A few days later, Lu Zhiyun went out alone to buy groceries.
The streets of Mist City were abuzz with excitement, everyone discussing the recent Golden Core Realm qualifiers for the Sect Rankings.
She walked over to a small newspaper stand and picked up a copy of the *Cultivation Daily*.
The large newspaper was divided into several sections. The leftmost part of the first page covered major events across the continent, while the rightmost side detailed the latest policies of the Great Gan Dynasty. Only after flipping further back could one find local reports on Mist City and a fiction section.
‘Oh! *The Legend of the Heavenly Firmament Sect* updated again!’ the Sanqing Fairy’s voice echoed in her mind.
The fairy had read *The Legend of the Heavenly Firmament Sect* written by Lin Shu’s master, Master Jiang. The prose was excellent, the pacing was tight, and most importantly, the 300,000-year-old female cultivator character in the story resonated deeply with her.
It wasn’t that the character’s personality attracted her; it was purely the sense of inspiration it provided.
If a 300,000-year-old woman could find a young male cultivator, surely the Sanqing Fairy possessed similar charms!
“Fairy! That’s not important! The sect’s library has a full set of the deluxe collector’s edition. You can read it when we get back!” Lu Zhiyun reminded her.
Though she didn’t understand why such a thing had a collector’s edition, she supposed it counted as one of the sect’s achievements.
Lu Zhiyun flipped to the local Mist City news page and leaned down to read.
“On the first day of the Golden Core qualifiers for the Sect Rankings, contestant Chen Yin from the Heavenly Firmament Sect displayed a bottomless technique called the ‘Sunstone Spear Technique.’ It has completely shattered our stereotype of him being an honest and simple man. In the post-match interview, Chen Yin repeatedly mentioned a ‘mysterious Eldest Senior Brother,’ claiming he only realized this move under his guidance. However, we still have no news regarding the identity of this ‘Eldest Senior Brother’…”
“Ling Jie from the War Spirit Sect was unable to heal himself after the match due to complete spiritual exhaustion and had to be rushed to a clinic. When the elderly physician from Shennong Valley saw the various holes of different sizes on Ling Jie’s body, he shouted angrily, ‘Not this excuse again!’ and issued a stern warning that he shouldn’t play so wildly next time!”
“Today, the qualifiers for the Golden Core Realm continue. Since the contestants from the Heavenly Firmament Sect have completely changed their image, their win rate has reached a terrifying 100% survival rate. They are currently the sect with the highest survival rate, surpassing the Four Great Super-Grade Immortal Sects and leading by a wide margin.”
…
Lu Zhiyun let out a long sigh and put the newspaper down, her face pale with despair.
Seeing this, the Sanqing Fairy was puzzled. ‘What’s wrong, Xiao Lu? Shouldn’t you be happy that they’re winning so much?’
Lu Zhiyun gave a bitter smile. “Fairy, is it really right to win like this?”
‘There’s nothing wrong with it!’ the Sanqing Fairy laughed. ‘Since the competition doesn’t forbid these things, they clearly want everyone to do whatever it takes to win!’
‘And most importantly, even though it looks underhanded, if this were a real battle, I’d say it’s a brilliant move!’
The Sanqing Fairy understood Lu Zhiyun. After all, she was still young — just a 17- or 18-year-old girl who hadn’t seen enough of the world to understand the deviousness of others.
Back in the Primordial Era where she had lived, those old cultivators who ate people without even spitting out the bones wouldn’t show a hint of mercy when fighting over opportunities.
The Sanqing Fairy intended to give Lu Zhiyun some guidance. Perhaps this was a way to temper her character. Lin Shu had likely entrusted her to the fairy for this exact reason.
She began using the newspaper as an example. ‘Xiao Lu, listen to me. Putting Sunstone on a spearhead really isn’t a big deal!’
‘Look at this poison cultivator sister from your sect. Isn’t she just using poison — ‘
Halfway through her sentence, the fairy fell silent. The newspaper clearly stated: “Liyun, a poison cultivator from the Heavenly Firmament Sect, faced a cultivator with an immortal body immune to 100 poisons. She threw a handful of Firescale Powder at him. Once the opponent inhaled it into his lungs, she used a fire spell to ignite it, successfully blowing him into the air…”
Firescale Powder was colorless and odorless, with 10 times the explosive power of gunpowder…
‘Wait, that’s not right! You’re a poison cultivator, so just stick to throwing poison! Why are you throwing explosives?!’
‘An anomaly! That was an anomaly! Let’s look at this one. Han Qian, a sword cultivator from the Heavenly Firmament Sect, has mastered One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords… now this is impressive!’
The Sanqing Fairy was about to praise this genius who could achieve such a feat at the Golden Core Realm, but the next line read: “Halfway through the match, Han Qian pulled out an exquisite crossbow and fired tens of thousands of toothpick-sized flying swords in an instant. This ‘One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords’ sent his opponent crawling and rolling away.”
Is that how One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords is supposed to work?
In a strict sense, shouldn’t that be called “One Crossbow into Ten Thousand Swords”?
Seeing the Sanqing Fairy’s confusion, Lu Zhiyun explained, “Senior Brother Han said that the crossbow was forged using his original personal sword, so it can still be called ‘One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords’!”
‘…’
The Sanqing Fairy scratched her head, momentarily at a loss for words.
She suddenly felt that the cultivators from her era were like green recruits compared to these endlessly devious disciples from the Heavenly Firmament Sect!
“Fairy! I know you’re trying to persuade me, and it’s not that I can’t be flexible!” Lu Zhiyun said troubledly. “But after these qualifiers, haven’t you noticed something wrong?”
The Sanqing Fairy shook her head like a rattle, having noticed nothing.
Lu Zhiyun looked up and gestured for her to look around.
No one dared to step within a 3-foot radius of Lu Zhiyun. Pedestrians passing by were all whispering.
“Isn’t that the Heavenly Firmament Sect uniform? Careful, don’t get too close!”
“See that? That’s someone from the Heavenly Firmament Sect. Little child, if you keep crying, they’ll come and take you away at night!”
“The Heavenly Firmament Sect is here! Everyone, back away!”
…
“Hahahaha!” The Sanqing Fairy rolled around laughing in the mental space.
Lu Zhiyun didn’t have much of an opinion on her fellow disciples’ strange tactics, but she was deeply troubled by the aftermath.
Every time she walked down the street wearing her sect uniform, it felt like being a prisoner paraded through the town. The only difference was that she was free to go wherever she pleased.
She silently vowed that she would win using pure skill and not those incredibly shady moves!
‘The reputation of the Heavenly Firmament Sect!’
‘I will be the one to change it!’
***
Elsewhere, in a corner of the city where no one was looking, a new person had joined the street vendors.
“Come take a look! See for yourselves! Peerless armor specifically designed to counter those shady bastards from the Heavenly Firmament Sect!”
The one running the stall was none other than the Eldest Senior Brother of the Heavenly Firmament Sect, Lin Shu!
However, he had changed his appearance. Using the special ability of **[Camouflage]**, he had turned himself into a 15- or 16-year-old boy. His cultivation remained at the early Golden Core Realm, but his Grade 2 Golden Core made him look extraordinary, like a protégé raised by a rogue high cultivator.
Oh, and he was currently using the alias “Jiang Shu”!
Before long, several sect disciples gathered around. Judging by their uniforms, they were from the Grade 2 Chenyun Valley.
“Little brother, don’t just sell random things! The Heavenly Firmament Sect is a Super-Grade Immortal Sect. How could things forged by a rogue cultivator like you possibly defend against them?” the leading disciple teased.
Lin Shu waved his hand and smiled. “I might not be great at fighting, but you can’t find a single flaw in my defensive gear!”
Having said that, he pulled out a pair of sunglasses with a price tag of “500 spirit stones.”
“These sunglasses can withstand that Sunstone Spear Technique. They’re very practical! And it’s not just Sunstone; they can block any light. You can even wear them during your daily travel while flying on your sword!”
The Chenyun Valley disciple thought for a moment and said, “But isn’t it a bit late to sell these? Once a trick has been used, the Heavenly Firmament Sect will surely improve it!”
Lin Shu was prepared for this. He put down the sunglasses and took out a face mask. “That’s why we stay one step ahead! For example, this mask doesn’t just block light; it also protects against poison, gunpowder, and so on. It’s very practical!”
The mask was more expensive than the sunglasses, priced at “5,000 spirit stones.”
The disciples of Chenyun Valley were clearly tempted. They were scheduled to face the Heavenly Firmament Sect in their next match.
Even though they were all at the Golden Core Realm, the current fighting style of the Heavenly Firmament Sect could no longer be described as conventional.
Before the match, their elders had maxed out their medical insurance to avoid losing money on the qualifiers, fearing a situation like Ling Jie from the War Spirit Sect.
But the disciples of Chenyun Valley also had their pride. Why should they assume they would lose?
Yet, they had to defend themselves against those underhanded tactics.
“Fine then, little brother. Give me one first. I’m up in the next round!” The lead disciple decided to buy one as a test.
If the mask proved effective, they could buy more later. As the Eldest Senior Brother, he had to pave the way for his junior brothers and sisters.
“Coming right up!” Lin Shu handed one over briskly.
“Don’t worry! Satisfaction guaranteed!”
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