Lu Zhou's gaze swept over the three of them once more. The previous strike had left them in a bad state.
The three of them struggled even to stand.
Little Yuan'er sensibly ran over to support Lu Zhou. Only after he was steady did she step aside.
Lu Zhou stood with his hands behind his back, no longer looking at them. Instead, he walked to the edge of the pavilion and gazed down at the mountains.
Mist rose from the peaks.
The ethereal mist ascended from the mountains, swirling around.
Without the barrier, Jinting Mountain had gained a touch of mystery.
"Third disciple."
"Disciple is here," Duanmu Sheng shivered and lowered his head.
"What's your rank on the Blacklist?"
"This... Disciple is ranked eighteenth."
"And the fourth?"
"Disciple... is not as good as Senior Brother, ranked twenty-fifth."
Before the master could ask, Zhao Yue answered, "Disciple is ranked twenty-eighth by luck."
"Luck?"
Lu Zhou's voice turned stern, "What good disciples I have... When did being on the Blacklist become something to boast about? You've brought shame to your master!"
"Disciple knows his mistake!" Zhao Yue's heart trembled.
After a brief reprimand, Lu Zhou suddenly remembered what Little Yuan'er had said. Wasn't he ranked first on the Blacklist himself? Hadn't he brought shame upon himself first...
Awkward.
Never mind, let it be.
"Since you know your mistakes... then you must change," Lu Zhou said calmly.
Change?
How to change?
The three of them exchanged glances.
They believed they were following the same path as their master, learning all their ways from him!
"From now on, you must not continue your evil deeds. Can you do that?" Lu Zhou enunciated each word.
The three of them were taken aback.
They looked at their master with some incomprehension.
But they still answered in unison:"Disciple will obey the master's command."
The pavilion fell silent again.
No one knew how much time had passed before Lu Zhou, gazing at the distant scenery, sighed, "In my life, my mistake was only teaching you cultivation, not how to be a person."
"It is also my fault for teaching you to be such rebellious disciples!"
Not commenting on their deeds in the cultivation realm, just their defiance and rebellious hearts was already a grave sin.
The four of them dared not speak.
Who would dare say the master was wrong?
"Duanmu Sheng, Ming Shiyin."
"Disciple is here," the two responded simultaneously.
"Now that the barrier of Jinting Mountain is broken, I will punish you by making you guard Jinting Mountain and repair the barrier. You must not leave even a step. Once it's repaired, I will forgive you," Lu Zhou said calmly.
House arrest essentially restricted their freedom, and repairing the barrier was no easy task, likely taking eight to ten years. This punishment was reasonable.
It was much better than killing them.
The two were overjoyed.
"Disciple will obey the master's command!"
Lu Zhou's gaze fell on his fifth disciple, Zhao Yue: "Zhao Yue."
"Disciple is here."
"Your third and fourth senior brothers must stay on the mountain, so... I will punish you by sending you down the mountain to atone for your sins. Do you have any objections?"
Atonement?
Fifth disciple Zhao Yue prostrated on the ground, speaking softly, "Disciple will obey the master's command and dare not have any objections. It's just..."
"Speak."
"Disciple does not know which sins to atone for."
Lu Zhou shook his head.
These villains had followed Ji Tiandao for so long that their views had been completely overturned by the old devil, losing the ability to judge basic right from wrong.
Lu Zhou did not speak immediately.
Instead, he turned around and walked past them.
His presence, devoid of any aura, still made the three villains shiver.
"Yuan'er, tell me, what is good and what is evil?" Lu Zhou asked calmly.
Little Yuan'er was taken aback.
She cupped her hands and said, "Benefiting others is good, harming others is evil?"
This was just a saying she came up with on the spot, never really considering it correct.
Hearing this answer, Lu Zhou shook his head, "Third disciple, you say."
Duanmu Sheng, with his head lowered, said, "Doing good deeds and accumulating virtue is good, killing and plundering is evil?"
Lu Zhou shook his head again.
"Fourth disciple."
Fourth disciple Ming Shiyin answered, "Serving the country and the people is good, aiding the wicked is evil?"
Lu Zhou still shook his head.
Their answers were too hypocritical.
Not the answer he was looking for.
Seeing their master continuously shaking his head, the four of them were full of confusion.
Lu Zhou, with his hands behind his back, said:
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"To live a life, one doesn't necessarily have to do good deeds and serve the country and the people... It's not about meeting everyone's expectations, but about having a clear conscience."
The four of them slightly raised their heads.
They looked at their master with complex expressions.
Suddenly, they felt that their master was very different from before.
A month ago, the master had said that if anyone displeased him, they should be killed...
Now, he was saying things that made them reflect, how could they not be surprised?
"Having a clear conscience... Disciple understands. Disciple will definitely kill all those who insulted the master..." Zhao Yue gritted her teeth.
"......"
All that talk for nothing.
Lu Zhou was somewhat amused.
"Forget it, you stay on the mountain and be punished as well," Lu Zhou shook his head.
Zhao Yue was taken aback and said, "Disciple obeys."
After all, these three villains had followed Ji Tiandao for too long.
Their views and beliefs were deeply ingrained, not something that could be changed with a few words.
Always resorting to killing, letting her go down the mountain would be disastrous.
Currently, Lu Zhou's cultivation was very low, and the crisis still existed.
Those rebellious disciples were all watching like tigers eyeing their prey.
***
Lu Zhou glanced at them again.
Loyalty had risen to 50%, 45%, and 52%.
These three villains were truly stubborn.
The issue of good and evil couldn't be resolved quickly, but their loyalty had to be raised above 60%.
If merely punishing them to stay on the mountain wasn't enough.
Lu Zhou slowly turned around and returned to the pavilion, sitting cross-legged.
"From today on, I won't hold you accountable for what you've done in the past... But if you commit any more disloyal or unrighteous acts, I won't be lenient."
This time, even Little Yuan'er knelt down.
All of them repeatedly said they dared not.
The loyalty of the three villains indeed increased by 5 points.
Similarly, with both grace and power:
"Since you've entered Jinting Mountain and become my disciples, I will protect you..."
Loyalty increased by another 10 points. Little Yuan'er increased by 2 points.
Lu Zhou nodded to himself, the promise of protection significantly boosted loyalty. In this vast world, there were all sorts of things, and while there were many righteous orthodox factions, there were also many hypocritical and sinister people. The world was harsh, and human hearts were treacherous. The real danger wasn't the overt villains but the fake benevolent ones. The cultivation world was bizarre, full of schemes and plots. Having a place to settle was a blessing in life.
Initially, when they came up the mountain to become disciples, wasn't that what they thought...
[Ding, completed the task of punishing the villains, gained 100 merit points.]
Hearing the system's prompt.
Lu Zhou said calmly, "You may leave."
"Disciple takes leave."
The four of them left the pavilion.
Though their hearts were uneasy, they were more filled with surprise and confusion.
Especially the three villains, who had committed grave sins and defied their master, yet the master only confined them to Jinting Mountain.
This was nothing short of a great favor.
In the past, they would have been severely beaten and injured.
Once all the disciples left, Lu Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.
He opened the personal panel.
[Name: Lu Zhou
Race: Human
Cultivation: Body Refinement Ninth Level.
Dharma Body: None.
Merit Points: 200
Remaining Lifespan: 312 days
Items: Ji Tiandao Peak State Card*2, Fatal Block*5 (Passive).
Cultivation Technique: None.]
Truly weak.
Having experienced the peak state, Lu Zhou realized how weak this body was.
Seeing he had 200 merit points, Lu Zhou thought, "Lottery."
[Ding, each lottery draw costs 50 merit points, failure grants 1 luck value]
"So stingy?"
"Shop."
The interface changed.
The shop was filled with a dazzling array of weapons and cultivation techniques.
"They even sell Dharma Bodies?" Lu Zhou was speechless.
The Dharma Body is one of the most powerful techniques of a cultivator. When a cultivator reaches a certain level, they condense their divine sense to form a massive Dharma Body, the stronger the cultivator, the stronger the Dharma Body.
Unfortunately, most of the items were red, indicating they couldn't be purchased.
"Novice Dharma Body 'Initial Taiji Formation' sells for 300 merit points..."
"Dharma Body 'Two Forms Transformation' sells for 1000 merit points..."
Lu Zhou noticed the highest level Dharma Body "Supreme of Myriad Flows" had a row of question marks for the price, with no listed price.
"......"
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