Lu Zhicheng stood up from his seat and reached out to stop his grandson, lest the boy act impulsively and make a move.
Although they hold positions within the House of Representatives, they cannot act recklessly in the Upper Court.
More importantly, Zhou Wuji was formidable, able to directly repel Wuqiu with his True Qi and forcefully suppress the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Body-Hardening Method. Wuxia went up, he wouldn't be able to win.
There's another crucial issue: Lu Zhijing isn't here.
Without the support of this Third Rank- rank True Person from the Lu Household, they cannot gain any advantage over True Person Zhihua.
Lu Zhicheng ignored Zhou Wuji and looked at True Person Zhihua was sitting in the main seat. " True Person, we are all from the same sect and share the same roots. What kind of logic is it to start a fight right away?"
True Person Zhihua smiled but remained silent.
Zhou Wuji stepped forward and stood in front of Lu Zhicheng: "Elder Lu, what you're saying makes it sound like we're bullying someone."
"Since this fellow Daoist wishes to demonstrate his skills, we'll accompany him and give it a try."
He looked at the crowd sitting in the hall and said, "Everyone can testify that you lost and then accused me of hitting someone, which is a complete distortion of the truth."
Lu Zhicheng, barely suppressing his anger, said with a dark face, "You severely injured my granddaughter, and you call this a friendly spar? Is this how you spar?"
"Sorry, I didn't expect her Thirty-Six External Training Heavenly Gang Method to be so weak."
Zhou Wuji solemnly bowed and apologized. Before Lu Zhicheng could speak, he suddenly flashed in front of Lu Wuqiu, his hand forming a sword-like finger as he thrust it straight at Lu Wuqiu.
Lu Wuqiu's Qi and Blood and qi surged violently. He tried to raise his hand to defend himself, but he was a little too slow, and Zhou Wuji pointed a finger at his brow.
She was horrified, but could only watch helplessly, unable to react.
But she immediately noticed something was wrong. The cool energy emanating from Zhou Wuji's fingertips instantly flowed throughout her body, calming her turbulent Qi and Blood, and restoring her chaotic True Qi.
In an instant, her internal organs, which had been shaken, seemed to have recovered.
"What are you doing?!" Lu Zhicheng didn't see that Zhou Wuji was using the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique; he thought Zhou Wuji had attacked again.
The old man was really anxious now, and he swung his wooden cane at Zhou Wuji's back.
Zhou Wuji rolled up his long sleeves, and his hand, hidden inside, already gripped the wooden staff.
As their True Qi clashed, Lu Zhicheng, despite having cultivated for seventy years and nearing the perfection of the Fourth Rank, was completely suppressed by Zhou Wuji's powerful and boundless True Qi.
The old man's aged face was deathly pale, and his hand gripping his wooden cane trembled uncontrollably.
Zhou Wuji was truly afraid that the old man would suddenly suffer a stroke and die in front of him. He flicked his sleeve and threw away the wooden cane. With a stern face, he questioned, "Elder Lu, what were you trying to do by suddenly attacking me from behind?"
Lu Zhicheng was about to yell and scold when he saw that his granddaughter was unharmed, and even the turbulent Qi and Blood in her body had calmed down.
Lu Wuqiu also shook her head slightly at Lu Zhicheng, indicating that she was alright.
The old man could only swallow the words he wanted to say.
"I saw that this fellow Daoist's Qi and Blood were churning, so I helped her resolve it, lest people say I was abusing my power to harm others."
In order to heal Lu Wuqiu's injuries, Zhou Wuji pushed the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique to its limit.
For Lu Wuqiu, the loss would at most be ten or eight days of lifespan, but the benefits were immediate. Not only were his injuries healed, but his True Qi and Divine Sense were also restored to their peak.
He then smiled slightly at Lu Wuqiu: "It was nothing, no need to thank me."
Lu Wuqiu was slightly dizzy from looking at Zhou Wuji face and his radiant smile.
Although she was fierce, she couldn't bring herself to be fierce when facing Zhou Wuji, who was much stronger than her. She even thought this Daoist priest was quite nice...
Lu Zhicheng was embarrassed, but he was shameless enough to turn around and lecture Zhou Wuji: "You attacked suddenly, who knows what you were up to?"
Young people should be more mature and composed in their actions!
"Yes, you're really composed. You launched a sneak attack from behind without saying a word. I need to learn from you."
Seeing that the old man still dared to lecture him, Zhou Wuji became even less polite.
Even though the old man was thick-skinned, he was at a loss for words when Zhou Wuji retorted with his own words.
Most of the people in the hall had strange expressions, and many even chuckled softly.
Lu Zhicheng had just insulted the entire Upper Court with a few words, and seeing the old man make a fool of himself, everyone was naturally gloating.
True Person Zhihua stood up and said, "Everyone, let's disperse."
As she spoke, she got up and left directly from the side, and Zhou Wuji immediately followed.
Soon everyone in the main hall left, leaving only Lu Zhicheng and his two grandsons.
Lu Zhicheng originally wanted to be assertive and use his seniority to control True Person Zhihua, but he didn't expect True Person Zhihua to be so tough, directly using Zhou Wuji as a weapon to humiliate him.
At his age, he doesn't have much time left, so losing face isn't a big deal.
However, the matter was not accomplished, resulting not only in a loss of face but also in offending the Upper Court.
Lu Zhicheng was also helpless.
"Grandpa, shall we go back to our own courtyard?" Lu Wuqiu also felt ashamed; she just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
"We've come all this way, we can't leave in such a sorry state."
Lu Zhicheng said, "We should at least wait until the Jingyang Dharma Assembly over before leaving. If they win, we'll have nothing to say."
"If we can't win, humph, then I'll ask Zhihua his face and get back the face we've lost!"
The Jingyang Dharma Assembly quite important, especially since so many sects have come to Jingyang. The vast Upper Court is clearly being suppressed by the other sects, and its influence is waning.
Lu Zhicheng brought his grandchildren along this time, hoping to show off a bit.
Even if they don't win the championship, representing the Upper Court in the Dharma Assembly is still a merit.
Returning to the main academy, this is a valuable qualification, extremely important for Wuxia and Wuqiu, enough to help them advance further.
Lu Zhicheng hadn't expected Lu Zhijing to be absent. Without the support of this True Person, things were indeed difficult to handle...
True Person Zhihua exited the Heavenly Pivot Hall, she saw Zhou Wuji following closely behind and asked, "What do you want now?"
Zhou Wuji smile, " True Person, I need your help with something."
"I knew it. Go ahead, what is it?"
True Person Zhihua felt that Zhou Wuji had performed well today, having publicly humiliated Lu Zhicheng, which made her very happy.
She had been disgusted by this old man when she was cultivating in this academy. She had already advanced to the Third Rank True Person level, and the old man still dared to come and take advantage of her; he was truly courting death.
Zhou Wuji said, "It's like this, I want to go on stage to preach, and I would like to ask the True Person for help."
"Oh, what do you want to do?" True Person Zhihua knew that this kid had a lot of tricks up his sleeve and always had some unexpected methods, so she was genuinely intrigued.
"Please, True Person help me..."
Zhou Wuji explained his plan in detail, and only True Person Zhihua could help him with this matter.
"I see, that's interesting."
True Person Zhihua's eyes lit up; this method of expounding the Dharma was truly novel, and she felt it was feasible just by listening to it.
She then added, "This procedure is quite complicated. Can you do it?"
"This disciple is quite skilled in this Law Technique; I can demonstrate it to the True Person later," Zhou Wuji said confidently.
She remarked with some emotion, "Your mind is truly different from others. You think outside the box, you're unconventional; following the rules will never lead to great things!"
" True Person flatter me, I'm ashamed," Zhou Wuji quickly said modestly.
True Person Zhihua glanced at Zhou Wuji and teased, "But I don't see anything shameful about you?"
True Person Zhihua's attitude was so casual that it bordered on frivolous, but it was precisely this casualness that made him seem so approachable.
Zhou Wuji glanced at True Person Zhihua's stunningly beautiful face, reminding himself: Don't misunderstand, don't mistake True Person's unrestrained behavior for favoritism...
By July 14, several high platforms had been erected on the Changyang River.
The most imposing structure is a high platform in the very center, with solid wood pillars and thick wooden planks on top, standing two zhang high and four zhang wide and long.
This high platform is the central platform for preaching and discussing the Dharma. The other high platforms each have their own uses: some are for worshipping gods, some are for the salvation of the dead, some are specifically for praying for blessings, and others are where various sects and factions send people to preach and spread the Dharma, etc.
In mid-July, the daytime heat was unbearable.
As evening falls, a cool breeze blows along the riverbank. Even just to escape the heat, many people are willing to spend time by the river.
Many people brought their families to pray for blessings, pay respects to their ancestors, or even take the opportunity to date.
Moreover, with such a grand and lively Dharma assembly, merchants from the surrounding area spontaneously gathered here, and government-appointed constables and officers maintained order, making this area along the riverbank as bustling as a large market.
Leng Wuyou and Yue Wuying also arrived. Tomorrow is the official Dharma assembly, and they wanted to check out the situation beforehand.
The two walked around the central platform, Leng Wuyou said, "This platform is quite sturdy."
Yue Wuying nodded. "After all, we'll be fighting up there. We need to be a bit sturdy."
"It wouldn't work if a real fight broke out." Leng Wuyou somewhat worried, after all, it was just a solid wood platform.
"These wooden planks are all made of purple cloud tree wood and imbued with Buddhist runes. They will be blessed with Vajra Incantation during the martial arts competition, providing sufficient support for the event."
Yue Wuying was also attending the Dharma assembly for the first time, but she was quite familiar with the proceedings.
"Buddhist magic formations have such wonderful uses, amazing!"
Leng Wuyou with some admiration, "The Buddhist sect is quite capable."
As the two were talking, someone nearby said, "The true Dharma of Buddhism possesses boundless Divine Ability powers; this is merely a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."
Leng Wuyou looked over upon hearing the sound and saw a handsome young monk, dressed in a bright yellow robe. He was tall, composed, and quite imposing.
"Who are you?"
"This humble monk, Xinkong, greets you two fellow Daoists." The tall monk clasped his hands together in greeting.
Leng Wuyou and Yue Wuying both bowed in return.
They all knew that Dragon Elephant Temple had two formidable geniuses, Xinru and Xinkong.
However, Buddhism and Daoism are different, and they are female cultivators who rarely go out. This is the first time they have seen this genius expert from Dragon Elephant Temple.
Although Xinkong was tall and imposing, he was quite talkative and took the initiative to talk to Leng Wuyou and Yue Wuying.
"It is an honor for this humble monk to be able to discuss the Dharma with you two fellow practitioners at this Dharma assembly," Xinkong said.
"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. Your aura of dragon and elephant is awe-inspiring." Leng Wuyou sensed the strength of his inner energy and blood, and sincerely praised him.
"My cultivation is nothing compared to Xinru's Dragon Might and Elephant Strength, whose heart holds Prajna."
"Not to mention Jingyang, there are few people in the Nine Provinces who can compare to my senior brother."
"When you two meet my senior brother, you will surely be impressed by him..."
Leng Wuyou and Yue Wuying were speechless. Everyone was just exchanging polite greetings, but this monk went straight to bragging about how amazing his senior brother was, which was really awkward.
Leng Wuyou's bright smile faded, and she said calmly, "Among my peers, I only truly respect Senior Brother Zhou..."
" Zhou Wuji, haha, how can he compare to my senior brother!"
Xinkong laughed loudly, then suppressed his laughter and clasped his hands together. "Empty words are useless. We'll know who's superior and who's inferior when the Dharma assembly begins..."
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