As soon as the flying boat officially began its return journey, Sect Leader Dongfang took Mo Yan and the other two to a quiet room that was well protected by defensive formations.

Looking at one, then the other, he eagerly asked, "Well, did you get the immortal weapon? Were you able to bring it out of the mystic realm?"

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

After several breaths passed, the room remained unnervingly quiet, with no one answering.

The sect leader and the third elder exchanged a glance, already sensing something was amiss.

"Sect leader, there was no immortal weapon at all this time."

Seeing Mo Yan and Zhang Yiyi remain silent, Zhang Tongtong had no choice but to speak up after a moment's hesitation, revealing the truth to the sect leader.

"What? No immortal weapon appeared?" Sect Leader Dongfang's expression froze in disbelief. It was hard to hide his disappointment.

After all, not a single disciple from their sect had been lost in this trip to the secret realm, and they had the greatest advantage in terms of strength.

Yet, things didn't go as planned, and no immortal weapon appeared at all. Everyone had ended up working for nothing.

It was no wonder these juniors were so reluctant to speak up.

"Oh, so there was no immortal weapon. Well, that's normal. After all, immortal weapons don't appear every time. The important thing is that the three of you returned safely. Compared to other sects that lost so many disciples, our sect was incredibly fortunate."

Sect Leader Dongfang's disappointment only lasted a moment before he quickly adjusted his emotions, comforting the group as much as he was comforting himself.

After all, immortal weapons weren't something you could get easily, like cabbages. Otherwise, there wouldn't be only two of them within their Yunxian Sect and Lishan Sect, even after thousands of years.

"Sect Leader, no need to comfort us. Although no immortal weapon appeared this time, my two junior sisters had some remarkable fortune. What they obtained might not be much worse than an immortal weapon."

Mo Yan's voice rang out neither too loud nor too soft. He glanced at Zhang Yiyi with undisguised disdain. "Come to think of it, Junior Sister Yiyi must hold some grudge against me. Otherwise, why would she rather help outsiders from other sects gain benefits than share any with her fellow senior brother?"

Sect Leader Dongfang immediately realized that some conflict must have arisen between the disciples in the mystic realm.

Mo Yan clearly had a serious issue with Zhang Yiyi, or he wouldn't have spoken so bluntly and harshly.

"What does this mean? Isn't it true that aside from immortal weapons, no other items can be brought out of the Luoxian River Mystic Realm?"

Sect Leader Dongfang, ever the sharp one, didn't lose his composure despite Mo Yan's insinuation of something comparable to an immortal weapon.

After all, he couldn't afford to offend the masters of either of these two young ones.

Even if Zhang Yiyi had obtained something incredible in the mystic realm, as long as it wasn't an immortal weapon, the sect wouldn't interfere with or seize a disciple's good fortune.

Moreover, at this point, it was still just Mo Yan's claim. The truth remained to be confirmed.

"Sect Leader, I had intended to report the events in the mystic realm to you at a later time. Since Senior Brother Mo has brought it up, we might as well clarify it now."

Zhang Yiyi remained calm and unaffected by Mo Yan's blatant provocation.

However, she had no intention of letting Mo Yan get his way.

Any information related to the bronze shard, even the tiniest detail, she wouldn't let Mo Yan catch wind of.

So, just as Mo Yan was subconsciously focusing on her to hear her so-called report, Zhang Yiyi deliberately paused and made a request: "Sect Leader, please have the others leave for now. What I'm about to say is not suitable for others to hear."

"Of course, if Senior Brother Mo is concerned that I might omit or distort the facts, he is welcome to report the events in the mystic realm from his own perspective later."

Tilting her head, Zhang Yiyi gave Mo Yan a faint smile, her unhidden defiance and rebuttal evident.

Their relationship had already become irreconcilable. Since he had slapped her in the face, there was no need for her to be polite.

Mo Yan's face turned green with anger, yet Sect Leader Dongfang pretended not to notice the tension in the room and deliberately ignored it.

Soon enough, the sect leader indeed followed Zhang Yiyi's request and, in an official manner, asked Mo Yan and Zhang Tongtong to step out. Even the third elder wasn't allowed to stay.

Sect Leader Dongfang could tell that Zhang Yiyi had gained something significant from this trip to the secret realm. Not to mention anything else, she had directly advanced to the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment.

This girl, whom he had once pitied for being limited by her spiritual roots, had suddenly broken free of the constraints of having three spiritual roots. Now, as the last disciple of a Great Ascension stage True Saint, she had risen to a level comparable to that of someone with Heavenly Spiritual Roots.

Regardless of anything else, this alone proved that she had a considerable fortune.

"Sect Leader, here's what happened."

With no one else around, Zhang Yiyi wasted no time and proceeded to tell Sect Leader Dongfang the story of the bronze shard, mixing truth with lies.

She truthfully recounted the events surrounding the bronze shard, including the conflicts that occurred before and after its acquisition in the secret realm, as well as the basic information her elder cousin had shared about the Yingtai Trial ground.

Given the sect leader's special status, he had the right to know about the existence of the Yingtai Trial to help prepare for the future development of the sect. This wouldn't negatively affect her.

The false part was that she attributed everything she knew to her master, thus keeping her promise and protecting her elder cousin's secret. She wasn't worried about the sect leader becoming suspicious.

Of course, she also objectively reported Mo Yan's behavior in the mystic realm, making it clear that there was no way she could coexist peacefully with him, let alone trust him as a reliable comrade who could have her back in life-or-death trials.

"Sect Leader, I chose the most suitable and advantageous companions for my own safety. After all, the trial grounds we will enter in the future are full of life and death. I'm not selfless enough to disregard my own safety."

Finally, Zhang Yiyi emphasized, "The bronze shard is merely a key for teleportation and not a celestial weapon. It is my own personal fortune. No matter who I choose to give the remaining keys to, I have not violated the sect's rules. I also ask the sect leader to keep this matter confidential. Otherwise, if Senior Brother Mo were to learn that I'd rather give the shard to outsiders than let him have one, he would only resent and blame me further."

After hearing everything, Sect Leader Dongfang was left speechless.

It really wasn't Zhang Yiyi's fault. If he were in her shoes, he also wouldn't want to burden himself with a troublesome companion.

Though Mo Yan was undeniably strong, his temperament and way of dealing with others left much to be desired. This trip to the mystic realm had exposed that fully.

Not only did he clash with Zhang Yiyi, but he also failed to fit in with the carefully selected team members she had gathered. It was only natural that he lost this opportunity.