The history of a single family could not represent an entire civilization, but it was enough to reveal an outline. Lu Yin was looking forward to reading the histories of more families.

Some families were just as old as the Lian clan.

For several years afterwards, Lu Yin continued to follow Elder Qiu around to visit various clans and read their records.

He could have examined their records without even alerting the families, but he felt that that approach was unethical. They were all fellow humans, and there was no hostility between them. So, Lu Yin simply could not bring himself to do such a thing.

Not every clan was willing to allow Lu Yin to read their archives, and they eventually encountered one that refused.

Elder Qiu even resorted to threats, but they still refused. Lu Yin had Elder Qiu talk with the clan’s ancestor, a forced conversation with forced familiarity. After practicing this same approach with several families, Elder Qiu had grown much more adept, but this family’s ancestor was different.

A person who cultivated the Path of Dispassion and had severed their emotions and loyalty was being forced to converse with another cultivator who followed the same Path of Dispassion. This person also happened to be a powerhouse capable of deciding the survival of his entire clan. The experience was unbearable for both.

The discussion dragged on for three full days. Three entire days. Elder Qiu gave off the impression of being inexhaustible. He suddenly realized that dealing with cultivators of the Path of Dispassion in this way was surprisingly effective. Given the chance, he was confident that he could talk an enemy into madness.

The clan finally agreed. Their ancestor simply could not endure the torment any longer and was forced to consent.

From then on, rumors spread that Elder Qiu could confuse people through conversation. Things reached the point where no clan dared to refuse his request. After all, he neither struck nor cursed and merely talked relentlessly. Who could withstand that?

Lu Yin noticed that, the longer Elder Qiu was forced to talk for, the more invigorated he became. It was as if the man were developing into a chatterbox. Could someone who cultivated the path of Dispassion really end up like that?

During this period, aside from the spreading rumors about Elder Qiu, rumors also began circulating regarding the group that had left Canglan Valley.

One tale claimed that a person from Canglan Valley had eaten several cultivators into poverty, and yet those cultivators were deeply grateful and eventually even swore brotherhood with that man.

Another story was about a woman from Canglan Valley who became the adoptive mother of a young lord from a cultivation family.

There was also a tale of someone from Canglan Valley who founded a sect, gathered a group of cultivators who followed the Path of Dispassion, and then openly declared an uprising against the Path of Dispassion itself.

There were many such stories, and all of them left the people of Crimson Starshade stunned and incredulous.

Some of the stories even dumbfounded Lu Yin. These people were far too adept; just what kind of instructors had his home megaverses sent to train them?

This group had been assembled from the Human Trio’s most elite flatterers, manipulators, and con artists. Influenced by the Path of Dispassion? What a joke. Dispassion? Anyone standing in front of them would end up having feelings. Without emotions, how were they supposed to swindle anyone? No, not swindle—they were “building rapport.” They had to talk about feelings, and if none existed, they would manufacture some.

The very existence of this group of people was like a slap in the face of the Sect of Dispassion, delivered again and again.

Even Jiu Wen was left dumbfounded. Just how had Lu Yin taught these people?

Ba Yue emerged from seclusion, and she also heard the rumors. She sensed that something was wrong, but she could not pinpoint what it might be.

She sought out Jiu Wen and requested that the people from Canglan Valley be captured for interrogation, to avoid killing anyone.

People were indeed being interrogated, but the results proved meaningless. All that any of the people knew was that they had been born in Canglan Valley and that their teacher was Lu Yin. There was no one else involved.

Even Immortals who exhausted every one of their methods obtained the same answers.

This left the Sect of Dispassion completely bewildered, as well as several other powerful factions in the Crimson Starshade Civilization. The people from Canglan Valley were actively influencing those factions’ disciples.

Watching a group in the distance shouting slogans about overthrowing the Path of Dispassion and spreading emotions throughout the megaverse made Ba Yue’s ears ache. “Are we truly going to leave these people unchecked, Sect Master?”

Jiu Wen was speechless. “How should we control them?”

Ba Yue clenched her teeth. “If this continues, it won’t just be them influencing a few people. Many people are already being influenced. One disciple that I value, she... she...”

Jiu Wen shook his head. He was well aware that Ba Yue had always paid close attention to a certain cultivator that she believed would be suitable to become her disciple. Although Ba Yue herself did not cultivate the Path of Dispassion, the greater one’s talent in Crimson Starshade, the more likely they were to follow the Path of Dispassion. The woman that Ba Yue had chosen to accept as a disciple was no exception.

She did not mind accepting such a cultivator as her disciple.

However, that prospective disciple had run off with a boy from Canglan Valley and was smiling happily all day. Forget the Path of Dispassion—the woman barely even cultivated anymore. She spent all of her time on romance, which left Ba Yue alone with the desire to beat that boy to death.

“And then there’s Elder Qiu as well... It’s said that he hasn’t been quite right lately.”

Jiu Wen’s eyes shifted. “Then you can ask him what’s going on. Elder Qiu seems to be becoming more and more like the people from Canglan Valley.”

Ba Yue immediately went to find Elder Qiu.

The old man was still with Lu Yin, though at this moment, Lu Yin was reading another clan’s archives while Elder Qiu waited idly in a courtyard.

Elder Qiu was surprised to see Ba Yue arrive. “Acting Sect Master, have you come out of seclusion?”

Ba Yue looked at the old man. “What exactly has happened?”

Elder Qiu shrugged. “This Mr. Lu has insisted on reading the records of every clan and family. I was the one who revealed Canglan Valley’s location and even convinced Lian Jian to challenge Mr. Lu. He’s latched onto that weakness, leaving me with no choice but to guide him from clan to clan. I must say, some of those clan records are quite valuable, and although I myself have not read them, at times-”

“Enough! Why are you so long-winded?” Ba Yue cut him off in irritation. Elder Qiu had not spoken like this before.

The old man offered a bitter smile. “I’ve gotten used to it.”

“He’s been spending his time reading clans’ archives?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think of him?”

Elder Qiu thought for a moment. “Although we’ve spent quite some time together, we haven’t actually exchanged many words.”

Ba Yue stared at the old man, unconvinced.

He gave another wry smile. “Mr. Lu doesn’t like to talk. He spends most of his time reading clan records. Some families have very ancient lineages, but due to various upheavals, they’ve hidden those records away. We’ve spent a great deal of time locating them, and also-” 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Ba Yue interrupted him again. “Have you heard about the group from Canglan Valley?”

Elder Qiu nodded. “I have.”

“Do they seem like they were taught by Lu Yin?” Ba Yue asked.

Elder Qiu pondered briefly. “They do.”

“They do?”

“They do,” Elder Qiu stated firmly, “Although Mr. Lu doesn’t talk much, whenever he does, his words hit the mark directly. I feel as though he can see through everyone.”

Ba Yue frowned. “Extremely scheming.”

“You could say that,” Elder Qiu agreed, but then he added, “but his nature is not malicious.”

Ba Yue snorted coldly. “He just hides it well. Be careful around him, or you might end up being used without even realizing it.”

Elder Qiu acknowledged her warning and looked at the woman. “You should also be careful. Chu Songyun went to the Sect of Dispassion to find you, and He Xiao arrived immediately after. He has no intention of letting you go.”

Ba Yue’s expression grew cold. “And I have no intention of letting him go.”

With that, she left.

Elder Qiu sighed. He Xiao was not someone to provoke, and yet this Mr. Lu seemed to not care in the slightest.

Not long after, Lu Yin arrived. “Ba Yue seems quite concerned about you. What is your relationship?”

Elder Qiu was not surprised that Lu Yin knew about Ba Yue’s visit. Given his level of strength, unless something was deliberately concealed, he would be able to sense it. “I saved her life once when she was young.”

Lu Yin glanced at Elder Qiu. “Do those who cultivate the Path of Dispassion still save people?”

“It was simply a matter of convenience, but she does not cultivate the Path of Dispassion, which is why she still remembers it. Often, because of my relationship with her, others look at me differently. In fact, among those of the sixth rank-”

“Let’s go. Next clan,” Lu Yin ordered, not wanting to hear more idle chatter.

Elder Qiu was left speechless. This was already the third time he had been cut off today.

Several more years quickly passed. During that time, the most prominent group was those from Canglan Valley.

Everyone had learned that Jiu Wen had agreed to not act against the people of Canglan Valley, which was why the group even existed.

The Sect of Dispassion announced that anyone who could influence the people of Canglan Valley and convince them to cultivate the Path of Dispassion would receive two rewards. They would be allowed to immediately enter the Sect of Dispassion and even gain the opportunity to seek Jiu Wen as a master.

This condition caused countless cultivators to rush out in search of the people from Canglan Valley. The latter no longer dared to act as boldly as before. Although they could ensure that they were not influenced by ruthlessness, being watched daily by several, dozens, or even hundreds of cultivators was unbearable for anyone.

Also during these years, some of the people from Canglan Valley were indeed influenced. There was no helping it; humans have desires, and the smarter one is, the more those desires intensify. These people had analyzed the pros and cons and concluded that, given the prevailing momentum of their civilization, joining the Sect of Dispassion and cultivating the Path of Dispassion was the best path forward.

As for Canglan Valley, even with Lu Yin as its backing, could it really compare to the Sect of Dispassion?

If these people knew that they were originally from Lu Yin’s own human civilization, they would not have such thoughts, but they were unaware of that fact themselves.

As Lu Yin watched one person from Canglan Valley be persuaded to join the Sect of Dispassion, his expression remained calm.

“Mr. Lu, are you not stopping this?” Elder Qiu asked.

Lu Yin indifferently replied, “Everyone has their own aspirations.”

“But if more than half are influenced, then...” Elder Qiu did not finish. He should be siding with the Sect of Dispassion, not Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was not bothered. It was not so easy to make someone dispassionate. That group of people had been taught for twenty years, and the traits that had been carved into their bones since childhood would be difficult to change.

Among those 10,000 people, it was inevitable that some would be influenced. It was only to be expected. Even so, Lu Yin believed that the majority would not be changed. This was a confrontation between his own Human Trio and Crimson Starshade. The advantage that Crimson Starshade held was that the confrontation was taking place in their home megaverse, which meant that they could act with overwhelming momentum and without scruples. Meanwhile, the advantage of Lu Yin’s home civilization lay in the twenty years of upbringing and instruction that the 10,000 people had received.

This was a clash between two civilizations’ cultures. At this moment, even if Lu Yin tried to intervene, it would be useless.

No, there was a method to change this, which was to make those who had joined the Path of Dispassion regret it: the Dao Sword.

He could use his Dao Sword to sever the experiences of temptation while preserving those people’s lives up to the point before they were tempted. Those who tempted them would believe that they had failed, and the same temptation would not be used again.

Lu Yin had already considered doing this, and his true targets were actually Immortals like He Xiao.

If the day came when the two civilizations merged as fellow human civilizations, then having a few more Immortals would unquestionably be beneficial, but the actions of people like He Xiao were too hard to accept.

Moreover, they themselves were incapable of changing. The only way forward was to use the Dao Sword to sever their past experiences. That was exactly what Jiu Wen had meant: change the Path of Dispassion itself, and the person would change with it.

However, severing an Immortal’s past would consume an enormous amount of karma.

Lu Yin had severed the Immortal’s Lord’s karma and implanted a Dao Sword. Doing so had consumed roughly as much karma as what Lu Yin could gain from putting an Immortal in the Champions’ Stage Purgatory, and that was only a portion of what Lu Yin would need to do for these Immortals.

He was not yet an Immortal himself, so severing an Immortal’s karma naturally required an excessive amount of karma.

Not to mention several Immortals, but Lu Yin would be unwilling to expend that much karma for even one. Karma itself was power.

For these ordinary cultivators, however, the consumption of karma was negligible.