「Qin City, the Hall of the Hundred Schools.」

Before rows of stately bronze statues, thousands of lamps flickered, casting the entire Hall of the Hundred Schools in shadow and lending it an air of immense authority.

The wheelchair creaked as it rolled across the bronze floor. A terrified Tang Xiaoxiao pushed it, yet she couldn’t stop herself from glancing around curiously. Gazing at the immense Hall of the Hundred Schools and the imposing statues of the ancient masters above, she swallowed hard, feeling as if she were in a dream.

‘So this is the legendary Hall of the Hundred Schools…’

Fa Zi and the Vessel Master of the Lu Zi lineage followed at their side in silence. Lu Xuan, meanwhile, sat calmly in his wheelchair, gazing up at the rows of statues with a look of deep reflection.

After a moment, the wheelchair came to a stop. Tang Xiaoxiao stood stiffly in place. Lu Xuan stared at the statues for a long while before suddenly laughing.

“These sculptures aren’t very accurate.”

No one answered, all listening in respectful silence.

After a moment, Lu Xuan turned his head to look at the Vessel Master of the Lu Zi lineage and asked coolly,

“Your mind is in turmoil. You’re afraid… What is it that you fear?”

The Vessel Master’s expression changed, and he instinctively took two steps back.

Lu Xuan smiled.

“Now you’re even more frightened… You’re afraid of what you did being discovered. So, what have you done?”

Fa Zi snapped his head to the side, staring at the Vessel Master. The man dropped to his knees with a THUD, drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with terror and confusion.

‘My own thoughts… How could this mysterious young man possibly know?!’

Tang Xiaoxiao watched, completely bewildered and unable to make heads or tails of the situation. Lu Xuan, however, simply sighed softly and ignored them. He turned the wheels of his chair himself, slowly moving forward until he was directly beneath the rows of bronze statues.

He raised his head to gaze at the five bronze statues on the highest tier. He recognized only his own and that of Zhongni; the others were complete strangers to him.

Sensing the churning power that surged within the Hall of the Hundred Schools, Lu Xuan closed his eyes and stated calmly,

“This Little World seems to have been… woven by someone. The Thoughts of All Living Beings in the Hall of the Hundred Schools are all surging to the east… What lies to the east?”

Fa Zi shot a cold glance at the trembling Vessel Master of the Lu Zi lineage before respectfully replying,

“To the east… Due east are Lu City and Luocheng. The Main Hall of the Hall of the Hundred Schools is located in Luocheng.”

“Mm,” Lu Xuan nodded, then asked, “I’ve heard that when the Ten Thousand Mountains were sealed during Ancient Times, a virtuous sage from that era was also trapped in this place. Is there any truth to this?”

Fa Zi froze for a second. After only a brief hesitation, he answered honestly,

“To answer your question, Senior, it is true. You speak of our Forefather, who was one of the Ancient Sons.”

“Which one, specifically?”

“The Ghost Valley Master.”

“Oh?” Lu Xuan paused, slightly taken aback. ‘The Ghost Valley Master… Records of him in the Current World are sparse, but they do mention him. He sounds extraordinary—founded an entire Academy, and it seems many of the disciples he taught also became ‘Zis’ themselves.’

‘But I never heard of this person back in Ancient Times. And this world was severed from that era at the very beginning of Lu Zi’s journey across the land. Something doesn’t add up…’

‘Unless… this Ghost Valley Master rose to prominence in the thirty years after I invaded Qi, made a spectacular mark on history during that time, and then fell into this place, where he was trapped for over a hundred thousand years.’

Lost in thought, Lu Xuan asked Fa Zi a few questions about the Ghost Valley Master. The answers were surprisingly close to his hypothesis, and in some ways, even more astounding.

“Interesting… very interesting…”

Lu Xuan murmured to himself,

“Born during my invasion of Qi, became a Great Sage at twenty, and a Great Virtue at twenty-five? He must have been an absolutely brilliant individual…”

The three others in the hall heard his words. At first, they didn’t react, but a moment later, they all realized something was wrong.

‘My… invasion of Qi?!’

Even Tang Xiaoxiao, the least knowledgeable among them, had heard the famous tale of “Lu Zi’s Invasion of Qi”!

Her knees went weak as an unbelievable thought surfaced in her mind. ‘No… it can’t be, can it?!’

The kneeling Vessel Master snapped his head up, his breathing suddenly ragged.

Fa Zi, for his part, began to tremble as an expression of devout fanaticism appeared on his face. He stammered,

“You, you are…”

“Haven’t I already told you?” Lu Xuan exhaled softly. “My name is Lu Xuan.”

The moment he spoke.

HUMMM!!

Within the Hall of the Hundred Schools, the bronze statue of Lu Zi on the highest tier began to tremble. The accumulated Thoughts of All Living Beings meant for Lu Zi—those not yet siphoned off toward Luocheng—surged forth in a boundless tide!

In the next instant, it all poured into the young man’s Physique!

Washed over by this massive influx of the Thoughts of All Living Beings, Lu Xuan’s crumbling Physique began to stabilize. Profound and mysterious principles of the Dao manifested on his skin, and his progress toward the *Unity of Virtue and Conduct*, once slow, achieved Perfection in a single Instant!

The twin aspects of Great Virtue and great might materialized around him. His form became shrouded in shifting shadows as a paean of heaven and earth echoed in the air, playing a celestial hymn!

“The Uni… Unity of Virtue and Conduct!” Fa Zi threw himself to the ground in prostration, pressing his head as low as it would go, his voice trembling.

“This junior, Tu Chengquan, pays his respects to Lu Zi!”

Tang Xiaoxiao’s legs gave out as well. Her heart hammered in her chest as she followed suit, prostrating herself on the floor.

As for the Vessel Master of the Lu Zi lineage, he was first stunned, then overcome with elation, and finally, an expression of extreme piety and anguish twisted his features!

To have become the Vessel Master of the Lu Zi lineage, one’s personal character aside, his faith and devotion to Lu Zi were likely second to none in this entire world.

Tears and snot streamed down the Vessel Master’s face as he lay prostrate, his voice filled with the utmost sincerity and reverence.

“I colluded with the Outer Celestial Evil Demons! I have sinned! I have sinned! I beg for Lu Zi’s forgiveness! I beg for Lu Zi’s forgiveness…”

With the principles of the Dao interwoven around his body and his virtue and conduct unified as one, this was unquestionably a true, genuine Great Virtue.

As a Great Virtue, he would have ranked among the foremost of the Ancient Sons even in their own time. Such a being could not be an impersonator, nor would he ever deign to be one!

‘Then… this person really is the legendary Lu Zi!’

A legendary figure from Ancient Times had just appeared before them in the flesh. The revelation struck each of the three in different ways.

Even Fa Zi, who had been somewhat prepared for it, was trembling slightly, to say nothing of the intensely devout Vessel Master. Tang Xiaoxiao, however, was the most stunned and disbelieving of all.

‘I… I personally fished Lu Zi out of a river?!’

After a brief, dead silence, the Vessel Master of the Lu Zi lineage broke down into loud sobs, confessing everything he had done in a rush, holding back no detail.

He had been in contact with the “Outer Celestial Evil Demons” who were rampaging through villages and towns, and had even provided them with aid. His reason was both incredibly simple and utterly absurd…

He wanted those “Outer Celestial Evil Demons” to cripple or even destroy the other four great academic lineages that stood equal to Lu Zi’s. That way, the Lu Zi lineage could become the most honored and revered in this world…

Nearby, the prostrate Fa Zi was seething with fury, yet he dared not say a word. After all, Lu Zi himself was right there…

From his wheelchair, Lu Xuan simply lowered his eyelids and said calmly,

“Then in a way, the fault is also mine. Fortunately, the Dao of this land has been supplanted by the Dao of the Ancient Sons. Since the Ancient Sons are the heavens here, I should be able to restore everything. That, at least, will serve as an atonement for my part in this.”

He paused, then sighed softly.

“But you have strayed onto a wicked path. Despite your great devotion to me, your sins are unforgivable… Do you understand?”

“I understand!” the Vessel Master cried out from the floor, his voice hoarse. “I have sinned! I am unfit to face Lu Zi, and I no longer dare to exist in this world!”

As he finished speaking, he raised a hand and shouted with fanatical fervor,

“Lu Zi is Great Virtue!”

With that, the Vessel Master slammed a palm against his own skull, ending his life. He even shattered his own Three Souls and Seven Spirits, collapsing to the ground, utterly lifeless.

The entire Hall of the Hundred Schools fell deathly silent.

After a long moment, Lu Xuan turned his wheelchair to face Tang Xiaoxiao and smiled.

“You have shown me kindness, so you shall be the new Vessel Master. You and Little Stone will act as my proxies in this Little World.”

As he spoke, Fa Zi watched in shock as terrifying principles of the Dao materialized from the void, weaving together and enveloping a dumbfounded Tang Xiaoxiao.

Her aura skyrocketed, and in mere moments, it had surpassed even Fa Zi’s!

「Meanwhile, outside the hall, in a courtyard within the city.」

Before Tang Xiuming’s shocked and horrified eyes, the vast, fundamental power of the world manifested around Little Stone. As the power poured into him, his aura surged explosively!

“I…” Little Stone was dazed. Principles and Laws wove around his body. He clenched his small fist, and the very air around it collapsed!

This “Peach Blossom Spring” was a self-contained world, and the Ancient Sons were its “Dao.” The words of Lu Zi were the words of this world itself.

This was no longer a case of Words Become Law. This was…

A single word becoming the law for all under heaven.

Inside the Hall of the Hundred Schools, Lu Xuan felt the world’s fondness for him. He smiled and said languidly,

“Can you contact the other Halls of the Hundred Schools? Tell them that I have arrived in this world, and in three days, I shall personally visit Luocheng.”

‘The Hall of the Hundred Schools in Luocheng is the Main Hall. Once I go there and announce my name to the world, I’ll be able to fully mobilize all of the Thoughts of All Living Beings that belong to me…’

‘And at that point, I’ll be able to take complete control of this world… provided I first meet with that mysterious Ghost Valley Master.’

Lu Xuan could sense a colossal presence presiding over this Little World, one that commanded Nature and established its rules. That had to be the Ghost Valley Master.

Fa Zi rose respectfully and nodded firmly.

“I will immediately announce Lu Zi’s arrival to the world!”

…

「Luocheng, the deepest recesses of the Hall of the Hundred Schools.」

“Forefather,” the elder in black said, prostrating respectfully on the ground. “A message from Fa Zi in Qin City… he says… he says the Ancient Lu Zi has arrived in our world…”

“Impossible.” The impossibly ancient Ghost Valley Master was enraged. “Someone is impersonating Xiaoxuan? The audacity…”

As his anger flared, the skies of the entire Peach Blossom Spring changed in an instant. The wind HOWLED, lightning flashed, and the heavens grew dark and heavy, pressing down as the very Earth trembled!

Immediately, the Ghost Valley Master’s consciousness merged with the Little World, his being becoming one with it. To his astonishment, he discovered that a piece of the world he commanded was missing…

The missing piece was precisely the land around Qin City.

Stunned, he strained to mobilize the *Dao* of the entire Little World, forming it into a colossal eye to peer down at Qin City and investigate its principles. However, his gaze was blocked by an immense power.

There truly seemed to be a sage in Qin City, one who had seized a portion of his control over this Little World!

‘In other words, I can’t just use the power of this world to crush them…’

The Ghost Valley Master’s brow furrowed.

“Fine… just fine…”

He said coldly,

“Coming to Luocheng in three days, is he? I’d like to see what kind of upstart dares to impersonate someone from the Taishang Lineage. Do they truly not fear the wrath of the Great Dao?”

The elder in black remained prostrate, his heart trembling with fear. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked,

“Forefather, could it… could it possibly be the real…?”

“Impossible.”

The Ghost Valley Master waved a dismissive hand and said flatly,

“You have no idea how brilliant Xiaoxuan’s talent is. For him, becoming a Great Virtue was merely the Starting Point. After a hundred thousand Years, Xiaoxuan has likely already ascended to the Celestial Realms—or even surpassed them, taking his place among the strongest beings just beneath the Dao Fruit!”

As he spoke, he lifted his chin, his expression a mixture of pride and wistful melancholy.

The elder remained prostrate. Though he didn’t understand what “Celestial Realms” or “Dao Fruit” meant, he still asked with the utmost respect,

“Should I summon the Masters of the Academies to march on Qin City and vanquish this impersonator?”

“That outsider may be impersonating Xiaoxuan, but he is a genuine sage. What would you accomplish by going? You’d just be throwing your lives away.”

The Ghost Valley Master regained his composure. He coughed twice and said wearily,

“It is only because my life is at its end that I cannot leave this hall. Otherwise…”

He paused before continuing,

“We will wait for the impostor to come here in three days. Hmph. Of all the people to impersonate, he had to choose Xiaoxuan… On second thought, take my Decree and bring all the otherworldly visitors to this place. It’s a good opportunity to deal with them all at once.”

“Yes, Forefather!” the elder replied with the utmost reverence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep