Star Odyssey

Chapter 3782: What Is Karma?

Greater Sancte Green Lotus gently said, “I am only allowing you to speak to propose tasks. What is all this bickering? Such behavior is uncouth.”

“Master, may this disciple propose a task?”

“I’ll go first!”

“Let me go first! I have a perfectly ruthless idea.”

“I don’t think anyone can top mine.”

Green Lotus shook his head with a sigh. “Letting you choose the tasks was meant as compensation, but this is still the Sea of Karma, and I’ve taken losses as well.”

“Ah, Master wants to seize a lucky opportunity?”

“You little brat, stop talking nonsense. How could I do such a thing?”

“Shh! Master became angry.”

Lu Yin glanced at the seven spirit seeds, relieved that he had refused to marry all of them. They were too chaotic. It seemed that only two or three were actually speaking, and it was clear that several had never said a single word.

While gazing at Lu Yin, Green Lotus said, “I cultivate karma and highly value fate. The fate that brought you into the Sea of Karma binds us. If you fulfill all seven of their tasks, I will accept you as my disciple, my true disciple.”

Lu Yin was astonished. “You’ll accept me as your disciple?”

“Master, you’re offering to take this little thief as your disciple? You’re going to make him a true disciple?”

“All of us are just nominal disciples!”

“No way! This little thief can’t get off easy. I’ll give my task first. Sisters, let this youngest one go first.”

“All right, go ahead.”

“Seventh Sister, make it harsh! He can’t be allowed to stay in the Sea of Karma. It would be too dangerous otherwise. We won’t be able to bathe anymore.”

“Exactly! We’d be too scared to even bathe.”

Lu Yin completely ignored the incessant chatter and instead stared at Greater Sancte Green Lotus with growing suspicion. He had suddenly arrived in the Sea of Karma and been told to marry the Greater Sancte’s disciples before being offered an opportunity to become a personal disciple. It seemed obvious that Green Lotus knew that Lu Yin had comprehended karma, but was it because someone had told him, or had he sensed him breaking down the walls of karma? Lu Yin felt increasingly uneasy.

“Hey, little thief, I’m going to tell you my task now.”

Lu Yin looked back at the seven spirit seeds. “Alright, I’m listening.”

“You can beg for mercy, and maybe I’ll change it, but I’ll warn you now that my task will be extremely difficult! You won’t be able to complete it,” the woman taunted.

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “As one of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciples, I trust that your task won’t violate the law of heaven or be completely unreasonable. If, for example, you ask me to become a woman, it would naturally be impossible to complete the task.”

“Hmph! Don’t try to manipulate me with words! I’m not as vulgar as you!

“Listen well. My task is this: make the sect master of the East Command, Lu Sizhan, become the Four Commands Grand Swordmaster.”

Lu Yin frowned. East Lin Sword Sect? Four Commands Grand Swordmaster? He had never heard of either.

“Seventh Sister, that’s way too harsh! How could he possibly accomplish that?”

“Well done, Seventh Sister! You absolutely lived up to our expectations!”

“What a pity... if I’d gone first, I would have made him do a few extra tasks before giving him an impossible one. Wouldn’t that have been more satisfying?”

“You’re right! Why did I forget that? None of you sisters even reminded me! Having him fail so quickly would be too lenient. Master, may I change my condition?”

Green Lotus calmly replied, “You are allowed to alter your condition, but this... he’s not guaranteed to fail.”

“What? Can he actually pull it off?”

“No way!”

“Master, is he really that capable...”

Green Lotus smiled at Lu Yin. “I merely said that it’s possible. Naturally, that still means that there is a chance of failure. Lu Yin, do you accept this condition?”

Lu Yin cautiously probed, “May I say no?”

“No.”

Lu Yin sighed helplessly. “Then why even ask?”

“All right, that’s my condition! I don’t believe that he can accomplish it. Master, your disciple is certain—this is my condition.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus nodded. “Very well, you may go now.”

The seven spirit seeds glanced at Lu Yin before dispersing and leaving. Not another word was spoken.

They were curious to see what sort of talent someone had to possess to catch Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s eye and be selected as a disciple candidate.

The title of Four Commands Grand Swordmaster was famous throughout the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

Once all seven spirit seeds had departed, Lu Yin’s expression grew solemn. He was alone with Greater Sancte Green Lotus.

The man looked at Lu Yin. “Do you know what the Four Commands Grand Swordmaster is?”

Lu Yin answered respectfully, “I do not.”

“There is a place in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse where sword intent is used to cultivate swordsmanship. It is divided into four Command Sword Sects—the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Commands. At regular intervals, three of the four will support the fourth, and that chosen sect inherits the strengths of the other three to produce the Grand Swordmaster of the Four Commands.”

“The contest for the title of Grand Swordmaster of the Four Commands is a major event that draws elite cultivators from across the realm, and it can even influence the balance of power within parts of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. The Eastern Command Sword Sect of this generation has no particularly outstanding successors. Lu Siyu is the daughter of that sect’s master, so it’s understandable that she hopes to see the Eastern Command take the title—but the sect itself lacks the strength to compete.

“What do you intend to do?”

Lu Yin said, “I can only know once I go and see for myself.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus nodded. “Then go.”

Lu Yin hesitated. “Senior, there is one matter I must inform you of.”

“Go ahead.”

“I cannot become your disciple, Senior.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus was taken aback, and he stared at Lu Yin in disbelief. “What did you just say?”

Lu Yin took a deep breath and offered a respectful bow. “This junior cannot become your disciple.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus smiled wryly. “You do know who I am, don’t you?”

Lu Yin lifted his head. “An Immortal realm powerhouse, a Greater Sancti of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

“Countless people dream of becoming your disciple. It’s a one-in-a-million privilege. However, I already have a master, and I cannot take you as master. I beg your forgiveness.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus studied Lu Yin intently. “Are you certain?”

“Completely.”

“Is your master also an Immortal?”

“My teacher is not an Immortal, but in my heart, none can replace him.”

Green Lotus remarked, “Honoring one’s teacher is a virtue. Since you have already decided, I will not force you. Instead, I will offer a different promise: should you fulfill all seven girls’ conditions, you may ask one thing of me.”

Lu Yin was genuinely surprised. “Truly?”

Green Lotus smiled. “Of course. Normally, I would not offer such a promise, but I will honor your devotion to your master and grant you this exception.”

Lu Yin bowed again. “Thank you, Senior.”

He paused, and then asked, “Senior, should I leave for the Four Commands Sword Sect now?”

Green Lotus asked: “How do you intend to travel there?”

Lu Yin opened his mouth to answer, but then hesitated. “I’m not sure. Could you please show me the way, Senior?”

Green Lotus smiled. “Do you know what karma is?”

Lu Yin’s eyes lit up with excitement as he respectfully replied, “It starts with cause and ends with effect. That is karma.”

“How did you comprehend karma, and how do you use it?”

“I experienced countless lives, and in the end, each one returned to the same origin. Through this, I attained great enlightenment and finally comprehended karma. With karmic insight, I can see a person’s past, deduce their future, trace the cycle of their path through karma, and even extract their karmic threads.”

Lu Yin readily revealed this to Greater Sancte Green Lotus. The man was an ancient Immortal who was clearly far more powerful than the Immortal monster or Master Qing Cao.

While Lu Yin had never truly fought against Master Qing Cao, the difference was palpable.

Additionally, Green Lotus had comprehended karma to a far greater level than Lu Yin. It would be difficult for him to conceal anything from the man.

However, there was one thing that Lu Yin purposely failed to mention: the fact that he could write karma. That was only possible with his Karmic Dao, and at the moment, his Karmic Dao had been depleted far too much. Even if his Karmic Dao still possessed some power, it was clearly insufficient to write karma with.

While Lu Yin’s mastery of karma could not compare to Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s, he was certain that it was extremely difficult to write karma. That was his intuition, and he was certain that he was not wrong.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus listened to Lu Yin’s explanation and then exclaimed, “You have only cultivated for such a short amount of time, and yet you’ve mastered karma to such an extent! That is no small feat. I can only admire you.”

“This junior does not deserve such praise. Please instruct me further, Senior.”

“Instructing is a master’s responsibility, and that has nothing to do with me.”

Lu Yin was momentarily taken aback. So why did you even bother asking me?

“However, since you must fulfill seven tasks, I should offer you at least some guidance. Listen to me: everyone has their own path, and each person’s understanding of the universe and life is unique. Not even Immortals have any definitive answers. “To me, karma begins in affinity, flows through the journey of experience, and ends in the karmic acts one leaves behind. That is how I understand it.”

Lu Yin stared at the ground, dazed as he reflected on Green Lotus’s words.

Fate is the origin, history is the path, and karma is the destination?

“You entered my Sea of Karma. That was affinity. Because of that, I gave you a promise, should you fulfill the tasks set by those seven disciples.

“Your journey to fulfill those conditions is the path. As you walk it, karma is formed.

“And when you complete them, the gains you earn, the growth you achieve, the good and evil you commit along the way—those are your deeds, your outcome. That is the result.

“That is karma: a cycle born from affinity, walked through experience, and completed in consequence.

“I’ve told many people that karma is another world. Without comprehending it, one can never enter that world. In this universe, only you and I currently exist within it. And if such a world exists, it must follow its own laws; its own way of cultivation, combat, survival, and insight. Even the joys and sorrows of the mortal world—love, hatred, grudges—can be felt within it. Naturally, it also includes the simplest of things... like asking for directions.”

Lu Yin was stunned. “Asking for directions?”

Greater Sanctis Green Lotus nodded seriously. “Yes, asking for directions.”

Lu Yin stared at him, completely lost.

“A karmic act can arise from your own journey, or it might belong to someone else. Just as there are signposts in the physical universe, there are also signposts in the world of karma. A karmic act is such a signpost. While it may mark the end of a journey, it can just as easily be the beginning of a new affinity.

“That is all I will say. If you can grasp the meaning, good. If not, then leave. Should you fail to meet their conditions, I will personally see justice done on their behalf.” Having spoken, the man disappeared.

Lu Yin ignored the fact that Green Lotus had left. Replaying the man’s words in his mind, Lu Yin was struck by inspiration. He immediately sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and pondered.

His period of enlightenment lasted for half a year.

Those six months passed by quickly, and he did not even notice.

When he opened his eyes again, excitement lit up his features. So that’s it! Deeds, asking for directions, a hidden world of karma. It’s fascinating, this path of karma.

Rising to his feet, Lu Yin looked around. It was only at this moment that he carefully observed his surroundings.

So this is Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s Sea of Karma? As Lu Yin looked out, everything that he could see was hazy. He could certainly hear a sea, but what caught most of his attention was the pool behind him.

The pool was filled with blooming lotus flowers. It was exquisitely beautiful, and yet the sides of the pool had cracks everywhere, clearly damaged by a powerful impact. The damage had come from Lu Yin’s own palm strike.