Rules [2k]

Translator: CinderTL

"Ants."

Bai Lian and Huan Ming paused simultaneously upon hearing Li Chunjun's words.

They understood what Li Chunjun meant.

He and Zhou Wu Gou were not equals.

Therefore, there was no need to deal with him according to the rules.

But...

"You must know that the Chiyang Sword Sect has Nascent Soul cultivators," Bai Lian said gravely. "When you disregard the rules, the Chiyang Sword Sect can do the same."

"I know," Li Chunjun replied. "No matter how strong the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy is, he is only invincible at the Core Formation stage. It is only because Nascent Soul cultivators cannot intervene that he can dominate the world. Once a Nascent Soul cultivator steps in, the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy is nothing more than a prodigy who has yet to fully mature."

"Since you know, then why..."

"It was the Chiyang Sword Sect that first disregarded the rules," Li Chunjun said. "To deal with me, they would stop at nothing, even going so far as to threaten the lives of 'mortals.' Now that it's my turn, I'm expected to follow the rules? If they say it's a True Inheritor battle, then it must be a True Inheritor battle? If they say we must retreat, then we must retreat?"

He looked at Bai Lian and Huan Ming in the light projection. "The rule of the Taixu Sword Sect is reciprocal retaliation! If they can use such underhanded methods to this extent, why can't I?"

Jiang Yuxue and Zuo Tian, who were standing nearby, exchanged glances as they listened to the conversation between Sword Prodigy Li and Sect Master Huan, sighing inwardly.

This was Zhou Wu Gou...

Or rather, the brilliance of the Chiyang Sword Sect's unsolvable scheme.

Faced with the threat to his loved ones, if Li Chunjun were to leave directly, he would lose face, and the reputation of the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy would plummet.

If he were to forcefully attempt a rescue, he would be trapped in the formation, risking his life.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if Li Chunjun entered the formation and they failed to kill him, he, as a True Inheritor, could propose a True Inheritor battle.

The methods were cunning, even despicable.

But...

The biggest factor here was that they were operating within the rules.

Whether it was the rules of the Chiyang Sword Sect or the Taixu Sword Sect, they did not encompass mortals.

What was the life of a mortal worth? Even if that mortal had a somewhat special status, it was still insignificant compared to the rules.

The reason the Nine Great Immortal Sects could coexist peacefully on Blue Star, always limiting the intensity of their conflicts to below the Nascent Soul level, was because of these rules.

If someone were to break these rules and act outside of them, it would undermine the foundation that allowed the Nine Great Immortal Sects to maintain stability.

Even the Taixu Sword Sect could not allow such a thing to happen.

Li Chunjun's biggest problem was that he had lived by the rules, but now he did not want to abide by them.

Even though...

The Chiyang Sword Sect had exploited the loopholes in the rules with their schemes.

"I know that your experiences during your mortal life have given you an inherent resistance to so-called rules and systems, but now, you are different," Huan Ming interjected with a sigh. "Now, you are within the rules and are protected by them."

Protected by the rules.

Li Chunjun knew what he was referring to.

This protection by the rules was also significant for him.

If he had not joined the Taixu Sword Sect, he would never have been able to grow to this level in just one year.

Without the intervention of the Taixu Sword Sect, after killing the head of the Chiyang Dao Academy of the Chiyang Sword Sect, he would have left the Chiyang Sword Sect as quickly as possible and hunted down the pursuing cultivators from the Hall of Justice.

Perhaps he would die...

But there was also a chance he could grow at an astonishing rate.

The process would undoubtedly be fraught with peril.

However, thanks to not wearing the hat of the "Future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy," he wouldn't be in the spotlight, nor would he face the relentless, all-out pursuit of the Chiyang Sword Sect.

Ultimately, whether he could outwit and outmaneuver his pursuers, using tactics like bluffing, setting up decoys, and muddying the waters to grow under such relentless pursuit...

He didn't know!

But the hardships involved would undoubtedly be ten times greater than joining the Taixu Sword Sect! Therefore, he couldn't avoid owing a debt of gratitude to the Taixu Sword Sect.

Seeing that Li Chunjun remained silent, Huan Ming also refrained from further criticism, his tone softening slightly: "Such matters should be left to the sect to handle. The sect's understanding of the rules far surpasses yours, so you must trust the sect, trust the rules."

Trust the sect.

Trust the Taixu Sword Sect.

Li Chunjun gazed at the figure in the light.

After a while, he finally spoke: "What happens next?"

"The Chiyang Sword Sect's actions were ultimately excessive, their methods utterly despicable. This time, you forcibly breached the Great Shang royal city despite the Chiyang Sword Sect's True Inheritor battle, which violated the rules, but it was understandable!"

Huan Ming spoke with conviction: "I assure you! Even if this matter escalates, they won't gain any advantage!"

"Good!"

This time, Li Chunjun didn't hesitate much and directly agreed: "I will return to the sect!"

Hearing this, Huan Ming also let out a slight sigh of relief: "Good! Once you're back, take some time to rest. You've been through so many battles in this expedition, and your Lifebound Flying Sword also needs some recuperation, right? Perfect timing..."

"Yes, I also need to brush up on some advanced cultivation knowledge."

Li Chunjun said.

"Haha, finally aware of your shortcomings? Once you're back, head straight to the Taixu Inheritance Peak and stay there for a while. It's a good opportunity to settle the killing intent on you."

Huan Ming said with a smile: "It could take a few months, or up to half a year, but we'll handle everything properly for you."

"Alright."

Li Chunjun responded.

Without further delay, he turned to Jiang Yuxue: "Let's return to the sect!"

"Yes, Sword Prodigy."

Jiang Yuxue breathed a sigh of relief and quickly complied.

Zuo Tian also showed a smile: "Sword Prodigy Li, rest assured, I'll handle matters here. I'll make sure everything is dealt with meticulously. The Tenth Prefecture will soon become your stationed prefecture."

Li Chunjun nodded.

The Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy often represented the First True Inheritor, the Chief True Inheritor. Naturally, they could also have their own stationed prefecture and benefit from it.

Li Chunjun took to Sword Flight and headed back to the sect.

Jiang Yuxue, Qin Zhou, Zhou Yuechen, and others quickly followed.

After flying for a while, Qin Zhou approached with a smile: "Sword Prodigy, we've finished tallying the spoils from those Core Formation cultivators. The total value is likely equivalent to several Mystic Treasures. What do you think..."

"Keep what you find useful, and hand over the rest to the sect."

Li Chunjun replied.

"Hand it over to the sect?"

Qin Zhou, Jiang Yuxue, and the others were shocked.

This was a total value comparable to several Mystic Treasures.

However, seeing that Li Chunjun had already made his decision, they naturally refrained from further comment.

On the road.

Li Chunjun remained silent.

"Is the Taixu Sword Sect a good entity?"

In their treatment of him, they were.

Thus, he referred to them as...

Kind NPCs!

But is the favorability of NPCs really that important!? Important enough to affect his leveling progress? Sorry!

He's not a PVX player!

A good person—he could no longer be one from the moment he picked up a sword to kill.

Regardless of who he killed.

Killing is wrong! After all, according to the rules, even the worst villains should be handed over to the state and dealt with by the law!

By taking the law into his own hands, he became a criminal!

He could no longer be a good person.

But...

Good and bad, right and wrong, who can truly distinguish them, and who ultimately decides?

Those in power? Or perhaps, the stronger ones! Strong nations bully weak ones, slaughtering within their borders, yet who cares about their cries? Other nations continue their trade and diplomacy with the strong nation as usual.

Even knowing that it wages unjust wars, they might still cheer from behind.

Who can distinguish black from white?

Who can dictate right from wrong?

The fundamental reason he yielded today was not because he violated the rules, but because...

He wasn't strong enough.

If he were powerful enough to kill Nascent Soul cultivators as easily as Core Formation ones, all Core Formation and above cultivators of the Chiyang Sword Sect would have been reduced to ashes by now.

...

"Tell me about the Chiyang Sword Sect."

Li Chunjun suddenly asked.

Then, he added, "And tell me about the Blue Star Minor Realm."

Jiang Yuxue, Qin Zhou, and the others exchanged glances.

Considering his current status and position, it was indeed necessary for him to have a certain understanding of this information.

At that moment, Jiang Yuxue spoke up, "The Chiyang Sword Sect... is a behemoth within the Immortal Alliance, on par with the Taixu Sword Sect..."

On par.

That means they have Dao Unification cultivators.

However...

"How strong is the Chiyang Sword Sect within Blue Star?"

"Judging solely by Blue Star, the Chiyang Sword Sect doesn't actually have many strong cultivators..."

Jiang Yuxue quickly added, "They are roughly on the same level as the Zhou Tian Sect and the Piao Miao Sect, naturally inferior to our Taixu Sword Sect. Only two have achieved minor mastery in Sword Intent and Mystic Art Essence: True Lord Li Ding and True Lord Yu Kun."

"What about Zhan Chiyang and Zhou Chixin?"

"Zhan Chiyang is a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator! Zhou Chixin is the same! In terms of strength... slightly stronger than our early-stage Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators, but slightly weaker than mid-stage ones."

Jiang Yuxue continued, "Apart from the Star Gate, the Chiyang Sword Sect has sixteen Nascent Soul cultivators stationed within the sect. The late-stage Nascent Soul Great True Lords are the aforementioned True Lord Li Ding and True Lord Yu Kun. There are six mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, including the sect leader, and the remaining eight are early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators."

After finishing, she added, "Since there is no qualitative difference between Nascent Soul cultivators—only the accumulation of Essence, Energy, and Spirit—there is no distinction between false Nascent Soul, true Nascent Soul, or Nascent Soul. They are simply categorized into early, mid, and late stages. However, because one must achieve minor mastery in Sword Intent and Mystic Art Essence to reach the late stage, those at this level are also called Great True Lords."

"Sixteen Nascent Soul cultivators."

This lineup...

Is formidable.

But...

"The Star Gate?"

"This involves the key location of the Blue Star Minor Realm."

Jiang Yuxue smiled and said, "The Blue Star Minor Realm is actually a world that exists in dependence on the Profound Yellow Great World. Well, you can think of it as a star within a galaxy. This world originally held no value, but decades ago, this star region experienced..."

She paused, searching for the right words: "You can think of it as a 'cosmic earthquake' that caused its position to shift, placing it precisely at a critical juncture. Through this node, it can connect to numerous worlds. That's why the Nine Sects joined forces to enter this world and build the Star Gate!"

"A major transportation hub?"

"Exactly. Once the Star Gate is established, Blue Star transforms from an ordinary world into a key transit point. This is also why the Nine Sects are vying for sovereignty over Blue Star."

"The Taixu Sword Sect really wants the Star Gate on Blue Star?"

Li Chunjun asked.

"Of course, who wouldn't want it."

"Alright."

(End of the Chapter)

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