Sage of Humanity

The day after he brought Hua Ci and the others back, Lu Ye asked for their opinions and then, using the authority granted to him as Governor, took them back to the sect headquarters.

With her status as Seal Envoy, Shui Yuan branded Hua Ci and the other two with the battlefield marking of the Righteous Blood Sect. After paying respects to the sect master, Hua Ci and the others formally became disciples of the Righteous Blood Sect.

With that, including Yiyi, the Righteous Blood Sect now had five disciples within the Spirit Stream Realm.

Ruan Lingyu was very happy, and even the stoic Kong Niu had a few more smiles. Those days spent as independent cultivators were always tough, but from today onwards, they too had the backing of a sect.

As for Hua Ci... Lu Ye could sense that she did not have a strong personal desire to join a sect.

If she truly wanted to join any sect, with her current status as a Level 6 healing cultivator, she could easily receive attention from any sect in the outer circle, as healing cultivators were always indispensable talents for any big sect.

Her willingness to join the Righteous Blood Sect this time was partly due to her previous experiences, as she wanted to provide a more stable life for Ruan Lingyu and Kong Niu, and also because of Lu Ye.

Looking back, she had once harbored the thought of incorporating Lu Ye into the Independent Wanderers Society, but she did not mention it, considering which powerful family he might come from.

Yet, after all the twists and turns, the Independent Wanderers Society had disbanded, and she ended up becoming a disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect instead. It just goes to show that the affairs of the world are beyond words.

As disciples of the Righteous Blood Sect, they received a monthly stipend, which is a benefit provided by every sect. When Ruan Lingyu received her first stipend from Shui Yuan, she laughed until she cried, and Yiyi comforted her for a long time.

In the training room quarters, Lu Ye spent a great deal of effort constructing Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Runes in several rooms. With this setup, Hua Ci and the others would be able to cultivate more efficiently here in the future.

Furthermore, now that they had joined the Righteous Blood Sect, the stipend given by his Second Senior Sister was substantial, and they did not have to worry about resources for their cultivation for a while.

Leaving the training room, he saw Hua Ci waiting outside. She had just tried out her own training room and was truly astonished by the richness of nature's spiritual energy within, which made her understand why Lu Ye's cultivation had improved so rapidly.

"Something on your mind?" Lu Ye asked her.

Hua Ci said, "The reason you went to Mount Ying to find me, was it for the Spirit Stream Defense Battle?"

"Who told you?" Lu Ye said, surprised. He had not yet had the chance to speak of it, as he had been planning to discuss it with Hua Ci in a couple of days, but she already had news of it beforehand.

"Chen Yu told me. He said you were looking to find someone from among the independent cultivators to accompany you, but you couldn't find a suitable candidate."

Lu Ye nodded, "I did consider that."

"Then why didn't you speak up? Were you afraid I'd hold you back?"

"No, that's not it. I just haven't had the opportunity yet. Now that you know, what do you think?"

Hua Ci lowered her eyes submissively, "My life was saved by you. Whatever you say goes. Do I even have room to resist?"

"Cut it out," Lu Ye replied uneasily. "It's your decision. If you want to go, we need to sign up in the next few days. If you don't want to go, then don't; I'm not insisting."

"Why wouldn't I go? If you're not scared at Level 5, why should I be scared at Level 6?" Hua Ci said with a light, graceful smile.

Lu Ye nodded and turned towards Heaven's Augury Hall. He didn't get far before turning back, looking at Hua Ci seriously, "Other sects' Governors usually have at least one Level 7 among them. It will be dangerous inside. Are you truly going to go?"

"I am," Hua Ci smiled, pressing her lips together. "If I don't go, who will collect your body?"

Lu Ye snorted and walked away.

He soon arrived at Heaven's Augury Hall and connected with the Heaven's Augury Pillar, using his authority as Governor to spend five hundred merit points for an augmentation.

In an instant, he felt a strange change inside the Heaven's Augury Pillar, accompanied by a series of clicking noises as the pillar turned left and right.

Then, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around them began to surge, becoming even denser.

This was the effect of the Heaven's Augury Pillar's augmentation. The original pillar only increased the Spiritual Energy density in the area by ten percent more than the wilderness, and one augmentation increased it by another ten percent. In other words, the Spiritual Energy at the Righteous Blood Sect's location was now twenty percent denser than in the wilderness.

Lu Ye tried to purchase another augmentation but wasn't successful – he had run out of merit points. The feedback from his Governor's seal indicated that the second augmentation would cost a thousand merit points. He didn't know how much the third would cost.

The Fourth Senior Brother once said that the cost of augmentations from the Heaven's Augury Pillar would increase the farther you go, which meant it was not something a single cultivator could afford. It required the collective effort of the entire sect to accumulate the necessary merits.

Additionally, the Governor could adjust the range of the Heaven's Augury Pillar's augmentation. Lu Ye had the option to confine the augmentation's effects to certain areas, meaning that if he wanted, the marketplace where the independent cultivators stayed would not benefit from this enhanced Spiritual Energy.

With one augmentation, the Righteous Blood Sect was now eligible to sign up for the Spirit Stream Defense Battle. Lu Ye fiddled around for quite a while before figuring out how to register. As Heaven's Augury descended, his battlefield marking slightly heated up, and a flood of information entered his mind.

There were still several days before the Spirit Stream Defense Battle would officially begin, and before then, Lu Ye could raise his cultivation to the Level 6 Realm. He was only a step away from Level 6.

This was the confidence he had for wanting to participate in the Spirit Stream Defense Battle. Being at Level 5 was somewhat inadequate, but if he were to reach Level 6, the situation would change.

Inside the rear hall of Righteous Peak at the sect headquarters, Lu Ye and Hua Ci arrived side by side.

"Sect Master, did you want to see us?" Lu Ye greeted with a fist and palm salute, and Hua Ci also performed a disciple's bow.

The sect master turned around, "Your Second Senior Sister told me that you two are prepared to participate in the Spirit Stream Defense Battle, and that you've already registered?"

"Yes."

"It's good for you to see the world out there," the sect master nodded slightly. "Righteous Blood Sect has not taken in disciples for several decades, and now with several of you, there's much more life in the sect. It's a pity this old body of mine can't help you much, and last time I almost caused you harm because of past events."

Lu Ye hurriedly said, "As a disciple who has joined the Righteous Blood Sect, I should naturally bear the sect's grudges and fortunes. Moreover, in the end, I was lucky to turn misfortune into fortune, thanks in large part to the remaining prestige of the sect. You need not worry, Sect Master."

Patting his beard, the sect master remarked, "It's commendable that you think this way." He sighed and then said, "Come with me; I'll take you to a place."

With that, he walked outside, and Lu Ye and Hua Ci quickly followed him.

Upon exiting the main hall, with a wave of his wide sleeve and the surging of his powerful spirit force, he enveloped Lu Ye and Hua Ci, shooting up into the sky.

Moments later, they landed on the mountaintop of a spirit peak. Lu Ye turned his head to look back and could see Righteous Peak not far away, which meant they were likely still within the Righteous Blood Sect headquarters.

At the top of the peak stood a building that was neither quite a hall nor a tower, with an odd shape.

Standing in front of the building, the sect master turned back to Lu Ye and Hua Ci and instructed, "Wait here."

He straightened his expression and proceeded forward.

Outside the hall, Hua Ci nudged Lu Ye's arm and they exchanged glances, both inquiring and unsure. Lu Ye slowly shook his head; he had never been here before and had no idea why the sect master had brought him and Hua Ci to this place.

While musing, they suddenly heard a woman's voice from inside, "You old thing actually have the face to come find me?"

Lu Ye was startled. There was actually someone here?

As he wondered, a gust of wind hit them in the face. With his vision, Lu Ye could just make out a dark shadow flying out from the building and hitting a large tree with a loud boom.

The wind made the garments flap wildly and the cheeks of Lu Ye sting. He turned and squinted at the sight, his face changing dramatically. He and Hua Ci hurriedly went to help the sect master who was now slumped on the ground.

The sect master had a dark bruise on his left eye, clearly marked by a fist imprint.

"Sect Master, this..." Lu Ye had no idea what had happened; all he knew was that a woman lived here and that this woman had just pummeled the sect master...

"It's nothing, it's nothing," the sect master lightly brushed off his clothes and explained to Lu Ye, "An old friend of mine lives here. She has quite a temper. I'll go talk to her again. Just wait here."

Lu Ye and Hua Ci watched speechlessly as the sect master entered the building again.

"Get lost! Dare to come in again and I'll break all three of your legs!"

Another furious shout followed, and then the sect master was sent flying out again, hitting the same tree and slowly sliding down.

This time the sect master's right eye was also bruised... Two fist imprints, one on each side, perfectly symmetrical.

"Sect Master!" It was difficult for Lu Ye to watch this unfold.

The sect master raised his hand: "It's all right; just let her vent."

He stood up and went forward for the third time, as if immune to the multitude around him.

Fluctuations of spirit force and the woman's curse soon came from inside. Lu Ye and Hua Ci stood outside, listening with trepidation, fearing the sect master would be thrown out again.

But this time, the sect master wasn't sent flying out, and the cursing inside gradually ceased.

Everything happened so quickly that Lu Ye was struggling to understand, when Hua Ci leaned in close and whispered, "The person living here is probably one of the Sect Master's old flames."

"Nonsense!" Lu Ye rolled his eyes, "Didn't you see the sect master get hammered?"

Hua Ci chuckled, "You're still young, you don't understand women."

"You understand?"

"I am a woman, of course, I understand," Hua Ci puffed up her chest.

Lu Ye felt her reasoning was sound and found himself at a loss for words.

After a while, the authoritative voice of the sect master came from inside, "Come in, all of you."

Lu Ye and Hua Ci immediately straightened their expressions and respectfully answered in agreement, and then they walked into the building, one after the other.

Crossing the threshold into the interior, Lu Ye was astonished; the building appeared small from the outside but was a different world entirely inside. The walls of the building were covered with profound and mysterious spirit runes that moved like fish, appearing and disappearing, unpredictable and ever-changing.

He looked at the spirit runes, unable to recognize a single one, hugely amazed.

They were in a grand hall, where the sect master stood, and beside him was a beautiful woman with a grace that belied her age. At first glance, she seemed young, but upon closer inspection, her eyes betrayed a sense of age and experience.