You're the One!

"There is one more matter you must attend to." Ancient Dijiang tossed a medallion to the Dijiang Clan elder, who scrambled to catch it, barely keeping it from falling to the floor. "The phoenix jade medallion you two saw at the Phoenix Clan's estate is called the Phoenix Order. To see the Phoenix Order is to see Jiang Lianyi in person." "This is the Dijiang Order, crafted by my own hand. To see this medallion is to see this seat in person; it contains the might of my rudimentary Dao fruit." "The founding ceremony is at hand. This is both the founding of a nation and an establishment of our might, crucial to the Demon Empire's future development and the world's esteem for our realm. All the major factions will be present, which makes it the perfect moment to let them witness the power of our Demon Empire." Ancient Dijiang continued slowly, "The best way to showcase our might is to find a stepping stone." "The foundation of our Demon Empire is still unstable, so it is not wise to make enemies of the major factions right now." "The Heavenly Court Cult has been making quite a name for itself lately, claiming to be led by some Dou Tianzun and hailing from the ancient Heavenly Court. How laughable that the people of this world take it as the truth." "This so-called Heavenly Court Cult makes the ideal stepping stone: famous enough, mediocre in strength, and entirely fake." The Dijiang Clan elder pulled a long face. "But where are we supposed to find the Heavenly Court Cult?" Ancient Dijiang looked at his descendant with deep disappointment at his lack of wits. "Why bother searching for them? Just find someone to play the part." "Their identity was fake to begin with. If we hire someone to act as them, who could possibly claim our impostors are fake?" The Dijiang Clan elder's eyes lit up, and he offered reverent praise: "The Ancient Ancestor is truly wise!" Ancient Dijiang basked in the flattery, his brow smoothing somewhat as he continued, "I hear the Heavenly Court Cult has Dou Tianzun, a Cult Master, Heavenly King Protectors, a Young Cult Master, and Holy Sons." "Just find a few people to impersonate the Heavenly Court Cult—especially the Heavenly King Protectors and that Young Cult Master surnamed Lu." "Although the Heavenly Court Cult is a fraud, Young Cult Master Lu's strength is quite respectable, being considered the foremost of his generation in a place like Great Xia. A genius represents the future; only by cultivating geniuses can a faction prove its extraordinary caliber." "When the founding ceremony begins, have the fake Young Cult Master Lu make an entrance and provoke the Demon Empire. I will send my disciple out to fight him." "Once the fake Young Cult Master Lu is defeated, this seat will step forward to expose the true face of the Heavenly Court Cult. That way, not only will the world witness the genius this seat has nurtured and deliver a blow to Great Xia's pride, but it will also leave the world in awe of this seat's insight and depth!" "The Ancient Ancestor is truly wise!" Yet the Dijiang Clan elder hesitated, voicing his concern, "However, Young Cult Master Lu's talent is exceptionally rare in this world. If I just grab anyone at random, I fear the major factions might see right through it." Ancient Dijiang waved his hand dismissively. "No matter. Use the Dijiang Order to control the impostors and force them to wring out their potential, akin to burning essence blood to artificially boost their strength. That way, he won't look any different from the real Young Cult Master Lu." "Enough. If there are no other issues, be on your way." Ancient Dijiang sighed inward. None of his descendants were particularly clever; he had to micromanage everything himself. *** "Want to go out for a stroll?" Lu Yang suggested early that morning. Idling around the inn served no purpose; it would be better to take Senior Lianyi out so she could see what the contemporary cultivation world was like. Jiang Lianyi thought about it and felt a walk sounded pleasant enough. In any case, finding Immortal Kirin was not an urgent matter that had to be resolved immediately. Lu Yang dressed properly, washed up quickly, and headed downstairs to the street. The moment he stepped outside, he ran into a newly made acquaintance. "It's you!" Qin Feng of the Jiuying Clan glared at Lu Yang, gritting his teeth. Beside Qin Feng were several peerless talents of the Demon Race Alliance. Seeing the inn Lu Yang had just exited, enlightenment dawned on them. They pointed at Lu Yang in fury: "You're from the Dao Seeking Sect!" This brat wasn't from the Phoenix Clan at all—he belonged to the Dao Seeking Sect! "I get it now! The ones accompanying Jiang Shishi were Dao Seeking Sect's Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou!" One quick-witted demon prodigy figured it out. Although they had never seen the pair's faces before, recalling the skills displayed in the Good Fortune Ancient Realm, only Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou matched that caliber. In truth, Lu Yang wanted to say that the Dao Seeking Sect had three other disciples on par with them, so they shouldn't jump to conclusions. However, pointing that out now was pointless. Their brains might be lacking, but their luck was good—they had guessed right. Man Gu and the other two had not competed in the Golden Core stage tournament finals, so the world was still unfamiliar with their existence. Lu Yang turned on his heel and walked right back into the inn. Qin Feng and the others didn't dare barge inside, and shouting vulgar curses would damage their image, so they could only blockade the entrance in fury. Jiang Lianyi was just about to head out when she saw Lu Yang return empty-faced. "Why are you back?" "Miscalculated. I got recognized," Lu Yang sighed, explaining the situation at the entrance and how they had made enemies in the Good Fortune Ancient Realm. Jiang Lianyi felt a bit awkward; it wasn't appropriate for her to intervene in grudges between juniors. "How about I disguise you?" Having learned under the Immortal Fairy, Jiang Lianyi possessed first-rate disguise techniques. Even though her memories were missing, the craft remained. "That would be wonderful!" Lu Yang said, overjoyed. Jiang Lianyi reached out with both hands, cupping Lu Yang's cheeks, and pinched and kneaded his face. Before long, Lu Yang took on an entirely different appearance, unrecognizable even to his sect elders. Lu Yang went back to change his clothes. Thinking he should make the disguise more thorough, he slung a sword across his back. "Perfect." Lu Yang gave his reflection in the bronze mirror a thumbs-up. The two strode openly out of the inn. Qin Feng and the others didn't recognize Lu Yang in the slightest. Jiang Lianyi wore a hooded cloak, radiating an aura that warned strangers away, so young juniors like Qin Feng didn't dare approach. Moreover, judging by her figure, she was clearly a female cultivator, which didn't match Lu Yang at all. Demon City was bustling, a blend of demons and humans. Though minor friction arose here and there, no real chaos broke out. Humans made up half the population in Demon City. Demon vendors had set up stalls, shouting out their wares, while envoys from the Buddhist Kingdom held out alms bowls, soliciting donations. "Benefactor, the resentment clinging to you is heavy. This poor monk is willing to chant scriptures to dispel your grievances. Might Benefactor donate a few spirit stones to cast a golden statue for our Buddha?" "Scram, scram, scram! I worked on building this damn Demon City for over a month, and the moment it was finished, they told me it was voluntary labor! What scripture could possibly dispel my resentment?!" The Buddhist Kingdom envoy gave an awkward laugh and moved on to find his next target. Soon, the envoy ran into Master Jiechen, the junior fellow disciple of Master Jiesha. The two eminent Buddhist monks pressed their palms together and chanted the Buddha's name. "Jiechen, it has been a long time. Might you donate a few spirit stones to cast a golden statue for our Buddha?" "Of course." Master Jiechen readily agreed. Reaching into his monastic robe, he produced a few top-grade spirit stones and dropped them into the envoy's alms bowl with a crisp clatter. "Chenyuan, it has been a long time. Might you donate a few spirit stones to cast a golden statue for our Buddha?" "Of course." The Buddhist Kingdom's envoy, Master Chenyuan, pulled a few top-grade spirit stones from his alms bowl and handed them back to Master Jiechen. In this manner, both eminent monks earned double the merit. Jiang Lianyi felt her eyes had truly been opened. Back when they made up stories about Buddhism, there had indeed been the concept of collecting alms to cast golden statues and accumulate merit, but she had never imagined there would be such an efficient method for farming merit. To tell the truth, Lu Yang's eyes were opened as well. Lu Yang also saw Sect Master Qiu Jin'an talking with members of the Sea Race, asking whether they would be interested in relocating to the Five Elements Sect's Water Vein, promising that the Five Elements Sect would handle all the immigration paperwork. Unfortunately, he had no luck; the Sea Race agreed they could visit the Five Elements Sect for a tour, but as for emigrating, they declined. The Dijiang Clan elder was wandering the streets searching for candidates. After searching for quite a while without finding anyone suitable, his eyes suddenly lit up when he saw Lu Yang. *You're the one!*