Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Lü Fang

The moment he stepped into the Flying Ship’s spacious cabin, Lu Zhao saw light filtering in through tiny, embedded array apertures, casting a hazy, pale glow.

Lu Zhao walked in silently. The wood-grained floor beneath his feet, reinforced with Restrictions, was harder than Iron Stone and muffled his footsteps. The surrounding cabin walls had a dull, metallic luster and were densely covered with indecipherable defensive Spirit Patterns. A faint Spirit Light occasionally flickered between the Runes.

Ten people to a room—such was the arrangement for Outer Sect Stewards. Soon enough, Lu Zhao and nine others were gathered in the small room.

Lu Zhao and the others kept their distance, each occupying a corner of the room. The atmosphere was so silent it felt like a tangible fog, filling the cramped space.

Only after enough time for a cup of tea to grow cold did a deliberately soft cough break the silence.

Standing at the far end of the room was a middle-aged man in a short gray robe, his face etched with caution and the signs of a hard life. His gaze slowly swept over the group, as if he were choosing his words carefully, or perhaps trying to suppress his own unease.

"Ahem. I am Shi Xun, from Xuanfeng County. Fellow Daoists," he began, his voice low and a bit hoarse, "from now on, we will all be Outer Sect Stewards of the Bixia Sect. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other. Traveling together on this ship today is a kind of fate. Why don’t we introduce ourselves? It might be helpful to know one another if we need help with future tasks."

After speaking, Shi Xun gave a slight nod, a gesture of respect.

His suggestion seemed to break the invisible ice, and the stagnant atmosphere in the cabin finally eased a little.

A short, stout young man with a fair complexion standing next to Shi Xun forced a smile and quickly said, "Liuu Hong, from Mo Ying County!"

"Guo Huai, Celestial County," a lean, capable-looking middle-aged man with shifty eyes added, his voice flat.

"Li Mo, Linyu County," a cold, aloof young man with a longsword on his back said icily.

Soon, it was Lu Zhao’s turn. He met the gazes directed at him with a face as calm as a lake. "Lu Zhao, from Northern Plains County."

His introduction was short and to the point, neither deliberately distant nor particularly friendly, as if he were simply stating a fact.

The remaining few also spoke up, most just stating which County they were from. Ten people from nearly eight different places, with countless different experiences, were now confined to this small cabin corner by their shared status as "Outer Sect Stewards." After the brief exchange, the air grew quiet once more.

Less than half an hour later, a dull shudder ran through the Flying Ship’s massive hull as it came to a stop. The bow dipped slightly, and the cabin door swung open. An Outer Sect Steward in a standard black robe stood at the entrance, his expression indifferent. His voice was flat and direct: "We’ve arrived at the Sect. Get off. A Steward from the General Affairs Hall will guide you through the rules. Ask them if you have any questions." After speaking, he stepped aside to clear the way, saying nothing more.

The moment Lu Zhao stepped off the Flying Ship, a wave of Spiritual Qi—pure, immense, and far beyond anything he had ever perceived before—washed over him. It was so potent that the Little Cloud Rain Technique circulating within him automatically accelerated slightly.

Looking out, he saw a vast White Jade Plaza spread before him, as smooth as a mirror, extending all the way to the foot of a colossal, cloud-wreathed peak in the distance.

The Flying Ship’s docking area was just one corner of the plaza. Further away, magnificent halls and palaces rose in tiers along the mountainside. They appeared and disappeared amidst the Spiritual Mist and lush greenery, their upturned eaves and interlocking brackets shimmering with Spirit Light, exuding a breathtaking majesty. Their scale and grandeur were far beyond anything the Bixia Marketplace could compare to.

On the White Jade Plaza, a dozen or so Cultivators were already waiting quietly. Their attire was slightly different from the Steward on the ship; the edges of their black robes were embroidered with faint silver patterns. The somber, uniform black seemed to be the foundational color of the Bixia Sect’s lower ranks, silently radiating a grim and oppressive aura.

Just then, a leading Steward in a black robe stepped forward. His gaze was sharp as a knife as it swept across the crowd. His voice was curt: "Follow me."

There was no elaborate ceremony, not even a step into any of the grand halls. The group was led to the edge of a secluded, open martial arts field, where a simple stone platform stood in a clearing.

The black-robed Steward in charge of guiding them faced the group. "Wait here. An Inner Sect Steward, Junior Master Lü, will be here shortly to address you. Afterward, the General Affairs Hall will arrange your cave residences."

Lu Zhao stood with the others in the clearing, looking up at the majestic peaks of the Bixia Sect and down at the white jade tiles beneath his feet, which faintly reflected the sunlight.

Time ticked by. The sun slowly crept westward, casting ever-longer shadows from their bodies. Aside from the occasional stifled cough or the scuff of a shifting foot, the vast field was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The span of an hour felt exceptionally long in the silent wait, and the initial excitement and unease of some of the new arrivals gradually gave way to an indescribable sense of oppression and anxiety.

Just as the crowd’s patience was about to wear thin, the Inner Sect Steward, Junior Master Lü, finally arrived. He descended silently onto the stone platform, riding a sword gleam that was not dazzling but incredibly fast.

The newcomer appeared to be middle-aged. His eyes were so sharp they seemed capable of piercing one’s heart, and they held an inner Divine Light. He wasn’t wearing the black Steward Robe, but a dark Inner Sect Steward Robe.

Its cuffs and collar were embroidered with intricate cloud patterns in silver thread, and a simple, ancient-looking green Jade Token hung from his waist. These simple differences drew a line between him and the Outer Sect Stewards like Lu Zhao below, a gap as wide as that between the clouds and the mud.

Lu Zhao and the others didn’t hesitate for a moment. In near-perfect unison, they bowed their heads and greeted him respectfully, "Greetings, Junior Master Lü!"

Junior Master Lü’s gaze merely swept casually over the sea of black-haired heads below, focusing on nothing and no one. He did not acknowledge their greeting with even a single word.

He spoke. His voice was neither high nor low, utterly unremarkable, yet it carried a cold, hard quality, like the scraping of metal on stone, and it reached the ears of everyone present. "Now that you have entered Bixia, you are Outer Sect Stewards. The Sect’s rules and prohibitions are the foundation of your conduct. Act according to the rules. The accumulation of Merit is the path to promotion. Think before you act, and fend for yourselves."

With just those few words, he stopped. Then, with a light flick of his sleeve toward the crowd, nearly two hundred identical objects were pulled by an invisible force, flying with perfect precision toward each of the new Stewards.

Lu Zhao saw a flash of clear light, and a palm-sized Jade Scroll was suddenly hovering in front of his chest. He instinctively reached out and caught it.

It was cool to the touch, with a fine, smooth texture. In the center of the Jade Scroll’s face, two words were simply engraved in an ancient seal script: Sect Rules. Beyond that, there were no other carvings or embellishments.

"Memorize them. If you don’t understand the rules and cause trouble, know that they are not just for show," Junior Master Lü added, his tone still completely flat.

With that, his body stirred. The sword gleam reappeared at his feet, and he transformed into a pale green streak of light, disappearing between the distant peaks in the blink of an eye. From start to finish, his attention hadn’t lingered on any one of them for even a single breath.

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