Lu Yang was still unaware that the guests invited by the Seek Dao Sect were being beaten up by another batch of guests they had invited.
Such situations were quite commonplace in the cultivation world. As powerful cultivators who acted based on their own likes and dislikes, fighting and killing were the norm, and being hunted down by others happened time and time again.
Daoist Buyu was deeply acquainted with this.
After Fairy Eternity had finished enjoying the ritual, she returned Lu Yang's body to him.
Senior brothers and sisters were setting up various activities along the roadside, so many that Lu Yang couldn't recognize them all.
When it was proposed that they could hold their own games, the senior brothers and sisters were eager to try. They all had their own ideas, and like a flurry of snowflakes, applications flew towards the abode. Fairy Eternity delegated the responsibility to Lu Yang. Seeing the number of applications, Lu Yang was overwhelmed and passed on the responsibility to the Eldest Senior Sister.
The Eldest Senior Sister's review criteria were very simple. As long as the activity was not dangerous and would not tarnish the image of the Seek Dao Sect, it could be held.
"Sect Master Lu."
"Hello, Sect Master Lu."
"Hello, Sect Master."
There were greetings everywhere. Lu Yang responded one by one, nodding his head. It was a pleasing feeling.
Lu Yang changed out of his heavy ceremonial robes.
"Acting Sect Master, do you want to buy a few books?" A senior brother greeted Lu Yang. He was a brother who often stood guard in the Task Hall.
The people of the Seek Dao Sect would call Lu Yang Acting Sect Master, and outsiders would address him as Sect Master.
"Buying books? Aren't there any in the Scripture Pavilion?" Lu Yang was puzzled.
"These are all good stuff not found in the Scripture Pavilion, do you want to take a look?" The senior brother from the Task Hall encouraged, and Lu Yang was interested. He stopped at the book stall to check out what kind of exceptional items were being sold here.
"What do you have here?"
"Although Acting Sect Master is the disciple of the Sect Master, you probably haven't had much contact with him. I have an autobiography written by the Sect Master here that details his life experiences. Would you like to buy one?"
"Master's autobiography?" This was indeed a book that wasn't in the Scripture Pavilion and Lu Yang was interested.
"I'll take one."
"Fifty contribution points."
Lu Yang smacked his lips, fifty contribution points for a book was really expensive. But he had accrued plenty of points due to his frequent achievements so he wasn't worried about running out.
He swiped his contribution points across, and the senior brother from the Task Hall handed over a book with a scroll cover to Lu Yang.
"Two Thousand Years of Prison Environmental Change in the Great Xia Dynasty"
"...Is this Master's autobiography?"
Lu Yang suddenly remembered, he had heard the Eldest Senior Sister talking about this book. She said that Master believed that everyone should leave something behind in their life, so he wrote a book based on his personal experiences. And what he wrote was this book.
Strictly speaking, the content in this book was much more reliable than storytelling, and certainly qualified as an autobiography.
Lu Yang felt a pang of regret. This book was so readily available in the outside world that you could buy it with spare change. But inside his own sect, it required fifty contribution points.
They were even scamming the Sect Master!
"Acting Sect Master, don't be angry, I'll give you another book." The senior brother from the Task Hall, who still had some sense of conscience, hurriedly said.
"What book?"
"As the Sect Master's youngest disciple, you are bound to encounter the Sect Master's enemies when you go out. I can give you a list of the Sect Master's enemies, how about that?"
"That's more like it."
Lu Yang took the book; its title was "List of Unification Stages in the Great Xia Dynasty"."
"...So, anyone at the Unification stage is considered Master's enemy?"
The senior brother from the Task Hall waved his hand, flipping open the book for Lu Yang: "Not necessarily. Acting Sect Master, see, I've highlighted a few names in the list."
"Are these Master's enemies?"
"Only these few hold no grudges against the Sect Master."
Lu Yang's heart sank. Having gained a master who hasn't taught him a single thing yet, he found himself surrounded by enemies everywhere he turned.
"Take care, Acting Sect Master. Come again next time." The senior brother from the Task Hall warmly saw Lu Yang off.
"Senior brother, do you still have that book from just now?" After Lu Yang left, someone came to buy a book.
"Which one?" The senior brother from the Task Hall squinted at the newcomer.
"It's the 'List of Unification Stages in the Great Xia Dynasty'. I don't think I've seen this book in the outside world." The man who came to buy the book looked young, about the same age as Lu Yang, and under the intense gaze of the senior brother from the Task Hall, he scratched his head awkwardly and laughed.
"I am Zhou Qingshi from the Pan Shi Sect, here to participate in the finals. I thought it would be rude not to recognize the elders at the Unification stage when I go out in the future, so I wanted to buy this book to study."
Upon hearing this, the senior brother from the Task Hall responded with a broad smile and dispelled his doubts: "I see, that's how it is. Bottom line, five thousand spirit stones."
"Five, five thousand?!" Zhou Qingshi was taken aback. Thinking about the usefulness of this book, he gritted his teeth and bought it.
The senior brother from the Task Hall signaled the people nearby to note down Zhou Qingshi's name and put him on the suspect list for close observation.
He sneered: "A Golden Core Stage cultivator hoping to recognize all the Unification Stages in the Great Xia Dynasty, do you think you are Junior Brother Lu?"
...
Not long after Lu Yang walked away, he saw a familiar face: "Palace Master Luo, what are you doing here?"