Shu Xin arrived at the outer sect academy of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect and was just about to enter.
Suddenly, he noticed that someone had already gotten there ahead of him.
“Oh? What a coincidence. Aren’t these the unlucky bunch whose entire fortunes you cleaned out?” the Sword Spirit said gleefully.
Shu Xin was in no hurry either. He decided to watch the show first.
“As long as you join the Sword Armor Sect, you’ll become an outer sect disciple after passing the trial. Isn’t that better than staying here?”
“If you don’t leave now and those demonic cultivators outside break in, you cultivators might end up in someone’s Ten Thousand Souls Banner, where you can continue being brothers.”
Jiang Huaiyuan and his fellow disciples from the Sword Armor Sect were saying this to the students in the outer sect academy of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect.
This was the Profound Spirit Dao Sect’s outer sect academy. The cultivators studying there naturally had poorer aptitude and foundations than those in the inner sect academy. However, the young cultivators in the inner sect academy had long since been claimed by other sects, so the Sword Armor Sect had no choice but to settle for the outer sect academy.
In any case, as long as they brought these students back, those who passed the trials could become outer sect disciples, while those who failed would become laborers—or be assigned other menial tasks. The Sword Armor Sect only needed to collect the sect’s rewards.
“The Sword Armor Sect doesn’t seem all that impressive.”
“We don’t have anything else to choose from right now.”
Nearly all the cultivators in the academy maintained the appearance of young boys and girls. They did this to give others the impression that they were still young, causing people to overlook their inadequate aptitude.
“I wonder if the senior brothers and sisters who left earlier managed to get home safely.”
“Is their family even still there?”
In truth, fewer than one-tenth of the academy’s original students remained.
During this period, students had been sneaking away one after another, hoping to return to their clans or escape the Profound Spirit Dao Sect altogether.
But the academy was still protected by formations. If they were lucky, they might even be recruited by another sect. Young cultivators like them, who had only just reached the Qi Refining stage, were still relatively popular. Once they left the academy, however, who knew how many demonic cultivators were waiting outside to skin them and tear them apart? Some might even die from the aftershocks of cultivators’ battles before taking two steps.
Yet ever since the Profound Spirit Dao Sect’s Grand Ascension cultivator had fallen, they could occasionally hear the sounds of battles raging outside.
Many people could no longer endure living in constant fear and quietly fled. Those who remained were undoubtedly the less daring ones.
Now that the Sword Armor Sect, a respectable and orthodox sect, was willing to recruit them, it was already a stroke of luck.
“Fine. If you agree, come with us. We don’t have much time left.”
Jiang Huaiyuan took out a small flying vessel.
He had picked it up on the battlefield just moments ago.
The cultivators who had originally been aboard the vessel were already dead. Jiang Huaiyuan had quickly collected it, thinking that they would not have to be extorted by Shu Xin again on the way back.
The boys and girls in the academy did not resist any further. One by one, they boarded the flying vessel.
Not having to die alongside the Profound Spirit Dao Sect was already more than enough.
“Senior Jiang… would you be willing to take us with you as well?”
Before long, all the students in the academy had boarded the vessel, but the elderly cultivators responsible for teaching them had nowhere to go.
Those instructors who were relatively young and more capable had already swept up the academy’s resources and fled while they had the chance.
Only these old and feeble cultivators remained behind.
“...Senior Brother Jiang, Elder Wang is a good man. He’s a Core Formation cultivator. He could have escaped too, but he stayed behind because he was worried that we wouldn’t be strong enough to protect ourselves.” A young girl spoke in a small voice. “Please let Elder Wang come aboard with us.”
“Senior, my colleagues and I have extensive teaching experience,” Elder Wang hurriedly said. “They all chose to remain behind willingly to protect the students. Most of us aren’t from prominent clans either, so we have no other burdens holding us back.”
More than a dozen scattered cultivators stood behind Elder Wang. Without exception, they all had heads of white hair, and it was obvious that they had little of their lifespans remaining.
“No,” one of Jiang Huaiyuan’s junior brothers snapped. “This flying vessel is only so large. It barely has enough room as it is. If we take you along too, its speed will drop even further. Besides, after we bring these young students back, we might still be able to find a few useful talents among them. What would we take you old men back for? The Sword Armor Sect has plenty of instructors already!”
“That’s right, Senior Brother. This vessel is only so big, and it’s already going to be difficult to make it back. If we let these cultivators aboard, we’ll either have to reduce the number of students we take or fly back slowly. Given the current situation, we should run while we still can,” another junior brother advised.
At least several hundred Sword Armor Sect disciples had come, led by different people.
Jiang Huaiyuan’s group had been relatively lucky. After encountering Shu Xin, all they had lost was their spirit stones. But after leaving the flying vessel, they had been forced into the battlefields of different cultivators. In just a few days, half their disciples had died. Two or three of the other groups they were in contact with had already vanished without a trace.
As a result, Jiang Huaiyuan no longer held any illusions. He only wanted to bring back a small amount of resources and return to the sect.
He had not expected the academy’s resources to have already been plundered. With nothing left but these people, Jiang Huaiyuan had decided to take the students back simply because they had come all this way. After all, the disciples of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect generally had better aptitude than those outside.
“Then that won’t do. Senior Brother Jiang, let’s leave quickly.”
“These instructors are completely useless. They’re only at the Core Formation stage themselves and can’t be allowed to hold us back.” When some of the students heard that the number of disciples might be reduced—or that the flying vessel might be slowed down—they immediately began to protest.
“That’s right. They’re barely competent. We only turned out this poorly because they taught us. They’re not even as good as the servants in my family.”
“How can you say that?” the girl snapped angrily. “If the teachers hadn’t protected us, we would have died long ago.”
“They only stayed because they weren’t capable of fleeing with the resources like the other teachers did. If you want to stay behind, get off the vessel and stop blocking the way!”
The girl trembled with rage and tried to summon the courage to leave the flying vessel.
But when she thought of her family, she found that she could not bring herself to step down.
Her family had spent most of its wealth to send her to the Profound Spirit Dao Sect’s outer sect academy. Yet before she could achieve anything, disaster had befallen the sect. If she gave up the chance to become a disciple of the Sword Armor Sect, her parents’ lives back home would likely become even harder.
“I’m sorry.”
Jiang Huaiyuan still shook his head. “This flying vessel has limited capacity. Besides, with your current condition, our sect cannot accept you either.”
Elder Wang and the other cultivators looked dejected. Though disappointed, they did not show any signs of anger.
“This… was within our expectations. Senior Jiang, there’s no need to apologize. We’re people with little time left to live anyway.” Elder Wang instead took the initiative to comfort Jiang Huaiyuan. “These children’s aptitudes are fairly decent. They simply lack experience, and that isn’t their fault—the environments they grew up in were like that. From now on, we’ll be counting on you, Senior Jiang.”
Jiang Huaiyuan rather admired them. There were not many cultivators who could face death so calmly; at least, their mental fortitude was solid. Unfortunately, mental fortitude alone was useless. In an age like this, without opportunities, luck, and sufficient aptitude, it was impossible to become a truly powerful cultivator.
“Then come with me,” Shu Xin suddenly appeared at that moment.
When Jiang Huaiyuan and his fellow disciples saw Shu Xin, they instinctively tensed up. “We really don’t have any spirit stones left!”
Shu Xin burst out laughing.
She walked up to the teaching elders and asked, “How many years have you been teaching? Can you start with ordinary mortals? Can you begin with the most basic cultivation texts?”
Her three questions in a row left all the teaching elders stunned.
“We can teach them. But almost all the students sent to the academy come from prominent clans, so they already have a foundation. We may need to prepare the basic courses again,” Elder Wang said nervously upon seeing Shu Xin.
Although his cultivation was low, his eye for people was sharp.
He had once seen Pei Qiyun, the favored daughter of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, from a distance. Yet compared with the person before him, Pei Qiyun seemed somewhat inferior.
And seeing how Jiang Huaiyuan of the Sword Armor Sect was acting so respectfully, Elder Wang immediately made a guess.
“You’re Shu Xin of the Inquiring God Sect, and your master is Xu Guan?” another elderly teaching elder asked, overjoyed. “I know about you two. Old Wang, this is the Beacon of Rogue Cultivators I’ve told you about. I’ve mentioned her to you many times.”
Xu Guan’s reputation had spread particularly far among the small and medium-sized sects.
A cultivator from a declining sect had become the youngest cultivator to reach the Immaculate realm. His story had practically become an inspirational legend for all the small and medium-sized sects. Countless minor sects dreamed of producing someone like Xu Guan themselves.
As for Shu Xin, her reputation among rogue cultivators was even greater.
Born a rogue cultivator, she had first joined the Longevity Dao Sect and then the Inquiring God Sect. Now, she had become one of the most outstanding young cultivators in the Grotto-Heaven realm. She was, without question, a legendary figure in the eyes of rogue cultivators.
“So I’m actually this famous. That saves us some trouble. Come with me,” Shu Xin said, immediately tossing out a massive flying vessel.
The moment Jiang Huaiyuan and the others saw the familiar flying vessel, their hearts ached. Their spirit stones!
“Get on,” Shu Xin said casually. “If you have any cultivation manuals, jade slips, teaching tools, or anything else used for instruction, bring them along as well. Our Inquiring God Sect doesn’t have any of that, and it’ll probably be difficult to buy such things later.”
“Of course, of course.” The teaching elders nodded like pecking chickens before turning around and rushing back to retrieve their teaching tools.
When Jiang Huaiyuan saw Shu Xin’s gaze sweep over, he immediately exploded.
“These are all disciples of my Sword Armor Sect. You can’t take them.”
Jiang Huaiyuan knew exactly how capable Shu Xin was. A single person traveling back and forth was safer than their entire group.
“What would I want these useless people for?” Shu Xin glanced over the boys and girls. “They may look young, but most of them are already over fifty or sixty years old. At that age, if they haven’t even begun questioning the Dao Gate, they don’t meet my standards. Besides, their mental fortitude is poor, and who knows what sort of clans they came from. In my opinion, only a handful of them have any chance of making something of themselves. The Inquiring God Sect has a small foundation, so we can only choose the best of the best.”
Jiang Huaiyuan very much wanted to argue that these people already had fairly good aptitudes. But when he remembered that the person standing before him was a true genius, he could only swallow his words.
“By the way, how is the Profound Spirit Dao Sect doing now? I know that the Sword Armor Sect has magical artifacts for communicating with one another. I saw them on the flying vessel earlier, so tell me what’s happening.” The Profound Spirit Dao Sect’s territory was simply too vast, and Shu Xin truly had no idea of the exact situation.
She had been too busy taking the Sword Spirit out for lavish meals.
“I heard that He Yong, the last Mahayana cultivator of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, has fallen,” Jiang Huaiyuan said with a sigh. “He fought desperately against several Mahayana cultivators and Immaculate-realm cultivators for three days and three nights before finally dying. The Profound Spirit Dao Sect has completely lost all hope.”
“The sect master of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect and his disciple, Pei Qiyun, perished together with two Immaculate-realm cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect.”
“With He Yong’s death, the remaining Immaculate-realm cultivators of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect are just about to withdraw. What remains will be divided among the Nine Sects and Ten Schools—no, the Eight Sects and Ten Schools.”
“The alchemy lineage of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect has all gone to the Myriad Paths Sect. Its artifact-refining lineage has gone to the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, its formation lineage to the Carefree Dao Sect, and its talisman lineage to the Truth-Seeking Dao Sect. More than half the cultivation techniques in the Scripture Repository have gone to the Longevity Dao Sect. The remaining half can only be obtained by the other sects through exchanges using the things they acquired. As for the Profound Spirit Dao Sect’s spirit vein, the remaining eighteen sects are splitting it evenly. The sect’s disciples and resource stores, meanwhile, have mostly been looted by the demon cultivators.” Jiang Huaiyuan sighed.
“That was within expectations as well.” Shu Xin fell silent for a while. She could understand it.
The Profound Spirit Dao Sect had long since reached the end of its road. Once its Mahayana cultivator died, the people remaining were no longer a threat. Those truly willing to die for the sect had probably already perished, while the vast majority of those left would be willing to join another sect.
Most sects in the cultivation world were like this.
Apart from those cultivators who had genuinely been nurtured by their sects and had developed deep feelings for them, nearly all the others had been oppressed layer upon layer by their sects and clans. Now that they had fulfilled their responsibilities, changing to another sect was little more than changing where they lived.
When Pei Qiyun had refused to leave the Profound Spirit Dao Sect at the Unthinking Manor and chosen to return instead, her fate today had already been decided.
“By the way, I heard recently that an incarnation of the Blood Demon Ancestor has been going around killing people. Be careful,” Jiang Huaiyuan reminded her.
“Are you worried about me?” Shu Xin asked with a smile.
“Although you extorted a great deal of spirit stones from our sect, without your flying vessel, even more of us would probably have died.” Jiang Huaiyuan had also been through quite a lot in recent days. He knew how difficult it was to operate a flying vessel carrying so many people under those circumstances. Compared with that, although the price she charged had been steep, it had indeed saved their lives and prevented them from being slaughtered on the way here.
“Many people have already died, but this is only the beginning. Even more will die from here on.”
Why was it that, after the death of that Mahayana cultivator and his declaration that “unless a Mahayana cultivator dies, an Immaculate cultivator will forever remain stuck at the Immaculate realm,” the sects had immediately sent word telling them to bring back more disciples?
It was easy to understand if one thought about it.
Because from this point onward, every sect might end up fighting another sect. There would be many casualties among the disciples, so they needed to prepare replacement disciples in advance.
After all, no one ever complained about having too much cannon fodder.
“The Blood Demon Ancestor?” Shu Xin was stunned. She then asked the Sword Spirit, “He’s come again, and you didn’t notice?”
【No, he hasn’t come here. Where did you hear that?】The Sword Spirit was astonished as well. 【I’ve memorized his aura. I’d definitely know if he came.】
“You saw the Blood Demon Ancestor?” Shu Xin asked, unwilling to let it go.
“If I had, how could I still be alive and talking to you?” Jiang Huaiyuan said with a helpless laugh. “It’s just that many Daoist and demonic cultivators have been found dead, their bodies completely destroyed. I heard that the Blood Demon Ancestor enjoys killing people for no reason, and cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect have been coming and going frequently. Everyone assumes he was responsible. The key point is that the Blood Demon Sect’s cultivators have tacitly acknowledged it.”
Of course the Blood Demon Sect’s cultivators would tacitly acknowledge it. Even they believed that their own ancestor had secretly come over to kill people for fun.
Shu Xin and the Sword Spirit fell silent for a moment.
[Do you think the person they’re talking about could be you?]
“Shut up. You were the one who did it,” Shu Xin retorted. “No, wait—the one who did it was the Blood Demon Ancestor. We’re not taking the blame for this.”
[Exactly, exactly. It was the Blood Demon Ancestor who did it. What does that have to do with us?] The Sword Spirit caught on as well.
“Then we really do need to be careful.” The real culprit, Shu Xin, smiled. “Hopefully, the Sword Armor Sect won’t become an enemy of my Asking God Sect in the future.”
“I hope so too.” Jiang Huaiyuan meant it sincerely.
Before long, they went their separate ways.
Shu Xin brought the group of instructors aboard a flying vessel, then picked up Xu Guan and her junior brothers and sisters, who had already managed to cheer themselves up.
Her junior brothers and sisters swore that from now on, they would address themselves as master and servant whenever they were by Senior Sister’s side, and would never again give anyone the chance to hold them hostage. In turn, they comforted Shu Xin and coaxed her into feeling better.
Talk about turning the natural order upside down.
She was the one who had abandoned them to their fate and even attacked them.
The Sword Spirit practically wanted to smack some sense into them.
Don’t let Shu Xin manipulate you!
Humans were seriously strange. If Shu Xin had always been kind and generous, then the moment she refused to save them, she would have been cursed to death.
Yet because Shu Xin was cold and decisive, always making her harsh words clear beforehand and constantly oppressing her junior brothers and sisters, she instead earned their sincere gratitude. They even deceived themselves on her behalf.
Why were people always so harsh toward good people, yet so forgiving toward those who were not?
The Sword Spirit couldn’t understand.
It thought of its former sword masters.
“Why did you have to kill that Earthly Immortal? How many people died because that immortal self-destructed?”
“What do the lives of those mortals have to do with us cultivators? Did you really have to drag us down for their sake?”
“I was only protecting myself. What did I do wrong? What right do you have to lecture me from your high horse?”
“If you hadn’t killed those mighty cultivators, we wouldn’t have ended up as homeless fugitives!”
…
It seemed that they were always misunderstood and cursed by the very people they had saved. Even though they possessed the power to kill Earthly Immortals and stood at the absolute peak of this world, they were never happy.
The burdens they carried grew heavier and heavier, while the moments of happiness became fewer and fewer.
Nearly every one of its sword masters had eventually suffered damage to their Dao hearts. Even when the Sword Spirit forcibly suppressed those wounds, it still could not prevent their collapse.
But with Shu Xin, there seemed to be another possibility.
She never left her name behind, nor did she ever bother comforting those she had saved.
Yet the number of people grateful to her was surprisingly large.
Even those who cursed her would eventually come to appreciate her, and some would even begin to like her—as if she were the true saint.
In truth, Shu Xin had done far less than its former masters.
Forget it. I’m only a Sword Spirit. I can’t make sense of this.
“Teacher Wang, where are the people from the Profound Spirit Dao Sect who know how to cultivate spirit fields and tend spirit flowers and herbs?” Shu Xin asked directly. She had no intention of searching for them herself.
“I know. I’ll show you the way, Senior Shu.”
As they watched Shu Xin and Xu Guan, the instructor elders found it impossible to imagine that they were actually traveling alongside two legendary figures.
Being able to leave the Profound Spirit Dao Sect and go to the Asking God Sect was probably a good thing as well.
Longevity Dao Sect.
All of Gong Changshou’s disciples had gathered outside his cave dwelling.
“Fifth Brother certainly took his time. I sent word to you three days ago, yet you’ve only just arrived. Do you not take Master’s orders seriously?” one of his senior brothers mocked.
“Reporting to Senior Brother, I happened to gain some insights recently. I entered secluded cultivation and failed to notice the message.” Situ Jian gently released the aura of his cultivation. He was already at the mid-stage of the Grotto Heaven Realm.
The faces of his four senior brothers and sisters turned ashen.
What was going on with this man? How had his cultivation advanced so quickly?
“Not bad, Little Fifth. Your cultivation has progressed quite well.” Gong Changshou slowly walked over. Seeing that Situ Jian’s cultivation had advanced again, he did not bother blaming him for arriving late. “I summoned you here because I have something to entrust to you.”
“We await your orders, Master,” the five disciples said in unison.
“Now that the two Mahayana cultivators of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect have both perished, I am about to enter secluded cultivation. Once I become a Mahayana cultivator, I will be able to become the sect master of the Longevity Dao Sect. At the very least, I will be able to stand on equal footing with the current sect master. By then, as my disciples, you will have a much better chance of advancing to the Immaculate Realm.” Gong Changshou immediately began painting a grand vision for his five disciples.
Situ Jian also put on an expression of overwhelming gratitude and longing.
“However, only two people can become Mahayana cultivators. Your Eldest Grand-Uncle entered secluded cultivation before I did, so he will certainly be one of them.” Gong Changshou sighed. “Therefore, you must eliminate our competitors.”
“The Myriad Dao Sect, the Carefree Dao Sect, the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, and the Truth-Seeking Dao Sect. Each of you four must go to the person I designate and cause trouble. You cannot let them enter secluded cultivation successfully, and of course, you must not expose your identities.”
Gong Changshou gave each of his first four disciples a jade slip. It clearly recorded the cultivation levels and techniques of the targets, as well as various matters concerning their subordinates.
Clearly, he had made these preparations long ago.
“If they fail to enter secluded cultivation successfully, I will naturally record your contributions when you return. You may also seek assistance from your families. Your clan heads will naturally understand which matters are more important.” Gong Changshou spoke indifferently.
“We will obey your command, Master.”
The four disciples understood that this was a pledge of allegiance. Gong Changshou wanted them to make their families completely side with him.
Once they succeeded, they would become the disciples of a Mahayana cultivator.
They would also gain the qualifications to compete for the position of the next sect master.
This was a rare opportunity for both them and their families—one that might not appear even once in ten thousand years. They absolutely could not let it slip away.
Compared with the potential rewards, the risks were hardly worth mentioning.
“As for Little Fifth, you will come with me. You have something more important to do.” Gong Changshou glanced at Situ Jian and gestured for him to follow.
Situ Jian immediately walked inside. Although his four senior brothers and sisters were jealous, they did not dare linger and hurried home to report the news to their clans.
“Little Fifth, you have no family backing you, but your cultivation and aptitude are the best among all my disciples. I have the highest expectations for you.” Gong Changshou smiled. “I know that you cultivate a special technique. You have now reached the point where you must help your master.”
Situ Jian remained utterly calm inside.
Here it comes.
His master had finally revealed his true intentions.
Shu Xin: I’ve practically countered the entire Xuanling Dao Sect by now.
Situ Jian: Sister Shu, you’re truly remarkable. Naturally, I can’t hope to catch up with you.
