My Master Knows It All

38: Chapter 35: Laboring in Vain, the Master Endures the Hardship_1 38: Chapter 35: Laboring in Vain, the Master Endures the Hardship_1 The rotation disciple was somewhat surprised by Cao Zhen’s answer.

As the Peak Master of the Hundredth Peak, going there would only serve as a duty to accompany the Crown Prince in his studies.

Why bother wasting time to go?

The Hundred Peaks Sect was too vast, so vast that not everyone knew about the dispute between Starshine Peak and Four Treasures Peak.

As a disciple of the Upper Fifty Peaks, the rotation disciple typically paid no attention to the affairs of the lower fifty peaks.

At this moment, he wondered why the normally intelligent Peak Master of Four Treasures Peak, who always chose not to go, suddenly seemed to have a lapse in judgment this time.

Just as Cao Zhen stepped onto the Immortal Cloud Carriage, he suddenly felt a gust of wind rise beside him and immediately thought “not good” in his heart!

But he was still too late!

Ling Xi had already knelt down at an unbelievably fast speed, knocking her head to the ground: “Master, I was wrong!

I shouldn’t have threatened Master…”

The sudden kneeling frightened the one steering the Immortal Cloud Carriage, and the carriage, which had just taken off, nearly plummeted from the clouds.

“You get up first.” As Cao Zhen helped Ling Xi to her feet, he also thought to himself that perhaps he needed to break through to the Golden Core Stage in order to prevent his disciple from kneeling like this.

“Master, there are five days left before junior sister’s combat,” Ling Xi carefully asked, “Do you have any plans for where we can hide during these five days?

If not, I can recommend a place.”

“Hide?

Why would we hide?” Cao Zhen looked perplexed.

“Aren’t we going to the Divine Immortal Hall?

When the time comes, we’ll just buy some materials for your junior sister and refine a couple of pills for her to break through.”

Ling Xi looked at her own master with doubtful eyes.

“Of course, there is also a reason for leaving Four Treasures Peak to avoid You Rong’s limelight,” Cao Zhen, under Ling Xi’s suspicious gaze, didn’t beat around the bush.

“Originally, I thought about not going to the Divine Immortal Hall, and to teach you how to make talismans.

But after seeing You Rong’s demeanor, I decided to adjust the order of things.”

“But junior sister has the Ancient Immortal Body…” Ling Xi began to speak of Yan Yourong but thought of herself as well, her voice dropping and filled with a lack of confidence.

“Heaven’s rules have changed.

Since the Ancient Immortal Body reached The Fifth Stage of Foundation Building, every advancement to a higher level has required a huge amount of financial resources…”

Ling Xi didn’t finish her sentence, but Cao Zhen understood what she meant.

Since the rules of heaven and earth had changed, the Hundred Peaks Sect and other sects had also tried cultivating those with Ancient Immortal Bodies.

Once, the Hundred Peaks Sect had cultivated one, using a great number of resources to advance it to the Immortal Bridge Realm, and then they realized it was almost invincible among peers.

Consequently, they expended even more considerable resources, painful for the entire Hundred Peaks Sect to bear, to push it to the Golden Core Realm.

The result was that the Ancient Immortal Body not only demonstrated invincibility among its peers but even performed the miracle of defeating opponents across different realms.

And then…

the Hundred Peaks Sect discovered…

even by emptying their entire coffers, it was impossible to advance it to the next realm.

An Ancient Immortal Body that the entire Hundred Peaks Sect could not afford to cultivate was now considered a Waste Body!

How could a mere Four Treasures Peak begin to afford its cultivation?

Seeing her master silent, Ling Xi’s mood grew even more despondent, lamenting that over the years she had never brought honor to Four Treasures Peak, and probably would never have such a chance in the future.

As a disciple, she had performed poorly indeed.

“Actually, it’s not hard below the Golden Core.” Intrigued by the recollection of the Hundred Peaks Sect once cultivating an Ancient Immortal Body, Cao Zhen’s interest grew.

If during the re-ranking of the Hundred Peaks, his disciples entered the Immortal Bridge or even the Golden Core Realm, wouldn’t they be invincible among peers?

Could they earn a large number of points?

Could they provide more materials for his alchemy?

Ling Xi, assuming her master was just comforting her, didn’t speak further.

She could feel that as her master spoke, the rotation disciple listening nearby was snickering secretly.

If they continued on this topic, wouldn’t it just cause her master to be ridiculed even more?

“Once You Rong advances her cultivation and enters the Immortal Bridge Realm and wins the combat, we will no longer need to spend those few days each month so anxiously,” Cao Zhen said, mistaking Ling Xi’s silence as worry for Yan Yourong, and spoke again to comfort her.

When Ling Xi heard about Yan Yourong’s combat, she looked curiously at Cao Zhen and asked, “Master, aren’t you curious why You Rong is fighting someone?

What if it’s You Rong who’s in the wrong in this incident?

Then wouldn’t you have supported the wrong side?”

“Then I would side with family over principle,” Cao Zhen said without hesitation.

“When did our Four Treasures Peak become the friends of justice?

Back when we had rough times in the previous years, how many of those friends of justice came to our aid?

Wasn’t it just us relying on each other?

Why should we help strangers instead of those we rely on?”

Ling Xi felt there might be something wrong with her master’s values, but she also thought his words made sense.

Seeing Ling Xi pondering, Cao Zhen said: “Now You Rong is in mortal danger.

How many of those righteous friends do you think will come to save and help her?

Isn’t it still us?

Would the result be any different if you were in trouble?”

Ling Xi nodded repeatedly.

“So, what should we do?” Cao Zhen asked, leading the conversation.

“Side with family over principle!” Ling Xi responded earnestly.

“That’s right!

Remember to write this down as the second…

no, the third rule in the Peak motto of Four Treasures Peak when we get back,” Cao Zhen affirmed.

“Then, Master, what’s to be written as the first and second rules?”

“The first rule, write that whatever the master says is always correct,” Cao Zhen declared.

“What’s the second rule?”

“If you have doubts or questions about what your master has said, refer to the first rule.”

Ling Xi took out a small notebook and very seriously recorded these three rules in the register, planning to go back and properly explain the creed of Four Treasures Peak to her junior brothers and sisters.

“Doesn’t master wonder about the reason for You Rong’s fight with someone?” After Ling Xi had finished recording, she asked again.

“Not curious.” Cao Zhen shook his head and said, “With You Rong’s temper, even if she has ten thousand enemies, I would find it normal.”

Ling Xi instinctively wanted to defend her junior sister, but then she realized that there was nothing wrong with her master’s words.

You Rong’s temper was said to be not very good even back in the Taoist Institution; knowing that she was a ‘Waste’ Ancient Immortal Body afterwards, it indeed took a master with a carefree personality like him to tolerate her.

If it were any other peak, with her cold face looking like everyone owed her money while practicing swordsmanship, she would probably have been punished by the other Peaks’ Masters to face the wall by now.

“Master…” Ling Xi pondered for a moment before still asking, “The fight You Rong had with someone was actually considered a test…”

“A test?”

Cao Zhen’s attention suddenly focused on Ling Xi.

He truly wasn’t concerned about Yan Yourong fighting outside, because it was normal for other people to come bully someone from the weak Four Treasures Peak.

Although the rules of Hundred Peaks Sect were strict and wouldn’t allow severe internal strife to the point of life and death, mutual pressure within any large organization was unavoidable; the severity just differed.

Therefore, when he heard that the fight was due to an assessment and not just bullying, Cao Zhen was quite surprised.

“It’s an assessment by the Level One Heavenly Way Team.” Ling Xi said with a hint of dissatisfaction on her face.

“Trying to earn some Spirit Stones as a subsidy for our Peak, but…”

Cao Zhen immediately understood why Yan Yourong was so persistent in completing the assessment fight and also why Ling Xi was so dissatisfied when she mentioned the assessment by the Level One Heavenly Way Team.

The Heavenly Way Teams of Hundred Peaks Sect were actually organizations that subdued demons or participated in suppressing Blood River.

These teams were divided into various levels depending on their combat strength.

The Level One Heavenly Way Team was the most junior team, and its combat strength ceiling was the complete Foundation Establishment at the Nine Taoist Platforms.

Usually, a cultivation base at the Third Platform could successfully pass the assessment.

Yan Yourong, being at the Fifth Stage of Foundation Building, obviously had the sufficient qualifications, not to mention You Rong was an Ancient Immortal Body, known to be invincible against peers of the same level.

She should have been more than sufficient for joining the Level One Heavenly Way Team.

Now, however, she had failed the fighting assessments several times, which clearly indicated someone was tripping her up.

“We have money now; there’s no need to go.” Cao Zhen said nonchalantly.

“Isn’t it better to just cultivate well at home?”

“The disciple snooped around secretly and heard that when you went to the assessment, someone insulted her and our Four Treasures Peak.” Ling Xi quickly explained and cautioned, “In You Rong’s view, this isn’t just about the assessment for the Heavenly Way Team, but about the face of Four Treasures Peak.

Master, you must never tell her that I inquired about this…”

Cao Zhen didn’t continue to speak.

After spending time together these days, he was clear about Yan Yourong’s personality.

If she let this go, it would definitely lead to an endless issue.

“If You Rong really lacked the ability, it would be another matter, but this is clearly targeting You Rong and Four Treasures Peak.” Seeing Cao Zhen not speaking, Ling Xi continued to express her opinion.

“Targeting Four Treasures Peak?” Cao Zhen frowned and gave a wry smile.

“What’s so good about our impoverished Four Treasures Peak to be targeted, is there some kind of treasure on this Peak?

As a master, I never felt that the internal strife in Hundred Peaks Sect was so severe.”

“What’s internal strife?” Ling Xi asked, confused, and then continued, “I heard it’s because the Heavenly Way Team Leader tasked with the assessment proposed to You Rong to become dual cultivation partners.

Since You Rong did not agree, so…”

“Beat him up!” Cao Zhen suddenly felt a surge of nameless anger, immediately feeling as if some pig outside wanted to uproot the cabbages in his own yard.

His previous indifferent attitude changed dramatically in a moment, and he turned his head and urged the Immortal Wheel on-duty disciple, “Why is the Immortal Cloud Carriage moving so slowly?

Drive it faster for me!”

Ling Xi was startled and thought, hadn’t the master just been carefree a moment ago?

How come he was suddenly full of fighting spirit?

It seemed that if it weren’t for the Sect rules, he would have already gone to fight that person himself.

“A mere leader of a Level One Heavenly Way Squad, does he deserve it?” Cao Zhen discontentedly contemplated what kind of pills he should refine more of to let his disciple rapidly advance to a higher cultivation level, muttering continuously, “Wants to uproot the cabbages in my Four Treasures Peak?

Does he deserve it?”

The on-duty disciple was so hurried by Cao Zhen that he immediately became tense.

Although the other was only a Peak Master of a lower-ranking peak, he was still a Peak Master.

If he went to the Divine Immortal Hall to complain about the poor driving, his income as an on-duty disciple might be deducted by the Sect.

“Master, are we going to Permanent Happiness City or the Divine Immortal Hall?” Seeing the driver’s pleading gaze, Ling Xi kindly helped by asking the question he wanted to ask.

“To the Divine Immortal Hall.” Cao Zhen told Ling Xi, “There are rules in the Divine Immortal Hall; if you say you are going, you must go.

This on-duty disciple has already communicated through the ‘Thousand Mile Message Instrument’ with the Divine Immortal Hall that I am coming.

It would be troublesome not to go.”