Chapter 51: Chapter 51: It’s Time to Make a Move
"Practical combat? What’s it about specifically? Sparring with each other?"
"And Alchemy Masters can’t get out of it either?"
"If I don’t go, at worst, I’ll just fail one assessment. That shouldn’t be a big deal, right?"
"According to the Sect’s past rules, Outer Disciples are only demoted to servant disciples after failing three consecutive assessments."
Zhang Chi was startled to hear this.
This was the first he’d ever heard of it.
"We don’t know the specifics, but we’re sure it’s not fighting each other."
"Also, people like Alchemy Masters and Talisman Masters can’t avoid it either. If you fail the assessment, you’ll be demoted directly."
"It seems the situation at the Demon Abyss has been unstable recently. So, the Sect plans to toughen up our training," Qin Susu said, her face full of worry.
"Yes, we’re so unlucky. If only we had joined the Sect a few years earlier."
"But this news is definitely accurate. Senior Brother Zhang, you absolutely must not take this lightly."
He Shi nodded and sighed softly.
As a Talisman Maker, she obviously didn’t want to participate in any practical combat assessment.
Even Qin Susu and He Yan didn’t want to.
After all, although they didn’t earn much from their business, it was basically enough to support their Cultivation.
Unfortunately, the news was absolutely true. Chen Bufan himself had specifically sent them a voice transmission to warn them a few days ago when they went to congratulate him on reaching Foundation Establishment.
The Sect would probably make a formal announcement in a while.
They hadn’t planned on telling anyone this beforehand, but since Zhang Chi had a good relationship with them, was an Alchemy Master, and was willing to cooperate with them, they made an exception and told him.
"For the next six months or so, Senior Brother Zhang, don’t get so caught up in Alchemy and Qi Cultivation that you forget to practice your Magic."
"Especially the Sword Control Technique. You must practice it diligently. Even if you can’t reach the Entry Level before the assessment, it’s good to grasp the basics," He Shi continued.
"You should also earn more Spirit Stones to buy some powerful Magical Artifacts and Spirit Talismans. That’s the only way to be truly foolproof when the time comes," Qin Susu added in agreement.
"Okay, I understand. Thanks for the warning."
Zhang Chi understood the value of this information and their good intentions, so he thanked them immediately.
After all, even with his considerable strength, he would lose the initiative if caught off guard.
Knowing in advance gave him much more room to maneuver.
"We’re all friends. It’s only right that we help each other."
Hearing this, Qin Susu and the others all smiled.
Then, as the group continued to chat, Zhang Chi began to ponder secretly.
’He wasn’t afraid of the Sect assessment, but the unstable situation was a bit troublesome.’
’I just hope it’s only instability and nothing more.’
A while later, the four of them arrived at the Inheritance Hall and went their separate ways to attend lectures.
Afterwards, they met up again and went to the Sect Marketplace together.
It turned out they were planning to use this information gap to make preparations in advance, and make a quick profit on the side.
After all, the Sect had a huge number of new disciples.
And if the assessment for new disciples was changing, things probably wouldn’t be much better for the senior disciples either.
Therefore, once the news was made public, prices were bound to fluctuate dramatically.
’It’s true what they say—you never realize how little money you have until you need it!’
Zhang Chi had thought that while he wasn’t rich, he wasn’t short on Spirit Stones either. Only now did he realize he was truly poor.
He used the Spirit Stones he had just received, along with the several dozen he already had, to buy materials for refining Spirit-Storage Pills.
This way, he wouldn’t delay the improvement of his Alchemy, and he could even make a small profit later.
After all, once the Outer Disciples heard the news, they would surely go on a buying spree for Elixirs to raise their Cultivation as quickly as possible.
Even if most Cultivators were wary of Pill Poison and didn’t dare to consume them too often or in large quantities, the demand would still be enormous.
Besides, if he didn’t buy the materials now, their prices would probably just go up later.
With these materials, plus what he had left over and the materials he received from accepting Sect Alchemy missions, he wouldn’t need to come back to buy more for a short while.
However, he also wanted to buy some other Medicinal Materials to refine the special Elixirs that accompanied the Bright Jade Body Refining Technique.
That way, he could speed up his Body Refining progress.
There was also his Cold Iron Flying Sword and those Flying Needles, which could be refined into true Magical Artifacts.
Of course, he would much rather just buy some high-quality Magical Artifacts directly.
But unfortunately, he didn’t have nearly enough Spirit Stones for that.
And as for Qin Susu and the others, while they had some savings, it wasn’t even enough for themselves, so they certainly wouldn’t have any spare Spirit Stones to lend him.
’Looks like it’s time to make a move on those two. They’re senior Outer Disciples, so they can’t be that poor, right?’
’I’ll have to think carefully about the specifics of how to do it.’
But after a moment’s thought, Zhang Chi immediately had a plan.
After he finished shopping in the Marketplace, he went to the Pill Hall again, accepted as many Alchemy missions as he could, and immediately received more Medicinal Materials for refining Spirit-Storage Pills.
His actions surprised a few people in the Pill Hall, but it didn’t cause a major stir.
After all, they often saw such Alchemy fanatics.
On the other hand, the Foundation Establishment Stewards of the Pill Hall, like Fu Hongchang, likely already knew the truth but said nothing.
Next, Zhang Chi returned to the Earth Fire Hall, and the following day, he left early in the morning.
On his way, he soon noticed that Meng Shan and Jia Liang were once again following him from a distance.
But this time, instead of shaking them off like he always did, he headed straight for the Sword Testing Valley.
"Haha, the kid couldn’t resist. He’s finally going to the Sword Testing Valley to practice the Sword Control Technique!"
"Yeah, and he didn’t wander around in circles after leaving like he usually does. Looks like he’s let his guard down because he never noticed us."
"Exactly. All we have to do is follow him, and we can easily complete Martial Uncle Xie Yu’s mission."
Seeing this, Meng Shan and Jia Liang were ecstatic. They communicated via voice transmission as they immediately followed close behind.
The truth was, because Zhang Chi had been so vigilant lately and his Divine Thought was so powerful, they had no idea that he went to the Sword Testing Valley to practice the Sword Control Technique every day.
They all thought this was his first time.
They tailed Zhang Chi and soon arrived outside the Sword Testing Valley.
The Sword Testing Valley was shaped like a long snake, running north to south. Normally, Zhang Chi would enter from the north, but today he chose the south.
At this moment, seeing Zhang Chi enter the valley, acting "cautiously," Meng Shan and Jia Liang each immediately swallowed a Clear Heart Pill and activated a Tier One Middle Grade Vajra Talisman. Only after a layer of Protective Golden Light enveloped their bodies did they boldly follow him in.
It turned out that while their Heart was not outstanding, they had Elixirs and Spirit Talismans, and their own Cultivation was decent.
Therefore, they both felt they could easily catch up to Zhang Chi.
And killing Zhang Chi inside the valley was undoubtedly the most suitable option.
They wouldn’t even have to strike themselves. They just needed to force Zhang Chi deeper into the valley, and he would die from his Divine Soul collapsing, unable to withstand the Sword Intent.
That way, even if the Sect investigated, they would just conclude that Zhang Chi had overestimated his own abilities, carelessly wandered too deep, and lost his life as a result.
When that happened, they would be able to collect the greater mission rewards promised by Xie Yu.
"This is great! After working so hard for so long, we’re finally going to be rewarded!"
"Indeed, it wasn’t easy. But as long as we complete the mission, all the hard work will be worth it."
The two of them advanced, communicating via voice transmission, their faces all smiles.
"Huh? What’s going on? We’ve been at this for so long, and that kid is still moving forward? Is he crazy?"
But soon, they couldn’t help but feel shocked and suspicious.
Because they had advanced more than twenty zhang in one go, yet they still hadn’t caught up to Zhang Chi.
