"So Linghu Chong intends to formally assu the position of sect master once he reaches mid-stage Foundation Establishnt?"
Several of the more seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators present exchanged glances but said nothing.
After all, the cultivation world respected strength above all. With a Core Formation ancestor backing him, it was perfectly reasonable for a mid-stage Foundation Establishnt cultivator to serve as the Blue Sea Sect's sect master.
Fang Qing naturally chose to go along with the majority.
Linghu Chong had treated him well during the war and had even assigned Wu Longzi to serve under him, saving him considerable effort.
"Haha... Thank you all."
Seeing that the cultivators he had subtly hinted at and paved the way for had received such widespread support, Linghu Chong could not hide his delight.
But at that mont, a junior sister from another Foundation Establishnt female cultivator suddenly spoke up. "Senior Brother Linghu held this banquet and even specially invited Wanbao... yet that old fellow actually refused to co. He truly does not give Senior Brother any face."
The mont those words fell, the atmosphere instantly chilled.
After all, Wanbao was genuine sect high-level leadership with longstanding prestige. Moreover, he did not belong to their faction—there was no obligation for him to show face.
Linghu Chong looked at this junior sister with so speechlessness. The previous one had been arranged by him as a foil, but this one truly was not...
Fang Qing watched the scene and found it rather amusing. 'Is this what they an when they say a clever person's hundred calculations cannot match a fool's sudden inspiration?'
Linghu Chong certainly had no desire to clash with the faction led by Elder Wanbao, yet he could not stop the noisy clamor from below.
Moreover, with the unification of the Minor Huan Sea, the Blue Sea Sect now had no external enemies. Did that not an internal friction was inevitable?
"As long as Senior Brother Linghu gives the word, what difficulty would there be in launching an impeachnt against Wanbao?"
Another Foundation Establishnt junior brother added ingratiatingly.
Fang Qing did not follow the crowd this ti. After all, Wanbao had been his superior during the ten years of war and had treated him quite well.
Linghu Chong, however, found himself sowhat cornered and unable to dismount from the tiger he was riding.
Moreover, with the sect master's faction now at the height of its power, perhaps they really could pull Elder Wanbao down?
Just as he opened his mouth, hesitating to speak, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky above. A terrifying spiritual pressure erged from the very center of the island and swept outward with overwhelming force!
"This... what is this?"
"What has happened?"
The group of Foundation Establishnt seniors all rose to their feet. So even knocked over the cups and dishes before them in the sudden chaos.
"Such terrifying spiritual pressure... this is..."
Cui Zhe stared toward the island's center and saw a pillar of light shooting straight into the heavens as vast amounts of spiritual qi surged toward it.
"This scene... it sowhat resembles the tribulation crossing of that Chaos-Sea Flood Serpent back then. Could soone in the sect be breaking through to Core Formation?"
Fang Qing gazed at the spectacle with a touch of emotion.
"Core Formation?"
Linghu Chong's mind raced. He ntally reviewed all the suspected late-stage Foundation Establishnt cultivators in the sect, and a sudden thought struck him. 'It couldn't be Elder Wanbao advancing further, reaching the pseudo-core realm of Foundation Establishnt perfection, with the sect supporting his Core Formation attempt, could it?'
The mont the idea arose, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
"Does our sect still have any other pseudo-core cultivators?"
"Could it be... Elder Wanbao? Or perhaps Elder Tianding?"
The Foundation Establishnt cultivators began discussing animatedly.
"The sect's Core Formation foundation can only accumulate enough for one attempt every few hundred years. The previous one was wasted on that Chaos-Sea Flood Serpent... But in recent years, the sect has swept through Tianxin Linked Islands and the Taibai Zhong Family, seizing massive resources. Perhaps they have gathered enough for another Core Formation attempt?"
The older Foundation Establishnt cultivators had already guessed part of the truth.
Tianding? Wanbao? Those were rely the perspectives of lesser cultivators—the one truly achieving Core Formation had to be Linghu Jin without question!
As one of the few who knew the inside story, Fang Qing felt absolute certainty in his heart.
In terms of rit, status, and cultivation... comparing Wanbao or Tianding to Linghu Jin was pointless.
Linghu Jin had refined the Tide Birth Pearl as an external core, granting him early Core Formation combat power. That ant once he successfully ford his core, he would have no need to worry about the subsequent heavenly tribulation at all.
If Core Formation tribulations could strike down early Core Formation cultivators, then basically no one would ever succeed in crossing them.
Thus, this external core thod was in fact a supre wondrous technique for overcoming the Core Formation tribulation!
Fang Qing looked up. Dark clouds filled the sky, thunder danced wildly, yet in his heart he felt a trace of envy.
The environnt for Linghu Jin's Core Formation breakthrough far surpassed that of the Chaos-Sea Flood Serpent earlier—there was no possibility of interference from external Core Formation cultivators.
The fact that the sect had not even fully activated the power of the Seven Mysteries Blue Wave Array spoke volus!
"Moreover... human cultivators breaking through to Core Formation differ sowhat from demon beasts..."
Fang Qing carefully sensed the changes in heaven-and-earth spiritual power. This was a rare and precious opportunity.
After all, he himself would surely reach this step one day.
In his perception, all the third-rank spiritual qi across the main island now converged toward a single core point like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
A profound, vast aura was steadily perfecting and budding through this process...
Whoosh!
At that mont, a streak of light suddenly rose. An elderly early Foundation Establishnt cultivator gritted his teeth. Blood mist erupted from his entire body as he spat out a blood arrow that shot toward the Core Formation cave residence.
Puff!
The blood-colored arrow light was intercepted midway by a slender jade hand and crushed in an instant.
A stream of verdant water descended and instantly lted the Foundation Establishnt elder into nothing.
"Our sect elder is forming his core. Any other Foundation Establishnt cultivator who dares approach will be treated as a sect traitor."
The figure of Ruan Zhixuan, the Bluewave Fairy, appeared. Her tone remained calm.
"That person... seed to be Elder Shan?"
Linghu Chong looked surprised for a mont, then slowly nodded. "I see. This person must have been a dead agent from either Tianxin Linked Islands or the Zhong Family. He now likely belongs to the Sea-Destroying Alliance."
"No matter what, with our sect's ancestor guarding, we have nothing to worry about."
Fang Qing appeared completely relaxed. Suddenly his divine sense stirred.
He felt that the flowing spiritual chanism seed to stall for an instant.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
By now, even Linghu Chong and the other Foundation Establishnt cultivators had co to understand the difficulty the one undergoing Core Formation faced.
"Core Formation... difficult, difficult, difficult indeed!"
Fang Qing could not help but perform a divination. He then let out a sigh.
Almost the instant after his sigh, the sky full of dark clouds instantly dispersed. The thunder vanished, and the previous scalp-numbing pressure disappeared completely.
"This... why has the Core Formation tribulation not descended?"
A female cultivator asked in a daze.
"Then it must be because the Core Formation failed... the true core had not fully condensed before the attempt collapsed..."
Her companion spoke up, then instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes darting around in panic.
"Junior brothers and sisters, such a major event has occurred in the sect today. Let us all return to our cave residences for now..."
It had to be Linghu Chong who remained calm amid the chaos. "Our sect has two Core Formation ancestors in residence. Even if one attempt at Core Formation has failed today, it amounts to nothing."
"Senior Brother Linghu speaks wisely..."
One by one, the Foundation Establishnt cultivators regained their composure and returned to their respective cave residences.
Fang Qing went back to Pill Island but did not enter deep seclusion.
Sure enough, several days later, a rumor began to spread: the one who had attempted Core Formation was none other than the sect leader, Linghu Jin!
Moreover, he had not even reached the stage of truly condensing a true core before regrettably failing. Because of his advanced age and his use of several secret arts that burned through his potential, he was now on the verge of oil running dry and the lamp extinguishing—his lifespan was nearing its end!
"This truly is earth-shattering news."
Fang Qing pinched a sound transmission talisman. "If this were back when the three major Core Formation forces stood in a three-legged balance, such news would have been tightly suppressed. But now there are too many interested parties within the sect, and sothing as monuntal as Core Formation simply cannot be hidden."
"Besides, the current situation for the Blue Sea Sect is what it is. The Minor Huan Sea remains firmly under our sole dominance, so there is no need to conceal it?"
He thought for a mont, summoned his spiritual boat, and headed toward Linghu Chong's waterside cave residence.
At this mont the waterside pavilion lay in utter silence, even carrying a sense of desolation.
He saw him rise to build towers, he saw him feast guests, he saw his towers collapse.
A line suddenly surfaced in Fang Qing's mind, and inexplicably it felt perfectly fitting.
After sending a sound transmission talisman, the array around the waterside pavilion opened.
He stepped inside and saw Linghu Chong, his face haggard and worn.
"Senior Brother Linghu."
Fang Qing cupped his hands. "Take good care of yourself."
"I am grateful that Junior Brother is still willing to visit ." Linghu Chong gave a bitter smile. "Unlike those others who have all run off without a trace."
"How could things have co to this? Even if Sect Master Linghu failed in Core Formation, he remains the sect master, and Senior Brother remains acting sect master."
Fang Qing offered a few words of comfort.
"Sigh... How could it be so simple? After this attempt, our ancestor's lifespan is nearly exhausted—he must step down. And the only reason I could serve as acting sect master was by borrowing the montum of his Core Formation success. Now that it has failed..."
Linghu Chong's lips twisted in bitterness, as if he had swallowed a bitter fruit. "Flowers do not stay red for a hundred days. In recent years, though I handled matters with reasonable caution during my ti of prominence, I inevitably drew envy from many. Now the ti has co to withdraw bravely from the torrent. I have already decided to resign from the position of acting sect master!"
"This..."
Fang Qing considered for a mont but ultimately remained silent.
Linghu Chong's real problem lay in how the sect master's faction had aggressively expanded under the prestige of Linghu Jin's impending Core Formation, seizing far too many benefits.
As long as Linghu Jin had remained a Core Formation cultivator, none of that would have mattered.
Unfortunately, this failed attempt had stripped away the tiger's skin.
With the sect master's faction suffering a massive loss of strength, they naturally had to contract sharply.
Fortunately, back then Fang Qing had not impulsively thrown himself fully into Linghu Chong's storm. Otherwise he would now be buried under a pile of troubles.
Although Fang Qing counted as half-aligned with the sect master's faction, he had always kept a asured distance—lacking any real interest in power. That detachnt now proved its value.
Even if attacked, there was nothing substantial to target.
On Pill Island, Elder Tianding still eagerly hoped he would inherit the mantle!
Fang Qing offered a few more words of consolation before taking his leave.
From beginning to end, he never asked why Linghu Jin had once possessed Core Formation combat power.
That was clearly the sect's highest secret—no need to invite trouble.
Moreover... he had already known the answer for a long ti.
After Fang Qing departed, a sharp glint flashed through Linghu Chong's eyes. He walked to the reception hall.
Light flickered on the folding screen, and a gaunt elder stepped out—it was none other than Linghu Jin!
"Ancestor."
Linghu Chong bowed. "That was just now Junior Brother Fang Qing."
"This old man saw. The boy has decent temperant and heart—worthy of the sect's nurturing, as expected from soone who achieved Foundation Establishnt on his first attempt."
Though Linghu Jin's face was pale and he looked severely depleted, the light in his eyes burned even brighter. "Though this old man is injured, I can still force myself to live a few more years. This is the perfect opportunity to sweep away all the hidden dangers within the sect. Continue spreading the word that this old man is on the verge of sitting in ditation and passing away. Let the family begin fighting over power and profit—see if we can lure out a few more small fish from the Sea Destroying Alliance."
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