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In the yard.

Lu Sheng stood on one side.

The Spirit Bind Sect disciples stood on another side, and Xie Yusheng, Xie Yuqiong, and the Youyin Sect disciples stood in a third corner.

The three groups separated themselves clearly, with no one getting close to the other.

The Youyin Sect people glared at Lu Sheng, unable to comprehend his actions.

Lu Sheng decided to chill and sit on the steps beside them, carefully observing the Youyin Sect's and Spirit Bind Sect's disciples with his eyes.

If anyone dared to leave, he would actually attack them. That was the message that his look portrayed.

"Senior Apprentice Brother Lu. I've heard Zhang Songhui mention your name before, so I hope you don't mind me calling you this." After some hesitation, Xie Yuqiong spoke up.

If she kept silent any longer, she was afraid that this situation would become even more uncontrollable.

She could tell that Lu Sheng was extremely strong. Maybe not as strong as Zhangsun Lan, but still, it was a bonus for the Thousand Sun Sect. But the Thousand Sun Sect had its own rules and guides, so what he was doing was destroying an accepted rule.

"Yes?" Lu Sheng was slightly nicer to someone from his own sect.

Xie Yuqiong organized her thoughts. "Senior Apprentice Brother Lu is looking for someone, right? But you only know their face and not their name, identity, or anything else. That's why you're sifting through everyone like this. Correct?"

"Yup." Lu Sheng nodded.

"If so, you don't have to go through such hassle and make enemies out of almost everyone in the three sects.

"Although you're strong enough to disregard such things, it's always better not to have enemies, am I right?" Xie Yuqiong continued.

"You have an idea?" Lu Sheng was now interested. He examined Xie Yuqiong carefully. This young woman seemed to be very confident in herself. A hint of calmness as if she could peacefully stand on her own feet in any situation could be found in the depths of her eyes.

"I do have an idea," Xie Yuqiong smiled. "This idea stems from our own people too. Senior Apprentice Brother Lu, do you know that there's a private organization in our sect called the Thousand Brothers Association?"

"Nope." Lu Sheng had just joined the sect, so of course he didn't.

Xie Yuqiong glanced at her brother, who seemed a little dazed, then at the Youyin Sect's members. She continued, "The Thousand Brothers Association mainly focuses on collecting intelligence. They even have connections among the higher levels of the sect. Although the creator is from our Thousand Sun Sect, it also exists in both the Spirit Bind and the Youyin Sect. They claim that as long you have money, you can get any information you desire."

Lu Sheng immediately understood.

"What you're saying is that I should go directly to the Thousand Brothers Association to buy information?"

"That's right." Xie Yuqiong nodded. "They have close ties to the higher-ups—they might even have been created by the higher-ups. You will be able to get the list of all the disciples in this competition. That way, you won't miss anyone.

"Senior Apprentice Brother Lu, think about it. Rushing to and fro in this competition won't guarantee that you come across everyone—no matter how strong you are. You might miss some of those who got disqualified early on. What if the person you're looking for is among those?"

Lu Sheng thought about it.

He had to say, Xie Yuqiong's words made sense. Violence could solve problems, but it might not be the best and easiest way.

Maybe his usual way of doing things really was too violent.

As he stroked his chin, Lu Sheng suddenly thought of a problem. He lifted his head.

"But I don't have money."

"Uh…" Xie Yuqiong was taken aback.

The other two sects were also shocked.

A Thousand Sun Sect disciple had no money. If anyone else heard this, there was no way they'd believe it. But Xie Yuqiong could tell from Lu Sheng's expression that he actually didn't have money.

"...Then… junior apprentice sister is willing to assist you." Xie Yuqiong gritted her teeth and promised him so. "Although our Xie Family is not very wealthy, a few thousand or ten thousands should be manageable."

"Sis!" Xie Yusheng tugged on her clothes, unhappy. "You…!" This wasn't even their problem. Why was she trying to stand up for them? Xie Yusheng couldn't understand her sister's actions.

"How much does it cost to purchase intelligence?" Lu Sheng asked.

"This… you can ask…"

"Ask me." From a distant temple roof, a gray figure landed lightly on top of the wall surrounding the yard, her figure graceful and light as smoke.

"Senior Apprentice Sister Gong!"

"Senior Apprentice Sister Gong Chi is here!"

"You're finally here!" The Youyin Sect members acted as if they had met their savior. To be honest, it was just that Lu Sheng's presence sitting was too much pressure for them.

Gong Chi was wearing a simple and plain gray shirt that hugged her curves. She carried a deeply red spear with a glowing silver tip on her back.

She seemed to be a young woman who preferred to stay quiet. She was above average in looks, and her body was lean and toned. Her chest area seemed to be bound up and not immediately visible.

Apart from her spear, she didn't carry anything else.

Lu Sheng turned his gaze to Gong Chi.

"You're from that whatever Thousand Brothers Association?" He stood up slowly.

"Correct." Gong Chi nodded.

"I want a list of every disciple enrolled in this ranking competition. One that has pictures. How much is it?" Lu Sheng asked directly.

"A lot of organizations have such information. If you only want faces and simple information, a couple tens of Devil Gold should be enough. But a lot of participants have mysterious identities and faces, so this price may change," Gong Chi answered solemnly.

"You're realistic." Lu Sheng smiled.

"That's because I can't defeat you and don't want to get disqualified. Solving the situation in other ways is my only choice," Gong Chi said honestly.

Lu Sheng was surprised.

Not just him, Xie Yuqiong and the Youyin Sect's people were also shocked. They didn't expect Gong Chi to admit defeat before she even fought.

As they already knew, Gong Chi was already the third strongest in the entire Youyin Sect, the third strongest among the inner disciples.

And being highly ranked in the Youying Sect meant more than in the other two. Gong Chi had once defeated the number two and three in the Spirit Bind Sect in a one on one, and had forced numerous Thousand Sun Sect disciples to pay for a better ranking.

Her Blood Pool Spear Art was mysterious and forceful. But now, she admitted she wasn't a match for Lu Sheng.

But Gong Chi didn't seem to mind and spoke the truth.

"To be honest, I think that there are not a lot of people in the entire Moling Prefecture who can beat Senior Apprentice Brother Lu."

"Is that so?" Lu Sheng raised one brow. He walked over to the Spirit Bind Sect members.

"Clang!"

The glint of his blade flashed for a moment.

The Spirit Bind Sect disciples were rooted in place. A few seconds later, holes as big as eggs exploded on their foreheads and their bodies slowly melted away.

Lu Sheng had killed all of them.

Xie Yuqiong was frightened, and couldn't help asking, "Senior Apprentice Brother Lu?! What are you doing!?"

"Killing all the Spirit Bind Sect's people while I'm in a good mood to prevent them from spoiling my mood later," Lu Sheng answered with a smile.

Xie Yuqiong was speechless.

Killing people while in a good mood? Even though he didn't actually kill them, if they died here, they still had to face a long recovery outside. This wasn't physical damage, but damage to the soul. Apart from time, nothing else could help.

This Senior Apprentice Brother Lu seemed a little violent and distant.

***

"Clink."

Wang Yunlong's dagger fell to the ground tiredly, making a clinking noise against the stone tiles.

He looked at the black-robed girl in front of him, his expression tense. Even with his current strength, he wasn't her opponent at all.

Although he'd expected some monsters to enter the ranking competition, wasn't this monster too terrifying??

"You, what are you looking at?" The girl's hair was covered by a black cap. White strands peaked out a little from her sides.

Her irises were a deep violet—like gems—and were extremely beautiful. Her face was also very delicate, having the exact proportions of a doll.

But her voice destroyed any lust a man might have.

It sounded like an indifferent man and woman talking at the same time. The two voices blended together, forming a cold, icy voice without tone. It seemed as if a non-human monster was residing in this pretty and delicate body.

Wang Yunlong squeezed out a smile.

"Senior Apprentice Sister Sima He… I haven't seen the person you're looking for. But if you can find the Thousand Brothers Association, maybe you can achieve your goal…"

"Thousand Brothers Association?" Sima He's empty eyes focused on Wang Yunlong for a moment. "I understand."

"It's like this. If you can find the Thousand Brothers Association, they will have a list of everyone participating in this battle. If you go through everyone on the list… you will definitely…" Wang Yunlong lifted his head and realized there was only empty air in front of him.

"Whoosh!! "

He let out a long breath and glanced around. Over ten bodies of disciples were slowly dissipating.

Wang Yunlong wiped his sweat and bent down with a bitter smile.

"Since when did being an Earth Level only guarantee survival in front of that person…"

But, thinking about Sima He, who had just randomly appeared, Wang Yunlong was slightly confused.

"So Sima He only joined to competition to look for someone…" Although he also had ulterior motives for joining the competition, so did Sima He, and the rest did too—just like her.

Wang Yunlong suddenly remembered Lu Sheng, whom he'd met in the Other World. He was also terrifyingly strong and mysterious.

************

Lu Sheng came to an agreement with Gong Chi. Unless it was under special circumstances, he wouldn't hurt Gong Chi or any of the others present.

After this, Xie Yuqiong and her brother followed behind Lu Sheng while the Youyin Sect disciples followed after Gong Chi. The two groups headed toward the resting spots.

The resting spot for the three sects was very far from the center statue. Running the whole way, the two groups came across a few more attacks from the closed-eye monks.

However, in front of Lu Sheng, these creatures could only show their faces before being decimated instantly. Soon, they reached an area of bamboo forests and saw another group of people battling before them.

Over ten people ducked and jumped around a huge white monster. The monster had its face covered, and the people would leap up to take a few stabs before running away quickly.

The monster had a triangular head and no features. There was only a huge, black character where its face should have been. It said: Buddha.

The monster was over four meters tall. Its four long and agile limbs had sharp blades and spikes growing from its arms and legs.