Chapter 81: A Powerful Helper   Lu Zhou’s expression remained unchanged, but he felt pleased inwardly. His disciple, Duanmu Sheng, was not as calculative as Mingshi Yin even though he was opinionated. Ever since the siege by the ten great elites, Duanmu Sheng’s loyalty remained stable and unwavering. Compared to rascals like Mingshi Yin and Zhao Yue, he preferred Duanmu Sheng more.

If Duanmu Sheng and Mingshi Yin were in the same realm, Duanmu Sheng could easily win in a fight against Mingshi Yin. However, Mingshi Yin had benefited from the battle on Golden Court Mountain previously. Mingshi Yin had a breakthrough in his Bluewood Heart Technique. Although Duanmu Sheng’s progress was slower, it was no surprise that he had a breakthrough in his realm.

“That’s great!” Little Yuan’er clapped her hands excitedly.

Lu Zhou looked at Little Yuan’er and reprimanded her in a low voice, “You’re the laziest and most carefree one here. You should work hard to catch up to your senior brother.”

Little Yuan’er stuck her tongue out and said, “I know.”

In truth, Lu Zhou was not worried about Little Yuan’er. She might be the last to join him, but her cultivation base had improved the quickest. Even Zhou Jifeng, the great disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect, admitted that he could not compare to her.

After a short while, Duanmu Sheng walked into the hall, looking very spirited. The chains that were still on his body clinked as he walked in.

Zhou Jifeng trailed behind Duanmu Sheng, his expression was one of admiration and envy.

Pan Zhong wore a similar expression on his face as well.

Ever since the two of them entered Golden Court Mountain, apart from being picked on by some disciples, they were, generally, pleased with their current states. At the very least, they could focus on cultivating and were not involved in the affairs of the world. After all, the reason they walked on the path of cultivation was to get stronger.

As soon as Duanmu Sheng entered the Evil Sky Pavilion’s great hall, he kneeled on the ground and said respectfully, “I had a stroke of luck and managed to break through to the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm. I’ve successfully formed the Hundred Tribulation Insight avatar!”

Lu Zhou had a pleased expression on his face as he stroked his beard. He nodded and said, “It’s good that you had a breakthrough. The path of cultivation is long so remember not to be too proud or impatient. Keep up the good work.” He spoke with the air of a teacher and elder.

Lu Zhou’s behavior contradicted the impression that Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng had of the greatest villain under the heavens.

“Thank you for your teachings, master. I’ll remember them.” Duanmu Sheng kowtowed sincerely. His loyalty had gone up by 1%.

It was obvious that the higher the percentage, the harder it would be to increase.

Lu Zhou suddenly remembered the Overlord Spear. It seemed like the spear’s designated owner was Duanmu Sheng. He found it logical. After all, Duanmu Sheng cultivated the Divine One Technique that included sword and spear play. Duanmu Sheng’s character was frank and fierce, which made a spear more suitable for him compared to a sword. The spear and the sword were two different weapons, but they would lead to the same result. It would be beneficial for him as well if Duanmu Sheng grew stronger. After thinking about this, he rose to his feet before he said, “Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

“Understood.”

...

Lu Zhou returned to the hidden chamber. He raised his arm, and the Overlord Spear flew into his hand.

The dragon that was twined around the Overlord Spear’s shaft gave it a majestic air.

After Lu Zhou obtained the Overlord Spear, he returned to the great hall. As soon as he arrived, he tossed the Overlord Spear over to Duanmu Sheng.

Whoosh!

The others were shocked. They thought that Lu Zhou was going to punish his disciple so they did not try to stop the spear.

Duanmu Sheng was startled and instinctively lifted his hands and crossed the chains before him to defend himself.

Clang!

Sparks flew when the Overlord Spear collided with Duanmu Sheng’s chains before it shot up. Upon seeing this, he quickly grabbed the Overlord Spear’s shaft. With just a glance, he was already impressed by the spear. ‘This is a good weapon!’

“I’m giving the Overlord Spear to you... Use it well, and don’t let me down!” Lu Zhou said.

Duanmu Sheng was overjoyed when he heard Lu Zhou’s words. He quickly put the Overlord Spear aside before he kowtowed reverently at Lu Zhou. “Thank you for the weapon, master!”

At this moment, Little Yuan’er, Zhou Jifeng, and Pan Zhong finally regained their senses and realized Lu Zhou’s intention. They felt jealous and envious!

“Ding! Overlord Spear has successfully gained an owner. Activated grade: Heaven-grade. Reward: 1,000 merit points.”

Lu Zhou managed to figure some things out. It seemed like the grades of the weapons would only be completely activated when they were given to the most suitable owners. If it were casually given to someone else who was not suited to it, it would not be able to unleash its full potential. If he was not mistaken, Duanmu Sheng would be able to break the cold iron chains with a heaven-grade weapon. What a handsome reward! He wondered how many weapons were left behind after Ji Tiandao’s death. After all, Ji Tiandao had slighted too many disciples so Lu Zhou had to be fair to everyone now.

When Duanmu Sheng obtained his weapon, his loyalty increased by 1% again.

“Master, I want one as well!” Little Yuan’er said as she ran up to Lu Zhou.

Fortunately, Lu Zhou had already thought about what to say. “Your cultivation base is still too low. You shouldn’t be messing around.”

As the saying went, ‘A common man’s only crime is to carry a jade’. How could a Divine Court realm cultivator protect his or her weapon? Although it was extremely difficult to cultivate a heaven-grade weapon, powerful cultivators with bad intentions would still covet it. This was a very common occurrence.

“Very well...” Little Yuan’er nodded unwillingly.

Duanmu Sheng would not let go of his newly-obtained weapon. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He looked around, wanting to look for someone to spar with. Obviously, his master was out of the question. This meant only Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng were left.

“Both of you...”

“Mister Third, do you have orders for us?”

“Spar with me.”

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng were stunned by Duanmu Sheng’s words.

Duanmu Sheng did not wait for them to reply as he said, “I’ll be waiting behind the mountain.” Before he left, he cupped his hands at Lu Zhou and respectfully said, “Master, I’m going to train with my weapon. I’ll take my leave.”

“Go ahead.” Lu Zhou waved his hand.

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng wore bitter expressions on their faces. They shuffled out of the Evil Sky Pavilion reluctantly.

...

After the three people left, a messenger bird flew in.

Little Yuan’er who knew her job very well quickly received the letter from the messenger bird. “Master, it’s a letter from Fourth Senior Brother. I’ll read it out for you...” She quickly unfolded the letter and read out loud, “Master, I’ve conveyed your message to the Black Knights... They’ll be arriving in Evil Sky Pavilion in a few days’ time. I’ll be keeping an eye on them along the way.”

After Little Yuan’er read the letter, she exclaimed in shock, “Fan Xiuwen is really bold. To think he easily agreed to come here. Master! Don’t show him any mercy. Kill him with a single slap!”

“...”

‘If I kill him, who’s going to unravel the truth behind the Fish Dragon Village’s annihilation?’ The expression on Lu Zhou’s wizened face remained calm. However, inwardly, he could not help but feel suspicious. Fan Xiuwen, or Leng Luo, had always been cunning and valued his life very much. He was similar to Jiang Aijian in this regard. However, Jiang Aijian was a lively character, but Fan Xiuwen was a man filled with schemes.

‘There’s no way that such a person would be easily provoked to come to the Evil Sky Pavilion. Fan Xiuwen should’ve heard the news of me defeating the ten great elites. Since he’s unafraid, I wonder where his confidence comes from?’

Even when Lu Zhou attained his Nine-leaf avatar by means of the Peak Form Card, nobody believed the rumor when it spread.

“Yuan’er.”

“Yes, master?”

“How’s Ye Tianxin doing these few days?”

“Apart from her shocking complexion, she’s doing fine,” Little Yuan’er replied.

Lu Zhou nodded. He stood up slowly before entering the hidden chamber again.

“Have a safe trip, master.”

Lu Zhou knew he needed to prepare for Fan Xiuwen’s arrival. He needed to find ways to suppress Fan Xiuwen. Moreover, it seems like Fan Xiuwen was related to the truth behind the destruction of Fish Dragon Village that had something to do with his lost memories.

Lu Zhou opened the system dashboard once he entered the hidden chamber. He had 1,310 merit points. He had lost interest in Reversal Cards. His current condition was undoubtedly more suitable for him to cultivate. This meant his only option was to select the lucky draw.

“Ding! Your disciple, Mingshi Yin, killed two black knights on his way back. Earned 200 merit points.”

“Ding! Killed two black knights. Earned 200 merit points.”