Chapter 86: Sect Disciples
Chapter 86: Sect Disciples
After Mo Li returned to the sect, Honglian was temporarily reassigned into the war zone. Lu Hangzhi declared that they had completely lost contact with the Xuanxin Sect and had no choice but to calm his mind and dedicate himself entirely to cultivation.
Driven by an unprecedented obsession, Lu Hangzhi threw himself into cultivation. He efficiently organized every resource he could use and every available opportunity within every twelve hours of the day:
Every two hours, he would absorb magic power from the Ninth-Grade Monster Core to enhance his cultivation base, then circulate “The Path to Divinity” to refine it.
Every four hours, he drank Immortal Liquid, using Spirit Honey to neutralize its effects, amplifying his cultivation gains.
Once every twelve hours, he consumed one Beast Elixir Pill.
He dedicated all his remaining time to practicing the “Seven-Seven Sword Formation,” focusing his entire spirit and mind on breaking through to the minor mastery realm of “Seven Motions with One Thought.”
Time passed day by day.
Lu Hangzhi scarcely had time to converse with Nangong Jun, Hu Bugui, Lei Qun, or others. All he knew was relentless cultivation.
His cultivation base rose incredibly fast!
The rate at which resources were consumed was equally shocking.
However…
Although progressing from mid-seventh grade to peak seventh grade took only a little over twenty days – a pace that seemed impossible to Nangong Jun and Hu Bugui – Lu Hangzhi remained deeply unsatisfied.
The only thing that comforted him was some progress made through his arduous training in the “Seven-Seven Sword Formation.”
Following Master Qin’s hint, Lu Hangzhi had slowed down his flying swords over this past month. Finally, he managed to split off a sliver of his mental focus, gaining the chance to control the final flying sword. He had touched the threshold of “Seven Motions with One Thought.” His strength was on the verge of a significant leap.
On this day, Nangong Jun and Hu Bugui, among others, emerged one after another from their secluded training. When they arrived in the courtyard, Lu Hangzhi was still deeply immersed in his practice. Six flying swords danced and flew around him, sometimes slow, sometimes swift. Sometimes their sharpness surged, sometimes they linked in a flawless line, like conscious spirit snakes weaving a dazzling display. Both couldn’t help but smile.
“Brother Hangzhi truly deserves to be personally brought to the Two Realms Mountain by Revered Qin. His talent is indeed beyond ours,” Hu Bugui sighed sincerely. “The high-grade art technique ‘Seven-Seven Sword Formation’ has already entered his grasp. Given time, he will surely master it to minor completion, and his strength will climb yet again.”
“Remember how my younger brother once considered himself the top expert of the Outer Sect and looked down on Hangzhi? When we return to the sect, that kid will be wide-eyed, likely addressing Hangzhi as Elder Lu!”
“I wonder what’s happening at our sect now,” Nangong Jun said, unable to hide her worry. “It’s been almost a month since the Ancestral Master returned to the sect. Still, we’ve heard nothing. I just can’t set my mind at ease to cultivate properly. I worry about how Master and our junior brothers are faring. Compared to Brother Hangzhi, I’m far less steady and rational.”
“I feel exactly the same.”
Sighing together, sharing their concerns, they suddenly sensed a presence. Simultaneously, they turned their heads towards the gate.
A towering, familiar figure appeared in the courtyard. He stopped carefully and stared intently at Lu Hangzhi. Surprised delight flashed in his eyes.
“Revered Qin!”
“Respects to Revered Qin!”
They couldn’t contain their startled exclamations.
Others quickly appeared from different corners of the compound, gathering around Revered Qin.
“Great! Revered Qin is here!”
Realm Qin swept his gaze over them and smiled – all personnel from Sector 112 were gathered here. This was most likely Lu Hangzhi’s doing.
Good.
With this core of thirty people, the imminent second rotation was looking much more secure.
“I’ve heard about Revered Mo’s affairs and the situation with the Xuanxin Sect,” Revered Qin announced. “Next month, I will personally go to the Xuanxin Sect to see for myself.”
“Thank you, Honored Revered!”
Joy spread across the faces of the Xuanxin Sect disciples as they expressed their gratitude in unison.
Then Revered Qin’s tone shifted. “According to a notice from the Reinforcement Department, we are about to enter the Two Realms Mountain war zone. Are you… prepared?”
“Hangzhi distributed quite a few monster beast inner cores to us,” Cheng Fei replied with a smile. “We’ve all upgraded to Artifact Flying Swords and procured elixirs and talismans. Even if we encounter Monster Beast Mist again in the war zone this time, we believe we won’t panic or be thrown into disarray.”
The whole group, radiating youthful vigor, nodded emphatically to signal their readiness.
Realm Qin nodded with satisfaction, then turned his attention toward the person still practicing.
“Hangzhi, it’s time to depart.”
As if someone had pressed pause, Lu Hangzhi snapped his eyes open. He stood up and took a step forward.
Clang! Clang!
With this step, seven flying swords returned orderly, without missing a beat, back into the scabbards on his back. The movement was fluid and graceful, a pleasure to the eye.
Only then did everyone truly notice the distinct aura surrounding Lu Hangzhi.
Before, Lu Hangzhi had maintained a low-key presence consistent with their image of a junior brother. Now… he resembled a plain yet incredibly sharp sword. Though he consciously retained that same calm and unassuming demeanor, an immense, burgeoning pressure churned within him. It was like a volcano on the brink of eruption, impossible to ignore.
Realm Qin understood.
This was the result of cultivating “The Path to Divinity.”
On the surface, he was at peak seventh grade. In reality, he was teetering on the edge of breaking through even to ninth grade, perhaps beyond. Today’s Lu Hangzhi was already vastly different from the past.
Lu Hangzhi walked up to Realm Qin.
“Honored Revered.”
“Well done. Your progress is rapid.”
“I should be able to break through to eighth grade under the intense pressure once inside the war zone,” Lu Hangzhi stated. “Within the following month, I aim to reach ninth grade and advance the ‘Seven-Seven Sword Formation’ to minor mastery. Then, I intend to accompany you back to the sect.”
Realm Qin remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“Agreed.”
A minor mastery “Seven-Seven Sword Formation,” coupled with ninth-grade cultivation under “The Path to Divinity,” would grant him strength no less than that of an ordinary cultivator early in the Spirit Concentration Stage. He would possess significant defensive capability outside the Two Realms Mountain.
“Thank you, Honored Revered.”
Lu Hangzhi wasn’t surprised by Realm Qin’s response.
Over this past month, he had come to understand that “The Path to Divinity” was fundamentally an art technique designed to aid cultivation breakthroughs to the Spirit Concentration Stage.
If a cultivator achieved the level of accumulation corresponding to ninth grade while continuously refining their magic power, they had an option during the Spirit Concentration breakthrough: convert the silvery-tempered magic power back into ordinary magic power. This internal expansion would create a destructive force, shattering the Spiritual Power Pool. This shattering would break through the Epiphany Stage and permit the coalescence of the Divine Spark.
Even if Realm Qin had refused permission, Lu Hangzhi could have forcibly attempted this Spirit Concentration breakthrough. He could have temporarily left the Two Realms Mountain as a Spirit Coalescence Elder to rush back and aid the sect.
Realm Qin’s agreement was naturally better.
After all, the power conversion possible within “The Path to Divinity” was a one-time chance. If a breakthrough to Spirit Concentration could be achieved without relying on this power conversion, the cultivator’s future path could extend much further.
The group gathered their belongings. Soon, each received their marching orders and prepared to travel with their formation to take their positions in Sector 397.
Cheng Fei frowned deeply, hesitating as if he wanted to speak.
Realm Qin’s expression remained unchanged.
“Sector 397. It seems our group’s rank has been elevated.”
“What’s wrong?” others asked, puzzled.
Cheng Fei sighed and explained, “The larger the sector number, the deeper it goes into the Two Realms Mountain war zone. Sectors past three hundred are considered higher-intensity battlefields. Only elite squads are typically dispatched there…”
Hearing this, Lu Hangzhi set aside any lingering complacency. “Brother Cheng,” he pressed, “what determines this ‘combat intensity’ in the war zones?”
“The closer you are to a high-intensity war zone, the higher the proportion of high-level monster beasts!” Cheng Fei elaborated. “In sectors beyond the three hundreds… seventh-grade monster beasts are virtually extinct. The minimum level encountered is eighth-grade. Ninth-grade monster beasts form the main force. Moreover, Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts can descend and assault at any time.”
Cheng Fei’s explanation instantly cast a heavy pall over the group. Uncertainty gripped them.
“Actually, it’s just a change in scale,” Lu Hangzhi declared calmly, his statement cutting through the tension. “With our current strength and equipment, we’re considerably more powerful than before. It merely shifts our primary targets from eighth-grade beasts to ninth-grade beasts… As for Soul-Concentrating monster beasts? That’s still to be handled by Honored Revered Qin. The core tactics remain unchanged.”
His straightforward dissection of the battlefield scenario helped to defuse the shock induced by the mention of ninth-grade and Soul-Concentrating level threats.
The group breathed easier, nodding in agreement.
Realm Qin observed this approvingly.
Cheng Fei was now at mid-ninth grade cultivation and undeniably experienced, yet Lu Hangzhi was gradually eclipsing his prominence.
Cheng Fei himself likely hadn’t noticed that Lu Hangzhi had already become the squad’s new decisive core.
This realization solidified Realm Qin’s confidence in their upcoming rotation:
“Move out!”
Sector 397, being a high-intensity war zone, meant the Reinforcement Department assigned Realm Qin seventy cultivators – absolutely no rookies among them. Most had survived multiple war zone rotations. The majority were eighth and ninth-grade cultivators.
The only slightly unexpected development was the presence of two distinct small factions, each numbering over twenty cultivators, within the group of seventy. Both faction leaders possessed peak ninth-grade cultivation.
Realm Qin silently observed these two men for a moment but said nothing. He gave the signal and began leading the main force forward.
Lu Hangzhi followed silently at the rear.
Cheng Fei quickly hurried over to walk beside him, sending a message meant for Lu Hangzhi alone.
“Trouble brewing.”
“I know those two,” he mentally conveyed. “They’re training disciples from two of the ‘Seven Great Sects’ – the Imperial Wine Sect and the Yuding Sect. Much stronger than ninth-graders from ordinary sects.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? Lightens our defensive burden? What kind of trouble?” Lu Hangzhi thought back, puzzled.
Cheng Fei’s mental voice carried resignation. “If only it were that simple.”
He then detailed the typical behavior of Seven Great Sect disciples, making Lu Hangzhi grasp the complexity of the situation.
Once inside a war zone, these disciples operated with inherent superiority. They automatically assumed command over cultivators from other sects.
Because the Venerable One (the strongest protector) had to conserve their magic power for critical moments, Seven Great Sect disciples often disregarded the Venerable’s authority during non-emergencies. They allocated defensive duties arbitrarily amongst themselves.
Crucially, they had one major flaw:
They prioritized the lives of their fellow Seven Great Sect disciples above all others. Cherishing their prestige fiercely, they wouldn’t hesitate to dispatch disciples from minor sects to face danger squarely in their stead.
Any resistance was met with immediate isolation and joint exclusion. They might even spread damaging rumors in the Marketplace to suppress dissenters…
Consequently, many minor sect cultivators found themselves on the Seven Great Sects’ blacklists. Upon entering the war zone, they were isolated – often dying in battle, or being returned to base critically wounded.
Over time, disciples from lesser sects had developed a deep-seated hatred for Seven Great Sect tactics. Yet helpless, they could only fervently pray not to be lumped together with these elite figures during future assignments.
Lu Hangzhi glanced towards Realm Qin. Seeing the Venerable maintain his detached silence brought rapid understanding. Lu Hangzhi offered Cheng Fei reassuring thoughts.
“We belong directly to Honored Revered Qin’s command,” he projected mentally. “They won’t dare overstep too blatantly. No need for excessive worry.”