Chapter 723: Commander of Silver Mist Palace
"Who are you, and where did you get this Qiankun Gold Token?"
The black‑armored captain stared at Lin Langtian as he respectfully returned the golden token, then spoke in a low voice.
Seeing the man's abrupt shift to a more courteous tone, Lin Langtian's brows lifted slightly, a faint glimmer of surprise crossing his eyes.
So the Qiankun Gold Token held more weight here than he had thought.
After a brief pause, he looked calmly at the captain and recounted his own origins and how the token had come into his hands.
"Oh? So you're from a lower plane." The captain's eyes flashed with astonishment.
After all, it was rare in the Great Thousand World for someone from a lower realm to break the shackles of their plane and reach this height.
Recovering quickly, the captain said, "Since this token came from the Song Clan of Beiling City, then it is indeed something our sect bestowed in days past. As for the exact details, the elders will have to decide."
He waved his hand, and the enormous light gate behind him slowly opened.
"Please, lead the way," Lin Langtian said with a fist‑clasped salute.
He was just a nameless Second Rank Supreme in this world; he doubted they would go to the trouble of trapping him in some kind of deadly scheme.
He was here now, and he would simply take things as they came. In truth, his interest in the Qiankun Sect was only growing.
The captain nodded, briefly handed off his post to a deputy, then personally led Lin Langtian inside.
Following behind, Lin Langtian kept his silence and turned his attention to his surroundings.
In the skies above Qiankun Heaven, squads of radiant silhouettes regularly swept past in perfect formation—patrol troops watching for the slightest anomaly.
Lin Langtian watched their orderly ranks with a muted whistle in his heart.
Each aura he felt from those soldiers rivaled the sect masters of the Eastern Xuan Region's super sects back on the Tianxuan Continent.
It was humbling.
Many roads led to Rome, he thought—but some people were born there.
They flew for nearly half an hour before the captain finally slowed.
Lin Langtian looked up.
Before them rose a mountain so tall it pierced the clouds, like a pillar holding up the sky. At its peak sprawled a cluster of majestic palaces, layered one above another in silent grandeur.
The black‑armored captain's face took on a respectful cast as he looked at the complex, then descended before the largest of the central halls.
"Come. I've already sent word with a jade talisman. The Grand Elder wishes to see you," he said.
Lin Langtian nodded calmly. Even standing before such a figure—second only to the sect master—he felt little nervousness. He had faced storms far worse than this.
The captain could not help a flash of surprise. Most people, when told they would meet the Grand Elder of the Qiankun Sect, would at least show some trace of apprehension. Lin Langtian's composure was rare.
He said nothing more, just turned and walked into the hall. Lin Langtian followed close behind.
As they entered, Lin Langtian's senses sharpened.
Hidden within the shadows of the vast chamber, he could feel multiple obscure but overwhelmingly powerful auras—as well as several invisible waves of power that swept over his body like silent tides.
He knew they were being examined.
This was the heart of the Qiankun Sect. For someone like him, an outsider from nowhere, to be so closely watched was only natural.
No wonder they're called a top sect, he thought. There are more experts hidden here than stars in the sky.
Even the few presences he could vaguely detect were enough to make his blood stir. And he was certain that deeper still lay powers he could not even sense.
After turning through several dark corridors, they finally came upon an ancient stone hall.
The captain straightened his armor and dropped to the floor before it.
Inside, Lin Langtian saw a single elderly figure.
From that thin frame radiated a pressure like thunder hidden within storm clouds, an aura so deep it was almost impossible to grasp.
Lin Langtian's eyes sharpened. His expression grew more solemn.
This, without doubt, was one of the true pillars of the Qiankun Sect.
"Come in," an old, amused voice called from within.
Lin Langtian hesitated only a moment before stepping forward and entering the stone hall.
The old man came fully into view. His face was an ancient map of wrinkles, but beneath that frailty lay a power that felt as though it could flatten mountains.
"The Song Clan of Beiling… they finally used the Qiankun Gold Token," the elder said with a faint smile.
There was no oppressive aura radiating from him like from other top experts, but if one looked closely into his clouded eyes, they would find a depth like the void itself—endless, quiet, and unknowable.
This was a man whose very stillness could shake the world.
"Black Zhan says your name is Lin Langtian, from a lower plane?" he asked, turning his gaze fully upon Lin Langtian.
Under that gaze, Lin Langtian felt the spiritual power within his body slow. Even Aunt Ling recoiled into silence—something that only happened under extreme external pressure.
"Junior Lin Langtian greets Senior," he said, pressing his fists together in a steady salute.
The old man smiled faintly. "As expected from one who broke the shackles of the planes. No wonder the Song Clan was willing to hand over their token.
"Let me see it."
Lin Langtian immediately drew out the Qiankun Gold Token and offered it up with both hands.
The elder accepted it and ran his fingers slowly over its ancient etchings. After a long silence, he sighed.
"So the Song Clan has fallen this far. They couldn't even produce a suitable candidate."
Lin Langtian remained silent.
"Enough," the old man said at last. "I am Qianqiong, Grand Elder of the Qiankun Sect. The Song ancestor who held this token before you was my senior brother—and my teacher.
"Hundreds of years ago, he died for this sect. The Gold Token was our reward to his clan.
"It's a pity they've declined so much that it now lands in the hands of an outsider."
He gave Lin Langtian a wry look, then waved a hand.
"But don't worry. The token recognizes worth, not blood. Its rights are yours now."
Only then did Lin Langtian's shoulders ease ever so slightly.
"By its terms, you may take a commander's post in any one of the sect's palaces. Have you one in mind?" Qianqiong asked.
"A commander, in any palace?" Lin Langtian murmured.
No wonder that gate captain's expression had shifted—this wasn't just a pass into the sect. It was a direct key into its upper ranks.
"I've only just arrived," he said after a moment. "I know nothing of your palaces, Senior. I'll leave the choice to your judgment."
Qianqiong nodded and thought for a moment. "Very well. Come with me.
"Jiang girl happens to be short a commander. You can fill the gap for now."
Lin Langtian said nothing of the name, but "Jiang girl" clearly referred to a woman.
He felt no dissatisfaction at the thought of serving under a female superior. To him, the Qiankun Sect was merely a stepping stone; a commander's posting was more than enough for his current needs.
He followed Qianqiong out of the hall, and together they headed toward the northwestern skies of Qiankun Heaven.
Half an hour later, the Grand Elder stopped.
Lin Langtian raised his head.
Before them lay a towering mountain massif, its slopes blanketed in rows upon rows of grand palaces.
At its base sprawled an immense training ground.
Hundreds of figures sat in meditation there, spiritual power pulsing steadily. At their head stood a single young woman.
She wore a silver robe, a black short skirt beneath it, and long, slender bare legs as white as snow glowed beneath the fading light.
Her features were exquisite—slender brows, long dark lashes, and skin like carved jade. Yet her most striking trait was her hair.
A cascade of straight silver locks spilled down her back like a gleaming waterfall, bright and arresting.
Her eyes, too, were memorable. Their clear, unwavering light carried a purity so sharp that staring too long brought a faint pressure to the chest.
Her expression was cool as she looked out over the training ground, one hand set sharply on her hip, the other resting easily upon the hilt of a greatsword.
Taken together, it projected a sharp, valiant presence—strong, direct, and unconsciously commanding.
It was easy to see why many of the cultivators before her snuck glances when they thought she wouldn't notice.
"Mm?"
Suddenly, the silver‑haired girl's eyes snapped open. A flash of cold light cut through them as she jerked her head toward the sky.
"Who's there!?" she barked.
All along the training ground, cultivators rose in an instant, a wave of spiritual pressure erupting around them as they looked warily upward.
"Hehe. Jiang girl, you're getting sharp," a familiar old voice called from above.
Two figures drifted down from the sky, landing before the palaces.
The girl blinked. Then her chilly expression cracked into a rare, small smile.
"Teacher. What brings you here?"
"What, I can't visit without a reason now?" Qianqiong chuckled, stroking his beard.
Then he pointed to Lin Langtian at his side.
"This is the new commander I've brought for your Silver Mist Palace. Tell me what you think."
Lin Langtian could immediately feel a razor‑keen gaze slice across him.
He resisted the urge to sigh.
It seemed his new superior would not be an easy one to serve.
(END CHAPTER)
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