Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, three months had gone by, and Lu Zhiyun had already broken through to the late stage of Qi Refinement.
Even for a cultivator with a single spiritual root, this would be the fastest possible pace, let alone someone like her with a mediocre triple spiritual root. For an ordinary cultivator, this process would have taken at least a year.
But Lu Zhiyun didn’t feel she was especially gifted. After all, she had indeed put in the effort.
Every morning at the crow of dawn, she would get up early to practice swordsmanship with Senior Brother Lin Shu, comprehending the sword intent and Sword Heart he spoke of.
At noon, she would take the initiative to visit Martial Aunt Lin Yingxue at Shuiyun Peak for a fresh meal, training her poison resistance and willpower.
In the evenings, she would go to the Library Pavilion to read up on knowledge of the cultivation world. Following Lin Shu’s recommendation, she first read “The Dao of Cultivation: Morality and Law” and “Regulations for Cultivators of the Great Qian Dynasty”.
Though she didn’t really understand the significance, Lu Zhiyun still did as instructed.
Thinking of this, Lu Zhiyun put down her pen, recalling the instructions her senior brother had given her that morning.
“Come with me tomorrow for some experience training. There’ll be some disciples from other sects joining us, but don’t worry about it, just treat it like having some fun.”
“At your age and with your current cultivation, there really aren’t that many tasks you can take on. Just do your best, and learn whatever you find useful!”
Lu Zhiyun analyzed these words and gave a dismissive smile.
Just have fun?
This Evil Cultivator was really underestimating her!
If it really were a simple training trip, there’d be no need to emphasize all that. Clearly, the Evil Cultivator was inadvertently revealing the real task—giving the disciples from the other sects a bit of a warning.
Combined with what she’d learned in the Library Pavilion over the last three months, Lu Zhiyun realized the Evil Cultivator was telling her to avoid causing too much of a stir; secrecy was the first lesson!
How to instill the deepest fear in the others without violating the “Regulations for Cultivators of the Great Qian Dynasty” and “The Dao of Cultivation: Morality and Law”—that was her true trial for this trip.
The next morning, Lin Shu brought Lu Zhiyun early to Qingshan Town to wait for the other sect disciples.
Qingshan Town, located in the southeast of the Great Qian Dynasty, was a bustling little place where merchants came and went, the prosperity of the mortal world on full display.
But rumor had it that a Tiger Demon had been wreaking havoc in the outskirts lately, eating quite a few travelers and stirring up fear among the people. The County Office had no choice but to seal off the mountain and request help from the immortal sects.
The five supreme immortal sects were obligated to aid the Great Qian Dynasty, so naturally, they had to comply, offering rewards in the form of Contribution Points for disciples to complete the task.
Lin Shu carefully pondered the contents of the letter.
According to the County Office’s investigation, the Tiger Demon was likely at the Foundation Establishment stage, but no one was sure which part of Foundation Establishment.
If Lin Shu went alone, he could just walk in and slap the Tiger Demon to death. But this was a trial for the juniors, and Lin Shu was only the protector—he had to let them judge for themselves, and unless there was mortal danger, he couldn’t interfere too much.
“Senior Brother, they’re here!” Lu Zhiyun reminded him.
On the street, three young men and women walked together, chatting and laughing about something.
“Tianque Sect? Just got promoted to a supreme immortal sect, but at the end of the day, they’re still at the bottom!”
“Multirooted talents have a ceiling, don’t they? Aren’t the strongest in Tianque Sect all single-rooted?”
“Exactly! In the end, the cultivation world is still all about the single spiritual root!”
“Huh? That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Tianque Sect still has lots of awesome senior brothers and sisters.”
“Junior Sister Tong Yao, no need to hype them up so much. Just watch how I teach them a lesson this time!”
“Senior Brother! They…” Lu Zhiyun could hear it clearly, and now that she was from Tianque Sect, being mocked like that made her angry.
“It’s fine, it’s fine, the young ones don’t know any better. No need to take it to heart!” Lin Shu waved his hand, unconcerned.
Then he walked over and greeted them.
“Hello, fellow junior brothers and sisters! I am your protector, Lin Shu of Tianque Sect! This is my junior sister, Lu Zhiyun.”
The three, surprised by the sudden greeting, looked a bit uneasy. Did they hear what we just said?
“Oh! I…I’m Wang Zhiya, from Wanfa Immortal Sect!” Wang Zhiya said, straightening up a little as he mentioned “Wanfa Immortal Sect”.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Lin, Junior Sister Lu. I’m Ye Qing, from Tayun Immortal Sect.” Ye Qing pushed his glasses up; though his tone was polite, his eyes held a trace of disdain.
“Hello, Senior Brother Lin! I’m Tong Yao, from Broken Demon Mountain.”
The junior sister named Tong Yao was quite polite, but she didn’t greet Lu Zhiyun; instead, her gaze lingered on Lin Shu’s face.
Wanfa Immortal Sect, Tayun Immortal Sect, Broken Demon Mountain…
Lu Zhiyun blanked out for a moment—her senior brother never said all the disciples here today were from supreme immortal sects!
A triple spiritual root like her, training with these chosen prodigies?
This Evil Cultivator expected her to humble them? It was more likely they’d humble her!
Lin Shu glanced at the three’s attire. All of them wore ornate, exquisitely woven Daoist sect robes—anyone could see at a glance they held extraordinary status in their respective sects.
“Go change your clothes. That outfit is too conspicuous!”
Wang Zhiya didn’t understand: “Why is that? Senior Brother Lin, as cultivators who walk the righteous path, we should act openly and justly. It doesn’t matter if we stand out, does it?”
“Brother Wang, you just don’t understand Senior Brother Lin’s intentions.” Ye Qing smiled, glancing at Lin Shu and Lu Zhiyun’s plain outfits, then continued, “This time, Tianque Sect is leading. We should blend in a bit more!”
In other words—”Our clothes are too fancy; Tianque Sect is just jealous!”
The three supreme immortal sects had a long history, and their true disciples enjoyed far better treatment. Even the Daoist robes, which symbolized the Jin Chuan Identity, were extraordinary protective artifacts.
But if you went out training with so many treasures, how would you temper your Dao Heart?
Among the three, Wang Zhiya and Ye Qing refused to change, leaving only Tong Yao to go change into something plain and simple.
“Um! Senior Brother Lin! Is this alright?” Tong Yao spun in front of Lin Shu, dressed in a plain white suit.
“It’s fine!” Lin Shu smiled.
Seeing Lin Shu satisfied, Tong Yao also smiled shyly, leaving Wang Zhiya and Ye Qing to mutter, “Hmph~ What matters for a cultivator is cultivation, not looks!” and other such complaints.
“This time, you’re on your own for the task. I won’t interfere at all!”
With that, Lin Shu handed them a map and the mission letter’s instructions.
Since they needed to work as a team, a leader had to be chosen. Wang Zhiya volunteered, and since no one objected, the job fell to him.
Soon, the group set off immediately for the Tiger Demon’s lair.
At the mountain gate, Lin Shu pursed his lips, staring at the endless mountains as if deep in thought.
Just as they were about to enter, Lin Shu, strangely, did not follow.
“Senior Brother Lin, as the protector, shouldn’t you come up the mountain with us?” Ye Qing asked.
Normally, a protector should conceal their presence and stay close by at all times—that was a proper protector.
“No need, it’s perfectly safe here. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you…” Lin Shu smiled.
As the group walked into the mountains under Lin Shu’s gaze, they kept grumbling along the way.
“This is way too irresponsible! What if we run into danger?” Wang Zhiya complained.
They were from the supreme immortal sects, but they were all only at Qi Refinement. The Tiger Demon was at Foundation Establishment. What if it had underlings?
“Maybe he’s just not strong enough and lacks confidence?” Ye Qing shook his head.
“Huh? No way. Senior Brother Lin seems really reliable!” Tong Yao defended Lin Shu.
“Then why is he making us go alone?” Wang Zhiya was confused. “Junior Sister Lu, what does your senior brother mean by this?”
It was the first time they’d spoken to Lu Zhiyun, and it was to interrogate her.
But Lu Zhiyun remained calm. Her mind was clear—she’d figured it all out.
From “changing clothes” to “refusing to accompany”—she had already guessed Lin Shu’s intent.
She glanced at Wang Zhiya and Ye Qing’s ornate robes, then at Tong Yao’s plain clothes, and said slowly, “It’s simple! We’re not going to run into the Tiger Demon at all!”
“What?” The three of them were shocked.
Lu Zhiyun didn’t explain further, just shook her head.
What wasn’t obvious about it?
With you two idiots dressed so brightly, the Tiger Demon would be blinded before it even saw you. The badges of the supreme immortal sects were stamped right on your chests.
Unless the Tiger Demon was as stupid as you two, why would it ever show up?
Tong Yao seemed to understand and whispered, “Um… senior brothers, maybe it’s because of your clothes…”
Wang Zhiya didn’t believe it; Ye Qing fell deep into thought.
Under Wang Zhiya’s lead, the group searched the mountain for two days and nights but still found nothing. Frustrated, they had no choice but to return.
When they met Lin Shu again, Wang Zhiya looked dejected.
“Um… Senior Brother Lin, we didn’t find the Tiger Demon!” Wang Zhiya said softly.
“I know!” Lin Shu nodded.
“It was our mistake. We’ll change clothes and go back up the mountain in a couple of days. This time we’ll definitely succeed!” Ye Qing admitted his error.
To be a disciple of a supreme immortal sect required not just pride, but also the courage to admit mistakes.
Tong Yao and Lu Zhiyun stood by quietly, saying nothing.
Lin Shu blinked. “What does this have to do with your clothes?”
The four were all stunned.
“Didn’t Senior Brother Lin have us change because the Tiger Demon wouldn’t show itself if it saw us dressed like this, so he felt safe letting us go up?” Wang Zhiya’s mind was blank.
Lu Zhiyun was dumbfounded. Had she misunderstood the Evil Cultivator’s intention? That couldn’t be right!
“I did feel at ease, but not because of your clothes! There never was a Tiger Demon in these mountains to begin with!”
Lin Shu pulled a map from his sleeve, showing the layout of Qingshan Town.
“You didn’t even realize you were holding the map backwards?”