waver, Li Jiansan pressed,
“Think carefully, Ye Tian. Refuse, and you die at once. Speak, and not only do you live, you get this pill, and your future remains open.”
“I can really use this pill?” Ye Tian’s hesitation visibly lessened.
“Of course. You can take it right now.”
With that, Ye Tian swallowed the pill, his face suddenly resolute.
“Very well, I’ll tell you!”
“The one behind everything is…”