Yue Lingshan, Master Yue

"Mmm~"

Yue Lingshan felt that the words "Master Yue" suited her perfectly. She beamed, nodded repeatedly, and even had Ji Shu call her that a few more times.

Ji Shu readily obliged. Seeing Yue Lingshan growing more and more excited, he changed the subject and asked casually,

"Master Yue, are there many players in the Mount Hua Sect?"

"Yes."

Without giving it much thought, Yue Lingshan answered brightly,

"For the past seven or eight years, players have joined our Mount Hua Sect every year. They're all so rich, especially over the last four or five years. Every player who joins the Mount Hua Sect brings out at least one gold ingot every year. Our Mount Hua Sect used to be really poor, but because we took in these players, we've become wealthy..."

She chattered away, explaining the whole story from beginning to end.

It was Ji Shu's first time learning of this, and he could not help but think,

The Tower of the Multiverse descended ten years ago, and it was sealed off at the time. Players probably began crossing into the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer back then. They spent the first two years figuring things out. Once they found some leads, they started throwing money at it. Judging by the timeline, seven or eight years ago was when players began joining the Mount Hua Sect one after another.

In the original story, the Mount Hua Sect had been terribly shabby.

How shabby?

At first, the entire sect had only three people!

After taking in Linghu Chong, there had only been four.

Though they later recruited quite a few disciples bit by bit, compared to sects like the Mount Song Sect, the Mount Hua Sect still gave off the air of a small, meager household.

Of course, it was still far better off than an ordinary family. But the dignified Mount Hua Sect, once the head of the Five Peaks Sword Sect, had fallen to such a state. It was truly lamentable.

"Last year alone, a full five hundred players joined the Outer Sect!"

Yue Lingshan blinked her large eyes at Ji Shu.

"Just from tuition fees, we made a fortune. And those players pay every year! They're really so generous. Even if my father wanted to refuse them, he couldn't find a reason to!"

She grinned at Ji Shu. "You're a player too. Your family must be quite wealthy, right? Otherwise, why would you be carrying a gold bar with you?"

Ji Shu smiled but neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Still, we've never had a player like you, someone who could easily lift a huge stone and walk around with it the moment they joined."

"..."

Ji Shu understood. Yue Lingshan had been making things difficult for him from the very beginning. She had never intended to accept him as an Inner Sect disciple.

Players who joined the Outer Sect likely could not learn any real skills and were nothing more than suckers. Yet the players were more than willing, because compared to the martial arts of the Blue Star world—

The martial arts in this world were truly powerful!

There had to be geniuses among the players who had achieved something in their training. That was probably what had drawn so many players to flock beneath the banners of the major sects.

But who exactly was that player?

Ji Shu shook his head and did not dwell on it further. He would take things as they came.

Tap, tap!

The two continued onward.

They climbed the mountain.

Ji Shu saw rows upon rows of buildings stretching over the slopes.

"Those are where the Outer Sect disciples live."

Yue Lingshan continued leading Ji Shu higher up the mountain. "We live further up."

After passing through the residential area, Ji Shu saw people already practicing swordsmanship in several spacious open areas.

A man with an honest-looking face led the others in their practice. When he saw Yue Lingshan, he took the initiative to call out, "Little Junior Sister."

Yue Lingshan smiled. "Third Senior Brother, keep teaching them. Don't mind me."

"Oh."

Third Senior Brother glanced at Ji Shu, wondering why Little Junior Sister had not handed this new disciple over to him for instruction.

How had he recognized at a glance that Ji Shu was a player?

His short hair, attire unlike that of the ancients, and temperament all clashed with the surroundings.

After so many years of experience, even someone as honest as him could tell whether someone was a player at first glance.

Tap, tap!

Along the way, Ji Shu saw more than a thousand disciples just on the surface.

He secretly clicked his tongue. The Mount Hua Sect had developed to this extent already? Well, with a minimum of over a thousand gold ingots coming in every year, it would have been difficult not to develop.

Ji Shu estimated that the Mount Hua Sect had at least a thousand players!

I was lucky to cross over near Mount Hua. Otherwise, who knows how I could have joined the Mount Hua Sect!

This was the information gap.

The Blue Star world was monopolized by certain major powers, and all information had been tightly sealed off.

Even if people at the bottom like them were lucky enough to buy a ticket and enter the Tower of the Multiverse, without special channels or gold brought with them, they would most likely come away with nothing!

"Ji Shu."

Yue Lingshan brought Ji Shu to an exquisite courtyard.

"This is where I live. You'll live here from now on too."

"Live with you, Master Yue?"

"Where else?"

Yue Lingshan looked at Ji Shu with clear, watery almond eyes, puzzled. "You're my disciple. If you don't live with me, who will you live with? You're an Inner Sect disciple! You're different from the Outer Sect disciples!"

With her hands on her hips and her face stern, she desperately wanted to display a master's dignity, but she looked far too adorable for anyone to feel nervous.

She gave a dry cough and said solemnly,

"As my Chief Disciple, Ji Shu, you must train well in martial arts. You can't bring shame to your Master Yue, understand?"

"...Yes, Master Yue."

"Mmm~~"

Yue Lingshan clasped her hands behind her back and turned around. Her face bloomed like a flower with a smile, and she had to hold it in for quite a while before managing to suppress her laughter.

Then, without looking back, she waved a hand at Ji Shu.

"All right, get some rest. I'm leaving first."

"Wait, Master Yue."

"What is it?"

"Which room am I staying in?"

"Pick whichever one you want. Oh, the innermost room is mine. The others are all yours."

"Then when can I start learning martial arts?"

"What's the rush?"

Yue Lingshan turned to face Ji Shu, her expression stern, hands behind her back as she said solemnly,

"Ji Shu, do you know? The greatest taboo in martial arts is impatience and taking shortcuts. If you want to master martial arts, the first thing you need to steady is your mindset!"

"..."

Ji Shu nodded very cooperatively. Master Yue, Yue Lingshan, was clearly still enjoying being a "master," so he would let her have her fun.

"But Master, I believe a journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet. If I want to go far, I must make the most of my time and practice diligently. If I don't start learning and practicing early, how will I catch up to those senior brothers and sisters?"

"...That makes sense too."

Yue Lingshan paused, pondered for a moment, and said, "How about this? I'll go find you a sword now, then come back and teach you our Mount Hua Swordplay."

"Thank you, Master Yue."

"This is what your Master Yue should do."

Yue Lingshan straightened her back as she replied, then turned and ran off. Once she had gone some distance, she could no longer hold it in and began giggling. It was clearly her first time being a master, and it had delighted her immensely.