Chapter 6: 006

The excitement was something she wanted to see, but regarding how to settle Wu Chongyun, Wei Mingyi decided to follow Meng Bujue’s suggestion and send her back to the small courtyard.

But just as the creaking sound of the wheelchair started, Wei Mingyi heard Wu Chongyun speak: “Want to go.”

Go where? Wei Mingyi raised an eyebrow, understanding Wu Chongyun’s meaning. Was expecting her Shizun to utter a complete sentence truly harder than ascending to heaven? After thinking it over for a second, the unprincipled Wei Mingyi obediently complied with Wu Chongyun’s request and swiftly pushed the wheelchair toward the mountain gate.

It looked like “the entire Chongyuan Sect assembled its full strength outside the mountain gate to repel the enemy.” But in reality, the Chongyuan Sect, with its handful of members, couldn’t overpower the unwelcome guests either by numbers or by cultivation levels.

The person sent by the Lu Clan of Cangwu City was named Lu Ba. A Golden Core Stage 1 cultivator, he counted as an elder within the Lu family. He brought along two Foundation Establishment Daoists and a number of Meridian Opening cultivators, blocking the mountain gate like a wall of meat. Their momentum was fierce, embodying the phrase “bearing ill intent” in every possible way.

“How has Sect Leader Su considered my offer?” Lu Ba leered at Su Xuanjing, a fake, insincere smile plastered on his face. Among the several Master-Disciple lineage sects near Cangwu City, the recently established Chongyuan Sect was the strongest. The Lu family, working to consolidate Cangwu City’s forces, planned to use the Chongyuan Sect as the first knife to strike fear. But they still had to maintain a surface-level guise. After all, the Chongyuan Sect did have one Golden Core cultivator; the Lu Clan didn’t want to tear their faces off completely just yet.

Initially, the Chongyuan Sect had a Nascent Soul Perfected One. It was through her that they had leased the Profound-Tier Spirit Vein from the Lu Clan. But now, that founding Nascent Soul Perfected One had disappeared without a trace—likely dead somewhere unknown. The Lu Clan no longer needed to hold any scruples. This time, seizing the opportunity of the Chongyuan Sect temporarily lacking the Pill Jade to renew the Spirit Vein lease, the Lu Clan proposed the sect mortgage its land and scriptures. But the Chongyuan Sect had refused. Refusing was one thing, but then the Chongyuan Sect had actually found themselves a prospective buyer directly. That clearly showed they weren’t putting the Lu Clan in their eyes!

The Chongyuan Sect did have two Golden Core Daoists, but Hua Xiaozhu’s combat ability as a medical cultivator could be entirely disregarded. The only one who could fight was the Sect Leader, Su Xuanjing, alone. The Lu Clan, meanwhile, possessed a full three Golden Core cultivators, and even one Nascent Soul. What was more, the Lu Clan had sent some of their most talented direct descendants to the Feng Clan for training. They had a 3rd-Rate Clan backing them up!

“Not selling,” Su Xuanjing refused bluntly.

A Foundation Establishment Daoist from the Lu Clan let out a sinister laugh upon hearing this, speaking on Lu Ba’s behalf: “The Chongyuan Sect’s Spirit Vein is already severed. If the sect is willing to mortgage your land, we could reinfuse your sect with a Profound-Tier spiritual energy supply. Think about it, Sect Leader Su! This is favorable! Can your sect manage to scrape together the Pill Jade to renew the Spirit Vein lease on your own? Without a Spirit Vein, cultivation is barely a step above impossible.”

The Foundation Establishment Daoist’s perception was ordinary, but Lu Ba, already a Golden Core, heard the words “Spirit Vein” and suddenly noticed something different about the Chongyuan Sect. Spiritual energy was dense in the air! It wasn’t very pure, but it was definitely not a sign of a dried-up Spirit Vein. He was absolutely certain: a Spirit Vein was flowing beneath the Chongyuan Sect’s ground! In the entire Cangwu City area, besides the Lu Clan, who else could lease out a Spirit Vein? Or was this a force from outside Cangwu City?

“It seems Sect Leader Su found herself a new backer in a very short time? Don’t forget, this area is still my Lu Clan’s sphere of influence.” Lu Ba spoke with a glacial tone. He was well-acquainted with the cultivators in the Chongyuan Sect, and at this moment, he finally noticed the unfamiliar face beside the wheelchair. A cultivator at the Meridian Opening stage? At first, he’d simply dismissed her as a newly recruited disciple, but sensing the spiritual energy now flowing within the Chongyuan Sect, his mind couldn’t help but entertain more possibilities.

“You—” Su Xuanjing frowned, greatly displeased by the term “backer.” But before the words “talking nonsense” could leave her mouth, Hua Xiaozhu tugged her sleeve, forcing her to swallow them. She stared at the Lu Clan members, her face expressionless. “Everything in the Chongyuan Sect was left by our Founding Ancestor and is not for external sale. If this is merely to discuss a deal, then forgive me, Su, but I will not keep you guests any longer.”

Lu Ba chuckled loudly, then said: “When the Chongyuan Sect was founded, you even invited my Lu Clan to attend the ceremony. You borrowed a Profound-Tier Spirit Vein from my Cangwu City. Although later, due to the Chongyuan Sect’s inability to pay the maintenance costs, the Spirit Vein degraded in rank, my Lu Clan still didn’t raise a fuss. Given our longstanding rapport, is Sect Leader Su truly going to keep us standing outside the gate?”

Although he had no intention of attacking directly just yet, Lu Ba still puffed out his chest and stepped forward, aiming to stride onto the Chongyuan Sect’s territory. But the moment he made contact with that invisible Mountain Protection Array, violent currents suddenly burst outward! A ferociously gale-force wind whipped up explosively, hurling Lu Ba backward! Greatly startled, Lu Ba desperately tried to right himself mid-air, yet he simply could not regain balance. He was shoved right back outside the mountain gate, landing sprawled in a disgraceful dog-eating-dirt position.

Su Xuanjing raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She and Hua Xiaozhu could still maintain a composed demeanor, but the younger disciples, seeing Lu Ba’s miserable state, all ruthlessly burst into laughter.

Lu Ba had long since considered the Chongyuan Sect to be his Lu Clan’s property; his niceties were purely a performance. Now that he had been so utterly humiliated, his wounded pride instantly erupted into rage. He shot to his feet with a violent shout: “Who is it?! Come out!” He then mobilized his entire Magical Power, taking up a stance that could split mountains and shatter stone monuments, and fiercely lunged toward the main peak!

Su Xuanjing’s gaze hardened. She raised her sleeve, and a gleaming, brilliant sword aura condensed at her fingertips. As a Golden Core Stage 2 cultivator, killing this Lu Clan elder before her eyes would be simple—but the consequences it would bring… that was something the Chongyuan Sect simply could not bear.

“No need to act.” Wu Chongyun coughed lightly behind her sleeve. Her face was as pale as snow, her gaze still weary. Though the toxin in her body prevented her from freely using her cultivation base, her judgment was still in place. Su Xuanjing placed considerable trust in her words and immediately withdrew that sword aura.

Now, observe Lu Ba. Carrying the full furious authority of a Golden Core cultivator, he surged forward like pounding waves, crashing against the Mountain Protection Array. The magnitude of the commotion he had stirred up was directly proportional to the deafening echo that rebounded upon him when he struck the array. He had attacked with extreme ferocity, and the force rebounded straight back onto himself, causing his head to split open and blood to gush. For a Golden Core cultivator’s resilience, it was not fatal, but for the moment, he was dazed, dizzy, and utterly unable to speak.

Wei Mingyi’s eyes shone brilliantly with excitement.

The Novice Gift Pack truly hadn’t deceived her! Within this Mountain Protection Array was an absolute safe zone.

Only outside the mountain gate did things get difficult. If the Lu Clan was determined to target the Chongyuan Sect, how could this deadlock be broken? She’d have to figure out a way to turn all of Cangwu City into hers. That way, the safe zone could expand!

Mulling this over, Wei Mingyi rummaged through the cheat item’s manual again. One source of land was self-driven expansion and development. Another was purchasing it with Achievement Points. But since Wei Mingyi had no spare points, she was too lazy to read the details. The remaining method was “Reclamation”—in other words, plundering.

But plundering—could the few of them actually pull that off? The Sect Leader was a sword cultivator, yes, but could she face a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses with just a single sword?

Wei Mingyi’s gaze fell upon Su Xuanjing.

Su Xuanjing noticed the eager hope and encouragement shining in her eyes and instantly got goosebumps all over her body.

She had no idea what Wei Mingyi was thinking, but it probably wasn’t anything good.

“You—” The Foundation Establishment Daoists of the Lu Clan helped Lu Ba to his feet, their eyes blazing with fury as they glared at Su Xuanjing’s group.

“Might as well go all the way. Just kill them all. Collecting their Qiankun Pouches could at least recoup some losses,” Wei Mingyi muttered. The Lu Clan’s faction reputation towards them was already a seething red “Hatred.” They were enemies no matter what. Letting this group go back wouldn’t make the Lu Clan treat them any better.

Not just Su Xuanjing—even Wu Chongyun specifically turned her head to look at Wei Mingyi.

Such a heavy killing intent! But paired with cultivation at the mere First Layer of Meridian Opening… it was like a toddler just learning to walk. A strength utterly incapable of matching such murderous desire.

The Lu Clan members’ eyes seethed with murderous rage. Even though they were the ones who had attacked first, in their minds, it was not their fault. Lu Ba, recovering from his dizziness, shook his head and prepared to get serious. Su Xuanjing also tensed up at his movement, a flicker of killing intent crossing her own eyes.

Right at that moment, Wu Chongyun languidly spoke two words: “June Review.”

She only uttered those three words, but the Lu Clan members’ movements froze instantly, as if they had been sealed in place.

Lu Ba’s face cycled through a palette of green and white. Finally, he cast a deep, venomous glare at Wei Mingyi—who was standing idly nearby—and suppressed his fury: “We’re leaving!”

“They’re leaving just like that?” Wei Mingyi asked, astounded.

Su Xuanjing and Hua Xiaozhu also looked puzzled. Clearly, the Lu Clan’s Daoists had been driven to the peak of their fury. Normally, these people were already difficult enough to deal with, and now they were like ferocious wolves. Could they really just let go of their prey so easily?

“What’s the June Review?” Wei Mingyi fixed a desperately curious gaze on Wu Chongyun, voicing the question for Su Xuanjing and the others.

Wu Chongyun still wore an expression of sheer exhaustion. She had initially intended to remain silent, but five pairs of earnestly seeking eyes were fixed upon her. After a long pause, she finally spoke slowly: “Every year in June, the Heavenly Dao Alliance dispatches personnel to evaluate and rank the Aristocratic Families, allocating resources and official posts based on these classifications. For the Families, this is the single most important event of the year.”

“The Lu Clan of Cangwu City is a subordinate of the Feng Clan. Under the Feng Clan, there are also the Wang and Zheng Clans, whose strength rivals that of the Lu Clan. Compared to the Chongyuan Sect, those two families are clearly far more important. Once the Lu Clan gets entangled in conflict with another family, they won’t have the spare capacity to target the Chongyuan Sect. But this period of respite will be brief. The Lu Clan can’t be tied up forever. Therefore, within this short span of time, Sect Leader, you must break through your current bottleneck.”

Wu Chongyun rarely spoke in such lengthy sentences. After this speech, she seemed to have exhausted all her energy and leaned back in her wheelchair, closing her eyes to rest.

Su Xuanjing and the others all understood perfectly. Everything else was meaningless. Only strength itself was the absolute truth. In the entire Chongyuan Sect, only Su Xuanjing could fight. Only by ascending to Stage 3 could she suppress the surrounding powers as her Shizun had once done.

“So the Lu Clan’s people retreated because they suspect we’ve colluded with the Zheng or Wang families? The big fish swallowing the small—but the Feng Clan wouldn’t allow a subordinate family to suddenly rise to their own level and compete with them, right? In that case, couldn’t we disguise ourselves as a force belonging to the Feng Clan?” Wei Mingyi pondered for a moment, then asked.

Su Xuanjing’s understanding of the internal workings of the Aristocratic Families was also fragmentary, but she could still answer Wei Mingyi’s immediate question. She explained: “Only the Four Great Clans can control everything from the very top. They are unwilling for new Grotto-Heavens to appear. But toward the smaller families below, they are not stingy with rewards—they genuinely hope these families can strengthen their own forces. Although there is struggle between the various ranks, it isn’t an insurmountable chasm like that between Nascent Soul and Grotto-Heaven. Promotion and demotion do occur.”

Wei Mingyi said “Oh,” then pressed further: “And if we just can’t reach the Lu Clan’s level, what else can we do? Disband right here on the spot?”

“No.” Su Xuanjing shook her head. With utmost seriousness, she declared, “The only option left would be to collectively flee into the Wild Domain.”

Wei Mingyi: “?”

That name sounded familiar. The Wild Domain—wasn’t that the place filled with Wicked Wraiths, utterly unfit for human habitation?

Wild Domain… her impression of those two words went beyond just that.

As if something had suddenly struck her, Wei Mingyi immediately started checking her cheat item’s instructions again.

She hadn’t been wrong. She had indeed seen it somewhere else.

Those land plots that could be unlocked and purchased with Achievement Points—they were all located within the Wild Domain!

Thank goodness… she only had two hundred Achievement Points.

Definitely couldn’t afford any of it!