Ji Fengxing continued muttering to himself in the Fair Hall. He was oblivious to the emotional roller coaster ride that the monastery master, Xia Changqiu, had gone through.
Xia Changqiu turned to look at Ji Fengxing who was still mumbling and cleared his throat before he called out, “Fengxing.”
“Monastery Master!” Ji Fengxing started when he snapped back to his senses.
“What did you say?”
“I was saying the old senior might be… truly unparalleled,” Ji Fengxing answered honestly.
Xia Changqiu retorted, “Watch your tongue. There are many experts in this world. Who can be truly unparalleled? You’re too young and know too little. You must remember there’s bound to be someone greater and more powerful than we are.”
“I will remember that.” Ji Fengxing could not say anything to defend himself. After all, he was not very popular in the past. No one really trained him for many years. He was only accepted into the monastery because of Wuwu, who was from the same village as him. After entering the monastery, he became an outer disciple. He had dreamt about roaming the land with his sword and becoming an elite swordsman. He had no parents so he counted himself lucky for being accepted into the Thousand Willow Monastery. If the monastery master, Xia Changqiu, was willing to teach him, he was willing to listen.
Xia Changqiu looked at Ji Fengxing and said, “How’s your relationship with that old mister’s disciples?”
“We’re friends… I guess.” After saying this, Ji Fengxing’s face flushed slightly red when recalled the difference between their cultivation bases. It seemed like he was being rather… shameless.
“That will be all. Work hard in cultivating. If you have any questions, you can come to me,” Xia Changqiu said.
“Understood!”
Shortly after Ji Fengxing left, Tian Buji who had led Lu Zhou and the others to their rooms finally returned to Fair Hall. He saw Xia Changqiu pacing around with a deep frown on his face. He stepped forward and asked, “Monastery Master, you’re unwilling to go to the Ninth Temple?”
Xia Changqiu sat down and hit the chair’s armrest before he said, “Do I have a choice?”
“In my humble opinion, there should be no problem with this trip” Tian Buji glanced outside as he said, “The old senior must be a Nine-leaf cultivator… The kind that isn’t ordinary.”
Xia Changqiu looked at Tian Buji in confusion.
Tian Buji said, “Monastery Master, indeed, the Ninth Temple is a powerful force, but it’s obvious the old mister isn’t easy to deal with as well. Since Zhu Xuan invited Yu Zhenghai to the Ninth Temple, this means the Ninth Temple has no intention of making more enemies. Moreover, it has been a millennium since Sikong Beichen last made an appearance. If I may be blunt, there’s a chance Sikong Beichen might have gone on to the afterlife. Even if he’s alive, how many years does he have left? If they had any brains, they wouldn’t make more enemies. Instead… they’ll try to entice people to their side.”
Xia Changqiu grinned as he said, “You’re right, Elder Tian. Five days from now, let’s make a huge ceremony out of our visit to the Ninth Temple. We can use this opportunity to keep the Flying Star House in check as well… Send someone to clear the Flying Star House’s flying chariot away.”
“Understood.”
…
Inside the room.
Lu Zhou was prepared to meditate on the Heavenly Writing scrolls. He had exhausted some of his power during his fight with Fa Hua. He would need some time to recuperate. Perhaps, it was due to improvement in his cultivation base, the impact of his extraordinary power did not seem as great as it was before. Or perhaps, it was because his opponents had gotten stronger.
He thought about the armor. The starting point of the extraordinary power seemed to be the Nine-leaf stage. It could activate the armor. Now that his opponent was already at the Nine-leaf stage, would his extraordinary power rise again?
To gain the power to hear everything so that we can hear voices in all realms at will.
The Heavenly Writing scroll’s power of listening.
His extraordinary power flowed out and shrouded his surroundings.
After his cultivation base improved, the power of listening’s range had increased as well. Voices began to ring in his ears.
“That old man sure can put on a show. He does seem quite powerful. Even the monastery master has to show him respect.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. His disciple is a top-tier sword elite. He was capable of fighting Zhu Xuan on equal footing. The old man can’t be weak.”
He increased the extraordinary power, widening the range as well.
“That old mister has no eye for talent. To think he wanted to recruit that idiot Ji Fengxing. It’s the first time someone overlooked Miss Wuwu.”
“It’s not that simple. Didn’t you see the two young girls by his side? Those two girls followed him all the way here to the red lotus domain… Do you think they’re useless? Wuwu is talented, but she’s probably worth nothing compared to those two girls.”
“You have a point.”
The blue radiance on Lu Zhou’s ears glowed brighter as he used up his remaining extraordinary power.
Whizz!
The range of the power of hearing instantly covered the entire Thousand Willow Monastery and spread for dozens of miles out. From some corner dozens of miles away from Thousand Willow Mountain, he heard a sneaky voice saying, “Don’t spread this out. Go back and report this.”
He stopped using his power and opened his eyes. He walked to the window with his hands on his back and looked at the mountains at the back.
The mountains were quiet. Apart from the flying beasts circling in the air, there was nothing else. A light breeze parted the clouds and the fog lingering around the forest.
Lu Zhou did not see anyone. He stroked his beard as he began to pace in the room. “Someone’s keeping an eye on the Thousand Willow Monastery?”
Compared to the Ninth Temple, the Sky Martial Court, and the Flying Star House, the Thousand Willow Monastery was extremely weak. Who would pay attention to a weak sect?
“Are they coming for me?”
Lu Zhou had many trump cards he could use. He had two Deadly Strike Cards, which meant that he could confidently face two Ten-leaf cultivators. However, the five First Seats of the Ninth Temple were not weaklings. They were also veterans. Since he decided to go to the Ninth Temple, he had to prepare for the worst. Worst case scenario was if all the elites came at him at once. If his identity as a golden lotus cultivator was exposed, it was highly possible that the worst-case scenario would happen.
He opened the dashboard.
Merit points: 16,540.
‘Should I buy another one? I should be more prudent. It’s not easy to earn merit points right now.’
The people here would not worship him if they saw a golden lotus.
“Lucky draw.”
“Ding! Spent 50 merit points. Thank you for your participation. Luck: +1.”
‘Nice. Now I have 101 luck points. I have a feeling that I’m going to create a new record. For a former European emperor, this is an insult.’
“Lucky draw.”
“Ding! Spent 50 merit points and 102 luck points. Obtained Impeccable Card x2, Calm Disturbance.”
Lu Zhou felt this was a worthwhile draw with just the two Impeccable Cards alone. If he had purchased them, it would have cost him 15,000 merit points each. It was as despicable as a blood-sucking vampire.
Lu Zhou muttered, “Why does this lousy system need that many merit points?”
After complaining, he focused on the new item card, Calm Disturbance.
“Calm Disturbance?”
“Calm Disturbance: Contains a possibility of gaining a new sword path.”
Lu Zhou looked at the description. Without much thought, he said, “Use.”
The Calm Disturbance item card shattered. It dissolved into specks of starlight and swirled around him. When they subsided, he flexed his limbs. There were no changes; he did not feel different.
‘Well, it says there’s only a possibility of gaining a new sword path… So does this mean I failed? Fortunately, I got the Impeccable Cards. Otherwise, this would’ve been a loss.’
Shortly after, Lu Zhou returned to his position and resumed meditating on the Heavenly Writing scrolls.
If there were no accidents, he would be able to completely replenish his extraordinary power in five days.
…
Meanwhile, in Jiannan Circuit where the Ninth Temple was located.
On a balcony.
Zhu Xuan pointed at the main hall that overlooked the city and asked, “Sir, is everything to your liking here?”
Yu Zhenghai had been treated well since his arrival. His meals and accommodation were taken care of. Apart from being escorted when he went out, he lived like everyone else here.
Yu Zhenghai walked up to Zhu Xuan. With his hands on his back, he looked down and said, “If you’re sincere in seeking a collaboration, you should also invite the other First Seats to meet me. Otherwise, I’d feel ashamed of myself for living off you without giving anything in return.”
Ever since he arrived at the Ninth Temple, Yu Zhenghai had never met any one of the rumored five First Seats.
Zhu Xuan smiled and said, “The Ninth Temple isn’t lacking in funds. You can spend it however you like… Since I invited you here, it’s only natural that I’m sincere about working with you, sir. The First Seats of the Ninth Temple are of high standing, and they aren’t individuals whom you can meet on a whim. The Mystery Hall’s First Seat has just recently emerged from his cultivation in seclusion. I’ve already reported this to the higher-ups. First Seat Zhang said we can collaborate, but it has to be sincere.”
Yu Zhenghai repeated the word, “Sincere?”
“You’re from the golden lotus domain, after all. If the Sky Martial Court and the palace find out about this, the Ninth Temple would be caught in a difficult situation. Hence, the Ninth Temple wants to understand more about you and your sect. We need to know more about the golden lotus domain,” Zhu Xuan said.
Yu Zhenghai was not surprised that the Ninth Temple wanted to find out more information. After being in charge of the Nether Sect for so many years, how could he not see this coming? “What if I refuse?”
“You will tell me, sir… It’s getting late. You should get some rest. I’ll visit you again in a month.” Zhu Xuan turned around and left.
‘One month…’ Yu Zhenghai did not turn around. Instead, he remained on the balcony and looked down at the Ninth Temple.
