“Senior Brother, are you alright?”

Lu Yang had genuinely frightened the women. He had been perfectly fine before they fell asleep, so how was he suddenly seriously injured?

Did he get beaten by Yun Zhi?

The women quickly lifted Lu Yang onto the bed.

“Cough, cough. Just a minor mishap, that’s all.”

Lu Yang had been so overjoyed at mastering rules that he had gotten carried away. Now, after spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, he had cooled down. How could a rule at the Fusion Stage possibly command five-half-immortals? Wasn’t that courting death?

One really can’t get too carried away.

Fortunately, the rule he had established wasn’t some heaven-defying rule that reversed cause and effect; it merely attempted to wake the women. Otherwise, his injuries would have been even worse than when he had undergone the lightning tribulation.

Although he was spitting blood, under the influence of the Seven Emotions Incipient Dao Fruit, Lu Yang found it rather comfortable.

No, no, I can’t allow myself to feel this way. Lu Yang reined himself in at once.

He was worried that one day, his craving for comfort would lead him to self-harm. The Seven Emotions Incipient Dao Fruit is so terrifying. It can quietly alter my habits without me realizing it.

Knock, knock.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy slipped back into the mental space, while Jin Caiwei hurried over to open the door.

It was Tao Yaoye.

“Senior Brother Lu Yang, how are your injuries?”

During Lu Yang’s convalescence, Tao Yaoye had visited several times. It wasn’t the first time she had seen Yun Mengmeng and the others keeping watch over him, yet each time, she couldn’t help but feel that she was close to losing.

“Senior Brother, are you alright?”

Spotting blood at the corner of Lu Yang’s mouth and the crimson stains all over the bedsheet, she started in alarm. Why have his injuries worsened?

“Don’t worry, Junior Sister Tao. Something simply went wrong while I was cultivating.” Lu Yang brushed it off. Such minor problems are perfectly normal during cultivation. I’ll just be more careful next time.

Taking in Lu Yang’s nonchalant demeanor, Tao Yaoye didn’t press the matter. “I’m here on behalf of Junior Brother Man. A few days ago, he wanted to visit you in person and say goodbye, but you were in seclusion at the time, so he asked me to pass on the message before he departed.”

The “few days” she mentioned referred to when Lu Yang had been in seclusion to compose his cultivation technique, turning away all visitors. He had only removed the “In Seclusion” sign not too long ago.

“Is Junior Brother Man going on some faraway mission?” Lu Yang was puzzled. Will Man Gu be gone for such a long time that he needs to say goodbye to me?

“No. He has gone to the imperial city to take the imperial examination.”

“Ah?”

“Junior Brother Man is about to break through. He believes the best way to attain enlightenment in the mundane world is to join the imperial court as an official and serve the people.”

If he waited until after breaking through to the Void Refinement Stage to sit for the imperial examination, even leaving the sect would be dangerous. He had no choice but to take the imperial examination before his breakthrough.

“Although our sect could recommend him for a position in the imperial court, he would rather become an official through his own merit.”

Considering that Man Gu’s level was only slightly above the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s, Lu Yang was extremely worried on his behalf.

In contrast, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy was very confident in Man Gu. “Man Gu will definitely pass. He is the last of the Ancient Barbarians, someone who has received this immortal’s blessings.”

Lu Yang grew even more worried.

After Tao Yaoye left behind a new recording orb and departed, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy emerged from the mental space.

“Actually, if you wish to master rules, staying in the Dao-Seeking Sect is not the best option.”

Lu Yang’s heart stirred as a splendid place came to mind. “Are you talking about the Buddhist Kingdom?”

“Exactly! The Buddhist Kingdom is your best option. Mastering rules is essentially comprehending heaven and earth. Since you possess an immortal body in the Buddhist Kingdom, that will be far more effective than briefly reaching the Transcendent Tribulation Stage.”

Given the chance to go to the Buddhist Kingdom, how could Lu Yang possibly refuse?

I can finally be an immortal again.

Before setting off for the Buddhist Kingdom, Lu Yang kindly asked his good brother, Meng Jingzhou, if he would like to come along.

Meng Jingzhou looked at Lu Yang and the five half-immortals behind him. Then he thought about how Lu Yang would become an immortal in the Buddhist Kingdom while he would still bear the title of Buddha Scion. Is there anything I'll stand to gain if I go there?

Lu Yang tried to persuade Meng Jingzhou earnestly with heartfelt words. “Old Meng, you must seize this immortal opportunity. Once I’m in the Buddhist Kingdom, I’ll become an immortal, and you’ll have an immortal for a brother. I’m happy for you.”

“Scram, scram, scram.”

Meng Jingzhou spurned Sword Immortal Lu’s kind offer. Sword Immortal Lu had no choice but to set off for the Buddhist Kingdom alone, along with the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, Yun Mengmeng, Qing He, Ao Ling, Jiang Lianyi, and Jin Caiwei.

In theory, those at the Void Refinement Stage should refrain from going out as much as possible. The journey from the Dao-Seeking Sect to the Buddhist Kingdom would take several days. But with so many half-immortals accompanying him, nothing could possibly happen to him.

Except for when Lu Yang drew his blade to intervene when he saw injustice, saving a young maiden, only to discover that they were filming a Dreamlike Bubble Mirage. He had accidentally wandered into the shot, and upon hearing that Lu Yang had appeared, the director sincerely invited him to make a cameo in the production.

Then there was the time he stumbled into a small mountain that was sealed off. A female ghost at the Great Perfection Qi Training Stage had died with grievances. She slaughtered every passerby and conjured illusions to curse Lu Yang, only to be slain by a single strand of his hair. Upon further investigation, Lu Yang discovered that the person who had killed the female ghost had already become a prince consort.[1] Therefore, Lu Yang wrote a letter to the Xia Emperor, hoping he would handle the matter.

And then there was the incident in One More Time Barbeque Shop. To avoid trouble, Lu Yang had hidden his identity while eating there. However, he discovered that the shop was deceiving its customers and using stale ingredients.

A staff member even taunted him, saying things like, “What are you gonna do about it?” Without hesitation, Lu Yang contacted the Nine-Netherworlds Creed with the bone token, instructing them to maintain quality control while expanding their operations and to deal with the waiter as they deemed fit.

The Nine-Netherworlds Creed Leader personally rushed over, lined up his followers, and received Young Creed Leader Lu with trepidation. The display scared the staff member out of his wits.

Only then did Lu Yang’s group finally arrive safely at the Buddhist Kingdom.

“I knew Big Senior Sister had misjudged me. Look how effective tempering myself in the mundane world is. How could there be any situation where I end up tempering myself through battles?” Lu Yang felt that the entire journey had been completely safe. He could have managed even without the protection of Yun Mengmeng and the others.

Upon arriving at the Buddhist Kingdom, Lu Yang condensed an immortal body. With the aid of the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s immortal consciousness, he became an immortal.

“This is so much more comfortable,” Lu Yang couldn’t help but remark. The Buddhist Kingdom is truly a blessed land. How could I have it this good in the Dao-Seeking Sect?

“So this is Senior Brother Lu’s immortal body.” The women marveled. Aside from the Everlasting Immortal Fairy and Qing He, the other women had only heard that Lu Yang could manifest an immortal body and had never witnessed it firsthand.

Seeing it today, they found it truly miraculous.

~~~

Today marked the imperial examination, held once every five years. Scholars from all over the world had gathered in the Imperial City’s Imperial Examination Hall[2], putting their talent onto paper.

The imperial examination had just begun when a candidate ran into trouble. Beads of sweat streamed down his face as he raised his hand.

An examiner sauntered over. “Candidate, what is the matter?”

The examiner glanced at the candidate’s nameplate—Man Gu.

“I have something to attend to. May I leave the hall temporarily?”

The examiner furrowed his brows and chided Man Gu, casting him an unfriendly look. “Of course not. The imperial examination lasts three days, during which no candidate may leave the hall. To request to leave the hall at the very beginning—could it be that you’ve seen the questions and intend to pass them on to your accomplices after leaving?!”

Such cases had occurred several times in the history of the imperial examination.

Man Gu was drenched in sweat. “But I can’t hold it in any longer.”

“Eating, drinking, defecating, urinating—all are to be done right here. You are not permitted to leave!”

“It’s my cultivation realm; I can’t hold it in any longer.”

1. A fuma or a prince consort is the husband of an imperial princess. ☜

2. This is what a gongyuan or an examination hall for the imperial examination looked like in the past. ☜