It was a token — a resplendent golden token that immediately spoke of its extraordinary origin.
Sun Ping took it and rubbed it between his fingers for a moment before smiling. "I've heard that your temple's disciple tokens come in four grades: iron, copper, silver, and gold. Only the most elite disciples carry gold tokens. It appears this is the Qingyang gold token."
The material of the token was unique and unmistakably genuine — something Sun Ping could tell at a glance.
Yang Kai's gold token was no fake. It had been personally handed to him by Gao Xueting herself all those years ago. Though the Qingyang Divine Temple had never formally demanded that he join, presenting him with a gold token effectively made him a named disciple of the temple.
The reason he had chosen Xiao Baiyi as his cover identity for this trip was precisely because he had this Qingyang gold token in hand.
"Wrong," Yang Kai corrected with a faint smile. "Our temple's tokens don't come in four grades — they come in five."
"Five?" Sun Ping raised an eyebrow.
"The Elders hold jade tokens!" Yang Kai said.
"Is that so." Sun Ping gave a slight nod, though whether he believed it was anyone's guess. After all, he knew precious little about the Qingyang Divine Temple. Still, the way Yang Kai spoke with such conviction didn't feel like the act of a fraud.
For a moment, he found himself wavering.
An Emperor Realm expert coming to pledge allegiance to the Wenqing Sect was unquestionably good news — someone who could prove invaluable in the coming battle. But the crux of the matter was that he couldn't verify whether Yang Kai's background was truly clean.
On the other hand, if he turned Yang Kai away, it would be a loss he couldn't bear, and it would invite ridicule from the world, painting the Wenqing Sect as cowards.
After thinking it over, Sun Ping suddenly turned his head and sent a voice transmission to a young disciple.
The young disciple stepped forward immediately and cupped his fists toward Yang Kai. "Cao Xu greets this senior brother."
Yang Kai gave him a sideways glance and said nothing, unsure what instructions Sun Ping had given this man to make him step forward.
Cao Xu continued, "Several years ago, when the Shattered Star Sea opened, I was fortunate enough to enter it. I met several outstanding young talents from the Southern Domain!"
Yang Kai's heart lurched. Not good.
He had chosen to impersonate Xiao Baiyi primarily because no one knew what Xiao Baiyi looked like. With the Qingyang gold token in hand, the combination of truth and fiction should have made his cover airtight.
But now this Cao Xu fellow was claiming he had also been to the Shattered Star Sea and had met martial artists from the Southern Domain.
If he recognized the real Xiao Baiyi, then this whole charade would collapse in an instant.
"Oh?" Yang Kai kept his composure despite his unease and regarded Cao Xu with a flat expression. "I've been to the Shattered Star Sea myself, yet I don't recall seeing you."
Cao Xu smiled bitterly. "My cultivation is far too low. The areas I entered would have been beneath Senior Brother Xiao's notice, so naturally we never crossed paths."
He hadn't seen him! Yang Kai's confidence surged. "Is that so? But now that you've stepped forward, what exactly are you getting at?"
Cao Xu hurried to say, "Nothing presumptuous — I may not have met any friends from the Qingyang Divine Temple, but I did meet several others from the Southern Domain. One in particular left a deep impression: a man called Wuchang. Since Senior Brother Xiao is from the Southern Domain, you must know of him."
"Wuchang, hm…" Yang Kai nodded slightly. Wuchang of the Heavenly Martial Holy Land. Born with the Yin-Yang Twin Body, ferociously powerful — of course he had a deep impression of him.
Rather than continuing to engage with Cao Xu, Yang Kai turned to look at Sun Ping, who had been studying him the whole time. He extended a finger and tapped the air before him, and in an instant, an image of a person materialized.
Yang Kai said, "Elder Sun, the only reason you had Cao Xu ask all these questions was to confirm my identity. Now you can ask him directly — is this image Wuchang or not?"
Sun Ping immediately turned to Cao Xu, who gave a slight nod in confirmation.
Sun Ping burst into hearty laughter. "It appears Young Master Xiao is indeed a disciple of the Qingyang Divine Temple — there's no doubt about it."
To be able to project the image of a Southern Domain martial artist while also carrying the Qingyang gold token — there was really nothing left to suspect.
Yang Kai smiled. "In that case, may I stay?"
Sun Ping's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "There is one last question."
Yang Kai scowled. "Are you people done yet? I came here to help your Wenqing Sect, not to be interrogated over and over. Elder Sun, you've made things difficult for me again and again — what exactly is your aim? The Wenqing Sect may be formidable, but my Qingyang Divine Temple is nothing to be afraid of."
He was using the tiger's skin as a banner, throwing a fit right then and there. The martial artists standing nearby watched with their jaws on the floor, thinking that disciples from great sects truly were something else — not the slightest bit intimidated even on someone else's turf. Any one of them would never have dared do the same.
But Sun Ping simply smiled placatingly. "Young Master Xiao, please calm yourself. Don't be angry — we can discuss everything calmly and reasonably."
Yang Kai bared his teeth. "Old man, this is the last question! If you keep dithering, I'm leaving right this instant."
"Absolutely the last one," Sun Ping said solemnly.
Yang Kai's face was a mask of displeasure. "Fine. Ask."
Sun Ping said, "Young Master Xiao comes from the Qingyang Divine Temple, so presumably you are not lacking in cultivation resources. I can't help but wonder — why did you respond to our Wenqing Sect's recruitment summons?"
Yang Kai let out an arrogant laugh and began idly fanning himself once more. "Cultivation resources? I naturally have no shortage. To be blunt, I may not even think much of the generous offers your sect has put forward. However—" At this point, Yang Kai suddenly let out a sly chuckle, his expression turning positively lecherous, like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.