Number One of the Younger Generation!

"This is information I learned only after verifying through various channels. The power of national destiny touches upon an extremely high level, not something you should know right now. All you need to know is that using the power of national destiny can eliminate karmic backlash!" Qiu Jin'an admonished everyone. Their cultivation levels were too low; they were not yet qualified to know such secrets. This was something only Tribulation Transcendence cultivators knew. Had he not been the master of an immortal sect, even he would not have known about the existence of the power of national destiny. Lu Yang nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed. The power of national destiny is something held by the imperial court's immortals, related to Dao fruits and one of the immortal methods. Those sheltered by national destiny are immune to all poisons, invulnerable to all illnesses, able to instantly erupt with tremendous combat prowess, and it also possesses the property of causing forgetfulness. Even the Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yu Dynasty is wary of the power of national destiny, not daring to openly show himself and oppose it!" Qiu Jin'an froze for a moment. Why did it feel like Lu Yang knew even more about this than he did? Was this the knowledge reserve a Golden Core cultivator was supposed to have? Recalling his own Golden Core days, he had only just learned that an ancient nameless figure had refined the Star Continent. As for concepts like immortals or Dao fruits, they were utterly foreign to him. Back then, he would occasionally train in mystic realms restricted to the Golden Core stage, which had merely been left behind by Nascent Soul or Soul Formation cultivators. Furthermore, the power of national destiny had that property of causing forgetfulness; he himself was unaffected only because of a treasure bestowed by the imperial court. How had this brat Lu Yang not forgotten it? Qiu Jin'an pondered for a moment and decided not to pry too deeply. There were far too many incomprehensible things about the Dao Seeking Sect anyway; Lu Yang was just one more to add to the pile. For example, he had never figured out how, in such a vast world of cultivation, nine scourges like the Nine Scions of the Dao Seeking Sect had managed to gather together in the first place. Perhaps it could only be explained as birds of a feather flocking together. "After learning this news, I went to the Dao Seeking Sect to look for you. That bunch of old slackers at the Dao Seeking Sect told me you had gone to Huangzhou's Corpse Driving Sect, so I rushed over without pause to inform you, just in time to run into a Great Yu Body Integration cultivator making a move on you." Qiu Jin'an wore an expression that practically said, *Luckily I got here just in time.* Lu Yang gave Qiu Jin'an a sidelong glance. What "just in time"? The Fairy had already told him that this elderly gentleman had been trailing behind them watching the show the whole way. The commotion from the battle between Qiu Jin'an and True Monarch Mengtian had been enormous, and the officials from Hanshui City quickly rushed to the scene. Judging by the disturbances from the fight that the combatants possessed extraordinary cultivation, the highest-ranking official dispatched from the city was likewise at the Body Integration stage. "So it is Fellow Daoist Qiu." The official from Hanshui City clearly recognized Qiu Jin'an, bowing respectfully with hands cupped. As an imperial official, recognizing the masters of the Five Great Immortal Sects was basic etiquette. After all, the five sect masters wielded powers of supervision and law enforcement; they were a razor-sharp blade. There had even been an incident in the past where Daoist Buyu openly broke the law, and seeing how prominent Daoist Buyu was, an official attempted to bend the rules and cover for him. Who would have thought that Daoist Buyu took offense and reported the matter directly to Emperor Xia, resulting in that official being punished. Daoist Buyu was likewise thrown into jail for his crime. When that incident happened, the court and the public were dumbfounded. From then on, no official dared bend the law for personal favors—or at least, never in front of the Five Great Immortal Sects. After all, there was a ruthless madman like Daoist Buyu who would send even himself into prison. "And you are...?" Qiu Jin'an did not recognize the newcomer. "I am the Huangzhou Sima, An Ping." "Ah, so it is Lord An." Though they had never met, Qiu Jin'an still put on an expression of sudden realization, as if he had only just remembered. "From within the city, I saw towering flames soaring into the sky and great suns suspended overhead. Might Fellow Daoist Qiu be willing to disclose what took place here?" "Just now, I encountered a Great Yu Body Integration cultivator. I exchanged blows with him, and he was defeated within two moves, fleeing in panic. "From the information he disclosed, the recent plague of ghosts in the city was his doing. However, it is still unknown whether he has accomplices." Lord An's expression turned grave. This was no small matter. The ghost disasters plaguing the city were a top-priority concern; they had always suspected the Nine Nether Cult was responsible, but now it appeared to be the work of Great Yu cultivators! "Could Fellow Daoist Qiu discuss the details with the provincial governor?" Qiu Jin'an smiled. "I happen to have matters to discuss with the governor as well." "That is wonderful. And who might these young fellows be?" "These three are Dao Seeking Sect disciples. The one leading them is Old Scoundrel Buyu's youngest disciple." Upon hearing Lu Yang's identity, Lord An felt a sudden surge of solemn respect. He was a rising star of the newer generation; back when Daoist Buyu was active, he had not even been born yet. Essentially, he had grown up listening to legends of Daoist Buyu, and he knew what a stroke of sheer bad luck it was to end up as Daoist Buyu's disciple. "This one is a disciple of the Corpse Driving Sect. As for this drowned ghost and the unconscious mortal woman, they are involved in insurance fraud and are about to be handed over to your custody. They also have an accomplice named Liu San in Baishui Village." Without Lord An needing to utter a word, his subordinates took the drowned ghost and the unconscious Huang Zao'er into custody, while others rushed off toward Baishui Village to arrest Liu San. The subsequent matters would not require any further involvement from Lu Yang and the others. "Hold on a moment," Lu Yang said before they departed. Then, under everyone's bewildered gazes, he reached his hand toward the dried-up cold pool. A continuous stream of salty water gushed from his sleeve, refilling the pool. The water pumped out of the cold pool had been stored inside the Village in the Palm all along. Lord An was astounded. How old was Lu Yang, and he had already learned Universe in the Sleeve? Seeing Lord An's stunned expression, Qiu Jin'an clapped his hands and laughed. "Surprising, isn't it? Just earlier, Lu Yang even fought a Great Yu Body Integration cultivator who had dispersed his cultivation to start anew, winning with absolute ease. With his combat prowess, he fully deserves to be called the number one of the younger generation." Though his own disciple could also defeat that restarted Body Integration cultivator, there was no way it could be done as effortlessly as Lu Yang had managed. While Lu Yang was fighting, Qiu Jin'an had been watching from the sidelines the entire time. He had noticed that Lu Yang never used his Golden Core from start to finish, and he suspected Lu Yang still held even more formidable methods in reserve. Back when he was Lu Yang's age, he certainly wouldn't have been able to beat Lu Yang. He truly lived up to being a disciple trained by Yun Zhi. "That powerful?!" Lord An was shocked once again, never expecting Qiu Jin'an to offer such high praise. With Qiu Jin'an's experience and discerning eye, there was no way such an assessment was wrong, nor did he have any reason to exaggerate. After all, Lu Yang was a disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect, not the Five Elements Sect. The Dao Seeking Sect was churning out talent as abundantly as ever. Zhao Po thought to himself, *It really is so.* Seeing how ferocious Lu Yang was in battle, he had already sensed that Lu Yang resembled the foremost figure of the younger generation, but lacking sufficient experience, he hadn't dared jump to conclusions. "Hear that? I'm the number one of the younger generation!" Lu Yang preened smugly, strutting like a victorious peacock to show off before Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu. "Brother Lu is so amazing!" Man Gu applauded from the bottom of his heart. Meng Jingzhou curled his lip. That bastard Lu Yang's tail was practically sticking straight up into the sky. "What kind of number one of the younger generation are you supposed to be? Eldest Senior Sister is." Lu Yang grinned. "You're just jealous. Eldest Senior Sister isn't even of the younger gener—" Catching Meng Jingzhou's playful yet perilous gaze, Lu Yang abruptly realized the trap in his words. He clamped his mouth shut just in time, glaring furiously at Meng Jingzhou. Meng Jingzhou looked left and right, pretending he wasn't the one who had just dug the pit. ... Led by Lord An, the group had no trouble meeting the newly appointed provincial governor of Huangzhou.