Chapter 109: The Holy Sect's Core Disciples

Where the clouds meet the sky, below the Sacred Fire Cliff.

A youth clad in black robes, his features shadowed and gloomy, sat cross-legged upon a small skiff, regulating his breath; only after a long while did he lift his gaze to the vast sea of clouds before him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the cloud sea churned; wave after wave rolled up toward the heavens, surging and pressing down upon him in rhythm with the black-robed youth's breathing and circulation of energy!

Almost simultaneously, the black-robed youth opened his eyes, his magic power soaring nearly to its limit before erupting outward; the "Heavenly Craft True Qi" he had painstakingly refined slammed down with a thunderous crash, seizing rivers and capturing seas, trapping clouds and suppressing mists, actually forcing the surging wave to flatten out through sheer force.

Yet before he could catch his breath, a second wave arrived in quick succession.

"Well done!"

The black-robed youth let out a long whistle; his Heavenly Craft True Qi responded instantly, manifesting successively as blades, spears, swords, and halberds, then as carriages and horses, roaring forward to meet the second wave.

Bang!

Another deafening crash rang out; the black-robed youth's face flushed slightly as he staggered back a step, yet the attacking wave was shattered by his strike and smoothly subdued.

But the waves upon the cloud sea would not cease; indeed, due to the black-robed youth circulating his magic power and drawing in the essence of heaven and earth, the previously calm cloud sea seemed provoked, growing ever more violent, and this third time directly raised three waves to converge upon him from different angles.

"Hmph!"

This time, the black-robed youth could no longer maintain his earlier ease; his face turned crimson as his true qi was rapidly consumed, locking him in a stalemate of attrition with the waves.

Neither side could suppress the other.

Seeing this, the black-robed youth could only grit his teeth inwardly, altering the hand seals he held, and slowly began to draw back his magic power, which had once been as vast as rivers and seas.

Strangely enough, as his magic power receded on his end,

the surging waves of the cloud sea also gradually subsided step by step, finally returning to their original state along with the black-robed youth's completely retracted magic power.

"Phew."

Only then did the black-robed youth exhale in relief, but his body swayed as his strength and energy deserted him; unable to even stand steady, he hastily urged the skiff forward, putting some distance between himself and that patch of cloud sea, before taking out an elixir to consume and sitting down to regulate his breath; only after a long while did he finally recover his vigor.

Just then, a trail of escaping light descended from the heavens.

The light parted on both sides, revealing a handsome youth holding a feather fan and wearing a silk headscarf, who likewise drifted down onto the skiff and smiled at the black-robed youth, saying:

"Tianhe, your cultivation base has improved."

"This 'Sea of Equilibrium' encircles the entire Sacred Fire Cliff; its principle is that the water rises with the boat—the more magic power you display, the greater the waves in the cloud sea become."

"Ordinary disciples at the peak of Qi Condensation cannot even withstand a single wave."

"Even among us core disciples who have refined Third Grade True Qi, most can only hold against two waves; only those with exceptionally refined magic power can contend with three."

"Yet you, Tianhe, can resist four waves; even among core disciples, you count as an outstanding talent."

Facing the handsome youth's praise, the black-robed youth, Qin Tianhe, though quite pleased, still modestly shook his head and said, "I have merely lived a few years longer."

"I have been a core disciple for many years, yet I have only just barely managed to subdue four waves."

"It is said that in years past, Yinshan, also possessing Third Grade True Qi, could suppress a full nine waves; it was said he had nearly reached the level of a Foundation Establishment True Person."

Upon hearing this, the handsome youth's face also showed admiration: "I have heard the sect elders say that only a Foundation Establishment True Person can cross the 'Sea of Equilibrium' without raising a single wave; to reach such a realm, both status and true qi are indispensable—one must at least possess the ability to instantly suppress ten waves."

"That Yinshan could once suppress nine waves indeed means he was already close to the True Persons."

After the two exchanged a few more sighs of admiration, Qin Tianhe looked curiously at the handsome youth and asked, "Xu Xin, you usually cultivate within your cave dwelling; what brings you here today?"

"Have you not received the news?"

Xu Xin looked somewhat surprised: "The four great lineages are set to resume the Dao-Seizing War with our Holy Sect; True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue has already closed her retreat and is preparing to personally oversee this battle."

"Summons orders have already been dispatched in all four directions."

"Besides a few idle core disciples like us, many Qi Condensation disciples have also been recalled to the Cloud Sea; the weakest among them are at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation."

"Oh, and there is also a newcomer, quite unlucky, who happened to advance to core disciple status right at this moment."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Qin Tianhe immediately raised an eyebrow and said with keen interest, "Which newcomer? Which True Person has taken a liking to them?"

"It is said they were recommended by Yinshan."

Speaking thus, Xu Xin's expression suddenly turned somewhat peculiar: "However, as far as I know, that newcomer has never been to the Righteous-Demonic Battlefield."

"... ever been?"

Hearing this, Qin Tianhe immediately furrowed his brows; then, as if thinking of something, disgust flashed across his face: "Another one like Chen Chen Xinan?"

Among the Holy Sect's core disciples, factions also existed.

Some core disciples earned their positions through bloodshed on the Righteous-Demonic Battlefield, while others relied on their family elders, spending vast sums and pulling strings to buy their spots.

The former, like Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin, detested the latter most, believing such people unworthy of their status; whereas the latter, like Chen Chen Xinan, hailing from prominent immortal clans, likewise looked down upon Qin Tianhe and others like him, considering them merely mud-legged peasants who had survived only by luck.

"I am not entirely sure."

Xu Xin shook his head and smiled: "But in any case, in this upcoming Dao-Seizing War, whether that newcomer is a mule or a horse, they will have to be brought out for a run."

"If they truly are good-for-nothing trash like Chen Chen Xinan, I would not mind teaching them a lesson, lest they cause chaos during the Dao-Seizing War and drag the rest of us down."

"Well said!"

Qin Tianhe nodded, ceasing to dwell on the matter, and turned his thoughts instead to the imminent Dao-Seizing War; his heart burned with fervor as he silently clenched his fists.

As a core disciple of the Battlefield Faction, he had fought his way out of the Righteous-Demonic Battlefield, having endured countless life-and-death struggles to achieve his present standing; moreover, he had already survived two full Dao-Seizing Wars, and if he could win one more, he would have a fifty percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, for this Dao-Seizing War, he was determined to succeed!

Just then, a sudden explosive sound erupted from the cloud sea in the distance, like thunder rolling across the sky, racing toward them from the farthest horizon.

"Someone is approaching?"

At such a disturbance, Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin, who had just been chatting freely, immediately fell silent; with a hint of awe, they gazed into the distance in the direction of the sound.

As the noise grew ever louder, the expressions on both their faces turned increasingly solemn.

If merely flying with escaping light could stir the air and generate thunder, creating such a magnificent display, then what level of magic power must the cultivator who unleashed this trail of light possess?

The next second, the escaping light arrived.

"Boom!"

The immense magic power instantly stirred turbulence in the surrounding "Sea of Equilibrium," creating waves several times larger than the four waves Qin Tianhe had provoked earlier.

In an instant, a full ten waves shot up into the sky.

Yet before Xu Xin and Qin Tianhe could even react, an even more colossal surge of magic power descended from the heavens, striking down upon the waves of the cloud sea in a single breath!

Bang!

Within an instant, hundreds of miles of cloud sea returned to tranquility; all waves seemed smoothed flat by an invisible giant hand, the clouds parted and the mist dispersed, revealing a clear, ethereal figure.

"So this is the place?"

Lu Yang glanced around, finally spotting a small skiff standing amidst the cloud sea below, upon which were two Holy Sect disciples; he immediately lowered his escaping light and approached.

"You two..."

Before Lu Yang could finish speaking, Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin, who had just witnessed with their own eyes Lu Yang's feat of subduing the cloud sea with a single breath, bowed deeply without a second word:

"Disciple Qin Tianhe,"

"Disciple Xu Xin..."

"Paying respects to True Person!"

(End of Chapter)