Chapter 431: Not Accepting Bargaining

Third Senior Brother Xiao Xinghe's insights into saber techniques had been immensely helpful to Lu Ye, especially considering his senior brother was only in the True Lake Realm. Ever since acquiring those insights, Lu Ye had been wishing for more such saber technique cultivation experiences.

However, looking across the Nine Provinces, there wasn't a single sect renowned for saber cultivation within the Haotian Alliance. There was one famous sword cultivation sect, the Beixuan Sword Sect in Bing Province. Consequently, sword cultivators from various major sects across the Nine Provinces enjoyed visiting the Beixuan Sword Sect to further their studies and refine their swordsmanship.

As a saber cultivator, Lu Ye saw no point in going to the Beixuan Sword Sect. Yet, he certainly couldn't go to the Mad Blade Sect; it belonged to the Myriad Demons Ridge. If he dared to set foot there, he wouldn't even live to see tonight's moon, let alone tomorrow's sun. While he couldn't visit the Mad Blade Sect's main headquarters, raiding their outpost in the Spirit Stream Battlefield was a different matter. He wasn't seeking personal guidance from the Mad Blade Sect's saber experts; twenty copies of saber technique insights, similar to his Third Senior Brother's, would suffice. Otherwise, with hundreds of Myriad Demons Ridge sects in the core area, why would he specifically target the Mad Blade Sect?

Once he spoke, the Mad Blade Sect cultivators finally understood Lu Ye's true intentions. His claim that the contents of his storage bag were worth less than 300,000 merit points was utter nonsense; his real purpose here was to demand saber technique insights.

Inside the barrier, seeing their own guard injured by a single strike from Lu Ye, some cultivators immediately lost their composure and charged towards him. Lu Ye's gaze was lowered, his long saber pointing diagonally to the ground, spiritual power surging, and the blade wreathed in fiery light.

“Stop!” the man hastily roared. He breathed a sigh of relief only when he saw his fellow cultivators halt their charge. They absolutely could not allow their cultivators to fight Lu Yiye. If a battle began, there was no telling how many lives would be lost. Xuanqing Palace served as a dire warning. Xuanqing Palace was the first outpost Lu Yiye had breached in the core area. In that battle, seventy to eighty percent of their cultivators were killed, leaving the sect severely crippled, and it would take unknown years to recover. Although Mad Blade Sect was of a higher grade than Xuanqing Palace, the overall strength of their Spirit Stream Realm cultivators was not significantly superior. If Lu Yiye could kill seventy percent of Xuanqing Palace's cultivators, he could certainly do the same to Mad Blade Sect. At that point, they wouldn't even be able to protect their own outpost, and generations of accumulated wealth would be ruined.

Taking a deep breath, the man said, “Lu Yiye, don't push your luck.”

“If you can't make the decision, find someone who can. I have important matters to attend to, and I will wait for you for half an hour. If I don't receive a satisfactory outcome by then, I will breach your Mad Blade Sect outpost!”

The man gazed deeply at Lu Ye for a moment, then turned to give a few quick instructions to those beside him before hurrying away. Indeed, he couldn't make a decision on such a significant matter; he had to return to the main sect in the Nine Provinces and seek instructions from the elders.

Lu Ye sheathed his Crag Saber, planted the scabbard in front of him, rested his hands on the hilt, closed his eyes, and waited, conserving his energy. A group of Mad Blade Sect cultivators confronted him from dozens of yards away. However, due to their guard's instructions before leaving, no one dared to act rashly. They could only glare hatefully at Lu Ye, using their eyes to vent their suppressed resentment and anger. Some also observed Lu Ye with curiosity. After all, the name Lu Yiye of the Bloodseeker Sect had been heard many times, but this was their first time seeing him in person.

Time ticked by.

Suddenly, a heroic and valiant female cultivator emerged from the crowd, carrying a cup of tea in both hands, which she presented to Lu Ye. “A distinguished guest has arrived. Please have some tea!”

Lu Ye opened his eyes and looked down at her. A mocking smile played on the female cultivator's lips. “Are you afraid?” They truly couldn't defeat Lu Ye, but to be bullied right at their doorstep and not offer any resistance would be unlike fearless saber practitioners. Before the guard left, he had instructed them not to engage in conflict with Lu Ye. Simply offering tea certainly didn't count as conflict, and it was also a gesture of hospitality. However, anyone in Lu Ye's position would hesitate to drink the tea carelessly. Who knew if it was poisoned? The female cultivator merely intended to use this method to silently retaliate and dampen Lu Ye's arrogance. If Lu Ye refused the tea, the moniker 'Cowardly Lu Yiye' would surely spread. In any case, he had many nicknames, so one more wouldn't matter.

Just as the female cultivator thought this, Lu Ye raised his hand, took the teacup, and tilted his head back, draining it in one gulp. Poison or not, it wouldn't kill him! The female cultivator's eye twitched. The tea wasn't poisoned, but she truly hadn't expected Lu Yiye to be so audacious. She secretly regretted not having put a potent poison in it. Perhaps then, she could have directly poisoned the scoundrel, which would have been an immense accomplishment. As it was, it now seemed as though she had genuinely come to offer Lu Ye tea in respect...

Before the half-hour was up, the man who had left earlier returned. He parted the crowd and stood before the cultivators. Before he could speak, Lu Ye preemptively said, “I will not accept any bargaining. Your Mad Blade Sect has been passed down for so many years, with countless saber experts throughout its history. Twenty copies of saber technique insights are nothing to you.”

The words he was about to say were caught in his throat. Before he arrived, the sect elders had given clear instructions: to try and bargain with Lu Ye, to see if they could reduce the number of saber technique insights. Although these weren't unique copies, giving them to Lu Yiye was aiding an enemy. Naturally, they should give as little as possible, or ideally, none at all. This was different from the nature of the previous payment of wealth. However, Lu Ye had clearly anticipated this and directly shut down any negotiations, leaving the Mad Blade Sect with no opportunity to bargain.

The man gave Lu Ye a deep look, then raised his hand and threw out a storage bag. Lu Ye caught it. The storage bag had no locking enchantment. He reached inside and pulled out several notebooks, randomly selecting one to open. The ink on it hadn't fully dried, indicating it had just been transcribed. He then quickly scanned the contents, confirming they were indeed saber technique insights. He checked several books consecutively, finding no major issues.

Only then did Lu Ye carefully put away the saber technique insights. He looked up at the man and extended his hand, saying, “My things!”

The man's face darkened. “What things?”

“The things I gave you originally!” Lu Ye said matter-of-factly.

The man stared at Lu Ye in shock. “You want them back?”

“Of course!” Lu Ye replied expressionlessly. “That's the money your Mad Blade Sect paid for peace. Naturally, I'm taking it back. If you don't want this peace, it's all the same to me.”

The man was so furious his liver ached. He unfastened the storage bag from his waist and threw it directly to Lu Ye. Lu Ye put it away, then asked, “Do I leave on my own, or will you grant me passage?”

“Open the formation!” the man growled. Even if they didn't grant him passage, he could still leave, so why invite further trouble? Though seething with suppressed anger, the immediate priority was to quickly send this plague god away! A gap opened in the grand formation, and Lu Ye shot skyward, vanishing in an instant. Watching the direction Lu Ye departed, every cultivator of the Mad Blade Sect clenched their fists, boundless humiliation and rage churning within their hearts.

Flying through the air on his artifact, Lu Ye consulted his Ten-Part Map, following its guidance towards the Myriad Poison Forest. Matters in the core area were mostly settled. Aside from the twenty-three Myriad Demons Ridge sects whose outposts he had previously breached, all other sects had paid their peace money, so Lu Ye naturally saw no reason to cause further trouble. He was preparing to return to the main sect of the Bloodseeker Sect. He was currently still the Bloodseeker Sect's guard, so he needed to transfer this identity to a suitable successor before advancing to the Cloud River Realm. Furthermore, having breached those twenty-three outposts and plundered a large number of blessings, he needed to return to the main sect to process them. Additionally, he was carrying too many storage bags, holding wealth worth fifty to sixty million merit points. He needed to send these back to the main sect for Shui Yuan; Lu Ye wasn't entirely at ease carrying such a large amount of valuables on him.

The Heaven's Secret baptism was ten days away. Based on previous experiences and Lu Ye's estimation, after this time, the spiritual mist in the Heaven's Secret Pool would likely not provide much further benefit to him. His cultivation in the Spirit Stream Realm had reached its limit; he had gained all the benefits he could. Apart from one unfinished matter, there was no longer a need to linger in the Spirit Stream Battlefield. The reason for going to the Myriad Poison Forest was, of course, to leave some cultivation resources for Hua Ci.

Having determined his direction, he was flying swiftly when a message suddenly came through his Battlefield Mark. Lu Ye checked; it was a message from Second Senior Sister Shui Yuan.

“Return to the main sect before you advance to the Cloud River Realm!”

“Understood.” Lu Ye wasn't sure why his Second Senior Sister felt the need to emphasize this, but he had already planned to return to their outpost anyway.

Two days later, Lu Ye landed directly within the Myriad Poison Forest, appearing in front of the wooden house. Hua Ci was nowhere to be seen; the woman was likely cultivating somewhere. Lu Ye didn't go looking for her. He went to the third floor, lay on the bed, and slept soundly. Looking across the entire Spirit Stream Battlefield, this was the only place where he could truly relax his mind. Even at their outpost, it wasn't as peaceful as here. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay here forever.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but he was awakened by a fragrant aroma and laughter. When Lu Ye opened his eyes, he saw that the day was bright, and the voices of Yiyi and Hua Ci drifted in from outside the window. Lu Ye rose, walked to the window, and looked down. Below, smoke curled upwards, and the two women were busily chatting and laughing. He rested his arms on the windowsill, quietly watching below, a feeling of warmth filling his heart. The warmth might have lasted longer, had Hua Ci not been putting some lively, strange little creatures into an earthenware pot, preparing them for soup.

“Lu Ye, you're awake?” Yiyi looked up, her gaze meeting Lu Ye's, and she waved a greeting.

“Mm,” Lu Ye casually replied, pulling his head back inside. “Call me when food's ready.” He sat cross-legged on the bed, took a book of saber technique insights from his storage bag, and began to carefully study and comprehend it. As the sect with the highest concentration of saber cultivators, and a first-grade sect at that, the Mad Blade Sect had countless saber experts throughout its history. The inherited saber technique insights were immeasurable.