Return

Xiangyin County, Chen Mansion, Martial Arts Hall.

Hua Maguai walked in, his body stained with patches of blood. He cupped his hands and said respectfully to Lu Yan and Chen Yulou, "Chief, Master Lu, the last batch has been taken care of."

Lu Yan nodded and asked softly, "What are the casualties?"

"Dozens of brothers died from their wounds, and over a hundred were severely injured. However, thanks to the Healing Liquid you provided, Master Lu, they have all been saved."

A trace of sorrow crossed Hua Maguai's face. These were brothers who lived and breathed together; they had been drinking together just this morning, and now they were gone.

Chen Yulou sighed, "Engrave their names, send one hundred silver dollars to each of their families, and assign their relatives some light work so the brothers can look after them."

Hua Maguai nodded silently, his eyes slightly reddened.

Lu Yan felt a bit heavy-hearted knowing these brothers had died for his plans. He pulled a black-covered, yellow-paged secret manual from his robes and tossed it to Hua Maguai, saying, "This is the manual from that Golden Core old poison-master. Take it back and study it."

"If you have any questions in the coming period, feel free to ask. I need to go abroad to handle some matters, and it will likely take some time before I return."

Lu Yan swept his gaze over Chen Yulou, Red Maiden, Hua Maguai, and Kunlun, then walked out the door with his hands behind his back.

Outside the gates of Maoshan, Lu Yan wore a pleasant smile and waved enthusiastically at Li Zhongkang, "Old Daoist Li, goodbye. I will miss you."

Li Zhongkang's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He shook his head listlessly, "This old daoist never wants to see you again."

Beside him, Shi Jian stood with a cold face. He turned his head and scolded the bitter-looking Simu, "Look at the kind of friends you make—treacherous, petty, and utterly shameless."

Li Zhongkang waved his hand and sighed, "Enough. This matter is not Simu's fault. Out of respect for Simu, this kid actually showed some restraint. I heard that the Celestial Master Sect and the Zen Sect have almost been hollowed out by him."

Shi Jian's eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of killing intent. He said coldly, "Grandmaster-Uncle, we should just kill him."

Simu was startled and about to speak, but Li Zhongkang shook his head with a grave expression, "Do not mention this again. The boy is young but already has Golden Core cultivation, and that ocular technique is bizarre—it seems to be in a different dimension. We simply cannot do anything to him. A hundred years from now, Maoshan might even have to rely on his favor."

A flicker of resentment and jealousy appeared in Shi Jian's eyes as he turned to glare at the relieved Simu.

"Maoshan was the last one. Everything is settled."

Lu Yan was flying through the air, an irrepressible smile on his face.

Over these days, Lu Yan had been traveling back and forth between major sects across the country. With Li Zhongkang acting as the bridge, things had proceeded quite smoothly.

"Once I settle things back home, I can return."

He focused his mind to sense the remaining special energy within the Stone Bead, and a flash of realization crossed his eyes, as if he had gained some insight.

When Lu Yan first passed the meditation technique to Chen Yulou, the special energy in the Stone Bead had increased significantly out of thin air, which had led him to form a hypothesis.

To a world, a transmigrator is a new variable.

In terms of results, this variable leads to three outcomes.

The first: no influence, and the world simply ignores it.

Second: bringing positive influence to the world, for which the world grants rewards—in Taoist terms, the Heavenly Dao bestows merit.

Third: harming the world and causing immeasurable damage, leading the world to reject the person, or even causing them to encounter endless disasters.

Lu Yan's situation was similar to the second. When he first arrived, the energy in the Stone Bead was consumed daily, but once he passed the meditation technique to Chen Yulou and reopened the path of the Wizard in this world, the Stone Bead stopped consuming energy and even grew significantly.

Now that Lu Yan was trading Heaven and Earth Origin Qi for secret manuals from various major sects, the energy in the Stone Bead had grown by another large margin.

It is evident that world consciousness is quite pragmatic and simple: if you bring it benefits, it welcomes you.

For Lu Yan, this unexpected joy was understanding the source of the Stone Bead's special energy. He no longer had to passively wait for it to recover, allowing him to be more proactive in future transmigrations.

Flying rapidly, Lu Yan soon returned to Xiangyin County. However, he did not reveal himself; instead, he cast an invisibility spell and began to observe quietly.

On the training ground, Kunlun was leading the Xieling brothers who lacked wizarding talent in practicing the Knight Breathing Technique Lu Yan had taught them, coordinating unique movements with specific breathing patterns.

Kunlun was making the fastest progress; one could faintly hear the sound of his blood and qi surging as he moved.

The Knight Breathing Technique was a secret method of the Wizard World's knightly nobility. Each family's technique had its own characteristics, capable of cultivating various types of battle qi.

The Knight Breathing Technique Lu Yan taught the Xieling was extremely unique. He had obtained it by chance; it focused exclusively on blood and qi, and in the later stages, one could shatter ordinary spells through sheer, soaring vitality.

Unlike other techniques that had various requirements for physique and bloodline, this method was the easiest to start, though it required various precious medicines for nourishment to reach a profound level.

Seeing the Xieling core members practicing with such fervor and without the slightest slack, Lu Yan nodded in satisfaction and turned toward another direction.

This area consisted of newly built individual meditation rooms. Lu Yan had not only set up spirit-gathering arrays to continuously draw in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Origin Qi and spiritual energy, but he had also released a portion of the energy from the Kamui Dimension. The concentration of energy here was now no less than the blessed lands of the major sects.

Lu Yan scanned the rooms with his mental power, finding everyone meditating with serious expressions. A sense of accomplishment rose within him; the path of the Wizard in this world would depend on these people.

Without lingering, Lu Yan found the meditation room where Chen Yulou was and transmitted his voice, "Come to the main hall. I have instructions."

In the main hall, Lu Yan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the newly hung calligraphy: "To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a life for the people." He asked in a deep voice, "Can you achieve what is written here?"

Chen Yulou, who had just walked in, looked up at the running script written by Lu Yan's own hand and said firmly, "I will do my utmost."

"Good."

Lu Yan turned to stare into Chen Yulou's eyes and said slowly, "I have analyzed the domestic and international situation for you; act according to the plan."

"The few things I passed on to you should be mass-produced as soon as possible. It will not only greatly increase the prestige of Xieling but also provide a way for the common people to survive."

"I will pass on all the knowledge required to reach the level of an official wizard. Cultivate well."

"In as little as half a year, or at most a year or two, I will return."

Thinking of the massive changes he and Xieling had undergone in such a short time, Chen Yulou looked at the master he had known for only two months and said reluctantly, "Master, according to what you said, the domestic situation will undergo drastic changes. Why must you leave in such a hurry?"

Lu Yan smiled and shook his head, pointing to his blood-red Sharingan, "There are some things that must be resolved in person."