Chapter 459: Immortal Fairy's Cheat Smooths Her Way

Upon hearing her eldest senior sister’s reminder, the Immortal Fairy’s expression grew wondrously complex, bearing a striking resemblance to a weary magistrate who, having toiled painstakingly through an entire year, was intercepted by his superior to handle official business just as he stepped out the door for his vacation.

The Immortal Fairy suddenly recalled that upon her rebirth into this world, she had been blessed with the assistance of a cheat code, and it was precisely due to the presence of this cheat code that her life since her rebirth had been smooth and untroubled sailing.

"Lu Yang, you handle this for me."

The third spark of trouble was once more deflected onto Lu Yang's head, and he regained control over his own physical body.

Lu Yang: "......"

Just you wait; one day I shall also capture three souls of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage to serve as acting sect masters, so that you may do my bidding instead!

The eldest senior sister carried Lu Yang back to Heaven Gate Peak by the scruff of his neck.

"These are all of them." The eldest senior sister moved a towering stack of official documents over; she had accumulated a portion of them while arranging their master’s release from prison, and another portion while attending meetings at the imperial palace.

Trifles accumulated over time, culminating in such an imposing hoard.

"The matter requiring the most immediate attention is deciding whom to dispatch to Jizhou." The eldest senior sister reminded Lu Yang to keep the order of urgency in mind.

Wu Youdao had revealed that their next objective lay in Jizhou; the imperial court and the five great immortal sects intended to thoroughly scour Jizhou to see if they could uncover any traces of the Great Yu cultivators.

"As for the nine elders..."

Lu Yang was conflicted about providing assistance; Jizhou possessed over three hundred cities, so sending too few people would certainly not suffice, yet how many would be appropriate?

The sixth elder found traveling inconvenient, and the eighth elder was prone to being placed on wanted posters whenever he stepped outside, so neither could be sent away.

Just as Lu Yang was mired in dilemma, his eldest senior sister reminded him once more: "The Dao Inquiry Sect does indeed possess only nine elders, but that does not mean we possess only nine individuals of the Body Integration Stage. The deputy master of the Mission Hall, the overseer of the Hundred Refinements Peak cafeteria, the manager of the commercial street, the host of the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion... all are of the Body Integration Stage, belonging to the same generation as the elders."

In a single breath, the eldest senior sister rattled off a great multitude of people whom Lu Yang had never even set eyes upon.

"There are quite a few individuals from the elders' generation; it is simply that some are away executing missions, some are semi-retired within the sect, and others guard secret realms. Though their cultivation cannot match that of the elders, they are still considerably stronger when compared to the Body Integration practitioners of the outside world."

Previously, Lu Yang had found it strange; since he himself possessed so many senior and junior brothers and sisters, the elders' generation could not possibly consist of a mere nine individuals, so where had the rest gone?

Hearing his eldest senior sister's explanation, Lu Yang finally understood that, as it turned out, the eight elders and their master were merely the diligent ones, while the rest lay concealed in places invisible to him.

Take, for instance, that cafeteria which prolifically produced divine weapons and sharp instruments; he had gone there to purchase weapons several times, yet this was the first time he had ever heard that the cafeteria possessed an overseer.

And then there was the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, a place he had frequented more than once or twice, yet he had never once glimpsed its host.

"Then what of Elder Tao from the Sutra Pavilion?" Lu Yang recalled the amiable old man he had encountered in the Sutra Pavilion when he was compiling cultivation methods previously.

"Elder Tao belongs to the same generation as our grand-master; he has already retired and no longer concerns himself with worldly affairs."

"Very well, then let us dispatch the second, third, and fourth elders, along with the deputy master of the Mission Hall, the overseer of the Hundred Refinements Peak cafeteria, the manager of the commercial street, and the host of the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion—a total of seven individuals to Jizhou."

The first elder presided over the Mission Hall, while the fifth and seventh elders were the primary mainstays of the Dao Inquiry Sect's revenue; none of them could be spared to leave.

"The Mission Hall has two deputy masters."

"Send them both, which makes eight people then." Lu Yang waved his hand grandly, appointing these luminaries among the Body Integration Stage to hasten to Jizhou to render aid.

"I shall convey the word to them at once." The eldest senior sister nodded, taking the initiative to carry out the task.

After his eldest senior sister had departed, Lu Yang belatedly realized that there must surely be more than just these few individuals belonging to the elders' generation; could it be that his eldest senior sister simply wished to dispatch these particular people, which was why she had mentioned them to him?

"No, surely not." Lu Yang shook his head, feeling that he was overthinking things.

Lu Yang reached for the topmost official document, opening it to find that it was an invitation to the Qingzhou Celebration.

The invitation expressed the hope that the Dao Inquiry Sect might dispatch young disciples to participate in the celebration, followed by all manner of polite formulas, with a specific caveat appended to the remarks stating that, if possible, they should refrain from sending disciples named Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

Lu Yang: "......"

What was wrong with Meng Jingzhou and me? Did the two of us not shine with magnificent brilliance at the Qingzhou Celebration, indirectly ensuring that the entire world came to know of it?

Looking across the celebrations of every province, only the Qingzhou Celebration was the most renowned, which was ample testament to the painstaking efforts of Lu Yang and his companion.

Lu Yang penned his endorsement: Allow Wei Nanfei and Jin Qinqin to attend the celebration.

These two were disciples who had entered the Dao Inquiry Sect in the same batch as Lu Yang; one had been rescued in infancy by Senior Brother Dai Bufan, while the other had inadvertently consumed an Azure Wood Immortal Fruit in her youth. Both regarded Lu Yang as their model for learning; though their speed of cultivation fell short of Lu Yang and the other five, they excelled in their solid foundations, advancing step by steadfast step. Once they attained Lu Yang's realm, they might well hold their own against Li Haoran, serving as the future backbone of the Dao Inquiry Sect.

Participating more in such grand events would be of immense benefit to their future.

For instance, should a few Great Yu cultivators happen to crop up at the celebration, it would serve to broaden their horizons.

The next document was an official missive sent to the Dao Inquiry Sect by the Golden Buddhist Kingdom.

The missive stated that Lu Yang’s second senior brother, whom he had never met, had successfully forged the Six-Foot Golden Body. He spent his days carrying away the Buddha statues of the temple, activating his own Six-Foot Golden Body to sit in their stead; because his cultivation of the Six-Foot Golden Body was too perfect, appearing even more sacred than the actual statues, the monks had failed to recognize the deception.

It was only after a week had passed that the old abbot finally perceived that the object of their veneration was not a Buddha statue, but rather their second senior brother.

Throughout that entire week, the second senior brother had remained continuously in the state of the Six-Foot Golden Body.

Judging by the tone of the official missive, this was by no means the first time the second senior brother had perpetrated such a deed; the people of the Buddhist Kingdom hoped the Dao Inquiry Sect would swiftly recall him.

"Second Senior Brother is truly worthy of his title; he is clearly the true inheritor of Master's mantle." Lu Yang praised him from the bottom of his heart.

Following that was an invitation from the Sword Pavilion, accompanied by an enclosed letter which stated that the venerable elders of the Sword Pavilion had unanimously decided that Daoist Buyu was the preeminent leader of contemporary sword dao. They hoped Daoist Buyu would proceed to the Sword Pavilion to accept the plaque of 'Preeminent Leader of Sword Dao', at which time numerous grandmasters of the sword dao world would attend the assembly, and the Sword Pavilion would respectfully await their master's grand arrival.

The Sword Pavilion was situated in Shuzhou, existing as a singularly illustrious entity even among first-rate sects, representing the orthodox lineage of sword dao; the Sword Pavilion had once been a supreme-grade sect, but with the passing of that supreme paragon of sword dao at the end of his natural lifespan, it had declined to a first-rate sect.

Though the supreme paragon of sword dao had departed, his inheritance remained intact, and his foundational heritage endured; the Sword Pavilion possessed over ten individuals of the Body Integration Stage, all of whom were adept hands at the sword, making them exceptionally formidable.

One could say that the power of the Sword Pavilion was even mightier than that of half-baked supreme-grade sects like the Corpse Refining Sect.

The Sword Pavilion represented the orthodox lineage of sword dao, whereas Daoist Buyu represented the sheer height of sword dao.

Daoist Buyu had once challenged the sword at the Sword Pavilion, defeating over a dozen of their cultivators in succession, and had ultimately triumphed over the Master of the Sword Pavilion himself.

Yet the Sword Pavilion had always looked down upon Daoist Buyu; in presenting him with this plaque now, did it signify a gesture of concession?

By this time, the eldest senior sister had finished conveying her notices, and upon her return, she observed Lu Yang deep in thought over the Sword Pavilion's invitation.

"Do you wish for Master to go to the Sword Pavilion to collect the plaque?"

"Yes, would this not perhaps ease the relations between Master and the Sword Pavilion?"

"Give up on that notion; Master will not go."

"Why?" Lu Yang asked in bewilderment. "Does Master not wish to reconcile with the people of the Sword Pavilion?"

"The Sword Pavilion acknowledged Master long ago, recognizing his status in the sword dao, and this is not the first time they have sought to present him with a plaque; Master has never gone even once."

"Is Master indifferent to fame and fortune?"

"It is because the people invited to attend the assembly all share some past grievance with Master; were he to go, he would merely be walking straight into a trap."

"......Master's enemies truly manifest in all manner of unexpected places. By the way, can we dispatch Master to Jizhou?"

The eldest senior sister pondered for a moment, then spoke with utmost seriousness: "You are the acting sect master, while Master is the actual sect master; you cannot command him."

"So it cannot be done?"

"So I can pen a letter suggesting that Master proceed to Jizhou."

Chen Mohuan, a high school senior of an immortal sect, was currently studying diligently to prepare for the examinations of the Grand Dao Academy; originally, the greatest dream of his life was merely to succeed in Foundation Establishment, until the day he found himself able to traverse into another world of cultivation, whereupon his dream underwent a profound transformation......

(End of Chapter)