Martial Saint!

"With my respects, fellow Daoist of Tiandu, I don't lack war soldiers; I only need Spiritual Light Jade Dew," Lu Chenzhou said with a smile.

As for war soldiers, he had three pieces even at the seventh rank.

But war soldiers are ultimately not divine weapons. Recently, while using the Canglang Song, he clearly felt that the feeling of heart-intent resonance was far inferior compared to the Tiger Soul Thousand Soul Spear.

It's best to cultivate a divine weapon oneself.

The Nine Apertures Exquisite Grass is first scheduled to be exchanged for the Spiritual Light Jade Dew; if the Elder Council cannot acquire it, he might as well give it to his senior sister to aid her advancement.

"Haha, alright then, Mr. Lu, when you have time, you can visit Huangshan Tiandu Peak; I'm in seclusion there."

The old man of Tiandu left.

"Tiandu Peak, I once trained there; who would have thought there's a Heavenly King expert residing there..."

Lu Chenzhou reminisced about the past.

"Hahaha, little Lu, come here; let me introduce you to fellow Daoists from our Yun Meng Lake squad."

A broad hand patted Lu Chenzhou's shoulder; its owner was a sturdy man about a zhang tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. Draped in a great cloak, he exuded invisible dominance, like an ancient giant spear planted on the ground.

Lu Chenzhou turned around.

"Greetings, Chu... fellow Daoist."

Amazement to Ghosts and Gods—Chu Yu.

Lu Chenzhou had known him for a long time; Chu Yu excelled in spear skills. Decades ago, he made it into the top fifty of the Wanbang Council's hundred strongest list, then at the Heavenly King's End Realm cultivation, now an End Realm Heavenly King.

Ranked 49th on the Heavenly Person List!

"In today's world, discussing spear skills cannot bypass the two towering mountains of the Yang Family and the Chu Family. Mr. Lu, take the opportunity to seek advice from fellow Chu Daoist when you can," a middle-aged swordsman dressed in blue, with a clean-shaven face, said with a smile.

Chu Yu laughed, "Haha, fellow Yu exaggerates; little Lu's spear skills are about to surpass mine. Chenzhou, this is Nine Creeks Eighteen Swords·Yu Zhou, also the vice-principal of Jiangnan Wu University, second only to Ye Xiaoyao in sword dao expertise, also the deputy leader of our Yun Meng Lake squad."

"Greetings, fellow Yu Daoist, pleased to learn from you."

Yu Zhou, ranked 137 on the Heavenly Person List, Heavenly King's End Realm.

Lu Chenzhou reflected.

They were legendary figures he dreamed of during youth. The videos of their battles were what he grew up watching. When they made their name, he was not even born yet.

Yu Zhou chuckled, "Not teaching, but progressing together. I watched Mr. Lu's projection of breaking through 5000 levels; it's remarkable how you've advanced the Tiger Form Fist."

"I'm Zhang Zilong, call me Daoist Zi Long; I'm Hong Tianxiang's senior brother, previously ranked 500 on the Heavenly Person List... but was bumped off by brother Lu."

A Daoist smiled and stepped forward.

He stood straight, with an aura of vitality like a pine.

Daoist Zi Long, ranked 501 on the Heavenly Person List.

Right after Lu Chenzhou.

Lu Chenzhou chuckled, "Haha, apologies for that. By the way, how is fellow Hong doing?"

Daoist Zi Long laughed, "He's doing great; since he stopped competing with you, his state of mind has been wonderful."

Chu Yu laughed heartily, "Indeed."

Yu Zhou nodded, "Reconciling with oneself, quite good."

"Cultivation is merely about surpassing oneself."

Other Heavenly Kings agreed, laughing.

The last one was a female Heavenly King.

"Ocean Stabilizing Palm·Lan Zhuzi, Magic Capital University."

Lu Chenzhou saluted, "I've long heard of your great name."

[Sword Spirit: Chenzhou, she's quite good too, looks quite young, with hopes to advance to Absolute Peak in the future.]

The Sword Spirit casually remarked in his mind.

Female Heavenly Kings in Da Xia were relatively few, comprising only one-third, whereas in Po Suo, it was quite the opposite, with a majority of females. Most extreme were fighters, where females only comprised one-fifth. Thus, the Sword Spirit was always worried Lu Chenzhou wouldn't find a mate. Whenever they encountered a strong female, it would urge him to pursue.

Captain Chu Yu, vice-captain Yu Zhou, Lu Chenzhou, Daoist Zi Long, and Lan Zhuzi. This was the five-member Yun Meng Lake squad, also Jiangnan's main force against the Demon Emperor.

Other Heavenly Kings mainly guarded the base city.

Chu Yu said, "That's all for today, Chenzhou; you can rest assured in your seclusion. Leave Yun Meng Lake to us, if there's an emergency, I'll call you. Just stay in touch."

"Thank you, everyone."

During the gathering, Lu Chenzhou befriended one-third of Da Xia's Heavenly Kings, officially mingling into the higher ranks.

Later, the Northern Guardian King found him.

"Chenzhou, this is the 'Elder Manual'; remember to review some rules from it. Our Da Xia Elder Council isn't as free-spirited as the fighters; it's relatively more restrained, but all are within the scope of martial morality, with your character, you won't likely violate anything. Pay attention to the benefits for Elders, as many have time constraints, don't forget to claim them."

"Alright."

...

That night.

Lu Chenzhou finished reviewing the manual.

Becoming an elder indeed came with good benefits.

Firstly,

There's an annual fixed salary of 100 mid-grade primordial stones; note that the average price of a heavenly treasure is just 1000 stones. Lu Chenzhou carried out sect tasks, captured spoils, and sold items over these years, accumulating over 3000 stones.

Secondly,

Elders, upon Elder Council approval, in urgent situations, can preempt heavenly treasures in the treasure vault for breakthrough realms.

Thirdly,

Elders can annually randomly obtain 10 earth-grade treasures; if unused, can be exchanged for 100 mid-grade primordial stones; most elders give them to younger family members.

Fourthly,

Elders executing tasks also have mid-grade primordial stone rewards, such as hunting a Demon Emperor, where a single one's base bounty might earn 100 stones; if successfully slain, starting at 500 stones.

Along with the manual, there's a "Human Demon List," organized by the Wanbang Council, featuring demon ghosts and sect hierarchs wreaking havoc on the human world with heavy bounties.

He opened it and looked:

1. Witch God Sect Hierarch

Bounty: 50,000 mid-grade primordial stones, also can opt for a seventh rank heaven and earth treasure or a heaven-reaching spirit weapon.

Description: Eye of Truth leader, source of all evil in the human world, a mysterious agent raised by witches, controls the supreme treasure [Eye of Truth], highly dangerous, if encountered by anyone outside the top ten Heavenly Persons, escape is advisable.

Divine Domain unknown, abilities unknown.

2. Ming Sect Hierarch

Bounty: 30000

Introduction: The Witch God's right and left hand.

Divine Domain unknown, abilities unknown.

3. Blood God Hierarch

Bounty: 30000

Introduction: The Witch God's right and left hand.

Divine Domain: Blood Moon descends, eroding everything.

4. Blue Lotus Sect Master

Bounty: 20000

Divine Domain: Summons a giant man-eating blue lotus with a diameter of sixty kilometers; once swallowed, survival is nearly impossible.

5. Eternal Life Sect Master

6. Divine Child Sect Master

...

36. Holy Master Sect Hierarch (suspected to have fallen)

37. Ghost Empress of Myriad Spiders

Bounty: 13000

Introduction: Leader among the 24 rulers of Rashamon Ghost Country, once had the upper hand in a strategic battle with Heart's Mediator, one of the four quasi-emperors, possesses a sixty-kilometer-wide web domain, capable of performing ghost techniques not weaker than Divine Power Seeds through sublimation.

...

39. Gu Yue Demon Emperor

Bounty: 11000

Introduction: Part of the Eight-Pattern Demon Clan, follower of the Blood Ancient God, once fought with the Old Ghost of Yellow River and retreated leisurely.

40. Qingtian Demon Emperor

...

222. Six-headed Hall Master (killed)

"In the entire human world, there are actually more than two hundred demon ghosts of the Six Realms; these guys really know how to hide."

"The most dangerous are those sect masters; their realms might not be high, but they cannot be measured merely by realms due to their control over Divine Domains and Divine Arts. Then there are the sky ghosts, elusive and mysterious, though not many in number. Finally, the Demon Emperors."

This list does not yet account for potential enemies from the Shadow Kill Clan, no wonder the Northern Guardian King plans to take action.

... Pu#b*l.i-ca*t^io!n cou&rte&s%y of M$|V#|-LE-M!PYR.

Seven days passed swiftly.

On this day, the ancient cultivation cave mansion of Yun Meng Lake erupted with light, beams of treasure light shooting straight into the clouds.

At the entrance of the cave, a hundred cultivators from all corners of All Nations had gathered, each with Grandmaster cultivation.

"The cave mansion has opened."

"What? It just opened and already sent out a wave of Xuanhuang Second Grade treasures; the owner of this cave mansion is indeed generous."

"Indeed, judging by the phenomena outside, there must be Earth Grade and Heavenly Grade treasures inside; this trip will not be in vain."

"Everyone, be cautious. Inherited cave mansions usually have traps and mechanisms. The Great Wilderness Qi Refiners will not show mercy when searching for disciples. One careless move, and one could die and the Dao could disappear."

Among the crowd were several Great Grandmasters maintaining order; being compatriots, the council did not wish to see everyone scheming and fighting each other over treasures.

For exploring cave mansions, the council also had a set of regulations, usually cooperating to search for treasures first, and then competing to ultimately decide the ownership of treasures.

Soon, the treasures outside were all scavenged. Everyone, full of anticipation, stepped through the portal of light ahead.

Once everyone had entered,

a white-robed man with a longsword at his waist, with a face like jade and an aura like an immortal, landed on the ground. He closed his eyes, then a barely noticeable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he stepped into the cave mansion.

...

Imperial Capital, Wanbang Council.

The Northern Guardian King gazed towards Yun Meng Lake. "I always felt something was odd about the opening of this cave mansion, but with Lu Chenzhou following in secret, it should be fine. If the Eye of Truth intends to cause trouble, it's a perfect opportunity to capture and kill a batch!"

...

Inside the cave.

The white-robed man's spiritual power slightly spread out.

In the Inner Scenery Land, in front of the Divine Palace, four figures were drinking tea and chatting. They were Lu Chenzhou and three Artifact Spirits.

The Fox Woman smiled, "Interesting, there's more than meets the eye in this cave mansion. It seems the owner's status was quite extraordinary while alive."

Qiang Erniang said, "To refine a Cave Heaven Type Spirit Weapon, should be an Eighth Realm Heart Cultivator. Such a person is usually associated with the Heavenly Heart Sect, we might have heard of them."

Lu Chenzhou looked at the black-robed man.

"Jingxin, do you have any impressions?" The owner of the Shocking Heart Needle was also a Heart Cultivator, who practiced alone to the Seventh Realm without an inheritance and later became a Guest Elder of the Heavenly Heart Sect.

"My memory is somewhat missing, but there are only so many Eighth Realm Heart Cultivators, let's explore further."

"Alright."

Before long, Lu Chenzhou caught up with the group, following behind Wang Xian, Lin Xia, and Qingtian Cang.

Wang Xian glanced sideways and asked,

"Friend, your face is unfamiliar?"

Lu Chenzhou smiled slightly. "My name is Han Feiyu, I previously cultivated abroad, here to join in the fun as well."

Wang Xian laughed, "I see, friend, do you wish to travel with us? On this exploration, others are grouped according to Daoist orders, only the white-robed man is alone."

"If you could include me, I'd be most grateful."

The white-robed man said.

Wang Xian immediately discussed with Lin Xia and Qingtian Cang.

Lin Xia transmitted, "Hmph, this pretty face just feels strange, might be a Grandmaster from an enemy faction, let's play along and see what trick he's up to!"

Wang Xian smiled wryly:

"Sister, you have a prejudice against pretty faces."

Lin Xia mumbled:

"It still has to be someone with a plain and unremarkable appearance like junior brother's to feel reliable and give a sense of security."