Lu Zhaozhao took a closer look and noticed the emblem on the man in the blue robe. She understood immediately, twirled her sword, sheathed it, and turned to head towards the pavilion.
As soon as I landed and stood still, the old man came over with a smile.
"Young man, your swordsmanship is quite good. Who is your master?" the old man asked with a smile.
Lu Zhaozhao clasped her hands in a respectful greeting and said, "This junior, Lu Zhaozhao, is the second disciple of Master Yunxian of the Qinghui Sect. I greet Master Bulu."
The old man laughed heartily: "I thought few young people knew an old man like me. So you are Yunxian's disciple from the Lu family of Jiangning. Your grandfather mentioned you in a letter he wrote to me."
Lu Zhaozhao simply smiled and replied, "Who doesn't know the name of the Master? It would be my honor if my name could reach the Master's ears."
She maintained a polite smile on her face, but her excitement was surging higher and higher in her heart.
Master Bu Lu, the former dean of Wenyuan Academy, was a great master who had reached the Returning to Emptiness realm a hundred years ago. Fifty years ago, after the Goose Lake Debate, he handed over the academy's leadership to his eldest disciple, Qing Songzi, and then went into seclusion on the back mountain of the academy, rarely venturing down the mountain over the years.
Lu Zhaozhao had never met him, but she had seen the young man beside him.
Master Bu Lu, who made an exception after a hundred years, accepted Bai Yuan, the abbot of Wen Yuan Academy, as his last disciple, Sima Baiyuan, who is also a scholar in green robes!
From a distance, Lu Zhaozhao first noticed the Wenyuan Academy emblem on Bai Yuanshi's blue robe, and then recognized him immediately when she saw the bamboo flute he held in his hand. The only person who could command Bai Yuanshi to serve him so respectfully was probably his master, Master Bu Lu.
However, it was just a guess, so Lu Zhaozhao was initially worried, but she breathed a sigh of relief when the old man responded.
The old man spoke up: "Young lady, I've seen quite a few of Emperor Huizong's sword techniques, but this move just now looks unfamiliar."
Lu Zhaozhao was startled, but replied with a calm expression, "You have a good eye, Master. This is not something I learned from my sect. I just happened to have an opportunity a few days ago and practiced it when I had nothing else to do."
Master Bu Lu did not press further, his face full of peace: "Each generation has its own destiny. It seems that it is our academy's turn to host the Golden Palace Banquet this year?"
He turned back to look at Bai Yuanshi uncertainly. Bai Yuanshi nodded, stroked his beard, and a hint of reminiscence appeared in his eyes.
The Golden Palace Banquet? I almost forgot about that, Lu Zhaozhao thought to herself.
For some unknown reason, Master Bu Lu suddenly decided to have a match between Lu Zhaozhao and Master Bai Yuan.
He said with great interest, "You are all Golden Core cultivators. Although Master Yuan's realm is slightly higher, I saw that your swordplay just now was truly exquisite. Even Yun Xian might not be able to wield it at your age. Back then, my Green Pine Seed lost to Yun Xian. Now, I also want to see who wins between you and Master Yuan!"
Lu Zhaozhao lowered her eyes. She had long wanted to try out the body-refining technique and the power of the Moon Reflecting Ten Thousand Rivers. She had heard of Master Bai Yuan's reputation. What better test subject could there be?
So he took two steps back to create some distance, held his sword horizontally in front of him, and said, "Please enlighten me, senior brother."
Bai Yuanshi looked helplessly at his unreliable master who was always making decisions on a whim, picked up the bamboo flute, and said in a low voice, "Thank you for your trouble, Junior Sister."
"Ding."
As the two armies clashed, Lu Zhaozhao got a close look at Bai Yuanshi's bamboo flute.
It was a flawless black jade ruler, emanating a chilling aura.
It is said that the disciples of Wenyuan Academy are all afraid of this academy supervisor. The reason is simple: this seemingly gentle senior brother is meticulous in his actions. Whether it is disciplining himself or others, he will punish anyone who makes a mistake, regardless of their status.
Lu Zhaozhao secretly clicked her tongue, wondering if the weapon was a miniature version of her.
The two fought and advanced, stirring up the seawater and causing it to splash everywhere.
Although Bai Yuanshi's ink ruler had no blade, it still made Lu Zhaozhao's palm ache when it clashed with Ni Ye's. The ruler danced faster and faster, like a dragon coiling and soaring. Several times, unable to defend herself, she was struck on the arm. Even though Lu Zhaozhao had rebuilt her flesh and blood, making her impervious to ordinary weapons, the ink ruler still left red marks on her skin.
"What an overbearing ruler," Lu Zhaozhao thought to herself.
Bai Yuanshi was equally shocked. His ink ruler was made of a special material. Even if someone with low cultivation level was accidentally injured by the residual force, they would suffer broken bones. However, the woman in front of him looked weak, but after connecting several rulers, she only suffered minor superficial injuries. Could it be due to a special technique?
Holding the sword of rebellion, Lu Zhaozhao seized the opportunity and suddenly drew her sword. Bai Yuanshi also reacted quickly, his feet pausing as he instantly rose several feet into the air, landing lightly on a branch by the river, his robes fluttering in the wind.
Lu Zhaozhao stood in the lake, gazing at him from afar.
With a flick of his wrist, Bai Yuanshi displayed the ink ruler horizontally. Moonlight fell upon it, and several lines of text appeared on its originally smooth and flawless surface.
A voice transmission came from Bai Yuanshi: "Junior sister, please don't be offended. My master's interest has disturbed your cultivation. However, we are on a mission and cannot be delayed. How about we each make a move and settle the score? What do you think, junior sister?"
Just what I wanted!
Lu Zhaozhao swung her sword sharply in response.
Bai Yuanshi chuckled, and with two fingers of his left hand, he traced the surface of the ruler. The characters that had appeared before him moved strangely with his fingers, and in no time, three layers of ink characters swirled around him.
"A Ten-Point Commentary on Admonitions? When did this kid learn all that? Looks like I'm not far from having a disciple who starves his master." Master Bu Lu sighed, stroking his long beard.
Lu Zhaozhao didn't know what kind of method he was using, but the immense power contained in each of his words forced her to take it seriously.
She looked up; the moonlight was bright, and the full moon hung high in the sky.
With a wave of his hand, tens of thousands of rays of light instantly covered the lake, making it as bright as day.
The light was so dazzling that even Bai Yuanshi, who was far away, had to close his eyes slightly and secretly praise it in his heart: "So grand and powerful, what a magnificent aura!"
Unbeknownst to him, Lu Zhaozhao, who was already secretly admiring him, was intently watching every ray of light reflected by Niye. Then, with a slight movement, she disappeared from her original position.
Bai Yuanshi looked closely and saw that Lu Zhaozhao was swinging her sword at an extremely fast speed, following the myriad rays of light.
Ten thousand sword intents formed on the water's surface and then rushed towards Bai Yuanshi.
Without hesitation, Bai Yuanshi immediately wielded his bamboo brush, and ink characters spread out in the air, like an invisible banner that blocked the originally fierce myriad swords.
Master Bai held a ruler in his right hand and formed a hand seal with his left. With a loud bang, several water columns were blasted out of the lake, obscuring the moon.
Lu Zhaozhao frowned, smirked, and waved her sword, Niye, once again.
As the moon disappeared and the sword vanished, Bai Yuanshi looked towards the center of the lake, only to be surprised to find that there was no one there, and the entire lake surface was devoid of any trace of Lu Zhaozhao.
Vanished into thin air? Impossible! Bai Yuanshi's mind raced. The moonlight was blocked, and her sword intent was gone. Where could she be hiding? Could it be...?
"clang!"
Master Bai Yuan immediately turned around, and the ink ruler collided with the rebellious force in the darkness.
Lu Zhaozhao chuckled: "Senior brother, be careful!"
Thousands of sword intents cleaved through the water column, merging into a single sword, and the moonlight reappeared!
The ink ruler and the hidden sword, the bamboo flute and the rebellious cause, Bai Yuanshi and Lu Zhaozhao, unleashed their strongest attack on the vast sea.
"boom--"
The water was constantly being stirred up, and the weeping willows along the river were broken into several pieces as they were lifted by the wind. Master Bu Lu squinted, his expression serious.
"Bang--"
The "Admonition to Ten Thoughts" collided with the moon reflected in ten thousand rivers, forming a powerful burst of true energy that blasted outwards.
A hundred miles away, Yunxian, who had just subdued the evil spirit, looked up and glanced sideways.
A familiar sword aura!
As if he had just thought of something, he was about to go and see when a girl grabbed his sleeve. He looked down and saw a pair of eyes filled with tears.
The ripples on the lake subsided, and Bai Yuanshi and Lu Zhaozhao each stood on one side, bowing to each other from afar.
Master Bu Lu smiled and nodded: "At the Golden Palace Banquet five years from now, I'll be waiting to see your sword!"
Lu Zhaozhao nodded in agreement.
After bidding farewell to the two of them, Lu Zhaozhao sat by the water and began to ponder.
The Golden Palace Banquet is a major event held once every ten years in the cultivation world. It is a test to select the young talents of the cultivation world. Anyone over fifty years of age and whose cultivation level is below the Nascent Soul stage can participate.
The Golden Banquet is hosted by the three major sects in turn, with varying assessment methods. However, the ultimate winner is invariably the strongest among the younger generation, and the victor has one incense stick's time to ascend the Golden Platform. Some say the Golden Platform holds countless treasures and secret manuals, as past champions have all experienced breakthroughs, large or small, shortly after stepping down from the platform; others say the Golden Platform is the closest place to the Heavenly Realm, where a destined individual might be able to unravel the secrets of heaven…
There are countless explanations, but the generally accepted fact is that all talented young people consider it an honor to ascend to the Golden Terrace.
"The place closest to heaven, is that also the closest to home?" Lu Zhaozhao murmured.
She sniffed, her nose stinging, and got up to brush the dust off her clothes.
She wanted to reach the top of the Golden Platform, but the road ahead was long. Even Master Bai Yuan, whom she met today, was already at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, just one step away from breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. In the battle just now, if he hadn't held back at the end, she probably wouldn't have been able to fight to a draw. Not to mention that the cultivation world is vast and there must be many more talented people. She couldn't afford to delay for even a moment.
There's only one place where a breakthrough can be achieved in a short time.
She had nowhere to hide at Mushan Nunnery.
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