Ground Up (II)

Yu Ze couldn't help but drop his jaw.

A majestic pavilion, surrounded by high stone walls, stood before his eyes. Its tall, curved roof, painted deep red and adorned with gold, created an elegant silhouette under the sunlight. At the entrance gate, a wooden plaque carved with a coiled dragon caught his attention.

Seeing the symbol made Yu Ze smile broadly. There was no doubt; this pavilion was the one he had been searching for all this time.

The Pavilion of the Black Dragon Sect.

"Hau haa huu!"

The bald guy gestured for Yu Ze to enter the outer area of the pavilion.

As Yu Ze stepped through the entrance gate, he was greeted by a vast courtyard with trees neatly lined along the pathway leading to the pavilion. There wasn't a single dry leaf or piece of trash lying around.

The impeccably clean condition of the pavilion suggested it was well-maintained. Yu Ze suspected that the bald guy was responsible for its upkeep.

But the question remained, who was he really?

Yu Ze remembered his late master, Shen Tian, had once said that all members of the Black Dragon Sect had been killed during the Cultivator World War. There shouldn't be any sect members left besides him.

His late master was like a broken tape recorder, always talking about his life problems whenever there was time. Shen Tian would have definitely told Yu Ze if this man had any connection to the sect.

Yet at the same time, it seemed unlikely that the bald guy was a stranger who voluntarily maintained the pavilion of a sect that had once been a threat to the cultivation world.

There must be another story about the Black Dragon Sect that Yu Ze didn't know.

"Stop right there!"

As Yu Ze stepped in front of the pavilion, a knife suddenly blocked his path, embedding itself a few inches from his feet. A slight miss, and the knife might have pierced his toes.

Naturally, that irritated Yu Ze. But his annoyance soon vanished when the bald guy asked him to remain calm.

"If you move any further, the next knife will land on your head."

The person who warned them did not reveal himself. His voice echoed among the pavilion roofs, as if hiding in the small gaps of the wooden ceilings. It sounded like a teenager.

"Stranger! This is the Pavilion of the Black Dragon Sect. No one can enter here but sect members. Leave while I'm still feeling generous!"

Yu Ze glanced at the bald guy, wanting to ask if he knew who was preventing them from entering. But the bald guy was deaf, unable to hear the warning, and his face showed confusion.

And also, Yu Ze needed to clarify something.

"What do you mean by sect members? The Black Dragon Sect has long been gone," Yu Ze replied.

"That's bullshit. The Black Dragon Sect still exists and thrives. Leave now!"

Naturally, Yu Ze raised his eyebrows.

He found the situation becoming more intriguing. On one hand, he was pleased to learn that the Black Dragon Sect had not been destroyed. On the other hand, the current reality was different from the information he had gotten from his late master. It raised many suspicions and questions.

Yu Ze's late master, Shen Tian, always said that witnessing the massacre of his followers was the most brutal thing he had ever seen in his life. They were all slaughtered like cattle. Yu Ze still remembered how Shen Tian recounted that story with emotion. It wasn't like his late master could have misremembered such a traumatic event.

Yet, Yu Ze was still unsure whether the person hiding, including the bald guy, was part of the sect members or not.

He decided to play along with this absurd game to find out more.

"Is this guy a member of the sect?" Yu Ze pointed to the bald guy, who couldn't hear their conversation.

"Yes, he is one of us. He has the right to enter. But you don't."

Yu Ze smirked. "Well, if that's the case, everything's fine then. This guy is the one who brought me here. Let's just say I'm your guest."

"No!"

Yu Ze frowned. "No? What do you mean, 'no'? Can't you see I walked here with him? Clearly, he brought me here," Yu Ze said, slightly annoyed.

"He's an idiot. We'll punish him after you leave. It was just a misunderstanding," the voice explained. "Our sect hasn't accepted guests for the last 17 years… or maybe 25… I forget. The thing is, we don't accept guests anymore. You must leave immediately."

Yu Ze squinted, his gaze fixed on the bald guy who still didn't seem to understand the situation.

If the sect didn't accept guests, this bald guy wouldn't have brought him here. It was impossible for a sect as prestigious as the Black Dragon Sect to make such a simple mistake. Besides, Yu Ze didn't sense any cultivators around.

He wondered if there were any sect members who had reached such a high level of cultivation that they could conceal their presence or if there were simply no cultivators here. Everything felt so empty.

"Alright. What if I said I am a member of the sect—no—I am the direct disciple of the founder and former leader of the sect, Shen Tian the Invincible. Would I be allowed in?"

This time, Yu Ze didn't hide his identity. He openly claimed to be the heir of the Black Dragon Sect. Of course, they might not believe him right away. But at the very least, they would appear to test his strength.

What kind of sect member wouldn't be furious when someone claimed to be their clan leader's disciple? They would definitely show themselves. If only to challenge his power, Yu Ze was ready for that.

As he thought the situation was becoming simpler, it turned out to be the opposite.

"If what you say is true, tell me the password," the voice replied.

"Password?" Yu Ze squinted his eyes. "What password?"

"The password that proves you are part of the Black Dragon Sect. Everyone who wants to step into the pavilion must say it. Unless you are an outsider pretending to be one of us."

Yu Ze could only frown.

In his entire life, he had never heard of this from his late master. He remembered every word spoken by the person who raised him since childhood. Shen Tian never once mentioned a password.

It all sounded like nonsense. But what if Shen Tian had indeed missed something important? He only knew that all sect members had died on the battlefield, and his three trusted disciples had betrayed him, living on without knowing the true events.

This misinformation made everything more complicated. Yu Ze felt increasingly frustrated.

"Should I play along with this nonsense so they accept me?" Yu Ze asked himself.

It wasn't like Yu Ze needed their recognition, but he would be annoyed if he missed something. One thing his late master taught him was that a small mistake would lead to bigger ones. Yu Ze didn't want that to happen.

Staring at the bald guy, who was his only hope, Yu Ze wanted to get the password from him. However, the bald guy was deaf. Yu Ze had to ask through body language. He wiggled his lips and moved his hands, hoping the man would give an answer.

Instead of receiving Yu Ze's message, the bald guy stepped back. There was a look of disgust on his face.

"I'm not trying to kiss you. That's not what I mean!" Yu Ze shouted in frustration.

"That's wrong. That's not the password," the voice retorted.

"No! That wasn't my answer!"

Yu Ze tried to explain, but the voice didn't care.

"There is only one chance, and you've used it. You're not one of us. Leave here while I'm still asking nicely."

Of course, Yu Ze couldn't accept it.

"Alright. You said all sect members must say the password to enter this pavilion, right? Then this guy should also say it. You have to ask him too!" Yu Ze pointed at the bald guy, who looked confused.

"B-but he's mute," the voice stammered. "And he's deaf. How could I ask him? It makes no sense! Besides, he's an old and permanent member! His membership isn't in question!"

"I don't care! You made this rule! You must be fair!"

"That—uhg."

The voice grumbled, realizing his flaw, while Yu Ze laughed triumphantly.

The bald guy just scratched his head, still not understanding the situation.

"You think you can fool me?!" Yu Ze shouted. "I've known from the start that you're making this up. Now, show yourself. Admit that I am a sect member and the rightful successor to the sect leader!"

"No! I'm not making this up, you weirdo," the voice retorted, sounding angry, which only delighted Yu Ze.

"Then! Ask the bald guy for the password!"

The voice went silent for a moment. No matter how the voice asked him, the bald guy wouldn't hear it. He was deaf and mute, after all.

Yu Ze thought this was his victory, at least until a stone landed on the bald guy's head.

"Ouch!"

The bald guy looked annoyed, rubbing his now swollen head. He started yelling in the direction the stone came from.

"Hau hau hau haha! Hah au ahaa hu!"

"That's correct!" the voice exclaimed. "That's the password. This idiot is a sect member!"

"What! That's not even words!" Yu Ze shouted in frustration, raising his hands in exasperation.

"Shut up. You're not a sect member. Stop whining and leave!"

Now, it was the voice's turn to laugh triumphantly. He thought it was all over. But little did he know, Yu Ze was not the type of person to give up easily.

"It's time to get serious," Yu Ze said.

He then began to accumulate qi in his feet and stomped the ground.

THUD!

A powerful shockwave shook the entire pavilion as if an earthquake had struck the place. Leaves fell, some trees toppled, and even the marble floor of the courtyard cracked in places.

And then, a young boy about 13 years old fell from the pavilion roof. He had short black hair and a small build, but he wore clothes that were a bit too big for him. The boy looked panicked as he saw Yu Ze's overwhelming aura.

"So, you're the kid who dared to mess with me, huh?"

The boy gulped as Yu Ze pointed at him.

"Hau hau haa! Hau!" The bald guy knelt and pleaded before Yu Ze. Anyone watching could tell that this man was begging for the boy's life.

But Yu Ze was not a merciful person. He extended his hand, and the boy was drawn towards him, his neck landing in Yu Ze's grasp.

"Keough… forgive me!"

Yu Ze smirked. "Why should I?"

"Hauuuuu! Haaauuuu! Huuuu!" The bald guy cried, kneeling and clutching Yu Ze's leg tightly.

"If anyone dares to mess with me, they must face the consequences. Death is the least of them."

Though Yu Ze sounded serious, he didn't actually intend to take the boy's life. He just wanted to teach him a lesson about the dangers of crossing a cultivator.

"Please.... forgive me..."

The boy begged for forgiveness and cried. Seeing him in desperation, Yu Ze sighed. He thought the boy was learning his lesson.

"Don't kill him, please!"

As Yu Ze was about to end this, another shout came from a different direction. This time it wasn't a man's voice, but a woman's. Yu Ze turned towards the voice and saw a crying girl running towards him.