Chapter 75: Master and Servant

# Winds of Kyushu

A moment later, the Xuanmen cultivators, led by Chu Tian, found a tunnel to rest. Chu Tian leaned against the rock wall, waiting for supplies from his sect while simultaneously transmitting messages using his battlefield imprint.

At the Xuanmen encampment, sprawling complexes of buildings dotted the spirit peaks. Spiritual energy permeated the mountains, and the entire encampment was enveloped in a thick mist, making it impossible to see inside from the outside. It was clear a powerful formation protected it.

In the courtyard of one of the peaks, the handsome and elegant Wang Yang, dressed in white, stood by a fish pond, casually scattering fish food and watching the koi compete for it. Behind him, Little Zhu stood quietly.

Suddenly, Little Zhu activated her battlefield imprint for a quick scan and looked up, saying, "Young Master, Chu Tian encountered 'Mountain Tiger' and invited him to be a guest, but he refused."

Wang Yang remained silent. After scattering all the fish food in his hand, he clapped his hands clean, walked to a nearby chair, and sat down. He picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and then slowly remarked, "As expected, someone of his caliber wouldn't easily enter another sect's encampment."

"Then why did you still invite him, Young Master?" Little Zhu asked, puzzled.

Wang Yang chuckled, "Many of our disciples received a life-saving favor from him and also gained benefits. We should at least show some appreciation. Whether we invite him is our business; whether he accepts is his."

Little Zhu simply said, "Oh.""Anything else?" Wang Yang asked."Chu Tian said 'Mountain Tiger' indeed possesses a decent spiritual artifact, and he calls himself 'Yi Ye'."

"'Yi Ye'?" Wang Yang showed a thoughtful expression. A moment later, he shook his head; he had never heard that name before. In the cultivation world of Kyushu, noteworthy rising stars occasionally emerge. Before these new stars fully shine, few people know of their existence, but once they do, they capture everyone's attention. Of course, many new stars are extinguished before they even get a chance to shine. The cultivation world is full of dangers, especially this chaotic Spirit Stream Battlefield, where innumerable geniuses die every year.

"Chu Tian also said that this person seems to have mastered a defensive spirit pattern. In battle, that spirit pattern can be activated at will and can block attacks from cultivators at the fourth level of Spirit Stream."

During the great battle, Lu Ye frequently activated spirit patterns. The sharp spirit pattern was relatively discreet because it was imbued onto his long saber; even when activated, others would assume it was an inherent enchantment of the saber and wouldn't think much of it. However, the defensive spirit pattern was different. Although it would flash into existence and disappear each time, Chu Tian's intentional observation made it impossible to conceal.

"A defensive spirit pattern activated at will?" This truly shocked Wang Yang. "And he's only at the third level of Spirit Stream?"

One must understand that spirit patterns are extremely complex and profound, requiring a vast amount of time to learn and master. He had dabbled in them before when bored, but the diagrams and instructions in the texts were incredibly intricate and esoteric. Each time he looked at them, he'd feel drowsy, his head buzzing, until he ultimately ended up tearing the book apart...

"That's what Chu Tian said."The corner of Wang Yang's mouth twitched. "Just what major sect did this freak come from?"

Indeed, Wang Yang concluded that Lu Ye must be a disciple from a top-tier major sect, likely training in the outer circle due to his relatively lower cultivation level. This speculation was entirely due to Lu Ye's astonishing performance over the past few days. According to Xuanmen's statistics, in just these few days, they witnessed no fewer than twenty Nine Stars Sect cultivators killed by Lu Ye, including several at the fourth level of Spirit Stream.

The ability to kill enemies beyond one's own cultivation level is a hallmark of disciples from major sects; minor sects cannot cultivate such talents. Furthermore, he possesses a spirit beast companion, a magnificent creature not easily subdued by ordinary people. Combined with the intelligence Chu Tian just reported, Wang Yang became even more convinced of his speculation. Only someone from a top-tier force could possess such profound foundations, allowing them to activate spirit patterns in battle at only the third level of Spirit Stream.

The moniker "Mountain Tiger" was spread by Wang Yang, because in his view, Lu Ye was like a fierce tiger roaming the mountains!

"This style of 'free-range' disciple training somewhat resembles the practices of a certain sect in Tianzhou," Wang Yang pondered, "They have many top-tier spirit pattern masters over there!"

Little Zhu didn't know which sect Wang Yang was referring to, but she knew that "Mountain Tiger," also known as "Yi Ye," must have an extraordinary background. She asked, "Then, Young Master, should we secretly help him?"

"There's no need for that," Wang Yang said, waving his hand. "He's out here training. His life or death is his own business. What would it look like if we went to help him? If handled improperly, it could even offend others."

Many major sects have a tradition of "free-range" training for their disciples. These talented individuals leave the sect's protection when their cultivation is not yet high, venturing out alone to temper themselves. While this carries significant risks, once they mature, their strength will far surpass others at the same level. Therefore, there's an unwritten rule on the Spirit Stream Battlefield: even if these training disciples are killed, their major sects will not retaliate. This is the price that must be paid for growth. Major sects are never short of geniuses and do not lament the deaths of geniuses, unless it's a direct relative of a high-ranking sect member, in which case it would be a private act of revenge, unrelated to the sect as a whole.

Just as Wang Yang could deduce that Lu Ye was a disciple from a major sect, the Nine Stars Sect naturally made the same deduction. Yet, even so, the Nine Stars Sect did not abandon their pursuit of Lu Ye. It wasn't that the Nine Stars Sect wasn't afraid of those major sects, but rather that they knew those major sects wouldn't trouble them over this matter.

"What's more," Wang Yang chuckled lightly, "this person was the cause of this great battle. My Xuanmen has already borne enough pressure for him. If he knows what's good for him, he should politely visit our sect and thank me!"

Little Zhu rolled her eyes. As Wang Yang's personal maid, she knew far more than others. This declaration of war seemed like Xuanmen was simply seizing an opportunity, but in reality, it had been premeditated for a long time. Wang Yang had simply been waiting for the right moment, and Lu Ye killing the Nine Stars Sect's Young Master provided him with this perfect opportunity. For Wang Yang, Lu Ye was practically a godsend.

Wang Yang was going to the inner circle of the battlefield, where a seventh-level cultivation was nothing remarkable, and he was highly likely to encounter life-or-death situations. So, before he left, he needed to find a way to severely strike the Nine Stars Sect. That way, even if something happened to him, the situation here would remain stable for a while until someone could take his place.

"What are the casualties like?" Wang Yang asked again."Thirty people have died," Little Zhu replied, "but seventy percent of them were rogue cultivators."

Wang Yang nodded, finding this result somewhat satisfactory. He commanded, "Increase the intensity and end this declaration of war as soon as possible!"

Only by ending this declaration of war swiftly could the true plan begin!

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