Chapter 279: Depths of Shadow
Zou Tian hesitated before he stepped into the Trials Pagoda, still feeling worried about what would happen. One possibility was greatly positive—he’d be given a trial, and he’d pass it. Two possibilities were as greatly negative. Either he’d be given a trial and fail, or the pagoda would determine that his requested modification did not meet the criteria for offered upgrades.
Basically, he had a one in three chance of a good outcome.
The problem was that so much rode on the result. The Jade Chameleon Sect was surely planning an attack against his sect at the tournament, and while Master said that it was his responsibility to deal with the enemies, Zou Tian knew that only he had a real chance at discovering the details of the Jade Chameleon’s plans.
But he could only accomplish that result if he could hide his cultivation.
He’d gone over his options with Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu. The Nascent Soul had been impressed by how well Zou Tian’s presence was already hidden by Shadow.
That obscuration was not complete, however. Even those in the Foundation Establishment realm only found it difficult to detect him, not impossible. If he added a technique to improve the effect, a Golden Core who had worked hard to develop their spiritual sense would probably still detect him, as would just about any Nascent Soul.
It was possible that a device could help with the situation, and it was likely that Master could create such a thing. Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu, however, had never heard of any device being so good that it would hide a cultivator’s presence from literally anyone.
When asked if Master might shatter those expectations, Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu had shrugged. “The sect leader is an amazing craftsman in addition to his other talents. Those swords he created were masterworks. If I had to put my life in anyone’s hands to conceal my cultivation, it would be his.”
At that point, Zou Tian had been much relieved, thinking that, regardless of what happened with the pagoda, he had a solid backup plan.
But Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu had continued. “The problem is that I don’t know if such a device can be created by anyone, not even the sect leader. Devices run on qi. No matter how well hidden those emanations are, it’s possible that someone you encounter might detect it. That possibility is probably low, but it’s there.”
Because Master had associated with Zou Tian while they were in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, he’d be under suspicion the moment he walked through the gates. Sect cultivators, partially due to their massive egos and partially because they were constrained by societal convention, would likely overlook a mortal associate of the Rising Tide Sect, but if he were proven to be a cultivator as well, it was likely his death sentence.
Master didn’t want Zou Tian to risk himself in that manner, and honestly, he didn’t want to die, either. As a street rat, he’d faced the possibility of violence every day, and there were times when his circumstances were so bad that he would have been okay with it had he experienced that fate.