29: Ling Shu Pavilion

Lin Yan, Lu Zhengfeng, and the others set out before the sky had fully brightened.

The five of them traveled together, passing through the Mountain Gate and ascending the bluestone steps.

They had been in too much of a rush last time, so this time they took a good tour of the Mountain Gate to familiarize themselves with the various buildings.

Aside from the two great treasure troves, the Scripture Pavilion and the Treasure Pavilion, there were many public institutions here.

Such as the Sword Pavilion Enforcement Hall, which was feared by everyone within the Sword Pavilion, from the lowest Disciple to the highest Elder.

There was also the Hundred Herb Garden, which researched various exotic spirit plants, and the Lingxu Pavilion, an autonomous organization for Spirit Herb Hall Disciples.

"I heard from the senior Disciples that this Lingxu Pavilion is known as the 'Little Spirit Herb Hall,' and it contains departments like the Inspection Division and the Patrol Field Administration; it has immense power!"

"The Disciple currently in charge of Lingxu Pavilion is the Chief of each generation of Disciples, and for this generation, it is Senior Brother Xiao Songlan!"

"Senior Brother Cheng, who oversaw our entrance examination, is also from the Lingxu Pavilion; I think he is from the Spirit Enlightenment Department."

"If only I could join the Lingxu Pavilion."

The group stood in the plaza in front of the Lingxu Pavilion building, chatting loudly.

Just then, a group of Disciples walked out from the Lingxu Pavilion.

The youth leading them had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, holding his head high with a dignified and imposing air.

The others followed respectfully behind him, neither too fast nor too slow, but always maintaining a certain distance, which highlighted the youth's superior status.

Lin Yan, Lu Zhengfeng, and the other three consciously made way, continuing their own conversation without looking for trouble.

"Yo, why are you bunch of mud-legged peasants here?"

Lin Yan and the others turned their heads at the sound, only to see their old acquaintance, Zhao Qiyang.

This guy had been mingling among that group of Disciples, and had he not spoken, they wouldn't have even noticed his presence.

Compared to when they last met, Zhao Qiyang now had a rather smug, self-satisfied air about him.

He tilted his head back, adopting a condescending attitude toward the five of them, and said, "If you aren't farming properly, are you thinking of joining the Lingxu Pavilion?"

Lin Yan and his group were speechless; though they didn't show it on their faces, they were extremely annoyed inside.

If not for the many people present, they would have wanted to swarm and beat this guy up.

"Oh right, let me tell you some good news; I've joined the Hundred Harvests Bureau of the Lingxu Pavilion." Zhao Qiyang said in a triumphant tone, "In the future, I will personally collect your annual spirit field tax!"

He turned to look at Lin Yan, narrowing his eyes, and said, "Especially you, Lin Yan; I will be sure to pay extra attention to you."

Hearing this, Lin Yan couldn't help but lose his patience.

"What, do you dare to abuse your power for personal gain?" Lin Yan retorted.

Lu Zhengfeng's expression changed, and he quickly tugged on Lin Yan's sleeve, signaling him to show restraint.

At this moment, the youth in the lead spoke up, "Qiyang, who are these people?"

When the youth spoke, he didn't even look sideways, as if the dispute between Lin Yan and Zhao Qiyang was merely child's play in his eyes, completely insignificant.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qiyang quickly lowered his head and said respectfully, "Cousin, they are Outer Sect Disciples who entered the Spirit Herb Hall with me; they are all from outside the Mountain Gate."

Participating in the examination with Zhao Qiyang meant that their talent was mediocre.

And Zhao Qiyang had deliberately emphasized that they were from outside the Mountain Gate, implying their family backgrounds were ordinary.

They were even highly likely to be children from secular families, with no connection to cultivation.

The few people beside Zhao Qiyang understood instantly, and the way they looked at Lin Yan, Lu Zhengfeng, and the others carried a hint of contempt.

"I see, then you really should focus on farming." The leading youth sneered, "Qiyang, I have told you before that your own natural talent is insufficient, so you must work extra hard."

"Since you have joined my Hundred Harvests Bureau, you must cherish this opportunity and interact less with those from outside the mountains, as it lowers your own standing."

The leading youth offered Zhao Qiyang a few pointers.

His words seemed well-intentioned, but they were actually filled with sarcasm and disdain, and even Zhao Qiyang was belittled along with them.

Only he himself remained high and mighty throughout.

"Cousin is right; thank you for the advice, Cousin!" Zhao Qiyang didn't like the sound of it, but he still had to smile and express his gratitude.

"Let's go."

After Zhao Qiyang and his group left, Lu Zhengfeng and the others were filled with righteous indignation.

"Ptui! What a piece of work."

"Just a petty person who got a bit of power."

"I don't think this Zhao Qiyang is any better than us; he's just acting like a dog."

As they were speaking, another person walked out of the Lingxu Pavilion: Senior Brother Cheng, who had been responsible for their entrance examination.

"Why are you all here?" Senior Brother Cheng asked.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Cheng. We came to the Mountain Gate to look around; we didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that we would run into you." Lu Zhengfeng smiled and struck up a conversation.

"That's fine. Getting more familiar with things will be good for you," Senior Brother Cheng laughed.

Compared to the condescending attitude of Zhao Qiyang's group, Senior Brother Cheng was much more approachable.

"Senior Brother Cheng, you wouldn't believe it, we just ran into Zhao Qiyang..."

Immediately, the group began to recount what had just happened, one after another.

"I have heard about this matter; Zhao Qiyang has joined the Hundred Harvests Bureau." Senior Brother Cheng began to gossip with them:

"This guy actually had no qualifications to enter the Lingxu Pavilion, but the Division Head of the Hundred Harvests Bureau is Zhao Qiyang's cousin, named Zhao Qiyan."

"This person is not simple; he possesses dual Wood and Fire Spiritual Roots, and both have reached the High Grade level."

"He is younger than me, yet his cultivation is slightly superior to mine; privately, busybodies have rated him as one of the ten great Geniuses of the Spirit Herb Hall."

"Ten great Geniuses? Is he that impressive?!" Lu Zhengfeng and the others exclaimed.

"Indeed, this guy is a Genius of the younger generation of the Zhao family and is highly valued within the Zhao family; he is completely incomparable to a small fry like Zhao Qiyang." Senior Brother Cheng said with a serious expression, "It's fine if you offend Zhao Qiyang, but you must absolutely not offend this Zhao Qiyan!"

"Ah..." Lu Zhengfeng said with a worried expression, "We don't want to offend him either, but that guy Zhao Qiyang is always giving us a hard time."

"Hahaha, you don't need to worry too much." Senior Brother Cheng laughed, "Zhao Qiyan is proud by nature; he has always looked down on even his own clansman, Zhao Qiyang."

"It was likely at the request of the Elders in their clan that he forcibly brought Zhao Qiyang into the Hundred Harvests Bureau; otherwise, he wouldn't have even bothered with Zhao Qiyang."

"Given that, he is even less likely to stand up for Zhao Qiyang over some minor friction."

Upon hearing this, their expressions settled.

"Is that so? Then we can rest easy," Lu Zhengfeng said.

"What are you afraid of? In the Sect, who would dare to do anything to you? The Enforcement Team is watching," Senior Brother Cheng said.

"Senior Brother, if I may be so bold," Lin Yan took the opportunity to ask, "For ordinary Disciples like us, how can we join the Lingxu Pavilion?"

Senior Brother Cheng frowned upon hearing this and spoke slowly, "That is indeed quite difficult."

"Currently, most of the departments in the Lingxu Pavilion are controlled by Disciples from the Sect's influential families; it is very difficult for Disciples like us, who come from outside the mountains, to join."

"For someone like Zhao Qiyan, who extremely discriminates against Disciples from outside the mountains, the staff in the Hundred Harvests Bureau he manages are all Disciples from the Sect's influential families!"

"Ah?" Lu Zhengfeng said regretfully, "Then don't we have any chance at all?"

"That can't be said for sure," Senior Brother Cheng explained, "You still have a chance."

He continued, "The departments of the Lingxu Pavilion hold a change of terms every ten years; there are only two years left until the next change, and by then, you might have a glimmer of opportunity."