The mountain forest was pitch-black in the dead of night.

A patch of bushes trembled slightly, though strangely, there was no wind.

A head, its face covered by a black bandana, peeked out from the bushes. The exposed eyes flashed with a hint of satisfaction.

This was none other than Lu Yu, the son of the Lord Lingzhou General.

’Too clumsy...’

That was his assessment of Murong Jiujiang.

Indeed, he had long been aware that the Divine Mansion Sect was watching him. He had even discovered that his observer was none other than their number one True Disciple, Murong Jiujiang.

In fact, Murong Jiujiang wasn’t just ranked first among the disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect.

He was also ranked first on the Earth List, a compilation whose author was unknown.

This meant that Murong Jiujiang was the strongest expert of the younger generation in Huanglong Prefecture.

Lu Yu knew he couldn’t defeat Murong Jiujiang yet.

But for people of the Jianghu, fists weren’t always necessary. Lu Yu had always considered fighting to the death a crude, last-ditch effort.

A true master always defused a crisis before it could even take shape.

Just like him, right now.

Murong Jiujiang thought he was obediently staying in his shop in the south of the city, unaware that every night, Lu Yu would sneak out of the pawnshop and head to Shenfu Mountain.

Of course, he didn’t dare venture too deep into Shenfu Mountain. After all, a Grandmaster with incredibly sharp senses was stationed there.

If he got too close, he would surely be detected by the Shenfu Sect Master.

Fortunately, he had his own unique methods.

An emerald-green vial dropped from Lu Yu’s sleeve into his palm.

He pinched the vial’s wooden cork between two fingers.

POP...

With a crisp sound, the vial was opened. Countless ant-sized creatures swarmed out of the opening, crawled down Lu Yu’s clothes to the ground, and fanned out into the depths of the forest.

The insects were incredibly small, and a rough estimate would put their number in the tens of thousands.

A smile tugged at the corner of Lu Yu’s mouth.

This was his method.

Searching the mountain by hand was the most primitive method—time-consuming and laborious. Naturally, he disdained such an approach.

These little insects were Gu worms, raised on his own essence blood. While useless in a fight, they were first-rate for searching.

The moment one of the insects detected anything unusual, it would self-destruct.

He, their master, would sense it, and all he would have to do is go to the location of the explosion to investigate.

While it was impossible to find the Divine Mansion directly this way, it would drastically reduce the search time.

He focused his senses for a moment. The Gu worms had already crawled deep into Shenfu Mountain.

Unless one were a Gu master from the Southern Border, any ordinary person would mistake them for common insects and pay them no mind.

Ling Province was thousands of miles from the Southern Border; people who understood the art of Gu were few and far between.

Lu Yu didn’t believe for a second that someone in the tiny Divine Mansion Sect would understand such an esoteric art.

The only person who might understand Gu, the Thousand-Handed Butcher, had gone to the Northern Plains, which made Lu Yu even more brazen.

But just as he turned to leave—

A gleaming long blade suddenly appeared behind his head.

Lu Yu felt a chill run down his spine. He didn’t know what was behind him, but he knew that if he didn’t dodge, he would die.

Just as the blade was about to split his skull, his body flattened and shifted sideways in a physically impossible motion!

The blade missed, striking the ground and leaving a gash nearly ten feet long.

Lu Yu stared at the gash on the ground.

If that blade had struck him, his fate would have been far more gruesome than that of the earth.

He looked up at the young man with the blade, who now stood about ten feet away.

"Eighth on the Earth List, Bai Yuan?"

Lu Yu was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected this renowned expert from the Earth List to be here.

Bai Yuan was also surprised. Not many Blood Refining Martial Masters could survive his blade. This stranger before him was worth exchanging a few words with.

He had been walking back to Wan Jun Peak after slaying a demon, just like any other day.

But then he discovered Shadow Gu—a type of Gu that should only exist in the Southern Border—within the Divine Mansion Sect’s territory.

He had practiced the *Compendium of Witchcraft Curses* to a level of mastery, which was the only reason he could identify them at a glance.

Across the entire Divine Mansion Sect, he and Old Dong were likely the only two who could recognize the origin of these tiny insects.

He had traced them back to their source, which ultimately led him to the stranger before him.

As was his style, he preferred to kill first and talk later. Besides, he’d picked up a few forensic skills, so he could always examine the corpse for information.

Mercy was a great taboo in the Jianghu. The fear wasn’t killing the wrong person; it was being too afraid to kill at all.

When facing an unfamiliar, powerful foe, one should naturally find a way to ambush and kill them. If you were foolish enough to introduce yourself and start asking questions, you’d most likely be killed first. Such was a common occurrence in the Jianghu.

Of course, since the ambush had failed, they could sit down for a chat.

If they couldn’t come to an agreement, it wouldn’t be too late to kill him then.

Besides, the Body Technique the young man used to dodge his blade was genuinely impressive.

"Are you with the Lingzhou Army?"

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

Old Dong had a vast collection of Cultivation Techniques, which even included the art of face reading, or physiognomy.

Bai Yuan had eagerly learned them all, raising each to a level of mastery. With his current skill in physiognomy, if he were to set up a stall in Huanglong Prefecture, he’d be hailed as a Demi-Immortal within a month.

Seeing through this young man’s identity wasn’t actually difficult.

The stranger had a strong military air about him, yet he lacked the bearing of a high-ranking, powerful general.

For a Martial Artist capable of dodging his blade to not yet hold an official military position... in all of Ling Province, such a situation pointed to only one possibility: the Lingzhou Army.

Of course, he could have been a soldier from an Outer State, but that was a far less likely possibility.

Though his background was exposed, Lu Yu showed no trace of surprise.

Despite his frivolous and carefree demeanor, he had diligently studied the Heaven List and Earth List before coming to Huanglong Prefecture.

This newly-minted True Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect, ranked eighth on the Earth List, was a fearsome character who had even killed an Entry-level Powerhouse.

The Earth List’s assessment of him consisted of just seven words.

A match for Dong Wanjun in his prime!

Dong Wanjun, ranked second on the Heaven List of Huanglong Prefecture, was quite famous even within the Lingzhou Army. Lu Yu’s own father, the Lord General, had once said that Dong Wanjun was the only real man in all of Huanglong Prefecture worthy of his respect.

’Since Bai Yuan learned Dong Wanjun’s eclectic techniques, it’s possible he could recognize the Shadow Gu,’ Lu Yu thought. ’So it’s also highly likely he could see through my identity.’

He just couldn’t figure out where Bai Yuan found the time to learn so many different skills.

Gu refining was an extremely time-consuming practice. It was said that some Gu Refiners in the Southern Border spent half a lifetime cultivating a single Gu. Lu Yu had only scratched the surface of the art, but even that had taken up a great deal of his time.

’Does this guy even sleep?’

"Lingzhou Army, Lu Xiaoyu."

Lu Yu cupped his fists toward Bai Yuan.

He had just spouted a random name. The Lingzhou Army was ten thousand strong; besides a few of the generals, it was impossible for anyone to know the names of the common soldiers.

Bai Yuan, of course, didn’t believe him.

But he didn’t press the issue.

"Why are you spying on my Divine Mansion Sect?"

His tone was icy, suggesting he was ready to draw his blade again at the slightest provocation.

Lu Yu’s eyes darted, and his carefree grin returned.

"Brother Bai, have you ever heard of the Divine Mansion?"

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

He hadn’t expected this young man—or rather, the Lingzhou Army—to be interested in the Divine Mansion Sect’s legendary Immortal Cave Mansion.

As a Transmigrator, he knew for a fact that the Divine Mansion truly existed and was connected to that Tier Eight Great Demon.

"You’re into feudal superstitions?"

Bai Yuan asked abruptly.

’To most people, the Divine Mansion is just some spooky legend. What is that if not feudal superstition?’

"I know ’superstition,’ but what is ’feudal’?"

Lu Yu was stunned.

"It’s a dialect from my hometown."

"..."

Lu Yu didn’t dwell on it.

"Brother Bai, are you telling me you’re not interested in the Divine Mansion?"

His words were laced with temptation.

Recruiting a True Disciple from the Divine Mansion Sect to help him find the Divine Mansion—it was a scheme only someone with his particular brand of audacity could conceive.

If Bai Yuan actually agreed, the search for the Divine Mansion would become much easier.

And even if Bai Yuan refused, it didn’t matter.

He had discovered from the Lingzhou Army’s records that his father, the General, wasn’t the first to come to Shenfu Mountain in search of the Divine Mansion. Even the Xuanyang Royal Family had sent investigators in the past.

Besides, the Shenfu Sect Master, Murong Tian, already knew the purpose of his visit, so revealing it to Bai Yuan was of no consequence.

Bai Yuan played along, putting on an interested expression.

The only reason he was even talking to this Lingzhou Army youth named Lu Xiaoyu was to probe for an opportunity to kill him.

Though the two appeared to be merely talking, Bai Yuan was constantly searching for the perfect opening to strike.

But this Lu Xiaoyu fellow was skilled. His seemingly frivolous swaying was actually a means to hide any openings.

Recalling the strange Body Technique from before, Bai Yuan wasn’t confident he could kill the youth from the Lingzhou Army.

’Since I can’t kill him, there’s no need to create unnecessary enmity. I’ll just play along.’

’The Divine Mansion is guarded by a Tier Eight Great Demon. Forget me and this kid Lu Xiaoyu; even if the Lingzhou General himself showed up, it would be useless.’

’Still, he’s from the Lingzhou Army. He might be useful in the future.’

Seeing Bai Yuan’s attitude, Lu Yu let out a laugh, but he had no intention of moving any closer.

He was certain that if he revealed the slightest opening, he would lose his life here today.

A small slip of paper appeared between his fingertips.

"Brother Bai, this contains information about the Divine Mansion that I found in the Lingzhou Army’s archives. Consider it a meeting gift."

With a flick of his fingers, Lu Yu sent the slip of paper shooting toward Bai Yuan like a throwing knife.

Bai Yuan caught it with ease.

At that exact moment, Lu Yu leaped backward, vanishing into the forest.

Bai Yuan acted as if he hadn’t seen a thing, paying no mind to Lu Yu’s departure.

He unfolded the paper with his fingers.

The note listed the various factions that had coveted the Divine Mansion Sect’s secrets over the centuries, along with some speculations about the Divine Mansion’s location.

As for the matter of the Murong Family, not a single word was mentioned, of course.

Lu Yu wasn’t about to bare his soul to Bai Yuan after their first meeting.

Bai Yuan was surprised to see the words "Royal Family" on the note.

He never imagined the Royal Family would know about a vague legend from a remote place like Huanglong Prefecture.

’Their reach is truly vast.’

At the bottom of the note was a stamp bearing two words: Xinglong Pawnshop.

Bai Yuan didn’t think for a second that the youth named Lu Xiaoyu had been careless. After all, if he were truly sloppy, he’d be a corpse on the ground right now.

This was clearly intentional.

’The Divine Mansion...’

He repeated the two words in his mind.

A Tier Eight Great Demon was not something to be trifled with. Not even the Lord Lingzhou General would be a match for it.

Otherwise, the secrets of the Divine Mansion would have been plundered long ago.

Bai Yuan crushed the note to dust and turned back toward Wan Jun Peak.

...

「Elsewhere.」

Lu Yu returned to the pawnshop in the south of Huanglong Prefecture City, a playful grin on his face.

"How interesting."

He hadn’t expected to find a genius of this caliber in a small place like Huanglong Prefecture.

The only reason Lu Yu had managed to stand out from among the Lord General’s hundreds of illegitimate children was that his innate talent and comprehension were second to none.

However, he wasn’t considered the absolute cream of the crop among the top geniuses in Ling Province.

This was because he had intentionally delayed his breakthroughs.

Lu Yu’s ambition was immense—far too large for a single Ling Province to contain.

The reason he had yet to break through the Blood Refining Pass was because of a legend he had heard.

It was said that every time the Grand Ancestor Emperor broke through to a new realm, he did so only after pushing his current stage to its absolute limit, allowing the breakthrough to occur naturally.

Doing so would build an incomparably solid foundation.

Only then could one walk further on the path of the Martial Dao.

It was said that the members of the Li Royal Family all emulated the training methods of their Grand Ancestor.

Lu Yu’s ambition, of course, was not merely to become the next Lingzhou General, but to achieve far greater power and status. And for that, he was very patient.