I Cheated While Cultivating

Zhou Heng did not continue to beat around the bush and directly took out a round pearl with a diameter of no more than an inch.

This pearl was pure white all over, emitting a faint light that made one feel as if it contained a wide world within; in fact, it did, as it was the world of the Cave Sky of the Primordial True Child.

“A Cave Sky?” Upon seeing the pearl, Yan Shouyi immediately perceived its true nature, and then with a thought, he looked at Zhou Heng and said, “The Cave Sky of the Primordial True Child?”

“That’s right,” Zhou Heng said with a slight nod, “On the day the Primordial True Child reverted to his original Primordial Spirit form, he fled the Imperial City of Zhongzhou, only to be targeted by an Evil God of the Heavenly Palace beyond the clouds…”

He briefly recounted the events and explained his concerns.

“I see.” After hearing this, Yan Shouyi nodded, took over the pearl, and said, “Then I will keep this Cave Sky for you for the time being. When it’s safe, you can come and get it from me.”

“It’s a pity about the Primordial True Child, who first reincarnated from Taixu Viewpoint into the Zhi Xu sect hoping to perfect the inheritance of the Tao of Tai Qing, but was then sacrificed by Emperor Taiyang mid-way. After reincarnation and returning to Taixu Viewpoint, this time when he silently reverted to his original form, he was again caught by an Evil God, tsk tsk tsk…”

“Mm, it is indeed regrettable,” Zhou Heng nodded in agreement.

This was truly unlucky.

“Junior Brother, what are your plans next?” Yan Shouyi inquired.

“I had an agreement with Jiang Jian to explore a place together,” Zhou Heng thought for a moment and then said, “But I’m currently waiting for her message to confirm the exact time of departure.”

“Mm, not bad, that’s a good idea,” Yan Shouyi nodded with approval and smiled, “If the two of you are not in a hurry, you can take the time to visit Yuzhou. There are Secret Six Rank experts from Taixu Viewpoint and Jia Ye Temple teaching there.”

“Yuzhou, I remember that place is rich in jade and filled with our Pure Yang Palace’s jade industry?” Zhou Heng quickly recalled information about Yuzhou, “Seems there are also quite a few disciples from Yuzhou.”

“Mm, your Senior Brother is also from Yuzhou,” Yan Shouyi said with a light laugh, “Taixu Viewpoint and Jia Ye Temple are testing our attitude. Since they want to test, let’s show them our attitude.”

“The leader of Taixu Viewpoint has been suppressed, yet they dare to test us,” Zhou Heng’s eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

“Heh, the foundation of Taixu Viewpoint is unfathomably deep; to them, the suppression of Yang Wuji may not really count for much,” Yan Shouyi smiled and said, “It’s been two months, and Taixu Viewpoint hasn’t sent anyone to inquire about Yang Wuji.”

“Hisss, they really are a big family with a large business,” Zhou Heng took a cold breath, then sighed lightly, “Senior Brother, why do we have so many crises in this world yet still have infighting?”

“Because those who truly face the crises are the Tao Lords and Saints,” Yan Shouyi sighed slightly and shook his head, “Moreover, where there are people, there is Jianghu, there are conflicts. The Celestial Man is after all human, how could they be without strife?”

…

Yuzhou is located at the border between Da Qi and Southern Jin, next to Jiangzhou, and is rich in jade.

This is also one of the most prosperous prefectures and counties for the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, where every year three to five of the most outstanding martial arts apprentices are selected into the outer sect of the Pure Yang Palace, and occasionally, there will be geniuses who directly enter the inner sect.

In a certain sense, Yuzhou could almost be considered one of the cornerstones of the Pure Yang Palace in the mortal world, a vital source of fresh blood.

It is also an extremely important source of raw materials for the jewelry and jade industry.

For the Pure Yang Palace, Yuzhou can definitely be counted as one of the most important prefectures and counties, which must not be touched by other sects.

Under normal circumstances, the sects of Da Qi are unwilling and do not dare to provoke the Pure Yang Palace, so, for thousands of years, this place has almost become the private land of the Pure Yang Palace.

Thanks to the support of Pure Yang Palace and their industry management, the economy of various places in Yuzhou was very prosperous. The people lived in affluence, peace, and joy, and were all grateful to the Pure Yang Palace.

In particular, over the past three hundred years, since Yan Shouyi from Yuzhou took over as the sixth leader of Pure Yang Palace, the “Pure Yang Style” has flourished even more.

Every household recited the “Tacit Void Scriptures,” and even the children knew a few of the basic martial arts moves from Pure Yang Palace.

But lately, in every prefectural city of Yuzhou, there had been some strange occurrences; some Taoists and monks, who nobody knew where they came from, dared to preach about their own sects and martial arts openly and even wanted to set up martial arts halls to recruit apprentices.

Before the people from the Pure Yang Martial Arts Halls could act, the locals had already started to openly resist, and even some with decent martial skills had directly challenged them, only to be easily defeated.

Many people had also gone to the local yamen of the prefectural city, but the prefects ignored the problem entirely, turning a deaf ear to the situation.

Subsequently, Pure Yang Martial Arts Halls also clashed with these Taoists and monks. What the locals didn’t expect was that even the trainers and the heads of the halls turned out to be no match for these Taoists and monks.

This caused some of the locals to start re-evaluating the strength of the Pure Yang Palace, and they also began to take interest in the Taixu Viewpoint and Jia Ye Temple, which these Taoists and monks spoke of.

Gradually, some people started to attend and even defend the preaching and martial arts teaching of these Taoists and monks.

Of course, this group was small, maybe just a couple hundred people in a single prefectural city, but once such a beginning was made, it was only a matter of time before it would spread.

After all, there were many Pure Yang Martial Arts Halls in Yuzhou, and the vast majority did not have Secret Six Rank warriors stationed there.

Propagating doctrines was difficult to accept, but the straightforwardness of martial competition, of defeating an opponent, was much simpler.

If the Pure Yang Martial Arts Halls lost too often, even the most stable trust would collapse.

In Yuzhou, such a situation was most severe in Qingyang Prefecture.

Qingyang Prefecture was close to the border of Qi Jin, where Taixu Viewpoint and Jia Ye Temple first began to preach, and the impact there was the deepest. Pure Yang Martial Arts Halls had even begun to shut down and go out of business.

On this day, in the North District of Qingyang Prefecture City, a martial contest was taking place on a platform.

Three trainers from a Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall were ganging up on a monk sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed on the ground, but no matter how they attacked, the monk remained immovable.

The monk seemed to be in his twenties. There was a faint golden light on his body that blocked all their attacks.

Suddenly, with a clear shout from him, the golden light flashed, and instantly, all three were flipped off the platform and fell to the ground.

Onlookers around the platform burst into jeers at such an outcome, feeling a bit mixed in their emotions.

They were all Seventh Rank Warriors and trainers in martial arts halls, but this monk from Jia Ye Temple seemed to be much stronger than those from Pure Yang Palace.

At that moment, two young people, a man and a woman, stepped onto the platform. They looked about eighteen or nineteen and had an extraordinary bearing.

The monk opened his eyes and looked at the two, frowning hesitantly, “You are here to…”

“Go back and tell your manager that Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian are waiting here for the esteemed friends from Jia Ye Temple and Taixu Viewpoint,” said the young man with a gentle smile on his face.

“The disciples of Pure Yang Palace wish to see how they measure up.”