"Gather!"
Inside the Cave Mansion, the Master of Heaven nding Peak uttered a Daoist command. As he furiously channeled his Magical Power, Chen Xin’an’s nearly dissipated soul finally restabilized.
"Am I... still alive? Father?"
Looking at the gradually awakening Chen Xin’an, the Master of Heaven nding Peak wore a gentle expression and smiled. "I knew my son was no common fool."
While helping Chen Xin’an’s soul reconverge, the Master of Heaven nding Peak had clearly already divined the karmic links. Once Liu Xin lost the protection of the Divine Talisman, the past could no longer be hidden.
However, the Banner Spirit, in the guise of Chen Xin’an, had not only assud the original’s karmic links but also carried the Divine Talisman, which perfectly concealed his own Karma Links from divination.
After all that, the Master of Heaven nding Peak hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
In his divination, the sequence of events was that Chen Xin’an had been ambushed by the Primal Daoist and reduced to a Banner Spirit controlled by Liu Xin, but had managed to turn the tables and kill his captor through his own cunning.
"Regardless, what matters is that you’re safe."
The Master of Heaven nding Peak sighed with emotion. But while the Banner Spirit, Chen Xin’an, put on a moved expression, his heart remained completely calm.
’I’m sorry, Father.’
’I belong to my master now...’
The Master of Heaven nding Peak cradled Chen Xin’an’s soul and, in a single step, returned to Heaven nding Peak. He then molded a human figure from clay and carefully placed the soul inside.
"Don’t worry, this is only temporary. You only ended up in this state because you were plotted against by that Primal Daoist. With here, you’ll only need a dozen or so years of recovery to restore your Cultivation to its peak. I can also reconstruct a physical body for you. With ti, you’ll still have a chance to attempt the Foundation Establishnt Realm!"
The Master of Heaven nding Peak said patiently.
He clearly mistook Chen Xin’an’s silence for the despondence of defeat, hence his proactive words of comfort. At first glance, his paternal love was plain to see.
Chen Xin’an gave a perfunctory reply, but his thoughts turned to the task Lü Yang had given him.
"Father, in my current state, can I really still attempt Foundation Establishnt?" Chen Xin’an looked up, a perfectly asured look of despair on his face.
"Of course you can!"
The Master of Heaven nding Peak smiled faintly at his words. "I have a Foundation Establishnt Helper in my possession called Creation Jade Mud. I plan to use it to reconstruct your physical body."
"By doing so, you’ll have a ten percent chance of achieving Foundation Establishnt at the start."
"Then, as long as you master the Soul Splitting Technique and combine it with the Third Grade Qi from the Heaven-nding Skill, you’ll have a thirty percent chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishnt."
’These are all just ordinary thods,’ Chen Xin’an thought.
Having been repeatedly... refined... by Lü Yang, Chen Xin’an was now utterly loyal to him. His only thought was whether he could help his master learn about the Saint Sect’s most valuable resources.
"Thirty percent... Isn’t that a bit low?"
Chen Xin’an sighed. "Father, I don’t want to gamble everything on a thirty percent chance. If possible, I’d like to have better odds before I attempt Foundation Establishnt."
"Oh?"
The Master of Heaven nding Peak was taken aback for a mont, then a gratified expression appeared on his face. He nodded. "Good. Since you feel this way, how could I bla you? As for other ways to increase your chances... they do exist. I recall that so days ago, a Perfected Lord erged from seclusion to issue an order: the Great War of Righteous and Evil is to begin again."
"The Great War of Righteous and Evil?"
Chen Xin’an was stunned. Within him, Lü Yang’s Divine Sense was also listening to the conversation, and he too grew curious. ’What does the Great War of Righteous and Evil have to do with breaking through to Foundation Establishnt?’
Seeing the confusion on Chen Xin’an’s face, the Master of Heaven nding Peak laughed.
"It’s normal for you not to know about this. After all, you grew up in the Sea of Clouds, and as my son, you wouldn’t have been exposed to such matters."
"Why do you think we fight the South so desperately, spilling blood and breaking bones?"
Chen Xin’an subconsciously replied, "Because the righteous and the demonic cannot coexist..."
"That’s bullshit!"
The Master of Heaven nding Peak shook his head. "Both the North and South of the River follow the Ascension Dao. We just have different thods. ’Righteous’ and ’demonic’ are just labels."
"Would you fight to the death over a re label?"
At this point, the Master of Heaven nding Peak pointed upwards. "The so-called Great War of Righteous and Evil is, in essence, a power struggle between all the Perfected Lords, a contest for territories!"
"If our Saint Sect wins and pushes even an inch further into the South, the Fruit of all the Perfected Lords can extend into the South, and their Cultivation will grow stronger by a fraction. If the Sword Pavilion wins and invades the North, the Fruit of our Perfected Lords will weaken. Rather than a Great War of Righteous and Evil, it’s better to call it a Battle for the Dao!"
"For this reason, most of the Saint Sect’s Perfected Persons are stationed throughout the South."
"This includes the Qi Refining Stage disciples. The Sea of Clouds is just a place for raising new disciples; the battlefield of the Battle for the Dao is the true land of opportunity!"
"Most of our Saint Sect’s Perfected Persons also erged from there."
"This is because the influence on the Fruit, determined by victory or defeat in the Battle for the Dao, is not only useful to the Perfected Lords but also to Lower Cultivators like us who rely on their protection."
"Among these benefits are opportunities that can increase one’s chances of reaching Foundation Establishnt."
"For instance, that junior from Yin Mountain broke through after overpowering all other cultivators in the Battle for the Dao a dozen or so years ago, helping a Perfected Lord seize the Mass Grave."
However, as he finished, the Master of Heaven nding Peak shook his head again. "That being said, the battlefield is still too dangerous. The chances of survival are one in ten.
With here to support you, there’s no real need for you to take such a risk. At worst, I will find a way to ask all the Perfected Lords for a Foundation Establishnt Pill for you..."
With that, the Master of Heaven nding Peak patted Chen Xin’an’s shoulder.
"In any case, what you need to do now is rest well and recover as quickly as possible. I will be waiting for the day you reach Foundation Establishnt and inherit my legacy."
As his voice fell, the Master of Heaven nding Peak gave a faint smile.
It was a kind and gentle smile, like that of an old farr, full of anticipation, waiting for his seed to sprout, blossom... and finally, bear fruit.
...
On Heaven nding Peak, inside a Cave Mansion.
Lü Yang reviewed the intelligence he had just overheard through Chen Xin’an, a thoughtful look on his face. ’The Battle for the Dao, a contest of Dao Lineages, opportunities for Foundation Establishnt...’
This news solved a doubt he had harbored for a long ti.
He had always felt that the Saint Sect had surprisingly few disciples.
Take Heaven nding Peak, for example.
Most of the disciples were in the Early-phase or Mid-phase of Qi Refining. Those in the Late-phase of Qi Refining were already rare enough, let alone those at the Final-phase of Qi Refining.
This was clearly illogical.
After all, with such a low success rate for breaking through to Foundation Establishnt, it was necessary to build upon a massive number of Final-phase of Qi Refiners just to have a chance at producing enough Foundation-Stage Cultivators.
Therefore, in theory, while cultivators at the Late-phase and Final-phase of Qi Refining might not be a di a dozen, they at least shouldn’t be a rare sight.
In reality, however, that wasn’t the case.
Now it seed it wasn’t that the Saint Sect lacked disciples, but that these disciples weren’t in the Sea of Clouds. They were on the very front lines of the Great War of Righteous and Evil!
’So the Sea of Clouds is actually the sanctuary.’
’The ones at the Final-phase of Qi Refining who are still here are basically people like Luo Wuya and Chen Xin’an, who have a Perfected Person as a backer and don’t need to risk their lives on the battlefield.’
The more Lü Yang thought about it, the brighter his eyes beca.
’In the Great War of Righteous and Evil, a Perfected Lord must be personally overseeing the battle. They would never allow a Foundation-Stage Cultivator to attack a Qi Refiner!’
’In other words, Arhat Fulong wouldn’t dare to show up!’
’If I can break through on The Front, that would be the safest option!’
After all, compared to Arhat Fulong, the Qi Refiners on The Front were hardly worth ntioning.
’If I can’t beat a Foundation Establishnt cultivator, can’t I still beat you lot?’
’Better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond!’
Looking back, what kind of monsters had he been facing?
Progenitor Tingyou, a reincarnated Foundation Establishnt cultivator; the Master of Heaven nding Peak, a half-crippled Mid-phase of Foundation Establishnt; Arhat Fulong, at the peak of the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishnt... Each one more powerful than the last!
’I got cocky, way too cocky!’
Thinking of this, Lü Yang learned from his painful experience and reflected deeply.
’To be honest, I’ve never been much of a fighter. I’m best at crushing weaker opponents with a higher Cultivation level, not punching up against stronger foes...’
Lü Yang’s gaze grew firm. He decided to follow his heart.
’I’m going to show off in front of those Qi refiners!’
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