Chapter 58: Chapter 56: This Disciple Will Surely Become the Pillar of the Sect
Du Youqian fell silent for a long time.
He wasn’t a fool. The Sect’s upper echelons knew about the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect’s meddling in Wenzhe City and even tacitly approved of it.
They also knew of the Wei Wen Alliance’s existence yet took no action—at least, no overt action.
The Zhongxuan Sect’s position was therefore perfectly clear.
They were doing their utmost to avoid any direct conflict with the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect.
Even when the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect was causing trouble on their own Blessed Land, they turned a blind eye.
The goal of these actions was likely to plunder the valuable population of mortals possessing Spirit Roots.
From his conversation with Lin Sha the previous night, Du Youqian had learned something.
As a Second-class Sect, the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect was different from the Orthodox Sects; they would even accept disciples with the Lowerest Grade Spirit Roots.
This was because the Demon Sects preached survival of the fittest and winner-take-all.
A poor Spirit Root didn’t mean there was no chance for Enlightenment. As long as one was patient, ruthless, intelligent, and lucky, they could compensate for their deficiencies through plunder.
Moreover,
Even if a disciple with a poor Spirit Root couldn’t advance far on the path of cultivation, their flesh, blood, bones, and even their very soul would not go to waste.
This was why the Orthodox Profound Sects cherry-picked only the most elite disciples, while Second-class Sects would not accept anyone with less than a Middle Grade Spirit Root.
The Demon Sects, however, were different; they accepted all comers. Even someone with the Lowerest Grade Spirit Root could possibly grow into a Demon Path Giant—though it was far more likely they would end up as a mere power boost for a fellow disciple’s Magical Artifact, or as fodder to advance another’s Cultivation.
This Blessed Land belonged to the Zhongxuan Sect.
The humans living on this Blessed Land were all potential disciples for the Zhongxuan Sect.
To plunder all the people with Spirit Roots from the Blessed Land would be to uproot the Zhongxuan Sect’s very foundation. In the worst-case scenario, it could even cause a generational gap, leaving the Sect with no successors.
And yet, despite the severity of the situation, the Zhongxuan Sect didn’t even dare to resist.
The Loose Cultivators residing in Wenzhe City couldn’t stand to watch any longer. They spontaneously formed the "Wei Wen Alliance" to resist the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect, but they received no support from the Zhongxuan Sect.
How pathetic.
"My disciple, what do you plan to do?" Ma Chongyu asked, his expression pleasant, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
This was no ordinary chat.
It was an important test.
’Qiu Yuanqing’s talent is outstanding, and his prospects are vast. But can he become a true leader of the Sect in the future? A pillar to hold it up?’
Du Youqian looked up, a wry smile on his lips. "I understand the Sect’s position. As for me, since I am a disciple, I certainly can’t oppose the Sect’s decision in the grand scheme of things."
Ma Chongyu nodded, smiling. "And so?"
"But I don’t want to dishearten those Loose Cultivators. Heaven and Earth are ruthless; the Celestial Dao plays no favorites. In this world, fairness and justice are not born from the Celestial Dao; they are things the human heart craves. If we want to keep Wenzhe City, and this entire Blessed Land, in our grasp for millennia to come, we cannot ignore that."
A thoughtful look crossed Ma Chongyu’s face, and he nodded slowly.
"But again, in the grand scheme of things, we can’t afford to openly antagonize the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect. Making an enemy of a Second-class Sect is too dangerous."
’The Cultivation Realm of Momenan is strange. The Orthodox Profound Sects and the Demon Sects don’t fight as frequently or as brutally as one might expect.’
’On the contrary, there’s a sense that each side keeps to itself.’
’That’s why the Zhongxuan Sect is so desperate to avoid any major conflict with the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect.’
Ma Chongyu kept nodding.
"So..." Du Youqian sighed. "The only thing I can do is act in secret. I’ll have to find someone who appears to have no connection with our Sect and have them provide some assistance to those Loose Cultivators. For instance, they could sell them Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and Arrays at cost, or even at a loss. Maybe provide some intelligence support as well, just to help them hold out a little longer in their fight against the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect."
"Then, when they inevitably fail, I’ll do my best to save a few of them and protect their families... It would be a personal gesture of goodwill, at least."
Ma Chongyu stroked his beard and smiled. "Go on, do as you’ve planned. The Sect will provide you with the materials for the Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and Arrays. You can craft them yourself."
"Yes," Du Youqian agreed, his face twisting into a pained expression.
As soon as Du Youqian left, Ma Chongyu, his face beaming with delight, went to request an audience with the Sect Leader.
The moment he saw the Sect Leader, Ma Chongyu burst out excitedly, "Martial Uncle, that boy Qiu Yuanqing is truly a rare talent! He is destined to become a pillar of our Sect."
After recounting his conversation with Du Youqian, he added, "I propose that once he completes his garrison duty, we grant him the Sect’s treasured Dragon Kui Purple Extreme Pills. This will help him achieve a clean and swift advancement to Qi Cultivation Perfection."
"As you said, the boy is indeed as eloquent as he is astute," the Sect Leader mulled it over for a long while before nodding slowly. "Very well."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
「Three months later.」
「Wenzhe City.」
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." After a violent coughing fit, the Loose Cultivator Wang Zhiping accepted the inferior-grade Storage Treasure Pouch from Yang Wuling. He opened it, did a quick count of the contents, and then looked up.
"Thank you... It’s just that, recently, the few of us are tight on funds and can’t pay the Spirit Stones for now. We even still owe for the last batch. Please convey our sincerest apologies to your benefactor." The bitter look on Wang Zhiping’s face twisted into an awkward smile.
Yang Wuling said gravely, "Don’t worry about it. My master said that you have all endured much hardship. His own power is limited, and he dare not offend those people, so he can only support you secretly like this. He already feels quite guilty that this is all he can do."
Wang Zhiping gave a bitter smile. "Your benefactor has already been incredibly generous. It’s a world away from those people from the Zhongxuan Sect, who just stand by and watch with cold indifference."
Knowing his master’s true identity, Yang Wuling could only remain silent.
Wang Zhiping shot a quick glance at Yang Wuling’s face and said cautiously, "Could you ask your benefactor if he could procure a portable Concealing Array for us? I know it’s a huge request. However, several of us have younger family members and disciples to look after. We are prepared to die, but we don’t want our bloodlines and legacies to be extinguished. If he cannot agree, I beg you, allow me to plead my case to him in person!"
Yang Wuling clenched his jaw. "I will be sure to pass on your message."
"Thank you!" Wang Zhiping bowed solemnly.
This was the first time in his memory, after becoming a Cultivator, that he had bowed to a Mortal.
’But then, there’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?’
In the end, all his myriad thoughts could only dissolve into a helpless, bitter smile.
Such is life—disappointment makes up nine-tenths of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
「Beneath the moonlight.」
"He’s out. Senior Sister Chen, should we take him? Or should we follow him and see who’s behind him?" The speaker was a delicate woman with a fragile, pretty face, one who looked as if she would start gasping for breath after just a few steps.
If Little Fatty Guo Mingsheng were here, he would have recognized her as his "Li Ying."
"...No. Don’t touch him for now, and don’t worry about the person behind him. Senior Sister Lin gave instructions before she left, and I don’t want to get on her bad side."
The words came from a woman in a long dress with intricate cutouts that left her magnificent figure on full display. She had a pair of phoenix eyes that seemed at once full of emotion, yet utterly emotionless.
As she spoke, she turned, her eyes narrowing slightly and a mocking smile playing on her lips. "And another thing. Remember that you aren’t yet qualified to call us ’Senior Sister.’ You’re just a Registered Disciple. Don’t you know your own place?"
"Yes..." Looking thoroughly wronged, Li Ying meekly lowered her head.
