38: Chapter 38 A

Internal Affairs Hall. Inside a side hall, Deacon Tang, who looked over fifty with graying hair and a stout build, took the two letters handed over by Yu Xiu.

One was from Guo Boyan, the stationing officer in Guiping County, Donghe Prefecture, recording that the three Water Demons in Tiantan Lake had been eliminated, who had eliminated them, and the specific strength of the three Water Demons.

The second was written by Hall Master Su Wenjin of the Inner Courtyard Law Enforcement Hall, clarifying the reason for the deaths of Fang Jiming and the other eight in Guiping County, as well as the fact that the murderous Water Demons had been eliminated and by whom.

"Yu Xiu?" While looking down at the two letters, Deacon Tang glanced up at Yu Xiu, then reached out to grab the roster of the Inner Courtyard Disciples and found the file on Yu Xiu.

After reading it carefully, Deacon Tang looked at Yu Xiu once more. His eyes, no longer sharp but perhaps even overly calm, were filled with astonishment.

"You have only been in the Inner Courtyard for a little over two months, not even three?" Deacon Tang seemed somewhat incredulous. After re-reading Yu Xiu's file, he suppressed the astonishment in his heart and regained his professional, business-like composure.

"When you slew the demons in Lushui Town, Guiping County, you must have already broken through the Four Stages of Ascending Dragon and entered the Great Four Passes!" This was not a question, but a statement of fact.

"Then, what were you doing when Fang Jiming and the other eight were slaying demons?"

Before Yu Xiu could speak, Hall Master Su Wenjin, who had not appeared until now, pulled Yu Xiu aside and glared at Deacon Tang: "Are you the one enforcing the law, or am I? When the Law Enforcement Hall handles matters, when did it ever need you to question it?"

Deacon Tang was choked up by this and coughed twice: "Look, you're being impatient again. I'm just asking as per protocol."

Hall Master Su Wenjin sneered: "Trying to pressure Yu Xiu, then use the carrot and stick approach to trick him into joining your Powang Peak?" He gave a soft hum: "Keep your little schemes to yourself. Yu Xiu is not someone your Powang Peak can recruit."

'Hmm?' Ignoring Hall Master Su Wenjin, Deacon Tang looked closely at Yu Xiu. After a long moment, he sighed inwardly: 'He has cultivated the Dragon-Slaying and Evil-Purging Sword of Zhanlong Peak!'

It seems Powang Peak really has no chance to recruit Yu Xiu! What a pity! The people of Zhanlong Peak are truly lucky to have recruited such an uncut gem in advance. Why didn't such a good thing happen to me!

When Deacon Tang looked at Yu Xiu again, his face was full of kindness: "Congratulations, Junior Brother. From now on, you are under the Main Sect, a true Sword Cultivator of the Qingwei Sword Sect."

He waved his hand and marked Yu Xiu's entrance mission as 'Grade A+ Superior'.

It was indeed worthy of a Grade A+ Superior evaluation. With the strength of the Five Viscera Realm, the first stage of the Great Four Passes, to slay a Water Demon of the Five Elements Realm, the second stage of the Great Four Passes—such strength was extremely rare.

Of course, Deacon Tang actually knew that the people of Zhanlong Peak must have been pulling strings. To say nothing else, the fact that Yu Xiu had learned the Dragon-Slaying and Evil-Purging Sword before joining the Main Sect meant that someone from Zhanlong Peak had given Yu Xiu special treatment.

Yu Xiu did not know, but Deacon Tang knew that the Dragon-Slaying and Evil-Purging Sword was the supreme ultimate technique of Zhanlong Peak. Not every Disciple could learn it; only those with extremely high Aptitude and talent were qualified to cultivate this technique.

"Many thanks." After thanking him, Yu Xiu left with Hall Master Su Wenjin.

"Tomorrow you can ascend to the Main Sect and enter Zhanlong Peak," Hall Master Su Wenjin instructed.

When Yu Xiu returned to his bamboo cottage and was about to refine the 'five treasures light pill' to increase his cultivation, the courtyard door was knocked. It was Senior Brother Zhao Hong and the others. However, compared to the past, these few were clearly much more dejected.

"I don't know why, but recently Senior Brother Du no longer takes us on missions, but instead demands that we give him more than half of the contribution points we earn from missions!"

"We have also contacted people from the Feiyan Association and the Yunque Association. They are very willing to let us join, but if they take us on missions, we still need to give them more than half of the contribution points. In their words, this is already the greatest preferential treatment they can offer given that we entered the Inner Courtyard three years ago!"

"Of course, we really can't help much when following those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters on missions. But what I can't understand is why the attitude of Senior Brother Du and the others has changed so drastically!"

The four of them no longer had their usual high spirits and were all looking distressed. The speaker spoke without intent, but the listener understood. In an instant, Yu Xiu figured out the whole story!

'As expected, that Senior Brother Du was also a pawn in Fang Jiming's scheme!'

Fang Jiming not only used Zhao Zheng of the Feiyan Association to set up the scheme, but also made Senior Brother Liu Qingchuan, Senior Sister Xu Rou, Senior Brother Zhao Hong, and their companion part of the trap—all to force Yu Xiu to leave the Inner Courtyard.

Now that Fang Jiming had been killed by Yu Xiu, that Senior Brother Du could not get the benefits promised by Fang Jiming, so naturally, he would not take Senior Brother Zhao Hong and the others on missions for nothing.

"Although you have to give up more than half of your contribution points, it is safer to have Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters from the association lead you in slaying demons," Yu Xiu advised.

To put it bluntly, those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the associations could actually go slay demons on their own and didn't need to bring Senior Brother Zhao Hong and the others along at all. With their strength, having just entered the Qi Sea Realm of the third stage of the Ascending Dragon Realm, they couldn't help at all and would easily become a burden.

The reason they were willing to take them along was merely because they valued their future potential. To be honest, rather than saying those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters were taking more than half of their contribution points, it would be better to say that those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters were giving them a small portion of contribution points for free.

After all, if they didn't bring Senior Brother Zhao Hong and the others, all the contribution points from those missions would belong to those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters. It was just that Senior Brother Zhao Hong, Senior Sister Xu Rou, and the others had been taken on a few missions by the malicious Senior Brother Du, who had let them keep all the contribution points. Now that they had to go on missions again and could only get a small portion, they couldn't reconcile with it in their hearts.

To put it even more clearly, they had actually benefited from Yu Xiu's light; they were the bait in someone else's trap, only they didn't know it, and they were also not strong enough in the Inner Courtyard.

"That may be so, but still... Sigh!" Senior Brother Zhao Hong sighed. "Cultivating in this Inner Courtyard is truly difficult. If one wants to achieve the Life Spring and ascend to the Main Sect, who knows how long one will have to endure!"

"By the way, Brother Yu, how has your cultivation been progressing recently? Have you had any signs of breaking through the first level of the Qi Sea Realm?" Senior Sister Xu Rou asked.

First level of the Qi Sea Realm? The third stage of the Ascending Dragon Realm? Yu Xiu couldn't answer directly. They had entered the Inner Courtyard on the same day, yet these four were still stuck at the Qi Sea Realm of the third stage of the Ascending Dragon Realm, while he had already broken through the Qi Sea and Life Spring, and entered the Five Viscera Realm.

He had even cultivated the Five Viscera Realm to Perfection, and only needed to refine some Medicinal Pills to replenish his cultivation before he could break through the Five Viscera Realm and enter the Five Elements Realm. If he were to say this, Senior Brother Zhao Hong and the others would likely have their Dao Heart shattered on the spot.

"Cultivation has been going smoothly." Yu Xiu answered vaguely. He then changed the subject and asked as if curious: "Who is that Senior Brother Du?"

Colluding with Fang Jiming to want him dead? In the past, he might have only been able to take matters into his own hands, but now, he was about to be under the Main Sect's Zhanlong Peak, an executor of the Sect's laws. Simply put, this Senior Brother Du had committed a crime!