"Junior Brother Gu Mo, do you think there's any way to reclaim the sect's external holdings?" Hearing Gu Mo's question, Yuan Niya couldn't help but voice the troubles weighing on her heart.
Gu Mo had heard whispers about the sect's assets being encroached upon, but in the cultivation world, the strong dictated the rules. With Qinglu Sect in decline, such developnts were almost inevitable.
Once the sect produced a new Nascent Soul cultivator, everything would naturally fall back into place. If not, then they would have no choice but to withdraw and defend the mountain gates.
As long as the Grade-4 spiritual ground remained, there was still hope for Qinglu Sect to produce a Nascent Soul cultivator. Only if they lost this spiritual foundation would the sect fall from a Grade-4 Nascent Soul power to a re Foundation Establishnt sect.
"The spiritual ground…"
All of a sudden, Gu Mo seed to grasp He Shaogang and Qian Qiyi's true objective. The sect's greatest treasure wasn't so rare herb or artifact—it was this Grade-4 spiritual ground.
Only sects with such a foundation could be considered true Nascent Soul powers. Even if Qinglu Sect currently had no Nascent Soul cultivators, the presence of this spiritual ground still allowed it to retain its status.
"Senior Sister, think of it this way—how much food can a small stomach handle? Right now, Qinglu Sect has a small appetite, so it can only eat a little. Rather than worry about this, it's better to focus on increasing your strength. Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, others will co offering their resources and treasures to you." Gu Mo offered comforting words.
"You're starting to sound just like Master," Yuan Niya grumbled, clearly unimpressed.
"Well, how about this—why don't we challenge another sect to a core disciple competition, with each side wagering resource sites? That way, we could win back what was taken—or even more." Gu Mo had no shortage of ideas, but all of them required strength to back them up.
But looking at the current core disciples of Qinglu Sect, aside from Yuan Niya and He Shaogang, there was hardly anyone worth ntioning. And with He Shaogang being a spy, Yuan Niya was essentially the only reliable one left.
"Junior Brother, once you beco an inner sect disciple, challenge the core disciples! With your strength, there's no doubt you could earn a core disciple spot. Then we'll go knock so heads and take back those resource points from the other sects!" Yuan Niya's eyes shone as she looked at Gu Mo.
She knew full well how powerful Gu Mo was—he was soone who could defeat Foundation Establishnt cultivators across realms. Even He Shaogang had only managed to kill one with the help of a protector. If Gu Mo beca a core disciple, he'd very likely surpass He Shaogang and beco the new Senior Brother of the sect.
Yuan Niya's words made Gu Mo seriously consider the idea. Rather than sit around waiting for He Shaogang's next move, it might be better to go on the offensive and knock him off his pedestal. Then it would be He Shaogang who had to tread carefully around him.
"We'll talk about it once I beco an inner sect disciple." Gu Mo smiled faintly. He sensed that He Shaogang wasn't as simple as he seed. The fact that he could evade the sect's many layers of scrutiny without leaving a trace spoke volus about the formidable power behind him.
Since she couldn't sway Gu Mo, Yuan Niya turned her gaze to Chu Feifei. "Feifei, have you thought about rejoining the sect?"
Gu Mo was powerful, but Chu Feifei wasn't far behind. As her unique physique continued to be refined, her talent had nearly reached the level of those with top-grade spiritual roots. With that kind of aptitude, becoming an inner sect disciple would be a breeze.
As for her identity, she hadn't even signed a follower contract with Yuan Niya, and even if she had, Yuan Niya could nullify it with a single word. That ant Chu Feifei could rejoin Qinglu Sect anyti.
"I think things are fine the way they are now."
Chu Feifei shook her head. Once, she had longed to beco an outer or inner sect disciple, but now she felt that her current situation suited her just fine.
She was already enjoying inner sect treatnt—though not from the sect itself, but from Elder Zhuo of the Discipline Hall, Yuan Niya's master. In the future, her gratitude would lie with Elder Zhuo or Yuan Niya.
And, of course, with Gu Mo.
"You two are infuriating," Yuan Niya huffed. One had extraordinary combat strength, the other peerless talent, yet both preferred to keep a low profile. Either of them could qualify as a core disciple, and if both Gu Mo and Chu Feifei were to join, the strength of this generation of core disciples would instantly jump a level—no longer the weakest in the sect's history.
Still, everyone had the right to choose their own path. Yuan Niya only said her piece—if Gu Mo and Chu Feifei didn't want to, she wouldn't press the matter. Besides, cultivating and growing stronger together like this felt pretty good too.
Once their training was over, Yuan Niya took Chu Feifei and left Gu Mo's hut. Now that she was a core disciple, Yuan Niya's schedule had beco packed.
But it was all training-related—refining her Heartfire Technique, actual combat drills, spell practice, and more. If she had extra ti, she would start assisting with so sect affairs as well, since core disciples were already considered part of the sect's decision-making tier.
As ti passed, the long-anticipated outer sect tournant finally began.
This ti, no registration was needed—any outer sect disciple with their identity token could participate. There were no restrictions on age or cultivation realm, though all outer sect disciples were in the Qi Refining stage anyway. Once a disciple reached Foundation Establishnt, they could beco a sect steward and receive inner sect benefits.
Many Qi Refining Peak disciples—especially those nearing the end of their lifespans—placed great importance on this tournant. They had been stuck at the bottleneck for years. Without a breakthrough, this would be the end of their cultivation path.
This tournant was a rare opportunity. With their cultivation, they had a good chance of making it into the top ten and becoming inner sect disciples.
Among the benefits of inner sect status was access to Foundation Establishnt Pills. For those stuck at the peak of Qi Refining, this was a potential turning point—a chance to defy fate.
While the pills didn't guarantee a breakthrough, they greatly increased the odds. A successful advancent wouldn't just boost power but extend one's lifespan by centuries.
Qinglu Sect's Martial Arena Peak.
This was the sect's dedicated location for disciple sparring and competitions. Today, it would host the outer sect tournant.
When Gu Mo arrived at the peak, the place was already packed. Nearly every outer sect disciple had co. After all, who could resist the chance to beco an inner sect disciple? Even those with slim hopes were willing to give it a shot.
Opportunities like this didn't co often. If one didn't even try, it could leave a shadow on their heart for life.
At the summit of Martial Arena Peak—
Sect Leader Gao Yunrui looked down at the sea of outer sect disciples and couldn't help feeling a mix of emotions. Compared to the inner sect, the outer sect's talent had dropped off sharply. The recent core disciple trials had made things worse—many promising outer sect disciples had been chosen as assistants and ended up ambushed by unknown forces.
The overall quality of the outer sect had declined significantly. In the past, outer sect disciples had to reach Foundation Establishnt before enjoying inner sect treatnt. Just one tournant wouldn't have been enough.
There was a clear distinction between receiving inner sect resources and actually being an inner sect disciple. Only the latter were eligible to beco core disciples.
It was only because Qinglu Sect was going through difficult tis that Gao Yunrui had opened this path of advancent for outer sect disciples.
"Disciple, you will preside over this outer sect tournant." Gao Yunrui turned to He Shaogang at his side. Now recognized as the sect's Senior Brother, He Shaogang was being grood to eventually take over as sect leader.
"Yes, Master," He Shaogang replied respectfully.
He Shaogang flickered a few tis and appeared in the middle of the grand plaza. His eyes swept across the crowd, quickly landing on Gu Mo.
For this Outer Sect Tournant, He Shaogang had prepared quite a few "gifts" for Gu Mo—he was determined to ensure that Gu Mo wouldn't even have a corpse left to bury.
"Fellow junior brothers and sisters, the Outer Sect Tournant officially begins now. Prepare yourselves for the first round of screening." He Shaogang amplified his voice with spiritual power, making it echo across the square.
There were quite a few outer sect disciples participating this ti, and going through them one by one would be too ti-consuming. Therefore, a preliminary screening was conducted before the formal matches.
The thod of screening was as direct as it was brutal. As soon as He Shaogang finished speaking, a powerful wave of Golden Core pressure descended from the peak above. For cultivators still in the Qi Refining stage, this pressure was utterly overwhelming. In the blink of an eye, more than half of the disciples collapsed under the crushing force.
Fortunately, the pressure vanished as quickly as it ca, dissipating into nothingness. A mont later, those who had collapsed began to stir, their faces pale with fear and humiliation.
Even without being told, those disciples left the dueling arena of their own accord. Before long, only a little over forty people remained.
"Still having over forty left isn't too bad," a Golden Core elder at the summit nodded slightly.
Though the sect didn't want to waste too much ti on this tournant, that didn't an it wasn't important. The presence of Sect Master Gao Yunrui and the various peak lords was proof enough of how seriously the sect regarded this event.
Beyond awarding ten inner sect spots, this tournant was also a way for the sect to gauge the true strength of its outer sect disciples. The sa would apply to the upcoming Servant Disciple Tournant.
In the past, Qinglu Sect had been quite well-off. A bit of loss here or there in its resources wasn't worth fussing over. But those days were gone—the sect had fallen on hard tis and was now taking stock of everything it still had, even scraps and leftover change.
"There are a few who still seem to have so potential," another Golden Core elder comnted. The performance of those below had been clearly seen through the powerful spiritual senses of the Golden Core cultivators.
"If any of you see soone promising, feel free to take them as disciples and cultivate them well," Gao Yunrui said to the Golden Core elders beside him.
"We'll have to watch a bit longer."
"Yes, yes, no rush."
The mont Gao Yunrui finished speaking, the elders all laughed and played along. Even among inner sect disciples, not all were worthy of entering their eyes—outer sect disciples even less so.
No matter how exceptional an outer sect disciple was, could they truly surpass those of the inner sect? The sect's selection system had been refined over millennia; the chance of soone slipping through the cracks was minuscule.
Hearing this, Gao Yunrui could only shake his head with a helpless smile. He looked down at the forty-sothing disciples remaining, hoping to spot so promising seedlings.
But as his spiritual sense swept over them, what he mostly saw were old or middle-aged faces. Though their strength was decent—late-stage Qi Refining or even peak Qi Refining—their potential had nearly run dry.
Thankfully, among the group were still a few young faces. One in particular caught Gao Yunrui's eye—he rembered this one. The boy's talent in the path of spiritual botany was exceptional, to the point that even Senior Brother Qi had promised to take him as a personal disciple if he reached Foundation Establishnt.
"Hm? What's this…?"
As Gao Yunrui's spiritual sense passed over Gu Mo, he imdiately noticed sothing strange. On the surface, Gu Mo appeared to be at the second level of Qi Refining, but hidden beneath that was a concealed cultivation of the sixth level.
The last ti he'd seen the boy, he'd only been at the fourth level. To reach the sixth level in just a few short years—with inferior spiritual roots no less—was a feat not even inner sect disciples could easily match.
Then Gao Yunrui recalled the bottle of pills he'd given Gu Mo the last ti they t. That had been a stroke of fortune—one the boy clearly hadn't squandered.
In the plaza below, Gu Mo subtly felt the faint spiritual probing. He knew it had to be from the sect master and the Golden Core elders above.
The news that the sect master and peak lords would attend the tournant had spread long ago. The earlier Golden Core pressure had confird their presence.
The other disciples couldn't detect the spiritual probing, lacking the ability to form spiritual awareness. Gu Mo, however, could faintly sense it—that was only because the Golden Core elders hadn't bothered to suppress their spiritual fluctuations. If they had, even Foundation Establishnt cultivators wouldn't have noticed a thing.
Sensing the inspection from above, Gu Mo made no overt moves. He simply activated his newly mastered Aura Concealnt Technique.
At the perfected level, the Aura Concealnt Technique was capable of fooling even Golden Core cultivators. Still, Gu Mo didn't fully hide his cultivation.
Instead, he let it appear as if he were at the second level of Qi Refining, and if soone looked deeper, they would "discover" he was actually at the sixth level.
But Gu Mo's true cultivation was already at the seventh level.
This was a new ability granted by his perfected Aura Concealnt Technique—not just masking his cultivation, but layering it like nesting dolls. What others believed they had uncovered was only what Gu Mo wanted them to see.
They thought they had pierced through his disguise… never realizing it was rely another layer of illusion.
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