What happened in Zhu County was impossible to cover up, and with an investigation underway, the news spread like wildfire.
For a ti, the many small families within the Li Huo Sect’s territory grew restless, fearing they would be the next target.
"Latest news. The Southern Wanderer and the Western Wanderer have both appeared in Hezhou."
Chen Zhixuan found Xiao Chen, intel in hand. "The Northern Wanderer is the only one of the Four Directions Wanderers who doesn’t use the Blood Technique. He’s a Talisman Master."
"So we can now confirm that the infiltrator is the Eastern Wanderer."
As he spoke, he handed over the report. "Sigh... I hear he has mastered the Nine Heavens Blood Transformation Technique. I’m afraid there won’t be any peace for a while."
"Zhixuan, I don’t think you need to worry so much."
Xiao Chen reassured him, "Maybe when he saw us making such a big fuss, he got scared and fled."
Chen Zhixuan shook his head. "Sigh, Junior Brother Xiao, you don’t understand how utterly vicious these Demon Cultivators are. There’s no way they’d run away out of fear."
’To be honest, I don’t think he’s all that vicious,’ Xiao Chen thought.
’The Eastern Wanderer doesn’t feel nearly as threatening as Lu Wuqiang did.’
A few more days passed, bringing them into September.
With nothing better to do, Xiao Chen decided to check out the Tri-Sect Grand Tournant, partly for the excitent and partly to cheer on Su Wanqing.
"i, has the date for this year’s Tri-Sect Grand Tournant been set yet?"
"Junior Brother Xiao, you can’t participate in the tournant now, you know. People would accuse you of bullying the weaker disciples."
i Yong teased him before answering, "But this year’s tournant has been postponed. It’s hard to say when it will be held now."
"Postponed?"
Xiao Chen asked curiously, "Did sothing happen?"
i Yong nodded. "I was just about to co tell you. The Divine Fire Sect has intensified its assault on Hezhou. The situation over there is looking grim."
"The Lingyuan Sect is already contacting the Azure Fla Sect and the Four Seas Sect to discuss sending a second wave of reinforcents."
"They’ve offered us good terms, too. It should happen within the next month or so."
Thanks to the establishnt of the Demon Extermination Hall’s Hezhou branch, Xiao Chen had co to understand so of the tangled history and bitter rivalries over there.
In short, the Lingyuan Sect had a terrible relationship with the Cyan Cloud Sect. The two had clashed many tis over various issues in the past.
They also had so territorial disputes with the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.
This was all quite normal, really. After all, these three were the largest sects in Hezhou.
Over hundreds, even thousands of years, each had experienced periods of strength where they seized advantages, and periods of weakness where they were forced to concede.
It would have been stranger if no hatred had ford between them.
So, the current situation was that the Lingyuan Sect would rather request reinforcents from Li State than contact the two major sects that were much closer.
From the Li Huo Sect’s perspective, this was a good thing.
Otherwise, where would they get so many orders for Alchemy and Artifact Refining?
Still, Xiao Chen was curious. "Will the other two sects send people to reinforce the Lingyuan Sect?"
"Hmm, how should I put this?"
i Yong looked down and mulled it over. "There’s a piece of information that hasn’t been confird yet. It’s just a rumor, mind you."
"I hear the Lingyuan Sect is preparing to offer a Rank-Breaking Spirit Pill as the reward for earning the most points."
.
A Rank-Breaking Spirit Pill!
Xiao Chen’s brow twitched. That definitely wasn’t a Foundation Establishnt Pill. It had to be an Elixir for breaking through to the Golden Core realm.
’Damn, if the Lingyuan Sect is really willing to offer sothing like that, then I have to consider competing for it,’ he thought.
’An opportunity like this is too good to pass up. Who knows when the next one will co along.’
Soon, rumors began to circulate about unusual troop movents from both the Azure Fla Sect and the Four Seas Sect.
Breaking his usual routine, Xiao Chen started visiting the Demon Extermination Hall every day to check the latest intelligence.
Everyone else with access to information was also paying close attention to the outco of these negotiations.
The only one who seed unhappy was Su Wanqing, who had returned to tending the Spirit Flowers.
Last ti she participated in the Sect’s grand tournant, Xiao Chen had been too preoccupied to watch.
This ti Xiao Chen was free, but now the Tri-Sect Grand Tournant was postponed.
Nearly ten more of these agonizing days passed.
One morning, after waking up early as usual, Xiao Chen completed a Grand Circulation of his cultivation in the courtyard.
He suddenly felt he had accumulated enough energy to overco the minor bottleneck and break through to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishnt.
’The timing is about right,’ he mused. ’Celestial Dao Foundation Establishnt is truly wondrous.’
Feeling his Dantian brimming with energy, Xiao Chen was in high spirits and wanted to push through to the late stage of Foundation Establishnt all at once.
But he quickly caught himself. ’No, wait. At a ti like this, shouldn’t I wait for news from Hezhou before I break through?’
’Based on past experience, breaking through a minor bottleneck grants a new Augnt.’
’But right now, I have two different, important priorities.’
’If the Lingyuan Sect really is offering a Rank-Breaking Spirit Pill, I’ll have to go to Hezhou and fight for it.’
’In that case, I should choose an Augnt that maximizes my imdiate Combat Power to ensure I can get the most points.’
’But if the rumor turns out to be false and there’s no Rank-Breaking Spirit Pill...’
’...then I could pick a growth-oriented Augnt to boost my resources or invest in my future potential.’
’In short, I’ll hedge my bets for now.’
’This is what you call high-level strategy!’
And so, for the next few days, Xiao Chen intentionally reduced his daily cultivation ti, only completing one Grand Circulation in the morning and evening to maintain his current state.
He used his extra ti to visit the Alchemy Hall, where he took on a few commissions to craft so of the more expensive Elixirs, earning a small sum of Spirit Stones in the process.
He waited like this for nearly a month.
Finally, on September 30th, definite news arrived.
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