Chapter 282: Do Not Bully a Youth for Being Poor!

Northern Frontier, Yan City, Yan Family.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully a youth for being poor!"

Inside the spacious hall, an eight-year-old boy stood with his chest puffed out, speaking each word with resonant force, his face filled with unyielding resolve, his eyes seeming to hide a lion.

Yet the response he received was nothing but disdainful cold laughter.

However, facing such an attitude, the members of the Yan family dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction, simply because the other party's background was far too great; they were the sole hegemon of the Northern Frontier.

The Northern Frontier's Divine Martial Gate!

"Stop spouting such useless nonsense. Yan Xiao, now that your parents are both dead, and my young lady is about to be accepted into the Divine Martial Gate to possess a far greater future..."

"Do you intend to hinder her like this?"

"The young lady is very grateful for the resources you have provided her over these years, but you two are no longer people of the same world. Part ways here, and may everything go well for you!"

"Why not quickly dissolve the engagement?"

Upon hearing these words, the boy immediately looked toward the middle-aged man who had spoken, only to see the once lovely young girl beside him now gazing back at him with a cold expression.

There was a time when, in the eyes of others, they were a perfect match of golden boy and jade girl, yet as she gained the favor of the Divine Martial Gate, everything changed; one was an orphan with no support, possessing only barely passable talent, while compared to her, he was like an ant on the ground versus a star in the sky.

The former could only look up to the latter.

Thinking of this, the girl simply withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at the boy, while beside her, the middle-aged man said with an impatient expression:

"Enough, sign it quickly."

Finishing his speech, he took a contract paper from his robe and threw it before the boy: "The young lady is waiting to go cultivate at the Divine Martial Gate; there is no time to waste!"

"..."

Although the boy very much wanted to fling the contract paper directly onto the other's face, in the end, he swallowed the bitterness in his heart, trembling as he picked up the contract.

Circumstances overpower the individual.

'The humiliation of today shall be repaid a hundredfold!'

The boy vowed in his heart, signed his name, and then, with tears in the corners of his eyes, stared死死 at the other party, striving to maintain the last shred of his dignity.

"Bang!"

Just then, the main gate of the Yan Family was suddenly thrown open, and a figure strolled in, their aura peaceful, appearing at first glance like an ordinary mortal.

"Who goes there!"

In an instant, everyone present shouted in anger, except for the middle-aged man who had forced the boy to sign the contract; his expression turned ashen, revealing a look of terror.

He had been using his spiritual sense to envelop the entire Yan Family; with his cultivation at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, how could anyone enter the Yan Family silently without his detection? Thinking of this, the middle-aged man dared not hesitate for even a moment, immediately dropping to one knee and respectfully stating: "This lowly cultivator greets the True Person!"

However, the Demon-Sweeping True Person paid no attention to the other.

He merely calculated with his fingers, then fixed his gaze on the unyielding boy in the center whose eyes held tears, his expression softening before breaking into a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Lu, it has been a long time since we last met."

Hearing this, the boy was momentarily stunned: "You are...?"

"My name is Ye Guangji."

As his voice fell, the Demon-Sweeping True Person reached into his robe and actually produced a token: "Fellow Daoist, you share a karmic tie with me from a past life, so in this life, I have come to guide you across."

Finishing his speech, he stuffed the token into the boy's hand:

"From this day forward, you are the sole disciple of I, Demon-Sweeping True Person, a true heir of the Jiangnan Sword Pavilion, the leader of the Righteous Path. Come, return with me to Jiangnan to uphold the Righteous Path."

As his voice fell, all sounds ceased, followed by an even more intense outbreak of clamor.

"Jiangnan Sword Pavilion!?"

"The one comparable to the Demonic Sect? How is this possible! On what grounds does this good-for-nothing qualify?"

"Could it be that a Foundation Establishment True Person has reincarnated!?"

The middle-aged man's expression completely froze; he was not an ignorant person, so he immediately turned to look at the boy, only to see the corners of his mouth still twitching.

One second ago, the boy was still at the 'thirty years east of the river' stage.

But unexpectedly, the next second, he had already reached the 'west of the river'.

"Pfft."

Life's great ups and downs came too fast, and happiness arrived too suddenly; the boy's tears had not yet been held back, and for a moment, he simply could not suppress his smile.

At the same time, it was as if a certain shackle had been broken.

"Boom!"

In an instant, a strand of fortune visible only to the Demon-Sweeping True Person erupted from the boy's emaciated body, causing him to nod slightly:

'Fellow Daoist Lu truly possesses remarkable methods.'

"It really worked!"

Lu Yang, having witnessed the entire process through the 【Marionette】, said with satisfaction: "This 【Fallen Genius】 fate pattern has now reached perfection at this stage!"

Naturally, everything was his arrangement.

To be precise, eight years ago, he had cast a fortune for his clone, determining the fortune and fate pattern of 'Fallen Genius, accumulating strength for a sudden breakout.'

And to maintain this fate pattern, one must 【Practice Abstinence from Luxury】; in other words, one must live in poverty, suffer humiliation, and strive in vain for everything until an external force breaks this deadlock, allowing one to break out of the cocoon and be reborn, accumulating strength for a sudden breakout, repaying the suffering endured in the past a hundred or a thousand times over.

"Having played the role of a good-for-nothing for eight years, my fortune has also lain dormant for a full eight years."

"Now, awakening in a single morning, my fortune soars to the heavens, perfectly suited for employing 【Fortune-Divining Lots】; no matter the matter, the probability of drawing 【Great Auspiciousness】 is extremely high!"

Thinking of this, Lu Yang felt quite proud.

After all, this was a fate pattern he had painstakingly woven; although it required enduring hardship for a long time, a clone exists precisely to suffer hardship for the main body!

If it does not suffer enough, how can I enjoy happiness?

Look now that the clone's bitterness has ended, has not sweetness come for the main body?

"However, this method is not actually that sophisticated; the Demon-Sweeping True Person likely saw through it... he just assumes it is a contingency I left behind before reincarnating."

"In any case, after this fate pattern reaches perfection, the erupted fortune, combined with the clone's foundation from a past life, should certainly be worthy of the Sword Pavilion's regard."

Without hesitation, the clone directly followed the Demon-Sweeping True Person away.

However, just as they were leaving, the Demon-Sweeping True Person sighed and struck a technique into the clone's spiritual sea, causing Lu Yang to narrow his eyes:

"It is a secret technique to eradicate the past life..."

This was not strange; after all, the clone was an outsider, not a direct lineage member of the Sword Pavilion, so unless he chose to abandon his past life, it was impossible to receive the Sword Pavilion's true transmission.

Only in this way could he gain the Sword Pavilion's trust.

"... ever mind; in any case, with the 【Marionette】, no matter how the past life is eradicated, the clone remains under my control and will have no effect on me."

Lu Yang quickly regained his calm.

Through the 【Marionette】, he watched as the Demon-Sweeping True Person merged with sword light, taking the clone to traverse the void, and before long, they returned to the Jiangnan region.

Subsequently, Lu Yang saw the 【Sword Pavilion】.

Although he had been in Jiangnan for so long, for the sake of caution, he had never approached the mountain gate of the Yushu Sword Pavilion, fearing someone would discover him and expose his true nature.

This was the first time.

What met his eyes was unmistakably a towering peak piercing the clouds, resembling a divine sword rising from the earth, its blade pointing straight beyond the heavens, so majestic that its full form was hard to behold.

Not to mention whether everyone in the Sword Pavilion is a sword cultivator.

At least judging from the image project of the mountain gate, this was already very much like a sword cultivator.

The Demon-Sweeping True Person rode the sword light, flying straight into the Sword Pavilion, then climbing the clouds until he spotted a hall on the edge of the precipice of the dangerous peak, where he withdrew his light and descended.

"Greetings, Demon-Sweeping True Person!"

Before the hall, two young disciples hurried forward to pay their respects upon seeing this; the Demon-Sweeping True Person nodded in response, then led Lu Yang into the hall.

"This place is called the Reception Hall."

The Demon-Sweeping True Person explained: "Every disciple entering the sect must have their foundation tested here; only those with a profound foundation can receive our sect's true transmission."

Finishing his speech, the Demon-Sweeping True Person gently pushed Lu Yang forward.

Inside the Reception Hall was a slightly narrow corridor, resembling an ancestral hall, with a spirit shrine placed at the head, upon which rested a sword and an incense burner.

The Demon-Sweeping True Person then handed three lit incense sticks to Lu Yang, saying in a deep voice: "Go, offer incense to the Patriarch."

"From now on, you are a true heir of my Sword Pavilion."

(End of Chapter)