NOVPUB"Expensive!" Lu Ye wasn't sure if it was truly expensive, but he said it anyway because he was certain there was no harm in claiming so.
Following that, they entered the familiar phase of haggling over the price.
Although he wasn't short on merit points, he also didn't wish to squander them recklessly.
After some mutual testing, they finally agreed on a price of 23,000 merit points.
Lu Ye raised his hand, and a Heaven's Augury Pact appeared in it. He quickly drafted various terms, branded his own seal on them, and then handed it to the woman.
The woman received it, branded her own seal as well, and thus, the Heaven's Augury Pact was completed.
"Within half a month, I will contact you, young friend. Just wait for the good news," the woman said at last.
"Why so long?"
Last time the upgrade of the Spiritual Artifact took only three days; even if it took a bit longer this time, it shouldn't need half a month.
"Recently, the old man has other matters to attend to," the woman casually explained, mainly because her own cultivation had reached a critical juncture. Had Lu Ye not contacted her this time, she wouldn't have come out of her retreat.
Lu Ye nodded; it wasn't a big issue for him, so half a month it would be. He then left the Heaven's Augury treasure vault.
When he came to his senses, he heard the voices of Yiyi and Shui Yuan talking nearby.
It turned out that Shui Yuan had come to check up on him, sensing Lu Ye's presence.
"Second Senior Sister!" Lu Ye turned around and respectfully saluted her.
Having not seen her for many days, Shui Yuan's aura seemed even stronger than before, clearly indicating advancements in her cultivation.
This certainly showed that her natural talent was top-notch too.
For cultivators at the Divine Sea Realm, advancing in cultivation wasn't easy. There were many at the Divine Sea Realm in the Nine Provinces, but many were below Level 5. Those above Level 5 in the Divine Sea Realm only accounted for about thirty percent of the total.
Seeing Shui Yuan's progress in cultivation, her limit was obviously not just Divine Sea Level 5.
"Why have you come back at this time?" Seeing Lu Ye and Yiyi made her very happy, but this period was crucial for the Cloud River competition. Lu Ye's return at this time made her worry that he might have encountered some trouble.
"I went to see Feathered Master to upgrade my sabre," Lu Ye explained.
Lu Ye's Boulder Mountain Saber had always been upgraded by Feathered Master, a fact known to Shui Yuan.
Relieved to know that nothing was wrong, Shui Yuan was put at ease.
Observing Lu Ye, Shui Yuan felt deeply moved, marveling at how fast her junior brother was progressing. Now he was already at Cloud River Level 8, and the various commotions he had caused on the Cloud River battlefield, though she was at the Nine Provinces sect headquarters, had reached her ears. She knew her junior brother was not merely a cultivator without corresponding strength, and she felt greatly reassured.
After talking with Shui Yuan for a while, Lu Ye then took Yiyi to meet the sect master.
The old man was his usual self, spirited and not overly profound. He simply asked about some interesting incidents Lu Ye and Yiyi had experienced during their adventures outside, laughing heartily from time to time.
The sect master was undoubtedly very pleased with Lu Ye, a disciple who could almost be considered fortuitously obtained.
The Righteous Blood Sect owed its current prospering state greatly to Lu Ye. Had he not made his mark in the Righteous Blood Sect years ago, it would have been removed by Heaven's Augury during the sect ranking session a few years back, and they wouldn't have today's thriving status.
A moment later, Lu Ye departed, and Yiyi stayed behind.
Though merely a disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect, Yiyi could truly be considered a direct disciple of the sect master, as most of her magic and spells were personally taught by him.
With such a rare opportunity to meet, it naturally warranted a thorough examination of Yiyi's progress in the magic and spells and teaching her some more profound techniques.
An enticing fragrance wafted from the small kitchen at Righteous Peak, made by Shui Yuan, who was preparing food. Lu Ye walked in to assist her, and the two siblings casually chatted, enjoying their time together.
Although there were quite a few disciples in the Righteous Blood Sect currently, the sect itself still wasn't very flourishing, with disciples who returned from the Spirit Stream battlefield often hastily departing again.
This was mainly because the cultivation levels of the disciples were not high, with nearly all of them still training over at the Spirit Stream battlefield.
The few of them who were at the Cloud River Realm also spent most of their time at the Cloud River battlefield.
While the Righteous Blood Sect couldn't compare to other well-developed sects, time would change everything. One day, when the disciples' cultivation levels increased, the over hundred spirit mountaintops would surely become bustling.
Lu Ye eagerly looked forward to that day.
"I heard from Yiyi that your Fourth Senior Brother is now also training with you guys?"
At the dinner table, while serving Lu Ye some dishes, Shui Yuan casually mentioned, "When you go back, tell him to drink less and not to mimic the Beixuan Sword Master."
This was the first time Lu Ye had heard about his Fourth Senior Brother being influenced by the drinking habits of the Beixuan Sword Master.
"Since advancing to the Cloud River, Fourth Senior Brother hasn't been drinking much, Second Senior Sister need not worry," Lu Ye reassured her.
Previously, Li Baxian had been troubled by a broken spiritual orifice, feeling frustrated as his cultivation could not progress, so he had drowned his sorrows in alcohol. But after the spiritual orifice was repaired and he had advanced to the Cloud River, he rarely drank.
At least on the Cloud River battlefield, Lu Ye had only seen him drink once, and that was a few days ago when he had brought Hua Ci back and the Fourth Senior Brother had invited him to a welcoming feast.
After a hearty meal, bidding farewell to Shui Yuan, Lu Ye then rushed to Bright Heart Peak to meet Madam Yun.
He wasn't exactly a disciple of the sect master, but he could be considered a disciple of Madam Yun. Even though he had the divine object, the Talent Tree, the foundation of his Path of Spirit Runes was essentially taught by Madam Yun's personal instructions.
On the way, he also caught a few fish from Moon Lake as a gift.
Madam Yun was still the same, gentle as jade.
Now that Lu Ye had achieved not an insignificant level of mastery in the Path of Spirit Runes, Madam Yun no longer needed to instruct him in every little detail as in the beginning.
It was mostly Lu Ye raising some doubts in his mind, and Madam Yun answering them.
The saying goes, "A master leads you to the door, cultivation depends on the individual," which was precisely the case.
After a series of questions and answers, Lu Ye gained a lot, and Madam Yun was naturally very satisfied with the performance of her renowned yet unofficial disciple.
She had met countless people in her life, but she had never seen anyone with as high an aptitude for spirit runes as Lu Ye, which was why she initially wanted to take him as her disciple.
However, the sect master intervened, infuriating her so much that she ended up physically confronting him.
Actually, the sect master did not intend to ruin Lu Ye's future, because he knew that regardless of his own attitude, Madam Yun would instruct Lu Ye meticulously.
His intention was to use this situation as a way to draw a strong supporter to the Righteous Blood Sect, ideally having Madam Yun formally become an elder or Vice Sect Leader of the Righteous Blood Sect, thereby making Lu Ye's apprenticeship to Madam Yun completely justified.
And given that Madam Yun was a famous spirit runes master in the Nine Provinces, having her protection would also mean that Lu Ye had backing when traveling outside.
He could not rely on himself, his enemies were too numerous, relying on him would only lead to quicker death.
Naturally, things did not go as planned, and he ended up getting beaten for nothing.
Since then, Madam Yun never mentioned taking disciples again, but her instruction of Lu Ye remained consistent from beginning to end.
"Thank you for your teaching, Master."
Lu Ye rose and gave Madam Yun a respectful bow.
Madam Yun was slightly stunned for a moment, then broke into a smile, "What did you call me?"
"Master!"
Lu Ye had had this in mind for a long time. Although the two of them did not have the title of master and disciple, they did in essence. Constantly calling her Madam Yun also felt somewhat distant.
Thus, this address of "Master" was something Lu Ye was more than willing to use.
Madam Yun smiled even more happily, nodding continuously, "Good, good, good!"
Her gaze overflowed with tenderness and affection, feeling that her relationship with Lu Ye had grown much closer.
"That old man refused to let me take you as my disciple, but I want to see if he can stop you from calling me Master!" Madam Yun suddenly became proud, wishing she could run right now to the Righteous Peak to boast to the sect master.
Lu Ye dared not speak, only thinking to himself that since both of you are in agreement and are of considerable age, why persist with the conflict.
Being a great cultivator in the Divine Sea Realm, Madam Yun's mood was joyful, but she soon calmed down and said to Lu Ye, "I know you've made quite a name for yourself outside, and many people see you as a thorn in their side, desperate to eliminate you. Your master does not need you to dull your sharpness because it's too late for that now. However, should a day come when you face a crisis you cannot resolve, or an opponent you cannot defeat, you may try mentioning my name. Perhaps... just perhaps, it might give you a chance of survival."
Those who would be ruthless enough to strike at Lu Ye would definitely be powerhouses from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. Though Madam Yun was once famous and, being one of the topmost spirit runes masters in the Nine Provinces, had numerous beneficiaries, many of whom were senior members of contemporary sects who ordinary people did not wish to offend, in such a situation, whether mentioning her name would be useful or not was uncertain.
Therefore, Madam Yun did not make her promise too absolute.
"You can call me Yun Xuechu as your master!"
"Disciple remembers," Lu Ye said, hearing her name for the first time. He had always addressed her as Madam Yun.
"Master, there is one more thing I wish to ask about."
"Go ahead."
"Master, have you also delved into the Cover Armorer Path?"
Surprise flashed through Yun Xuechu's eyes, "Why do you ask that?"
She recalled never having shown anything related to the Cover Armorer Path in front of Lu Ye.
"The maid on your mountaintop doesn't seem to be a living person?"
Lu Ye had always found the maid who greeted and saw him off every time he visited somewhat peculiar. Previously, his cultivation was not sufficient and his perspective was not broad enough, so he couldn't perceive anything substantial.
But this time, he immediately noticed some details he had overseen before.
Perhaps because he had once worn the Dragon Throne, even though he hadn't had much contact with the Cover Armorer Path, he still noticed something unusual.
That maid was not a living person at all, but rather something more akin to a Cover Armorer creation!
Only, it was so lifelike that it looked just like a real person.
Yun Xuechu was genuinely surprised this time, not expecting Lu Ye to have such discerning eyes.
With a thought from her, the maid stepped forward and came to stand beside Lu Ye, then suddenly spoke, "You think I am not a living person?" no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
Lu Ye was startled and stared at the maid for a long while before he finally realized, "Master?"
The maid had never spoken before, and Lu Ye initially thought she was mute, but now it seemed that it was not that she lacked the ability to speak but rather that she needed someone to compel her.
The one compelling her at this moment was a mental projection from Yun Xuechu.
This maid was indeed a Cover Armorer creation!
