Chapter 651 - 357: Guiding Jade Tree

Taiyu Pavilion.

Inside a brightly lit guest room.

Lü Zhong sat at a table and set down his teacup. His gaze shifted, landing on the young girl, Yaoyun, who stood before him. He glanced at her nervous little face.

Back in the Ghost Bride Illusion Realm, he had already seen that Yaoyun’s Spirit Root talent far surpassed that of an ordinary person—she possessed a Celestial Spirit Root, the kind of which was seen only once in ten thousand years. With such talent, supplemented by the resources of the Bihai Sect, she was certain to become a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator as long as she didn’t meet an untimely end.

It was for this very reason that Lü Zhong had been moved to take her as his disciple.

A disciple is a reflection of their master.

’If I take on such a talented disciple, then even if I’m away traveling for long periods, or even if... I’m fortunate enough to reach Divinity Transformation and undergo Ascension, Yu Feng’Er and Shuini will have a powerful enough ally to help them if they run into trouble. They won’t be left without a way to resolve things.’

Lü Zhong glanced at Yaoyun and said coolly:

"Have you understood what I just said? If you are willing to take me as your master, then kowtow here and perform the discipleship ceremony. From this day forward, we shall be known as master and disciple."

Hearing this, Yaoyun was stunned for a moment.

Then, she obediently knelt down.

She kowtowed, performing the discipleship ceremony.

She even called out timidly.

"Master."

Lü Zhong was very pleased with Yaoyun’s "Master." Her actions were decisive, without a hint of hesitation, much like his own style. In a pleasant mood, he immediately took out the Magical Treasure, the Flood Dragon Patterned Robe, and a Void Netherstone Storage Ring, bestowing them upon his new disciple as a meeting gift.

Young and naive, Yaoyun didn’t understand the value of the gifts, but she still thanked him obediently.

Afterward, Lü Zhong unreservedly imparted the complete Evergreen Immortal Technique to Yaoyun. The reason he didn’t teach her a True Spirit Sect Cultivation Technique was that his new disciple had a Wood Spirit Root. Cultivating a Wood Element Specialized Skill would allow her to achieve twice the results with half the effort, maximizing her innate talent.

As for guiding his new disciple’s cultivation...

Lü Zhong didn’t plan on doing this himself. After all, the little one was still a mortal who hadn’t even completed the most basic step of introducing Qi into the body. She didn’t yet require the personal guidance of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

So, he extracted the memories of his own cultivation experiences and imprinted them into the mind of an Incarnation.

This created a sort of "automatic answering machine."

If little Yaoyun had any questions, she could simply ask the Incarnation and get an answer.

As her master, Lü Zhong only needed to check her cultivation progress periodically. If there were any mistakes along the way, it wouldn’t be too late to correct them then.

"Oh, right."

Lü Zhong remembered something.

He formed a Dharma Seal with his fingers, the Star Shifting and Dipper Changing Seal. This seal could help little Yaoyun conceal her destiny from the heavens. With the protection of such a Dharma Seal, she would be able to avoid a great deal of trouble.

After Yaoyun left.

Lü Zhong focused his Heart and Spirit. With a swipe over his Storage Ring, two streaks of white light shot out, revealing two broken pieces of a Jade Disc. Their design was ancient and simple, clearly indicating they were objects of great historical age. They trembled slightly in the air before a large hand of Magical Power pieced them together. The seam was a perfect fit, but a third of the disc was still missing.

He had actually noticed this when he obtained the second piece of the Jade Disc.

’An ancient secret...’

Lü Zhong carefully examined the incomplete Jade Disc. Besides a feeling in his gut that it was something extraordinary, he couldn’t discern anything else. He then tried infusing it with Magical Power, probing it with his Divine Sense, and even dripping his blood on it, but there was no reaction. The only thing he could confirm was that the Jade Disc was exceptionally hard; even the Green Cauldron Sword couldn’t leave a mark on it.

’From this, it seems the secret hidden within is of a high level. It’s worth keeping an eye on.’

Of course, it was just something to keep an eye on.

Not knowing what kind of secret it held, he was unwilling to expend any energy on it.

...

「Three months later.」

In the Quiet Chamber, Lü Zhong sat cross-legged on a jade bed, his eyes slightly closed. A layer of starlight enveloped his body as he performed his routine cultivation with Pills to further advance his cultivation.

After a long while, he slowly ceased his practice and opened his eyes.

Over the past period, although his main body had been in secluded cultivation, his Incarnations had not been idle; they had all been dispatched on various tasks. Thanks to their efforts, a great deal of intelligence about Central Earth had been collected. The information regarding the Gui Miao Sect, after a process of sifting out the falsehoods, was largely consistent with what Hee Yun had described, differing only in the details.

"Heh, a mix of truth and lies, just as I thought!" Lü Zhong sneered after reading the report.

Hee Yun hadn’t lied about the Gui Miao Sect’s situation in the Southern Barbarian lands. Facing the encroaching death tide without the protection of a Divinity Transformation cultivator, the Gui Miao Sect was indeed in grave danger. If they handled it poorly, they even faced the risk of annihilation.

However, Hee Yun had lied about the whereabouts of the Divinity Transformation cultivators.

A rumor, from an unknown source, claimed that the Divinity Transformation cultivators of Central Earth had all gone into the Void to fight over a world-defying treasure: the Guiding Jade Tree. This news had long since spread like wildfire across Central Earth. It also revealed the Guiding Jade Tree’s heaven-defying ability to trigger the Ascension Tribulation.

When Lü Zhong first learned of the Guiding Jade Tree, he too had marveled at it.

That was why he had put some stock in the rumor.

’The Guiding Jade Tree, huh? A shame such a heaven-defying opportunity has nothing to do with me... I wonder which Grand Venerable will emerge victorious in the end. If that person can also overcome the Ascension Celestial Tribulation and trigger another Spirit Tide for this world, that would be for the best. I could also reap some of the benefits.’

After carefully reading through the dossier one more time, Lü Zhong finally closed it.

He then ordered some food, partly to satisfy his cravings and partly to alleviate his boredom. After a simple meal, he got up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the inn.

He had one more thing to do today: attend a trade meet.