Each of the nine dragon maidens possesses extraordinary abilities.

"Ah..." Arrogance said in disappointment, "In this case, with such a huge disparity in strength, we are probably no match for the guardians."

They had hoped that Lu Yueyuan, as their proxy, would use his power to carry them, but it didn't work out.

Now even self-defense is difficult.

Lu Yueyuan raised his palm, and the surrounding space turned golden. An item appeared in his palm.

Arrogance stared wide-eyed. Teleportation? The Holy Emperor really loves his agents; he even granted him access to this space.

"Here you go." Lu Yueyuan tossed it to her.

Upon receiving it and looking at the treasure in her hand, she immediately exclaimed, "An ancient treasure!!!"

An ancient treasure that can enhance innate talent and comprehension—this is a treasure that money can't buy!

Only major sects possess such items, and I've only ever seen Arrogance in illustrations; I never imagined I'd be able to experience it firsthand one day.

"For, for me?" His arrogant tone became stammering.

“Yes.” Lu Yueyuan nodded. “With this, you won’t be limited by your talent anymore and you can enter the Dao-wielding realm.”

Arrogance immediately clutched the treasure and wept: "Thank you, Holy Emperor, thank you, Agent. How could I not do my utmost, even unto death?"

What else could I say? I'd give you my life, meow.

Arrogance: "But, but, Lord Actor, even if I reach the Dao-Holding Realm, my strength..."

Lu Yueyuan said confidently, "Leave it to me when the time comes. Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

"My Lord, will you win?"

"We will win."

Fine.

Although Arrogance lacked confidence, since the proxy had said so and the Holy Emperor had no objections, there should be no problem.

Although Lu Yueyuan said he couldn't use the Holy Emperor's powers, Arrogant guessed that the Holy Emperor would still find a way to protect him; He couldn't just watch them go to their deaths.

Even if the Holy Emperor doesn't value her, he should value his proxy.

"I need three days to comprehend and break through," he said arrogantly. "Including the time I spend at the Jiuyi Sect, it will probably take five days. Is five days enough for you, Lord Actor?"

"No rush," Lu Yueyuan said. "Take your time to consolidate your cultivation. Don't rush here and leave any hidden dangers in your body."

"Understood, then we'll see you then."

The two discussed their meeting plan again, set a time, and then said goodbye to each other.

The illusory image slowly dissipated, and Lu Yueyuan opened his eyes, returning to his cave.

In this way, he achieved his goal.

The Holy Emperor, the Seven Deadly Sins, the Dragon Maidens, the Four Gods... everything was exactly as he had envisioned, exactly as he had planned.

Of course, there will definitely be changes at that time, but countless simulations have cultivated Lu Yueyuan's calm and composed mind. Now, he is not afraid of changes.

As long as you do your job well, what difference does it make if things change?

He originally intended to keep the ancient treasure for himself, but after careful consideration, he decided to give it to Arrogance.

Firstly, eliminating the Dragon God's bloodline requires Arrogance's help. Although Arrogance doesn't need to have a very high cultivation level, a higher cultivation level is always a good thing.

Secondly, Arrogance has broken through his talent and fulfilled his wish, which he can now explain to his family. Helping Arrogance resolve his inner conflict will also allow Arrogance to wholeheartedly assist him.

Thirdly...

Lu Yueyuan thought of how he treated her like a random person on the street in the simulation, as a way of making up for it in real life.

In fact, as a cultivator and a follower of the Holy Emperor, arrogance is not up to par. Although her organization is powerful and infiltrates everywhere, it has not posed a real threat to any forces, and has not made any contribution to the cause of liberating the Holy Emperor.

But this is not the fault of arrogance. As an ordinary person, she and the others in the Seven Deadly Sins had done their best. It's just that none of their opponents were human; they were either mechanics or numerical values. They were indeed no match for the Guardians and the Gods' Agents.

Even Lu Yueyuan, who had only completed one playthrough, could have dealt with them without breaking a sweat.

But why can't Lu Yueyuan forget them? It's because they're too crazy. Like a swarm of ants, they can be crushed underfoot, but they can't be completely ignored. If you're not careful and die among them, they will devour your corpse without hesitation.

Throughout all those simulations, Lu Yueyuan had never relied on the power of such insignificant beings, but now, for the last time, he changed his mind.

However, this did not stop Lu Yueyuan from still considering them as ants, so he planned to keep everyone else out of the picture except for Arrogance and the Holy Emperor. Ordinary people should live ordinary lives.

He sensed it and found that the illusion he had created was indeed exquisite; even Ming Huaiwei couldn't see through it.

He waved and stepped into the illusion, seamlessly merging with it to begin his cultivation.

He could now temporarily ignore the outside world and, before arrogance arrived, use the Holy Emperor's guidance to refine his magical style.

Chapter 25: Jealousy

The Hall of Hanging Robes.

The main hall of the sect leader's lineage, the symbol of the Jiuyi Sect.

The name "Chuiyi" is derived from the legend of Emperors Huangdi, Yao, and Shun, who brought order to the world by letting their robes hang down. Long ago, this place was the eye where the spiritual energy of thousands of mountains and rivers of the Jiuyi Sect converged, and it was the pinnacle of majesty and order.

But now, it's just a symbol.

Lu Yueyuan entered through the palace gate. Sunlight streamed down from the openings in the dome high above, forming beams of light that, like a descending curtain, enveloped the center of the palace in a sacred halo. Ming Huaiwei was waiting for him beside him.

"Senior brother."

She stood between the light and shadow, calling out to him as always.

Lu Yueyuan nodded and walked forward. She quickly followed, clutching the hem of his clothes.

At the deepest part of the main hall, nine layers of jade steps rise up, supporting a divine altar condensed with spiritual energy.

On the altar, the scroll slowly unfolds, corresponding to the stars above and connecting to the earth's veins below.

The divine imprints of the previous sect leaders are all in the scroll, some with sword energy soaring into the sky, some with crimson clouds filling the sky, and some with golden talismans raining down. Each of them is transformed from the Great Dao of their previous lives, quietly floating around the sect leader's position, like stars surrounding the moon.

Lu Yueyuan looked up at the mark with sword energy soaring into the sky. It was the mark of the former sect leader, who was also his grandmaster.

My grandmaster was skilled in swordsmanship and pursued the path of weapon crafting, making him a combination of sword cultivator and weapon crafter.

His natal weapon was not a sword, but he forged five flying swords, each of which was a world-renowned sword.

Without divine protection or bloodline, he has almost reached the pinnacle of mortals, achieving the pinnacle of the Dao. With his five famous swords, it is not impossible for him to fight the Dragon Maiden.

In his previous life, Lu Yueyuan played the game Jiuyi and didn't pay much attention to this character because he was just a background NPC. When the game was first released, his main role was to issue quests and advance the plot.

So when he died in the main storyline in later versions, players weren't very surprised. At most, they would think, "Oh, that guy died. Who killed him? There must be a conspiracy." In this world, even the leader of the number one sect in the world is not as eye-catching as the Dragon Girl and the God.

However, in this life, Lu Yueyuan has great respect for his grandmaster.

It wasn't just because he single-handedly shouldered the responsibility when the sect leader's lineage was gradually declining.

More importantly, he saved Lu Yueyuan's life.

If it weren't for his rescue, Lu Yueyuan would have had no chance to recover his memories of his past life, and he would most likely have died in that small mountain village.

Moreover, the Grandmaster was also a very good person. Although he was the sect leader of the number one sect in the world, he had no bad reputation throughout the Nine Provinces. He also advocated eliminating the evils of the Demonic Sect and reforming the sect's distribution system, ensuring that more disciples would benefit while protecting the interests of the Divine Agents and the Dragon Maidens.

Therefore, despite the reforms, the dragon maidens and the deity's agents did not give him a hard time or make things difficult for him; at least they maintained basic respect on the surface.

He did his best to maintain the order between immortals and mortals, maintain the balance between disciples and gods, enhance the influence of the sect leader's lineage, and unite the various forces of the Jiuyi Sect.

But this very person died.

Or he died suddenly.

In the game of his previous life, the death of his master was only briefly mentioned in the main storyline, with the foreshadowing all set for later versions. Unfortunately, Lu Yueyuan did not see it, and he could only find out the truth by simulating the future.

That was a truly arduous and bloody road.

To reach the end of this path, one must turn against one's childhood sweetheart, evade assassination attempts by the dragon maidens, contend with the divine agents, and ultimately, confront the gods themselves.

Now, Lu Yueyuan only has one last chance.

But he will not turn back; he will continue on his path with unwavering determination.

"Once you become the sect leader, your divine sense imprint will be engraved on you," Lu Yueyuan said. "The ceremony will begin soon, but why haven't the sect leader's robes arrived yet?"

"Senior brother, this..."

Ming Huai stammered, unsure of what to say.

The costumes needed for the ceremony were all prepared by the people from Sifumai, but they actually said they didn't have Lu Yueyuan's measurements and wanted to go in and measure his body.

For immortals, a quick scan with their spiritual vision is enough, but how could Ming Huaiwei allow that? Forget a scan with divine sense, even the presence of spiritual energy or a person is unacceptable. Thus, the two factions were locked in a fierce confrontation, on the verge of a fight.

Si Fumai didn't care. They bluntly said, "Anyway, it's your responsibility if you don't have clothes. Don't say we didn't try our best." Yun Gui understood the trouble this matter was going to cause and had been discussing it with Ming Huaiwei for the past few days, trying to persuade her to back down.

Tailoring clothes to fit body shape is an age-old principle, and it's not obscene, so it shouldn't be like this.

But Ming Huaiwei just wouldn't agree, which is why it's been delayed until today.

"So what happened?" Lu Yueyuan pressed.

"They're people who need to take your pulse; they said they need to take your measurements..."

"Measure them out, where are they?"

"Senior brother, the people who are trying to take your pulse are up to no good. They've dealt with you before, and a quick scan with your spiritual energy would have been enough. But they're coming back again! Don't forget, senior brother, that woman tried to harm you before."

"In that case, let them use their spiritual energy to scan it."

“But, but…” Ming Huaiwei stammered, “They also said they would send someone to teach you etiquette. I’ve already told you, but they said if they don’t let their people in, then there’s no need to take your measurements… Senior brother, they’re just making things difficult for you!”

Lu Yueyuan pondered for a moment, then asked, "What did Wei Daidan say?"

"She said she wouldn't get involved, she was just expressing her support..."

“I see…” Lu Yueyuan said, “Then let them in.”

"Senior brother!"

“If you keep stopping them, it will be your responsibility later.” Lu Yueyuan looked at her and said, “Let them come. It’s only for a short while anyway. I don’t want you to take the blame.”

"Ah, um, um........"

Ming Huai lowered his head and agreed.

After confirming Yuntai's divine imprint in the Chuiyi Hall, Lu Yueyuan returned to his cave that night and was greeted by Sifumai's people.

The leader was still the commander-in-chief of the Sleepless Guard, Ye Buxi.

He brought in dozens of embroiderers, and once inside, he completely sealed off the surrounding spiritual energy to prevent Ming Huaiwei from detecting it.

Lu Yueyuan calmly looked up, met the commander-in-chief's eyes, and smiled helplessly.

"It's just taking measurements, it can't be that serious."

"Lord Ming Huaiwei is extremely possessive of you," Ye Buxi said. "These embroiderers of mine are still very precious, please understand."

"Of course, I understand."

Although Wei Daidan had exposed Zhong Sifu's sinister intentions, Lu Yueyuan still didn't break off relations with them. Both sides were currently in a state of mutual understanding; as long as they didn't openly escalate the conflict, they could continue negotiating.

“Please sit down. The clothes for the ceremony are not just clothes, but also a magical artifact. In addition to taking your measurements, the embroiderers will also test the quality of your spiritual energy,” Ye Buxi said. “Perfect timing. I brought an etiquette officer with me. You can take this opportunity to listen to the rules.”

Lu Yueyuan nodded, and the embroiderers surrounded him, touching him inappropriately.

One of the embroiderers brushed past Lu Yueyuan's hand.

That is arrogance.

Chapter 26: Not Very Familiar, But Acquaintances

Etiquette is part of the myriad methods of cultivation.

For cultivators in this world, the path they choose is more important than the techniques they create.

However, not everyone is so unique. Many people go through their entire lives without finding their own path, but they can sense spiritual energy and cultivate. In that case, everyone will tacitly agree to follow the path of etiquette.

Without knowledge of etiquette, one cannot stand. Etiquette, as one of the universal principles, also holds a pivotal position in the Jiuyi Sect. Many disciples, after joining the Jiuyi Sect, if they cannot find their own path for a long time, will turn to the Sifu Meridian and embark on the path of learning etiquette.

However, the strongest on this path does not come from the Jiuyi Sect. As the saying goes, "The heavens blow eight winds, and the earth splits nine provinces," the strongest in the Way of Etiquette comes from the reclusive hermit of Qingzhou.

Qingzhou is an eastern state, characterized by hills and bamboo forests. It abounds in spiritual bamboo; its leaves can be used to make talismans, and its stalks to forge weapons. The land is rainy, perpetually shrouded in misty rain. Its people are driven by profit, disregarding morality, and merchants run rampant.

It was in this very place that a master of etiquette emerged.

This is simply unbelievable.