Chapter 46: Chapter Forty-Five: The Sect Master Token

Leaving Peach Source, he came upon Willow Bay halfway, and recalling events from months ago, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Lu Zian, Pinggu, and the Hermit of West Mountain—one on the verge of Foundation Establishment, one at Qi Refining fifth layer, one at Qi Refining eighth layer—all had labored for decades on the cultivation path, yet failed at the final step, reduced to a handful of yellow earth. Was this their fate?

And what of his own fate?

The Quze point on the Pericardium Meridian suddenly throbbed violently, filling Liu Xiaolou with both surprise and urgency.

He was surprised that the five spirit stones spent during the array plate’s crafting had not been wasted—some of their spiritual energy had been converted into true qi, greatly aiding the breakthrough at Quze, which was about to open.

He was urgent because he needed to find a safe place to break through the point, lest he be disturbed.

The nearest place was naturally Pinggu’s former residence. Liu Xiaolou hurried there, scaled the wall, and found the courtyard abandoned for months, now overgrown with weeds.

He entered any room at random, clutched a spirit stone, converted it into true qi, and sat cross-legged to break through the Quze point.

After many days, at one moment, the Quze point could no longer withstand the repeated onslaught of true qi—it was swept through by the flood, merging into the point’s pool.

Of the nine points on the Pericardium Meridian, three had now been broken, taking half a year in total. This cultivation pace was still quite fast, mainly because he had struck several small fortunes over the past year, and only he alone among the Three Mysteries Sect enjoyed the spirit stones.

Of course, his achievements paled beside those of disciples from major sects—they never worried about spiritual energy, cultivating beside spirit springs while their Qi Refining base surged upward; he could not envy that.

Yet among free cultivators, at eighteen—ah, now nineteen—he was at Qi Refining third layer, surely a rising talent. Wei Hongqing had only just entered Qi Refining third layer at nineteen; his progress was half a year faster!

Liu Xiaolou was in good spirits. He rose and strolled around the courtyard, remembering how hastily he’d arrived before, searching mainly for people and neglecting valuables. Now, he might find something overlooked.

After rummaging through chests and cabinets, he indeed found a small wooden box hidden in a secret compartment behind the bedhead, containing several small silver ingots—about twenty taels—earning him a modest windfall.

Besides the silver, there was a thick stack of letters—all written by Lu Zian to Pinggu, thirteen in total. Liu Xiaolou flipped through them casually and found they spanned over three years.

The earliest letters were full of teasing tone, mostly focused on lower regions, revealing Lu Zian’s attitude toward meeting and bedding Pinggu was primarily lust-driven, with a touch of curiosity.

In the middle letters, his tone grew more normal—he described helping Pinggu resolve several troubles, often boasting of his deeds. Pinggu’s replies were not in the box, but surely they were filled with gratitude, giving Lu Zian great satisfaction.

Lu Zian gradually shared major events in his life, especially in the final letters, telling Pinggu that Tianmu Mountain would soon select inner disciples, and he had strong prospects of entering the inner sect, receiving a Foundation Establishment Elixir, and becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He then described how he would proceed…

The second-to-last letter revealed Lu Zian’s unease. He wrote that among outer disciples, his cultivation was top-tier and he had been the most favored—but recently, several minor incidents had severely damaged his reputation among the sect elders. The sect now widely favored another female disciple named Lu Yuanlang. He suspected these incidents were all her doing.

In the final letter, Lu Zian cursed Lu Yuanlang, calling her ruthless, a heartless hag, even comparing her to a black widow spider—saying she deserved the name, that she must have been such a venomous creature in a past life!

He also claimed Lu the Widow was promiscuous, using her beauty to please men; certain elders and disciples were her lovers; she kept bandits and male concubines outside, using them as servants around her curtains.

At the end, he wrote he would take Pinggu on a thousand-li journey to start a new life, telling her not to worry—he knew of an ancient immortal’s cave in Bashu, had a rough location, and planned to take her there to seek the Dao, to cultivate together, soaring side by side toward glory.

After reading, Liu Xiaolou felt profound emotion—he never imagined the theft of Tianmu Mountain’s Foundation Establishment Elixir had such a cause.

He thought for a moment, returned the letters to the wooden box, and resolved to give them to Wei Hongqing at the right opportunity, letting him read them himself.

Lu Zian, from his own perspective, described many people and events at Tianmu Mountain. Wei Hongqing now clung to the Tianmu Lu clan—did he, as Lu Zian hoped, become an outer disciple? Learning more of Tianmu’s inner affairs would surely benefit him.

On the rafters of the kitchen hung several cured pork slices. Liu Xiaolou took them without hesitation and ate his fill.

As he ate, he remembered the gift from Star Virtue Jun. After witnessing this secret, his curiosity was stirred—he could no longer resist, and broke his promise by opening the wooden box.

Inside the box were only two items: one was a Daoist text, made of thick mulberry paper, titled “Thousand Extremes Manual.” It cataloged eighteen categories of materials used in array plate crafting, detailing several primary materials per category, and listing substitutes that could replace them.

This text was clearly not a copy—at least not one made in the past few months. It looked old.

Beneath the “Thousand Extremes Manual” lay a carved purple sandalwood tablet. On the front were engraved the words “Purple Ultimate Sect Token.” On the back were the founding patriarch’s precepts:

If you do not ponder the scriptures and methods, but rely on external tools, how can you attain the Dao? Man seeks the Dao by holding fast to unity, unmoved. To seek only tools is like a man who never leaves his home—he cannot see the Dao!

This was clearly advice to disciples: do not rely solely on crafting tools for cultivation—the scriptures and methods are equally vital.

A secret manual of the Purple Ultimate Sect, a sect token—what did this mean?

Recalling his months with Star Virtue Jun, and remembering every detail the old man had guided him through during array plate crafting, Liu Xiaolou began to understand: was this man planning to pass on the Purple Ultimate Sect’s legacy to him?

He took out his own Three Mysteries Sect Sect Master token and placed it beside the Purple Ultimate Sect token. Both were similar, ancient, worn with time. He turned them over, rubbed them, and could not help but smile bitterly.

Given his life-saving deed toward Star Virtue Jun, Liu Xiaolou felt the old man’s gesture was not unreasonable—but he was the Sect Master of the Three Mysteries Sect. What would it mean to become the Sect Master of the Purple Ultimate Sect?

Suddenly he remembered: if Star Virtue Jun was willing to give him the Sect Master position, why wouldn’t he let him stay at Star Virtue Pavilion?

Liu Xiaolou suddenly realized: Star Virtue Jun was leaving—and fleeing!

Why flee?

Of course—to elope!