There was a total of five people smiling warmly at Wu Yu.
The others, including Zhang Futu, had disappeared. Zhang Futu had ostensibly returned to the Clear Sky of Shushan, but Wu Yu guessed that he might be watching him from some place.
His third senior brother, Zhou Xuan, walked up with a carefree expression, clapping Wu Yu on the shoulder and laughing. "Our master is really irresponsible. Back when I was first accepted, he threw me here as well and then went to the Huang sword domain. It was a full year before he reappeared. He kept me waiting for so long."
"Does he usually not spend much time at Futu Hall?" This person was not tall, but he still tried to clap Wu Yu's shoulder. Wu Yu did not like it. He had been on his guard since he arrived. This Zhou Xuan's smile was not as sincere as Mo Shishu's.
Zhou Xuan slapped his thigh. "Of course! Master made it to the Huang sword rank with much difficulty. Why would he spend time here? If we see him once a year, that's not bad. But that aside, Senior Brother here will send you to Kilovolt Peak. That scoundrel Huang Cheng is dead, and Kilovolt Peak is a great place. I'm so envious of you."
Saying so, he called the other four. All of them had spiritual immortal treasure longswords and used the Art of Sword Flight - all five were in the Jindan Dao Realm.
Wu Yu was observing them silently. He knew that all of them were young - roughly Night Wishes for Snow's age - but they had already reached Jindan and were at least Feng Xueya's level. And they were only the most ordinary of the ordinary dan disciples here.
"What are the true super-geniuses of the Shushan Immortal Sect like?" Wu Yu could not help but wonder.
Zhou Xuan and the others were just about to leave when someone said, "Zhou Xuan, pull your junior brother up. He's not yet at the Jindan Dao Realm. He can't fly, can he?"
At this time, they had already gone some distance.
"Oh, oh. I remember now. Haha, Junior Brother...."
Zhou Xuan had just spoken when Wu Yu had already mounted his own sword to join them. His stable form on the sword made their eyes pop.
"How can you use the Art of Sword Flight? Aren't you in the Qi Condensation Realm?!" Zhou Xuan was flabbergasted. From this, it seemed like he was initially intending to let Wu Yu chase them from the ground.
Wu Yu said mildly, "My immortal root is special, so I can use the Art of Sword Flight early. Please, Senior Brother, lead on."
He could not be bothered to prove himself against this bunch. The Shushan Immortal Sect was vast, and there were many more things that captured his attention. He was enraptured by all there was here.
"Alright. Follow me. Closely, now!" Zhou Xuan and the others exchanged looks and then poured on the speed for no reason. They seemed to be trying to get under Wu Yu's skin, immediately turning on their full speeds, which was slightly faster than Feng Xueya’s.
Wu Yu had no intention of quarreling, but he simply kept pace behind.
Over the snowy ground, the bolts of sword light whistled through the clouds so quickly that no figure could be seen.
When Zhou Xuan turned back to look, Wu Yu was actually right behind them. He was shocked, thinking to himself, "This kid is still in the Qi Condensation Realm. How is his sword flight so fast!?”
From the side, a female sword cultivator coldly said, "Since he's new, we'd better think of something to take him down a peg. Otherwise, in the future, he might not take his Third Senior Brother Zhou Xuan seriously at all."
"We all know what kind of person Huang Cheng was. Master was long disappointed in him. This Wu Yu appeared out of nowhere to claim Huang Cheng's spot. We will spend much time together in the future, so I have to establish the order and make him respect me," Zhou Xuan thought to himself.
"We're here."
Very quickly, they reached Kilovolt Peak. Wu Yu followed Zhou Xuan and the others on the descent, also sizing up this mountain peak which now belonged to him. In truth, the peaks at the Shushan Immortal Sect were not very lively. Without servant disciples around, only Wu Yu would be here in the future.
Before him was a mountain completely blanketed with snow, although there were tall, sturdy cedars, as well as other plants, growing on the mountain. What interested him was the spiritual qi, which had made the plants grow vigorously. They were full of vigor, and the flowers still bloomed on the snow. It was a beautiful sight.
Amidst the snowy mountain and cedars, there were many courts and pavilions built where the spiritual qi was densest.
Wu Yu and the others came to an empty patch of land on Kilovolt Peak. Wu Yu wished to spend as little time as possible with this bunch. Putting his hands together, he said, "My thanks to my senior brothers. Wu Yu has only just arrived, and I need time to get used to the immortal sect. I'll head in first."
Zhou Xuan was truly not the good-hearted type. He moved to stand before Wu Yu, eyes wide. "Junior Brother, that's not right of you. These senior brothers and sisters went to such pains to escort you here. Will you chase us away just like that? Isn't that too discourteous of you? This is the Shushan Immortal Sect - an orderly place with established customs. It's not like that hovel of yours, do you understand?"
Wu Yu was no coward. Since they wanted to tangle with him, he would not shrink back either. "And what courtesies does Senior Brother think I should offer?"
Zhou Xuan and the other four looked at each other, and they burst into laughter. Zhou Xuan said, "Actually, we're not trying to make life difficult for you. It's just that an immortal sect has an immortal sect's rules. When we were first initiated, we also went through a similar process. It is our tradition. This tradition is that since we, out of the good will of our hearts, escorted you here, you have to make some gesture. That will ease our relationship in the future. You see?"
Zhou Xuan spoke in a reasonable manner, as though it was real.
Wu Yu knew how they saw him: a new initiate, lacking in ability and years, and no powerful background. That was why they had come to make trouble.
He smiled and asked, "And what gesture does Senior Brother think appropriate?"
He too understood that his sudden appearance and claiming of Huang Cheng's place would invite dissatisfaction. Especially since Zhang Futu had said that his background was poor.
Seeing his compliance, Zhou Xuan was extremely happy. "Very simple. Within your welcome present, there are five Golden Essence Pills. Cobble together 10 more so there are 15, and you can give us brothers and sisters three each. Take it as a small gift. That is all. And hereafter, Senior Brother will definitely protect you and prevent others from bullying you."
Wu Yu was loath to even use a single Golden Essence Pill. Each Golden Essence Pill was made out of precious immortal essences, and it had to be immortal essences that had spiritual marks on them. Its potency was considerable, at least a few hundredfold of Spirit Concentration Pills.
"15? You all are really hungry lions. Senior Brother Zhou, you and I are all disciples of the hall master, and yet you would team up with others to squeeze your own junior brother. Are you unafraid of the hall master's punishment?" Wu Yu's smile faded, his expression turning chilly. He had a hunch that he would not be able to avoid trouble today.
Hearing Wu Yu's words, they laughed until they doubled over and their faces contorted, as though they had heard a world-class joke.
"The hall master has returned to the Huang sword domain and won't be back for a year. You are too naive!"
"As for the assistant hall masters, they are busy with their business. Who will care about you, fool!"
"Newbies are newbies. I hear you're from some poor barren land in the east? No wonder you don't even know something like this. With a place as wonderful as the Huang sword domain, Master will only come to visit you occasionally. Do you really think that you have found success because you became Master's disciple?"
They ridiculed Wu Yu's ignorance relentlessly, their laughter building and building. They were on the verge of rolling on the floor laughing.
Who would have thought that he would meet such people on his first day at the Shushan Immortal Sect?
"This is the periphery of the immortal sect, and also where competition is the most intense. As the saying goes: when the forest is huge, all manner of birds can be found. I should not brand the immortal sect based on my impression of Zhang Futu and these few.
"It's not as bad as it could be. For such a superpower sect, the internal competition must be thousands of times that of the Heavenly Sword Sect. At the Heavenly Sword Sect, I was already at the top when I became Master's disciple. But here, the road is long, and who knows if there are opportunities for advancement.
"The important thing is to take it slow and steady. Focus on cultivation, and at the same time, do not dread battle!"
His resolve was firm and unshakable. And while they were laughing, he replied steely, "Not a single Golden Essence Pill will be given today. If you leave now and do not bother me, we can still be friends in the future. Otherwise..."
Hearing this, Zhou Xuan and the others laughed even harder than before. Although their sword lanyards were impressively displayed, and they had a noble air about them, at this moment they were ugly and unattractive.
"Otherwise? What are you going to do?" Zhou Xuan asked.
Wu Yu naturally would not attack first. He fixed Zhou Xuan with a hostile stare, then walked towards Kilovolt Peak.
"You dare to leave?" Zhou Xuan's face froze as well. They were angry now, and the four pulled out their spiritual immortal treasures without a word and took up positions to bar Wu Yu's way. And for Zhou Xuan, he clasped his hands behind him and said to Wu Yu's back, "It's just 15 Golden Essence Pills. When I entered the sect, I coughed some up too. Why are you so stubborn? Wu Yu, this is your last warning. If you violate our rules for these Golden Essence Pills, then you are burning the bridge with your senior brother. That will be your loss."
In truth, this was not the rule of the Shushan Immortal Sect, but only a phenomenon in some of the halls. In Futu Hall, Zhou Xuan had acquired many Golden Essence Pills by bullying new disciples. A majority of the people did not dare to raise objections, and the assistant hall masters were not willing to intervene. Since Zhang Futu was mostly absent, and he was Zhang Futu's disciple, such things were endured by newcomers and let by.
Wu Yu continued walking as though he had not heard him.
This incensed Zhou Xuan. He was showing him no respect at all.
"He's just at the Qi Condensation Realm. He doesn't know what's good for him. What a greenhorn. None of you move. Let this senior brother teach him a lesson." Zhou Xuan pulled out a longsword. They were the most orthodox of sword cultivators. In terms of sword dao techniques, their legacies were the most developed. Whether in terms of sword gripping techniques or the incantation of spiritual arts, they had an ancient, orthodox feel to their style.
Whoosh!
Zhou Xuan's sword snaked out.
In that instant, Wu Yu turned, his eyes flinty. His two swords were already in his hands.