Chapter Sixty-Six: The Union of Sects
Sun Fanbai turned and asked, “Brother Bai, who are they?”
Bai Qiu replied, “Just now, the two people the inner sect disciple brought in—one is Liao Hongda from the Demon Path’s Overlord City, the most outstanding disciple in recent years, ranked third among the top ten young masters.”
“The other is a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Temple, named Ji An, who has recently made a name for himself throughout the Twelve Provinces.”
Sun Fanbai asked, “Heavenly Dao Temple? If I recall, Yan Yu’s father is the head of that temple, Master Jiuyao.”
Bai Qiu nodded, “That’s right. Ji An is Master Jiuyao’s last disciple, Yan Yu’s junior.”
“I see.”
Bai Qiu continued, “Ji An was originally an ordinary person; his family ran an escort agency called ‘Ji Wei Escort’. One year, while on a mission, the agency became collateral damage in a battle between cultivators, and not a single member survived. Ji An’s parents perished in that tragedy.”
“Records show it was a clash between Heavenly Dao Temple and the Demon Sect that affected Ji Wei Escort. Afterwards, the Alliance intervened, and the two cultivators involved in the fight have remained imprisoned on the Alliance’s prison island ever since.”
“Later, to atone for the mistake, Master Jiuyao personally went to Ji Wei Escort and brought the young Ji An to the temple.”
Sun Fanbai nodded, “Master Jiuyao is indeed a righteous and upright man.”
Bai Qiu agreed, “Certainly. Ordinary people can only step into cultivation with both talent and fate. Master Jiuyao’s actions changed the Ji family’s destiny.”
He went on, “After bringing Ji An to the temple, they discovered his remarkable talent—he entered the sect in one year, reached Foundation Establishment in two, and broke through to the Golden Core stage before turning sixteen, a year earlier than both Yan Yu and myself. So Master Jiuyao took him as his last disciple.”
Sun Fanbai sighed, “The workings of karma.”
Bai Qiu echoed, “Indeed. I was close to Yan Yu as a child, so I know Ji An’s story well. And recently, something notable happened: two months ago, Shen Ren of the Thousand Crane Gate clashed with Liao Hongda near Yongzhou. Their fight was fierce and evenly matched.”
Sun Fanbai pondered, “Liao Hongda must be the burly man from earlier. If I’m not mistaken, Shen Ren is also ranked among the top ten young masters.”
Bai Qiu nodded, “Correct. Shen Ren is fifth. He has cultivated a life-bound flying sword, already at the fourth realm—man and sword as one, his mind and blade are united, granting immense power.”
“Liao Hongda and Shen Ren were equals; after hundreds of exchanges, neither had the upper hand. Then Ji An appeared.”
“Ji An intervened, striking only once. That single sword forced both Liao Hongda and Shen Ren to retreat—it astonished them and the onlookers alike.”
“Ji An is as composed as he is powerful. After his sword, he gracefully mediated between the two, speaking every word with reason and courtesy, thus quelling their conflict. The story spread through the Twelve Provinces. Many say Master Jiuyao has found an excellent disciple; with both Yan Yu and Ji An, the Heavenly Dao Temple may have two contenders rising above the rest at the North Cloud Mountain Tournament in three years.”
Sun Fanbai nodded, “Even though Liao Hongda and Shen Ren had already fought hundreds of rounds and their spiritual energy was depleted, to force both back with one sword means Ji An’s cultivation is unfathomable. I, for one, could not do the same.”
Bai Qiu sighed, “Three years from now, at the North Cloud Mountain Tournament, even though Cloudclad Gate has lost your senior brother Bai Yunxin, with you, Sun, it still has strength. My Bai Family has my elder brother Bai Chun and myself—we will contend as well. The Heavenly Dao Temple has Yan Yu and Ji An; Overlord City has Liao Hongda; Moon Palace has Leng Lingmeng; Thousand Crane Gate has Shen Ren; and there are experts from the Demon Sect and other schools. It will be a grand contest, a blossoming of talent.”
Sun Fanbai said, “Indeed. After this sect merger, I will return to the mountain to cultivate in seclusion. With Bai Yunxin gone, the burden of Cloudclad Gate now falls on my shoulders.”
Bai Qiu replied, “Me as well. And don’t forget, besides the main sects, there are formidable independents. Don’t overlook them.”
Sun Fanbai smiled, “Shi Qi. Brother Shi’s progress is rapid. Three years from now, it will truly be quite a spectacle.”
Bai Qiu said, “Speaking of Shi Qi, I haven’t contacted him in a long time. Let me check on what he’s up to.”
With that, Bai Qiu drew a jade ruyi from his spatial ring and called, “Little Qi, Little Qi, what are you doing?”
He waited a moment, but Shi Qi didn’t respond.
Bai Qiu pursed his lips, “That rascal, not replying. Who knows what he’s up to.”
Sun Fanbai guessed, “Perhaps he’s in seclusion.”
Bai Qiu said, “Never mind him. We should return to cultivate ourselves.”
Sun Fanbai nodded. The two were about to head back when they saw another figure enter the courtyard—a woman in blue, ethereal and serene.
It was Leng Lingmeng from the Moon Palace!
They stopped and watched her, for she was ranked first among the top ten young masters.
Leng Lingmeng noticed their gaze but passed by expressionlessly.
Sun Fanbai remarked, “It seems each sect has sent their young disciples to the merger conference.”
Bai Qiu nodded, “Most likely to let this generation show themselves in the Twelve Provinces. There are many prodigies among them.”
Sun Fanbai said, “The Twelve Provinces are about to enter an era of blossoming talent. Brother Bai, we must not fall behind.”
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Outside Cloud Island, on a barren islet...
“Pfft!”
Shi Qi spat blood, his clothes drenched in sweat.
It was the third day, yet the demon core within him remained unresponsive.
Shi Qi’s face betrayed nothing; he persevered, trying again to circulate his inner core. Agonizing pain shot from his dantian, and once more he coughed blood.
But this time, he noticed a change.
The black barrier enveloping his demon core now had a tiny crack. Within it, lightning flickered and the power of the void gradually seeped out. Shi Qi felt the long-lost presence of his core.
It was working!
Perhaps it was the power of the void, but progress was much faster than Shi Qi had anticipated. As long as he could sense the core, he only needed to carefully guide his spiritual energy, step by step, to break through the seal left by the Binding Spirit Nails.
“Whoosh.”
A flash of white; the old madman appeared under the tree.
Shi Qi glanced at the sun—noon. Time to eat!
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Three days later, the main hall of Tianyuan Sect.
Sect Master Feng Yuan sat at the center, elders arrayed at his side, and Tong Pu, the master of the Mathematical Sect, sat behind them.
Further back were representatives of the various sects from the Twelve Provinces—as Sun Fanbai had said, each had sent their outstanding young disciples as delegates.
Aside from Sun Fanbai of Cloudclad Gate and Bai Qiu of the Bai Family, most sects had also dispatched senior elders for accompaniment.
Cloudclad Gate, however, was preoccupied with the recent fall of Senior Brother Bai Yunxin to evil and, being merely a second-tier sect in the Twelve Provinces, lacked the foundation of the Five Great Sects, so only Sun Fanbai was sent.
The Bai Family, due to its unique nature, had no elder positions, so sending the Third Young Master was a mark of respect.
Sun Fanbai, Bai Qiu, Leng Lingmeng, Liao Hongda, Ji An, and others sat together.
Behind them were Tianyuan Sect disciples—Jiang Wei and several from the Spiritual Sect at the very end, with the rest belonging to the Mathematical Sect.
Feng Yuan’s gaze swept the room. “Serve the tea!”
Several inner sect disciples hurried forward, placing tea before the elders and representatives.
Sun Fanbai took a sip—fragrant and aromatic, bitter at first, then sweet, the aftertaste lingering. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Excellent tea.”
Bai Qiu leaned in, whispering, “It seems Master Feng Yuan truly honors the young delegates.”
Sun Fanbai nodded slightly.
Others praised the Tianyuan Sect’s tea as well.
“Ladies and gentlemen!”
Feng Yuan began, his voice booming like a bell, steady and powerful—his cultivation evident in his tone alone.
Everyone fell silent.
Feng Yuan said, “Today is Tianyuan Sect’s merger conference. I thank all the sects for coming.”
Sun Fanbai and the others rose and saluted.
Feng Yuan did not rise, but returned the salute with cupped hands, then continued, “Frankly, it is a matter of shame. Tianyuan Sect, with its Mathematical and Spiritual branches, has followed separate paths for centuries. This is no secret in the Twelve Provinces; all cultivators know it.”
“We have always been one of the Five Great Sects of the righteous path. As a representative of the righteous way, I believe sect division is unacceptable—a source of ridicule among cultivators.”
“As the master of the Mathematical Sect and acting master of Tianyuan Sect, I feel compelled to change this situation!”
“So, this conference invites all sects to witness. Witness that today, I, Feng Yuan, resolve the longstanding conflict between the Mathematical and Spiritual branches, uniting them into one sect!”
Though everyone knew the purpose, Feng Yuan’s declaration stirred a ripple; whispers broke out among the sects.
Bai Qiu leaned in to Sun Fanbai, “Master Feng Yuan gets straight to the point—clearly confident.”
Sun Fanbai whispered, “A few days ago, we happened to observe Master Tong Pu and his disciple Jiang Wei playing chess. From the game, I guessed the Mathematical Sect’s intention must have been known within Tianyuan Sect for some time.”
“Wait!”
Just then, as the crowd murmured, a voice rang out, breaking the tension.