My disciples are all villains.

Little Yuan'er stepped forward. She said, "Master… Don't scold me, please. I've worked hard."

She did not say how many leaves she had before she summoned her avatar. The familiar sound of energy resonance rang in the air. Above her palm, an exquisite and delicate miniature avatar appeared.

Everyone shifted their gaze to the avatar's feet. There was a Golden Lotus, which meant that she had not severed it yet. She had… five leaves. Everyone was slightly speechless. She was worried she would be berated? If that was the case, then everyone would be beaten to a pulp. These five leaves seemed to stab at everyone else's hearts. It hurt!

Little Yuan'er looked up at her master and waited for his verdict.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and glanced at her. He asked, "You're not going to sever your lotus?"

"It hurts."

"…"

The others were speechless. Most cultivators would cite low cultivation base, low talent, or fear of death as their reason for not severing their lotuses. However, Little Yuan'er said she was afraid of pain!

At this moment, Mingshi Yin said, "Ninth Senior Sister, I can make it painless..."

"Hm?"

"After you summon your avatar, I'll knock you out. Then, I'll strike and sever your lotus before your avatar vanishes…" Mingshi Yin gestured animatedly as he spoke, making slashing motions with his hands. "That way, you won't feel any pain."

"…" Upon hearing this, Little Yuan'er quickly took a step back and hid behind Conch. Then, she shook her head and said, "No."

"Ninth Junior Sister, trust me… There won't be a problem."

"…"

When Lu Zhou saw the little girl was scared out of her wits, he said, "Enough."

Mingshi Yin shut up immediately.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, "Five-leaf... That's an amazing speed. Work on getting to the Eight-leaf stage for now. It's not too late to sever your lotus when you're at the Eight-leaf stage."

"…" Upon hearing Lu Zhou's words, a shocking thought appeared in Little Yuan'er's mind. She considered never attempting the Eight-leaf stage. Although her Fourth Senior Brother was annoying as a person, his earlier words made perfect sense to her. Even if she did not sever her lotus, her cultivation base was still sufficient to impress others.

With that Little Yuan'er's appraisal ended.

Then, everyone turned to look at the final disciple, the tenth and recently-recruited disciple. All of them looked forward to her appraisal. In the Evil Sky Pavilion, everyone knew that she had directly entered the Mystic Enlightening realm and progressed into the Sense Condensing realm in three months. Now that five months had passed, they wondered if she had any new breakthrough.

"Conch, did you manage to form an avatar?" Lu Zhou asked. In the book of basic cultivation he gave her, there were detailed instructions on forming an avatar. A cultivator could form an avatar after entering the Mystic Enlightening realm.

Conch nodded and said, "I did."

The others were not surprised. It was impossible for a talented cultivator to not be able to form an avatar. Even those with much lesser talent only needed several tries to form their avatars.

"Show it to me."

Just mentioning one's realm was not convincing enough. It would only be convincing if one showed one's avatar.

"Mhm." Conch lifted her hand and summoned her avatar. Her Primal Qi surged and exuded the aura of the Five Energies Universe. Following that, a little golden avatar appeared.

For cultivators, it was second nature for them to discern the grade of an avatar with a single look.

When they saw the little golden avatar, they exclaimed in shock, "Five Energies Universe?!"

The corresponding realm for the Five Energies Universe was the Brahman Sea realm. There were eight thresholds in the Brahman Sea realm. Every connected meridian vessel meant that one threshold had been surpassed. The Five Energies Universe avatar meant that Conch had connected, at least, five meridian vessels!

"…"

Whether it was the female cultivators from the Derived Moon Palace, Pan Zhong, Zhou Jifeng, all of them were shocked speechless when they saw this sight. Little Yuan'er's talent was already beyond their comprehension, but now there was Conch who had entered the Brahman Sea realm and connected five meridian vessels in just five months. What would the genius cultivators in the major sects, who spent decades to enter the Divine Court realm, think?

Zhou Jifeng prided himself on being a genius. In the beginning, he was of the opinion that he was completely qualified to be a disciple of the Evil Sky Pavilion. He was the first disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect and had some accomplishments in the sword path. Those who entered the Nascent Divinity realm at his age were considered excellent. He remembered Lu Zhou once said that he had visited the Jiang Family and was interested in recruiting him since he had good foundations. However, now, he felt he was no better than a pile of sh*t!

Lu Zhou was inwardly shocked as well. Conch's speed of improvement was quite impressive. Even with his thousand years' worth of experience, he had never seen anyone with a speed like hers. He walked over and stood in front of Conch before he said in a low voice, "Show me your hand."

Conch seemed to have expected this. She made a sound of assent and extended her hand after rolling up her sleeves.

Lu Zhou placed two fingers on her arm. A moment later, he withdrew his hand.

Conch asked, "Master, am… I alright?"

"Brahman Sea realm and eight connected meridians."

"…"

The eastern pavilion was as silent as a graveyard.

What was a genius?

There was a saying in the chapter called 'Study Hard' in an ancient book that said a genius was an outstanding person. Perhaps, what Conch had was not talent but some quality that surpassed the capacities of their understanding. Just as Mingshi Yin had said, she was just awakening. This meant that she had already knowledge of everything but perhaps, she had forgotten it. Now, she was awakening her hidden knowledge and ability. When Lu Zhou thought about it, something stirred in his heart. The more he understood Conch, the more he was convinced of that theory.

After all, it was impossible for someone to be gifted in tune or directly enter the Mystic Enlightening realm as soon as they were born. If they did not have knowledge at all, how could they string notes into tunes?

In the end, Lu Zhou said, "You mustn't be too proud of yourself or rush things. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, master." Conch nodded happily.

"Congratulations, Little Junior Sister." The others congratulated her as well.

Lu Zhou's disciples had truly improved a lot over the past five months.

Lu Zhou looked at the sky as Liu Ge's words suddenly appeared in his mind. If the Nine-leaf stage could truly cause a great disaster, how was the cultivation world supposed to withstand it?

Where was the mysterious Nine-leaf cultivator inside the red coffin now? He rode on the coffin and came here three hundred years ago from the northern borders. He traveled through the lands of the Other Tribes, stayed in Great Yan, and left the sword, High Void, the runes, and the coffin behind. If that person was truly a Nine-leaf cultivator, could he still be alive since he had the lifespan of a Nine-leaf elite?

"Conch, bring the Lantian Jade Flute," Lu Zhou suddenly said as he turned to look at Conch.

"Oh."

"Play the tune that you're most familiar with."

Conch nodded and brought the jade flute to her lips.

The melody began to fill the hall

Nobody knew what Lu Zhou's intention was. They only looked at him curiously. However, as they listened to the melody, they shifted their gazes outside the eastern pavilion.

"Concentrate. Move the notes with your Qi."

Playing the flute required the performer to blow into it. For mortals, that was all they did, but cultivators could use their Primal Qi to move the notes.

Conch circulated her Primal Qi. As it passed through the Lantian Jade Flute, the sound changed. It became clearer and more melodious. The range increased several-fold as well.

The birds in the forest took flight.

Neigh!

"It's Ji Liang."

At the midpoint of the mountain, the horse, Ji Liang, took flight and circled around the clouds. It seemed to be responding to the jolly tune.

"The other beasts are too afraid to appear with Ji Liang around." Lu Zhou saw Ji Liang as well. He was still clueless as to what ability Ji Liang might possess as of now. At the moment, its only advantage, compared to ordinary horses, was the ability to fly. He no longer paid any attention to Ji Liang. Instead, he kept his eyes on Conch. She seemed to have mastered the technique quickly. "Condense your Qi into energy. Only when the note is formed can the energy seal materialize."

For ordinary cultivators, their Primal Qi would be condensed into energy once it left their bodies. However, for a music cultivator, another layer of conversion that involved sound was needed. Through the combination of their Primal Qi, sound, and energy seal, their attacks were known as the killing melody.

Conch nodded when she heard Lu Zhou's words. She attempted to merge her Qi with sound before turning them into energy.