Chapter 175: Honorary Wumiao, Taking the Blade to Plunge the Depths

The Wumiao is the foundation upon which the Great Qian dynasty was established.

Its status is incomparably noble.

The Zhen Mo Si and the Demon Hunters can stand independent of the imperial court precisely because they fall under the Wumiao's jurisdiction.

As one of the temple keepers, Lord Wu's words can fully represent the will of the Wumiao.

Is it possible not to return?

Jiang Chengyun was completely stunned; across the nine provinces of the Great Qian, whether in the imperial court or the martial world, any martial artist would dream of joining the Wumiao.

Here lie the finest treasures, the most abundant pills, and an endless collection of precious martial arts.

And as for backing, who could compare to a living cultivator of the Transformation of Spirit Realm?

They did not need to actively invite; they could absorb talents from all under heaven.

But at this moment, Lord Wu was actually waiting for General Shen's reply.

"Stay in the Wumiao and serve the Golden Body."

A trace of complexity surged in the old man's cloudy eyes; this youth's situation was unheard of, having completely consumed the aura separated from the Golden Body, leaving the few of us old men heartbroken.

But this also proved from the side just how precious this person's value was.

Letting the other party go just like that was truly a bit hard to bear.

After discussion, they decided to simply keep this youth; it would not be a loss.

Jiang Qiulan stood with hands at her sides, gazing quietly at Shen Yi.

It was much as she had expected.

With the youth's talent, no one could ignore his existence, not even the Wumiao.

It was just that Jiang Qiulan was somewhat surprised that these temple keepers would be so proactive, completely lacking their former arrogant and transcendent demeanor.

The other party should have only seen Shen Yi once.

What exactly happened during the refinement at the Wumiao?

"What are the benefits?"

Shen Yi looked over curiously.

"Benefits?"

Lord Wu's eyelids twitched slightly; after so many years, this was the first time the Wumiao had issued an invitation to an outsider.

And now this youth was negotiating terms with him?

He closed his eyes, steadied his mind, then opened them again: "The reason our group stays here has only one purpose... that is to refine the Golden Body Dharma Image and break through to the realm of Transformation of Spirit, and here lies the most abundant incense and vow power."

Lord Wu shook his head: "Do not rely on your youth and talent to think time is endless; a thousand years pass in the snap of a finger. Only when you truly begin to involve yourself in this path will you discover time is far from enough."

"So... do not waste precious lifespan on those useless matters, such as Outside Qingzhou. Once that group of Slain Hunyuan martial artists free their hands, they will naturally know to go and resolve it."

These few short words made Jiang Chengyun's mood inexplicably somewhat low.

Waiting for the Slain Hunyuan Grandmasters to free their hands to resolve it sounded easy, but in reality, it represented the wails of tens of millions of Li Min in Outside Qingzhou, the fall of the Zhen Mo Si's great generals, and the tragic deaths of numerous Demon Hunters.

But in the face of time that often spans a thousand years, these matters appeared so insignificant.

The Li Min are like weeds, reproducing extremely fast.

Great generals are slightly more precious, but as long as the incense and vow power is sufficient, they can be replicated.

In the eyes of the Wumiao, it is merely a temporary setback; once other troubles are resolved, they can free their hands and reclaim the territory from the demons and monsters.

As a Demon Hunter of Outside Qingzhou, he could not even criticize this.

Because if other troubles were not resolved, it would not be as simple as temporarily losing Outside Qingzhou.

"..."

Shen Yi fell silent for a moment, then raised his gaze and said, "Then let's forget it."

Incense and vow power available for free use, plus talent and comprehension that surpasses all in the Great Qian, equals a future cultivator of the Transformation of Spirit Realm.

The problem is... the talent is fake.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengyun fell into a state of stupor even stronger than before, even feeling his brain spin.

Lord Wu had made his words as clear as possible.

If General Shen nodded, it would not be as simple as joining the Wumiao as a disciple; he would truly be cultivated as a successor.

What immense regard was this?

Yet it was rejected so easily.

Could it be that Great Lord Shen truly has his heart set on Outside Qingzhou?

Thinking of this, Jiang Chengyun's gaze toward the youth slowly grew with intense reverence.

"Sigh."

Lord Wu seemed to have expected this reply long ago.

Only one of their own kind truly understands another.

They were once so arrogant, always thinking there was no talent in the world like themselves, that breaking through realms was as simple as eating and drinking, and where would they care about time or be able to settle their minds?

The old man stood up, took a long jade box from a storage treasure, placed it on the table, and said grumpily, "Just registering a name is fine, right?"

The other party is still young; there will surely be a day of repentance. This is an experience they have all undergone once. Although they hope the other party can take fewer detours and learn from lessons... never mind, at least let him not be snatched up by those immortal sects first.

Anyway, this youth is also a Zhen Mo General; returning to Outside Qingzhou, he cultivates the path of the Yin Spirit anyway; if it's slow, then let it be slow.

The three people in the courtyard turned their gaze to the jade box on the table.

Jiang Qiulan seemed to guess something, a strangeness flashing through her clear eyes.

Judging by Lord Wu's words, he wanted to recruit Shen Yi.

Then the thing inside this jade box is probably not as simple as a mid-grade treasure.

Indeed, as the old man reached out to lift the lid of the jade box, a treasure selected to perfectly match the form of the blade at Shen Yi's waist suddenly revealed its true appearance.

"I was worried you wouldn't find it to your liking, so I took special care in choosing it for quite a while."

The straight blade was overall cold in tone, its dim glow drawn inward, its surface covered in tooth-like scale patterns, a black radiance like drifting mist rising along the grain.

"The blade is named Qianyuan, a top-grade weapon."

"Nothing particularly remarkable about it, but it can cleave the body of a Demon King. It also has the effect of guarding the heart and soul… If you encounter the Howling Moon Demon King, its divine ability can cause souls to crumble and leave the body. Keep this blade at your waist, and it will keep your spirit and soul safe."

The old man took out the long blade and tossed it toward the black-armored youth.

Shen Yi caught it smoothly in his hand, examined it closely, and said: "There's no scabbard?"

"…" Lord Wu let out a slight breath: "Should I also gift you a full set of armor to go with it?"

Was he really going to send it?

Shen Yi raised his head, only to see the old man had already turned and left the courtyard, leaving behind a single sentence: "Since you've accepted the blade, it seems you're fairly satisfied with it. Then the matter of registering at the Wumiao is settled."

It was more than a top-grade weapon.

It was also one made specifically to deal with that Demon King in Outside Qingzhou.

And the final condition turned out to be joining the Wumiao—a boon most people would beg for.

Even Jiang Qiulan had never enjoyed such treatment.

She realized that since traveling together with Shen Yi, she had suddenly gained many novel experiences.

Just then, she suddenly saw the black-armored youth remove the blade at his waist, then test the scabbard with Qianyuan, and finally look toward her: "Can I return half of it first?"

"…"

Jiang Qiulan walked over and reached out to catch the ink-dark blade; the touch was icy, and a lingering stench of demon blood drifted from it.

Clearly the same as in her memory, yet somehow entirely different.

It was as if the other had walked a long road in place of an old friend, gifted that journey to her, and was now about to set out on a new one.

She looked at the gold-veined, jet-black scabbard at Shen Yi's waist, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips: "Alright."

(End of Chapter)