"A disciple acceptance ceremony?"

Wu Xinlei frowned, then her expression smoothed out as she said dismissively, "Eh, never mind. Her brother is so overbearing; it saves us the trouble of looking after her. Let her be. Let's think about where to go play next... Where are the good places to eat in Sucuan?"

Wu Xinlei picked up her phone and started scrolling, discussing their upcoming travel plans with the man in glasses.

At this moment, the usually quiet Sun Zhihua suddenly spoke up.

"How about... we go to Weishan?"

"Uh..." Wu Xinlei and the man with glasses were both stunned.

The former quickly reacted, "You want to go to Lu Jing's brother's disciple acceptance ceremony?!"

"Mm," Sun Zhihua nodded, a peculiar light glinting in his eyes. "This Lu Yuan is very young, and his skills aren't bad. He claims to be from the Crane Sect but won't specify which Crane Sect. I'm genuinely curious, so why don't we go take a look?"

Wu Xinlei blinked. "But he didn't invite us."

"Just let your friend Lu Jing know. Besides..." Sun Zhihua smiled faintly. "For events like a disciple acceptance ceremony, as long as you're not there to deliberately cause trouble, no sect will turn you away."

***

Lu Jing seemed taken aback by Lu Yuan's serious demeanor. She paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"No." She continued, "Those stone spheres were the most precious artifacts unearthed during this archaeological dig. Every single one was handled personally by the professors. We interns didn't even get a chance to see them up close, let alone touch them."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan's expression visibly eased. Lu Jing had no reason to lie to him; if she said she hadn't touched them, she definitely hadn't.

However, while the stone spheres were the most suspicious, the possibility that contact with other artifacts could have resulted in a curse couldn't be ruled out.

Lu Yuan then questioned Lu Jing in detail about the other artifacts. Learning that Lu Jing had very few opportunities to come into contact with other items, the tension he felt finally dissipated completely.

"Why are you so worried about this?" Lu Jing asked.

Lu Yuan didn't hide anything, directly forwarding her the news articles and information White Grass had sent him.

After reading them, Lu Jing was both shocked and astounded.

"The Elephant God Religion... really has a curse?!"

"I don't know; it's just speculation," Lu Yuan comforted Lu Jing. "Even if it does, you haven't touched those things, so it can't affect you. But just to be safe, Sis, stay close to me for the next few days. Also, remember to keep an eye on the others in the archaeological team who were in similar situations. If they're fine, you'll definitely be fine too..."

Seeing Lu Jing still looked apprehensive, Lu Yuan gently took her hand, looked into her eyes, and emphasized word by word, "Sis, don't worry. Your brother is very powerful now. Even if you've really run afoul of something you shouldn't have, I can help you deal with it..."

Lu Jing's eyes flickered. She nodded and said no more. Lu Yuan felt her rapid heartbeat gradually calm down.

Afterward, a silence fell between them. Lu Jing seemed to be mulling over what Lu Yuan had just told her, repeatedly rereading the news and data from White Grass, and also chatting with someone on her phone.

Lu Yuan didn't disturb her, giving her space to process and absorb everything. He gathered the sketches Lu Jing had drawn, selected the one of the elephant-faced monster, photographed it, and sent it to White Grass, hoping to "pry" some more useful information out of her.

「One hour and thirty-two minutes passed quickly.」

The high-speed train pulled into the station, arriving at Weishan.

Lu Yuan led Lu Jing off the train. As they were walking towards the station exit, Lu Jing suddenly said to him, "Yuan, Xinlei and the others said they... they want to come to your disciple acceptance ceremony."

Lu Jing looked quite embarrassed; she had always found it difficult to refuse others.

Lu Yuan recalled the people he had met before. After a moment's consideration, he nodded and said, "It's fine. Let them come. I'll have someone make arrangements."

Sun Zhihua, one of Lu Jing's friends, was from an Ancient Martial Arts Sect. With him present, Lu Jing might better understand his current level and status.

Moon Shadow Sect... I'll have to ask Teacher later what kind of martial arts school this Moon Shadow Sect really is... Lu Yuan thought to himself as he and Lu Jing walked out of the high-speed rail station.

Liu Si's men were already waiting at the entrance, and the two headed directly to the Linghe Pavilion.

***

"This... this whole vast area, it all belongs to your sect, Yuan?" inside the Linghe Pavilion, Lu Jing, mouth agape and face full of astonishment, asked a similar question for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Yes, and this is just a part of it." In the few days since Lu Yuan had joined the Crane Sect, he had learned that besides Weishan and Burnt Rock, the sect also had holdings in seven or eight surrounding cities like White River, Qingquan, and Longjiang. It was truly a large and prosperous organization.

As he was speaking, Liu Si respectfully approached him and said, "Young Master, the Master is back. He wants to see you now."

Master Liudao Yuan is back?! Lu Yuan's eyes flashed. He nodded to indicate he understood. Then, he excused himself to Lu Jing, entrusted her to Liu Si's care, and quickly departed.

"Esteemed guest, please follow me." With Lu Yuan gone, Liu Si's respectful attitude naturally transferred entirely to Lu Jing.

"You're calling me... Uh, um, okay." Lu Jing seemed somewhat flustered.

Looking at Lu Yuan's retreating figure and then at the man before her—who had an impressive demeanor yet was being exceptionally respectful and attentive to her, a... "subordinate"?! Lu Jing's mind was in turmoil, her thoughts a jumbled mess. What she needed most right now... was some time alone to quiet her thoughts.

***

Lu Yuan walked into the vast Martial Arts field, his bare feet making no sound on the polished floor.

With 18 points in Agility, his full-speed bursts in the Consciousness Space battles were already comparable to those of most direct disciples of the Crane Sect. Even without deliberately trying to lighten his steps, his movements were more graceful and fluid than a cat's.

This was the training hall where he had first met Master Liudao Yuan. One-third of the lights in the hall were on.

Master Liudao Yuan sat in a rosewood Taishi Chair, his head slightly bowed, half of his body concealed in shadow. His left sleeve was empty. His current appearance was a far cry from the transcendent, sage-like figure in the bamboo forest; he now looked more like a villain from a television drama.

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he walked up and called out, "Teacher."

Sitting in the Taishi Chair, Master Liudao Yuan shivered slightly. He quickly looked up, his right hand subtly wiping the corner of his mouth, his gaze resting kindly on Lu Yuan.

"My good disciple, you've come."

Looking at Master Liudao Yuan's empty left sleeve, Lu Yuan hesitated before asking, "Teacher, your arm..."

"It's nothing," Master Liudao Yuan shook his head, answering casually, "I made another trip to the Steel Bone Sect. While borrowing something, I clashed with someone and they accidentally damaged it. I've already had Liu Si take it for repairs. I have a few spare arms; I just haven't attached one yet..."

Saying this, Master Liudao Yuan pulled something from his robe and casually tossed it to Lu Yuan.

"Look, this is the apprenticeship gift I prepared for you."

Lu Yuan caught it smoothly. It was a package wrapped in a red plastic bag. The words "Star Convenience Store" were printed on it, and it was haphazardly wrapped with several loops of wide, clear tape.

"..."

Lu Yuan tore open the plastic bag, revealing a notebook and two USB drives.

The notebook was an ordinary one, but it looked quite old; the white cover was somewhat stiff and yellowed.

Lu Yuan casually flipped it open, and lines of coarse handwriting met his eyes—

"Year XXX, Month X, Day X. Weather: Sunny, then cloudy. Mood: Bad.

My left hip still aches today. Those old bastards from the Mad Gun Sect! I was already being magnanimous letting them use weapons while I fought bare-handed. But when they couldn't beat me, they actually used real guns! And the bullets were custom-made. Two of them seem to be lodged in my bones. I'll have to go see Divine Doctor Liu to get them removed...

Once this wound heals, I'll definitely annihilate the entire Mad Gun Sect!"

"..."

Lu Yuan flipped a couple more pages and found they were all similar entries.

Puzzled, he couldn't help but look at Master Liudao Yuan. "A diary?"

"Mm-hmm," Master Liudao Yuan nodded. "It's the diary of Xiang Lei, the Hundred Refinements Sect's Master from two generations ago. No need to read the beginning. Flip further back; the latter part contains his insights on cultivating the Palace of Flesh and so on..."

Lu Yuan flipped further. Indeed, about one-third of the way through, the diary entries began to include numerous cultivation notes. Many entries included illustrations, though the drawings were terrible—like a subpar elementary school art project.

"As for the two USB drives, one contains the core legacy of the Hundred Refinements Sect, and the other has the Steel Bone Sect's body tempering method..."

"Teacher, did you really go to the Steel Bone Sect to obtain a body tempering method for me?" Although Lu Yuan had somewhat anticipated this, hearing the truth still left him slightly surprised, and he couldn't help but ask.

Master Liudao Yuan hmphed. "Otherwise, what do you think I went to the Steel Bone Sect for? That word 'obtain' you used isn't quite right. When I went to the Steel Bone Sect, it wasn't me asking them; they were begging me... Begging me not to kill, begging me for the antidote, begging me to go easy on them... Heh heh..."

Even missing an arm, the Heavenly Water Crane Immortal was still proud.

Lu Yuan looked at the notebook and USB drives in his hand and fell into a brief silence, feeling a subtle weight settle on his heart.

He thought for a moment, then said to Master Liudao Yuan, "Thank you, Teacher."

"It's only natural for a master to treat his disciple well. What's there to thank me for?" Master Liudao Yuan waved his hand, then said with a hint of regret, "Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on the Steel Bone Sect's True Skill Visualization Map, so this is only a part of their body tempering method. The Steel Bone Sect was the weakest of the three factions that split from the original Holy Fist Sect. By using some... methods, a bit of coercion and trickery, I was still able to get their body tempering method for you. That approach won't work with the Overlord Fist Sect and the Heavenly Extreme Sect. If you truly want to complete the full set of Heavenly Domination Extravagant Body techniques, you'll likely have to rely on yourself in the future..."

Lu Yuan nodded. Suddenly catching a term in Master Liudao Yuan's words, he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, what is a 'True Skill Visualization Map'?"

Master Liudao Yuan's eyes twinkled for a moment, then he abruptly asked, "Have you mastered the Crane-shaped Step and Crane-shaped Claw?"

"I have."

WHOOSH!

Master Liudao Yuan vanished from the rosewood Taishi Chair, reappearing in the next instant right in front of Lu Yuan. His sole remaining right hand shot out towards Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan instantly understood Master Liudao Yuan's intention and immediately countered using only the Crane-shaped Step and Crane-shaped Claw.

The two exchanged blows with blinding speed. In a brief exchange, a rapid series of sharp cracks and booming impacts echoed through the spacious training hall.

Then, in a single moment, all sound abruptly ceased.

Master Liudao Yuan had reappeared more than ten meters away from Lu Yuan, his two bionic eyes glowing with a blue light as he stared at Lu Yuan.

"Excellent! Excellent! Truly worthy of being the direct disciple of me, the Heavenly Water Crane Immortal!" Master Liudao Yuan laughed heartily, then waved his hand, beckoning Lu Yuan. "Come with me."

"Yes, Teacher." Lu Yuan hurriedly followed.

During this, he called up his class panel for a look. He saw that the Experience Points for both Crane-shaped Claw and Crane-shaped Step had increased by more than ten, bringing them closer to Lv3.

There was a hidden door on the side of this spacious Martial Arts field. Lu Yuan followed Master Liudao Yuan through the hidden door, navigating a series of winding passages and several secret chambers.

Finally, they stopped in an extremely small room, only about five or six square meters in area.

Apart from an ancient painting of a white crane on the wall, a small brass incense burner with a few flecks of ash before it, and a cushion in front of the burner, the room was bare.

Master Liudao Yuan produced a short stick of black incense from somewhere, lit it, and inserted it into the burner. Pale blue smoke rose in a straight column, only beginning to diffuse as it neared the ceiling.

Lu Yuan detected a faint, somewhat fishy scent. It wasn't unpleasant; on the contrary, he felt his mind gradually becoming more alert and active.

"Before this incense burns out, study this painting intently. I'll come back for you later."

With those instructions, Master Liudao Yuan quickly departed, closing the door behind him.

Lu Yuan was left alone in the small, confined room.

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