Chapter 41: Trouble Arrived

Ye Rong chatted briefly with Bapi Choujin. He showed little interest in Bapi Choujin’s suggestion to meet Dongliu Canghai later.

That powerhouse was said to have taken two capable followers and chosen the lowest-level monster from the available Initiation Tasks to scout out the situation.

There was no definite return time. Ye Rong wasn’t willing to just wait around foolishly. He preferred to continue his monster-grinding journey. He wanted to level up the Qingcheng Qi Refining Method quickly and see what the first derived spell would be.

Senior Brother Chen Taizhen had repeatedly urged him to diligently practice the Qingcheng Sect’s core techniques and sword arts, not to be lazy or slack off. He even said he would check and supervise Ye Rong’s progress on behalf of their master.

Ye Rong didn’t take the NPC’s words too seriously. His plan was to stop focusing on the Qingcheng Qi Refining Method after unlocking the first derived spell and switch to the Chongxu True Scripture instead. After all, favoring the new and disliking the old is just human nature. Moreover, compared to the Qingcheng Qi Refining Method’s pitifully small stat gains per level, the Chongxu True Scripture was much more generous and even came with additional spells.

He pictured himself in the future, after learning the Chongxu Sword Qi. If he disliked someone, he could just shoot a sword qi from afar. With five fingers flicking rapidly, his attacks would be light and graceful, stylish and free from any mundane traces—truly the demeanor of an immortal.

Furthermore, this spell closely resembled a supreme martial skill called the Six Meridian Divine Sword from an ancient book titled “Heavenly Dragon” that Ye Rong had read as a child.

This similarity made Ye Rong feel even more fond of the Chongxu Sword Qi. He was willing to pour vast amounts of Experience Points into it and spend considerable time and effort to cultivate this Dao Scroll.

However, Chen Taizhen added one last point: to learn the true Lesser Yang Thunder Method, one had to reach the twentieth level of the Qingcheng Qi Refining Method. Only then could they apply to the Sect Leader for entry into the Ancestral Hall, where they could learn the essence and the Qi-Replenishing Thunder Method.

Qingcheng Qi Refining Method, Level 20!

It felt like a bolt from the blue. Such a distant goal made completing his Lesser Yang Thunder Method seem nearly impossible. He knew that the Experience Points required for each subsequent level of this technique increased even faster than leveling up. Reaching Level 20 would demand an astronomical amount of Experience Points.

Chen Taizhen also revealed that the Sect held a monthly assessment, and those who performed exceptionally would receive rewards.

All these pieces of information jumbled together, leading Ye Rong to one conclusion: as a Sect Player, even if the basic techniques and sword forms of his own Sect weren’t particularly powerful, he still needed to cultivate them to a certain level. Otherwise, it would severely hinder his future progress.

Favoring the new over the old wasn’t unique to Ye Rong. For example, Bapi Choujin was no longer using the Qingcheng Sword Art but had switched to the White Ape Sword Art.

It was a sword art dropped by an Elite Tier White Ape that Dongliu Cangshui led them to kill. It was an extremely rare, reusable Dao Scroll. All five of them managed to learn the White Ape Sword Art before the scroll vanished into a flash of white light.

Bapi Choujin was one of them. That pretty boy held a grudge against him because he didn’t get a turn to learn the White Ape Sword Art.

The White Ape Sword Art had twelve levels. Each level increased Sword Flight damage by 25 and attack speed by 10.

On the surface, aside from having fewer total levels, the White Ape Sword Art offered better stat boosts than the Qingcheng Sword Art, while requiring similar cultivation Experience. Naturally, Bapi Choujin and the others chose this sword art.

This situation wasn’t exclusive to the Qingcheng Sect; similar things happened in other Sects as well.

Ultimately, which sword art to cultivate was a matter of personal choice. Ye Rong couldn’t persuade others otherwise, especially since he wasn’t entirely convinced that sticking solely with the Qingcheng Sword Art would yield better results than other sword arts.

“Friend, we heard you’ve already become a Formal Disciple?”

Just as Ye Rong was about to leave, four or five people surrounded him, subtly hemming him in.

“What’s it to you?”

These were the same people who had been pointing and gossiping about him earlier. The Player he’d encountered outside the White Cloud Temple was among them.

Choosing not to hide his identity didn’t mean Ye Rong felt obliged to announce it to everyone he met, especially not to these clearly troublesome individuals. His tone was cold and impolite, but he wasn’t afraid they would dare attack him directly.

If a Registered Disciple assaulted a third-generation Formal Disciple, the outcome would undoubtedly be immediate expulsion from Qingcheng. If they were also Formal Disciples, it would be different; even with seniority differences, the punishment wouldn’t be as severe.

However, killing a fellow Sect Player resulted in a tenfold deduction of Karma Points—meaning one kill cost one thousand points.

“Announce the method to become a Formal Disciple so everyone can know. If dozens more Formal Disciples appear at once, our Qingcheng Sect’s strength would surge immediately. Soon, surpassing Emei to become the top Sect in Far Shore wouldn’t be difficult.”

The speaker had a loud voice and spoke with clear logic, positioning himself as representing the broader interests of the Sect’s Players. If Ye Rong didn’t comply, he would be seen as selfish, disregarding the Sect’s welfare, and opposing all Registered Disciples.

Ye Rong frowned, coldly staring at the man. He was of average height, with an ordinary face—just a typical square-jawed look.

“Yeah, hurry up and tell us the method to become a Formal Disciple!”

“Don’t keep all of us waiting. You’ve been a Formal Disciple for days already—had enough fun?”

“Look at this guy—he’s definitely scheming. He probably wants us to remain Registered Disciples forever so he can lord it over us.”

The others joined in, shouting and agitating, stirring up the emotions of nearby Players who drew closer. Their gazes toward Ye Rong turned hostile and intensely eager.

Ye Rong knew that even if he explained the process of becoming a disciple in full detail, these people wouldn’t believe him.

They would surely think he was hiding key details, being selfish, unwilling to share the complete secret.

If he offended so many potential future Sectmates at once, it would indeed become a big problem, Ye Rong thought to himself.

Bapi Choujin, standing to the side, was anxiously wiping sweat but couldn’t get a word in, frantic with worry.

“So, friend, have you thought it over? Sharing the method benefits everyone. When Qingcheng prospers, we all prosper. Only when all of us grow stronger can we…”

The square-jawed man spoke incessantly, a triumphant smile already spreading across his face. In his view, Ye Rong had no way out. Whether Ye Rong revealed the method or not, he himself stood to gain—

If Ye Rong told, everyone benefited, and he, as the leader, made a strong impression on everyone.

If not, he indirectly eliminated a potential rival’s foundation within the Sect. Offending all his fellow disciples meant that even with strong individual power, Ye Rong’s future development would be limited, posing no obstacle to his own advancement. Moreover, this incident gave him a platform for self-promotion and might even attract a group of disgruntled Players to his side.