“Amazing! Amazing!”
Thunderous applause erupted from the scene, and the Cultivators found their eyes welling with tears.
It was clearly just an ordinary Audition Match for the Sect Ranking, yet everyone was moved by Lu Zhiyun’s resourcefulness.
Perhaps… this was the Tianque Sect’s last bit of conscience!
For a moment, public opinion of the Tianque Sect began to improve. However, it did not take long before a voice suddenly rose from the crowd.
“Do you think this might be a tactic by the Tianque Sect? You know, to make everyone let their guard down first…”
Everyone fell silent, contemplating the possibility.
After all, the Golden Core Realm Audition Matches for the Sect Ranking from a few days ago were still fresh in their minds. The honest folks of the Magic Tool Department had been upright for years, only to completely transform into devious schemers this year. They had caught everyone off guard.
It could be called the greatest Disguise of the current age!
With the Foundation Establishment Stage juniors being so honest now, it was hard for them not to suspect whether there was some new conspiracy brewing behind the scenes.
“It is also possible… and I am just saying ‘possible’!” someone suggested. “Could it be that this Lu Zhiyun feels she does not even need to use those tricks to beat us?”
“Is that not a good thing? She is not using those dirty tricks!” someone questioned.
“Good thing, my foot! I already ordered people to forge armor! If she does not use those moves, will my money not be wasted for nothing?”
“Exactly! I pulled out all the stops for my disciple’s insurance. If he walks off the stage without a single scratch, will that not be a total loss?”
“Maybe she is mocking us! She does not even need to use her real skills to fight us!”
“What?! So that is what Lu Zhiyun meant?”
…
The crowd discussed fervently, while the person in question, Lu Zhiyun, had already stepped down to find her Senior Brother and Senior Sister!
As soon as she reached them, Lin Shu praised her, “Well done! You used Alternating Hot and Cold to make the metal armor brittle, allowing you to shatter it in one blow. A brilliant method of defeating the enemy!”
“Hehe! You flatter me, Senior Brother!” Lu Zhiyun let out a rare, wide grin.
“However, this move only works against low-grade Magic Tools. Ordinary high-grade ones cannot be handled this way,” Lin Shu reminded her.
“Mhm! Zhiyun will keep that in mind!” Lu Zhiyun nodded obediently.
The Three Pure Immortaless excitedly pulled Lu Zhiyun over and asked, “Little Lu, Little Lu, how did you come up with that move?”
Lu Zhiyun thought for a moment before saying nostalgically, “When I lived in that ruined temple, I got thirsty in the middle of the night and planned to boil a bowl of hot water. But the snow was too heavy, and I had nowhere to go to get water.”
“So, I could only use a broken bowl to hold the melted snow and wait for it to boil. Unfortunately, while it was heating, the fire burned a hole right through the bowl!”
“In the end, the fire was put out, and I did not even get my water. I was so angry I nearly died! Haha!”
After speaking, Lu Zhiyun realized that the others around her had gone silent. She realized her words might have dampened the mood.
Just as she was about to speak, the Immortaless pulled her into a tight hug.
The Three Pure Immortaless had tears streaming down her face. “Waaaah! Little Lu, you poor child! How did you survive such hardship? I will definitely be good to you from now on!”
Lin Shu smiled thinly and reached out to wrap his arms around both of them. “There, there. It is all in the past! Things will get better from now on!”
Lu Zhiyun smiled, a feeling of secret joy filling her heart.
This was wonderful!
If only the Immortaless were truly the Immortaless, and not a fragmented soul;
If only Lin Shu were truly Lin Shu, and not the Evil Cultivator Senior Brother;
If only Lu Zhiyun were truly Lu Zhiyun, and not an undercover agent investigating Demon Cultivators…
Then this moment would be perfect!
“Let’s go! Let’s go home!” The Three Pure Immortaless sniffled and laughed without any regard for her image.
“Mhm! Let’s go home!” Lu Zhiyun laughed.
Watching the two figures walking ahead of him, Lin Shu felt as if he had forgotten something.
‘The Immortaless, Junior Sister, and me… everyone should be here…’
‘Forget it… I should not overthink it!’
‘Today’s conclusion was perfect enough!’
***
A few more days passed, and the events for the Sect Ranking and Rogue Cultivator Ranking concluded one by one. Next was the Top 108 Knockout Tournament.
The contestants who entered this Top 108 Knockout Tournament could freely choose their advertisement spots based on their points.
The points were determined by how quickly they defeated their opponents, their moves, their techniques, and other factors.
Because the Tianque Sect had been inexplicably underhanded this year, they occupied almost all the top positions in the rankings.
As for Lin Shu, his persona “Jiang Shu” had also entered the Top 108 Knockout Tournament for Rogue Cultivators. However, to avoid unnecessary attention, he chose to control his score, keeping his rank slightly lower.
After all, there would be opportunities to snatch the primary advertisement spot later; he was in no rush.
In the Golden Core Realm of the Rogue Cultivator Ranking, many talents had also emerged. Currently, the person with the highest points was a girl named Shen Miaoyu, who excelled in Musical Spells.
With a gentle pluck of her pipa, the large strings rattled like splashing rain and the small strings hummed like whispers, easily allowing her to control her opponent’s mind.
It was difficult not to associate such moves with the Chengong of the Shenyuan Sect. Some losers even reported her for being a member of the Shenyuan Sect.
Unfortunately, after the Wu City General Yamen posted her official certification as a Dispersed Cultivator, the matter was dropped.
At this moment, inside a small residence.
Shen Miaoyu was playing a tune, tempering her cultivation.
At the tea table, Elder Qin — the man who had been the carriage driver — was brewing tea for a guest.
If a high-ranking official from Wu City were present, they would easily recognize the guest as Li Sanyou, the Chief Constable of the Wu City General Yamen.
Li Sanyou took a sip of tea and said, “This Saintess of your Shenyuan Sect is truly showy! She was almost recognized!”
Elder Qin chuckled. “Being showy is good. We need to build a reputation. This time, we are here to manifest the prestige of our Shenyuan Sect!”
“Moreover, what kind of evil sect would dare to participate in this kind of competition so brazenly?”
Li Sanyou nodded. “True! That person who reported her was just a blind cat running into a dead mouse. He simply made a wild guess because he could not win!”
Elder Qin stroked his beard. “You have done very well this time. I will mention your efforts to the Sect Leader!”
“Thank you, Elder Qin!” Li Sanyou stood up and cupped his hands in a respectful bow.
“It is too early for thanks!” Elder Qin smiled slightly. “Once the matters in Wu City are successfully concluded, this will be your initiation tribute. At that time, you will be able to join my Shenyuan Sect and learn our sect’s Chengong!”
Li Sanyou thanked him again.
The only reason he did all this was to join the Shenyuan Sect.
If one were to ask if there was anything wrong with the Nation of Great Qian, there really was not — except that the laws were too strict.
Since he entered the imperial service, he had been diligent for thirty years. He had status and power, but his belt was pulled too tight.
While Great Qian did not explicitly forbid officials from having multiple wives, it forbade the forceful abduction of women or the seizure of other men’s wives.
But Li Sanyou happened to enjoy exactly those things…
After hearing that the Shenyuan Sect’s Chengong could confuse the mind and control another’s Primordial Spirit, he felt a deep yearning for it.
Once he learned that technique, he could obtain everything silently, and no one would be able to find out afterward.
Thus, he had exhausted his efforts and spent a long time before he finally managed to stumble upon this hidden connection.
Now, he was finally nearing the end point of his dreams!
As he drank his tea, his eyes burned as he watched Shen Miaoyu playing the pipa. He felt that the young girl was as dazzling as crystal, and he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper…
Elder Qin waved his hand, pulling Li Sanyou’s thoughts back. He turned to Shen Miaoyu and said, “Restrain yourself. He is an elder, after all. You cannot be so rude!”
Shen Miaoyu stuck out her tongue. She had already sensed that man’s filthy thoughts through her technique.
Realizing he had lost his composure, Li Sanyou felt embarrassed and looked for a random topic. “I heard that your noble sect has taken the lead in the Rogue Cultivator Ranking. I wonder how you plan to choose the advertisement spots?”
Li Sanyou knew a bit about the Shenyuan Sect’s plan. According to Elder Qin, they intended to sell that “thing,” turning Wu City into a city of calamity overnight.
However, since they were only at the Top 108, the advertisement spots were not big enough yet, and the Shenyuan Sect could not make their move just yet.
“Do not worry, Big Brother Li! This young lady has her own arrangements!”
Shen Miaoyu gave a faint smile and pulled out a sheet of yellow paper covered in the arrangements for the advertisement spots.
Li Sanyou took it and looked through the densely packed words to find their origin.
“A gambling den?”
Seeing Li Sanyou’s confusion, Shen Miaoyu explained, “Humans will always have material desires. Where there are material desires, there is greed.”
“Simply put, some people who have eaten their fill will dream of reaching the heavens in a single step, leading them to take desperate risks.”
“Using desperate gamblers to sell this ‘thing’ is the most suitable method!”
Shen Miaoyu’s logic was simple: open a large number of gambling dens, make the gamblers lose everything, and then extend an olive branch when they have no other options.
She would tell them that as long as they helped her quietly promote the product, their debts would be wiped clean.
Low risk, high reward!
Anyone would know how to choose!
Shen Miaoyu understood human nature very well!
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