Yu Shangrong had never seen his master bow to anyone, ever. All these years, his master had been an existence that was lofty and looked down on all other lifeforms from above…Why was his master saying such words? His master’s words genuinely startled him. He immediately fell to one knee and rested his fists on the ground. His eyes were fixed on the ground as well. Although he felt much pride having his master salute him, he did not think he could take it.
Lu Zhou did not move. He looked at Yu Shangrong, who had fallen to one knee, as he stroked his beard and said, “Sometimes, unneeded pride will only hurt you.”
“It’s in a sword’s nature to be cold and arrogant,” Yu Shangrong replied. His eyes were still trained on the ground.
“Overconfidence is no different from being conceited, and conceit will blind you. Do you really think your sword skills are peerless?” Lu Zhou asked tonelessly.
“I don’t dare claim that,” Yu Shangrong replied in a low voice.
“No, you do.” Lu Zhou raised his voice.
When Lu Zhou raised his voice, they felt their hearts tightened. They did not even dare to breathe heavily. They were wondering how this great villain would discipline this disciple. They were curious about how he was going to discipline this genius swordsman.
“I dare not,” Yu Shangrong said in a low voice again.
“Stand up and speak.”
Yu Shangrong was slightly stunned. Based on his master’s previous temper, he should have been heavily punished. Why did his master suddenly change? He suddenly remembered what his Seventh Junior Brother said. There were 100 questions in his mind at this moment. He slowly rose to his feet.
Lu Zhou said, “Bring your sword here.” He did not wish to use Unnamed. He kept his right hand raised and waited for the sword.
The others exchanged glances. Zhou Jifeng was the only elite here who used a sword. If he did not even have a small amount of tact, he would have spent his time here in vain. He quickly drew his sword and placed it in Lu Zhou’s hand.
Lu Zhou raised the sword. The sunlight glinted off the blade.
“Since you call me your master, I want to see how much my disciple has improved.”
Yu Shangrong had a frightened expression on his face. He did not dare to unsheathe his Longevity Sword.
When Lu Zhou saw Yu Shangrong remained motionless, he cried out before he thrust the sword forward. He did not use his Primal Qi. His sword moved nimbly like a dancing dragon. Perhaps, it was due to the sword’s poor material, it seemed a bit brittle when Lu Zhou wielded it. However, it did not detract one from seeing how complicated and unpredictable his movements were.
Yu Shangrong’s expression grew darker. He could underestimate everyone but not his master. He had instantly recognized his master’s move. It was a skill from the Guiyuan Sword Technique, the technique he was most skilled in.
Retreat! Quickly retreat!
He reached for his Longevity Sword and swung it.
There was only one possible outcome from the clash between a heaven-grade weapon and a lesser weapon.
Swoosh!
Lu Zhou’s sword vibrated vertically and dodged the Longevity Sword at a peculiar angle. He loosened his grip. “Charge!” He sent the sword flying
Bam!
It was pinned onto the wall behind Yu Shangrong, barely half an inch from his neck. One move. His master had only used one move to defeat him.
The entire process took no longer than a few breaths. The magnitude of the difference between them was unimaginable.
Yu Shangrong had difficulty accepting this. His fingers tightened around the Longevity sword. His knuckles whitened.
Defeating Yu Shangrong with the sword meant crushing Yu Shangrong’s pride. There was nothing more effective than this. This was Lu Zhou’s objective all along.
Hua Wudao nodded as he said, “In terms of experience, the pavilion master is clearly superior. In terms of technique, it seems like the pavilion master is more powerful as well. Mister Second relies too much on his Longevity Sword. He thought that he could break the weapon, but he was wrong…”
Leng Luo said, “That’s not all. One has to be able to defy conventions with one’s weapon. A sword isn’t only a sword… At appropriate times, it can be a saber or a hidden weapon.”
Lu Zhou had used the sword as a hidden weapon by tossing it out. The problem was most cultivators controlled their weapons with Primal Qi. Hence, there was practically no chance for them to encounter such a situation. Indeed, Yu Shangrong had many combat experiences. He was no stranger to life-or-death battles. The only experience he lacked was fights of this kind. It was only normal that he was defeated.
After defeating Yu Shangrong, Lu Zhou placed his hands on his back and asked, “Is this your sword path?”
Yu Shangrong could not speak. He felt the attack earlier was full of openings. He had hundreds, even thousands of ways, to parry it, and yet, he chose the dumbest way. He knew that he would lose, but he never thought that he would lose in such a simple manner. His master was old and was using a crude weapon. However, his master had easily bested him even though he was in prime and was wielding the Longevity Sword. His master’s skills were clearly superior to his. Zhu Honggong exclaimed excitedly, “Your might knows no bounds, master! Your sword skills are unmatched! The… years…” Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the peculiar stares from the crowd. They looked at him as though he was a fool.
Yu Shangrong cupped his fists and said, “You’re right, master.”
“Ding! Disciplined Yu Shangrong. Reward 500 merit points.”
The reward was clearly higher than what Lu Zhou received from the other disciples.
Lu Zhou could not be blamed. Yu Shangrong was, indeed, too proud. He looked at the Longevity Sword and asked, “When did you attain the Eight-leaf stage?”
“I don’t remember.” Yu Shangrong gave it some thought before he said, “Almost a century, I think.”
The others were shocked upon hearing this. Yu Shangrong looked so young. The others were beside themselves with envy and admiration. Then, they looked at the members of the Old Age Pavilion.
Sigh!
Constantly comparing oneself to others would only make one angry. Hua Wudao felt most ashamed. In terms of appearance, he looked much older than Leng Luo and Pan Litian. However, he was only at the Seven-leaf stage. The Eight-leaf stage seemed like an unattainable goal to him at the present.
The others in the outside world said that the nine disciples of the Evil Sky Pavilion were amazingly talented. It seemed like it was true. They were reminded of the eccentric Miss Ninth, Little Yuan’er. She had only joined the pavilion less than six years ago. However, based on her progress, she would probably surpass her seniors in no time at all and become the strongest among them. Lu Zhou stroked his beard. He looked at Yu Shangrong. “Why aren’t you at the Nine-leaf stage?” He had asked this question after giving it considerable thought.
With Yu Shangrong’s talent, given 100 years, he should have attained the Nine-leaf stage.
Yu Shangrong replied, “I want to live.”
Lu Zhou remembered Gong Yuandu’s words. He mused, ‘Yu Shangrong and Yu Zhenghai are both Eight-leaf experts. Perhaps, they made the same decision.’
The death of Jing Yan from Cloud Shine Nunnery was a testament to how treacherous the Nine-leaf stage was.
“The Nine-leaf stage drains a person’s life… Are you deliberately suppressing your cultivation base like Yu Zhenghai?” Lu Zhou stared at Yu Shangrong. When Yu Shangrong heard this, he shook his head helplessly and said, “There’s no one in this world that can overcome the great limit. The Nine-leaf stage is nothing but a taboo set by the firmaments. Anyone who tries to break the taboo will have to pay with their lives. I knew this from the day I joined the pavilion… Master, why do you insist on stubbornly pursuing it?”
The others were shocked.
Lu Zhou was the only one who knew that he was only in the Dao-transforming Divine Court realm. However, in the eyes of the others, Lu Zhou was a bona fide Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm expert with an Eight-leaf Golden Lotus. It was only natural for him to pursue the Nine-leaf stage after all! These words… It sounded like the disciple was trying to dissuade his master from doing something futile. Why would anyone challenge the truth?
Lu Zhou frowned. “Have I ever asked for your feedback regarding my actions?”
“This disciple dares not!” Yu Shangrong addressed himself as a disciple again.
“Men,” Lu Zhou said.
Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng stepped forward.
“Take the Longevity Sword away!” Lu Zhou said.
Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng were speechless. Of the people gathered there, the two of them did not have high statuses, and they were young. Hence, it was only natural for them to carry out menial tasks. However, asking them to offend Yu Shangrong… Was this not akin to asking them to forfeit their lives?
