"You're giving me an order now?" Duan Yiwei immediately flew into a rage.
Jin Yu looked puzzled. "What order did I give you? Isn't this area under Qingxiao Pavilion's jurisdiction?"
Duan Yiwei glared at Jin Yu.
This was the downside of dealing with sword cultivators. Sometimes, it was impossible to tell whether they were being deliberately obtuse or genuinely oblivious.
"Don't you want to help your junior sister settle this matter quickly and open the hidden trove as soon as possible?" Jin Yu looked him in the eye.
Duan Yiwei clenched his teeth and turned to Yun Jin. "Fine, I'll go find people for you. Once the Luohua Mountain situation is resolved, you'll open the hidden trove immediately, right?"
Yun Jin nodded. "More or less."
Duan Yiwei snorted coldly. "You'd better keep your word."
Then, without another word, he walked out the door.
"Junior Sister Yun, now you can be at ease. Within a few days, we'll all be ready," Ye Liuqin said with a smile.
Yun Jin looked genuinely grateful. "Thank you, senior brothers and sisters. Still, we've made such a big stir. If there really are demonic cultivators in Luohua Mountain, wouldn't they have been scared off by now?"
Cheng Su raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry. I've stationed a few small beasts to keep watch near Luohua Mountain. If anything unusual happens, we'll know immediately."
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Yun Jin finally let out a sigh of relief.
After Yun Jin and Yu Songnian left, the group exchanged quiet chuckles.
Coming from such a small sect, her caution was understandable.
What they couldn't figure out was this—how could someone like her receive the sect leader's personal instructions to be protected with such care?
Jin Yu, as always, was the least bothered by such thoughts. He stood up. "I'm heading back to rest. Once everyone's gathered, we'll just flatten Luohua Mountain."
The others exchanged glances, then each went their separate ways.
Inside his room, Jin Yu opened the thousand-mile communication talisman. This talisman had been given to him directly by the sect leader. It was glowing and pulsing—clearly, the sect leader had something urgent.
Not daring to delay, Jin Yu activated the talisman.
Ji Wusi's image immediately appeared before him.
Jin Yu bowed respectfully. "Sect Leader."
Ji Wusi studied him with interest. "You've spent some time with the master of the main key. What do you think of her?"
Ji Wusi naturally understood how extraordinarily gifted Yun Jin was. Jin Yu, too, was someone he valued among the younger generation. Having now met Yun Jin, he should have realized there were always greater heights and more formidable people in this world.
Jin Yu thought for a moment and said, "This Junior Sister Yun... she seems rather timid in temperament. Understandable, of course. She comes from a mid-tier sect and got swept into this kind of situation. It's only natural for her to be flustered. But don't worry, Sect Leader. I'll protect her well."
Ji Wusi: "???"
Yun Jin?
Timid?
Was Jin Yu out of his mind?
For a moment, Ji Wusi was too stunned to even respond.
Thinking the sect leader was worried, Jin Yu quickly added, "You don't need to worry, Sect Leader. At first I was concerned the other three Holy Lands might have their own agendas. But now, it seems the Beastmaster Sect and Xuandan Gate are on the same page with us—they're willing to help rebuild Wushuang Sect. As for Qingxiao Pavilion, they might have other intentions. Still, as long as three of the four Holy Lands are united, Qingxiao Pavilion won't be able to cause much trouble."
Ji Wusi remained silent.
That wasn't what he was worried about at all.
In a quiet voice, he asked, "Aside from being timid, didn't you notice anything else?"
Anything else?
Jin Yu thought carefully and replied earnestly, "Junior Sister Yun's Luck must be quite extraordinary."
Ji Wusi was intrigued. "Why do you say that?"
Jin Yu said, "She told me she stumbled into the inheritance at the Sword Tomb by sheer accident. Sect Leader, isn't that the very definition of great Luck?"
Ji Wusi went silent again.
After a long pause, he asked, "So... you just believe whatever she says?"
Who could possibly gain the recognition of the Tian Po Sword by mere chance?
Ji Wusi suddenly felt a wave of frustration.
Were all sword cultivators really this simple-minded, all brawn and no brains?
He couldn't help but ask, "What about the disciples from the other Holy Lands? Do they share the same opinion?"
Jin Yu nodded. "More or less."
Fine then.
Ji Wusi felt a little more at ease.
So it wasn't that sword cultivators were particularly dense—it was just that his little disciple was a master of playing dumb.
That made sense.
The disciples of the four Holy Lands had always carried themselves with superiority. Outside of their own peers, they rarely spared a second glance for others.
Add to that Yun Jin's status as a disciple from a mid-tier sect in a remote corner of Canglan Kingdom... How could any of them imagine that she was hiding her strength behind a sheepish smile?
"Sect Leader, is something wrong?" Jin Yu asked in confusion.
Ji Wusi replied sharply, "Nothing's wrong. Just protect her well."
"Yes, of course," Jin Yu responded at once.
The image of Ji Wusi vanished.
At the same time...
Yun Jin received a message from Ji Wusi.
"Timid? Just lucky?"
As soon as she heard it, she felt a bit embarrassed.
Ah—so even her master had caught wind of it.
She replied, "I'm still young! Being a little timid is totally normal, right?"
Ji Wusi: Take it easy. A little fun is fine, but don't overdo it.
"Don't worry, Master! I've got it under control," Yun Jin promised confidently.
Ji Wusi chuckled and decided not to interfere further.
She was still young. If she wanted to play around a bit, so be it.
As long as no one died, it was fine.
Besides, it would be good for Jin Yu and the others to see just how vast the world really was. It would keep them from thinking they were second only to the heavens.
Why should the four Holy Lands be considered invincible, anyway?
Let Yun Jin give them all a proper lesson.
Ji Wusi pulled his thoughts back. There were still matters to attend to.
Regarding the hidden trove of Wushuang Sect, all four Holy Lands had already sent their disciples. Back then, time had been tight. They hadn't coordinated with each other and had all acted on their own.
But now—
It was time for a proper discussion.
Ji Wusi arrived at the great hall.
With a few elders beside him, he projected his soul outward. Soon, a swirling portal opened within the hall.
Their spiritual souls entered the vortex and arrived in an alternate dimension.
Inside that space, representatives from the other Holy Lands were already present. With Ji Wusi's arrival, the meeting could begin.
Ji Wusi smiled and took the central seat.
As the current de facto leader of the human race, he had both the strength and the status to justify the position.
He said calmly, "We've gathered today to discuss the reappearance of Wushuang Sect. I'll be blunt. Wan Dao and I were old friends. This time, Kunlun Sword Sect is willing to lend Wushuang Sect our full support."
Lin Xiao snorted coldly. "Old friendship, sure. But I suspect the real reason lies with the future sect leader of Wushuang Sect, doesn't it? Sect Leader Ji, others might not know, but I do. You went to Tianxing Sect specifically to recruit Yun Jin as your disciple, didn't you?"
Ji Wusi raised an eyebrow. "I did have that intention. But you had her swear an oath never to join any of the four Holy Lands. In that case, taking her as a disciple would be meaningless. I only gave her a few days of guidance because I thought she had potential. A mere few days of teaching wouldn't be enough for me to make a decision like this."
Among their own sect's upper ranks, it was well-known that Ji Wusi had once tried to take Yun Jin as a disciple.
But in front of outsiders, none of them would reveal such internal matters, so they remained silent.
Hearing Ji Wusi's explanation, Lin Xiao found it believable.
After all, it was he who had personally forced Yun Jin to swear that oath. A disciple who couldn't join the sect and couldn't provide Luck gains wasn't worth recruiting.
Unless Yun Jin's talent was so monstrous that Ji Wusi would forgo all benefits just to have her.
But was that even possible?
Lin Xiao didn't think so.