Chapter 949: Decision

Third Senior Brother Xiao Xinghe endured significant injustice there, including Tan Shu's public attempt to orchestrate his death, all because of his ties to the Blood Sect. Even as a disciple of Azure Emperor City, Xiao Xinghe's situation there was highly precarious. If Lu Ye, a legitimate Blood Sect disciple, were to go to Jinglan Lake Pass, he would undoubtedly face similar suppression. Therefore, even if he wanted to go to Jinglan Lake Pass, it was uncertain if he would be allowed to.

Staying at Cangyan Mountain Pass was also not advisable. As Nian Yuexian had pointed out, in Bingzhou, the Blood Sect had many friends but also many enemies. If the newly assigned Divine Sea Realm cultivator held a grudge against the sect master, Lu Ye's future days there would be difficult. Thus, although Nian Yuexian presented him with three options, in reality, there was only one viable choice: to join the Law Enforcement Department under Gan Wudang.

Fortunately, this transition wouldn't be too abrupt. Lu Ye had previously collaborated with Squad A-3, performing commendably, and his explosive fire spirit stone transactions also played a role. Should he join the Law Enforcement Department, Gan Wudang would not underestimate him.

With his decision made, Lu Ye stopped dwelling on the matter. His battlefield imprint suddenly stirred. Lu Ye checked and discovered that the war merit for refining explosive fire spirit stones had been credited. Refining sixty thousand explosive fire spirit stones had brought him a substantial three hundred thousand war merits. His current war merit astonishingly totaled over 520,000, breaking his previous record.

While he acquired war merit easily, his expenditures were equally substantial. Not only was cultivating with golden spirit talismans a continuous long-term expense, but there were also numerous treasures in the War Merit Pavilion that Lu Ye desired, all requiring significant amounts of war merit.

After his last promotion to the third-layer True Lake Realm, Lu Ye felt his cultivation had advanced too quickly. For the past two months, he hadn't diligently practiced, fearing an unstable foundation. Now, with so much war merit at his disposal and over two months of accumulated foundation, it was time to advance his cultivation.

In the future, if he truly served in the Law Enforcement Department, higher cultivation would naturally be better. Moreover, his current third-layer True Lake Realm cultivation meant the next step was the fourth layer. Within each of the four major cultivation realms, the fourth and seventh layers represent significant thresholds, bringing substantial increases in a cultivator's strength. This was also why Lu Ye's previous slaying of Tan Shu, a seventh-layer True Lake Realm cultivator, had caused such a stir among cultivators from both factions. Even though he had defeated Zhang Youlin, a sixth-layer True Lake Realm sword cultivator, that day, no one anticipated he could defeat Tan Shu. Yet, he not only won but did so almost instantly.

Upon arriving at the Heavenly Mystery Hall, Lu Ye connected to the War Merit Pavilion, fed the two flood dragons as usual, and leisurely stepped inside. He exchanged for twenty golden spirit talismans in a single transaction. Had others witnessed such a lavish purchase, they would likely have been stunned. Cultivators in Kyushu never bought so many golden spirit talismans from the Heavenly Mystery Treasury at once; most would acquire them one by one as needed. After all, war merit was hard-earned.

He spent the next few days in cultivation.

Three days later, Lu Ye returned to Nian Yuexian's bamboo pavilion. "Have you made up your mind?" Nian Yuexian asked.

"Yes, I have," he replied. "Your subordinate is willing to join the Law Enforcement Department. I humbly request your recommendation."

This outcome was expected, so Nian Yuexian showed little surprise. As for a recommendation, it was unnecessary; Gan Wudang had already wanted to recruit Lu Ye from Nian Yuexian during Lu Ye's previous visit to Haotian City. At that time, he simply recognized Lu Ye's promising potential and couldn't bear for it to be wasted at Cangyan Mountain Pass. All subsequent events only further highlighted Lu Ye's immense value to Gan Wudang, especially his ability to refine explosive fire spirit stones. It could be said that in this particular area, one Lu Ye could accomplish as much as several Divine Sea Realm cultivators combined. Lu Ye's willingness to join the Law Enforcement Department was exactly what Gan Wudang had hoped for.

"Then you may go," she said. "I have already informed Gan Wudang."

"Yes!" Lu Ye replied firmly. "Your subordinate wishes you abundant good fortune, and that this seclusion brings you new heights in cultivation."

He respectfully withdrew, then turned and strode away.

"Lu Ye!" Nian Yuexian's voice called from behind him.

Lu Ye turned his head. "Is there anything else, my lady?"

Nian Yuexian's red lips moved slightly. "Be careful in everything you do. Whatever you encounter in the future, preserving yourself is paramount."

Lu Ye nodded solemnly. "Thank you for your concern, my lady!"

He pushed off the ground, activating his spirit power, and shot skyward, instantly becoming a distant speck of red light. Nian Yuexian walked to the doorway and gazed up, slowly withdrawing her eyes only after Lu Ye's figure vanished from sight.

Lu Ye was gone, but she still had to wait. Troop deployments from Haotian City required certain procedures, and she needed to ensure Cangyan Mountain Pass was stabilized before she could depart. The entire world seemed to fall silent, causing Nian Yuexian to frown. She had been stationed here alone for decades, long accustomed to such solitude. Even when Lu Ye was present, they didn't interact much, and Cangyan Mountain Pass remained quiet. Yet, after Lu Ye left, she realized that the present solitude felt distinct from the quiet she had known before. In just a few months, her state of mind had somehow been affected...

Lu Ye sped all the way, heading directly towards Haotian City. He hadn't expected his tenure at Cangyan Mountain Pass to be so brief. It seemed he had only served for about four or five months in total, with two of those months spent within the Sword Sect's secret realm. In other words, he had been at Cangyan Mountain Pass for less than three months. But there was nothing he could do about it. Nian Yuexian was going into seclusion for a long time, and a third-layer True Lake Realm cultivator like him was simply not qualified to command such a vast pass. He didn't know who the new superior would be, nor if they would cause him trouble. Rather than waiting for such an uncertain future, it was better to choose a more stable path. At the very least, he had interacted with Gan Wudang before, and that individual bore him no ill will.

The journey was peaceful. Haotian City was visible in the distance.

Upon entering the city, Lu Ye headed directly to the main hall of the Law Enforcement Department. After being announced, he entered, his saber by his side. Gan Wudang was seated behind a desk, seemingly attending to official business. Upon seeing Lu Ye, he smiled and gestured to a nearby seat, saying, "Have a seat for a moment!"

Lu Ye complied, sitting down and closing his eyes to rest. A moment later, someone served fragrant tea, its subtle aroma wafting towards him. Lu Ye opened his eyes and saw that the person serving tea was the beautiful female cultivator he had encountered there previously. Their eyes met, Lu Ye gave a slight nod in greeting, and the female cultivator offered a subtle smile.

She did not withdraw, but instead went directly behind Gan Wudang and began to massage his shoulders, exuding an air of tender affection. Periodically, she would lean against him, looking at the documents on the desk with him, appearing very intimate. Lu Ye took a small sip of his tea, then turned his head to look outside. Gan Wudang... wasn't entirely respectable.

Although he didn't know the woman's identity, he could guess from the scene that she was likely Gan Wudang's wife or concubine, and clearly cherished. Otherwise, Gan Wudang, as the head of the Law Enforcement Department, wouldn't indulge her so openly in such a setting. The woman appeared young, but among cultivators, age cannot be determined solely by appearance. For instance, Shui Yuan and Nian Yuexian both looked to be in their early twenties at first glance, but were in fact much older. Thus, despite her youthful appearance, she could easily be several decades old. As for her cultivation level, Lu Ye couldn't tell. She wasn't actively using spirit power, making it difficult to judge.

"Alright, you may leave," Gan Wudang suddenly announced. He likely felt it necessary to maintain his image as department head in front of Lu Ye, especially since their relationship would now be one of superior and subordinate.

The woman pouted with an unhappy expression, clinging to Gan Wudang's arm as she whined, "Nooo..."

Lu Ye felt a shiver down his spine. Gan Wudang gently comforted her with a few words, promising to visit her later, and only then managed to coax her away. The woman, however, was courteous; before leaving, she didn't forget to curtsy to Lu Ye.

After the woman left, Gan Wudang beckoned Lu Ye. Lu Ye rose, stood before the desk, and clasped his hands, saying, "Lu Ye of the Blood Sect, reporting for duty!"

Gan Wudang leaned back in his chair, observing Lu Ye with satisfaction. "I wanted to transfer you to the Law Enforcement Department before," he began, "but Nian Yuexian wouldn't release you, leaving me helpless. Fortunately, she is now preoccupied and has entrusted you to me. It seems good things truly take time." He paused, then asked, "Do you know what happened to Nian Yuexian? She has never left Cangyan Mountain Pass for so many years, so her sudden request to resign is truly surprising."

Lu Ye frowned slightly. From Gan Wudang's words, it was clear he didn't know Nian Yuexian was entering seclusion for cultivation. Since Nian Yuexian hadn't revealed it herself, Lu Ye certainly wouldn't speak out of turn. He replied, "Your subordinate doesn't know. At the pass, I had limited interaction with the Pass Master, and she wouldn't confide in me about such matters."

Gan Wudang nodded slightly. "That's understandable," he said. "How could a Divine Sea Realm cultivator explain their affairs to a True Lake Realm cultivator, especially someone like Nian Yuexian? Regardless, from now on, you are a member of my Law Enforcement Department. I plan to have you dedicate yourself entirely to refining explosive fire spirit stones. Do you have any objections?"

"Yes, I do!" Lu Ye immediately replied.

"Oh?" Gan Wudang's lips curved into a smile. "Tell me your opinion, though whether I adopt it or not is my decision."

"Refining explosive fire spirit stones doesn't require much effort," Lu Ye explained. "Your subordinate is confident in completing this task while also performing regular duties for the Law Enforcement Department. Therefore, full dedication is not necessary."

Gan Wudang understood. "You mean you want to join the Enforcement Hall and undertake external missions?"

"Yes!"

"Tell me your reasons."

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then said, "Since your subordinate embarked on the path of cultivation, I have experienced two major battlefields: the Spirit Stream Battlefield and the Cloud River Battlefield. However, both were merely a corner of Kyushu. Now that your subordinate has reached the True Lake Realm, I wish to experience more of Kyushu's diverse landscapes. Therefore, I am unwilling to remain confined to one area. I implore your lord to grant my request."

"That's reasonable," Gan Wudang said, stroking his chin. "Given your cultivation and your previous performance, joining the Enforcement Hall is certainly not an issue. However, you must consider carefully. The Enforcement Hall frequently encounters risks during missions. If you are willing to dedicate yourself entirely to refining explosive fire spirit stones, I can't guarantee anything else, but at least your safety would be assured."