Chapter 710: Chapter 709: The Young Master’s Gift
Upon returning to the Left Sect’s headquarters, Shi Xiaole immediately requested Yun Chuoxi’s permission to examine a handwritten note penned by the Holy Monarch himself.
Having harbored suspicions about the Holy Monarch’s statue in the Ice Heart Pavilion, Shi Xiaole hoped that the letter would serve as crucial evidence to verify his identity.
"The Holy Monarch’s notes are of great significance being one of Left Sect’s key relics. But if Elder Zong insists on seeing them... I suppose I can lend them to you for a day."
Yun Chuoxi seemed hesitant before finally agreeing stubbornly.
Shi Xiaole watched, finding it amusing in secret.
How could he not know that Yun Chuoxi was putting on a show? Essentially, he was conveying one point: I wouldn’t let just anyone see these notes by the Holy Monarch, so you should understand the significance of this favor.
After expressing his gratitude, Shi Xiaole finally left Ice Heart Pavilion with an old, yellowed bamboo scroll in his hands.
As soon as he returned to his courtyard, he hurriedly unrolled the scroll. Due to its age and regular handling, some of the inscriptions were unclear.
But Shi Xiaole’s hands trembled, nearly leading him to lose his grip on the bamboo scroll.
The characters engraved on the bamboo scroll were identical to those in the notes written by Shi Xuanzhong, which he had found on the deserted island in Redbud State!
Did this suggest that the Holy Monarch who the Ghost Lethal Sect worshiped so highly, the one who had once proposed the establishment of a supreme devil realm, was actually Shi Xuanzhong?
Suppressing his chaotic emotions, Shi Xiaole took a deep breath and began to examine the content of the bamboo scroll.
The content was nothing extraordinary. A majority of it covered various novel concepts about the supreme devil realm as well as some planning details not found in other Left Sect’s books.
Suddenly, Shi Xiaole’s gaze narrowed.
"My bond with Brother Zidu was immediate. However, having lingered in his esteemed land for several years, I fear my modest innermost thoughts yearn for the return to the ’Hundred Flower Cave-Heaven’. I leave this scroll here in the hopes that it might provide Brother Zidu with some inspiration. If it does, my heart will be content."
These were the last words in the letter.
Shi Xiaole’s attention was entirely focused on the four characters ’Hundred Flower Cave-Heaven’.
After reviewing the scroll several times to ensure that nothing had been missed, Shi Xiaole returned the Holy Monarch’s letter to Yun Chuoxi as agreed the next day.
"Elder Zong, it seems like you have something on your mind. Do you have any questions?"
Yun Chuoxi smiled slightly, seemingly amused.
"I have admired the Holy Monarch for a long time. Last night, I dreamt about the Hundred Flower Cave-Heaven. I truly wish I could go there in person!"
Shi Xiaole sighed wistfully.
Yun Chuoxi and Aunt Mei exchanged glances.
In the end, it was Aunt Mei who chuckled, "You think you’re the only one who wants to go there? From the time of the Zidu Ancestor to now, which insider doesn’t want to visit Hundred Flower Cave-Heaven? Only the immortals know where it is!"
"Oh, even Aunt Mei doesn’t know?"
Shi Xiaole was shocked.
Aunt Mei found his surprised look amusing and regarded him with a curious gaze.
"Perhaps the Zidu Ancestor knew, but since then, many who were clued in tried to find it based on the various clues left behind by the Holy Monarch, but they still found no results."
Yun Chuoxi’s voice was distant.
The Holy Monarch was said to possess an awe-inspiring aura, a skill so profound that even the Zidu Ancestor, one of the top ten martial artists at that time, admired him greatly.
However, in the history of the Martial World, the Holy Monarch’s fame was virtually non-existent. Very few people knew of him. He was a hermit who did not seek fame or fortune. He passed through the martial arts world, leaving an endless brilliance only to those who knew him.
Upon leaving the Ice Heart Pavilion, Shi Xiaole felt less confused than he had imagined.
He was not troubled by Shi Xuanzhong’s relationship with the Devil Path. Be it the Devil Path or the Righteous Path, he would walk his own path. How could others influence him?
From Shi Xuanzhong’s proposed Supreme Devil Realm, it was clear that Shi Xuanzhong wanted to stabilize the martial world. Despite associating closely with the Devil Path’s Bigwigs, he was probably someone who didn’t conform to societal norms and acted as he wished.
Due to his outstanding performance at Purple Beauty Hill and other places, Shi Xiaole naturally had the qualifications to peruse the top martial arts manuals of the Ghost Lethal Sect.
After exchanging these for five top-level martial arts manuals, his reward points skyrocketed from thirteen thousand to two hundred and fifty-five thousand.
"Congratulations Elder Zong, here are your robe and token."
In the courtyard, a rosy-cheeked old man handed Shi Xiaole a stack of black robes with gold trim and a black token engraved with the Zong character.
Just yesterday, the Left Sect’s upper echelons had officially announced that Zong Yue would replace Xiao Yujian as the new head of the Ghost Guards and would also serve as an external elder.
Instantly, Shi Xiaole garnered much attention and became the most prominent young man in the Left Sect.
The robe and the token were the exclusive items for the head of the Ghost Guards.
"My apologies for bothering you, Elder Seven."
Shi Xiaole couldn’t contain his excitement.
Elder Seven chuckled heartily, flattering him outwardly, but secretly whispered in Shi Xiaole’s ear, "The Young Master is very pleased with Zong Wei’s performance!"
Young Master?!
A chill ran down Shi Xiaole’s spine. Remembering Zong Xingnan’s instructions, he quickly concluded that they were referring to the extraordinary talent of the Right Sect.
But could this be a trap? After all, the Ghost Guards’ leader is of great importance, and this could be a test from the Left Sect.
"Elder Seven, I’m not sure what you mean."
"Who holds up the jade tower, Zong Yue, your grandfather is my subordinate."
"The moon shines over the grand river of Mountain Cang, Elder Seven, turns out you’re one of us."
Shi Xiaole quickly replied with a secret voice.
This passphrase was given to him by Zong Xingnan. Since the other party knew exactly who Zong Xingnan was, there could be no deception.
"Zong Yue, you did an excellent job. The Young Master asked me to remind you to always prioritize your own safety. Remember, compared to Yun Chuoxi, you are far more precious!"
"Elder Seven, please convey my gratitude to the Young Master. I don’t have much to offer, but my loyalty to the Young Master!"
Elder Seven seemed very pleased with Shi Xiaole’s pledge and nodded continuously with a smile.
"The Young Master will attend the Ghost Lethal Sect meeting soon. Given your status, you should be there too. Be careful not to reveal your true identity. I will inform you of any action plan when the time comes. Also, inside your clothes, you’ll find a gift from the Young Master. Take a look when you’re alone."
After giving a few more words of caution, Elder Seven left contentedly.
Shi Xiaole shook his head in distress.
He didn’t want to be a double agent, but he couldn’t deny it just now. Otherwise, Elder Seven would have thought he had defected, which would be detrimental to him.
The Ghost Lethal Sect meeting mentioned is a grand event of the Left and Right Sects of the Ghost Lethal Sect, held every ten years, seemingly to fight for orthodoxy.
In the previous few sessions, the masters of the two sects fought fiercely but there was no result.
After placing his clothes and tokens back in the room, he felt around in his clothing and quickly found a gray pendant about two inches in size.
The gray pendant was not strange, but its shape caused Shi Xiaole’s face to change drastically.
It depicted two figures - one stepped on the other. The one being stepped on looked very much like the statue of the Holy Monarch in Ice Heart Pavilion, only much smaller.
At that moment, Shi Xiaole recalled that the Left and Right Sects split due to ideological differences. In contrast to the Left Sect’s veneration of the Holy Monarch, the Right Sect despised him and accused him of being dishonest.
"This is the Destroying Saint Pendant, only those who the Young Master approves of and assigns duties to are eligible to receive it. This is your highest honor, keep it safe."
A note was also tucked inside his black clothes.
Does Destroying Saint Pendant mean to annihilate the Holy Monarch?
"The highest honor?"
Shi Xiaole smirked coldly, burned the note, and didn’t destroy the Destroying Saint Pendant despite restraining himself, thinking this item might be useful in the future.
Life settled down again.
Every day, Shi Xiaole disregarded everything else and devoted himself to his cultivation. He practiced the Mountain Character Scripture, Thousand One technique, Xuanyin Twelve Swords, and Dragon Gate Divine Skill in sequence, steadily improving his strength.
The headquarters weren’t like other places. Although there were many masters, the area was large and there were many secluded mountains nearby for cultivation. Thus, Shi Xiaole didn’t need to worry.
A month later, he had a small breakthrough in the Thousand One technique. Its impressive power was not inferior to the Wind Extreme Sword Technique, trailing only the impeccable Divine Wind Movement.
The Xuanyin Twelve Swords were nearing perfection, and the Demon Martial Way also evolved from the initial 10% to 30%, combining these two techniques allowed him to reach a Third Tier level.
As for the Dragon Gate Divine Skill, it was harder to improve. One month of cultivation did not yield significant results.
Surprisingly, the fastest progress was made in the Mountain Character Scripture. Its rapid advancement exceeded even the perfect state, probably because Shi Xiaole managed to turn it into an illusion technique.
By further evolving the scripture, Shi Xiaole created an ultimate technique. Its attack power was at most top-tier Third Tier, but he was confident that even a mid-tier Fourth Tier Earth Immortal would find it hard to resist.
The Fourth Tier Early Stage Wind Sword Way, paired with the Divine Wind Movement, reached high-grade Fourth Tier level, making it Shi Xiaole’s primary weapon. With this technique, Shi Xiaole estimated that he could have a chance of being in the top fifteen of the minor Earth Immortal rankings.
Next was the Mountain Character Scripture.
He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. The sword technique that Shi Xiaole placed the most emphasis on had fallen to the third tier.
Of course, with the improvement of the Thousand One technique, his sword technique’s strength would soar, and he believed that catching up with the former two would only be a matter of time.
