“Master, our sect is actually this powerful?” The person even more astonished than Shu Xin was Yi Renjie. “Then how did our sect end up in this state?”
Xu Guan had been expecting Shu Xin to react with surprise, but instead heard his second disciple say something so utterly lacking in ambition. He angrily flicked Yi Renjie on the forehead. “Use your brain. If our sect were truly so poor that we had nothing to our name, why would the Longevity Dao Sect want anything from us? Charity? What they want is Senior Book Spirit, understand?”
Though scolded by his master, Yi Renjie continued to grin foolishly.
He had originally thought that their sect would have to rely on Master and Senior Sister alone. He never imagined that they possessed such a powerful hidden foundation as well.
What was more, he had learned about it earlier than his junior brothers and sisters. Just thinking about that made him happy.
“To be honest, I hadn’t intended to tell you either.” Xu Guan sighed, then looked at Shu Xin. “I once suspected that you had been deliberately sent by the Longevity Dao Sect to steal the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book. But after everything that happened, I came to believe that you weren’t. The situation in the cultivation world is extremely complicated now. A sect as powerful as the Profound Spirit Dao Sect may well fall apart in the days to come. So it’s time to tell you about our sect’s hidden foundation. If you ever find yourselves in a crisis, even if you offend some great master out there, you needn’t worry about implicating the sect. Just run straight back here.”
“How did Master decide that I wasn’t a spy sent by the Longevity Dao Sect?” Shu Xin asked curiously.
“Circumstances create heroes, and I’m not blind.” Xu Guan looked at Shu Xin with unusual seriousness. “If you had truly received the Longevity Dao Sect’s careful guidance and training, your value would absolutely be no lower than that of the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book. If the Longevity Dao Sect couldn’t even understand a deal like that, they wouldn’t deserve to dominate the cultivation world for all these years.
“In any case, I certainly didn’t have your ability back then—to cause such a huge disturbance while still in the Grotto-Heaven Realm and come away unscathed.”
If someone like this had really been sent by the Longevity Dao Sect to infiltrate the Seeking Gods Sect, then even if their entire sect were wiped out, they could hardly call it unjust.
“Thank you for the compliment, Master.” Shu Xin was perfectly satisfied with the praise.
“There’s one more thing.” Xu Guan weighed his words for a moment before continuing. “I’m afraid I’ll be entering secluded cultivation soon, and I’ll strive to break through to the Mahayana Stage. It may take as little as thirty or fifty years, or as long as a century. By then, powerful enemies may come to attack the sect, so you must take your junior brothers and sisters down the mountain.
“Before that, I’ll teach the two of you the incantations needed to wield the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book. They’ll be enough to protect you. If I fail to break through, take your junior brothers and sisters and Senior Book Spirit and leave first. As long as Senior Book Spirit remains alive, our Seeking Gods Sect will always have a chance to rise again.”
“Master, you’re already going to attempt the Mahayana Stage?” Yi Renjie exclaimed in delight. “Then why not do it quietly? Don’t worry, Master. I absolutely won’t tell our junior brothers and sisters about your secluded cultivation or Senior Book Spirit. That way, they won’t accidentally give anything away. If you want to enter seclusion, I can disguise you. You can secretly find a blessed grotto-heaven outside and cultivate there. Why make us leave? You’ll be much safer if we stay here with you.”
“Calling you stupid would be unfair—you aren’t truly stupid. But calling you clever would be even more inaccurate.” Xu Guan shot his second disciple an exasperated look, becoming keenly aware of how important Shu Xin was. “If you were the only one here, I would never choose to enter seclusion at a time like this. But now that your Senior Sister is here, I can rest easy.”
“Second Junior Brother may not know this.” Since Xu Guan was willing to place such trust in her, Shu Xin was happy to play the role of a considerate disciple. “Cultivators at the Mahayana Stage are already regarded as Earthly Immortals. However, the Earthly Immortals we usually speak of are actually rogue immortals who were unable to ascend and were forced to remain in the cultivation world. There were simply too many immortals who couldn’t ascend, so they gave themselves a more pleasant title. They really began thinking of themselves as gods.”
This was something many people in positions of power often did.
Take the Dao sects of the present day, for example. Names such as the Longevity Dao Sect and the Carefree Dao Sect had only been adopted after those sects grew powerful.
According to what the Sword Spirit had said, the Longevity Dao Sect had originally been called the “Invincible Divine Fist Sect” when it was first founded, while the Carefree Dao Sect had once been known as “Maogou Ridge.” Even the now-famous Blood Demon Sect had initially been called “Bloodsucker Mountain.” The names were easy to remember, and they had been chosen to entice ordinary mortals to join. The sects simply adapted their names to local conditions.
Once a sect had accumulated a little more foundation, it would begin changing its name again and again. Only after it grew truly powerful would it embrace the principle that “the Great Dao is simple” and choose an impressive, lofty name.
It was much like the domestic brands Shu Xin had used in the past. At first, they focused on names that were cheap, practical, and easy to remember. Once they became famous, they would adopt a foreign-sounding name or some refined, literary title—and then raise their prices several times over.
At the end of the day, it was all business.
As an aside, there had once been thousands upon thousands of sects called things like Longevity, Carefree, or Myriad. Such names all expressed cultivators’ beautiful hopes for the future. But over time, those sects either declined or changed their names. When one sect bearing a particular name grew increasingly powerful, the weaker sects with the same name would either be swallowed up or, unable to afford offending it, change their own names.
In the end, only a few powerful sects remained to monopolize those titles.
“Moreover, the cultivation world of today can no longer support too many cultivators above the Mahayana Stage. In the past, there were too many peak-level cultivators, while no one knew what had gone wrong with the path to ascension. As a result, vast numbers of cultivators remained in the cultivation world. They absorbed its spiritual energy without end, and the other races nearly faced extinction. Even grass could no longer grow on mortal lands. The entire world was on the verge of ruin.
“It was then that an immortal sword came into being.”
Shu Xin told Yi Renjie about events from ten thousand years ago. “That immortal sword changed hands many times, and each of its masters took it upon themselves to slaughter those Earthly Immortals who drained the world of all its spiritual energy. Only after vast numbers of peak-level cultivators died did spiritual energy return to the cultivation world.”
“After that, an unseen rule gradually took shape between Heaven and Earth. Nine is the ultimate number. Among the immortal and demonic paths, the nine sects and ten schools—nineteen supreme powers in total—fewer than half possess an Earthly Immortal to guard them. There can be no more than nine Earthly Immortals in this world. There can only be fewer, never more. Likewise, the number of Mahayana cultivators can never exceed twelve.”
Shu Xin added, “In other words, only when an Earthly Immortal dies can one of the twelve Mahayana cultivators successfully advance to the Earthly Immortal Realm. Similarly, only when one of those twelve Mahayana cultivators dies can one of the cultivators in the Immaculate Realm successfully advance to the Mahayana Stage.”
Yi Renjie blinked. It was the first time he had ever heard such a secret.
“You really are remarkably well-informed,” Xu Guan said with a sigh. “My master only told me these things shortly before his death. He warned me never to rush blindly after the Mahayana stage. Even among Wugou Realm cultivators, very few know about this rule.”
That was because the Nine Sects and Ten Schools placed great importance on their own Mahayana cultivators and Earthly Immortal Realm cultivators.
If this unspoken rule were to spread, there was no guarantee that some Wugou Realm cultivators desperate to advance wouldn’t take the risk of attacking those few Mahayana cultivators.
That was also why only the Nine Sects and Ten Schools possessed Mahayana cultivators and Earthly Immortals.
They had already secured the most powerful cultivation forces for themselves while cutting off every other cultivator’s path toward that level.
“The Nine Sons of Longevity are constantly locked in internal strife, and as it happens, the Wugou Realm elders of the other sects have also been at odds with one another for years. I’ve always been a curious person, so I used quite a few methods to investigate ancient records from ten thousand years ago. By sheer coincidence, I learned about this matter,” Shu Xin said with a smile.
Whether Xu Guan believed him was another matter entirely.
At present, throughout the entire cultivation world, the number of Wugou Realm cultivators qualified to advance to the Mahayana stage—excluding those with unstable cultivation, those nearing the end of their lifespans, and those whose Dao hearts were wavering—would not exceed fifty.
It might seem as though Shu Xin encountered Wugou Realm cultivators all the time, but in these top-tier sects, such cultivators were all elders with real authority or sect leaders. It was only because of Shu Xin’s bizarre luck and exceptional aptitude that he was able to meet so many powerful figures.
For an ordinary cultivator, merely seeing a Dao Infant Realm cultivator would be considered an extraordinary stroke of luck.
And now, of the two Mahayana cultivators of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, one was on the verge of death, while the other, having to hold the sect together, likely wouldn’t live much longer either.
The Longevity Dao Sect, the Myriad Dao Sect, the Blood Demon Sect, and all the other sects would never let this opportunity pass.
The ones who held real authority in those sects were all Wugou Realm cultivators!
If they could destroy the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, two Mahayana positions would become available. Wouldn’t that offer far more hope than spending their entire lives as Wugou Realm cultivators and eventually dying at that level?
The destruction of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect had been inevitable from the moment its Mahayana cultivators began to approach death and the sect proved unable to keep the news secret.
Sects were essentially vested-interest groups formed around powerful cultivators at or above the Mahayana stage. Once their backing collapsed, the tree fell and the monkeys scattered. Rebuilding from the ruins would then become exceedingly difficult.
Xu Guan had no idea how long those two Mahayana cultivators could hold on, but making preparations early was only sensible. Otherwise, how could he compete with the other Wugou Realm cultivators?
“Ah? Doesn’t that mean Master will have to compete with every Wugou Realm cultivator from the Nine Sects and Ten Schools?” Yi Renjie realized just how dangerous the situation was.
“If the Seeking God Sect wants to grow stronger—or rather, if you want to survive the chaos to come—then only by becoming a Mahayana cultivator can I protect the sect’s gates,” Xu Guan said helplessly. “Once you leave this room, Senior Book Spirit will place a restriction in your divine senses. No one will be able to pry into your memories and uncover what was said here today, and you absolutely must not tell anyone else.”
Shu Xin and Yi Renjie both nodded.
“I’m telling you in advance because I can’t guarantee that I’ll succeed,” Xu Guan said with a smile as he looked at Yi Renjie. “But don’t worry for now. In any case, I’ll wait until all your junior brothers and sisters have broken through to the Dao Infant Realm before I enter seclusion. When that time comes, you can leave the mountain under the pretense of traveling and gaining experience. Once I break through to the Mahayana stage, you can return. If I fail, take Senior Book Spirit and run.”
There were many Wugou Realm cultivators, but only two of them could become Mahayana cultivators.
When the time came, if only to improve the chances of success for their own sect’s cultivators, those sects would surely send people to ambush any other Wugou Realm cultivators who attempted to advance at the same time.
The fewer competitors there were, the greater their own cultivator’s chances of success would be.
“Master, it wouldn’t matter if we simply kept to one corner of the world. Please don’t take such a risk,” Yi Renjie said through gritted teeth. “Isn’t this supposed to be an age of great contention? Perhaps other Mahayana cultivators will perish as well. Wait until we grow stronger. We’ll definitely be able to protect you.”
“Have you really thought this through? A master at the Mahayana stage and a master at the Wugou Realm would provide entirely different levels of help to you in the future,” Xu Guan said, deliberately teasing his second disciple.
“All we want is for you to stay alive. I believe our junior brothers and sisters feel the same way,” Yi Renjie said firmly. “As for becoming a Mahayana cultivator, we honestly don’t care that much.”
“But as a cultivator, I also want to see what lies beyond the Mahayana stage,” Xu Guan said, half proudly and half comfortingly. “Ever since I embarked on the path of cultivation, I’ve always been the one pursued by cultivators of my generation. Now that I’ve reached this critical moment, when I have the chance to advance further, should I flee from the battlefield? If I did, my thoughts would never be clear, and my cultivation would only fall all the way to the Grotto-Heaven Realm.”
As a cultivator, who wouldn’t want to advance further?
Even if he were not the sect leader of the Seeking God Sect, but merely Xu Guan the cultivator, he still wanted to see what kind of scenery awaited him after ascending to the heavens!
“Second Junior Brother, Master is only three hundred years old this year,” Shu Xin said with a smile, patting Yi Renjie on the shoulder. “Although he can be a bit motherly at times, as a cultivator, he’s actually still quite young.”
And who would be willing to fall behind when they possessed boundless prospects and extraordinary talent?
If Xu Guan had lacked even this much ambition and perseverance, how could he have reached his current level?
Yi Renjie said nothing. He simply bowed deeply toward Xu Guan.
“Then this disciple wishes Master success and hopes that the Mahayana stage will soon be within your grasp.”
“All right, all right. I’m not entering seclusion just yet. The Profound Spirit Dao Sect won’t collapse that quickly; it will take at least ten years of turmoil. Those years will be more than enough for your junior brothers and sisters to enter seclusion as soon as possible,” Xu Guan said, waving his hand. “You two go out first. I have a few more words to discuss with Senior Book Spirit.”
Shu Xin and Yi Renjie withdrew respectfully.
Yi Renjie was weighed down with worry, while Shu Xin remained completely at ease.
Xu Guan making this choice was only to be expected.
“Senior Book Spirit, can you tell whether my eldest disciple carries the aura of the Immortal-Slaying Sword?” Xu Guan asked.
[The Immortal-Slaying Sword has slain countless immortals and stands at the pinnacle of artifact spirits. I cannot investigate it.] The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book slowly formed words in the air. [But she possesses a supreme treasure capable of suppressing destiny.]
[The shallow waters of the Seeking God Sect have produced a true dragon.]
When Xu Guan saw the words manifested by the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book, he threw his head back and laughed.
“Our Seeking God Sect has been able to continue until today without being swallowed by the Longevity Dao Sect because Senior Book Spirit has been suppressing our destiny. If Shu Xin possesses such a supreme treasure capable of suppressing destiny, then even if it isn’t the Immortal-Slaying Sword, it must still be extraordinary. Forget it. As her master, I’ve already benefited enough. How could I possibly pry into the matter to the very end?”
In truth, the Blood Demon Ancestor had already confirmed that Shu Xin did not possess the Immortal-Slaying Sword, but Xu Guan did not think so.
Even after spending so much time with his eldest disciple, he still could not see through what Shu Xin truly wanted.
Yes, she treated the people of the Seeking-God Sect well and worked hard to obtain resources so the sect could rise again.
But what exactly was Shu Xin after? She had never said.
The smile on Xu Guan’s face gradually faded.
“Senior Book Spirit, how much longer can you hold on?”
【Less than three hundred years.】
There was actually one thing Xu Guan had never told Shu Xin: the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had protected the Seeking-God Sect for several thousand years, and its power was gradually weakening. By now, it could no longer communicate normally with people like an artifact spirit. It could only manifest written text in order to conserve its strength.
Xu Guan could wait another three hundred years before attempting to advance to the Mahayana stage, but the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book could not hold out that long. Neither could the Seeking-God Sect, and even less so his disciples.
Though he knew that taking this step meant he was almost certain to die, he truly had no other choice.
【That artifact spirit is about to reach its limit. Not every artifact spirit is like me.】 The Sword Spirit suddenly spoke to Shu Xin. 【The spiritual energy of the world is growing thinner. Naturally, fewer magical treasures capable of giving birth to artifact spirits are appearing. Even those artifact spirits that already exist are becoming weaker by the day as spiritual energy dwindles. I continue to exist because I have a mission. As long as an Earthly Immortal remains, I will continue to exist. But the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book is different. It has, at most, three or four hundred years before it disappears.】
“Master must know that as well, which is why he wants to attempt his breakthrough now.” Shu Xin sighed. “The sect is his support, but it is also his shackles. He only entered the Wugou realm recently. It will already be difficult for him to compete with Situ Jian’s master for a chance to reach the Mahayana stage, and the Longevity Dao Sect will certainly send people to interfere when the time comes. But if he backs down now, he’ll never be able to rise again.”
Once the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book could no longer protect the Seeking-God Sect, and Xu Guan failed to become a Mahayana cultivator, the other sects would swarm in and divide it up, just as they had done with the Profound Spirit Dao Sect.
In the cultivation world, strength had always reigned supreme.
Even someone as powerful as Xu Guan—or those mighty Earthly Immortals—was not truly free.
Earthly Immortals could not walk the world in their true forms, nor could they ascend. How was that any different from being imprisoned indefinitely?
Thus, as the days stretched endlessly onward, they would gradually lose their humanity and become selfish and self-serving.
The cultivation world looked carefree, seemingly free of all those rules and restrictions. In reality, life there was even more difficult.
【What are you planning to do next?】
“Obviously, I’m going to fish in troubled waters.” Shu Xin quickly composed herself. “My junior brothers and sisters need to be put through their paces too. I’ll get them to break through to the Dao Infant stage as soon as possible, then we’ll go raid the Profound Spirit Dao Sect together. We can’t let the other sects strip the place clean while we don’t even get a sip of soup!”
【…You just got back from Busi Manor, and you’re already working this hard?】 The Sword Spirit was stunned. 【Why don’t you ever work this hard when it comes to restoring my body?】
Here we go again.
Having a Sword Spirit with so much energy really wasn’t a good thing.
【And another thing: can’t you work a little harder? Even Xu Guan knows he needs to reach the Mahayana stage. Why haven’t you hurried up and advanced to the Wugou realm? What are you going to do if the Blood Demon Ancestor comes again and you lose contact with me all over again?】 The Sword Spirit could not resist nagging her. 【At the very least, take me out to kill more demonic cultivators! You promised that the demonic cultivators at Busi Manor would cleanse my sword body for me, but the moment the Blood Demon Ancestor showed up, you didn’t even dare make a peep!】
Shu Xin fell silent and pretended to be dead.
What could she do? It wasn’t as though she could swing a rusted sword and go head-to-head with the Blood Demon Ancestor.
Besides, she worked hard at stirring up trouble every single day. Wasn’t that enough?
“Ahem. I’ll start by putting my junior brothers and sisters through their paces. They need to break through,” Shu Xin finally replied. “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely keep your matter in mind. I swear!”
【Swear on your spirit stones. If you go back on your word, may you become penniless.】
That was vicious.
Did the Sword Spirit have any idea how hard it was to earn spirit stones?
Shu Xin fell silent again.
See? This was exactly what she did.
Whenever she encountered a question she did not know how to answer, she simply stopped talking.
Bah, women!
Shu Xin did exactly as she had promised. The very next day, she summoned all her junior brothers and sisters and announced that she would personally assist them in their cultivation, helping them raise their strength to the Dao Infant stage as soon as possible.
Yi Renjie had two enormous dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious that he had been worrying too much to get any rest. But after hearing Shu Xin’s words, he also realized that the most urgent task at hand was to get his junior brothers and sisters working themselves to the bone. His spirits immediately lifted, and he stood unconditionally at Shu Xin’s side.
“Rest assured, Eldest Senior Sister. We’ll all work hard.”
Yuan Dawei looked calm and composed, completely unaware of what awaited him.
“Excellent.” Shu Xin gave him a thumbs-up. “Then for your first lesson, the five of you will attack me together. I’ll suppress my cultivation to the Core Formation realm, so don’t worry. If you can’t defeat me by working together, you don’t get to rest.”
Shu Xin revealed a smile as devilish as a demon’s.
Ah, it had been so long since she had fought above her level. She was beginning to miss it.
She had acted like a coward in front of the Blood Demon Ancestor earlier, and she felt that her Dao heart had become a little unstable. It was time to reinforce it.
“Eldest Senior Sister, isn’t that just bullying us?” Cao Ru felt it was terribly unfair.
What good would it do for her to suppress her cultivation? Eldest Senior Sister was still two major realms above them. Her combat experience and control over spiritual energy were things that could not be suppressed.
“That’s right. I am bullying you.” Shu Xin did not hold back at all. “Do you think that when you’re traveling outside the sect in the future and run into an enemy, you can first negotiate with them and ask them not to send anyone stronger than you to kill you? In the cultivation world, the strong bullying the weak is commonplace. You’d better learn to get used to it.”
“Eldest Senior Sister is right! Stop making excuses and get on with it,” Yi Renjie shouted encouragement from the side.
Shu Xin drew her sword, casually flourishing it through the air, and looked at them with a beaming smile.
“Come on, my dear junior brothers and sisters. I’ll take very good care of you.”
People never knew fatigue when they were doing something wicked.
Normally, whenever the Sword Spirit told Shu Xin to practice her swordsmanship, cultivate more, or go into seclusion, she would grumble and complain, dragging her feet the whole time.
But now that she had been ordered to torment these poor junior brothers and sisters, her back no longer hurt and her legs no longer ached. By the end of the day, there was hardly an uninjured patch of skin left on the junior disciples.
Shu Xin, meanwhile, was completely refreshed.
“Tsk, tsk. You’re all pretty weak.” Shu Xin prodded Yuan Dawei with the hilt of her sword. “Renjie, heal them. We’re continuing.”
It had only been one day. What was there to cry about?
