My disciples are all villains.

The others were surprised. They had thought of various possibilities, but they did not think it would be Ye Tianxin. After all, when Ye Tianxin left the Evil Sky Pavilion, only a fraction of her cultivation base was recovered. It was even a problem for her to remain alive. How did she recover her cultivation base in such a short time?

Duanmu Sheng cupped his fists and said, "Master, the thing that happened to the Five Mice occurred while you were in secluded cultivation… We didn't dare bother you…"

"It's alright." The state Lu Zhuo was in while meditating on the Heavenly Writing while he was in his recent secluded cultivation was different. Even if he had been disturbed, he might not have woken up from the state he was in to deal with the matter.

Hua Wudao said, "Ye Tianxin is a disciple of the Evil Sky Pavilion to begin with. Although she had been banished, she's at least a lost lamb that has found its way back."

Leng Luo sighed and said, "It's my fault for being careless and ended up falling for Mo Li's tricks. I was even controlled by her…"

The others looked at Leng Luo in surprise. They did not expect the person formerly on the top of the blacklist would reflect on his past behavior. It was a rare sight.

However, Leng Luo could not be blamed completely for this. The murderer of the Fairfolk, or also know as the Bai people, was the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Wei Zhuoyan. The real Wei Zhuoyan had died. The puppet master, Mo Li, remained hidden deep within the palace. She was also Leng Luo's archnemesis.

Lu Zhou glanced at the three elderly elders. They seemed exhausted from their sparring sessions with Gong Yuandu. Hence, he said, "Elders, you may return and rest."

The three of them cupped their fists at Lu Zhou. Without saying anything, they left the great hall.

The others remained where they were. They dared not leave without permission and awaited further instructions from Lu Zhou.

Little Yuan'er walked up to Lu Zhou and said, "Master, why don't I go and look for Senior Sister Tianxin?"

"There's no need for that." Lu Zhou glanced at her. His attitude was clear.

The others kept their mouths shut. 

Inwardly, Lu Zhou thought to himself, 'All she did was kill the Five Mice… Does she think that she can curry favors with the Evil Sky Pavilion with just that? She dealt with the Five Mice, and she didn't even think about coming to see me. I can't possibly be the one to initiate contact with the rascal who cheated her master and denounced her ancestors. Impossible!'

Duanmu Sheng bowed and said, "Master, I'm slightly worried about Old Fourth. It's the Divine Capital, after all…"

Lu Zhou waved his hand and said, "I'm afraid that there's no place safer than within the palace these days. There's no need to worry."

"Understood."

If that were not the case, Lu Zhou would have ridden into the palace on Whitzard's back and taken Mo Li's wretched life. He would not have given her the chance to pull these stunts. Besides, Jiang Aijian was looking after them. There was not much of a problem.

Lu Zhou initially wanted to study the third technique, but when he remembered what Gong Yuandu said right before he died in front of the great hall, he sighed inwardly. He looked at his merit points as displayed on the system dashboard.

Gong Yuandu's death gave him 1,500 points. Clearly, he was the target with the highest reward.

'Is it true that the Nine-leaf stage can never be attained? Did nobody overcome the thousand-year limit since the beginning of time?' Although Gong Yuandu was his nemesis, they were still from the same generation, after all. He would be lying if he said he was not affected at all. He suddenly thought about the possibility of Ji Tiandao dying because he tried to attain the Nine-leaf stage and failed.

The Fairfolk, Cheng Huang, the secret to eternal life… The fishing of corpses from Measure Heaven River… He was not alone in searching for the secret to a prolonged life in this world…

In the beginning, Lu Zhou paid no attention to this issue because he had the Reversal Cards. However, in hindsight, Ji Tiandao's demise might not have been as simple as it had seemed. The system might not be enough to prevent him from repeating the same mistakes. Moreover, his disciples did not have Reversal Cards, and they would age one day. If his disciples died, who would collect merit points for him? With these thoughts in mind, he did not think he could rely on the system for a prolonged existence.

Lu Zhou thought about Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong as well. When the rascals left the Evil Sky Pavilion, they already possessed Eight-leaf cultivation bases. After all these years, with their talent, were they also searching for the secrets to attain the Nine-leaf stage and a long life just like Gong Yuandu?

'What are the secrets hidden between the Eight and Nine-leaf stages?'

"Bring Qin Jun here."

"Understood."

A moment later, Pan Zhong escorted Qin Jun into the great hall.

Qin Jun was the Prince of Qi, after all… When he entered the great hall and saw the crowd present, he was so nervous that he broke out in sweat. He trembled, at a loss for words. He cupped his fists stiffly. "Old mister…"

"What kind of shameful tasks did you carry out for Yu Zhenghai in the past?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Spill it!" Little Yuan'er barked.

Qin Jun had regained his calm when he was startled by Little Yuan'er again. He retreated slightly. He hastily waved his hands. "Old mister, there must've been a misunderstanding… I've never helped Sect Master Yu carry out any shameful tasks! He was a guest in my mansion thrice. Every time he was there, he wanted to take a stroll in the Divine Capital. All I ever did was pass him some pieces of information. However, there was never any mention of the Evil Sky Pavilion. Please investigate this matter, old mister!"

"What kind of information?" Lu Zhou asked.

"They were about the Imperial guards and the Ten Terminal Formation. There's also the situation in Anyang and Upper Prime City. And… and…" Qin Jun scratched his head. "About the five princes."

"Princes?"

"I'm not sure why he's interested in the princes as well," Qin Jun said.

"Go on." Lu Zhou's attitude was clear. 'Tell me everything you know and hold nothing back.'

The Evil Sky Pavilion had helped Qin Jun after all. Naturally, he knew about the rules and reputation of the Evil Sky Pavilion. He dared not conceal anything as he said earnestly, "That's right… The last time Sect Master Yu was in the Divine Capital was a month ago. He said that he would fight Senior Sword Devil. Apart from that, he didn't say anything else, I swear to the heavens!"

Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he thought about this. It seemed that the Prince of Qi's value ended here. He had already guessed Yu Zhenghai's ambition from the start. Clearly, Yu Zhenghai was making preparations for the future by learning about the Imperial guards and the Ten Terminal Formation. The disturbances in Anyang and Upper Prime City must have had something to do with him.

"Is he going to fight Yu Shangrong?"

"Mister First and Mister Second are disciples of the Evil Sky Pavilion. Their cultivation bases surpassed their elders and dazzled their peers. Perhaps, people of talent appreciate one another and want to see who's superior," Qin Jun said.

The iron rule of the Evil Sky Pavilion was infighting was strictly prohibited.

When they were both with the Evil Sky Pavilion in the past, they respected each other. Why would they turn into enemies after they left?

"When and where?" Lu Zhou asked.

"I think it's four months from now. As for the location, I truly have no idea."

The two of them were terrifying villains. Nobody could possibly know where they were going to have their showdown.

Lu Zhou stood up slowly and walked down the steps. He looked at Qin Jun and asked, "Do you know Yu Zhenghai's true cultivation base, then?"

Qin Jun did not dare to meet Lu Zhou's eyes. He only shook his head. A person's cultivation base was regarded as a matter of privacy. It was normal for him to not be privy to it.

"Forget it." Lu Zhou waved his sleeve. "That's all for today."

"I'll take my leave."

"I'll be taking my leave, master."

After the others left, Lu Zhou turned around and called up the system dashboard.

Merit points: 1,500.

'I'm desolately poor.'