Chapter 288 – Youngest Scripture Master of the Nine Provinces

Watching Lu Chen refine the immortal bone with Samadhi True Fire, Shentu Siming was too shocked to maintain his composure.

This wasn’t just because Lu Chen had mastered two Great Divine Abilities at the Golden Core Stage.

It was also because Lu Chen’s Great Divine Ability could actually affect the immortal bone.

Throughout the history of the Shanhai Bureau, and even the entire Immortal Alliance, there had been many Great Divine Abilities, and even Immortals who had achieved Enlightenment.

Among them, some had cultivated fire-based Divine Abilities.

So why had the Shanhai Bureau always chosen to Seal ancient relics rather than destroy or utilize them?

Firstly, those capable of such feats were usually at the pinnacle of the Immortal Alliance and rarely dealt specifically with ancient relics.

Secondly, ordinary methods simply couldn’t affect these ancient relics.

After all, ancient relics came in many forms, ranging from an Immortal’s essence blood, bones, flesh, and fur, to their Celestial Artifacts and casually enlightened objects.

All of these could be called ancient relics.

And immortal relics like the bone before them were among the highest tier of all relics.

This was why Shentu Siming had said his method of handling the immortal bone was merely Sealing it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to completely resolve the issue with the immortal bone, but that he lacked the capability.

Yet now, Lu Chen was demonstrating exactly that ability.

Most crucially, Lu Chen was achieving this with a Great Divine Power at the Transformation Dao Realm level.

This was what shocked Shentu Siming the most.

The feeling was akin to watching someone pierce through steel plate with an embroidery needle right before his eyes.

Perhaps even more unbelievable.

However, Lu Chen’s refinement wasn’t as easy as Shentu Siming imagined.

After about ten minutes of refining, Lu Chen temporarily halted his actions.

He then looked at the stunned Shentu Siming and quickly guessed the reason.

“Not many in our Bureau… can handle this item?”

Shentu Siming gave Lu Chen a complicated look before nodding. “Indeed. Not just our Bureau, but in the entire Immortal Alliance… those who can handle this number no more than ten.”

“Do you know what those people are called?”

Lu Chen instinctively asked, “What?”

“Enlightenment Immortals, what Cultivators call Mahayana Cultivators.”

“…”

Hearing this, Lu Chen was genuinely taken aback.

Although he had suspected the Samadhi True Fire was special, he hadn’t realized it was this extraordinary.

Or perhaps it wasn’t just the Samadhi True Fire that was special, but himself as well?

At the very least, when Lu Chen saw the immortal bone earlier, he had felt an instinctive certainty.

That he had a way to handle it.

A similar situation had occurred with the Celestial Artifact fragment of the Gathering Immortal Bell.

His confidence in replicating the Black Lotus Buddha Mother’s manipulation of the Gathering Immortal Bell back then also stemmed from an instinctive belief that he could do it.

Both times, the feeling arose without reason, like an instinct.

Humans instinctively breathe and drink water, but if asked why they breathe or drink, they couldn’t explain it.

They just know they can, and they do it effortlessly. That’s all.

Putting together Shentu Siming’s words, Lu Chen understood one thing.

His ability to handle the immortal bone was definitely not something an ordinary person could achieve.Enlightenment Immortal, Great Vehicle Stage…

As the name implied, Shentu Siming was referring to those capable of handling this immortal bone being Cultivators who had stepped into the Enlightenment Realm and reached the Great Vehicle Stage in cultivation.

Yet his own Samadhi True Fire was clearly only at the Transformation Dao Realm, and his cultivation was merely at the first revolution of the Golden Core Stage.

By any measure, he was far from being what one would call an Enlightenment Immortal.

Having never personally encountered an Enlightenment Immortal, Lu Chen couldn’t deduce why his Samadhi True Fire, at just the Transformation Dao Realm, could refine this immortal bone.

However, after this battle, Lu Chen decided he should refrain from casually displaying this ability to refine foreign objects in front of others in the future.

Otherwise, it could easily lead to unnecessary trouble.

Shentu Siming undoubtedly understood this as well, so he abandoned his previous stern impartiality toward the foreign object and said earnestly, “After luckily slaying the Bone Heterodox Immortal today, the opponent managed to escape by chance, and the immortal bone is missing. However, its Origin has been damaged and it cannot harm anyone for a hundred years. Our department only needs to dispatch ordinary Agents to carefully track its traces.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen’s expression turned quite peculiar.

He glanced at the immortal bone in his hand, which he had only absorbed one-tenth of, then looked up at Shentu Siming.

Just as he was about to say something, the other man preempted him, “Do you think my Dao is about upholding justice and enforcing the law without personal bias?”

Lu Chen nodded, because based on his recent observations,

Shentu Siming’s Dao was built upon the laws of the Immortal Alliance.

Concealing and shielding this matter would undoubtedly violate the Immortal Alliance’s laws, and even contradict his own Dao.

The latter was particularly fatal for a Cultivator, especially one at the Transformation Dao Realm.

At best, it would cloud his Dao Heart and cause his cultivation to regress.

At worst, it would shatter his Dao Heart, leading to his death and the dissipation of his Dao.

Unexpectedly, Shentu Siming now said with ease, “The law may not tolerate personal feelings, yet it also has compassion.” My action here is merely a minor personal transgression, but it serves the greater good of the Immortal Alliance. I am well aware of which carries more weight.”

“After all, I’m not some stubborn old fossil. Rigid adherence to laws is absolutely unacceptable.”

“If I were as extreme as you imagine, do you think I could have cultivated the ‘Dao of Law’ to its current level?”

“Young man, don’t think you’re the only special one in this world. Everyone who has reached our level today has their own unique abilities!”

“Watch carefully, learn well. If the Dao Heart were so easily shattered, it wouldn’t be the Dao Heart!”

With that, Shentu Siming walked over to the unconscious Jiang Yuanshan and delivered a sharp slap to each of their faces.

Slap, slap, slap…

Accompanied by three crisp slapping sounds, Jiang Yuanshan and the others, who had only been briefly unconscious due to Divine Soul turbulence, immediately woke up.

The three touched their swollen cheeks and looked up at Shentu Siming, who was bending over observing them.

“Grand Scripture Master Shentu, what is this…”

“What is this? A bunch of disgraceful fools. Go back and train for another ten years. If it weren’t for young Lu’s intervention this time, you’d be waiting for someone to collect your corpses.”

“Ah?”

Jiang Yuanshan and the others looked at Lu Chen in astonishment, their faces full of question marks.

After all, their memories only went as far as the moment the Bone Heterodox Immortal roared.

They knew nothing of what happened after that.

However, they held Shentu Siming’s words in high regard.

So after getting up, they each thanked Lu Chen.Putting everything else aside, just considering their unconscious state…

Anyone could have easily killed them.

When Shentu Siming said Lu Chen had saved their lives, he was absolutely telling the truth.

Facing three figures who could all be his father’s age expressing gratitude, Lu Chen hastily waved his hands in refusal.

After all, in the Immortal Cultivation World, strength commands respect, and appearance isn’t the key measure of seniority.

But Lu Chen had only been cultivating for a short time, and his appearance was much younger than these three.

Therefore, in such situations, he was still somewhat influenced by his previous life.

Fortunately, Jiang Yuanshan and the others seemed to notice Lu Chen’s discomfort.

So after exchanging contact information, they left Qingyang County together.

As for the results of this Scripture Master assessment, although Shentu Siming didn’t mention it…

Everyone understood perfectly well.

While witnessing the same Nascent Soul Stage cultivator’s battle, Lu Chen remained standing while the three of them had fallen unconscious.

The difference in capability was obvious at a glance.

Not long after, at the Lizhou Shanhai Bureau HQ, astonishing news began to spread rapidly.

That a youth from Qingzhou, merely in his freshman year of university, had become a Scripture Master at their Lizhou Shanhai Bureau HQ.

This news exploded like a depth charge within the Shanhai Bureau.

The impact was so profound that virtually everyone across the Nine Provinces Mountain-Sea Bureau became aware of it.

After all, this was the youngest Scripture Master since the establishment of their Shanhai Bureau.

Becoming a Scripture Master not only meant wielding certain authority within the Shanhai Bureau, but also bearing corresponding responsibilities.

These included managing a group of Mountain and Sea Walkers and overseeing specific territories.

What Lu Chen needed to do now was to rebuild his team.

The reason he had the opportunity to take the Lizhou Shanhai Bureau HQ assessment was precisely because the previous Scripture Master had died unexpectedly.

And it wasn’t just that Scripture Master who perished – most of his team members had fallen with him.

Therefore, after becoming a Scripture Master at the Lizhou Shanhai Bureau HQ, Lu Chen’s first task was to replenish his team.

But contrary to Lu Chen’s expectations, what he thought would be a straightforward process of recruiting team members…

Proved to be far more complicated than he had imagined…

At the Eleventh Team’s grounds in the Lizhou Shanhai Bureau HQ.

Currently, there were twelve Scripture Masters in the entire Lizhou Shanhai Bureau.

Each Scripture Master commanded at least ten Shanhai Bureau Agents as team members.

Note – at minimum, not just exactly ten.

Some powerful Scripture Masters, for various reasons,

Might have up to thirty Agents under their command.

There were even some Golden Core Stage cultivators serving as Agents who hadn’t yet found vacancies to apply for Scripture Master positions.

After all, the ‘Mountains and Seas Scrolls’ used by Scripture Masters and those used by Agents were completely different artifacts.

It was only after becoming a Scripture Master that Lu Chen learned that when a Mountain and Sea Walker’s compatibility with their Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast reaches 25%, it reaches the maximum capacity of an Agent-level Mountains and Seas Scroll.

Only by switching to a Scripture Master-level Mountains and Seas Scroll could one further improve compatibility with their Mythical Beast.

Additionally, Scripture Master-level Mountains and Seas Scrolls were precious artifacts – each position was strictly allocated with no extras.Moreover, the Scripture Master-level Mountains and Seas Scroll not only further enhances the Scripture Master’s resonance with Mythical Beasts but also possesses an effect coveted by countless Mountain and Sea Walkers.

That is, it can nurture one’s Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts by absorbing demons and anomalous entities, thereby elevating their destiny Rank.

For instance, although Lu Chen’s Truth Listener is recorded as a Sixth Bureau Level Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast, it fell to the ‘Ten Capitals Level’ after forming a contract with him.

Although Lu Chen has recently improved its Rank considerably by having it absorb Nine Qi, it has only reached the ‘Nine Luminaries Level’.

After all, relying solely on others’ Nine Qi to rapidly elevate the Truth Listener’s destiny Rank is still quite challenging.

It is precisely because the Scripture Master’s Mountains and Seas Scroll can absorb anomalous entities that competition among Scripture Masters is quite fierce.

“So, you’re saying everyone thinks I’m too young to compete with the established Scripture Masters, making it hard for me to secure good jurisdictions or missions, which is why they’re reluctant to join my team?”

“Mm, I asked around. Though no one said it outright, that’s essentially their view.”

After hearing Mu Xiaoye’s words, Lu Chen fell into deep thought.

This situation was truly beyond his expectations.

After all, he hadn’t paid much attention to the affairs of Scripture Masters before and naturally didn’t understand the underlying rules.

Upon reflection, Scripture Masters could be likened to ‘feudal lords’.

Their subordinate ‘Mountain and Sea Walkers’ are their ‘soldiers’.

The more renowned and powerful a feudal lord is, the more talent they can attract to their ranks.

And with more subordinates, the Scripture Master can manage larger jurisdictions and undertake better missions.

In some remote areas, there might be a shortage of Mountain and Sea Walkers.

But in places like the Lizhou Shanhai Bureau HQ, the only thing not in short supply is Cultivators.

After all, Cultivators are pragmatic—cultivation is always their top priority.

Nanli City, where the Lizhou Shanhai Bureau HQ is located, is the capital of Li Province.

Being a Mountain and Sea Walker here is entirely different from serving in smaller, remote areas.

After all, Mountain and Sea Walkers don’t rely solely on the Bureau’s resources for cultivation.

Many advance both within the Shanhai Bureau and in the outside world.

Thus, although Lu Chen holds the title of the youngest Scripture Master in the Nine Provinces, its practical benefits are limited.

Youth often implies inexperience.

Moreover, even if some acknowledge Lu Chen’s strength, the thought of serving under someone decades their junior isn’t easy to accept.

At this realization, Lu Chen found himself unusually troubled.

He realized that to change this situation, the best approach would be to publicize his true strength.

But this contradicted his longstanding principles.

However, maintaining a ‘Tenth Brigade’ with only him and Mu Xiaoye was far from ideal.

After all, Scripture Masters are assessed every three years, and failure results in the revocation of their title.

Many Scripture Masters within the Shanhai Bureau have been demoted to Mountain and Sea Walkers for this very reason.”Lu Chen, why don’t we just go grab some people by force? It’s not like we need them to do anything anyway – just filling numbers.”

“I could complete ordinary Agent missions all by myself with my capabilities.”

Lu Chen didn’t doubt Mu Xiaoye’s words in the slightest – she truly possessed such strength.

But having Mu Xiaoye do the work of ten people to complete missions seemed somewhat unfair.

Thinking this, Lu Chen decided to handle things differently.

Without being too ostentatious, he would appropriately demonstrate his capabilities to their colleagues at the Li Province Shanhai Bureau.

“Let’s go, we’re heading to the Third Brigade.”

“Lu Chen, are you finally planning to make a big move?”

Mu Xiaoye’s eyes sparkled, looking like someone who enjoyed watching chaos unfold.

Lu Chen shot her a glare and said irritably: “Put away those reckless thoughts. We’re all colleagues – I won’t deliberately use them as stepping stones for such matters.”

“It’s just that I’ve recently become a Scripture Master and can’t take on overly Advanced missions yet.”

“So I plan to borrow access from the Third Brigade to jointly complete a high-Rank mission. This way, we can demonstrate our value to some extent.”

Hearing this, Mu Xiaoye immediately lost interest.

“What? I thought you were going to challenge ten people single-handedly.”

“Fight, fight, fight – that’s all you think about. Cultivating the Dao isn’t just about fighting and killing – there’s also social etiquette.”

“Alright, enough of that. Come with me.”

“Sigh, fine, fine.”

Mu Xiaoye followed Lu Chen as they immediately headed toward the Third Brigade.

Along the way, many Agents from the Shanhai Bureau watched the two pass by, all wearing expressions of anticipation for a spectacle.

After all, their thoughts aligned with Mu Xiaoye’s – they assumed Lu Chen was about to make a major move.

(End of Chapter)