Sage of Humanity

Having left Xie Yunhan's place, Zhou Yuntian hurried along, ready to report Lu Ye's matter.

However, he hadn't gone far before he felt the intense sounds of someone fighting, furrowing his brows, he followed the noise towards its source.

In Fox Fairy Valley, cultivators sparring with each other wasn't forbidden, as it benefited the improvement of their combat skills and fostered relationships among them, but such fierce sparring was rare.

As the chief steward of Fox Fairy Valley, how could Zhou Yuntian remain indifferent?

As he approached the scene, he was shocked to see that the combatants were Lu Ye and Xia Liang, both newcomers, and their strikes were ruthlessly fierce. However, with a great disparity in their cultivations, Lu Ye appeared to be in a rather dire situation. What troubled Zhou Yuntian even more was seeing fresh bloody wounds on Lu Ye, staining his clothes.

"Stop, stop right now!" Zhou Yuntian rushed forward and exclaimed.

In the midst of the battle, Lu Ye, his blood Qi roiling, stood holding his Boulder Mountain Saber, while Xia Liang seemed calm and composed.

Seeing Zhou Yuntian coming over suddenly, both hastily ceased fighting and greeted in unison, "Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Zhou Yuntian's expression was grim. He first glared at Xia Liang, puzzling him greatly, then turned to look at Lu Ye and asked with deep concern, "Fellow Daoist Lu, how are your injuries? Aren't they serious?"

His apparent eagerness somewhat startled Lu Ye, but considering Zhou Yuntian's position as the chief steward of Fox Fairy Valley, he didn't think much about it, simply replying, "It's nothing serious, just some flesh wounds. They will recover quickly after some rest."

Zhou Yuntian breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good." Then he turned to scold Xia Liang, "Fellow Daoist Xia, Fellow Daoist Lu's cultivation is far inferior to yours, how could you strike so heavily!"

Xia Liang stuttered, "It's not like that, Fellow Daoist Zhou, it was Lu Yiye who came to me, asking to spar with saber techniques…"

"Even if it was just for sparring, how could you cause injuries?" Zhou Yuntian's face sank. "We in Fox Fairy Valley are united, almost like brothers and sisters. When Fellow Daoist Lu came to you for sparring, you were supposed to guide him, not injure him!"

Xia Liang didn't know what to say at the moment.

Indeed, sparring among most cultivators can stop at just the right point, but for two combat cultivators using sabers, merely touching a point was of no use at all; they had to fight with all their might to achieve the desired effect.

Moreover, during the fight with Lu Ye, he had controlled his strength as much as possible, otherwise, Lu Ye's injuries would have been more than just superficial.

Zhou Yuntian's accusations without seeking clarity were really stifling for him and it felt wrong to retort, so he could only look towards Lu Ye.

Lu Ye then spoke, "Please, calm down, Fellow Daoist Zhou. It was indeed I who proposed the sparring, and Fellow Daoist Xia had already held back as much as possible. It was my lack of strength…"

Not to mention, this round of sparring with Xia Liang benefited him significantly, and he couldn't allow Zhou Yuntian's interference to deter Xia Liang from sparring with him again in the future; that would be a great loss.

"Knowing your strength is not high, you should be more cautious!" Zhou Yuntian said coldly.

Lu Ye couldn't understand what was going on with Zhou Yuntian—apart from his initial contact upon arriving at Fox Fairy Valley, he had barely seen him these past days, and this apparent favouritism puzzled Lu Ye greatly.

What he didn't know was that Zhou Yuntian had just come from Xie Yunhan, who had given him a very high evaluation, making Zhou Yuntian realize the value of Lu Ye's talents in Array Path.

Xia Liang sighed and said, "I understand, it will not happen again, please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Zhou Yuntian's expression finally eased a bit, he nodded and said, "Remember, everyone in Fox Fairy Valley is your brother or sister. Let any grievances be carried away by the wind!" He paused for a moment, then continued, "Both of you are saber practitioners, and Fellow Daoist Lu seeks you out for sparring to improve his saber skills. So, just instruct him directly, and if you must spar, you must restrain yourself and not injure him again!"

"Yes," responded Xia Liang.

"All right, let's leave today's matter here, I have other business, and I am leaving now. I hope not to see this kind of scene next time, or the Venerable One will certainly be displeased," Zhou Yuntian warned lightly.

Hearing him mention the Venerable One, Xia Liang's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou. If Lu Yiye wishes to cultivate saber skills, I will teach him everything I know, without reservation!"

"Very well."

"Safe travels, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Zhou Yuntian nodded slightly, then turned to Lu Ye, advising, "If there's anything in the future, contact me anytime."

Lu Ye responded blankly, "Okay."

Watching Zhou Yuntian's figure disappear, Lu Ye wore a puzzled expression.

Despite Zhou Yuntian's words about everyone in Fox Fairy Valley being brothers and sisters, his evident favoritism towards him was unmistakable, but why?

In terms of cultivation, he was the weakest in the entire Fox Fairy Valley, apart from him, only Li Baxian was at Level 5. Beyond that, the weakest cultivator was at Level 6.

Was it his recent performance on Array Path? Considering the direction from which Zhou Yuntian had arrived, he likely came from Xie Yunhan's place. That might explain Zhou Yuntian's overt favoritism, even bringing up the Venerable One's name towards the end.

It seemed… not concealing his skills in Array Path was the right choice.

"Lu Yiye!"

At the edge of his ear, Xia Liang's voice rang out.

Lu Ye turned around and spoke, "Fellow Daoist Xia, please don't take to heart what Fellow Daoist Zhou just mentioned. Let's try again, and this time please don't hold back."

"No need!" Xia Liang's expression remained calm, showing neither happiness nor anger, "Since Fellow Daoist Zhou has already instructed, let's cease the sparring. However, as for saber skills, I can teach you wholeheartedly. Whenever you have any doubts, feel free to ask me. Your saber skills might be domineering and aggressive, but I can see the foundation is poor, likely because no one has systematically guided you. It's understandable, given that before you, there were but a few from the Righteous Blood Sect, and none of them were saber wielders, so there was likely no one to teach you."

Lu Ye's eyes lit up with excitement. "I can ask you about anything?"

"As long as it's about saber skills, you can ask anything. I won't keep any secrets!"

"Then let me thank you in advance, Fellow Daoist Xia!"

Before entering Fox Fairy Valley, Lu Ye had never imagined that he would one day be able to learn saber skills under the guidance of Xia Liang—an opportunity that was truly hard to come by.

Xia Liang, hailing from the Mad Saber Sect and bearing uncommon talent, practiced saber skills that represented the essence of years of accumulation by his sect. Being guided by him would undoubtedly save Lu Ye much time and effort.

Under his guidance, Lu Ye immediately started his cultivation with the most basic chopping technique. Even though the process was monotonous, Lu Ye was brimming with enthusiasm.

On one side, a teacher dedicated to instructing, and on the other, a student eager to learn; inside the Fox Demon's chamber, Zhou Yuntian had just reported the matter concerning Lu Ye.

After hearing this, the enchanting and seductive Fox Demon revealed a look of surprise and smiled gently, "Does this mean we have truly found a treasure this time? Since Xie Yunhan said so, there must be good reason. In that case, from now on, let Lu Ye take charge of the formations in Fox Fairy Valley, with Xie Yunhan assisting him."

That gentle laugh made Zhou Yuntian's bones turn soft, and even the few women attending the Fox Demon couldn't help but appear intoxicated.

Maintaining his mental clarity, Zhou Yuntian dared not show any disrespect and accepted the command. "I understand, Venerable One, but recently we haven't been able to find any new recruits."

The Fox Demon said, "After all, this place is deep within the Great Wilderness Mountain, and it's rare for cultivators to come by, so it's normal not to find anyone."

Zhou Yuntian tentatively suggested, "Should we send a message outside to lure some people here?"

Once people entered Fox Fairy Valley, they severed all contacts with the outside world. Cultivators from the outside could only use the existence of battlefield markings to confirm their life or death, but could not determine their current state or location.

However, if they were to actively send a message outside, it would surely attract a group of people. If the Fox Demon then acted, they could continue to expand the power of Fox Fairy Valley.

"Not possible!" The Fox Demon firmly rejected the idea, and her posture on the couch became upright, her expression solemn. "Remember, once in Fox Fairy Valley, you must never communicate with the outside. Whoever dares to send a message will die!"

Zhou Yuntian's face turned pale as he bowed. "Yes, I have understood!"

"Dismissed!"

"Yes."

Zhou Yuntian respectfully left.

After he had left, the Fox Demon's beautiful eyes flashed with changing expressions.

Indeed, if they used the method Zhou Yuntian suggested earlier, Fox Fairy Valley could quickly grow in power. Eventually, not just a hundred, but even two hundred or more people could gather there in a short time.

But… Fox Fairy Valley had existed for many years, enslaving too many human race cultivators. She already felt an inexplicable crisis.

It was as if a blade was hanging over her neck, ready to fall at any moment!

When she first sensed this crisis, she thought it was an illusion; but as time passed, the feeling grew ever clearer.

She understood then—it wasn't an illusion, but rather Heaven's Augury's attention on her.

Unintended powers had surfaced on the Cloud River battlefield, used to enslave the cultivators of Cloud River Realm. This undoubtedly infuriated Heaven's Augury, thus giving her an overwhelming sense of crisis.

She knew that one day, Heaven's Augury would punish her for her actions. But before that, she still had pressing matters that she couldn't handle alone and thus needed to enslave more cultivators.

Gathering newcomers was already at its limit. Using that method to lure people would only intensify Heaven's Augury's scrutiny and the crisis looming over her, a risk not worth taking.

"It's getting late. Let's continue the cultivation tomorrow," Xia Liang said, pulling out a jade slip from his storage sack and handing it to Lu Ye. "This is a compilation of saber cultivation insights from my sect's elders. I'm lending it to you for your study. Make sure not to lose it."

Lu Ye took the jade slip. "Many thanks, Brother Xia."

Fox Fairy Valley, truly a marvelous place!