Although Su Mo was clearly at a disadvantage, he wasn’t being completely suppressed. More importantly, his improvement was visible with every exchange.

The first time he faced Shen Kai’s punch, he had been sent flying.

Now, after only a short period of fighting, he was already beginning to adapt.

"What a terrifying learning ability."

Wu Haruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The White Moon Sect lacked many things. Talents happened to be one of them.

Immediately, he summoned a guard.

The man arrived quickly and cupped his hands respectfully.

"Sect Master."

Wu Haruto pointed toward Shen Kai’s residence.

"Who is fighting the Great Elder?"

The guard immediately answered.

"Sect Master, it is one of Elder Song’s guests."

"Elder Song’s guest?"

Wu Haruto raised an eyebrow.

His first thought was naturally the incident from the previous night.

"Could this be the person who repelled the attacker?"

"It should be him, Sect Master."

Wu Haruto nodded slowly.

A Golden Core cultivator capable of reaching such a realm despite his young appearance was already valuable enough. If the sect could recruit such a person, their strength would undoubtedly increase.

"I should find an opportunity to speak with him. If he can become an elder, he would be a great asset for the sect."

The guard hesitated before speaking.

"Sect Master, making him an elder directly might cause some dissatisfaction."

Wu Haruto frowned.

"Dissatisfaction?"

The guard hurriedly explained to make himself clear.

"Not because he is an outsider. The Great Elder himself was once an outsider. I merely think some elders might find his age difficult to accept."

Wu Haruto waved dismissively.

"He has reached Golden Core. Even if he is fifty or sixty years old, he would still be considered talented enough."

The guard’s expression became increasingly strange.

"Actually... he is younger than that."

Wu Haruto’s interest immediately rose.

"Oh? How young?"

The guard swallowed before answering.

"He appears to be around the same age as Young Master Wu Lao."

The room became silent.

Wu Haruto stared at the guard.

The guard stared back nervously.

Several breaths later, Wu Haruto finally spoke.

"Repeat that."

"He appears to be around Young Master Wu Lao’s age."

This time, Wu Haruto heard it clearly.

His eyes widened.

A Golden Core cultivator in his twenties?

For a moment, even he found it difficult to remain calm.

Such a genius would be considered a treasured seed even in the great powers beyond Frostspine Mountains.

Yet one had suddenly appeared in his own sect.

"I must see him."

Wu Haruto immediately stood up.

He wanted to verify it with his own eyes.

However, just as he took a step forward, something strange happened.

His body abruptly stopped.

The excitement on his face vanished.

His eyes became unfocused, as though his consciousness had drifted elsewhere.

The guard looked confused.

"Sect Master?"

No response came.

Several seconds passed before Wu Haruto’s eyes gradually regained clarity.

When they did, the excitement from earlier had completely disappeared.

His expression became calm, almost too calm.

The guard found the sudden change somewhat strange, but he didn’t dare question it.

Wu Haruto slowly returned to his seat.

"You may leave."

The guard blinked.

"Sect Master, weren’t you going to—"

"I have changed my mind."

His tone left no room for discussion.

"Also inform everyone that I will be busy for the next few hours. Unless the sect is facing destruction, I am not to be disturbed."

The guard immediately lowered his head.

"Understood."

After bowing respectfully, he withdrew from the room.

Once the door closed and the area became completely silent, Wu Haruto remained seated for a long moment.

Only after confirming nobody was nearby did he finally stand.

His footsteps carried him toward the study at the rear of the residence.

Upon entering, he walked directly to a seemingly ordinary bookshelf.

His hand pressed against a hidden mechanism.

A low rumbling sound echoed through the room.

The floor trembled slightly.

Then, at the center of the study, a concealed passage slowly opened, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.

An eerie aura drifted upward from below.

It felt cold, ancient and most of all unsettling.

Wu Haruto stood at the entrance for several moments without moving.

Then he took a slow breath and descended into the darkness below.

As the staircase swallowed his figure, the hidden passage gradually closed behind him, leaving the study as quiet as if nothing had happened.

---

Wu Haruto walked through the underground passage in silence.

The deeper he went, the colder the surroundings became.

The walls were rough and ancient, bearing countless marks left behind by the passage of time. Dim lamps embedded into the stone provided just enough illumination to reveal the road ahead, yet they could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere lingering throughout the tunnel.

More than once, Wu Haruto felt strange, eerie gazes land upon him.

They came from the darkness beyond the lamps’ reach watching him in silence.

An ordinary person would have long since been frightened out of their wits.

Wu Haruto, however, paid them no attention. His expression remained calm as he continued forward with practiced familiarity. This was clearly not his first visit.

After walking for several minutes, the narrow tunnel gradually widened.

The oppressive stone walls retreated, opening into a vast underground cavern.

A massive sinkhole high above allowed strands of sunlight to descend from the surface. Those rays illuminated the center of the cavern, creating a sharp contrast between light and shadow.

At the heart of that sunlight stood a strange tree.

Its trunk was enormous, requiring several people to wrap their arms around it. Countless roots spread across the ground like black veins, while thick branches extended outward in every direction.

Even the leaves were pitch black just like the entire tress.

From the roots to the branches, every inch of it seemed as though it had been carved from darkness itself.

The sunlight shining upon it failed to bring any warmth. Instead, it only made the tree appear even more unnatural.

Beneath the tree sat an old figure.