If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them

Outside the alley.

A gentle breeze carrying green leaves blew toward a slender figure.

He wore robes as white as snow, his black hair fluttering in the wind. His expression was aloof and cold as he walked with his back to the moonlight, looking like an immortal who had transcended the mortal world.

Behind him, a man in a bamboo hat leaned lazily against the wall with his arms crossed. In his hand, he held a red bamboo tube—the firework that symbolized the identity of the Chief Disciple.

Once pulled, the rising firework would be visible for a hundred miles, and the Principal, who was within a thousand meters, could rush over in an instant.

Zhuang Xun controlled Bai Yujing to push open the door of the tavern, his movements as natural as any ordinary patron.

With a sharp crack, the Shengxue Cult members sitting inside fell dead silent, all turning their heads to look at him.

A cultist behind the counter looked at Bai Yujing as he walked in. For a moment, his brain failed to process the sight, and he said subconsciously, “Customer, we are already closed... Bai—Bai—Bai—Bai Yujing?!”

Clang!

He immediately reached for the saber beneath the counter, but a sudden pain struck his neck. A horizontal line of blood appeared on the wooden board behind him.

Thud!

His head fell off. Through his upside-down vision, he saw that Bai Yujing was still walking forward at a leisurely pace, though a translucent white sword had appeared in his hand at some point, its tip dripping with fresh blood.

“Get him!”

Behind a table, the Sixth Rank cultist took the lead. Stomping on the table, he lunged at Bai Yujing with his sword.

Zhuang Xun did not dodge or evade. His expression remained flat. With one hand holding his sword behind his back, he raised two fingers of his other hand. The muscles inside his fingers wriggled imperceptibly, growing a fine, scale-like layer of keratin.

Clink!

The long sword ground to a halt, and the cultist hung suspended in midair.

The tip of his sword was clamped firmly between Zhuang Xun's fingers.

With a gentle flick of his wrist, the long sword shattered into countless fragments in an instant.

The fingers of Zhuang Xun's right hand grew even more slender. Like ten thousand butterflies fluttering out of a flower bed, his fingers blurred, tapping each fragment with dazzling speed.

The next moment.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The fragments pelted the cultist like a torrential downpour before he could even land, leaving lines of blood spraying from his body.

Thud.

The cultist collapsed to the ground, his blood pooling beneath him and reflecting Bai Yujing's steady footsteps.

Zhuang Xun continued forward. With every step he took, the remaining cultists took a step back.

Suddenly, the candles in the tavern flickered. By the time the light stabilized, Bai Yujing had vanished.

Yujing Thrust! Yujing Chop! Yujing Lift! Yujing Sweep! Yujing Dot... Zhuang Xun appeared briefly in front of each cultist, executing the corresponding moves he called out in his mind. Finally, he materialized at the very back, slowly sheathing the Shiliu sword.

Pfft!

At that exact moment, blood sprayed from everyone behind him as they collapsed to the floor.

Thud, thud.

Hey, I have to admit, these Eighteen Yujing Styles are actually pretty useful... Zhuang Xun turned around unsteadily, delivering a finishing blow to each body before starting to search for loot.

“They really just sell wine. There's nothing here.” He walked out of the tavern, intending to find the patrol disciples in the market to clean up the mess. As he walked, he pondered.

Why does the Shengxue Cult want to capture me?

Do they want me to be their holy son, or some vessel for an evil god's descent?

Whatever it is, I need to get rid of this Shengxue Cult as soon as possible. How dare they target me.

Previously, Zhuang Xun hadn't bothered with the Shengxue Cult because he could just run away if anything went wrong.

There were plenty of people in this world, and someone would eventually step up to eliminate evil and uphold justice. He was a bit lazy; he'd rather leave saving the world to others.

But things were different now. The Shengxue Cult had set its sights on him. If something happened, it would be hard for him to escape—at least, it would be hard for his clone, Bai Yujing, to escape. He had to carefully plan how to deal with them.

Right, a three-step plan.

First, use the Wanxing Martial Academy to wipe out the Shengxue Cult.

This was Zhuang Xun's purpose in using Bai Yujing to eliminate their sentry post today.

Given Bai Yujing's popularity in the academy, once the disciples learned he had been attacked, they would definitely be outraged at the Shengxue Cult. It would be much easier to guide them to fight the cult then.

Second, join the Shengxue Cult as a backup.

In case the Wanxing Martial Academy lost, he would be a loyal cultist, ready to welcome the descent of the Ancestor alongside his colleagues.

Although the Shengxue Cult's surface strength was far inferior to the Wanxing Martial Academy's, they were, after all, once a great cult that had ravaged the world. They had even severely depleted the Jiyi Sect, the "Greatest Sect under Heaven." Even though they had been reduced to a mere handful of survivors lingering in Mount Dazhou, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Who knew what hidden cards they might still have?

In fact, their ability to summon an evil god was already a terrifying card in itself.

Third, be ready to flee at any moment.

The Shengxue Cult's ultimate plan was undoubtedly to summon their evil god into the world.

If they really succeeded in summoning it, Zhuang Xun wasn't stupid. He would simply abandon his clone, Bai Yujing, and run.

Of course, this was the absolute last resort.

After all, leaving meant starting all over again. Furthermore, information flowed much more freely outside than in the isolated Xietian Mountain Range. Creating a fake identity out there would be difficult and easily exposed.

Besides, the resources in the Xietian Mountain Range were far richer than outside, earning it the title of the Sacred Vein.

The Jiyi Sect's former reputation as the Greatest Sect under Heaven was largely thanks to the Xietian Mountain Range.

Otherwise, the Jiyi Sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Alliance wouldn't have fought over the Xietian Mountain Range for so long, refusing to back down and even banning each other's people from entering.

One could say these two factions deserved a lot of credit for turning the Xietian Mountain Range into the den of filth it was today.

“In short, steps one and two will run parallel, and step three will be a last resort. At worst, I just lose Bai Yujing. It's no big deal.”

Zhuang Xun was quite optimistic. With the Character Creation Panel, as long as he played his cards right, he was inherently invincible and had no need to fear any schemes.

Hehehe, if you can't beat them, join them~

“Where is everyone?” Zhuang Xun waved his hand as he walked, suddenly realizing something was off.

Holy crap, where did all the patrol disciples go? Did they go on a collective strike for a team-building retreat? Talk about enjoying life.

After some thought, he headed toward the summit of Wanxing Peak.

...

Meanwhile, Xu Jianxing was waiting outside the side cliff.

“Hmph, I don't believe you'll stay inside forever.”

He sneered in his heart, “I want to see what kind of person you are. Someone who only had Nine Stones of strength at fifteen, someone who was only at the Eighth Rank when he became the Chief Disciple, someone who is only popular because of his looks, someone... someone...”

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the mountain path below.

His clothes were spotless, yet he carried a thick scent of blood. His expression was cold and flat, yet there was a lingering, murderous aura of someone who had just finished slaughtering.

Xu Jianxing watched him slowly approach, his mind going completely blank, unable to speak a word.

As they brushed past each other, he subconsciously met the other's gaze. That cold, aloof, and utterly tranquil look instantly shook his soul.

There was nothing else left in Xu Jianxing's eyes, only that figure. He watched him walk away, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Who is that? Wandering around late at night... Zhuang Xun only cast a brief glance before losing interest.

He went to the Wanxing Hall, found the Principal, and reported the ambush.

In an instant, the originally cheerful Principal turned grave. He immediately summoned the three presiding elders of the General Affairs Hall, the Administrative Hall, and the Disciplinary Hall.

Sitting on the main seat, the Principal slapped the armrest of his chair and barked at the three elders, “This old man wants to know why there was a Shengxue Cult sentry post right outside my martial academy!”

Hearing this, the three elders looked at the Principal but remained silent.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, the Principal averted his gaze and muttered absentmindedly to the ceiling.

“Mmh... ah, it must be because the Shengxue Cult is too good at infiltrating... Eh? Why does my Wanxing Hall look a bit dim? Elder Du, remember to have someone install a few more oil lamps in the coming days.”

Standing opposite the three elders, Zhuang Xun instantly guessed that the lack of patrols in the market probably had something to do with the Principal.

He asked straightforwardly, “Master, Yujing wishes to know why there were no disciples patrolling the market tonight.”

“That... maybe the disciples were too tired and went back to sleep. I'm not too sure either.” The Principal continued to look around, simply refusing to meet Bai Yujing's gaze.

At this moment, Zhuang Xun heard a bitter laugh. It was Elder Su of the General Affairs Hall, using the sound transmission technique to speak to him in secret.

“Chief Disciple, it's because the academy's treasury is empty. To save money, the Principal cut the market patrols.”

? Wait, cutting border patrols to save money?! If the old codger is going senile, he should just step down already!

Zhuang Xun frowned slightly. Also using the sound transmission technique, he asked the pale, clean-shaven Elder Su, “Elder Su, why is the academy short on money?”

Elder Su didn't answer, only looking at the Principal.

Understanding the hint, Zhuang Xun looked at the Principal and said quietly, “Master, where is the money?”

“The money, the money... Is the moon very round tonight? I'll go outside and take a look.” The Principal made a move to stand up.

“Master.”

The Principal sat back down. Feeling Bai Yujing's gaze out of the corner of his eye, he began to sweat.