The Shining Star Above The Heaven

A group of people wearing purple robes descended from the cruiser. Leading them was a handsome young man. His long black hair was tied in a ponytail, and he walked with confident steps.

He did not release any of his cultivation aura, yet his noble bearing alone was enough to earn the reverence of anyone who witnessed his presence. This was even more true for those who knew the identity of this young man.

He was the greatest genius of the Purple Lotus Sect. He had already been chosen as the successor to the sect master because he was the sole disciple of the current sect master.

His name was Shen Yuan.

He walked alongside two elders of the sect and several cultivators tasked with guarding the group.

Shen Yuan walked toward the man who had directed them to land and cupped his hands respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Excellency," he said.

Although the man before him was merely one of Breuze’s subordinates, his cultivation had already reached the peak Immortal Saint Stage. He stood on the same level as the sect master, making him someone worthy of respect.

The man simply nodded. Without saying a word, he turned around and guided them toward the temple not far away.

Shen Yuan did not say anything further and silently followed.

A few moments later, they arrived at the central dome-shaped building where the giant statue was located. There, they finally met Breuze.

After confirming his identity, the group from the Purple Lotus Sect bowed respectfully while clasping their hands.

"The Purple Lotus Sect greets the envoy of the Lord God, Mighty One Above the Heavens," Shen Yuan said respectfully.

Breuze nodded.

"I assume you understand what happened here?" he asked. He spoke directly and did not waste time with unnecessary pleasantries. He did not care about Shen Yuan’s identity or status.

Shen Yuan did not mind and straightened his posture before nodding.

"Yes, Your Excellency. We are already aware of what happened here. That is why our sect master has sent us here to help in whatever way we can. We brought many cultivators with us this time to support Your Excellency. Please rest assured that we will do everything we can to help take care of this problem."

Breuze looked at the statue again.

"You should coordinate with the Zhu Family to make your efforts more effective. I would like to see these assassins caught as soon as possible," he said.

"Now you may go."

"Then excuse us," Shen Yuan said before leaving the building with his group.

After leaving the building, Shen Yuan spoke to the elder on his right.

"Elder Yu, take the cultivators from the Celestial Red Lotus Pavilion and meet with the Zhu Family in the city. Tell them that we would like to cooperate in dealing with this problem."

"Alright," the elder answered before carrying out the order.

Shen Yuan then looked at the elder on his left.

"Elder Qin, take the cultivators from the Celestial Purple Lotus Pavilion and spread across the city to gather more detailed information regarding the recent events. The information does not necessarily have to be connected to the assassination incident."

"It can be any interesting information we find. Perhaps activities involving visitors from outside the city or anything related to strangers that the denizens of this city do not know about. Or it could be any incident, no matter how big or small, that attracts the attention of the common people. Let our sect members decide what is worth investigating."

Elder Qin looked at Shen Yuan with a confused expression.

"Why should we look into that kind of information, Young Sect Master? Wouldn’t it be more effective to focus on information related to the assassins?"

Shen Yuan smiled.

"I heard that these assassins are difficult to track. Every known method used to track them has failed. That is why I intend to use a different approach to find their traces."

"The eyes and ears of the common people are an important aspect of this investigation. Those assassins most likely blended in with the people of this city. To find their traces, we need to use a different method."

"Perhaps they are not as far away as many people think. Maybe they are hiding among us without drawing suspicion while leisurely observing the movements of their pursuers. We need to think outside the box if we want to catch people like that."

Shen Yuan then looked toward the city that could be seen from his location.

"Even if the assassins have already left the city, we may still find traces of them and determine the direction they traveled. At that point, it will only be a matter of time before we catch them."

Elder Qin’s eyes lit up with understanding as he nodded.

"I see. Then we will do as you say."

Elder Qin paused slightly before asking,

"Then where are you going, Young Sect Master? Who will accompany you? I do not think it is safe for you to move around alone. At the very least, bring someone from the Purple Lotus Pavilion with you."

Shen Yuan maintained his smile.

"You do not need to worry, Elder Qin. I will also search for information in my own way. If I bring someone from the Purple Lotus Pavilion with me, it will attract too much attention. After all, I intend to blend in with the people of the city and look for traces of those assassins."

"Even if something dangerous happens, I have many means of escape. Do you not already know that, Elder Qin? I never do anything that would place me in danger unless I am confident that I can escape."

Elder Qin released a sigh and nodded. A smile appeared on his face.

He already knew what kind of person Shen Yuan was.

A prodigy capable of thinking outside the box to solve problems. He not only possessed great strength but also an exceptional mind. There had already been many occasions where he solved problems for the Purple Lotus Sect using not only his cultivation but also his intelligence.

That was why he became the sole disciple of the sect master.

And that was why Elder Qin was easily convinced when Shen Yuan told him not to worry.

"Alright. If you believe the danger is too great or encounter a problem you cannot solve, call for reinforcements."

After that, Shen Yuan entered the city while using a disguise. He looked no different from an ordinary visitor. Since he did not use his identity, the inspection process took quite a long time before he was finally allowed to enter.

Once inside, he wandered through the city without any particular destination.

He listened to conversations on the streets and absorbed any information that seemed interesting. He also visited a tavern and conversed with the patrons, discussing not only the recent incident but also various rumors and gossip spreading throughout the city.

After leaving the tavern, he continued walking through the streets. Along the way, he bought a few goods from street vendors while casually chatting with them about recent events. Whenever possible, he guided the conversation toward local gossip in hopes of finding something worthy of his attention.

After strolling through the city for hours, he still failed to find anything particularly useful. When the sun had already begun descending toward the western horizon, he decided to stop for the day.

He contacted Elder Qin through a communication artifact and asked about the progress on his side.

Elder Qin then reported the information his group had gathered, exactly as Shen Yuan had instructed.

Most of the information consisted of trivial conversations among ordinary people. Much of it could not even be verified and was little more than hearsay.

"Oh, and there is another information that caught my attention. This one has been confirmed to be true. In one of the outer districts, there was a boy who lived alone in a simple house."

"It was said that he disappeared, and his house was later ransacked by the temple. Many people believed that he had been arrested by the temple and detained somewhere, we obtained that information from the boy’s neighbors." Elder Qin said, causing Shen Yuan to raise an eyebrow.

"Later, we discovered that he had indeed been arrested by the temple because he possessed an artifact connected to an evil god. We confirmed that information through the restaurant where the boy worked."

The interesting part is that when we investigated the matter further by asking the City Lord Manor, we discovered that the boy had actually escaped mysteriously. He simply vanished without leaving any traces."

Shen Yuan’s eyes glistened with interest.

"Vanished without leaving any traces?" he asked.

"Yes. No one has been able to find him. It happened a few days before the Great Tournament. I found the matter interesting because of how mysterious it is. How could a weak boy escape from a heavily guarded prison without leaving any traces behind? Someone must have helped him," Elder Qin said.

"But because the matter appears unrelated to the assassins, most people have ignored it. Everyone’s attention is focused on finding the assassins. To be honest, I share the same opinion. I do not think this is the right time to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a boy."

Shen Yuan could not help but reveal a faint smile.

’Vanished without leaving any traces, huh...’