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Translator: Raikov
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
After leaving Xie Yunhan’s place, Zhou Yuntian hurriedly made his way to give his report about Lu Ye.
However, he hadn’t gone far when he sensed the intense clash of a battle. Furrowing his brows, he followed the commotion.
It was not uncommon for cultivators in Fox Immortal Valley to engage in sparring sessions to enhance their skills and foster camaraderie. However, such fierce battles were rare.
As the chief steward of Fox Immortal Valley, there was no way that Zhou Yuntian wouldn’t be concerned.
When he approached the scene, he was shocked to see that the two fighting were none other than the newcomers Lu Ye and Xia Liang. Moreover, both of them were ruthless with their attacks, but the difference in their cultivation levels was evident as Lu Ye appeared quite miserable in the confrontation. What did cause Zhou Yuntian’s eyelids to twitch, however, was the fact that Lu Ye had acquired some noticeable injuries, and his clothes were stained with blood.
“Stop! Stop it at once!” Zhou Yuntian quickly approached and reprimanded them.
On the battlefield, Lu Ye’s blood was boiling as he stood with the Inviolable Saber in his hands. On the other hand, Xia Liang remained calm and composed.
Upon seeing Zhou Yuntian’s approach, both Lu Ye and Xia Liang quickly ceased their fight and saluted him. “Cultivator Zhou.”
Zhou Yuntian’s expression was gloomy. First, he glared at Xia Liang with resentment, which left the man in confusion, then he turned his attention to Lu Ye and asked with great concern, “Cultivator Lu, how are your injuries? Are they serious?”
Zhou Yuntian’s concern surprised Lu Ye, but considering Zhou Yuntian’s position as the chief steward of Fox Immortal Valley, he didn’t dwell on it and replied, “They’re not serious, just some minor flesh wounds. They will heal with some rest.”
Zhou Yuntian let out a long sigh of relief. “Good, good.” He then turned around to admonish Xia Liang, “Cultivator Xia, Cultivator Lu’s cultivation is far inferior to yours, so how could you use such excessive force on him?!”
Xia Liang stammered, “It’s not like that, Cultivator Zhou. It was Yi Ye who came to me, asking to spar and exchange knowledge in blade techniques…”
“If it’s a spar, then keep it at that. How could you hurt him?” Zhou Yuntian’s face darkened. “We in Fox Immortal Valley are united as brothers and sisters. When Cultivator Lu approached you for a sparring session, you should have guided and instructed him, not hurt him!”
Xia Liang was tongue tied for a moment.
While it was true that most cultivators could stop their sparring sessions before causing harm, for two Combat Cultivators wielding blades, ending there wouldn’t be effective practice. They had to go all out and fight with their full force in order to achieve the desired results.
Moreover, Xia Liang had already tried his best to control his strength during his exchange with Lu Ye. Otherwise, the injuries for the latter wouldn’t have ended at just mere flesh wounds.
For Zhou Yuntian to reprimand him without considering the circumstances left Xia Liang feeling frustrated, but he couldn’t refute him and could only look to Lu Ye for help.
Thus Lu Ye cleared the air. “Cultivator Zhou, please calm down. It was indeed my idea to spar, and Cultivator Xia did try to hold back. It’s just that my own strength is lacking…”
Setting aside all else, this spar with Xia Liang had been greatly beneficial for Lu Ye, and couldn’t afford to lose the opportunity for further sparring due to Zhou Yuntian’s interference. That would be a tremendous loss.
“Since you know your strength is lacking, you should be even more careful!” Zhou Yuntian rebuked with a stern face.
Lu Ye just couldn’t figure out what was going on with Zhou Yuntian. Apart from the short contact they had when he arrived at Fox Immortal Valley, he hadn’t seen him in the past few days, but the preferential treatment he was showing now left Lu Ye puzzled.
But how could he have known that Zhou Yuntian had just come after talking with Xie Yunhan, who spoke so highly of Lu Ye? As such, that made Zhou Yuntian realize Lu Ye’s value in his expertise in the Way of Wards.
Sighing, Xia Liang said, “This Xia understands. I won’t do it again, so please rest assured, Cultivator Zhou.”
Only then did Zhou Yuntian’s expression ease slightly. He nodded, saying, “Remember, everyone in our Fox Immortal Valley are your brothers and sisters. If you had any grudges from the past, then let go of them now! If Cultivator Lu approached you for a sparring session to improve his blade technique, you should have just guided and instructed him. If you had to spar, then you must hold back and be sure not to do harm to him again!”
“Yes,” Xia Liang answered.
“Let us put an end to this matter here today. I have other matters to attend to so I will excuse myself now, but I don’t want to see something like this happening again next time as it will surely displease the mistress,” Zhou Yuntian left them with a light warning.
Xia Liang’s expression couldn’t help but change when he heard him mention the mistress, and he hastily said, “Please rest assured, Cultivator Zhou. If Yi Ye wishes to cultivate blade techniques, I will earnestly impart my knowledge to him without withholding anything!”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Take care, Cultivator Zhou.”
Zhou Yuntian nodded slightly then turned to Lu Ye and advised, “If anything happens in the future, feel free to contact me at any time.”
Lu Ye replied in a daze, “Yes.”
As he watched Zhou Yuntian’s figure disappear, Lu Ye’s expression became strange.
What Zhou Yuntian had said about everyone being brothers and sisters in Fox Immortal Valley and his various acts of favoritism were all things Lu Ye had noticed. But… why?
In terms of cultivation, he was the weakest in the entire Fox Immortal Valley. Apart from him was Li Baxian who was in the Fifth Order. Above that, the weakest were the cultivators in the Sixth Realm.
Was it because of his recent performance in the Way of Wards? Judging from the direction Zhou Yuntian had come from earlier, he should have come from Xie Yunhan’s place. With that, it seemed that Xie Yunhan must have said something to him that led to this blatant bias, even bringing up the name of the mistress to his favor.
Seems like… it was the right choice for him to not hide his talent in the Way of Wards.
“Yi Ye!”
Xia Liang’s voice sounded by his ear.
Lu Ye turned around and said, “Cultivator Xia, don’t worry about what Cultivator Zhou said earlier. Let’s continue, and you don’t have to hold back either.”
“Forget it!” Xia Liang’s expression remained calm, showing no joy or anger. “Since Cultivator Zhou has given his warning, let us just leave the idea of sparring at that. However, when it comes to blade techniques, I will wholeheartedly teach you, so ask me anything you wish to know. Your blade technique is fierce and domineering, but I can see that your foundation is weak. Perhaps it is because no one has ever provided you with systematic guidance before. I can understand that the Crimson Blood Sect only had a few people before you, and none of them were blade cultivators, so there probably wasn’t anyone to teach you.”
Lu Ye’s eyes brightened at that. “Can I ask you about anything?”
“As long as it’s about blade techniques, you can. I won’t hold anything back either!”
“In that case, thank you in advance, Cultivator Xia!”
Before entering Fox Immortal Valley, Lu Ye could never have imagined that he would one day have the opportunity to cultivate blade techniques under Xia Liang’s guidance. This was truly a rare opportunity.
Xia Liang came from the Raving Bladesmen and had exceptional talent. The blade techniques he practiced were all the essence accumulated by the Raving Bladesmen over the years, so being guided and instructed by him would definitely save Lu Ye from many detours.
Thus, under Xia Liang’s guidance, Lu Ye began his cultivation from the most basic slashes. Although the whole process was tedious, Lu Ye was filled with enthusiasm.
As one gave their earnest instruction and the other their wholehearted attention to learn, Zhou Yuntian had already reported Lu Ye’s situation to the Fox Mutant in her chamber.
After hearing it, the enchanting Fox Mutant revealed a surprised expression and chuckled softly, “So it seems we truly have picked up a treasure? Since Xie Yunhan has said so, there must be some truth to it. In that case, I shall henceforth entrust Lu Ye with the responsibility of caring for the Wards in the valley with Xie Yunhan acting as his assistant.”
Her soft laugh made Zhou Yuntian’s bones turn soft. Even the women who served the Fox Mutant couldn’t help but show intoxicated expressions.
Maintaining his composure, Zhou Yuntian dared not show any disrespect and said obediently, “This subordinate understands, but Mistress, we haven’t been able to find any new recruits in recent days.”
The Fox Mutant did not seem surprised. “This place is deep within Grand Wilds Peak, and cultivators rarely come by here. It’s only normal that we can’t find any.”
Zhou Yuntian tentatively suggested, “Should we send out messages to attract some people?”
After joining Fox Immortal Valley, they cut off all communication with the outside world. External cultivators could only determine their life and death through the Battle Imprint but had no way of knowing their current status and location.
However, if they actively sent out messages, it would certainly attract a group of people. Then, with the Fox Mutant’s abilities, Fox Immortal Valley’s power would continue to grow.
“No!” The Fox Mutant decisively rejected the idea. She slowly sat up from her daybed and spoke with a solemn expression, “Remember, once you enter Fox Immortal Valley, you can never send any messages to the outside. Whoever dares to do so shall die!”
Zhou Yuntian’s face paled, and he lowered his head. “Yes. This subordinate understands!”
“Go!”
“Yes.”
Zhou Yuntian withdrew respectfully.
After he left, different emotions flickered in the Fox Mutant’s beautiful eyes.
Indeed, if they followed Zhou Yuntian’s method, Fox Immortal Valley would undoubtedly be able to strengthen its power quickly. In a short time, they could gather not just a hundred people, but even two hundred or more.
However… Fox Immortal Valley had existed for so many years, and she had enslaved too many human cultivators in this way that she was already sensing an indescribable feeling of crisis.
Just like a sharp blade hanging over her neck, ready to fall at any moment!
When she first felt this crisis, she thought it was an illusion. However, as time went on, this sensation became increasingly clear.
She then understood that it wasn’t a misconception but the attention of the Heavens on her.
A power that should never have been there appeared in the Cloud River Battlefield, but it was used to enslave the Cloud River Realm cultivators. This undoubtedly angered the Heavens, leading to the development of this tremendous sense of crisis in her.
She knew that one day, the Heavens would punish her for what she had done, but there were still things she had to do before that were to happen that she couldn’t accomplish with her power alone. She needed to enslave more cultivators in order to achieve it.
Ensnaring those that fell into her net was already the limit. If she really used that method to lure people in, it would only intensify Heaven’s attention and the crisis looming over her. It would not be worth the gain.
“The sky has grown dark. Let us continue tomorrow.” As he said so, Xia Liang retrieved a jade slip from his Storage Bag and handed it to Lu Ye. “These are the cultivational insights of blade techniques compiled by the seniors of our Sect. You may take a look at it, but make sure not to lose it.”
Lu Ye accepted the jade slip. “Many thanks, Brother Xia.”
Fox Immortal Valley truly was a great place!
