Chapter 1089: Reputation

Su Fan quietly entered seclusion once again.

This time, he went into seclusion to contemplate the spiritual treasure restrictions within the Profound Water Banner. As for the Innate Divine Restrictions of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, they were relatively more difficult for him to grasp.

The Profound Water Banner is an Acquired Spiritual Treasure, refined by artificial means. The spiritual treasure restrictions within it were refined by that Primordial Golden Immortal Dragon Clan Elder based on his own insights.

Meanwhile, the Innate Divine Restrictions within an Innate Spiritual Treasure exist naturally.

Relatively speaking, the former is easier to contemplate.

To put it simply, when an infant eats, one portion is chewed by an adult first, and the other is not—which one is easier for the infant to consume?

Obviously, the former.

The Profound Water Banner and the Innate Spiritual Treasure are just like that.

Of course, this does not mean the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl is of a higher grade than the Profound Water Banner.

However, even so, the spiritual treasure restrictions of the Profound Water Banner are not so easy to contemplate; they represent that Primordial Golden Immortal's understanding of the Great Dao of Water.

Su Fan was not forcibly refining the spiritual treasure restrictions, so contemplating them became extremely strenuous; the gap in their realms was simply too vast.

Yet, there were benefits. Even if he only contemplated a tiny fraction of the surface, Su Fan's realm could still see a significant improvement, especially in his insights into the Law of Water.

Furthermore, every time he contemplated a little bit, refining these spiritual treasure restrictions became much easier.

When the time came to control the Profound Water Banner, it would be even more effortless.

Su Fan's seclusion had no impact on the Sword Sect; after all, Zhang Liang had always been the one presiding over it.

Su Fan's greatest role for the Sword Sect was perhaps providing combat power and sitting in the Sword Sect to ensure that some petty, villainous characters dared not act rashly.

Of course, Su Fan provided a portion of cultivation techniques and secret arts, which were also of great help in enhancing the Sword Sect's strength.

For instance, the Nine-Refinement Golden Body Art, as well as the Five Elements Divine Abilities that Su Fan had contemplated and created over these years, were by no means simple.

After all, his realm was set there; secret arts and divine abilities created by a Golden Immortal level expert were the top-tier secret arts for many cultivators who had just become immortals.

Moreover, Su Fan had already entered the threshold of the Laws, so his Five Elements Divine Abilities were no worse than the secret arts created by ordinary Taiyi Golden Immortals.

Furthermore, Su Fan had traveled through multiple worlds, his vision was broad, and he had seen more secret arts and divine abilities; the breadth of the secret arts and divine abilities he created was also extremely profound.

Over these years, the middle-tier disciples of the Sword Sect, with the help of the techniques Su Fan brought out, might not have improved much in their cultivation, but their strength had at least improved quite a bit.

Therefore, despite Su Fan rarely appearing in the Sword Sect, and even the vast majority of disciples never having seen him once, his reputation in the Sword Sect remained very high.

Many disciples held this mysterious Elder Su in great respect.

Especially later, when Su Fan brought out the Earth Deity Path, many disciples of the Sword Sect became even more fanatical.

Although that Earth Deity Path was difficult to cultivate, after successfully practicing it, many disciples—not to mention how much they gained—

could still slightly improve the spirit veins beneath their own caves, and this was permanent; the longer the time, the greater the benefits.

Many disciples wanted to see Su Fan and listen to this mysterious Elder Su preach the Dao.

In the Sword Sect, those with profound cultivation within the sect, whether they were disciples or elders, would often preach the Dao publicly.

This was something Su Fan and Zhang Liang had discussed.

Su Fan had always disliked the idea of hiding one's light under a bushel, or the belief that teaching a disciple would starve the master; such bad habits had led to the loss of much technical knowledge throughout history.

In the martial arts world, Su Fan had always insisted that knowledge and ideas could only spark greater brilliance through collision.

Therefore, in this regard, Su Fan was never stingy. Although his realm was high, sometimes the ideas of a small person could bring different insights.

After communicating with Zhang Liang, the latter also highly approved of Su Fan's ideas.

The Confucian school has never held anything back when it comes to spreading the Dao.

After arriving at the Southern Victory Divine Continent and establishing the Sword Sect, they could not afford to be stingy if they wanted to rapidly enhance the sect's strength.

They even spread many of their cultivation techniques and secret arts, without caring much about it.

The Sword Sect's strength is currently flourishing, which has a great deal to do with the philosophy of its upper echelons; at the same time, because of the Sword Sect's "generosity," its reputation within the Jianyu is excellent.

Even those sects that are wary of the Sword Sect have no way to deal with them; they cannot defeat them in terms of strength, and the Sword Sect's reputation is exceptionally good.

The Jianyu has also been full of turmoil during this period; as the Earth Deity Path spreads ever wider, many loose cultivators and even sects have begun to get involved.

The Sword Sect's reputation has expanded further, and regardless of what the Sword Sect's true intentions are, the loose cultivator community holds them in high regard.

This point is truly commendable.

One must know that, generally speaking, the conflict between loose cultivators and sects is immense, and many loose cultivators harbor great hostility toward sect disciples.

It is just like how the poor in later generations hated the rich.

The conflict between the two sides is very serious.

The reason the Sword Sect can gain a good reputation in the loose cultivator community is precisely because they constantly disseminate cultivation techniques and various secret arts and divine abilities.

Furthermore, the Sword Sect's disciples abroad are not arrogant or domineering like those of other sects; when they have disputes with others, they are always reasonable and justified.

They act with justice and do not bully the weak.

This also has to do with Zhang Liang; after all, Zhang Liang is a man of the Confucian school, and he has incorporated quite a few Confucian ideas into the Sword Sect's rules.

The Confucianism of this era is not the corrupt Confucianism of later generations.

What Zhang Liang believes in is the great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period.

This has also caused the cultivation philosophies of the Sword Sect's disciples to change somewhat, and Su Fan has not stopped this subtle transformation.

The Sword Sect has some connection and karma with him, and believing in the Confucian philosophy of Spring and Autumn righteousness is far better than believing in those demonic ideologies.

The Jianyu is full of turmoil, yet the Sword Sect sits firmly on the fishing platform, for no one dares to provoke the Sword Sect due to its strength.

Even forces at the Golden Immortal level dare not easily provoke the Sword Sect.

Although the Sword Sect's strongest member, Ge Nie, has left, Su Fan's strength is no weaker than a Golden Immortal's; coupled with the arrays Su Fan built for the Sword Sect, even if a Golden Immortal came, they would still be unable to breach the Sword Sect's gates without him.

Moreover, those True Immortal sword cultivator lunatics of the Sword Sect are not simple; after practicing Su Fan's Nine Refinements Golden Body Art, their physical bodies have also become extremely powerful.

Their strength has improved significantly.

One or two might not be a match for a Golden Immortal, but if a dozen or so come to surround and attack one Golden Immortal, the latter will certainly not fare well.

The Sword Sect's deterrent power against other sects is still very great.

Moreover, in the current Jianyu, what everyone discusses is the Earth Deity Path, discussing who has opened up a new blessed land.

And which lucky person has succeeded in their cultivation.

And those who have successfully cultivated the Earth Deity Path, even if they are loose cultivators, will soon become honored guests of many sects.

For no other reason than that they can groom earth veins and optimize spiritual land; this skill makes one a superior person in the Jianyu.