"Nonsense. Those top experts—are you capable of killing them? Unless it's a general below Fourth Rank. But if you start killing indiscriminately, you'll expose yourself, and once you're exposed, you're finished. As for me, if I go to that Demon-Fiend Underpalace, I'd have to enter the high-level area for it to be effective. But those high-level areas are guarded by strong experts—if they spot me, I'll be exposed, and then they'll hunt me down. So your cultivation is just right. As long as you learn my technique, I guarantee you can move freely there, as long as you don't mess with the big shots." Phantom Elder rattled off a long string of nonsense.
Evan Yang understood perfectly: Phantom Elder’s own cultivation was too high—if he went in, killing the weak would be pointless, but killing the strong risked being discovered by the Fiend Palace. Evan, on the other hand, could kill the weaker ones and also use the Demon-Fiend Underpalace for training.
"Are you sure I can get in?" Evan asked, skeptical.
"Come on, my method is way better than just disguising yourself as an ordinary person," Phantom Elder said.
When Evan heard him mention disguising as an ordinary person, he realized Phantom Elder must have figured out his trick. But his disguise pill was supposed to be undetectable, so he asked curiously, "How did you know?"
"Your eyes. No matter how you disguise, if your eyes don't change, I can spot you. Besides, I'm a Phantom Sect expert—it's easy for me to tell if you've disguised yourself," Phantom Elder boasted.
"Alright, what’s the technique?" Evan said, a bit annoyed.
"Illusory Quad-Change," Phantom Elder replied.
"Illusory Quad-Change?" Evan echoed, skeptical.
"Watch closely." Phantom Elder smiled, then transformed right in front of Evan into a completely different person—even his aura changed, and not a single part of his eyes looked the same.
"You—!" Evan was stunned.
"This is the first transformation of Illusory Quad-Change—changing appearance. The second transformation is this." As he finished speaking, Phantom Elder turned into a giant rock right in front of Evan.
Evan felt something indescribable—a person could turn into a stone? It was unbelievable.
Then came the third transformation: plant.
The fourth transformation: spirit beast.
Evan’s eyes were opened wide—he could hardly believe it. "You can do all that?"
"Well? Interested in learning?" Phantom Elder grinned.
"It’s pretty impressive. But you wouldn’t teach me for free, would you?" Evan asked.
"Of course not. I haven’t taken a disciple in ages. From now on, you’ll be my pupil—how about it?" Phantom Elder said.
"I already have plenty of masters," Evan replied, speechless.
"So it’s nothing special. As long as you acknowledge me as your master, that’s enough," Phantom Elder said, smiling.
"Alright, what else?" Evan asked helplessly.
"You really know me, kid. Of course, I want you to ruin Fiend Palace’s reputation. And if possible, help me lure out Elder Liu so I can kill him. I mean lure him out, not do it alone," Phantom Elder said with a grin.
"Come on, senior, you’re way stronger than me. Shouldn’t this kind of job be easier for you?" Evan asked, feeling helpless.
"Forget it. The first transformation of Illusory Quad-Change—if your cultivation is above a certain level, they’ll sense my true strength. If I go, they’ll definitely notice me. Once I’m exposed, they’ll investigate to the end. Luring that old bastard out would be harder than ascending to heaven," Phantom Elder muttered.
"Are you sure you could kill him alone?" Evan asked, doubtful.
"Of course. As long as I use my artifact, dealing with him is easy. Besides, his artifact is already in my hands," Phantom Elder replied.
"Alright, I’ll learn. If I get the chance, I’ll help you lure him out." Evan wasn’t close with Elder Liu anyway, so he agreed quickly.
Phantom Elder smiled, then passed the technique on to Evan.
Evan was a cultivation prodigy—he mastered all four transformations in less than a year.