Firmament Sword

Just as Yuwen Ji was dragging Xu Luo away to demand justice from the Precepts Hall, a hearty laugh suddenly echoed from the distance.

"I heard the magpies chirping outside early this morning, so I knew an honored guest would be visiting! And just as I expected... it's Grand Elder Yuwen. What a rare visitor! Mingyu is late. Please forgive me, Elder Yuwen!"

As the voice spoke, a figure approached from the distance, followed by the middle-aged steward from before.

The few guards at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion hurried over to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Grand Elder!"

"We pay our respects, Grand Elder!"

Xu Luo looked at the newcomer and was slightly startled. The man was far too young.

He had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, with red lips and white teeth. His eyes were exceptionally pure, and he looked like a young man in his twenties, without the slightest hint of an old man's aura about him.

But Xu Luo knew that to become an Elder in the Celestial Brilliance Sect, one had to be at least over a hundred years old. Most Elders were already five or six hundred.

Take someone like the Medicine Garden's Eighth Elder, Lu Xue. She looked to be in her thirties, but in reality, she was already several hundred years old. Her youthful appearance was due to her profound cultivation and youth-preserving arts.

But no matter how skilled one was at preserving their youth, you could still tell from subtle details that the person wasn't truly young.

The most obvious was the eyes.

No matter how young an old man's face looked or how vigorous his body's qi and blood were, after experiencing so much, his eyes would always reveal a look that had seen through the vicissitudes of the world.

Yet the man before him, no matter how you looked at him, seemed to be a young man in his twenties.

Then, Yuwen Ji's reaction confirmed that this man was definitely not young.

"Zuo Mingyu, cut the act. You've done a truly 'outstanding' job managing this Scripture Pavilion! It's locked down tight as a steel drum. Even the Sect Leader's name is useless here!" Yuwen Ji said, his face cold as he stared at the young-looking man.

"Haha, you flatter me, Elder Yuwen. The Scripture Pavilion is a vital location for the Celestial Brilliance Sect. It would be wrong not to be cautious. My subordinates were just being a bit diligent. I hope Elder Yuwen won't stoop to their level." Zuo Mingyu said with a smile, looking at Yuwen Ji without a hint of anger.

With that, Zuo Mingyu turned to Xu Luo and cupped his fist in a salute. "If I'm not mistaken, this must be the new Medicine King, correct? So young and promising. It's truly enviable!"

Xu Luo smiled and returned the salute. "Elder Zuo is the one who is truly young and promising. Luo Tian was merely fortunate enough to gain the Medicine King Ancestor's recognition."

"Haha, Elder Yuwen, your disciple is quite interesting. He actually called me young!" Zuo Mingyu wore a delighted smile and seemed extremely amicable, but by emphasizing that Xu Luo was Yuwen Ji's disciple, he was clearly trying to diminish Xu Luo's status.

According to Xu Luo's status, which was equal to the Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master, Zuo Mingyu should have performed a formal salute. Instead, he gave a casual fist-cup and immediately brought up the fact that Xu Luo was Yuwen Ji's disciple. His tone was clearly that of a senior addressing a junior.

Yuwen Ji gave a cold laugh and said, "What does you being young or not have to do with me? Zuo Mingyu, enough nonsense. I want to enter the Scripture Pavilion. The Medicine King wants to consult the Soul Scripture. Yes or no? Give me a straight answer!"

"What? Consult the Soul Scripture? That's absolutely not possible!" Zuo Mingyu hadn't expected them to come to the Scripture Pavilion for the Soul Scripture. He refused sternly, looking at Yuwen Ji with a troubled expression. "Elder Yuwen, you and I have known each other for many years. You know the rules of the Scripture Pavilion. Anything else would be fine, but the Soul Scripture... without the Sect Leader's permission, no one is allowed to access it!"

"Zuo Mingyu, listen up! It's not me who wants to consult the Soul Scripture, it's the Medicine King!" Yuwen Ji said in an extremely forceful tone. "I don't believe you haven't received the Sect Leader's decree, and I don't believe you're unaware of the Celestial Brilliance's ancestral teachings! The Medicine King has appeared and his status is equal to the Sect Leader! Now, the Medicine King holds the Sect Leader's waist token, which is like the Sect Leader himself being present. Do you dare to obstruct him?"

Zuo Mingyu's expression gradually turned serious. He looked at Yuwen Ji intently and said lightly, "Elder Yuwen, there's no need to use that tone with me. In terms of status, you are the Chief Grand Elder of the Medicine Garden, and I am the Chief Grand Elder of the Scripture Pavilion."

"It's not that I won't allow the Medicine King to consult the Soul Scripture; the rules of the Celestial Brilliance Sect are right here. I won't waste words with you. If you can get a decree from the Sect Leader right now—as long as the Sect Leader permits the Medicine King to consult the Soul Scripture—I will grant access immediately without another word!"

After speaking, Zuo Mingyu looked at Yuwen Ji with a calm expression.

'If I hadn't heard Elder Lu Xue privately reveal some details about the grudge between my master and the Chief Grand Elder of the Scripture Pavilion, I would have definitely thought Zuo Mingyu was a very upright person.

Although Lu Xue hadn't said much, I already knew that my master's separation from my master's wife back then wasn't as simple as my master had claimed. There were many other factors involved. And this Chief Grand Elder of the Scripture Pavilion before me had not played a positive role in the matter.

And more than once... he had secretly plotted against my master!'

Deep down, Xu Luo had not a shred of goodwill for this Zuo Mingyu.

So angry he started laughing, Yuwen Ji looked at Zuo Mingyu and said, "Fine, Zuo! You're so responsible, are you? You want the Sect Leader's decree? I'll grant you your wish!"

With that, Yuwen Ji took out a Sound Transmission Stone and directly contacted someone by the Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master's side, and began to communicate.

Xu Luo, however, started to feel nervous. As the saying goes, concern breeds chaos. With Su Qianqian's life on the line, he simply couldn't remain calm.

'In truth, I also understand that even if the Soul Scripture is a Celestial Brilliance Holy Scripture, it's ultimately just a book. Someone has to be qualified to read it.

If I, the new Medicine King, wasn't qualified to consult the Soul Scripture, then in the entire Celestial Brilliance Sect... there truly is no one else who would be.'

Sure enough, Yuwen Ji's request quickly received a reply from the Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master's side.

"Grant access!"

From the Sound Transmission Stone came just two words!

Zuo Mingyu's expression immediately turned ugly. He stared at Xu Luo in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that the Sect Leader would actually give the new Medicine King so much face.

Previously, many had speculated in private that the Sect Leader had only been forced by the ancestral teachings to acknowledge the new Medicine King Luo Tian's status, not wanting to be accused of forgetting his roots.

In reality, he must have strongly disliked this new Medicine King!

After all, if they were in his shoes, they would never like some guy who popped up out of nowhere and instantly gained the same status and position as them.

Especially a status... so high that it was lonely at the top!

That was why Zuo Mingyu had spoken to Yuwen Ji with such confidence just now.

He never expected Yuwen Ji to be so direct and contact the Sect Leader's side immediately. What was even more unbelievable was that the Sect Leader had replied so quickly!

According to Zuo Mingyu's original judgment, even if the Sect Leader agreed, it would definitely not be this fast. Today, Yuwen Ji and Luo Tian would certainly have left in disgrace.

Then, he would just need to have someone spread the word about this incident, and Yuwen Ji, Luo Tian... and even the entire Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden would become a laughingstock, earning a reputation for being self-important.

Zuo Mingyu had it all planned out, but he never expected the outcome... to be completely different from his prediction!

'In reality, it's just the Soul Scripture. Who among us, the guardians of the Scripture Pavilion, hasn't read it?

To outsiders, the Soul Scripture is a Holy Scripture of the Celestial Brilliance Sect, its value immeasurable. But in our eyes, the Soul Scripture... is just an esoteric ancient text.

Most importantly... we can't understand it!

In the Ancient Era, any Celestial Brilliance People with the status of Inner Sect Disciple or higher were qualified to consult the Soul Scripture. It was just that aside from the first-generation Sect Leader, no second person had ever been able to fully comprehend it!

It isn't an Unparalleled Technique, nor does it contain any immensely powerful moves. Its true value is something very few people can actually explain.

It is only known that the Soul Scripture contains the mysteries of creation, but comprehending them is a feat almost no one can achieve.

Throughout history, there have been many astonishingly brilliant Heavenly Brilliance Disciples who gained some enlightenment from the Soul Scripture. They each comprehended different Daos, eventually leaving their mark on history and becoming mighty figures of their generation.

But these were a very small minority. In the long river of the Celestial Brilliance Sect's history... many more people gained nothing after years of studying the Soul Scripture, delaying their cultivation and wasting their lives.

Only when their youth was gone did they realize their mistake with regret.

Even more peerless geniuses spent their entire lives wrestling with the Soul Scripture, only to achieve nothing in the end... wasting their unparalleled talent.

So, an assertive Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master of a certain generation, in a fit of anger, simply changed the rules for consulting the Soul Scripture. He decreed that besides the current Sect Leader of each generation, no one was allowed to consult the Soul Scripture without permission!

It wasn't until recent times that a Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master, who was also a peerless genius, came to a startling conclusion from the Soul Scripture: the reason it was so hard to comprehend was because this was only the first half!

The complete Soul Scripture... has a second half!

The entire Celestial Brilliance Sect was shaken. After many years and a tremendous waste of manpower and resources, they finally found a clue about the second half of the Soul Scripture.

Later... that led to the incident where Uncle Monkey was captured, because the people of the Celestial Brilliance Sect concluded that to enter that place, the bloodline of the Golden Monkey Race was required to open it!

It seemed... that place had been left behind by an ancestor of the Golden Monkey Race!

'Could it be... that in the Sect Leader's eyes, this new Medicine King... truly holds an irreplaceable position?' Zuo Mingyu thought, looking at Xu Luo as the light in his eyes flickered, his expression uncertain.

Yuwen Ji said coldly from the side, "What's the matter, Elder Zuo... Is the Sect Leader's decree not clear enough? Or must the Sect Leader come here in person before you're willing to grant access?"

Zuo Mingyu snapped back to reality and sighed lightly. He looked at Yuwen Ji with an expression of helplessness and lamented, "It's not that I'm unwilling to let the Medicine King in. The Medicine King has just arrived at Celestial Brilliance and may not know, but Elder Yuwen, surely you remember... how many geniuses were ruined because of the Soul Scripture back then? So... please, Medicine King, don't misunderstand me!"

Yuwen Ji was stunned. He stared at Zuo Mingyu, his old face flushing red, and he nearly burst out cursing. If Xu Luo hadn't been by his side, Yuwen Ji really would have charged forward to fight this insidious villain to the death.

Xu Luo's mouth twitched. 'Even at a time like this... this man can still so brazenly sow discord. It really leaves you speechless!'

He thought to himself, 'If I hadn't already learned so much about the Soul Scripture from Lu Xue and Master, and if I wasn't the one who had proactively asked to consult it, I might have... actually been fooled by him for a moment.

This man... is really something else!'

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