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Translator: Truth
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
If Tang Yifeng hadn’t gone too far, Yu Ganju would not have come to the Crimson Blood Sect headquarters in person.
Right now, Pang Zhen was feeling a massive headache coming on.
Forget Bing Zhou, there had never been a case where fifty recruits had been stolen from another sect’s recruitment ceremony in the history of Jiu Zhou.
That the victim was a Tier-Two sect was just the icing on the cake.
He had already anticipated the worst when he received Shui Yuan’s message and rushed here, but to his relief the situation was less complicated than he thought.
The sect master of the Three Sages School, Yu Ganju was the only one who had come to the Crimson Blood Sect’s headquarters. This alone was representative of the sect’s decision.
Therefore, it should not be difficult to solve this problem. It all hinged on the Three Sages School’s terms.
It took Pang Zhen a long time before he finally managed to persuade the sect master and Yu Ganju to return to the ground. After they had entered the guest hall, Shui Yuan and Lu Ye served the two sect masters a cup of tea. They were just about to take their leave when suddenly, Yu Ganju asked, “Are you Lu Ye Yi?”
Lu Ye shot a glance at Tang Yifeng. He only clasped his fist and saluted the sect master after he received permission to do so. “Well met, Sect Master Yu.”
Yu Ganju hadn’t held back one bit when he fought against Tang Yifeng just now, but now he was smiling warmly at Lu Ye. While stroking his beard, he said, “Good.”
That was it. He literally did not say anything else.
Confused, Lu Ye waited a moment longer before taking his leave. He then told Shui Yuan that he was heading to the Summit of Clarity and took off on his Spirit Boat.
Two hours later, Pang Zhen and Yu Ganju got ready to take their leave. Before they left, Yu Ganju looked at Tang Yifeng and emphasized, “It’s a deal then, Brother Tang.”
The Sect Master replied affirmatively, “A promise is a promise.”
“Goodbye.”
After the two men were gone, Shui Yuan walked up to him and asked with a frown, “Old man, Sect Master Yu looked rather taken with Lu Ye just now. Might he be a part of your deal?”
Lu Ye only had a vague sense that the sect master was interested in him, but Shui Yuan clearly knew better.
It was true that the Vanquisher of Sects was a household name right now, but Lu Ye was ultimately just a Spirit Creek Realm cultivator. On the other hand, Yu Ganju was both a sect master and a Divine Ocean Realm cultivator. He should not be this interested in a mere Spirit Creek Realm cultivator.
“The Three Sages School are facing considerable pressure in the Spirit Creek Battlefield as of late. They are hoping that your junior brother will visit their Outpost and assist them in getting through these hard times.”
Shui Yuan only looked more confused, however. “But Lu Ye’s infamy is at its height right now, and the Thousand Demon Ridge is surely going to attack him from multiple angles the second he enters the Core Circle. Aren’t they worried that it would only make their situation worse?”
The sect master chuckled. “This is where Yu Ganju shows his wisdom. Obviously, your junior brother alone isn’t enough to draw his attention. However, what do you think his fourth senior brother would do if your junior brother runs into danger in the Core Circle? And do you think Yuechan can stay put if Baxian decides to help Yi Ye?”
“I see. By inviting Lu Ye to their Outpost, they are indirectly recruiting the aid of the champion and the second runner-up of the Scroll of Supremacy. They didn’t even have to pay a Spirit Stone for it. It truly is a devious ploy.” Shui Yuan sounded a little frustrated. “But why did you agree to it? You should know Baxian’s circumstances in the Devoted Ones as well as I do.”
The Sect Master said casually, “Didn’t you say that Yi Ye bought two Point Restoration Pills for Baxian?”
Shui Yuan glared at the Sect Master after realization struck her. “You old people are all like this. This time though, I believe that you’ve made a mistake. If Baxian wanted to ascend to the Cloud River Realm, he would’ve done so already. Why do you think we haven’t heard anything from him yet?”
“Huh. You’re right. Now that I think about it, Baxian should have ascended already. Why don’t you message him and ask him what’s going on?”
“There’s no need. I already know the answer.” Shui Yuan sighed. “The short answer is, Baxian may not choose to ascend at this time.”
Tang Yifeng frowned and thought to himself for a moment. He was a smart man, so he quickly realized the mistake he made. Assuming Shui Yuan’s prediction was spot on, he definitely shouldn’t have agreed to Yu Ganju’s terms as easily as he had.
Meanwhile, the Outpost was a lot livelier than usual. Naturally, it was because the Crimson Blood Sect had welcomed fifty children into their ranks.
The children were given the best care under Gu Yang’s arrangements. A good number of cultivators were chosen to be their cultivation teachers as well.
At first, the kids weren’t able to accept or adapt to their circumstances. However, they gradually realized that the Crimson Blood Sect’s Outpost was a great place.
For starters, its World Spiritual Qi was easily the best in the entire Outer Circle. There were very few Outposts in the Inner Circle that could match its quality as well. One could say that its World Spiritual Qi rivaled that of a Core Circle Outpost’s.
It should be obvious why this was an attractive point for these cultivation greenhorns. They were already naturally gifted in the first place, and the Crimson Blood Sect Outpost’s cultivation environment was excellent. The combination would allow them to improve their cultivation at a rapid pace.
Besides that, their meals were fulfilling, their accommodations were satisfactory, and their tutors were either calm, handsome senior brothers or gentle, attractive senior sisters. They answered every question thrown at them and afforded them all the cultivation resources they needed.
No one could doubt that the cultivators of the Crimson Blood Sect treated them like their own children.
That said, their tests were as hard as their cultivation condition was excellent. Gu Yang had taken it upon himself to create a monthly test for the kids. Generally speaking, they were rated by the progress they had made compared to the previous month. Those who met expectations would be allowed to stay, but those who failed would be sent back to their homes.
They were the top fifty performers of the Three Sages School’s recruitment ceremony. It was bad enough that they were kidnapped by the Crimson Blood Sect, to be “returned” like they were spoiled merchandise because they weren’t good enough? Who in the world could swallow such humiliation?
That was why all fifty children focused on their cultivation after overcoming a short adaptation period.
There were even a handful of people who were pushing themselves to be their best so they could become the top ten best cultivators of their bunch when a year had passed. When it was time for the Vanquisher of Sects to test them, they would surpass his expectations, withdraw from the Crimson Blood Sect, and rejoin the Three Sages School right before his eyes!
Barring the exceptionally unfortunate, cultivators at this age generally hadn’t witnessed the worst humanity had to offer. Their minds were fairly simple, and they definitely hadn’t been involved in no-holds-barred battles where the combatants would use every trick in the book to kill the enemy. That was why one could say this period of their lives was also the most idealistic.
Lu Ye’s life was quite peaceful these days. Just like the last time he was at the Outpost, he studied the Way of Glyphs under Lady Yun during the day, and read his books while cultivating during the night.
Twenty days after he returned to the Outpost, the Thousand Demon Ridge’s compensation had finally arrived.
Nearly every sect who fought alongside Lu Ye had received a substantial amount of rewards. The entire Grand Sky Coalition was celebrating their windfall for a time.
Of course, the Crimson Blood Sect was no exception. As the sect to which the cultivator who had turned the entire Inner Circle upside down belonged, their portion of the rewards was much greater than the other sects.
The Low-Grade Spirit Stones they received alone numbered five hundred thousand. They had also received a lot of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, High-Grade Spirit Stones, and all kinds of Spirit Pills that were beneficial to one’s cultivation.
At the headquarters, Lu Ye was having trouble digesting the list of resources he just received. The sheer amount of items on the list was boggling to say the least.
He knew that the Crimson Blood Sect would receive a handsome reward, but this? This was practically kingly.
“You’re the reason we got these resources. Therefore, you should be the one to spend them,” Shui Yuan said beside him.
Lu Ye returned the list of resources back to Shui Yuan and said, “Are you kidding me? I don’t think I could use them all even if there are ten of me. Just leave it in the treasury. Our disciples are only going to grow more numerous in the future, and so will our expenses. These resources might look a lot right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we ran out sooner than we think.”
“In that case, I shall keep them for you.” Shui Yuan nodded before asking casually, “Have you messaged your fourth senior brother as of late?”
“No, not recently. Did something happen to him or something?”
“No, no, I’m just asking. What would you like to eat tonight?”
“I’m fine with anything, senior sister. Everything you make is delicious.”
Lu Ye returned to the Outpost after enjoying a delicious meal at Shui Yuan’s place.
“Brother Lu,” someone called out to him almost immediately after he finished his teleportation. Lu Ye turned around and saw that it was Chen Yu.
“Is something up?”
Chen Yu had clearly been waiting for him for a while.
“You can say that.”
“Let us talk as we walk then.”
The two of them exited the Sanctum of Providence together, soft moonlight basking their bodies in a gentle glow. The sky looked quite beautiful tonight.
A while later, Chen Yu said, “Brother Lu, I would like to apply to enter the Inner Circle.”
Chen Yu should have entered the Inner Circle a long time ago. It was the same for Hua Ci. Lu Ye was part of the reason they had delayed their departure until now.
After the shitstorm Lu Ye had caused in the Inner Circle, there wasn’t a single Thousand Demon Ridge sect out there who didn’t dream of eating his flesh and drinking his blood so to speak. That was why Chen Yu didn’t dare to take his leave. It wasn’t because he was worried for his safety. He stayed because he was wary that the Thousand Demon Ridge might try to attack the Outpost. He was not comparable to Lu Ye, but he was still an Eighth-Order cultivator. The Outpost could definitely use him if the unthinkable were to happen.
However, it had been almost a month since the incident, and the waves Lu Ye caused had finally subsided somewhat. That was why Chen Yu judged that it was time to go.
“You sure you can bear to give up such an excellent cultivation environment? The Inner Circle sects might not necessarily have better conditions than our Outpost.”
Chen Yu let out a bitter chuckle. “Of course I loathe to leave the Outpost, Brother Lu. However, it really is time I head out and earn the Contribution Points I need. When I hit the Ninth-Order, I’m going to need to purchase a Heaven-Grade cultivation technique to ascend to the next minor realm. If I have not earned enough Contribution Points by then, then I would be severing my own future, would I not? No, it would be a mistake to greed over the present. That is not what I desire.”
“Every sect cultivator has to take this step anyway. To be honest, I never imagined that I would have come this far. If I was still an independent cultivator, then I would’ve been satisfied with just reaching the Ninth-Order and leading a stable life. But now, I want more!”
“It is a good thing to strive for more. Have you considered which sect you wish to visit?”
“No, I don’t know the Inner Circle too well. I was just about to consult you about this.”
Lu Ye thought for a moment before asking, “Do you want to be safe, or do you want to be aggressive?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you want to be safe, then you can head to the Silverlight Island Outpost. Their cultivators sometimes come to train at our Outpost, do they not? If you head there, they will definitely take good care of you. Plus, all Thousand Demon Ridge Outposts close to their location had already been defeated. The risks you face will be lesser if you head there.”
“Sounds good, but less risks also mean less rewards, no?”
“If by rewards, you’re referring to Contribution Points, then yes.”
“In that case, I would like to go somewhere else.”
“I’ll arrange it.” Lu Ye nodded. “I’ll ask Beaky to fly you over.”
“No thank you, Brother Lu. I’ve been hanging around the Crimson Blood Sect’s Outpost since I began my cultivation journey, and I have never gone too far. Now that I’m an Eighth-Order cultivator, I’m capable of flying via telekinesis. I would like to explore the world and see it with my own eyes.”
“It’s your life. It’s your choice.” Lu Ye stopped in his tracks and patted Chen Yu on the shoulder. “You are the second person to leave the Crimson Blood Sect Outpost after me. Be careful, and try not to reveal your origin if at all possible. I’m sorry for putting all of you in danger.”
