Chapter 227
After learning the full story of Hai Yunfan’s adventure, Wang Lu easily understood why he would rush to communicate with him.
The Ancient Sword Tomb setting caused him to feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity, and he believed that Hai Yunfan had also felt that same feeling, which was the reason why he thought of him in the first place.
“I remembered the earthshaking quest completion of Brother Wang on the Peach Blossom Village ten years ago; it is simply unprecedented. Therefore, I know that Brother Wang has an absolutely unique talent in breaking through these kinds of level designs and quests. However, in the Ancient Sword Tomb, cultivators’ magical power and even fighting ability are not really as important as the ability to break through quests and levels. If we can have Brother Wang’s help, I believe things would go smoothly.”
Little Hai was really a persuasive person. Some words were actually very important, yet he deliberately omitted them in his writing, because there was no need for him to say them; Wang Lu certainly wanted it.
This cooperation was a win-win. With Wang Lu’s extremely formidable level breaking ability, Ten Thousand Arts Sect cultivators could naturally reap great benefit, but what about Wang Lu? What would be the benefit for Wang Lu?
Little Hai did not say it because he knew Wang Lu certainly wanted it. Five years ago, when Ten Thousand Arts Sect visited Spirit Sword Sect, they indeed came back to their sect defeated and in a mess. However, the strength of Ten Thousand Arts was not really that bleak. On the thinking ability alone, they were unequal in the whole world. When the two sects competed five years ago, it was an eye-opener for Wang Lu. And in the ever-changing situation like in the Ancient Sword Tomb, powerful thinking ability was a must.
The world never had a professional adventurer who could succeed in every endeavor with simple inspirations. Wang Lu’s amazing success in the Peach Blossom Village was also based on a large number of calculations, thus, cooperating with the Ten Thousand Arts Sect could save him a lot of energy. Moreover, according to Hai Yunfan, with Zhan Ziye’s current level of Ten Thousand Motionless Immortal Heart, his strength has surpassed that of Liu Li, which qualified him as Wang Lu’s teammate.
Of course, no matter how high Hai Yunfan tried to hype up the prospect of the two parties cooperation, he could not obliterate the simple fact: the risk of exploring the Ancient Sword Tomb was extremely high.
According to the previous description, the risk in the Ancient Sword Tomb increased on each level. On the first level, the Ancient Sword Tomb even intentionally protected the intruder, and only on the second level did the Ancient Sword Tomb started to intentionally weed off people by simply killing them. By the third level, it was more difficult. Therefore, it could be extrapolated that deeper levels would be even more difficult. Although the benefits would undoubtedly be greater, they also have to face greater risk.
Was it necessary for Wang Lu to take this risk? With his talent and intelligence, he didn’t need to rush things up. With a normal Immortal Cultivation, his future would still be broad and magnificent. He also didn’t have any deep enmity with anyone, so why must he take this risk?
When Hai Yunfan focused his writing on Zhu Shiyao, it was actually to provide the answer to this question: of course, it was necessary.
Because a mountain cannot have two tigers; as the Spirit Sword Sect Lead Representative, how would you compare yourself to Zhu Shiyao? With her, how much was the weight of your Lead Representative title? So, what are you going to do to protect your dignity?
Regardless of how many shenanigans Wang Lu had caused, based on Hai Yunfan’s understanding of Wang Lu, he was really an open and aboveboard person. Faced with this situation, he certainly would not try to suppress his rival, but instead try to make himself stronger.
The most important taboo on the Immortal Cultivation Path was to try to rush things up. However, if one really wanted to rapidly progress one’s cultivation base, there was actually a way—seeking for an immortal chance. What was immortal chance? The ripple of dream inside the Green Lake on the Grand Cloud Mountain was an extremely good immortal chance. Inside the Ancient Sword Tomb, of course, there were immortal chances. If Wang Lu wanted to dominate Zhu Shiyao, Immortal Cultivation alone was not enough.
“This is actually good, but are you the one who calls the shot there?” Wang Lu was aware of the answer, but he must confirm it in writing.
“Rest assured, without the elder’s consent, how would I dare to presume? This is the seal.”
A complex pattern thus appeared on the shadow letter. Wang Lu looked at it and tentatively approved.
“Okay then, when the official document from the Ten Thousand Arts Sect arrives, our Spirit Sword Sect will make the decision. If there’s no issue, we can start the cooperation. I wish for a successful cooperation.”
After Wang Lu had finished writing the last sentence, the whole writing disappeared along with the drying up of magical power on the paper, turning it into a piece of ordinary paper.
His correspondence with Hai Yunfan could only result in preliminary cooperation intention. The details of the cooperation must be discussed at a later date; after all, a matter of this level could not be treated lightly. However, when Wang Lu put down the letter of correspondence, his heart was gradually overwhelmed with emotion.
Initially, he thought that after returning from the Grand Cloud Mountain, he would have one or two years of normal Immortal Cultivation time, but now it seemed like his break wouldn’t be that long. Whether it was from the pressure of Zhu Shiyao, or the advent of the new age that his master told him, Wang Lu’s heart was filled with eagerness and anticipation.
Ancient Sword Tomb is it? I hope it would not disappoint me.
——
In the Eastern Border Region, on a stone patio that was surrounded by a breeze of soft water, Hai Yunfan gently placed down his writing brush. He then reached out his hand, exerted out his magical power and destroyed this expensive prop. After that, a questioning voice sounded out from behind him.
“How is Wang Lu’s reply?”
Hai Yunfan smiled. “It is done. He agreed.”
Turning his head, he saw the Big Brother of Ten Thousand Arts Sect, Zhan Ziye, lightly stood on a clear pool of water. His toes that touched the water created a ripple on its surface.
Upon hearing Hai Yunfan’s reply, Zhan Ziye was a bit taken aback. “That’s new.”
Hai Yunfan shrugged his shoulders. “It seems like the pressure of Zhu Shiyao on him is not small.”
Mentioning the name of Zhu Shiyao, the pressure on Zhan Ziye was actually even more than Wang Lu. Zhan Ziye’s body sank a little in the water, which created a wave on it.
“Damn it! What the hell is wrong with that freak?” When he recalled how he was defeated by a single strike from her one sword break all the methods, a cold chill rose from the bottom of his heart. “If she were on our previous two sects competition, we would have no chance to shine at all!”
Suddenly thinking about that fiasco, Hai Yunfan could not even muster up a smile; he just sighed. “I hope that in this Ancient Sword Tomb exploration, we could have enough good harvest. However, if we think about it, with how strong Zhu Shiyao’s sense of sword is, Spirit Sword Sect would certainly send her to explore. Even if we have Wang Lu, it might not necessarily…”
“How could we be timid even before we try? Alright, since Wang Lu has agreed, we should report this to the Sect Leader.”
With that, Zhan Ziye reached out his hand and extracted out a lightning, which wrapped him and Hai Yunfan. With a flicker of light, they left the gentle waterfall where Hai Yunfan did his Immortal Cultivation.
Unlike Spirit Sword Sect’s solitary peak headquarters, Ten Thousand Arts Sect’s headquarters occupied an extremely vast area with picturesque scenery. The interior was divided into many sub-areas. Zhan Ziye brought Hai Yunfan across a rushing river, filled-with-dense-mist lake, and then stopped on a plain. They then flew upward, breaking through the clouds. Above the clouds, there was a blocking-the-sky huge treasure wheel, which was like a firmament that overlooked the earth.
In the middle of the treasure wheel, a young cultivator was sitting cross-legged. His hand was holding a quaint bamboo brush as he absorbed himself with the starry sky. With what seemed like a concentrated ink, he began to scribble incessantly on the space. Every word was filled with his marvelous power, which left its trace on the treasure wheel.
After Zhan Ziye brought Hai Yunfan up through the cloud, he retrieved the lightning and began to walk on the edge of the treasure wheel towards its entrance. Then they respectfully walked on its slope. The slope that they walked on was neither made from metal nor wood. Every time they touched it, a burst of light would appear, which illuminated the handwriting of the man in the middle.
After walking for quite a while, the two of them have left behind long traces of light. However, the far away cultivator didn’t appear to get closer to them, which inevitably drew a speculation whether or not this treasure wheel was boundless.
However, the two of them were already familiar with this process. They were not at all anxious but just patiently walked forward. Before they realized it, the scene before them had already changed. The faraway cultivator had already appeared in front of them, and on their last step, the writing under their feet had already formed a complete text!
Zhan Ziye and Hai Yunfan simultaneously bowed. “Pay respect to Sect Leader!”
The young cultivator who sat on the treasure wheel was the well-known Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Arts Sect, Daoist Immortal Tian Lun (Heavenly Wheel).
Daoist Immortal Tian Lun has been cultivating for more than one thousand and seven hundred years, with cultivation base of peak Unity Stage, which was only a few steps away from the Mahayana Stage. He was one of the top five strongest cultivators in the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals. He was a highly respected and admired senior in the Immortal Cultivation Path. Only a few people knew that the true appearance of Daoist Immortal Tian Lun was still that of a twenty or thirty years old young man. Despite his age, he was still full of vitality and didn’t appear the least bit decayed.
As Daoist Immortal Tian Lun himself said, knowledge will never decay.
Upon the arrival of Zhan Ziye and Hai Yunfan, Daoist Immortal Tian Lun didn’t stop writing, and his head remained motionless as he faintly said, “I know. Since he is open to cooperation, then that is the best. Find Junior Brother Cang Wu so that he can prepare the official documents. When everything’s done, you can leave.”
Zhan Ziye and Hai Yunfan replied with ‘yes’ in unison.
“About your question Ziye, my opinion is to treat with honesty and respect. With our Ten Thousand Arts Sect lofty characters, ignorant people are not qualified to travel together with us. However, since you have experienced and acknowledged the Spirit Sword Sect five years ago, then you should treat them with respect and honesty. People who seek knowledge are broad-minded and magnanimous, so we don’t need to fuss over it too much.”
“Yes.”
“As for the second problem. In this exploration, you would have no help from your predecessors, no matter how it is in other sects, Ten Thousand Arts Sect would not have its Daoist Master make their move. We don’t pull our rank there, but we don’t need to. Extrapolating from the situation on the first three levels, nine out of ten this ancient sword tomb is an inheritance from time immemorial. It was born in response to the change in the world’s energy and will help the destined person in the advent of the new age and pass them on to the future generation. It was in no way intended to be used by greedy generations. Simply put, if you want to get the real treasures inside the sword tomb, you roughly require four points: Young in age, firm foundation, high adaptability, and it must be fated. Specifically is: Forty years of age max, Xudan Stage or higher, top rank spirit root and not yet solidified primordial spirit… as well as, approval of the philosophy of the Master of the sword tomb, and being approved by the Master of the sword tomb. The last point is very elusive, but the first few are very standard conditions. At present, in our sect, only cultivators lower than Daoist Master level can satisfy the conditions, therefore, there is no need to waste manpower. However, although you guys haven’t cultivated for quite long and cultivation base not that high, but when needed, you can assume personal responsibility. If you can’t succeed without the help from your seniors, then you don’t deserve to be my Ten Thousand Arts Sect disciples. When you encounter difficulties, use your brains. Remember, knowledge is power!”
Zhan Ziye’s complexion became incredibly serious. “Yes!”
“The third problem is about Yunfan’s anxiety. My answer is it doesn’t matter; even if you fail, there’s no harm in it. On the contrary, protecting yourself is more important than anything. Nine Regions is vast, there are immortal chances everywhere. Furthermore, let alone on the previous occasion, you guys still have plenty of capitals even if you lose! Moreover, experiencing defeat once or twice should be a good thing for you guys. Wasn’t it precisely because of this that Ziye succeeded in his Ten Thousand Motionless Immortal Heart? I know that many people within the sect think that I’m too conservative, or even too cowardly. Indeed, as the Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Arts Sect, I don’t have the proper drive as a person of Ten Thousand Arts. Compared to those brilliant talents within the sect, I have always been a librarian. However, thousands of years have passed, and those brilliant talents have all died, yet I’m still alive.”
Having said this, Daoist Immortal Tian Lun stopped writing and lightly smiled. “Of course, either to shine off your brilliance or longevity, the choice is in your hand.”