My disciples are all villains.

The content of the letter was simple and direct. The content was, indeed, important.

After reading it, Yu Shangrong smiled. He passed the letter back to Zhao Yue.

"Second Senior Brother, why aren't you worried?" Zhao Yue was puzzled.

"We can afford to be," Yu Shangrong replied.

"We… we can't afford it? Even for this?" For a time, Zhao Yue was speechless.

Yu Shangrong seemed to have remembered something as he said, "Fifth Junior Sister, have you sprouted any leaves?"

"I've just recently entered the Nascent Divinity realm and formed my Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar," Zhao Yue replied.

"Sever your Golden Lotus as quickly as you can. Don't wait."

"Huh?"

Yu Shangrong turned around and left after saying this.

As Zhao Yue looked at Yu Shangrong's retreating back, she said, "Second Senior Brother, people die from severing their Golden Lotuses, you know…"

"I know."

"Yet, you're telling me to sever mine."

Yu Shangrong was no longer in sight.

Zhao Yue spread her arms in a helpless gesture.

Pan Zhong said tentatively, "Miss Fifth, Brother Zhou and I have something we'd like to ask you. We were wondering if…"

"Bah." Zhao Yue did not seem to have heard him. She acted as if she did not see Zhou Jifeng and Pan Zhong when she turned around and made her way to the Evil Sky Pavilion's great hall.

The two of them felt awkward. Yet, they dared not say anything.

"What is it?" A gentle voice rang from the Cave of Reflection.

Si Wuya tossed the paper on the table to the side. He rubbed his temples. He decided to solve some simple problems before continuing his research.

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng were overjoyed to hear this. The two of them hastily ran toward the Cave of Reflection. Both of them bowed and said in unison, "Greetings, Mister Seventh."

"That's alright. Just get right into it." Si Wuya did not like to waste time on such trivial and unnecessary etiquette.

Pan Zhong scratched his head and said, "Lately, we feel that we're already at the peak of the Divine Court realm. We can vaguely feel that we're on the cusp of a breakthrough… There are more and more rumors of cultivators surviving after severing their Golden Lotuses. Even the pavilion master himself has personally approved of this method. The pavilion master has also said that the other method is to not form a Golden Lotus… We're… we're worried that it won't work."

"How do you know it won't work if you haven't tried it yet? There's no risk to that method while you'll have to gamble with your life if you sever your Golden Lotuses. If we think about it in a different way… if it's not possible to sprout leaves directly, shouldn't it be widely spread by now?" Si Wuya said.

Pan Zhong smacked his head and said, "You've got a point… This means that someone in the cultivation world is already using this method? Yet, they're deliberately concealing it and secretly improving their strength?"

"That sounds about right," Si Wuya replied.

"You're brilliant, Mister Seventh! We've never thought about it this way!" Pan Zhong said.

Si Wuya said, "Don't mention it. Ordinary people should be able to realize this."

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng were taken aback. Did Si Wuya just take an indirect jab at them?

"In any case, don't get your hopes up yet. A cultivator who hasn't sprouted any leaves are still lacking in experience, after all."

"You're right, Mister Seventh."

Regardless of the era, experience would always be precious.

Just when the two of them were about to leave, several female disciples ran toward the Evil Sky Pavilion's great hall.

"The pavilion master is back."

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng looked at the skies at the same time.

The cloud-splitting chariot sailed forth from the horizons, past the barrier, and slowly landed.

The two of them hastily ran toward the great hall.

…

Shortly after.

Inside the Evil Sky Pavilion's great hall.

Lu Zhou sat on his high seat. He looked at Yu Shangrong who was standing in the great hall, slightly surprised.

The others who came back on the flying chariot with him stood at the sides. They were also looking at Yu Shangrong in shock.

"Greetings, master." Yu Shangrong bowed. He appeared nonchalant as though nothing of significance had happened.

Lu Zhou nodded and said, "It's good that you're back."

Yu Shangrong caught a glimpse of Zuo Yushu from the corners of his eyes. Since he was not familiar with her, he asked with a smile, "This is?"

Mingshi Yin said, "Second Senior Brother, this is the Evil Sky Pavilion's new elder, Senior Zuo Yushu. She's a cultivation genius from the Confucian sect 500 years ago."

Yu Shangrong did not seem surprised. Perhaps, he was already used to facing elites in the past and had grown numb to it. He said perfunctorily, "Well met."

Zuo Yushu studied Yu Shangrong. Whether it was his mannerism or attitude, she felt that he was much more powerful than some of her previous disciples. In the end, she replied, "Same here."

Leng Luo frowned. "What happened, Mister Second? I trust that you've been well since our last meeting?"

'See? This is how you make a proper greeting.'

Leng Luo knew how to behave in such situations. He bowed respectfully with his hands in front of him.

"I have," Yu Shangrong replied.

Zuo Yushu disapproved of this. She was confused as to why Leng Luo was behaving so humbly. After all, Leng Luo was also a legendary figure in the past.

Leng Luo walked to Zuo Yushu's side and said in a hushed tone, "The Evil Sky Pavilion's Mister Second is a peak Eight-leaf cultivator…"

Zuo Yushu's heart thumped in her chest. Her turbid eyes widened in shock. Then, she quickly greeted Yu Shangrong again. "It's not my intention to be rude."

Yu Shangrong did not seem to mind it at all. He waved his hand and said, "There's no need to trouble yourself, elder. It's only proper for me to greet you."

"There's no need, no need for that…" Zuo Yushu gripped her walking stick tightly. She nearly lost her footing. She was new here. She made up her mind to avoid this Mister Second if they met in the future.

Lu Zhou stood up and descended the steps with his hands on his back.

The others stood to attention immediately.

Lu Zhou looked at Yu Shangrong and said, "Show me your avatar." Before this, he was worried about Yu Shangrong's safety after he severed his Golden Lotus. Now that Yu Shangrong had safely returned, it was only natural for him to want to see what an avatar without a Golden Lotus would look like.

The others were puzzled. They did not know what Lu Zhou intends to do. Was he trying to intimidate the newcomer?

"Alright." Yu Shangrong did not try to hide. He raised his palm with a faint smile on his face. A miniature shining golden avatar hovered above his palm.

Everyone's attention was focused on the miniature golden avatar above Yu Shangrong's palm. There was nothing under its feet, there was no Golden Lotus. Only three leaves could be seen slowly spinning around the avatar.

"There's no Golden Lotus!"

"Three-leaf… with no Golden Lotus!"

Zuo Yushu's turbid eyes were widened when she saw the leaves. She frowned. 'Didn't Leng Luo say he's a peak Eight-leaf cultivator? Why does he only have three leaves?' She was slightly annoyed. However, she was taken aback when she saw there was no Golden Lotus under the avatar. She was confused. What was happening? She could only blame herself for living in seclusion for too long. She knew nothing about the current affairs in the outside world. She did not know about Yu Shangrong, the nine disciples, or how severing one's Golden Lotus was all the hype in the cultivation world at this moment.

Leng Luo was again the first to cup his fists and bow. "I'm impressed… Extremely so!" How could he not be impressed? When the method of severing the Golden Lotus was first proposed, those brave enough to attempt it were few and far between. There were even fewer who were willing to give up on their peak Eight-leaf status and begin again. For those who survived, they numbered even less. Most shockingly was Yu Shangrong had already sprouted three leaves! Who would dare say that Yu Shangrong was weak?

Hua Wudao bowed. "A Three-leaf cultivator without a Golden Lotus. There's no doubt about it, Mister Second, you're the first in the cultivation world."

Mingshi Yin gave a thumbs-up. He could not help but offer his praise. "You're amazing, Second Senior Brother."

Yu Shangrong smiled and said, "This is nothing. With master here, I don't dare claim that I'm the first."

The others seemed to recall something at this moment; Lu Zhou had already attained the Nine-leaf stage.

Lu Zhou's expression remained unchanged. He stroked his beard as he fell deep into thought. 'I'd like to be at the Nine-leaf stage as well. Alas, my strength doesn't permit me to do that.' In any case, when he learned of his second disciple's feat, his great sorrow turned into joy. He knew that he was witnessing history unfolding.

At this moment, Zhao Yue hurried into the great hall. She bowed at everyone and presented the letter in her hand. "Master, a letter from Jiang Aijian. Second Senior Brother has read one of them. There's a new one."

Lu Zhou received the letter and read it. Something stirred in his heart. The speed of improvement of the cultivation world had exceeded his expectations.

"The lotus-severing survival pill and the leaf-sprouting pill?" Lu Zhou was puzzled.

"Master, when this news spread out, the Big Dipper Academy and Core Yang Sect have become the core of the cultivation world. The Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm cultivators of the major sects are now severing their Golden Lotuses and cultivating without them."

The others in the great hall understood Zhai Yue's meaning.

Mingshi Yin hastily said, "Master, if that's the case, we can't be left behind. We'll have to move quickly."

Lu Zhou glanced at Mingshi Yin and said, "We'll start with the elders, then."

Leng Luo and Hua Wudao bowed. "We'll follow your arrangements, Pavilion Master."

Zuo Yushu seemed to be in a daze. It took her a while before she bowed and said, "I'll follow your arrangements, big brother."

Mingshi Yin said, "In that case, I'll head over to the Core Yang Sect and snatch… I mean, request for some survival pills."

However, Yu Shangrong said, "Leave this to me."

"Second Senior Brother, you've just severed your lotus. This is… dangerous."

Although Yu Shangrong was ahead of the others for having sprouted three leaves after severing his lotus, the Three-leaf stage was still too weak.

Yu Shangrong smiled and said, "There's no need to worry. I've met the Sect Master of the Core Yang Sect several times before."

"Several times? What if you run into a conflict?"

Yu Shangrong turned around and patted Mingshi Yin on the shoulder. "With my sword in hand, it's enough." After saying this, he bowed at Lu Zhou.

In truth, Lu Zhou was worried about Yu Shangrong's current condition as well. There was no guarantee that Yu Shangrong would not run into some elite in the outside world. Yu Shangrong was used to being an Eight-leaf cultivator and had not adjusted to his new state yet.

"Kindly give the order, master," Yu Shangrong said softly.

"Are you confident?"

"I, Yu Shangrong, have never done anything that I'm not confident about."

"Alright." Lu Zhou waved his hand and called out softly, "Bi An."

A deep growl rang from outside the great hall.

Without having to look, the others knew that Bi An had landed obediently outside the great hall.

"Bring Bi An with you for this mission. If there's a threat to your life, it'll be able to help you." Lu Zhou knew if he had sent another person to help Yu Shangrong, Yu Shangrong would have refused.

"Thank you, master," Yu Shangrong said.

"Go, then."

Yu Shangrong turned around and left. Although he was only a Three-leaf Sword Devil at the moment, his Eight-leaf experience and skills were more than enough for him to deal with a Five-leaf cultivator. Moreover, who would dare touch him when he had the support of the Evil Sky Pavilion? Moreover, it was well known he could kill a Nascent Divinity cultivator with his bare hands.

However, Lu Zhou knew nothing was for certain in the world.

They saw Yu Shangrong off.

At this moment, Lu Zhou glanced at the mission menu on the system dashboard. As he expected, Yu Shangrong's mission of obtaining the survival pill appeared. The reward was 10,000 merit points.

'10,000 merit points? Looks like this isn't an easy mission.'

Mingshi Yin bowed and said, "Master, I'm still worried about Second Senior Brother."

"To be safe, go help him from the shadows," Lu Zhou calmly, "However, knowing your Second Senior Brother, it's best that you don't let him discover your presence. Go..."

"Understood! I'll protect Second Senior Brother!"

If it were not for the 10,000 merit points, Lu Zhou would not have sent Mingshi Yin as reinforcement. It was much safer to have Mingshi Yin help Yu Shangrong.

Zuo Yushu could not stand this any longer. She asked, "Big brother... this survival pill and whatnot, and the lack of a Golden Lotus… What does all of these mean?"

Leng Luo waved his hand and said, "Elder Zuo, I'll tell you about it outside. You've been away from the world for too long."

"Thank you, Elder Leng. I feel ashamed." Zuo Yushu followed Leng Luo out of the great hall.

Zuo Yushu's pride seemed to have vanished now. A newcomer should have to act like a newcomer.

"Zhao Yue," Lu Zhou said.

"Yes, master."

"Send word to Jiang Aijian and the Prince of Qi, Qin Jun. Tell them to use their resources to find a woman with the surname Luo. This woman appeared 300 years ago, and she helped Yun Tianluo to become the chief of the Three Sects," Lu Zhou said.

Zhao Yue went to work at once after she replied. "Yes, master."

After Zhao Yue left, Si Wuya's figure appeared in Lu Zhou's mind. Searching for a person in that manner was like finding a needle in a haystack. If he had the help of that rascal's Darknet, perhaps, he would have a better chance of finding that person.

…

Meanwhile, the survival created by the Big Dipper Academy and Core Yang Sect shook the cultivation world.

Hordes of cultivators swarmed toward the two sects. They were willing to trade the survival pills for a handsome amount of gold and treasures.

The pill was only just recently created, and it did not have a proper name yet. However, with the word 'survival' tagged to it, news of it spread like a wildfire.

There were many lotus-severing survival pills, but it was difficult to get one's hands on the leaf-sprouting pills.

…

Inside Evergreen Palace in the Imperial city, Divine Capital.

The new attendant walked in tentatively with something in his hands. "Your Majesty, here is a survival pill and five leaf-sprouting pills sent by the Big Dipper Academy. The president of the Big Dipper Academy says that the leaf-sprouting pills are extremely precious. The combined efforts of their two sects produced 1,200 survival pills and eight leaf-sprouting pills. Five of them are here."

Liu Gu grunted and said, "If it weren't for the lotus-severing experiment in the Imperial city, they would never be able to produce the survival pill. They should be thankful that I only took five pills from them."

"As expected of your brilliance, Your Majesty," the attendant said, "President Zhou said… that the leaf-sprouting pills have potent efficacy, but it can guarantee that one will sprout leaves."

Liu Gu remained expressionless. He eyed the platter in the attendant's hand coldly and said, "Pills are external aids, after all… The survival pill is more. The world is changing. There are internal troubles and external aggression. The Imperial guards must not sever their Golden Lotuses without my decree."

"Understood."

"Also, pass this message on. Order General Ping Qian, commander of the imperial guard in the northern imperial city, to guard the Big Dipper Academy with his soldiers. The pills are precious, and I hope that President Zhou will understand what I'm trying to do," said Liu Gu.

"Understood." The attendant lowered the platter on the table and retreated from the palace respectfully

On the surface, it seemed that Liu Gu wanted to protect the Big Dipper Academy. However, in truth, he was trying to prevent the pills from being widely spread in the cultivation world. The second Nine-leaf cultivator had to come from the Divine Capital, at the very least!

Liu Gu picked up a survival pill from the platter and mumbled, "Nine-leaf, Ji Tiandao… How did he do it? How can I be inferior to him?"

Ever since Liu Gu heard about the Evil Sky Pavilion's Ji Tiandao attaining the Nine-leaf stage, he could hardly eat or sleep well. He had pressured the Big Dipper Academy to develop the pills as quickly as possible. Now that the pills were completed, he saw hope again.

"So long as I remain within the Ten Terminal Formation, Old Villain Ji and Yu Zhenghai can do nothing against me." Without hesitation, Liu Gu tossed the pill into his mouth.

The pill melted.

He immediately felt as though his dantian's sea of Qi was set aflame.

Liu Gu raised his right hand and said in a deep voice, "Magistrate Brush, come!"

A brush hanging above the study table in the distance burst shone with golden radiance and flew into his hand with a buzz. He placed his left hand before his dantian's sea of Qi.

Whizz!

A miniature Eight-leaf avatar appeared before his eyes.

The eight dazzling and succulent leaves kept spinning around.

However, Liu Gu did not seem to hesitate. He steeled his heart and swung his arm. A fan-shaped energy shot out from his Magistrate Brush.