Chapter 173.2: The Three Swordsmen of the Heavenly Sect Returns! (II)
When the Three Swordsmen arrived at the Mission Hall, they spent some time looking for the Dao Foundation Candidate List. The list was not placed in a prominent spot and could only be found if searched for deliberately.
They scanned the list from top to bottom. The more they looked, the more disappointed they became. The names were exactly as they remembered. The list was updated only once a year, and the few true inheritor disciples from their sect who had made it onto it weren't in the base.
Just then, Han Tianyun paused, his eyes narrowing. "Wait. There's a name missing... Xu Haotian of the Yellow Heavenly Sect."
Liu Pu frowned. "Xu Haotian? I remember him. A strong martial artist who was already on the verge of stepping into the Dao Foundation Realm. He was removed?"
The Three Swordsmen of the Heavenly Sect stared at the list, disbelief written across their faces. Being removed from the Dao Foundation Candidate List meant only one thing: death. Xu Haotian was still young, so it could not have been old age that took him, leaving only one possibility—someone had killed him. To take down a Divine Treasury expert like Xu Haotian, that individual had to be extraordinarily powerful.
Gu Chen let out a slow breath. "Whoever killed Xu Haotian must be another top Divine Treasury expert aiming for a place on the list. Xu Haotian's ranking wasn't that high. That's probably why he was targeted."
The other two nodded slowly. It was the only explanation that made sense.
Suddenly, an inner disciple nearby spoke up. "Senior Brothers, you've just come back from the second layer, haven't you? Then you probably haven't heard about what happened at the sect. Xu Haotian was killed by Senior Brother Lu."
The inner disciple could not help himself. He was a devoted fan of Lu Changsheng and would sing his praises to anyone who would listen. The excitement in his voice was hard to hide, but he still kept a respectful tone, as he recognized from their attire that the three were true inheritor disciples.
The Three Swordsmen exchanged glances.
"Xu Haotian was killed by someone from our sect?"
"Senior Brother Lu... There aren't many true inheritor disciples with that surname. Which Senior Brother Lu is this?"
They searched their memories, but nothing came to mind. This was their first time back at the sect's base in a long while, and they had yet to hear about Lu Changsheng's achievements.
"It was Senior Brother Lu Changsheng," the inner disciple continued. "He's the one who killed Xu Haotian, and he has only been in the Divine Treasury Realm for less than a year."
"Less than a year in the Divine Treasury Realm, and he killed Xu Haotian?"
That drew a laugh from the swordsmen. They found this absurd. They were aware that they had been away from the sect for quite some time, but things could not have changed that quickly. A true inheritor disciple who had just stepped into the Divine Treasury Realm killing someone on the Dao Foundation Candidate List was simply impossible.
"It's true!" The inner disciple grew more animated. "And he did more than that! When Senior Brother Lu was still in the Divine Fortification Realm, he defeated a Divine Treasury expert and earned the title "Number One Divine Fortification Martial Artist" in the Ancient Region..."
The inner disciple explained in detail, recounting all that Lu Changsheng had done. As the explanation went on, the Three Swordsmen gradually fell silent. Their expressions stiffened, then slowly turned serious.
The inner disciple had no reason to lie, but a trace of disbelief still lingered. As true inheritor disciples, their minds would not bend to secondhand accounts. Until they saw something with their own eyes, they would not fully believe it.
"So much had happened while we were away," Gu Chen muttered.
"A true inheritor scion from the Northern Region defeated a Divine Treasury expert while still in the Divine Fortification Realm, earning the title of the Number One Divine Fortification Martial Artist... then, less than a year after stepping into the Divine Treasury Realm, he went on to kill Xu Haotian of the Yellow Heavenly Sect..." Liu Pu muttered, his tone uncertain. "That's impressive..."
Even so, doubt clung to them. Lu Changsheng's feats were far too impressive to be real. They had to verify it themselves, so they left the inner disciple behind and made a trip to the True Inheritance Hall to find out more.
They found a few true inheritor disciples they knew and asked about Lu Changsheng, and received the same answers every time. Lu Changsheng's reputation had already spread through the sect. Among the true inheritor disciples in the sect, almost none could match him.
Unless the supreme true inheritors outside were to return, he would effectively be the strongest in the base. Even after confirming it again and again, the Three Swordsmen of the Heavenly Sect still struggled to accept that a person as powerful as Lu Changsheng actually existed.
"This is unbelievable. How can someone like that even exist? Xu Haotian was ranked ninety-first on the Dao Foundation Candidate List, and he was killed just like that?" Liu Pu shook his head.
"Well, believe it or not, it's a fact," Han Tianyun said slowly. "It happened in full view of everyone, and even the Enforcement Hall Master personally intervened."
"Lu Changsheng's Mind Space is probably only around ten li, so he can't make the Dao Foundation Candidate List. But even so, his combat strength should already be on that level." Gu Chen paused, a thought taking shape. "We should seek him out. With someone like that, we might actually have a shot at getting the Azure Cloud Fruits."
Liu Pu nodded. "Agreed. But I have to test him myself first. No matter how many people have sworn to it, I still need to see his strength with my own eyes."
The other two swordsmen nodded. No matter how many people vouched for Lu Changsheng, they trusted only their own judgment. So they left the True Inheritor Hall and headed straight for Lu Changsheng's cave residence.
***
Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng had just finished his cultivation in his cave residence. The past three months had not been true seclusion. Rather, it was more like high-intensity training, and the results showed it. In three months, he nurtured four Domains and fused them into two two-in-one Domains.
Lu Changsheng drew up his status panel to review the results of the past three months.
[Status Panel]
Host: Lu Changsheng
Mind Space: 19 li
Perception: 6140 (Praised by All)
[Skills]
Heart Sword True Mantra: Progress 33% (Jade Heart Sword)
Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. Nineteen li. One li short of being able to refine another Mind Stabilization Stone. And the second stone won't improve nurturing efficiency as much as the first did. Twenty-five days to nurture one Domain. That's too slow.
He frowned. Relying solely on his Mind Space to nurture Domains was far too slow. Each time he refined a Mind Stabilization Stone, the nurturing efficiency would improve, but only marginally. Progress would have to come through steady, gradual refinement, one stone at a time, but at that pace, it would take him years.
Just as he was thinking about what he could do, an idea came to mind. Peculiar items! I can use peculiar items!
In fact, this was the method most Divine Treasury martial artists would choose. They would venture into the second layer of the Ancient Region and compete for peculiar items that could directly expand their Mind Space.
Lu Changsheng came to a clear conclusion. Relying on Domain contemplation alone to expand the Mind Space was simply too slow. Combined with peculiar items, however, he would be able to improve his progress significantly. Fortunately, he now had the strength to compete for them.
Even without the Heart Sword and the mind treasure, his Domains were strong enough. He had one five-in-one Domain, four two-in-one Domains, and several other ordinary Domains. On the surface, he only had about ten Domains, but their combined power could crush eighty Domains.
Lu Changsheng had the combat power of a supreme Divine Treasury martial artist, and he had no reason to fear enemies in the same realm. However, finding a peculiar item that could expand the Mind Space was not going to be so easy. Many Divine Treasury martial artists would spend years combing the second layer of the Ancient Region for them, fighting demons, spirit beasts, and each other, but most of them would still walk away empty-handed.
Suddenly, Lu Changsheng perked up. His Sense Domain had detected three true inheritor disciples outside his cave residence.
"Please, come in." His voice echoed throughout his cave residence.
Soon, three true inheritor disciples stood in front of him.
"Greetings, Junior Brother Lu. We are the Three Swordsmen of the Heavenly Sect," Gu Chen said, taking the lead. "As true inheritor disciples, we've spent years in the second layer of the Ancient Region and have only just returned. We heard about your achievements from other disciples and wanted to pay you a visit."
They opened with pleasantries, and Lu Changsheng learned their names in turn. Then they told Lu Changsheng that they wanted him to accompany them to compete for the Azure Cloud Fruits.
"You want to team up with me to compete with the Azure Cloud Fruits?" Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up.
This was exactly what he needed. He had just been thinking about heading into the second layer to search for peculiar items, and an opportunity had just come straight to his door. A strong reputation certainly had its advantages!
Han Tianyun nodded. "Yes. If we can secure ten or twenty of the fruits between us, each of us could expand our Mind Space by several li and spare ourselves ten years of hard work."
"Ten or twenty?" Lu Changsheng's brow rose. "How many fruits did you actually find there?"
Gu Chen thought for a moment. "Probably several dozen. Thirty to fifty for sure, but beyond that, we'd have to actually count them to know."
"Thirty to fifty..." Lu Changsheng lifted his head, his tone slow and deliberate. "If we're going all the way out there to compete for the Azure Cloud Fruit, why settle for ten or twenty? I say we take all of them!"
Liu Pu, who had been silent until now, let out a cold scoff. "Big ambitions and an even bigger mouth. Do you have any idea who you'd be competing against? Everyone there is on the Dao Foundation Candidate List. None of them is weaker than Xu Haotian, and some are even stronger. You've just stepped into the Divine Treasury Realm, and you really think—"
Boom!
Before Liu Pu could finish, a terrifying Domain engulfed the cave residence, blazing in five different colors. Lu Changsheng's Five Elements Domain pressed down on the Three Swordsmen, and they froze where they stood.
Liu Pu's face flushed red as the pressure bore down on him, leaving him struggling to even breathe. In that moment, he finally understood the strength of the man before him. This was the man who had killed Xu Haotian despite being in the Divine Treasury Realm for less than a year, and if Lu Changsheng willed it, Liu Pu would not survive the next second.
