Chapter 108: The Saint Sect's True Disciples
Chapter 108: The True Disciples of the Saint Sect
Above the sky-reaching sea of clouds, beneath the Sacred Fire Cliff.
A gloomy-faced young man in black robes sat cross-legged on a small boat, regulating his breathing. After a long while, he finally gazed upon the vast expanse of clouds before him.
Boom!
In an instant, the sea of clouds churned violently. Towering waves surged skyward, rolling toward him with overwhelming force as he exhaled and inhaled.
Simultaneously, the black-robed youth opened his eyes. His magic power surged to its peak before erupting outward. The "Heaven-Craft True Qi" he had painstakingly refined crashed down, taming rivers, seizing seas, capturing clouds, and suppressing mist—effortlessly quelling the oncoming wave.
Yet before he could catch his breath, a second wave followed.
"Well met!"
The black-robed youth let out a long cry. His Heaven-Craft True Qi responded instantly, transforming successively into blades, spears, swords, halberds, chariots, and stampeding horses, roaring as they met the second wave.
Bang!
Another deafening explosion. The youth's face flushed slightly as he staggered back a step, but the attacking wave shattered under his assault, dissipating into calm.
Yet the sea of clouds showed no signs of relenting. Provoked by the youth's unleashed magic power and heaven-devouring breath, the previously placid expanse grew increasingly violent. This time, three waves rose simultaneously, converging upon him from all sides.
"Hmph!"
No longer as composed as before, the black-robed youth's face turned crimson. His true qi drained rapidly as he struggled against the waves in a deadlock.
Neither side could overpower the other.
Seeing this, the youth gritted his teeth and altered his hand seals, gradually withdrawing his once-torrential magic power like a receding tide.
Strangely, as his power diminished, the turbulent waves of the sea of clouds also subsided, eventually returning to their original state alongside his fully retracted magic.
"Whew..."
The youth finally exhaled in relief—only for his legs to buckle, drained of strength. Quickly maneuvering the boat away from the sea of clouds, he retrieved a pill and swallowed it before sitting to meditate. Only after some time did he recover.
Just then, a streak of light descended from the sky.
The radiance parted like curtains, revealing a handsome young man with a feathered fan and scholarly headscarf. Landing gracefully on the boat, he smiled at the black-robed youth:
"Tianhe, your skills have improved."
"This 'Sea of Balance' encircles the entire Sacred Fire Cliff, embodying the principle that rising tides lift all boats. The more power you display, the greater the waves become."
"Ordinary Qi Refining disciples at the peak can't withstand even a single wave."
"Even among us true disciples who've refined Third-Grade True Qi, most can only resist two waves. Only those with exceptionally profound magic power can contend with three."
"Yet you, Tianhe, held firm against four. Among true disciples, you stand as a paragon."
Though flattered by the praise, Qin Tianhe modestly shook his head. "Merely the advantage of a few extra years."
"I've been a true disciple for many years, yet barely suppress four waves."
"They say that in his time, Yinshan—also wielding Third-Grade True Qi—could subdue a full nine waves, nearly reaching the level of a Foundation Establishment True Person."
At this, the handsome youth's expression turned reverent. "Elders say only True Persons can cross the 'Sea of Balance' without stirring waves. To reach that realm requires both rank and true qi—enough to instantly suppress ten waves."
"For Yinshan to subdue nine indeed approached the True Persons' mastery."
After sharing further admiration, Qin Tianhe studied his companion curiously. "Xu Xin, you usually cultivate in seclusion. What brings you here?"
"You haven't heard?"
Xu Xin seemed surprised. "The four great Dao Lineages are reigniting the Dao-Seizing War against our Saint Sect. True Lord Qingcheng Feixue has emerged from seclusion to personally oversee it."
"Summons have been issued far and wide."
"Besides idle true disciples like us, many Qi Refining disciples—the weakest at late-stage—have been recalled to the sea of clouds."
"Oh, and there's a newcomer, terribly unlucky to ascend to true disciple precisely now."
"Oh?" Qin Tianhe's eyebrows shot up with interest. "Which newcomer? Which True Person sponsored them?"
"Rumor says Yinshan recommended them."
Xu Xin's expression grew peculiar. "Yet from what I gather, this newcomer never set foot on the orthodox-demonic battlefield."
"...Never?"
Qin Tianhe frowned, then his face twisted in disgust as realization struck. "Another Chen Xin'an, then?"
True disciples of the Saint Sect formed factions.
Some earned their status through battlefield merit in the orthodox-demonic conflict. Others purchased theirs through influential elders' connections.
The former—like Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin—despised the latter as unworthy. Meanwhile, the latter—like Chen Xin'an, scions of noble immortal clans—scorned the former as lucky peasants who'd survived by chance.
"Unclear."
Xu Xin shook his head with a chuckle. "Regardless, this Dao-Seizing War will reveal whether the newcomer's a stallion or a mule."
"If he proves another useless Chen Xin'an, I'll gladly teach him a lesson—lest his incompetence drags us down."
"Well said!"
Qin Tianhe nodded, setting aside the matter to ponder the impending war. His heart burned with ambition as he clenched his fist.
As a battlefield-forged true disciple, he'd clawed his way up through countless life-or-death struggles in the orthodox-demonic conflict. Having survived two Dao-Seizing Wars already, a third victory would grant him fifty-fifty odds at Foundation Establishment.
This war, he vowed to win!
Just then, a thunderous explosion erupted from the distant sea of clouds—like rolling thunder racing across the horizon from the far edges of the sky.
"Someone's coming?"
The deafening noise silenced Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin mid-conversation. With mingled awe and wariness, they turned toward the sound.
As the commotion intensified, their expressions grew solemn.
If mere flight could generate such thunderous fury, what terrifying magic power must the approaching cultivator wield?
The next instant, the streak of light arrived.
Boom!
Tremendous magic power instantly agitated the surrounding "Sea of Balance," stirring waves several times larger than Qin Tianhe's four.
Ten towering waves surged skyward simultaneously.
Before Xu Xin and Qin Tianhe could react, an even more overwhelming force descended from above, slamming down upon the sea of clouds!
Crash!
Hundreds of miles of clouds stilled instantly. Every wave smoothed as if brushed by an invisible hand, parting mists to reveal a transcendent figure.
"This the place?"
Lü Yang scanned his surroundings before spotting the small boat below with two Saint Sect disciples. He descended toward them.
"You two—"
Before Lü Yang could finish, Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin—having just witnessed him suppress the sea with a single breath—immediately bowed deeply.
"Disciple Qin Tianhe..."
"Disciple Xu Xin..."
"Pay respects to the True Person!"