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Xie Daoyun’s thoughts were in line with Zu An’s. She thought to herself, I really made the right choice in changing my outfit this time. Violet Mountain might seem calm, but it somehow feels as if there’s something brewing.
Zhang Zijiang stormed over and shouted, “Are you freaking
 Ahem, we are the Armed Escort Division. We came on his majesty’s orders to repair the palaces on Violet Mountain. This one is our leader and general, Marquis Zu!” He almost went straight to cursing, but when he realized that the disciple belonged to the Righteous Sun Sect, he swallowed his dirty words back down.
Zu An’s forehead darkened. Why are you adding ‘marquis’ to my title? It sounds weird.
“Armed Escort Division?” the Righteous Sun Sect disciple repeated, his expression changing. He knew that the Armed Escort Division was one of the emperor’s personal armies.
Zhang Xi received the news and hurried over, saying, “So it was Sir Zu and General Zhang! The State Teacher told us about you before. Excuse me for not going out to meet you, truly.”
He had already lost count of how many things he had to apologize for today. No wonder none of his martial brothers from the other peaks had been willing to take on this role. Still, it was a good thing that he had come, or else he wouldn’t have been able to interact with White Jade Sect’s junior sister Chu so closely, nor could he have experienced the joy of seeing that junior sister from Jadefall Palace. When the other disciples heard about it, they’d definitely go crazy from jealousy.
Not only were there disciples from the other daoist sects by the mountain gate, some other sects had arrived too. There were also honored guests who had been invited by the Righteous Sun Sect. However, most of the people who didn’t belong to the nine sects were just there to join in the lively atmosphere. After all, it was normally quite difficult for them to see the legendary figures of the nine sects. It would be beneficial for their disciples to have the chance to experience the aura of the strong. That was precisely why the Righteous Sun Sect had arranged for some of their disciples to be in charge of checking jade tokens.
When those people saw how the two sides were chatting in a friendly manner, they all felt a bit jealous. The Righteous Sun Sect and the court’s relationship really was good. No wonder they had been able to obtain so many resources and grow so quickly.
Apart from that, however, some people keenly noticed that something was strange. Why did the leader look like a useless pretty face? There wasn’t even the slightest trace of ki aura coming from him. Wasn’t he just a normal person? He was probably just some hedonistic son of a great clan who had gotten to his position through nepotism.
The court has already fallen this far? You can even get to that kind of position through nepotism?
Didn’t the court always tell us that as long as we worked hard and improved our cultivation, we would get positions matching our strength?
The disciples of the smaller sects felt angry, as if they had been deceived. In contrast, the disciples of the nine daoist sects were secretly delighted.
The court is so corrupt! The Righteous Sun Sect is bound to them, so it seems they don’t have many good days left. At that time, it’ll be our turn to shine!
Zu An was confused when he saw all the Rage points coming in from the backend for no apparent reason.
I didn’t do anything to these guys! Why are these people so angry?
Don’t tell me that once someone reaches a certain level of handsomeness, one can draw the jealousy of the same sex just by standing there?
His mood quickly lifted as he thought of that.


Afterward, Zhang Xi arranged for some disciples to escort them up the mountain.
Along the way, Zhang Zijiang secretly moved over to Zu An’s side and said, “Sir Zu, I didn’t expect Violet Mountain to be the place where the nine sects have gathered! There are so many people here, and they’re all powerful individuals. It’ll be much more difficult for us to safely do our work later!”
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They had said they were going to repair the buildings as a pretext, but the real reason was to establish a vanguard for the emperor’s Fengshan ceremony, to get rid of all kinds of hidden dangers ahead of time. Now, however, there were hidden dangers everywhere! How were they even supposed to get rid of them?
According to what the Righteous Sun disciple said, the ones who had arrived were all the elite disciples of the different sects. There was no lack of grandmasters among those who led their sect’s disciples. Even if they used the army, there was no way they could face so many powerful cultivators!
Zu An’s expression remained calm as he said, “Everything will be fine.”
Zhang Zijiang’s eyes lit up. He immediately gave Zu AN a big thumbs up and said, “Big brother Zu is outstanding as expected! You aren’t like this subordinate, who begins to panic when he encounters a bit of trouble
”
Xie Daoyun actually felt a bit of secondhand embarrassment from all the praise. Just how is this guy able to say so many ridiculous things without batting an eyelid?
Zu An sighed inwardly. No wonder people all wanted to become officials. He had once thought that excessive praise was a bit corny, but that was only because he hadn’t been the one to receive it. Now that he had reached his current position, he realized that it really was intoxicating. One couldn't help but want them to continue.
However, his willpower was different from that of others, so he quickly snapped out of it. He found a chance to ask the disciple at the forefront, “How often do the sects hold this great competition?”
The disciple knew that Zu An’s rank wasn’t low, so he didn’t dare to show negligence. He promptly replied, “Once every ten years, sir.”
“When was the last instance held?” Zu An asked, and the disciple replied with the date. When Zu An calculated it in his mind, he realized it was indeed ten years prior. That clearly wasn’t an excuse they had just put together on the spot at the last minute. He then asked, “Then are the great competitions always held at Violet Mountain?”
“That is not necessarily the case. The nine sects alternate for each great competition. This time, it just happened to be our Righteous Sun Sect’s turn,” the disciple replied.
Zu An asked a few more questions, but he couldn't find any issues and could only leave the matter be.
Soon afterward, the group arrived at the Guidance Palace. The Guidance Palace was built next to a mountain, and it had beautiful architecture. There were all kinds of auspicious beasts sculpted on the corners and eaves. The palace was grand and majestic, but also solemn and dignified. It could make one feel the sheer size of the world when one stood in front of it, causing them to feel extremely insignificant in comparison.
The Guidance Palace was rumored to have been built for the purpose of guiding immortals down to the lower realm. Of course, no one had ever seen any true immortals, so that saying was always treated as nothing more than folklore.
Now, the Guidance Palace was the place the Righteous Sun Sect used to receive guests. Previously, when the nine sects arrived with their disciples, they had been brought there after they passed through the main gate, upon which they were received by the various peak lords of the Righteous Sun Sect. Afterward, disciples had led them to their respective dwellings.
The disciple who led the way arranged a place for Zu An’s group to stop at for the time being, saying, “Everyone, please wait for a moment. The sect master will arrive soon.”
Zu An chuckled, refraining from commenting. Strictly speaking, they were the Imperial Envoy. Any local officials, even if they were kings of the area, had to come out to welcome them. However, Wang Wuxie had extraordinary status, so he probably had his own pride.
Just then, cries of alarm filled the air. A streak of purple ki emanated from the Golden Peak. Only when it got closer did the onlookers see that it was actually a handsome middle-aged man, flying while surrounded by purple ki. The nine sects’ experts, who had been resting in their respective chambers, suddenly opened their eyes and looked in the direction of the purple ki.
In Jadefall Palace’s courtyard, Wan Tongtian’s expression grew grave. He remarked, “It’s been a while since I last saw him, but Wang Wuxie’s cultivation seems to have advanced again.”
Elder Huo Ling harrumphed. “Prioritizing the interests of others will only sacrifice your own.”
Wan Tongtian’s expression changed. However, he was already used to Elder Huo Ling’s complaints about him. Furthermore, he felt a bit guilty toward her for what had happened before, so he ignored what she said.
Inside the Heavenly Swallow Sect’s courtyard, Guan Chouhai chuckled and said, “That guy, Wang Wuxie, didn’t even come out to greet us. Just who could be worth a personal visit from him?”
Inside Emptiness Isle’s courtyard, Qiu Honglei tugged on the sleeves of the person next to her, saying, “Master, master, this Wang Wuxie is pretty strong. Can you win against him?”
Yun Jianyue’s expression turned grave. She said, “In the past, I would definitely have lost. Now, not necessarily.”
Qiu Honglei curled her lips and retorted, “It sounds as if you’d still most likely lose. Otherwise, with your personality, you would already be bragging about how you’d grind him into the dirt.”
Yun Jianyue’s expression stiffened as she snapped, “Damn girl, would you believe me if I say I’m going to rip your mouth off your face?”
Qiu Honglei began to beg for mercy. “Ah, master, I was wrong! Right, why did master’s cultivation increase so quickly recently? If there are any shortcuts, could you share some of those secrets with me? That way, I’ll have a higher chance to win against Chu Chuyan.”
Yun Jianyue’s expression became a bit unnatural as she said, “You’ll naturally experience it in the future. There’s no rush.”
She stormed off in a huff afterward, and Qiu Honglei was left all alone in confusion. What do you mean, I’ll naturally experience it in the future? Just what kind of mystery is master trying to create?


Meanwhile, in the White Jade Sect’s courtyard, Chu Chuyan stood by the bedside while looking at the purple ki. There was some shock in her eyes as she remarked, “The State Teacher’s cultivation really is formidable. Master, do you want to come and see too?”
Yan Xuehen calmly sipped on some tea, not even turning her head. She replied, “What does that have to do with me?”
“Master, I heard that the State Teacher pursued you in the past. Did you ever feel anything for him before?” Chu Chuyan asked, a mischievous look suddenly appearing in her eyes. Only in front of her master would she show such a side.
“Never,” Yan Xuehen said. Her expression was calm, as if she were talking about something unrelated to her. “When did you become so gossipy?”
“Really?” Chu Chuyan replied, finding it a bit hard to believe. “The State Teacher is quite the handsome man, and his cultivation is high. I heard many people say that back then, many female cultivators liked him, and yet master never approved of him. If master doesn’t even like someone as perfect as him, just what kind of man do you like?”
Shatter!
A loud and clear sound rang out. Yan Xuehen had lost her grip on her teacup and let it fall to the ground.
When she saw her disciple’s suspicious expression, she snapped with a scowl, “Did you forget the most important part of cultivating the Unshakable Daoist Manual? Why is your mind always filled with romance? Go and copy the Frozen Heart Sutra a hundred times as punishment!”