Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************
Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 6: [Battle for the True Inheritance]
Chapter 14 (555): [Chief Scribe of the Earth Ranking]
(14th of Volume 6)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
*****************************
Lu Jingshen quickly clapped his hand over his mouth. "Don't tell the Grand Palace Master! I was planning to offer her a carefully chosen tribute when I see her next. I don't want to end up offering my own head instead."
"I'm just teasing you," Li Weiyi said, "The Grand Palace Master isn't that petty."
Lu Jingshen dared not ask further about the Grand Palace Master.
He grabbed Li Weiyi's wrist and pulled him toward the stairs.
"Come on, I want you to meet someone."
The pavilion stood a hundred zhang tall, its peak crowned with a hip-and-gable roofed pavilion offering panoramic views of Dragon City.
Lu Jingchen bore a striking resemblance to Lu Jingshen, appearing to be in his early thirties.
His eyes held a deep, unwavering calm, and his presence exuded an extraordinary dignity, like a towering mountain or a bottomless abyss.
He scrutinized Li Weiyi, who had followed Lu Jingshen up the stairs, his expression stern and unsmiling.
Clasping his hands in a formal greeting, he said, "Lu Jingchen of Ten Thousand Mile Tower, Jing Shen's second brother."
Li Weiyi sensed an unusual Qi field emanating from this man.
He returned the greeting: "Li Weiyi."
Lu Jingchen said, "Brother Li, since you saved my third brother's life and have been admitted to the Heavenly Pavilion, you can lower your guard completely. Anyone who dares harm you will have to think twice."
"Including the Tai Yin Sect?" Li Weiyi asked.
Lu Jingchen understood Li Weiyi's meaning and sighed softly.
"It was my opponent from Ten Thousand Mile Tower who hired the Tai Yin Sect to capture Jing Shen, hoping to force my hand. Now that I'm here, there's no need to worry about that anymore."
Li Weiyi dispelled his Disguise Technique and removed his false beard.
A line of graceful maidens entered, bearing fine wines and delicacies, which they arranged on the table.
Lu Jingchen sat with his back ramrod straight, his innate arrogance radiating from him.
"When Jing Shen first told me about you, I couldn't believe such a person existed - one who would uphold righteousness in the face of wealth, return to danger after escaping, and risk his life to save others. I initially suspected it was another scheme, either a conspiracy or a ploy for greater gain."
"But after investigating your deeds, all my doubts vanished, leaving only admiration."
"Thousand Mile Mountain's influence spans the world. Even your actions in Li Prefecture are known to me in detail. You might have forgotten yourself, but at the Changlin Gang's headquarters, you rescued many young girls and children, some of whom were later recruited into Thousand Mile Mountain. Your delay in saving them allowed the Six Desires Dharma King and the Sui Sect to corner you, and you barely escaped with your life."
"As for your extraordinary courage on the Zhi Prefecture River, in Qiu Prefecture City, and in Lingxiao City, I, Lu Jingchen, admit I could never match it. Precisely because I cannot, I admire you."
"If you keep praising me like this, I'll lose all sense of reality," Li Weiyi said with a smile.
Lu Jingshen replied, "Look at my Second Brother's cold and taciturn demeanor. Does he seem like someone who would easily say such things? For him to utter those words against his will, each syllable would feel like a sword piercing his heart."
Lu Jingchen gazed intently at Li Weiyi for a long moment.
"Brother Li, if you trust Thousand Mile Mountain, the Lu Clan, and us brothers, would you invite your companion to join us for a drink?"
Li Weiyi was surprised: "How did Second Young Master Lu know I wasn't alone?"
Lu Jingchen explained, "You carry a unique aura that hasn't yet dissipated."
"Really? I've always been careful to eliminate any scent trails. I took precautions when I entered," Li Weiyi said.
"It's not about scent, but rather aura, Qi Field, Vital Energy, and Divine Essence."
Lu Jingchen spoke without false modesty, "Since childhood, I've possessed an extraordinary gift: the ability to practice Divine Observation and Qi Gazing. Every person carries a unique aura - mysterious and profound, perceptible but indescribable."
"What kind of aura do I have?" Li Weiyi asked.
Lu Jingchen replied, "Brother Li has returned to his true nature, making him impossible to see through. Among the younger generation, I've witnessed countless extraordinary auras - some grand and majestic, others bizarre and fantastical. But I've never encountered one quite like yours before."
Now that the truth was out, there was no point in hiding it. Li Weiyi sent a telepathic message to Tang Wanzhou.
Moments later, Lu Jingshen personally descended and brought her up.
Li Weiyi and Lu Jingchen sat at the table, their conversation having just turned to the Ten Thousand Mile Tower.
Lu Jingchen said, "The Ten Thousand Mile Tower is like the Jiu Li Hidden Sect. Only Martial-Mystic Cultivators who have reached a certain level know of our existence."
"Thousand Mile Mountain earns the money, while the Ten Thousand Mile Tower guards it."
"Thousand Mile Mountain recruits one in a thousand. To enter the Ten Thousand Mile Tower, you must be one in ten thousand."
Li Weiyi asked, "If I may be so bold, who was Second Young Master Lu's rival within the Ten Thousand Mile Tower?"
"I've already dealt with him. I won the competition! His resorting to such underhanded tactics by seeking help from the Tai Yin Sect was nothing more than a desperate act. Using such methods against his own people deserves death," Lu Jingchen declared.
Tang Wanzhou removed her mask, revealing a strikingly beautiful and cold face.
She sat beside Li Weiyi, facing Lu Jingchen directly, and asked, "The Ten Thousand Mile Tower has three great contests: vying for Heaven, Earth, and the Liang Zhu Pillars. May I ask which you triumphed in?"
Lu Jingchen gazed intently at Tang Wanzhou, his eyes growing brighter, as if he had discovered a rare treasure.
He rose and said, "This humble one merely won the position of chief scribe for the Earth Ranking."
Second Brother actually showed humility for once, much to Lu Jingshen's surprise.
Tang Wanzhou said, "Judging by the timing, Ten Thousand Mile Tower should be compiling the Immortal Realm Heavenly Ranking and the Immortal Realm Earthly Ranking. The chief scribe position of the Heavenly Ranking is being fiercely contested by several senior Earth Ranking scribes. Liang Zhu's victory was the final struggle before his Transcendent breakthrough. It seems you're the strongest of your generation in Southern Yingzhou."
Li Weiyi asked, "What are the Heavenly and Earthly Rankings?"
Lu Jingshen took over the explanation: "The Immortal Realm Earthly Ranking records the top Immortal Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators under a hundred years old from Southern Yingzhou's one hundred and seventy-two Living Realms. The Immortal Realm Heavenly Ranking, of course, has no age restrictions and is based solely on cultivation strength. Both rankings are compiled in preparation for the Crossing the Other Shore Competition six years from now."
Lu Jingchen's gaze remained fixed on Tang Wanzhou.
"Please forgive my lack of introduction. May I venture a guess that the person sitting across from me is the Young Lord of the Northern Territory's Lingxiao Life Realm?"
Tang Wanzhou replied, "Not bad for an Earth Ranking Scribe - you have some skill. How did you figure it out?"
"Such Divine Essence and bearing... among the young women of the world, there aren't three who possess such qualities. That gave me seventy percent certainty!"
Lu Jingchen continued, "Your aura is vast and imposing, yet bone-chillingly cold and relentlessly sharp, like the towering snow-capped mountains of the Northern Territory. The Fourteen Swords of Immortal Slaughter and Divine Snow have long been on my shortlist. Thirty percent of my reason for coming to the East Sea was to find you. Your progress has been too rapid; I couldn't determine the extent of your current strength or where you should be ranked without seeing you in person."
Li Weiyi turned to Lu Jingshen: "Didn't you say Second Brother Lu was aloof and taciturn, praising others as if stabbing himself with a sword?"
Lu Jingshen looked slightly embarrassed, feeling his second brother was acting out of character today.
He chuckled, "No amount of praise would be too much for the Young Lord."
Lu Jingchen then introduced himself to Tang Wanzhou.
Li Weiyi's mind raced, recalling Tang Wanzhou's purpose in coming to Dragon City.
"Xie Wumian and Luo Pingdan are utterly detestable, but I heard they rank last among the Twelve Tai Yin Envoys. If they're the weakest at that level of power, how terrifyingly strong must the Zhongwu Envoy, Qin Zhengyang, be?"
Since Lu Jingchen was the chief scribe of the Earth Ranking, all the intelligence from Thousand Mile Mountain and Ten Thousand Mile Tower would undoubtedly converge on him.
Only by thoroughly understanding one's enemies could misjudgments be avoided.
Tang Wanzhou grasped the point immediately and added, "Qin Zhengyang likely wouldn't lose to any Heavenly Emperor's Disciple at the same cultivation realm."
She emphasized this point, testing the waters.
Lu Jingchen was drawn into the conversation as expected.
"Xie Wumian and Luo Pingdan are weak not because of their talent, but because they're the youngest, barely over sixty years old. Qin Zhengyang, on the other hand, is already eighty-six."
"The Young Lord's assessment is slightly off. Though Qin Zhengyang is hailed as the Young Heavenly Emperor in the Dao Seed Realm, he only cultivated ninety-nine percent of the Immortal Body, missing the final breath. Moreover, because his cultivation Law is excessively yang, yet he spends years in the Nether Realm of the Dead, the environment has taken its toll, leaving him with an incurable wound in his cultivation."
Li Weiyi remarked, "He certainly deserves it... I wonder where exactly he was wounded?"
"Some say it's his Soul Spirit, others his Qi Sea. Once he arrives in Dragon City, I'll personally test his strength to see where he ranks," Lu Jingchen replied.
Li Weiyi feigned surprise: "He's coming to Dragon City?"
"Brother Li, there's no need to panic. The Tai Yin Sect's mission to deal with Jing Shen has been canceled due to the client's death," Lu Jingchen assured him.
Knowing Lu Jingchen's shrewdness, Li Weiyi refrained from pressing further.
After all, Thousand Mile Mountain maintained strict neutrality, avoiding conflict.
If Lu Jingchen learned of Tang Wanzhou's assassination plot against Qin Zhengyang, he would likely distance himself from them, perhaps even cancel his own plans to probe Qin Zhengyang.
Only by having Lu Jingchen probe Qin Zhengyang could they gather more useful intelligence.
Lu Jingchen was exceedingly busy.
Upon receiving a telepathic report from a scribe attending the banquet, he hastily departed before the feast concluded.
At Lu Jingshen's repeated insistence, Li Weiyi and Tang Wanzhou temporarily lodged at the Heavenly Pavilion.
Clutching the jade box containing the elixir given by Lu Jingshen, Li Weiyi and Tang Wanzhou walked toward their quarters, communicating telepathically.
Tang Wanzhou's expression was grave.
The information gleaned from Lu Jingchen revealed Qin Zhengyang's formidable strength: a Immortal Body at 99% of the Dao Seed Realm, a feat of cultivation beyond ordinary mortals.
To assassinate such a figure, even across a single realm, would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Moreover, Dead Spirit powerhouses might be lurking in the shadows, accompanying him.
"Don't worry," Tang Wanzhou reassured Li Weiyi, "If there's truly no opportunity, I'll abandon the plan. But until then, I'll exhaust every effort to assess our chances before deciding whether to advance or retreat."
Tang Wanzhou followed Li Weiyi through the doorway, and the door closed behind them.
Lu Jingshen, who had witnessed this from afar, froze in his tracks, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Despite having prepared accommodations for the Young Lord of the Northern Territory, she had entered Li Weiyi's room as naturally as if it were a routine occurrence.
Clearly, this wasn't their first time.
The next morning, Lu Jingshen kept a close watch.
He saw Tang Wanzhou, wearing a mask, emerge from Li Weiyi's room and leave the Heavenly Pavilion alone.
"Heavens! That's Zuoqiu Hongting's fiancé! Aren't the Zuoqiu Clan and the Snow Sword Tang Court locked in a bitter rivalry in the Lingxiao Life Realm? If this news gets out, all hell will break loose!"
Lu Jingshen immediately issued a gag order within the Heavenly Pavilion.
For the next three days, Tang Wanzhou left early and returned late, immersed in preparations for the upcoming battle.
At night, she ventured into the Blood Mud Space to cultivate within the Cocoon of Time alongside Li Weiyi.
Each morning, after watching Tang Wanzhou disappear down the street, Lu Jingshen would sigh repeatedly before ordering nourishing tonics to be prepared and delivered to Li Weiyi's room.
Every time, the dishes were emptied completely, as if they had been licked clean.
_______________________
END OF CHAPTER
Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
*************************************