By presenting his plan in public, Zhou Wuji won the praise of Abbot Zhihe and Zhichong from the Celestial Master Mansion, stealing the spotlight in grand fashion.
He certainly enjoyed receiving compliments, but he also kept his wits about him and never mentioned that Ghost Sword Xue Ying was involved in the background.
That information had come from an illegitimate source and was unfit to share openly.
Besides, Zhihe and Zhichong were seasoned veterans who could hardly fail to deduce as much themselves, so there was no need for him to meddle with uninvited reminders.
Zhichong took the matter deeply to heart. Accompanying Zhihe, he went to see the Yunming County magistrate to explain the situation.
Given the gravity of the stakes, the magistrate considered it thoroughly before giving his assent.
The crater was already quite deep, so digging an unadorned trench to divert the water was all that was required.
Mobilizing a few hundred corvée laborers, the work could be completed in ten to twenty days.
The earthly fiend qi at Wu Family Village was dense, and out of fear that malevolent spirits might emerge to harm people, experts from the Lower Court had to stand guard.
Wu Leng, Wu'ai, and several others were assigned to keep watch. Daoist Yiding arrived as well, in time to take charge of the encampment.
Out of camaraderie toward his fellow disciples, Zhou Wuji took the initiative to remind them to beware of Demon Sect evildoers, proposing that they erect an altar just in case.
With hundreds of laborers and abundant stone on hand, building a tall stone altar would not be difficult.
This suggestion likewise met with Zhihe's approval.
Though a formal altar of this sort fell far short of a divine temple, it was sufficient to gather spiritual qi into a domain and invoke Daoist soldiers to take up station, greatly augmenting their defenses.
Even if they ran into Rank Four or Rank Five Demon Sect experts, the disciples would be able to put up a fight with the aid of the altar.
Troublesome though it might be, it offered a guarantee of safety.
Once everything was arranged, Zhihe escorted Zhichong back to Yunyang that very day, with Zhou Wuji in tow.
Zhou Wuji was delighted by the arrangement. Staying behind at Wu Family Village was not only perilous but would mean braving the elements day in and day out, where even getting a decent meal might prove difficult.
The group rode back to Yunyang Prefecture on horseback. Zhichong lingered for half a day before rendezvousing with Zhishan, boarding a large ship to journey downstream together.
Having seen Zhichong off, Zhihe led Zhou Wuji back to the Lower Court.
Upon reaching the front gates of the Lower Court, Zhihe, who had remained silent throughout the journey, said to Zhou Wuji, "I consider myself fair in my conduct. If you ever have any difficulties, you may speak to me directly. I will see to it that justice is done."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Master Zhihua mentioned that your cultivation has already reached Rank Six.
"I will not grant you next year's quota for advanced study at the Upper Court. Instead, I shall personally submit a petition recommending you to the Upper Court for ordination and register conferral. How does that sound?"
Zhou Wuji clasped his hands in salute. "I abide entirely by the abbot's arrangements."
Zhihe smiled faintly. He knew full well that Zhou Wuji was full of ideas of his own and would hardly follow instructions blindly.
Previously, he had ignored Zhou Wuji because he wished to concentrate his efforts on nurturing disciples of the Yuheng lineage, unwilling to waste energy on members of other branches.
Yet after this affair in Yunming, Zhihe had discovered that Zhou Wuji possessed sharp strategic vision and deep shrewdness—truly an exceptional talent.
Toward such a figure, so long as the young man did not deliberately oppose him, he naturally owed courtesy in return.
Factional rivalry between lineages was one matter; dealings between individuals were another.
He had extended an olive branch, and Zhou Wuji had accepted it. The outcome was favorable.
With Zhou Wuji's intellect, he surely would not do anything foolish.
Zhihe added, "Next month, we are scheduled to hold a scripture debate with Golden Leaf Temple. Their Monk Yuanyi is said to have already attained Rank Six.
"In our Lower Court, you are the only one capable of matching him. If you can win the debate, I will teach you the Northern Dipper Seven Stars Steps.
"This is a true method of pacing the stars and stepping the Dipper, and it serves as the foundation of the Northern Dipper Seven Stars Sword."
Having spent a few days around Zhou Wuji, Zhihe had developed an understanding of him.
This dashing young Daoist was practical to the bone. If one wanted him to put forth effort, one had to offer sufficient incentives.
This was not unique to Zhou Wuji; most people were like that. The difference was that Zhou Wuji possessed genuine capability.
Yuanyi of Golden Leaf Temple advancing to Rank Six was indeed a thorn in their side.
As abbot, Zhihe could not step into the arena himself.
Among the disciples of the Wu generation under his wing, only Wu Leng had reached Rank Six.
Though her swordplay was superb, she lacked real combat experience and had only just broken through to Rank Six; pitting her against a Rank Six monk would place her at too great a disadvantage.
Having only recently taken charge of the Yunlong Lower Court, suffering a defeat at the hands of Golden Leaf Temple would deal a severe blow to his reputation and that of the court—an outcome he could not tolerate.
The Lower Court was bereft of talent, leaving only Zhou Wuji suited for the task.
Though the Northern Dipper Seven Stars Steps were profound, each lineage possessed a version of the inheritance, differing only in the subtleties of execution.
Since it was not a sword art, passing it to Zhou Wuji posed no harm. At the same time, it counted as doing him a favor.
After all, with a figure like this, there was no telling what heights he might achieve in the future.
Zhou Wuji felt a surge of joy. To think such a boon would come his way!
When he had sparred with Wu'ai, he had sensed that every step Wu'ai took seemed anchored to the Big Dipper, an exquisite footwork that far surpassed his sword technique.
Mastering the Northern Dipper Seven Stars Steps would be even more useful to him than the Tianji Sword.
Had the old Daoist Zhihe recognized his peerless talent and decided to invest in him ahead of time?
Regardless of the motive, it was a tremendous stroke of good fortune.
Cupping his hands, he said, "I will strive with all my might for victory, and I will not disappoint your expectations, Abbot."
Zhihe shook his head slightly. "Yuanyi is not yet thirty years of age, yet he is hailed as a natural prodigy in incantations. He has mastered a multitude of spells, and his cultivation is pure. He will by no means be easy to deal with.
"He had previously been in secluded cultivation, unknown to the outside world. I only learned of him through Senior Brother Zhichong.
"Magic implements are forbidden in this contest, and Buddhist monks hold an enormous advantage with their Vajra Incantation. Do not be careless."
In a contest like this, the Lower Court was undeniably at a disadvantage. Losing by a hair's breadth would only prove that both sides were evenly matched.
What the Lower Court wanted was not merely a victory, but an overwhelming triumph to crush Golden Leaf Temple, for only then could they firmly suppress them.
With both Wu Leng and Zhou Wuji, victory could be assured.
Zhou Wuji nodded earnestly, though he did not take the warning too heavily to heart.
With his current magic power and cultivation, he far outstripped ordinary Rank Six practitioners. Even without the White Rainbow Sword, it would hardly affect his prowess.
Returning to the stone cottage, Zhou Wuji found Daoist Yiping lounging inside to escape the heat. The old Daoist was delighted to see him back.
Inquiring about the situation in Yunming and hearing that Zhou Wuji had smoothed things over with the abbot—securing a transfer elsewhere by the New Year—Yiping became even happier.
Though he harbored grievances against Zhihe, he knew full well the abbot's authority; only by staying on good terms with him could one thrive in the Lower Court.
Zhou Wuji had gone out on a single trip and managed to establish good rapport with the abbot. Such skill and resourcefulness brought Yiping immense satisfaction.
Myriad Ghosts Cavern was a forbidden zone where ordinary people never ventured, and during the summer, the cavern stayed refreshingly cool, making it a perfect spot to idle away the days.
Zhou Wuji spent the next few days studying under Daoist Yiping, mastering tens of thousands of characters of snake-worm seal script.
His vocabulary had long surpassed Yiping's.
Yiping had merely studied it out of curiosity during his idle hours, and knowing a few thousand common characters was more than enough for him.
Whenever he encountered an unfamiliar glyph, he could look it up in reference tomes.
Zhou Wuji, however, possessed a formidable divine spirit sense; whatever he saw, he committed to memory.
Knowing tens of thousands of snake-worm seal script characters was not just about recognizing the shapes, but understanding the origin and meaning of every single word.
Only then could he accurately comprehend an entire text in snake-worm seal script from its context.
Zhou Wuji doubted Xue Gui had ever been so studious, nor had he possessed such a sharp intellect.
Reviewing the *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture* once more, he truly grasped its complete contents.
The *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture* was a foundational cultivation art. The methods it laid out were relatively basic and not exceedingly difficult.
The truly demanding part lay in the corresponding rituals, yet none were recorded in the text—evidently a precaution against the scripture falling into foreign hands.
Cultivating the *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture* developed profound yin true qi, which, directed through the spirit aperture, could condense a Samsara Seal capable of controlling ghosts externally and mastering one's own mind internally.
While the art could be considered profound, it inevitably reeked of sinister, spectral chill, falling far short of the magnificent, righteous aura of the *Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture*.
Considering that he might need to do dirty work in the future, and acknowledging that the Heavenly Ghost Sect's secret arts had their merits, Zhou Wuji decided to invest over two liang of primordial profound spirit.
As purple light unfolded, Zhou Wuji began cultivating inside the isolated miniature world.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Wuji opened his eyes, yet within the miniature world, he had practiced the *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture* for twenty years.
On the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, his *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture* was marked as "Novice."
It was not that the scripture was excessively difficult, but rather that the profound yin true qi clashed with his Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot true qi.
With his abilities, he could only rely on the Tianji Profound Yin Sword to simulate profound yin true qi and execute a few fundamental secret arts.
Zhou Wuji found it rather useless—his cultivation was wholly insufficient to reconcile the disparities between the two types of true qi.
He could not possibly abandon the *Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture* to pursue the *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture*.
Fortunately, it was sufficient to put on a convincing disguise.
A brilliant blue stellar flame flared across Zhou Wuji's hand, disintegrating the hide scroll that recorded the *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture* into glowing motes of light.
The Tianji Profound Yang Sword was exceptionally domineering, reducing destroyed matter to pure light without leaving a trace.
Zhou Wuji looked at the Soul-Calling Banner in his hand, which still housed a Rank Six ghost soldier. Xue Gui had lacked the talent to nurture a ghost general.
With his shallow mastery of the *Profound Yin Samsara Scripture*, Zhou Wuji was also incapable of commanding the ghost soldier.
Incompetent though Xue Gui had been, he had refined the Soul-Calling Banner with his own heart's blood, meaning Zhou Wuji could not easily take control of it either.
After turning it over in his mind, Zhou Wuji concluded it was enough for his needs.
All that remained was to wait for an opportune moment.
When night fell, Zhou Wuji slipped outside the Pacification Office, aligning himself with the Big Dipper star domain to observe Zhang Yunfeng using the stars as his eyes.
This time, Zhou Wuji dared not be careless. His experience in Yunming County had taught him that using the Dipper as his eyes might not detect higher-level cultivators.
If Zhai Jun discovered his presence, things would turn ugly.
Killing Zhang Yunfeng was as easy as turning his palm, and leaving no trace would not be difficult either; the crucial challenge was ensuring no suspicion fell upon him.
That was exceedingly tricky.
To be frank, a nobody like Zhang Yunfeng was not worth mentioning, let alone running the slightest risk on his account.
Zhou Wuji preferred to lurk outside watching Zhang Yunfeng day after day, biding his time in silence.
After several days of observation, once he had pieced together the Zhang family's layout, Zhou Wuji went directly to Zhang Yunfeng's residence to spy on him.
He waited patiently for several more days, until the fourteenth of the seventh month arrived in a flash.
Zhang Yunfeng was drinking at home when his attendant, Zhang Changyi, came to report. Zhou Wuji stood at the corner of the courtyard, concealed by the Five Yin Pouch, completely melting into the shadows without leaking a shred of his aura.
Zhou Wuji was barely ten paces from the window. At this distance, he did not even need to focus his spiritual sense to hear the conversation inside clearly.
"Second Master, that... Cui Ze is requesting an audience." Even within the privacy of the study, Zhang Changyi lowered his voice, speaking in muffled tones.
"What are they coming to see me for again? The new commandant has just assumed office. If he catches wind of them, they're dead, and they'll drag me down with them!"
Zhang Yunfeng sounded thoroughly annoyed before cursing, "Didn't I tell them already? Fang Boxiong went missing in Siming County, and Zhou Wuji was definitely the one behind it!
"If they have the guts, let them go kill Zhou Wuji! What use is pestering me all the time? Damn it..."
Zhou Wuji had not understood what the two were discussing at first, but hearing this, he suddenly realized that this Cui Ze was actually from the Yin-Yang Dao.
Back in Laocang Village, he had killed a Rank Six demon cultivator of the Yin-Yang Dao named Fang Boxiong, who had to be the Libationer they spoke of.
Hearing news of the Yin-Yang Dao piqued Zhou Wuji's interest. Those demon cultivators lurked in the dark, elusive and difficult to guard against.
Picking up their trail here would save him a great deal of trouble.
"Second Master, Cui Ze says their Grand Libationer has arrived as well and wishes to speak with you."
Zhang Yunfeng wore an exasperated scowl, yet he refrained from cursing further.
Anyone serving as a Grand Libationer in the Yin-Yang Dao had to be at least a Rank Five cultivator. Heretical though the Yin-Yang Dao might be, a Rank Five expert was not to be taken lightly.
After a moment's contemplation, he said to Zhang Changyi, "Go ask Third Uncle if he's free tomorrow night to accompany me to meet this Grand Libationer..."
Meeting a Rank Five Grand Libationer was fraught with peril; who knew what tricks the other party might play?
Yet refusing to meet was impossible. They had collaborated several times in the past, and the other side held leverage over him.
A Rank Five demon cultivator harboring malice posed far too great a threat. Reluctant though he was, Zhang Yunfeng had to meet the man and placate him.
Zhang Changyi hurried off and returned shortly after, reporting that Master Zhang was indeed free tomorrow.
"Go tell Cui Ze: tomorrow night at Old Du's Wine Shop in the east of the city, during the first quarter of the hour of the Dog..."
Chapter 131