And He Still Expects to Be Let Out?

The Fourth Elder was dressed like a typical Confucian cultivator: an immaculate white robe, a paper folding fan in hand, walking with measured, steady steps. He was gentle with others, impeccably considerate in handling worldly affairs, and treated all disciples equally. "You'd best keep your distance from Old Nine. It's fortunate he disappeared recently, so he hasn't had the chance to corrupt you." "You must cherish the opportunity to learn from Yun Zhi. There is no future in learning from Old Nine." "The Sage said that a gentleman possesses five virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Old Nine does not possess a single shred of any of them. He swindles, cons, abducts, and cheats—there is no wickedness he won't commit. I've lost count of how many times I've had to fish him out of the Heavenly Prison." "Do you know what your master's signature sword technique is?" Lu Yang replied, "I heard Eldest Senior Sister mention it. It's called 'One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords.' When unleashed with full power, a single sword can spawn tens of millions of blades, blotting out the sky like dark clouds pressing down upon a city, sweeping through all opposition. After slaying the foe, the myriad swords converge back into one, unstained by even a single drop of blood." Back when Lu Yang heard Eldest Senior Sister's description, he had felt a deep yearning, believing there was no greater expression of a sword cultivator's dashing, carefree elegance than that. The Fourth Elder nodded. "Correct, One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords. Possessing a Sword Spiritual Root, Old Nine is indeed a rare genius of the sword. Few living sword cultivators can match his realm." Lu Yang found it strange. He couldn't shake the feeling that the Fourth Elder's tone held something... how could one describe it? Gritted teeth, shame at being associated with him, and bitter disappointment at unrealized potential? Something along those lines. Then he heard the Fourth Elder continue, "Once, Old Nine unleashed his sword technique, multiplying one sword into ten thousand, and sold all ten thousand spawned swords to the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce. Once he got the money, he used 'Ten Thousand Swords Returning to One' to recall them! If I hadn't stepped in to smooth things over with them and placate the head of the chamber of commerce, your master would still be locked up in prison right now!" Lu Yang: "..." His honorable master actually was locked up right now, which could be considered just deserts. "Also, have you heard of the spell Size Manipulation (Localized Edition)?" "I just heard about it from the Third Elder." "Don't speak of this spell's existence to anyone outside. The young disciples nowadays know nothing of it, but a hundred years ago, new recruits scrambled over one another to apprentice under Old Nine just to learn it." "Fortunately, Martial Niece Yun Zhi saw the big picture. She destroyed all the copies of the spell manual and kept only the original on the upper floors of the Scripture Pavilion. Thanks to deliberate concealment, no disciples clamor to learn that kind of spell anymore." The Fourth Elder wore an expression of deep lamentation. "Morals have truly gone downhill." Lu Yang didn't have the nerve to tell the Fourth Elder that he had actually wanted to learn it too. I'm sorry. I will reflect on my transgressions. The Fourth Elder's tone softened slightly. "Still, Old Nine does have his merits. At the very least, after he became Sect Master, our Dao Seeking Sect as a whole grew significantly stronger than before. Of course, that wasn't entirely his achievement alone—the eight of us played an immense role as well." Lu Yang couldn't quite tell whether the Fourth Elder was praising his master or praising himself. "By the way, why did you suddenly become interested in what kind of person Old Nine is?" Lu Yang laughed it off. "Nothing, really. I was just curious since I became Master's disciple without ever meeting him." "Curiosity is a good thing, but don't waste it on Old Nine. It's a complete waste." After asking three people in a row, Lu Yang had gotten a general grasp of what kind of person his master really was. And he still expects to be let out? ... The Heavenly Strategy Sect was situated on the eastern side of the continent, sprawling across a vast territory. Viewed from above, the sect resembled an inverted eight trigrams plate—a wondrous spectacle. The Heavenly Strategy Sect was serene and sparsely populated, like a secluded sect hidden deep within primeval mountains and forests—tranquil, yet eerie. However, the primary reason for the sect's quietness was that they had dismissed and dispatched their disciples outward to pay off debts, leaving scarcely anyone in the enormous sect. Cutting expenses while tempering their hearts in the mortal realm—it truly killed two birds with one stone. A shout shattered the peaceful silence of the Heavenly Strategy Sect. "Master! Master, I'm back!" Luo Bo sprinted into the sect and headed straight for his master. Hearing his disciple's shouts, the Heavenly Strategy Sect Master emerged from his immortal cave. "Good disciple, why have you returned so soon? Could it be you've found a way to pay off our debts?" Luo Bo panted, catching his breath. "N-Not yet! While traveling, I was doing fortune-telling and ran into a troublesome figure. I wanted to report back so the sect can be on guard!" "Sit down and take your time." Luo Bo steadied his breathing before speaking. "I traveled to Yanjiang Commandery. I was completely penniless at the time, so I wanted to do a few casual divinations to fleece some unlucky suckers for cash." "It just so happened that I ran into three Dao Seeking Sect disciples and one Moon Laurel Immortal Palace disciple—all prime fat sheep." "I originally didn't intend to read them seriously; I just meant to go through the motions. But to my surprise, one of them was extraordinary." "His name is Lu Yang. Though his cultivation isn't high—he's only just started cultivating—his future is utterly terrifying." The Heavenly Strategy Sect Master's eyes lit up. "You mean we should invest in him early, and when he strikes it big, he can help us pay off our debts?" Luo Bo quickly extinguished his master's terrifying idea. "No, no, no! I saw that Lu Yang's future is fated to be entangled in karma with multiple immortals!" "Entangled in karma with multiple immortals?!" the Heavenly Strategy Sect Master cried out in disbelief. Generally speaking, being karmically entangled with a single immortal made it all too easy for one's life and cultivation to be snuffed out. How could this Lu Yang share immense karma with multiple immortals and still survive? What the Heavenly Strategy Sect feared most was crossing paths with individuals weighed down by profound karma. It hindered transcendence; the heavier the karma, the harder cultivation became, and struggling to break free only caused the karmic threads to bind ever tighter. "That's not all! I also discovered that Lu Yang will spread the corrupt habits of the Dao Seeking Sect across the entire cultivation world!" The Heavenly Strategy Sect Master sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Why didn't you mention something so important earlier?! Compared to that, what does immortal karma even matter?! Karmic ties with immortals merely indicated that his future achievements would be extraordinary, but spreading the rotten culture of the Dao Seeking Sect meant there was something wrong in his head! "In short, we must do our best to avoid contact with the Dao Seeking Sect—especially that Lu Yang. The further away from him, the better!" Suddenly, the Heavenly Strategy Sect Master's expression changed. "Master, what is it?" "An exceedingly overbearing aura is flying toward our Heavenly Strategy Sect! I fear the visitor harbors ill intent! Activate the grand array for defense at once!" Making a swift decision, the Heavenly Strategy Sect Master activated the sect-protecting grand array. The array nodes lit up like stars in the night sky, forming the shape of an eight trigrams plate. A colossal eight trigrams plate blanketed the Heavenly Strategy Sect, indestructible and impenetrable. Its eight directions were intricate and baffling, offering no clear exit; once trapped within, one could spend a lifetime's effort without ever unraveling the formation's mysteries. Countless Body Integration mighty figures had been turned away in frustration, and more than a few ill-intentioned Body Integration figures had been trapped inside until they died! This spoke volumes about the might of the Heavenly Strategy Sect's protective array! Yet upon seeing the Heavenly Strategy Sect activate its grand array, the newcomer showed no intention of pausing, arrogant beyond measure. Confronted by the intricate grand array, the visitor simply struck out with a single hand, shattering the array on the spot. Only then did the Heavenly Strategy Sect Master catch sight of the visitor's appearance: graceful and peerless, like a celestial deity, inviolable and serene. "Yun Zhi of the Dao Seeking Sect has come to pay respects to the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Strategy Sect. I request an audience." The Heavenly Strategy Sect Master turned pale. Speak of the Dao Seeking Sect, and the Dao Seeking Sect arrives!