‘No, no, no, this won’t do. Haven’t I suffered enough in the past? Isn’t Second Junior Brother putting words in my mouth? I have to make things clear.’
Yu Zhenghai strode out of the crowd and continued walking until he arrived in front of the Preservation Hall. He bowed deeply to Lu Zhou and said, “Greetings, master.”
Lu Zhou wore an approving expression on his face. He walked down the steps of the Preservation Hall as he said, “The younger generation should be brave enough to challenge their elders so they improve. In this regard, all of you should learn from Old Third. Although Old Third isn’t as talented as all of you, he’s very hard-working, and he never complains. Although he doesn’t have your talent, fortune, or your intelligence, don’t be so quick to dismiss him. The world works in mysterious ways; you’ll never know who ends up the winner in life…”
Then, Lu Zhou changed the topic and said, clearly filled with expectations for his disciples, “The sun and the moon shine; the river and the sea are overturned. In front of the eastern mountain, everyone’s a hero. Old First, don’t disappoint me.”
Yu Zhenghai. “…”
At this point, did Yu Zhenghai still have a choice? The words hanging from the tip of his tongue were swallowed into his belly before he said, “I will work hard.”
…
Meanwhile, the four elders of the Evil Sky Pavilion did not seem surprised.
Ever since they returned from the Star Gathering Formation, they had been cultivating diligently. Their progress was rather fast; there was no doubt they had benefited from the Star Gathering Formation as well. By cultivating in there for a time, they had saved several years. Perhaps, when they were having a good day, they would follow in Yu Shangrong’s footsteps to ask for guidance.
At this time, Yan Zhenluo and Lu Li walked over and bowed to the four elders.
Lu Li had been spending a lot of time with the four elders recently, and he felt he had been brainwashed by them. Apart from that, he had spent a lot of time listening to Zhu Honggong brag about the Pavilion Master of the Evil Sky Pavilion while they were in the yellow lotus domain. Therefore, he thought this was a good opportunity for him to see how Lu Zhou taught his disciples.
“Right Envoy Lu, it’s good that you came to watch. Perhaps, there’s something we can learn. If it weren’t for our advanced age, who among us wouldn’t want to worship Pavilion Master Lu as master?” Pan Litian said.
Lu Li replied politely, “The ten disciples of the Evil Sky Pavilion are all outstanding; it’s only natural that I came to watch. Moreover, I want to have a look at the Pavilion Master’s techniques as well…”
“Very good, very good. Make sure you have a good look,” Pan Litian said with a smile.
At this time, Yan Zhenluo patted Lu Li’s shoulder and asked with a hint of amusement, “General Lu said that Pavilion Master resembles your ancestor. Is it true?”
Lu Li glanced at Yan Zhenluo from the corners of his eyes. If it were another person making fun of his ancestor, he would have beaten him up a long time ago. Nevertheless, since it was Yan Zhenluo, he replied, “I only saw the portrait once when I was young. I only vaguely remember it. Nobody’s allowed to enter Uncle’s study. However, when Uncle learned that I’ve joined the Evil Sky Pavilion, he showed me the portrait… Hmmm, I have to say they resemble each other a lot…”
“I was joking with you; don’t mind it. Speaking of, wouldn’t it be great if Pavilion Master gives us a few pointers?”
At this time, Meng Changdong, who had joined the group at some point, said, “Based on my understanding of the Pavilion Master, he’s very generous in regard to cultivation. When it’s over, you can ask him for advice…”
“You’re right.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
There were the rules of first come, first serve, and there was always a distinction between those who were close and those who were distant. It was not too late to ask pointers after Lu Zhou was done teaching his disciples.
…
The cultivators had a special arena to spar in the royal palace. It was much more spacious and comfortable compared to some sects.
Lu Zhou, who already arrived at the arena, nodded in satisfaction. There was no need to worry about outsiders watching the battle since everyone present was one of his own.
After inhaling deeply, Yu Shangrong moved to stand across from Lu Zhou.
When Lu Zhou saw the slightly nervous Yu Shangrong, he said, “Bring out the confidence you should have…”
Yu Shangrong took a deep breath and stood in front of Lu Zhou.
Yu Shangrong nodded. Perhaps, it was the trauma from his childhood; he had never been nervous when faced with other experts except for his master. He felt a little timid. However, his master’s words reminded him that it was not his style to lack confidence.
Lu Zhou said again, “Bring two wooden sticks over.”
“Yes.”
“…”
Yu Zhenghai could not help but take a step back. This feeling was a little familiar.
Although wooden sticks were not as good as real weapons, the spectators found it interesting.
Meng Changdong found two wooden sticks; one was given to Yu Shangrong and the other to Lu Zhou.
The master and disciple faced each other from afar.
Yu Shangrong glanced at the ‘sword’ in his hand and recalled that he had used a wooden sword back in the earlier days when he joined the Evil Sky Pavilion. His master only gave him a pass for his swordsmanship when he could keep his wooden sword from breaking. Naturally, that was just the basics. True swordsmanship had to be tempered with fresh blood before one could be considered an expert.
“Master, please.” Yu Shangrong tightened his grip around the wooden stick, and his nervousness was quickly dispelled.
Primal Qi began to surge.
Lu Zhou did not move. Instead, he placed one hand on his back.
At this time, Little Yuan’er waved her hand and shouted, “Second Senior Brother, you can do it!”
It was also at this moment that Yu Shangrong rushed out. Energy swirled around the wooden stick before forming a long and narrow energy sword.
Lu Zhou’s heart stirred slightly. He had never sparred with Yu Shangrong before since Yu Shangrong sprouted the 11th leaf. Yu Shangrong had also grasped the essence of Calm Disturbance and the swordless path. In terms of sword techniques alone, the current Yu Shangrong was far superior to the Eight-leaf Yu Shangrong of the past.
The energy sword arrived swiftly in front of Lu Zhou.
One sword.
Two swords.
Three swords.
The swords stabbed toward Lu Zhou. They were so fast that the others only saw the afterimages they left in their wake.
Lu Zhou who dodged to the side also left afterimages in his wake.
Since this was a sparring session and not a life-or-death battle, the movements and attacks were exceptionally pleasing to the eyes.
Every time Yu Shangrong brandished his sword, his sword would leave hundreds of afterimages behind.
Everyone was shocked by this sight.
Yu Shangrong calmly released thousands of energy swords.
Lu Zhou did not plan to use the Heavenly Writing Power or the supreme mystic power. Instead, he relied on his own cultivation to better understand Yu Shangrong’s cultivation.
At this time, Yu Shangrong suddenly moved in a different direction. The wooden stick in his hand buzzed and flew out. With that, tens of thousands of energy swords swept out horizontally like a wave.
Lu Zhou began to counterattack.
Return and Enter Three Souls.
Yu Shangrong was shocked. He held the wooden stick in front of him as he retreated.
Three figures swiftly turned into six, nine…
Bang!
A force knocked Yu Shangrong away; he felt a pain in his back. Before he landed, a figure struck his arm.
Swoosh!
Soon after, the wooden stick flew out of Yu Shangrong’s hand. He flipped in the air, trying to save the situation.
At the same time, a figure appeared above Yu Shangrong before bringing down the wooden stick.
Thump!
The wooden stick hit Yu Shangrong’s abdomen.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yu Shangrong’s wrists, shoulders, waist, and legs were all hit by the wooden stick that was swiftly increasing in speed.
Little Yuan’er winced and hurriedly raised her hands to cover her eyes. Then, she peeked from between her fingers. Due to the Supreme Purity Jade she cultivated, she could see the details most clearly among the people present.
Finally, the master and disciple came to a stop. One was on the left and one was on the right, facing each other from afar. It looked as though they did not move from their original positions at all.
Yu Shangrong, who was holding the wooden stick in his right hand, felt his wrist trembling slightly.
On the other hand, just like before, Lu Zhou held the wooden stick with one hand while his other hand rested on his back.
At this time, the energy seals had already dissipated.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
“It’s over?”
“I couldn’t see clearly… It’s really over just like that?”
“Your cultivation is too weak so it’s not surprising you didn’t see clearly. I didn’t expect Mister Second to be able to retreat unscathed. I’m afraid his swordsmanship has almost reached perfection…”
As soon as these words were said…
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The wooden stick in Yu Shangrong’s hand broke into pieces and fell to the ground. The cuts were neat, and the pieces were symmetrical.
A rustling noise rang in the air as roughly twenty cuts appeared on the front of Yu Shangrong’s robe while about thirty cuts appeared on the back of his robes.
“…”
Everyone was stunned.
‘Is this the scholarly and elegant Second Senior Brother? Why does he look more like a beggar now?’
‘It’s over! It’s over! Master is really a sadist! Second Senior Brother cares so much about his image, and yet, master didn’t spare him at all! Master is just as ruthless as he was in the past…’
Despite the various thoughts in everyone’s minds, no one dared to speak up.
Finally, Lu Zhou said, breaking the silence, “You’ve made some progress on the sword path. In fact, you’ve made a lot of progress. You deserve to be commended.”
When Lu Zhou lowered his arm, there was a small and hard-to-see cut on the sleeve of his robe near his wrist.
“Thank you for your guidance, master,” Yu Shangrong said before he turned to leave. He was in such an embarrassing state, after all.
“Wait,” Lu Zhou called out.
