Protect Our Patriarch

……

"A new disciple? Congratulations, Junior Sister…" After congratulating her, Lu Xianghui expressed his slight confusion, "However, isn't the new disciple recruitment conference starting in a few days?"

"That's why I haven't officially joined the academy yet," Wang Liyao said, "I was thinking of looking around before joining, especially wanting to visit Yuanshui Heavenly Lake first. Seeing that Senior Brother Lu is wearing the uniform of Yuanshui Heavenly Lake, I was wondering if you could be my guide? Don't worry, I won't let you help for nothing, this is for the guiding fee."

As she spoke, Wang Liyao handed over a Top Gold banknote.

"One hundred Top Gold?" Lu Xianghui was startled and quickly waved his hands, "That's too much, too much. Just being a guide, two Top Gold a day is the most. However, since Junior Sister hasn't joined the academy yet, I can't just take you there."

"Don't worry about that, I have the academy's pass, I can visit all peaks and branches," Wang Liyao said, "You can keep the Top Gold for now, and we can rent a couple of spirit mounts with the extra. You can also tell me more interesting stories about Yuanshui Heavenly Lake."

To her, one hundred Top Gold really wasn't much; she would normally spend three hundred Top Gold on a single Great Solidifying Yuan Pill.

"This…" Lu Xianghui first responsibly checked the pass before he comfortably accepted the Top Gold and said, "Then I accept this task, but please wait a moment, Junior Sister Wang. I need to hand over a few tasks at Qianqiu Hall first and pick up some letters for a few senior sisters and brothers."

"No problem, I'm just casually looking around and not in a hurry," Wang Liyao said, "It's also a good opportunity for me to familiarize myself with the process of handing over tasks, as I will need to do it later."

Wang Liyao came early this time alone, precisely to observe the Purple Mansion Academy from an independent perspective and to explore the underlying world of the Yuanshui Heavenly Lake branch.

Her life had been arranged by her parents early on, and during this recruitment, the Yuanshui Sage would also directly take her as his personal disciple. By then, it would be impossible to observe Yuanshui Heavenly Lake from a low angle.

A personal disciple, no matter where they go, attracts too much attention, and others would not likely converse without mental defenses.

Moreover, Wang Liyao had always been independent-minded since she was young; she liked to observe the world on her own and had her own thoughts. This action was within the realm of reason.

Lu Xianghui began to faithfully fulfill his duties as a guide, introducing the various aspects of Qianqiu Hall as they walked.

As they passed by Zhang Xiuping, he suddenly felt a slight tremor, instinctively sensing a palpitation.

He looked around in confusion but could not detect anything unusual.

This caused his brows to furrow deeply. Could it be that his mind was muddled from secluding himself for too long?

Just then.

Suddenly.

A crisp crane cry pierced the clouds, echoing throughout the entire mountain peak.

Amidst the crane's call, a huge vermilion-crowned crane, dragging a flying carriage, spiraled down from the clouds and gently landed on the plaza in front of Qianqiu Hall.

The vermilion-crowned crane was slender and beautiful, its wings flapping gracefully and elegantly as if dancing in the sky, instantly attracting the attention of many.

Behind it, the carriage-like flying carriage shone with a faint flowing light, especially dazzling under the sunlight.

This flying carriage was a unique mode of transportation within the academy, and the vermilion-crowned cranes that pulled the carriages were proud and difficult to tame, only the beast tamers within the academy knew how to train them.

Even within the academy, only personal disciples on missions had the privilege to use the flying carriage. For the disciples of the academy, it was not just a mode of transport but also a symbol of status.

Personal disciples were rare in the academy, and most were not within the academy. The appearance of this vermilion-crowned crane flying carriage immediately stirred up excitement among the nearby disciples of Qianqiu Hall.

It must be a personal disciple returning from a mission.

"How impressive," Lu Xianghui, responsible for guiding, remarked as he watched the flying carriage descend from afar, his heart filled with excitement, "I've been in the academy for three years and have yet to see a personal disciple."

Even Zhang Xiuping stopped in his tracks, slightly puzzled.

Which personal senior brother had returned at this time?

Amidst the surging emotions of the crowd, the vermilion-crowned crane and the flying carriage finally landed on the plaza outside Qianqiu Hall. The crane's slender and delicate claws lightly cushioned a few steps on the ground, and the carriage quickly came to a stop.

Under the sunlight, the black and white feathers on the crane shone like a layer of luster, as if jade, highlighting its noble and elegant temperament.

The flowing luster on the flying carriage, and the aura of the array it emitted, also made it all the more formidable.

As the flying carriage settled, two graceful figures leaped from the carriage and floated down to the plaza.

One of the women was dressed in a fragrant-colored martial outfit, with a beautiful appearance and a soaring temperament. The other, in a light purple dress, had an elegant demeanor and carried a large box on her back. They were none other than the sisters Wang Luojing and Wang Luoqiu.

Both were mid-stage Lingtai realm cultivators, and even without deliberately releasing their might, they naturally carried the dignity of the strong.

"Turns out to be Junior Sisters Luojing and Luoqiu," Zhang Xiuping was slightly surprised and at the same time, couldn't help but smile bitterly. These two junior sisters truly lived up to their reputation as geniuses.

Zhang Xiuping had been in the academy for over forty years and had only just reached the mid-stage of the Lingtai realm. Yet these two genius junior sisters, barely in their thirties, had already caught up with his progress.

He feared that by the time they reached the cautious Heavenly Human realm, whether he, Zhang Xiuping, could advance to the late stage of the Lingtai realm was still a question!

The difference between people is really too great.

"It's actually Aunt Five and Aunt Six," Wang Liyao muttered softly, thankfully she had learned a basic disguise technique from Aunt Mei, which allowed her to change her appearance.

Otherwise, her plan to visit the academy in secret would have been ruined.

……

"Greetings to Senior Sister Luojing, Senior Sister Luoqiu."

Over the years in the academy, the two had made a great name for themselves with their strong abilities and exceptional cultivation speed. Seeing them now, the disciples of the academy, one by one, were all exceptionally well-behaved.

Wang Luojing and Wang Luoqiu, although personal disciples, were not unapproachable. In response to the greetings, they nodded and returned the courtesy.

Even Zhang Xiuping bowed and said, "Junior Sisters Luojing and Luoqiu, I hope you've been well."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Xiuping," Luojing and Luoqiu returned the greeting and exchanged pleasantries.

At this time, the steward disciple from Qianqiu Hall also quickly came out to greet them.

"Senior Sisters Luojing and Luoqiu, what can I do for you?" the steward disciple asked respectfully, bowing to the two.

Wang Luojing glanced at Luoqiu.

Wang Luoqiu, as usual, took over the conversation, took out three tokens, and handed over a large bundle to him: "Turning in a mission."

"Yes. Please wait a moment, Senior Sisters. I will handle the procedures for you right away," the steward disciple said, taking the items and hurriedly went inside to process them.

The two women followed slowly.

Personal disciples had a special status and enjoyed many privileges within the academy, including the right to use the flying carriage by spending academy credits, and priority in handling affairs within the academy without having to queue like ordinary disciples.

The other disciples were accustomed to this and did not feel resentful. Instead, they were curious and craned their necks, wanting to know what mission the two women had completed.

At this time, the steward disciple had already verified the tokens representing the mission and checked the items in the bundle.

A look of surprise appeared on his face, and after a pause, he came back to his senses and announced, "Personal disciple Wang Luoqiu, personal disciple Wang Luojing, the two of you have successfully captured and killed the rogue cultivators 'Flower Scorpion,' 'Poison Fang,' and 'Bashan Tiger,' earning a total reward of eleven thousand academy credits."

Upon hearing this, the other disciples present were immediately astonished and impressed.

"So impressive!" Lu Xianghui, who was responsible for guiding, exclaimed, "As expected of the two senior sisters, they managed to solve three notorious rogue cultivators on the wanted list in one go, including the nineteenth-ranked Flower Scorpion on the Black List."

"This Flower Scorpion is not easy to deal with. Senior Brother Hongjin from Xuanbing Hall also took on this mission before. He managed to find her after much difficulty, but she escaped with a trick. Because of this, Senior Brother Hongjin lost face and hid away for several months."

"Who would have thought that in the end, 'Flower Scorpion' would fall into the hands of Senior Sisters Luojing and Luoqiu."

The disciples of the academy were filled with admiration and fervent worship.

In the clear eyes of Wang Liyao, there was also a sense of pride. It turned out that her two aunts were so prestigious in the academy. Normally, when they returned home to visit, it was impossible to see them so domineering.

Life in the academy was indeed different from that in the family, with a vast platform for her to display her talents.

Amidst the bustling discussions, the steward disciple had already quickly completed the registration.

He took out the spiritual device used to record credits and respectfully asked Wang Luoqiu and Wang Luojing to present their personal disciple identity cards. While operating the device, he looked at them and asked, "Will the reward credits be split as before, half for each?"

"Mhm."

Wang Luoqiu nodded.

This time, they had cooperated to kill three rogue cultivators, and each could get five thousand five hundred credits, just enough for her to exchange for the cultivation technique "True Martial Body Refining Art (Third Layer)" and the body refining spiritual medicine. Her "True Martial Body Refining Art" could finally break through to the third layer.

When she first entered the academy, her master, Xuan Yao Sage, discovered that the bloodline she awakened was quite special, leaning towards the elemental water series of battle bodies. He decided to help her choose a supplementary body refining technique called "True Martial Body Refining Art."

This "True Martial Body Refining Art" has nine layers, and it is said that once completed, one would be as if possessed by the True Martial, with a physical body as strong as a divine treasure.

However, because she started late and had a short cultivation time, she had only reached the second layer so far, which was not very impressive.

If she could break through to the third layer this time, her physical strength would be comparable to ordinary spiritual weapons. At that time, even without any weapons, she could wield the power to split mountains and rocks with her bare hands.

Lost in thought, the steward disciple of Qianqiu Hall had already deposited the reward credits into their identity cards.

Wang Luoqiu thanked the steward disciple and then left Qianqiu Hall with Wang Luojing.

"I'm going to the Pill Hall to exchange for Great Solidifying Yuan Pills for cultivation."

Wang Luojing was always concise, and as soon as she stepped out, she got straight to the point. Although the family sent some Great Solidifying Yuan Pills every year, it was still not enough to cover the cost of accelerated cultivation.

"I won't go," Wang Luoqiu said, "I'll go to Xuanbing Hall to find Zongsheng, and then I'll go straight back to Xiaoyao Peak. In two days, Uncle Yong will arrive, and I need to hand over the spiritual weapons and cultivation techniques seized from those three to Zongsheng. Then, they will all be sent back to the family and exchanged for family contributions."

The academy naturally also recycles spiritual weapons and cultivation techniques, but firstly, the academy does not lack these, and the recycling price is lower than the market price. Secondly, the family is currently in a period of vigorous development and lacks everything. These spiritual weapons and cultivation techniques, when brought back to the family, can also enhance the family's foundation.

Of course, their share of family contributions would not be less.

Every time Uncle Yong came, he would bring the spiritual pills and pocket money supplied by the family, and the family contributions they had accumulated would also be exchanged for various items according to their needs and brought over.

Overall, this was also a way for them to give back to the family.

As they spoke, the two were ready to part ways in the plaza.

Suddenly, a piece of news shocked them.

Some new disciples who had just arrived were discussing a recent event.

The sisters didn't care at first, but they suddenly heard a name and immediately stopped one of the disciples to ask, "What are you talking about?"

"Senior Sister Luoqiu, Senior Sister Luojing."

Seeing that it was them, the disciple immediately bowed respectfully and then explained, "I just heard about it too. They say that just an hour ago, Senior Brother Yu Hang from the Yuanshui Heavenly Lake branch returned. It's said that he was seriously injured on the battlefield outside the domain and was barely breathing when he was sent back. The dean personally went to invite Changchun Sage to treat him."

"I see. You may go now~"

Wang Luoqiu nodded, casually waved her hand to dismiss the disciple, but her expression was no longer as relaxed as before.

Senior Brother Yu Hang was the second senior brother of the Yuanshui Heavenly Lake branch and one of the most proud disciples of Yuanshui Sage, already at the late stage of the Heavenly Human realm.

Although she had never met him, living in the academy, she had often heard of his fame. Many disciples in the academy idolized him.

But what she didn't expect was that the first time she had the chance to meet Senior Brother Yu Hang, it would be under such circumstances.

This battlefield outside the domain…

"There might have been some unexpected developments on the battlefield beyond our realm," Wang Luoqing said with a grave expression, clearly having come to the same conclusion.

"It's a pity that I'm only at the Lingtai Stage. Even if I went to ask, I'm afraid my master wouldn't tell me," Wang Luoqiu furrowed her brows, torn between frustration over her insufficient strength and concern for the potential upheaval on the battlefield beyond.

Having been at the academy for many years, she was well aware of the significance of that battlefield. Any incident there could potentially affect the entire human society.

She hated that her own power was too weak to do anything.

"Regardless, let's first head to the Yuanshui Celestial Lake Sect to take a look," Wang Luoqing suggested. "We need to gather some intelligence to prepare for the future."

"Alright."

Wang Luoqiu nodded, unusually not contradicting Luoqing, as the matter had also greatly affected her. She hadn't felt it as much when she was mixing with the family, but after coming to the academy, she realized that the world was far more complex than she had imagined.

……