“Get over here! Get rid of this fat corpse and his posse for me!” Yun Yang shouted. He had not glanced at Lu Yin and the others even once, as he had only been staring at Wang Dashauai this entire time.
Wang Dashuai sneered. “Grandson Yun, do you really have the guts to throw out Huaiyuan Gate’s new Gate Master?”
The fatty then stepped aside.
Yun Yang’s gaze slipped past Wang Dashuai, and he finally looked at Lu Yin and the several other people. “What are you talking about? The Gate Master? Guan Tong? He’s dead. He was a Redback, and he’s dead. You’re trying to trick me, you fat corpse.”
Wang Dashuai stayed silent, though he did have a sneer on his face as he stared at Yun Yang.
While Lu Yin was not happy that the fatty had used him in such a manner, he indeed wanted to cause some trouble. Wang Dashuai had assumed that Lu Yin wanted to put his foot down in a way that would force the Smokecloud Sect to offer Humility’s Gate more donations, but all Lu Yin wanted was the chance to slip away.
The best way for Lu Yin to make his escape was to find someone who could keep Cai Shu occupied. The bigger the mess, the higher Lu Yin’s chances of escape. The Smokecloud Sect seemed like the perfect target, especially when little overlord Yun Yang showed himself.
However, before Lu Yin could speak, Yun Yang’s expression changed the moment he saw Xia Taili. “Princess Taili? Why are you with Fatty Wang?”
Lu Yin abruptly choked on the words that he had just been about to speak.
Xia Taili waved a hand. “I’m just passing by, so don’t worry about me. Just do whatever you want, as it has nothing to do with me.”
Despite her words, Yun Yang grew nervous.
Xia Taili was not the same as Wang Dashuai. She was the princess of Shenwu’s Sky as well as Junior Progenitor Xia Shenfei’s little sister. Let alone Yun Yang, even if the Smokecloud Sect’s master were present, he still would not behave too casually towards Xia Taili.
Yun Yang glared at Wang Dashuai, but then he quickly smiled at Xia Taili. “Since Princess Taili is here, I won’t disturb the princess with a bad atmosphere. I’ll let the fat man go for now.”
Wang Dashuai grew increasingly more relaxed, and he sneered in an antagonistic manner that looked extremely rude.
Xia Taili frowned. “He’s got nothing to do with me, so just do whatever you want.”
She was eager to watch a fight, as she was hoping to see some fun. Unfortunately, regardless of her protests, there was no possibility of Yun Yang causing any more trouble. He was not stupid.
Xia Taili grew disappointed.
Lu Yin stepped forward and looked at Yun Yang. “Are you the person in charge of the Cloud Continent?”
Yun Yang frowned. He shot a glance towards the fatty, but then he noticed that the fatty was actually following this person, as was Xia Taili, which scared Yun Yang. “Might I ask who you are, your Excellency?”
“Huaiyuan Gate Master Long Qi,” Lu Yin casually replied.
Yun Yang was caught off guard. “You’re Long Qi? The Long Qi who’s the son-in-law of the White Dragon Clan’s main family?”
“That’s me.” Lu Yin stared at Yun Yang.
Yun Yang stared back at Lu Yin, still not quite believing the situation. “When did you become the Huaiyuan Gate Master?”
A smile spread across Lu Yin’s face. “It looks like your status isn’t sufficient, if you haven’t even been informed of this.”
Yun Yang frowned. “Historically, every single one of Humility’s Gate’s Gate Masters has been an Envoy. How could you possibly be a Gate Master, let alone the Huaiyuan Gate Master? You actually dare to pretend to be a Gate Master?”
“Idiot! Not even someone trying to die would pretend to be a Gate Master! With your stupidity, how were you ever put in charge of the Cloud Shuttle?” Wang Dashuai jumped forward and mocked Yun Yang.
Yun Yang felt that this was a valid point after a moment’s thought. He whispered something to his followers, looked at Lu Yin, and then casually asked, “Even if you are the new Huaiyuan Gate Master, I still don’t know why a Gate Master would visit my Cloud Shuttle. Do you want to visit the Higher Realm?”
Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back and looked as if he was inspecting something.
Yun Yang’s expression froze. “Is Huaiyuan Gate Master saying that my Smokecloud Sect has a traitor?”
Lu Yin laughed. “The Smokecloud Sect has more than a mere traitor.”
“That’s nonsense! You dare to slander my Smokecloud Sect?” Yun Yang shouted angrily.
Lu Yin calmly looked back at the youth. “If there are any, I’ll know after an investigation. As the Huaiyuan Gate Master, I have the authority to investigate the Cloud Shuttle, as well as the Smokecloud Sect.”
Yun Yang clenched his fists and glared at Lu Yin. He then looked at Wang Dashuai’s gloating face. Yun Yang took a deep breath and then sneered. “It looks like we have an unwelcome visitor today. Long Qi, I would like to remind you to not allow yourself to be used by others. While it’s not that you are not authorized to inspect, there are certain places that you should be careful of inspecting, as there are some consequences that you cannot bear. It would be best for you to first check with your seniors to see if you can even investigate my Smokecloud Sect.”
“Are you threatening me?” Lu Yin’s eyes grew cold.
Yun Yang sneered. “It’s just a reminder. You don’t want to be a Gate Master who’s replaced after just a few days, as that would be too embarrassing. That wouldn’t only humiliate you, but it would also humiliate the White Dragon Clan.”
“You don’t qualify to give me such reminders,” Lu Yin replied indifferently.
Yun Yang’s expression grew sharper.
Lu Yin looked elsewhere, where an old man was approaching them.
Yun Yang quickly stepped forward when he saw the old man. “Third Elder-“
The old man raised a hand to stop Yun Yang before he said anything and then addressed Lu Yin with a smile. “The Smokecloud Sect’s third elder greets the Huaiyuan Gate Master.”
Lu Yin nodded, though his hands remained clasped behind his back. “Those are easy words to say.”
Yun Yang was displeased with Lu Yin’s attitude, but the old man was unperturbed. “Gate Master Long has come today, and I assume it’s to familiarize yourself with the Cloud Shuttle. This old man happened to be free, so should I take Gate Master Long on a tour? If there is anything that you wish to see or any questions you may have, then please just speak. This old man knows everything about this place.”
Lu Yin felt helpless; he had run into a peacemaker. Such old people were the most difficult people to deal with, as they made it impossible to kick up any trouble.
While it looked like the day’s issues would stop at this point, the elder was still being respectful enough. “Then I’ll have to trouble the third elder to show us around.”
“It would be this old man’s honor,” the old man said with a smile as he gestured invitingly.
Wang Dashuai felt disappointed, and Xia Taili was even more frustrated, but neither of them had any idea that Lu Yin was the most upset one over this development. There was no possibility of stirring things up or making a bigger mess out of a minor conflict. At the very least, he would try and leave a poor impression on the other party, so that things would proceed smoothly in the future.
However, the old man showed such a pleasant attitude that Lu Yin would only embarrass himself if he continued trying to make a mess. What’s more, he felt that it would be highly unlikely for him to encounter Yun Yang the next time he came to visit the Cloud Shuttle. They were being careful so that the rookie Gate Master did not stir up too much trouble.
The Smokecloud Sect was able to endure despite the existence of the four ruling powers, so it was clearly governed by intelligent people.
Each of the floating clouds could carry at least dozens of people, and there were also larger clouds that were able to ferry hundreds or even thousands of people. The floating clouds spread into the distance, and there were countless people queued up to board them.
Lu Yin felt the urge to visit the Higher Realm as he looked at all of these people lining up.
He truly did want to visit the Higher Realm, but given his current situation, he could not make such a journey casually.
The third elder led the youths along, and they made their way from west to east. Whenever Lu Yin asked anything about the Smokecloud Sect, the third elder would immediately have the person in question answer Lu Yin’s question. No matter how small or petty the question was, the elder’s attitude remained perfectly respectful to the point where it was impossible to pick out any faults.
Lu Yin felt helpless, and he glanced over at the fatty, hinting for Wang Dashuai to find a means to start a conflict.
The fatty had a headache himself. He glared defiantly at Yun Yang, but Yun Yang restrained himself and completely ignored the fatty, which left Wang Dashuai utterly helpless.
“Third Elder, is everyone who wishes to enter the Higher Realm required to have their possessions inspected?” Lu Yin watched as a cultivator in the distance handed his cosmic ring over to a Smokecloud Sect disciple and then drip a bit of blood onto the ring. The disciple then emptied the ring and asked the cultivator some questions.
Elder Yun San smiled as he replied, “Yes. The four ruling powers are based in the Higher Realm, so no dangerous objects are allowed in.”
“What is considered a dangerous item? Cultivators typically carry weapons. Wouldn’t a weapon be considered a dangerous item?” Lu Yin asked.
The third elder explained, “No weapons or power vessels are allowed to be taken to the Higher Realm. If you want a weapon, then you must buy one after arrival, unless special permission is granted to a traveler. This is all done to ensure the safety of the Higher Realm’s youths. There are specific rules in place, and all of the weapons in the Higher Realm are manufactured by the four ruling powers. Those weapons are all registered, so every weapon can be tracked back to its origin.”
“It’s also quite normal for a cultivator to form a weapon from their star energy, so how would that be tracked?” Lu Yin continued his line of questioning.
The third elder explained, “Naturally, it’s impossible to trace such a weapon to its source. For the time being, all we can do is restrict the entry of outside weapons. There are many situations that we cannot affect. Still, we are improving our methods as time passes. There are rumors that the four ruling powers are working on developing some means of tracing the origins of star energy attacks, and once they are successful, any cultivator who enters the Higher Realm will leave behind traces when using their star energy.”
Lu Yin’s expression grew solemn, as this news defied all that he knew to be true!
For cultivators, fighting, absorbing star energy, releasing star energy, and creating a weapon out of star energy in self-defense were all common occurrences. And yet, the four ruling powers were restricting cultivators in order to protect their own youths. From Lu Yin’s perspective, this was not merely a means of protecting their youths, but rather a means of creating a greater disparity.
The four ruling powers were the most powerful organizations in the Perennial World, and their youths were naturally far more powerful than the other youths of the Middle Realm. There was no need for the four ruling powers’ youths to be protected through this method, so this was more of a means to highlight the status of the four ruling powers. The four ruling powers were the elite, and everyone else was considered lower class.
Lu Yin did not know who had formulated this plan, but if it was carried out, then it would lead to the formation of a strict caste system in the Perennial World. This would make cultivators who were not a part of the four ruling powers be more and more intimidated by the four ruling powers’ cultivators. The further things progressed, the less anyone would dare to resist.
“Would you happen to know who’s behind this rule that prohibits weapons from entering the Higher Realm?” Lu Yin asked.
Elder Yun San looked up and admiringly said, “Lady Bai Xian’er.”
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, and he looked over at Shang Qing. They both saw contemplation in each other’s eyes.
After quietly observing the inspections for a while, Lu Yin still found the matter of people turning over their cosmic rings for inspection to be quite bizarre. Personally, Lu Yin would rather not visit the Higher Realm than turn over his cosmic ring for someone else to inspect it. On top of that, there was also the matter of not being allowed to bring any weapons or power vessels.
Some of the people being inspected appeared indifferent, others looked angry, and even others were placative. The reactions to the inspections ran the gamut. There were also some weapons that were confiscated, and while some cultivators wanted to resist, they were all intimidated by the Smokecloud Sect. Thus, they could only swallow their objections.
None of the confiscated weapons would be returned.
“Hey, that person was taken aside and skipped being searched,” the fatty commented in surprise.
Lu Yin had noticed the same thing. There was an arrogant-looking middle-aged man. Not only had he been separated during the inspection, but he had also skipped the queue and been led straight to the front by the Smokecloud Sect’s disciples.
“Hehe, he’s an old friend of my Smokecloud Sect. Huaiyuan Gate Master should understand that procedures can be made convenient for certain people,” the third elder said with a smile.
