My Disciples Are All Villains

Lu Zhou was puzzled. He studied the old man; the old man's complexion was ruddy and his body looked healthy. After confirming the old man was not a vagrant, he said, "I don't recognize you."

What was even stranger was that the information of the young cultivators had appeared in front of Lu Zhou, but he did not see the old man's information.

"Me?" The old man's eyes lit up. He chuckled and said, "But I know you…"

"Hm?" Lu Zhou felt the old man was very strange. He had always been cautious in order to ensure his survival.

The other cultivators were no match for Lu Zhou; it was good enough if they were even at a quarter of his cultivation base. They were not a threat to him. However, the old man in front of him was like an ordinary person. There were no fluctuations of energy that indicated he was a cultivator. However, the peak was so high up. Even if an ordinary person could climb up so high, he or she would not be able to stay for long. This meant that the old man's cultivation base was unfathomable and could not be underestimated.

He could have asked Qin Renyue to guard him while he faced his Birth Trial. However, doing so would only lead to more questions. Hence, it was not convenient.

Lu Zhou wondered how did the old man recognize him. Was the old man a fanatical fan who admired him and remembered him?

The old man interrupted Lu Zhou's thoughts when he said, "Sit."

Lu Zhou was not in a hurry to cross the Sky Hook Ropeway. He walked over and sat on a rock across from the old man. He asked, "Did you come to challenge the ropeway?"

From time to time, the old man would raise his head to look at the cultivators who were trying to cross the Sky Hook Ropeway.

The old man shook his head and replied, "The Sky Hook Ropeway is useless to me."

Lu Zhou was slightly surprised by these words. Based on the old man's composure and bearing, the old man should not be an ordinary person. Hence, he said, "So you're an expert."

"I don't deserve that title," the old man said as he cupped his fists together at Lu Zhou.

"You said you recognized me and have been waiting for me at this place?" Lu Zhou asked again.

The old man nodded.

Lu Zhou carefully searched his memories, but he had no impression of the old man at all. The old man did not smell familiar as well when he used the power of smell to sniff the old man. He was 100% certain this was his first meeting with the old man. Thus, he said confidently, "I've never met you before."

"That's not important," the old man said as he raised his hand and pointed at the Sky Hook Ropeway.

"No, it's very important," Lu Zhou said.

"..." The old man was briefly stunned. Then, he laughed. His expression was rather complicated when he looked at Lu Zhou as he said with a sigh, "You're still the same."

"Lu Tiantong?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Lu Tiantong, the Venerable Master from the black lotus domain, is indeed a rare talent, but he's still far from being comparable to the fated person I've been waiting for," the old man replied.

"Fated person?"

"It's you."

"..."

The old man said earnestly, "I've been waiting here for ten years. For the past ten years, I've been here every day, watching the sunrise and sunset, watching the young men attempt to cross the ropeway. I finally met you today."

Lu Zhou thought the old man was crazy and weird. He brought out a manual and said with a straight face, "Young man, I see that your bones are strange…"

The old man played along. He brought out a brown bag from his chest and said with a smile, "Fated person, I see that your talent isn't bad…"

"Stop." Lu Zhou immediately raised his hand and stood up. "I don't have time to waste with you."

When the old man saw Lu Zhou was about to leave, he hurriedly rose to his feet to stop Lu Zhou. "No, no, listen to me. I have a way to help you pass the ropeway."

Lu Zhou glanced at the old man and asked, "You?"

"Your understanding of the Sky Hook Ropeway is definitely not as good as mine. In fact, it might even be worse than these young cultivators. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure that you win all your battles. If you don't understand the ropeway, even if you're talented, you'll still have to suffer," the old man said.

At this moment, a few young men looked over at them.

Lu Zhou turned back and said, "I don't associate with nameless people."

The old man understood and hurriedly said, "Jie Jin'an."

Lu Zhou had no impression of this name as well. He asked, "How can you be certain that I'm the fated person you're waiting for?"

Jie Jin'an laughed. "After the imbalance appeared, two Venerable Masters died. At that time, I was certain a new Venerable Master would appear. That Venerable Master is the fated person. And you… You're the fated person."

"..."

Lu Zhou was shocked and speechless. The old man's foresight was not bad. Outwardly, he calmly asked, "Could it be that you've said these same words to many people over the years?"

"Uh…" Jie Jin'an frowned before he swiftly changed the topic. "Look at the Sky Hook Ropeway. Look at how long it is…"

"About 10,000 feet…" Lu Zhou said after studying it for a moment.

"You're greatly mistaken," Jie Jin'an said, "It looks like it's 10,000 feet long, but it's actually infinite."

"Infinite? Is there an Illusory Formation?" Lu Zhou asked.

"No, no, no," Jie Jin'an said, "The Soaring Peaks and the Pillars of Destruction are quite similar. They can look into people's hearts. If you want to cross the ropeway, you have to have an extraordinary ability, and you must have at least 18 Birth Charts."

Lu Zhou already knew this.

Jie Jin'an continued to say, "The extraordinary ability refers to your ability to overcome your inner demons. Without that ability, even if you have 20 Birth Charts, you'll still fail. This is also the reason why many Venerable Masters refuse to come here. No one's willing to face their fears and weaknesses after all…"

Lu Zhou looked at the Sky Hook Ropeway and did not say anything.

Jie Jin'an said, "I've been waiting here for 10 years. Apart from helping you to cross the ropeway, there's another thing. That's to return something to its original owner."

"Return something to its original owner?" Lu Zhou asked skeptically.

"Ah, I meant I have a gift for you," Jie Jin'an said, immediately correcting his words. Then, he brought out the bag again and pushed it toward Lu Zhou. "It's in this bag."

Lu Zhou reached out to take it when Jie Jin'an put the bag away and said, "Cross the ropeway first. This thing is too valuable. If you can't cross it, it means you're not the fated person. If I give it to you, it'll only bring you danger."

"..."

Lu Zhou frowned. A second ago, the old man was adamant he was the fated person, but now the old man changed his words. Thinking that the old man was a scam artist, he lost all interest in speaking to him.

Jie Jin'an suddenly called out when Lu Zhou was about to walk away, "You have the Impeccable Body. Hence, the difficulty of the ropeway is much more difficult for you compared to ordinary cultivators. You have to be careful!"

"Impeccable Body?"

"The Impeccable Body attracts ten times the disaster. I'll wait for you at the northern Soaring Peak," Jie Jin'an said before he flew away.

Following that, one of the three young men who overheard the conversation stepped forward and said, "Hello, may I ask if you're here to challenge the ropeway as well?"

"What's the matter?" Lu Zhou asked.

"It's nothing. We just hope to gain experience and insight. We don't mean to offend you."

These young men were not fools. After listening to Lu Zhou and Jie Jin'an's conversation, they were certain the person in front of them was an expert with 18 Birth Charts. They were just young men who came here to gain experience; the expert before them was a Venerable Master who came to the battlefield. How could they compare?

After the information of the three young men appeared. He asked, "Is it very difficult?"

The information of the three young men appeared before his eyes. He asked, "Is it very difficult?"

One of them sighed. "It's very difficult. The further I went is only one-fourth of the way…"

"I didn't even reach one-fifth before I fell…"

"I only traveled one-sixth…"

The three of them looked dejected.

Lu Zhou frowned and said, "Young men, don't be impetuous. The further you go, the more stable you must be. Didn't your master teach you this?"

The three young men exchanged a look and bowed at the same time. "Thank you for your words."

Lu Zhou no longer paid attention to the trio. With a tap of his toes, he flew up.

remember to be impetuous. The further you go, the more important your temperament is. Didn't your master teach you?"

The three of them looked at each other and bowed at the same time. "Thank you."

Lu Zhou no longer paid any attention to the three of them. With a tap of his toes, he flew toward the top of Soaring Peak.

The trio followed suit. It was a rare learning opportunity to watch an expert cross the ropeway, after all.

Lu Zhou landed on the top of the Soaring Peak.

The three young people flew up as well.

Hundreds of cultivators surrounded a huge rock. The end of the ropeway was connected to the huge rock, and it connected to the opposing peak.

As soon as he landed, he saw dozens of cultivators falling from the ropeway. After falling a certain distance, they suddenly jolted awake and hurriedly mobilized their Primal Qi. They were so frightened that their backs were drenched in cold sweat. They would rest a rock nearby before they attempted to cross the ropeway again.

Many of the young cultivators repeated this same cycle.

At this moment…

"Make way! There's an expert crossing the ropeway!"

"Expert?"

"Come, come, place your bets! How much do you want to bet?" a cultivator, who seemed used to this, shouted immediately.

"I'll bet a fire spirit stone that he can't pass even one-third of the ropeway!"

"I'll bet ten obsidian essences that he can't even cross one-third of the ropeway!"

Swoosh!

A red object flew over from the distance and landed in front of the bookie.

Everyone was shocked upon seeing the red object.

"Blood ginseng!"

Then, Jie Jin'an's calm voice rang from the distance. "I bet a piece of blood ginseng that he'll pass the Sky Hook Ropeway."

"..."

Everyone was in an uproar.

The bookie looked at Lu Zhou who had just arrived. 'Is this the expert who plans to cross the ropeway?'

The bookie gulped. To be honest, even if he thought it was impossible for the person in front of him to succeed, he did not dare to accept the blood ginseng as a bet. The stake was too big for him.

"S-senior… I can't afford to accept your bet…"

Jie Jin'an's voice rang from the distance again. "It doesn't matter. If you lose, congratulate the fated person on my behalf. Shout your congratulatory words ten times into the sky. As for the congratulatory words, I'll leave it up to you. If I lose, the blood ginseng will belong to you."

"???"

'Is there such a good deal in this world?' The bookie said in disbelief, "Senior, aren't you just giving me the blood ginseng?"

"How can it be so simple? When he crosses the ropeway, all of you are to stay away and keep quiet," Jie Jin'an said with a smile.

The bookie's eyes lit up. "That's easy!"

Those who could stay on the Soaring Peaks for a long time were not too weak after all. It was not difficult for them to keep each other in check.

The bookie said, "If I win, I'll keep one-fifth of the blood ginseng. The rest will be divided among all the cultivators with five or more Birth Charts."

"Agreed!"

There was no objection. Winning or losing aside, who would not want to participate in such a fun activity?

Those with fewer than five Birth Charts could only watch enviously. The weak had no right to speak, after all.

Lu Zhou looked at the northern Soaring Peak and asked, "You're really generous. Are you so certain I'll succeed?"

"No, no, no, I don't think you'll succeed on your first try. I have high hopes for you, but I don't think you'll succeed today," Jie Jin'an said with a smile.

"Not necessarily. One try is all I need," Lu Zhou calmly said.

The bookie was naturally invested in this matter. He said, "It seems you don't know much about the Sky Hook Ropeway. Even Venerable Master Fan took two years before he successfully crossed it. He would attempt to cross it once a month, which means he attempted to cross the ropeway 24 times. It took Venerable Master Qin 13 months to cross the ropeway, which means he attempted 13 times. Venerable Master Tuoba took eight months, which is equivalent to eight attempts. As for Venerable Master Ye, he tried 11 times in five months, which is an average of two attempts a month."

Lu Zhou was inwardly startled when he heard these words. 'There's such a thing? Then, aren't my earlier words too arrogant?'

Jie Jin'an said, "Nevertheless, the fated person I've been waiting for will definitely succeed in three to five attempts."

Everyone was in an uproar when they heard these words.

One of the cultivators said respectfully, "With all due respect, senior, I don't think anyone's capable of crossing the ropeway with so few attempts."

Jie Jin'an only smiled; he did not say anything.

Lu Zhou no longer paid attention to the others. Instead, he placed his hands on his back and stepped onto the ropeway.

As soon as his feet touched the incomparably thick chain, a chill surged into the soles of his feet. The cold was not any less than the Cold Pond at the peak of the snowy mountain in Cloud Mountain.

'So cold?' Lu Zhou was surprised. Was it really true that the Impeccable Body meant ten times the difficulty? After all, the cold in the Cold Pond was incredibly cold. It was the place where he faced his Birth Trial.

Lu Zhou mobilized a little divine power to resist the cold before he continued forward. He had just taken three steps when the scene around him changed completely. The cultivators had all vanished.

"Hm?" Lu Zhou found that he seemed to be walking on an empty broad road.

"Illusory formation?" He continued walking forward. His instincts told him that something more complex than Illusory formations was at play on the Sky Hook Ropeway. The first and second Birth Trials tempered the Birth Palace while the third Birth Trial tempered one's will.

Lu Zhou continued forward, unwavering.

Crack!

The scene cracked like shards of glass before he reappeared on the ropeway. The spectating cultivators reappeared as well. However, it was incredibly cold. It snowed heavily as the wind howled in his ears.

Lu Zhou continued forward before the scene changed again.

"Golden Court Mountain?" Lu Zhou found he was now at the foot of Golden Court Mountain.

While he was in a daze, a figure flew over from afar, attacking him with a large saber.

"Master, you've lived long enough! It's time for you to go!"

Lu Zhou raised his head and saw that his attacker was his eldest disciple, Yu Zhenghai. He struck with his palm immediately.

Bang!

The palm seal sent Yu Zhenghai flying back.

"Master?!" Yu Zhenghai cried out in surprise.

Lu Zhou's blood and qi surged in his body. His energy in his Dantian's sea of Qi was chaotic as well. 'My palm seal backfired?'

'It's an illusion. It's a test,' Lu Zhou kept reminding himself inwardly. He held his breath, alert, guarding his Dantian's sea of Qi.

Due to the Heavenly Writing, it was easy for him to ignore distractions. He recited the mantras for the power of sight and the power of hearing.

For all lives in the universe, their lives, deaths, kindness, evil, merits, and sins can be clearly seen.

To gain the power to hear everything so that we can hear voices in all realms at will.

The divine power glowed in Lu Zhou's eyes and ears immediately.

His eyes swept across his surroundings. However, Golden Court Mountain still stood before him, not the Sky Hook Ropeway.

'The Heavenly Writing power is ineffective?!'