Chapter 574: Old Villain Ji, the Grand Cultivator

They were mildly impressed that the old Pan Litian was capable of coming up with such a logic. He was once the greatest elite in the Clarity Sect, after all, and was now an elder of the Evil Sky Pavilion. How could he not understand such a simple reason? The pavilion master was already at the Nine-leaf stage; why would he be sprouting new leaves now? The pavilion master was clearly not sprouting leaves, despite the familiar aura. It was likely that the pavilion master was attempting some novel technique!

The three elders finally averted their eyes away from the foolish Pan Litian and looked at the easter pavilion where Lu Zhou was in.

Zuo Yushu said, “500 years ago, everyone feared and respected me for being a genius cultivator of the Confucian school. At that time, big brother’s cultivation base wasn’t very profound yet. However, even then, I could tell that big brother isn’t someone destined for mediocrity. Then, 300 years ago, big brother climbed to the peak of the cultivation world as an Eight-leaf cultivator. As you can see, I have an eye for talent. The only regret I have is that I was young and dumb, and I missed the...”

“Hold it right there...” Pan Litian raised a hand. “We’ll leave reminiscing for another day.”

“Can’t this old woman recall the glorious days of her distant past?” Zuo Yushu said indignantly.

Pan Litian said, “Sure, sure, sure... Carry on.”

Leng Luo kept quiet. He merely looked at them pointedly. ‘It’s no wonder that you’re still a bachelor.’

With Pan Litian’s remarks, Zuo Yushu lost the mood to say what she wanted to say.

The four elders looked at the eastern pavilion again.

Everything was silent, and there were no other movements from the eastern pavilion for now.

...

Inside the room.

Lu Zhou looked at the Five-leaf Golden Lotus on his palm in satisfaction.

In the cultivation world, only those in the Nascent Divinity tribulation realm were considered fully initiated into the cultivation world. One-leaf to Four-leaf cultivators were all considered small-time cultivators.

From the Five-leaf stage onward, they were considered grand cultivators. In other words, from this moment on, Lu Zhou who had successfully entered the Five-leaf Nascent Divinity Golden Lotus realm was now a grand cultivator.

He clenched his fist and the avatar disappeared. He stood up, feeling rather pleased with himself. He looked at his surroundings for a moment before he finally went behind the screen to look at the parchment drawing on the table.

The map still showed all of Great Yan, like before. The lines were clearer even though the range was still the same.

“If what’s displayed on the parchment drawing has something to do with the Three Scrolls of Heavenly Writing, the next clue to find the other scrolls should still be in Great Yan.”

Lu Zhou sighed softly. He was still clueless when it came to his memory crystal. Similarly, his progress of searching for the Three Scrolls of Heavenly Writing, which were scattered all over the place, was at a standstill as well.

“You’re just a map that’s not even helpful in searching for the scrolls. What good would you do me?”

Lu Zhou walked away from the parchment drawing and left the room.

Creak!

Lu Zhou opened the door and crossed the threshold with his hands on his back. He stood in the eastern pavilion and looked down.

The four elders looked up at the same time and saw Lu Zhou standing at the top of the stairs in the eastern pavilion. They were stunned. They looked at him with wide eyes and a baffled expression on their faces.

Although Lu Zhou’s clothes, posture, and aura remained unchanged, his hair, the look in his eyes, and even his skin looked as though they had gone through a 180-degree change.

“Is that... the pavilion master’s younger brother?” Hua Wudao asked.

“I’ve never heard anything about big brother having a younger brother...”

“I suspect... someone’s impersonating him.”

“Impossible! Unless it’s a Ten-leaf cultivator, nobody would be able to slip past the pavilion master and four of us at the same time. And if he or she is a Ten-leaf cultivator, is there a need to impersonate the pavilion master?”

The four of them exchanged a glance. The final analysis made sense.

Zuo Yushu walked over with her Coiling Dragon Staff. Then, she bowed and said, “Big brother, you look... you look 500 years younger.”

Lu Zhou knew his younger appearance would certainly raise some questions in their heads. However... weren’t 500 years too much of an exaggeration? Although his cultivation base was only at the Five-leaf stage, he was not worried about the four elders causing trouble here. Even if the four elders joined forces and plotted against him, he could easily take them down with his extraordinary power and item cards. In any case, he was quite certain it would not come to that with the four elders.

Pan Litian cupped his fists and said, “You look spry, Pavilion Master. Surely, you must’ve had a breakthrough in your cultivation base.”

Hua Wudao chimed in, “Congratulations, Pavilion Master.”

Lu Zhou descended the steps with his hands on his back. He glanced at the four elders as he said, “The addition of a single leaf increases your lifespan by 50 years. I don’t even know how many years these nine leaves have added to my life.”

When the four elders heard this, they were moved. As expected, the Nine-leaf stage would be able to prolong their lives. Moreover, based on the pavilion master’s appearance, it was definitely not as simple as 50 years. Although they did not sense any particular intimidating aura from Lu Zhou, they dared not act recklessly.

Leng Luo cupped his fists and said, “Looks like the foundation of your Nine-leaf avatar is officially stabilized, Pavilion Master. I’m duly humbled. I’ll return to my cultivation now.”

“It’s about time for me to return as well.”

Hua Wudao and Zuo Yushu were not so shameless as to continue staying in the eastern pavilion as well.

Lu Zhou waved his arm and said, “Go.”

Leng Luo’s conclusion of him stabilizing his foundation was not unreasonable. There were three sub-realms in the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm: the Dao Primal, the Chaotic Primal, and the Whole Primal.

At the Two-leaf stage, Lu Zhou was in the Dao Primal sub-realm.

Now that he was in the Five-leaf Nascent Divinity realm, he was at the most stable Chaotic Primal sub-realm.

Lu Zhou was about to return to continue meditating on the Heavenly Writing scrolls when Mingshi Yin appeared outside the eastern pavilion.

“Greetings, master.”

“What is it?”

Mingshi Yin bowed and said, “Master, Princess Yong Ning’s recovery is nearly complete. I intended to let her stay here, but she insists on returning. Should we keep her here or send her away?”

Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he considered this. When he battled Emperor Yong Shou, Liu Ge, back then, Princess Yong Ning and Zhao Yue did not appear. After all, the two of them were from the Imperial family. It was best they avoided such an awkward situation. Since Liu Ge died, it was not unreasonable if they harbor some resentment in their hearts.

“We’ll respect her choice. Also, notify Si Wuya about this,” Lu Zhou finally said.

“Understood.”

Then, Mingshi Yin began to stammer as he said, “T-the second thing is E-eldest Senior Brother has... has sent a letter... he said... he said...”

“Hm?” Lu Zhou frowned.

Mingshi Yin started when he saw Lu Zhou frowning. He hastily said, “Eldest Senior Brother said he’s grateful for your help in intimidating the other forces outside Yan Province City. However, he asks that you refrain from meddling in his affairs in the future.”

“B*stard!” Lu Zhou cursed.

Mingshi Yin hurriedly chimed in, “Y-yes... T-that b-b*stard! How dare he talk to master in that manner! Master, you can do whatever you want. He’s only a disciple, and yet, he has the gall to complain. Ignore him. I’ll send a reply to reprimand him. I’ll teach him what it means to respect his master!”

Lu Zhou glanced at Mingshi Yin and said, “Since he likes to put on a tough act, let him be... I have no time to waste on him.”

“Please calm down, master.”

After doing some calculations, Lu Zhou discovered Yu Zhenghai had less than a month left. It would not be easy for him to conquer the Divine Capital.

Lu Zhou no longer troubled himself with Yu Zhenghai. Instead, he asked, “How’s Ye Tianxin?”

“She’s stable enough, but I feel that Sixth Junior Sister has lost many years of her life... I wonder if she can recover from this. However, it’s good enough that she’s still alive. I think that her mind is in a great place. She’ll be fine once she gets more rest. Should I summon her over?”

“No need.”

“In that case, I’ll write a reply to Eldest Senior Brother... I’ll make sure to properly lecture him in the letter. Leave it to me, master!” Mingshi Yin left the eastern pavilion respectfully after he finished speaking.

...

Nighttime in Yan Province City.

Yu Zhenghai stood with hands on his back, and his back was facing Hua Chongyang.

Hua Chongyang read a letter out loud, “Mister Fourth also says that you shouldn’t hold things against Senior Ji. He’s old, after all. Also, conquering the Divine Capital won’t be an easy task, and you should think things through before making a decision.”

Si Wuya smiled and said, “Fourth Senior Brother is an interesting character.”

Yu Zhenghai nodded. “Master must be angered by the content of my letter. However, I can afford to care about that now. Not with what lies ahead...”

“Eldest Senior Brother, isn’t it nice to have master helping us? Why...” Si Wuya could not understand Yu Zhenghai’s stubbornness. He knew that his Eldest Senior Brother wanted to conquer the world and that he had made many preparations as he worked toward this goal. Before this, his Eldest Senior Brother had been avoiding their master at every turn. It was good news for them that their master had given them six months and intimidated the two academies. Why was his Eldest Senior Brother?

Yu Zhenghai sighed. He waved his hand. “Stay here, wise brother. The others, leave.”

“Understood.”

They could tell Yu Zhenghai wished to keep the following conversation a secret.

The hall was silent and a gloomy atmosphere hung in the air when only Yu Zhenghai and Si Wuya were left.

Si Wuya did not say anything. He waited for Yu Zhenghai to speak.

After a long pause, Yu Zhenghai finally said, “I... I might not have long to live.”