My disciples are all villains.

Hua Wudao raised his brows in shock as he looked at the surging Primal Qi and energy above the east pavilion. "What's this…" He trailed off as he raised his hand.

Zhao Yue said, "Elder Hua, do you know what's happening?"

In any case, the few disciples could not make sense of what they were seeing. For them, all they knew was their master rarely followed the orthodox way of doing things.

Hua Wudao nodded and said, "Your cultivation bases aren't profound enough yet. Look closely…" He pointed at the roiling and turbulent Primal Qi and the energy that was leaking out into the surroundings. "The Eight Methods Connected tempers the body and will. A cultivator who successfully formed his Eight Methods Connected will experience a huge improvement in his cultivation base. However, the pavilion master is already at the peak of the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm and is a peak Eight-leaf cultivator… Think about it, why would he need to form a low-rank avatar like the Eight Methods Connected?"

"Why?" Zhao Yue, Little Yuan'er, and Duanmu Sheng wore humble expressions that showed they were sincerely seeking Hua Wudao for enlightenment.

"He's constantly improving himself," Hua Wudao said confidently and knowingly, "If two cultivators at the same level were to fight without weapons and armor, what do you think will be the deciding factor between the two?"

"Luck?" Duanmu Sheng scratched his head.

Hua Wudao was speechless.

Zhao Yue and Little Yuan'er looked at their Third Senior Brother, Duanmu Sheng, and nodded, seemingly agreeing with his answer.

Hua Wudao coughed before he said solemnly, "It's technique and experience. Look at the Primal Qi fluctuations above the east pavilion, it's cold and warm at the same time. It's like a harmonization of Yin and Yang… They're extremely uniform and stable. A cultivator with little to no talent would easily cause a chaotic flow of Primal Qi when they try to form their avatars. The slightest mistake made during the forming process would cause him or her to fail. Usually, a cultivator would successfully form the Eight Methods Connected avatar within three attempts. Those who succeed on the first try are considered geniuses. Those who succeed on their second try are considered above average. Those who succeed on their third try are average..."

Bam!

The eight forms of energy successfully gathered above the east pavilion. They swirled and connected.

"Your words are an enlightenment to me, Elder Hua. Everything seems clear now… When I first studied the Divine One Technique, I felt that it was extremely difficult. Now, when I'm practicing the opening chapters of the Divine One Method, they're truly much easier. My skills have improved and my experience is an advantage to me during battles." Duanmu Sheng looked at the east pavilion.

"Indeed…" Hua Wudao continued to look at the east pavilion as well.

"That was enlightening." Zhao Yue cupped her fists.

The energy gradually calmed down, and the east pavilion was deathly still once again.

"You have a point, Elder Hua." Mingshi Yin walked in at this moment. It was clear he had just returned from running his errand.

"Fourth Senior Brother." Zhao Yue and Little Yuan'er greeted Mingshi Yin.

"I remember when master was cultivating in the hidden chamber, and we accidentally disturbed him. You might not believe this, Elder Hua, but I couldn't even withstand the blast when master connected his eight meridians… If master didn't hold back, I would've been injured," Mingshi Yin said.

Hua Wudao nodded and said, "As expected of a true elite…"

...

At this moment, Lu Zhou, who had successfully formed the Eight Methods Connected, opened his eyes slowly. He did not expect to take this long. However, there was nothing out of the ordinary apart from it taking longer than he had expected. He did not encounter any obstacles when he was forming the avatar. The circulation of Primal Qi and the formation of the avatar were exceptionally smooth.

Lu Zhou checked his cultivation base… Indeed, it was already at the Dao Controlling stage of the Divine Court realm. He was only one step away from the Dao Transforming stage. At this stage, he could easily master his chosen path of cultivation.

Every cultivator's cultivation path would be decided at the early stages of the Divine Court realm. They were usually of the saber, the sword, archery, the spear, and so on. Many cultivators would usually decide on their cultivation paths early. The true completion of their paths was when they were at the Dao Shaping stage of the Divine Court realm. At the Dao Controlling stage of the Divine Court realm, the chosen path would be manifested through their weapons. This was why heaven-grade weapons were so precious.

"Dao Controlling stage of the Divine Court realm…" Lu Zhou nodded in satisfaction.

Lu Zhou gauged the status of the Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power as well. It was only about one-third of its full capacity, but he was content with it. He seemed to be comprehending the Heavenly Writing at a much quicker pace now.

At this moment, Lu Zhou heard the commotion outside the pavilion. He chided them with his voice that was laced with Primal Qi, "The audacity!"

The soundwave rolled out from the east pavilion, and Mingshi Yin, Hua Wudao, and the others took several steps back.

"Master."

"Pavilion Master." Even someone like Hua Wudao who took pride in his status had to lower his head.

Lu Zhou emerged with his hands on his back as he glanced at the people in the courtyard. "Do all of you have a lot of free time on your hands..."

"No," Mingshi Yin hastily bowed and said, "Master, I've contacted Jiang Aijian… He said the box you asked him to investigate isn't in the palace. As for other items that belong to the Evil Sky Pavilion, he said he needs more time to investigate the matter. Apart from that, he also suspects Si Wuya is investigating him. For this reason, he hasn't been and won't be contacting the Evil Sky Pavilion for the time being."

'It's that rascal again.' It seemed like even the punishment of the Binding Mantra could not make Si Wuya behave.

"Jiang Aijian also mentioned… that he's aware of the incident on the Lotus Dais. He suspects the elite whom you fought is a Lou Lan elite from Rongxi."

"A Lou Lan Elite?" Hua Wudao was slightly taken aback.

Little Yuan'er asked in confusion, "Is he powerful?"

"When Lou Lan and Great Yan went to war many years ago, the people were in a terrible situation. Many of them lost their homes. It was all because of the witchcraft cultivators of Lou Lan… Even so, Lou Lan lost heavily… Since that incident, the cultivators of Great Yan no longer underestimated witchcraft," Hua Wudao explained.

"Are there no witchcraft experts in Great Yan?"

"Witchcraft itself originated from Great Yan. However, due to its obvious weaknesses, few actually cultivated it. There are only a handful of determined witchcraft cultivators who keep it alive here," Hua Wudao replied.

Mingshi Yin nodded and bowed at Lu Zhou as he said, "Master, this piece of information should be reliable. We have to guard against him since he's capable of unleashing such a powerful spell on the Lotus Dais."

Lu Zhou still had some unanswered questions in his heart. The being he encountered at the energy intersection on the Lotus Dais was not human but some kind of beast. In that case, that person was most probably the beast's master. He stroked his beard and asked, "Were your movements exposed when you went to the Divine Capital?"

"Absolutely not…" Mingshi Yin said confidently, "Old Seventh is indeed intelligent. However, he won't go so far as to have someone monitor me while I'm using the toilet, right?"

Everyone looked at him with a disgusted expression on their faces. Although he had a point, the way he had spoken was too crude. In any case, it seemed like Mingshi Yin did not have any trouble covering up his tracks.

Boom!

At this moment, a thunderous noise resonated in the air.

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.

"The back of the mountain. The Cave of Reflection." Lu Zhou looked up at the barrier. Although it had weakened, it should still be able to hold up. Moreover, the sound did not come from the barrier.

At this moment, Zhou Jifeng sprinted all the way from the back of the mountain. He fell to one knee and said, "Pavilion Master, M-mister Eighth, s-some… something has happened to him!"

Lu Zhou remained silent. He flicked his sleeves and made his way to the back of the mountain as the others trailed after him.

Mingshi Yin mumbled under his breath, "That idiot Old Eighth, can't he stay still for a second?"

Zhou Jifeng walked next to Mingshi Yin as he nervously said, "Mister… Mister Eighth has lost the z-zen tunic!"