Chapter 274

After a dizzying whirl, Wang Yu's surroundings shifted, and he and the bone boat suddenly appeared in midair.

In that instant, the white arrow-shaped shadow on the back of his right hand dissolved silently and vanished.

His gaze swept upward and spotted the massive vortex above, along with four Foundation Establishment cultivators standing on flying artifacts around him.

One of them, a Foundation Establishment man wearing the attire of the Four Symbols Sect, glanced at Wang Yu as he emerged from the vortex and said gently:

"Young cousin, once you've exited, please descend and find a place to rest below—don't block those coming out behind you. If you wish to exchange temporary merit points or sell items gathered in the realm, go to that building over there for unified exchange."

"Thank you, Master Uncle, I'll go down at once," Wang Yu replied, bowing deeply after glancing in the direction the man indicated.

He pressed his foot against the bone boat and descended straight toward an open patch of ground at the center of the four sects' encampment.

"Li friend, your young cousin seems rather unusual," said an old man in a yellow robe bearing a silver "Bamboo" emblem, as Wang Yu moved away.

"Oh? Why do you say that? This young cousin appears to be only at the late Qi Refining stage," replied the Li man with a faint smile.

"Need I say more? A late Qi Refining cultivator who emerges from the Jialan Realm unscathed, without a single limb missing—doesn't that speak volumes?

Look at the other disciples who came out before him—every one of them exhausted, covered in wounds," said the old man of the Thousand Bamboo Sect.

"Perhaps this young cousin simply had good fortune and avoided strong enemies in the realm," the Li man replied after a moment's thought.

"Heh, good fortune alone wouldn't let him seize a demonic bone boat and dare use it openly within the realm—ordinary inner sect disciples wouldn't dare such a thing," the old man chuckled.

"Now that you mention it, this young cousin does seem rather extraordinary," the Li man said, as if suddenly realizing it.

The other two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Vajra Temple and the Setting Sun Sect also showed faint signs of surprise.

…

Wang Yu naturally had no idea the Foundation Establishment cultivators had just gossiped about him.

He landed the flying boat on the ground, flicked a hand seal, shrank the bone boat to miniature size, and tucked it into his storage pouch, then headed straight for two large temporary wooden huts nearby.

Within the encampment, faint figures moved about—few in number, mostly silent, though occasionally a group of two or three whispered among themselves.

The two wooden huts he approached were noticeably larger than the others, each with a wooden sign hanging above its entrance: one read "Vajra Four Symbols," the other "Thousand Bamboo Setting Sun."

Both huts stood open; two male disciples of the Thousand Bamboo Sect stepped out of one hut and collided face-to-face with Wang Yu.

Wang Yu halted his steps, intending to sidestep them.

But one of the Thousand Bamboo disciples, upon recognizing Wang Yu's face, gasped in shock, pulled his companion aside, then bowed respectfully:

"It's Master Wang Yu! Congratulations, Master Wang, on emerging unscathed from the realm."

"Oh? You know me?" Wang Yu glanced at the Thousand Bamboo disciple, vaguely feeling he'd seen him before.

"When you displayed divine prowess at the realm's herb garden, slaying two demonic true disciples in succession, you greatly enhanced the prestige of our four sects," the disciple replied cautiously.

The other young Thousand Bamboo disciple, upon hearing this, also turned pale and bowed stiffly.

"So you're the disciple who fought in the herb garden battle. After we parted that day, did you see Master Tianjun again?" Wang Yu realized, his mind stirring, and asked casually.

"After that day, I never saw Master Tian again. But later I heard the demonic Foundation Establishment cultivators swept through the realm's central zone, and two true disciples perished there—I don't know if Master Tian was among them," the Thousand Bamboo disciple replied honestly after thinking.

"I hope Master Tian is safe. I'll go in now to exchange my merit points—you two attend to your business," Wang Yu nodded, gave a slight bow, and stepped into the other wooden hut.

The two Thousand Bamboo disciples nodded repeatedly and left.

"Xun brother, is that the man you said slaughtered two demonic true disciples in a single battle?" the other Thousand Bamboo disciple asked, unable to hold back once they'd moved farther away.

"Who else could it be? Though Master Wang appears only at late Qi Refining, his power is terrifying—beyond what ordinary disciples can imagine. And crucially, he's not even a true disciple of the Four Symbols Sect!" replied the "Xun brother," sighing.

"The Four Symbols Sect really kept this hidden. Tell me again what happened that day—this time, go into more detail. Hmm, now that he's safely emerged, he'll surely rise to fame across all four sects soon," said the other young Thousand Bamboo disciple, impressed.

"Not just across the four sects—he'll be infamous among the three demonic sects too. Ordinary demonic disciples will avoid him from now on," replied the Xun youth with deep envy.

At the same moment.

Inside the hut, Wang Yu's ears twitched slightly; he shut off his overdrive mode, no longer hearing the two Thousand Bamboo disciples' conversation, and bowed to the two men seated behind a table:

"Two Master Uncles, disciple Wang Yu comes to surrender the identity tokens of demonic disciples."

Behind the table, one man had a withered, yellowish face but piercing eyes, clad in a red cassock—a Vajra Temple monk.

The other was tall and burly, clad in black armor, carrying a thick black shield, his expression blank.

After blinking a few times, Wang Yu recognized the armored man—the Foundation Establishment elder he'd met once when he first joined the Four Symbols Sect.

That year, while others fiercely debated whether he could become an inner sect disciple, the armored man had remained silent throughout—a memory that had stuck with Wang Yu.

Now, as the armored man saw Wang Yu enter, he glanced at his face, paused slightly, then spoke:

"Wang Yu? I've heard that name before… have I seen you before?"

The armored man's voice was dry, like an ungreased machine—harsh and rasping.

"Master Uncle, years ago when I joined the Four Symbols Sect, you were the one who reviewed me; afterward, Master Gu took me away," Wang Yu replied honestly after a brief hesitation.

"I remember now—you're the brat Master Lihuo specifically requested."

"I heard Master Lihuo personally approved your entry into the inner sect. Considering how short a time it's been, your progress to late Qi Refining, plus your courage to join the Jialan Trial, marks you as a promising talent."

"By the way, I'm Jin. I'm an executive elder of the Black Tortoise Mountain branch, responsible for investigating violations by inner and outer sect disciples. Now I'm temporarily handling merit point calculations for our sect. If you killed demonic disciples in the realm, produce their identity tokens."

Unlike Wang Yu's earlier impression of him as taciturn and quiet, the armored man now spoke at length—yet his face remained utterly expressionless, as if wearing a thick mask.

Wang Yu was slightly surprised, but showed no sign on his face; he murmured "Yes," then hesitated slightly after glancing at the withered monk beside him.