Chapter 203 Entering the Sect
Upon arriving in front of the Flame G.o.d Sect’s mountain gate, Jiang Ye looked at Su Wen and said, “Let’s go. You have to meet my master and the Sect Master first. Whether they allow you to enter or not is another matter.”
Su Wen nodded. He followed them into the sect. Towards Jiang Ye’s statement, he had no objections to this. To put it bluntly, he would have to think about whether to accept them or not instead. Jiang Ye introduced the areas as they walked. “The Flame G.o.d Sect is divided into nine mountains and nine peaks. Every Peak will have an elder of the sect helming as Peak Master, while the disciples who have cultivated to the 9th Grade of Earth Rank will be awarded the t.i.tle of Elder. I am the Fifth Peak’s Elder. If you successfully join, you will also belong to our Fifth Peak.” Su Wen narrowed his eyes. This was very different from the Bright G.o.d Sect. The relations.h.i.+p between master and disciple was even closer here. Naturally, the internal compet.i.tion would probably be even more intense. It was not too different from those factions outside.
“Don’t be nervous later. Speak properly!” Jiang Ye reminded. Soon, the two of them arrived at the main peak. Jiang Ye smiled. “Experts above Heaven Rank no longer care about sect affairs anymore. They won’t make a move unless the Sect faces extermination. After all, there are rules in the martial world. You haven’t seen any Heaven Rank experts yet, right? Don’t be nervous!” Su Wen: “Hehe.”
Soon, Su Wen and Jiang Ye entered the hall. There were two people in the hall. One of them was in his prime and had a burly figure with a full beard. The strange thing was that the beard on this fellow’s face was actually red. Jiang Ye introduced, “This is the current sect master of the Flame G.o.d Sect, Dongfang Ju.” The next person to be introduced was Jiang Ye’s master. To Su Wen’s surprise, this fellow looked much younger than Jiang Ye. At most, he was in his forties. He had a pair of long and narrow phoenix eyes and looked rather scholarly.
“This is my master, s.h.i.+ Yu.”
Su Wen said in surprise, “You’re so young.” s.h.i.+ Yu smiled and said, “Breaking past the 3rd Grade Heaven Rank allows one to return to their youth.”
This was the first time Su Wen had heard someone talk about information regarding Heaven Rank. All along, everything about Heaven Rank was unknown to him.
He secretly noted this down. Su Wen smiled. “Greetings, Senior.” After the greeting, s.h.i.+ Yu nodded and said, “Good talent. 8th Grade Earth Rank, vigorous True Qi. How old are you?” “20…”
Su Wen told the truth. s.h.i.+ Yu and Dongfang Ju gasped in shock and surprise. This talent was too terrifying. One had to know that Su Wen did not hide his cultivation base. His goal was very clear, he himself wanted to obtain a Paragon Rank cultivation technique from the Flame G.o.d Sect!
If he did not show enough talent, would he have been given such a chance?
“Come here and let me feel your bones!” s.h.i.+ Yu said in a deep voice.
He still did not, nay, could not believe it.
Although Su Wen did not like being touched by men, he knew that this time, he had to be as truthful and cooperative as possible. The more he looked as though he had to hide, the more he had to lose. He walked forward and s.h.i.+ Yu grabbed his arm. He reached out to pinch it before placing a palm on it. A fiery True Qi entered Su Wen’s body. After a moment, s.h.i.+ Yu released his grip and heaved a sigh of relief. “You’re indeed twenty years old. What talent!”
As he spoke, he looked at Su Wen and asked in a deep voice, “Never acknowledged a master?” These four words sounded like the ringing of a morning bell. Su Wen was actually a little dazed when he was exposed to the extremely powerful spiritual power within.
Heaven Rank experts naturally had their own methods. “Never!”
Upon hearing this, the expressions on s.h.i.+ Yu and Dongfang Ju’s faces relaxed. s.h.i.+ Yu smiled and said, “That’s good. I wonder if you’re willing to take me as your master?” “Disciple is willing!” Su Wen said. “Then let’s do it this way. From today onwards, you will be a core disciple of the Fifth Peak. You will be of the same generation as Jiang Ye. You can just address him as senior brother.” “Thank you Master!”
s.h.i.+ Yu then continued with a smile. “Dongfang Ju also originated from my Fifth Peak. You can ask him more if you need anything.” “Yes!”
At this moment, Dongfang Ju laughed and casually threw out a question. “Junior Brother, what do you think a sect is?” “Eh?”
Su Wen had never considered this question. He frowned and pondered for a moment. After some hesitation, he replied, “A sharing of benefits?”
Dongfang Ju was stunned for a moment. After a moment, he smiled and said, “That’s right! A sect encompa.s.ses exactly what you mean. In the sect, everyone shares benefits. Disciples can obtain high-level cultivation techniques and resources, while the leaders of the sect can obtain enough manpower to constantly expand their influence. This is also the reason why the sect can continue to grow.”
“It looks like Junior Apprentice Brother is a smart person! It’s easier to speak to smart people. After Junior Apprentice Brother enters the sect, we will treat Junior Apprentice Brother as one of our own. We will not hold back anything that we should give you. But at the same time, Junior Apprentice Brother must also contribute to the sect.
If Junior Apprentice Brother really wants to betray the sect, or if you only want to obtain benefits and don’t want to contribute, then you must be prepared to be chased down by the sect’s experts. That’s the simple truth.” Su Wen smiled. This Dongfang Ju was very interesting. He directly pointed out the truth. “Thank you for your reminder, Senior Brother!” s.h.i.+ Yu interrupted at this point, “Alright, I’ll go back first. I’ll leave the rest to you guys. If Daqiang wants to learn a cultivation technique, you can look for your two senior brothers. As for the rest, it’s up to you.” As far as Heaven Rank experts were concerned… These mundane matters were not worth paying attention to. This time, he only agreed because Jiang Ye begged him to accept Su Wen. Su Wen also understood what was going on. Currently, the Fifth Peak should be the most powerful among the nine peaks. Supporting them above was a Heaven Rank expert, in the middle, the Sect Master whose authority was supreme, and the Peak Master was held by the 9th Grade Earth Rank Jiang Ye. Next, Su Wen and his family were all accepted into the sect.
At the same time, Dongfang Ju had also gathered all the higher-ups. After all, this was related to the distribution of Heaven Rank elixirs. Even he had to show everyone Su Su’s talent. Su Wen and his daughter stood in the middle of the hall. Beside them were the commanders and stewards of the other peaks. Dongfang Ju coughed lightly and said, “It’s like this. My master, s.h.i.+ Yu, has already decided to accept Su Daqiang as his disciple. From today onwards, he will also be part of the Fifth Peak!”
Everyone glanced at Su Wen but did not say anything. Dongfang Ju continued, “However, due to Su Daqiang and Su Su’s talent, the Sect decided to give them two Raging Flames Blood Burning Pills.” Everyone frowned when they heard this! An Elder of the Second Peak was furious and said, “Sect Master, aren’t you going too far? Yes, the sect has its rules. They say that if they encounter special geniuses, they can build their foundation with the Raging Flames Blood Burning Pill and solidify their foundation. But are their talents as exaggerated as Jiang Ye said?”
Dongfang Ju looked at Su Wen in response.
Su Wen smiled and stretched out his hand. “Hu!” The golden flames burned.
Immediately after, Su Su followed suit. The father and daughter each held a ball of flames. The elder was instantly rendered speechless. Everyone looked at Su Wen and his daughter in shock. Were these two monsters? This golden flame was clearly not an ordinary
fire.
After the flames dissipated, Dongfang Ju smiled and said, “Does anyone still have any doubts?”
No one spoke. Dongfang Ju took out two pills and said with a smile, “After eating this Raging Flames Blood Burning Pill, it can increase the temperature of your blood. During the cultivation process, the True Qi condensed will be even hotter. This effect can last for three months. After three months, the body would have been adjusted for a sufficiently long time and the True Qi condensed will undergo a qualitative change.” Jiang Ye hurriedly went forward and received the elixir before handing one to Su Wen. He then squatted down and smiled ingratiatingly. “Good disciple, come, this is from me.”
Su Su was so frightened by him, she was close to tears. “I don’t want to take you as my master… your smile is so ugly…” “Eh!” Jiang Ye felt a little awkward at this moment.
However, the eyes of the elders who were originally a little impatient immediately lit up when they heard this! The Second Peak Elder laughed wildly. “Haha! Old Jiang! After all this time, you’re playing such tricks with us! She’s not willing to acknowledge you as my master at all. You’re licking your old face and calling me your disciple here to coax us, right? You’re even using the benefits of the sect as a favor! You’re so stingy. It’s all thanks to the little girl’s intelligence, otherwise, wouldn’t she have been deceived by you?” He took a step forward and said gently, “Come, Little Su Su, don’t be afraid. Take me as your master. Look at my spirit artifact, the Fire Spirit Sword. It’ll yours from now on.”
As the Second Peak Elder spoke, he extended his hand and a fiery red sword flew out.
The body of the sword was crystal clear and crimson, looking extremely beautiful! Su Su’s eyes lit up as she looked at the flying red sword hovering.
She clapped his hands excitedly. Seeing Su Su like this, the Peak Master of Sixth Peak also stood forward. She was a woman who looked to be in her thirties. Not only was she beautiful, she still retained her charm! She rebuked delicately, “What are you guys talking about? According to the rules, female disciples are supposed to all be a.s.signed to my Sixth Peak. Come, Little Su, let me show you how this Fire Feather Rainbow Robe works!”
As she spoke, she activated it, and a red robe with rainbow hues appeared on her body. However, the robe was composed entirely of golden-red feathers!
She leaped, and as the robe fluttered, it actually carried her into the air. Even though her speed was far slower than that of a Heaven Rank cultivator…
She was indeed flying, an ability only restricted to the Heaven Ranks! Furthermore, the golden feathers that filled the sky were very beautiful.
Little Su Su was lost in the scene…
Su Wen also looked at Jiang Ye and reached out to s.n.a.t.c.h the pill from his hand. He sneered and said, “Senior Brother Jiang, you’re so stingy! You’re really stingy!” Jiang Ye blushed and said, “What’s the use of these fancy tricks!” Dongfang Ju also smiled. “Senior Brother Jiang just is used to being careful!” Jiang Ye gritted his teeth before suddenly taking out a stone from his chest. The stone was blood red in color. Jiang Ye said in a deep voice, “Come, Su Su, take a look at what Master has for you. This Phoenix Blood Stone is a spiritual object. It will be beneficial to your cultivation if you bring it with you.” In terms of value, Jiang Ye had really made up his mind this time. His item was not inferior to those two, possibly even better! The problem was that one of them had a flying sword while the other had a sky full of flying feathers. If you were to take a lousy rock, the appearance would be too drastic to compare. Little Su Su’s gaze was completely attracted by the Sixth Peak Elder’s feathered robe. As for Jiang Ye’s Phoenix Blood Stone, she did not even take a glance at it.
Fortunately, Su Wen reacted quickly. He could differentiate what was good and bad, thus he quickly grabbed the stone and smiled. “Let Su Su try to use it for a few days first.” Jiang Ye :”…” Try it? Then could he even get it back? At this moment, Dongfang Ju could tell that something was wrong. If the Six Peak Elder flew for a while longer, Su Su might have end up asking to be carried away! He said anxiously, “Alright! Stop it, all of you. How about this? Su Su and Daqiang have just entered the sect and are still unfamiliar with everything. Let them rest for a few days to understand. When the time comes, we’ll see who Su Su is willing to acknowledge as her master!”
“Sect Master is so biased. Why didn’t you tell us about this first!” The Peak Master of the Sixth Peak, Wu Yuehan, grumbled. The First Peak Elder chimed in, “That’s right. I think we might as well make a decision today. Otherwise, if they return to the Fifth Peak to stay for a few days, this Jiang fellow might use some shameful methods!”
Actually, he could also tell that even if Su Su did not choose Jiang Ye, it would still be far before he could get a chance. However, the Fifth Peaks was too powerful now, and they had already suppressed the rest to the point that they could not breathe. If they accepted such a genius, wouldn’t the rest be continuously suppressed for a few more decades?
For a moment, everyone agreed. Even Dongfang Ju said helplessly, “Little Su Su, then choose a master in this room.” Little Su looked around at everyone. Suddenly, she jumped onto Dongfang Ju’s shoulder and said brightly, “Uncle Red Beard, can you be my master? Look, you’re Red Beard, and I’m Red Hair…”
“Hahaha!” Dongfang Ju was overjoyed. He raised his head and laughed. “Good, good,
good!”
This was something he had never expected.
Actually, he also had this intention, but it was difficult for him to say it.
After all, Jiang Ye was still there. If he spoke, Jiang Ye would definitely be unhappy. However, Su Su chose it herself, so he could not be blamed.
He took out a bracelet from his chest, on which there were several translucent rubies.
He did not say anything and directly put it on Su Su. He smiled and said, “This is the greeting gift Master is giving you!” Jiang Ye went to Su Wen’s side and whispered, “Junior Brother Su, I’ve reached a critical point in my cultivation these past two days. That Phoenix Blood Stone…” Su Wen said loudly, “Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang. You cultivated to a critical point and yet even gave the Phoenix Blood Stone to Su Su as a greeting gift. It’s truly touching!” Jiang Ye quickly said, “No it’s not…” Dongfang Ju’s reaction was also disgustingly fast. He smiled and added in, “Senior Brother Jiang doesn’t have to be so polite. Su Su, aren’t you going to thank your Martial Uncle Jiang? Don’t say that his smile is ugly in the future.” “Thank you, Martial Uncle Jiang!” Su Su said obediently. Jiang Ye wanted to cry but had no tears… A disciple had actually become a martial niece instead… The difference was too great. Furthermore, he had even lost a Phoenix Blood Stone.
The other peak masters also felt extremely disappointed.
No one expected Su Su to pick the Sect Master, Dongfang Ju, after so much trouble. In the end, she still went back to the Fifth Peak.
After everyone dispersed, Su Wen brought Su Su back to the Fifth Peak…
The moment she entered and saw that everyone had left, Little Su Su smiled and said, “Daddy, am I smart!” “Huh? How are you smart?” Su Su said smugly, “Haha! I’ve taken the Red Beard Sect Master as my master! Look, that Jiang Ye is so old. He might die in two years. The Red Beard Sect Master is different. He should be able to live for many more years. Furthermore, he gives me a strange feeling… similar to Father’s master.” “Eh?”
Su Wen narrowed his eyes. What did this mean? She knew that Su Su’s spirit perception was very sharp and could sense many things that he could not.
Could it be…
Just as he was thinking, Ni Hongxiao also came out to greet them. She glanced at Su Wen, who was deep in thought, and smiled. “You better not rely on the basis of ordinary children to measure your daughter…”
Seven days later, in the Flame G.o.d Sect’s armory, Su Wen looked at the secret manual in front of him.
Thanks to s.h.i.+ Yu, he was now considered the disciple of a Heaven Rank, thus he could read all the books in the Flame G.o.d Sect.
This included the secret manuals. However, the secret manuals needed to be signed by a spirit contract and could not be pa.s.sed on to anyone outside the sect.
However, what was taught within the sect was not restricted by the spirit contract. In the Flame G.o.d Sect’s treasury, there was more than one Heaven Rank technique. Whether it was martial techniques or cultivation techniques, there were more than a dozen of them.
However, to Su Wen, most if not all these were useless.
The might produced by the Heaven & Earth Great Solar Sutra was comparable to the Flame G.o.d Sect’s Flame-Attributed cultivation technique. As for the Great Solar Supreme Policy, there was no need to mention it. It resulted in Su Wen looking down on ordinary Heaven Rank techniques. After walking around, Su Wen did not learn a single cultivation technique. As for Paragon Rank techniques, there were none at all.
However, Su Wen also understood from the sect’s secret manual that the Flame G.o.d Sect’s greatest foundation was the chance to study the statue of the Flame G.o.d Dao Ancestor. Supposedly, the Flame G.o.d Dao Ancestor was the source of all flames, the controller of the Grand Dao of Fire.
Of course, Su Wen did not comment on this. After all, everyone knew how to brag. Furthermore, who wouldn’t brag a little more about their own ancestor?
However, there was no need to doubt that one could gain some insights from observing the Flame G.o.d Statue in the sect.
It was said that 30,000 years ago, someone comprehended a Paragon Rank cultivation technique from within… However, the things one comprehended from it could not be pa.s.sed on to others. This caused the chance to view and study the Flame G.o.d statue to be extremely precious. This statue could not be observed at any time.
The statue needed to acc.u.mulate energy before it could be studied. In general, it would be opened for observation and study once a decade.
And a person could only study it once in their lifetime.
Every time it was opened for observation, the statue would use up a certain amount of energy based on what the spectator had comprehended… At most, forty people could gain insights from
it.
The least number of people obtaining insights was 30,000 years ago, where only one person comprehended something.
Therefore, within the sect, one needed to be ranked to s.n.a.t.c.h the chance to observe the statue.
After all, no one could guarantee that it would still have enough energy to allow for comprehension when it came to their turn. As for the order of viewing the statue, the ranking method was very simple. The first was the selection of Heaven Rank disciples. Ordinary Heaven Rank disciples would be given priority, and if there were two Heaven Rank disciples at the same time, it would be decided by drawing lots to maintain harmony.
n
If there was only one person, that person would directly be ranked before everyone. After that was the compet.i.tion between the nine peaks. There were a total of five rounds! The first round was the most intense, because everyone knew that it was meaningless to rank at the back.
The compet.i.tion between the nine peaks was not about the strength of the disciples, but their masters!
The reason was simple. Some disciples were talented, but they were still young. Could it be that they couldn’t partic.i.p.ate in the viewing then? It had to be known that this kind of disciple was more valuable to nurture.
On the other hand, some of the disciples were old and had ordinary natural endowments. Even if their combat strength was formidable, there was no need to nurture them. The viewing of the Flame G.o.d Dao Ancestor statue would only occur once every ten years. If it was delayed by ten years, how much would a talented disciple be affected from it?
Therefore, the ranking of the nine peaks was the solution. There were a total of nine arena stages that would be erected.
Anyone who wanted to compete could go on stage, and each peak would send out one person to challenge. The winner would stay while the loser left. Generally speaking, the first round was so important because typically only 10 to 20 disciples could manage to comprehend insights.
In other words, only the first round was guaranteed for someone to obtain an insight.
The closer one was to the front, the more abundant the energy, and the more exquisite the things they comprehended would be. Therefore, in the first round, the masters of the Nine Peaks usually went up personally.
However, the Nine Peak Masters did not represent the strongest combat strength of the sect. There were also many people within the sect that were very strong, but did not wield authority. Thus, in every ranking battle, there could be a situation where a Peak Masters was defeated. After all, the other experts also had their own disciples or their own bloodlines. Everyone wanted to fight for their peaks. Su Wen left the armory and was pondering over these matters when a female disciple suddenly appeared and bowed. “Is it Senior Brother Su Daqiang?” When Su Wen nodded, the female disciple continued, “I’m a disciple of the Sixth Peak. Our peak master invites you over.” The Peak Master of the Sixth Peak? Wu Yuehan? But that woman did not have any interactions with him? Su Su had already acknowledged her master, so why was she looking for him?