85: Chapter 85 The Impact of War

In late autumn, the morning mist on Emerald Bamboo Peak was thicker than usual.

The edges of the bamboo leaves were dyed a distinct golden yellow, rustling when the wind passed, carrying a bone-chilling cold.

Lin Xuan pushed open the door to his Quiet Room, his breath condensing into white mist in the air.

He had just finished his morning Cultivate session.

Inside his Dantian, the Thunder Spiritual Energy vortex of his Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation was rotating steadily, and the tiny purple thunder seed at its core flickered with his breathing, appearing much more solid than it had when he first achieved the Breakthrough three months ago.

The third level Realm of the Thunder Body Refining Technique had also stabilized; with every movement, a jade-like luster flowed beneath his skin, his strength contained within, not yet unleashed.

Lin Xuan walked into the courtyard, preparing to practice, when a bell suddenly tolled in the distance—

"Dang—Dang—Dang—"

The bell tolling was urgent, one strike after another; it was not the melodious ringing used to summon Disciples for lectures, but short, dense, and sharp, like the clash of metal.

"Dang, dang, dang, dang, dang—!"

The bell sounds came from every direction; the bell towers of Emerald Bamboo Peak, Flame Peak, Houtu Peak... all rang out one after another, the sound sweeping across the entire Tianzhu Mountain Range like a tidal wave!

"All Disciples, gather immediately at the plaza in front of the General Affairs Hall of each peak!"

"Repeating, all Disciples, gather immediately!"

The majestic voice transmission spread amidst the bell ringing, passing through the Sect's protective Formation, clearly reaching the ears of every Disciple.

Lin Xuan felt a chill in his heart.

He hurried toward the General Affairs Hall of Emerald Bamboo Peak.

On the mountain path, Disciples poured out from everywhere, all with grave expressions.

"What happened?"

"Could it be the front line..."

"Don't guess blindly, we'll know when we get there."

Lin Xuan blended into the crowd, operating the Origin Returning Qi Concealment Formula to steadily control his displayed cultivation at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining Level 3—this was the state he maintained daily.

The plaza in front of the General Affairs Hall was already packed with people, a sea of heads.

At a rough glance, there were no fewer than a thousand.

Most of the Early Stage Qi Refining Disciples looked terrified, while those in the Middle and Late Stages were relatively calmer, though anxiety was still hidden in their eyes.

Lin Xuan saw a few familiar faces in the crowd.

Qian Xiaohu was squeezed into the front row, his honest face full of nervousness; Zhao Ming stood a little further away, his brows tightly locked; Sun Yun was huddled at the edge of the crowd, head bowed.

"Quiet."

The flat voice was not loud, but it instantly suppressed the noise of the entire crowd.

A figure in green robes drifted down from the roof of the hall, hovering in mid-air above the plaza.

The person looked to be over fifty, with a gaunt face and three strands of long beard hanging to his chest; it was the Master of Emerald Bamboo Peak—Immortal Master Qingzhu.

The entire place fell silent.

Immortal Master Qingzhu scanned the Disciples below and spoke slowly, his voice carried by Spiritual Energy to every corner:

"One stick of incense ago, the Sect received an urgent report from the front line."

"The Xuanyin Sect has torn off the mask."

These two simple sentences caused the atmosphere in the plaza to plummet to freezing point.

"Two days ago, our Sect achieved a great victory in the battle for the 'Ancient Cultivator's Remains'."

Immortal Master Qingzhu's voice was calm, but every word was like a hammer, "The Sect Master's Personal Disciple, Qi Tianyuan, seized the core Legacy, and together with other Sect Disciples, slew one Nascent Soul seed and three Foundation Establishment geniuses of the Xuanyin Sect."

Some Disciples gasped lowly.

Nascent Soul seed—that was a peerless Genius confirmed to have a great chance of forming a Nascent Soul; each one was the pillar of the Sect for the next hundred years.

"The Xuanyin Sect could not swallow this insult." Immortal Master Qingzhu continued, "One day ago, they gathered three vassal Sects and five cultivation families to launch a massive invasion of our Sect's border."

"Yesterday evening, the front-line stronghold 'Iron Wall Pass'... fell."

"Forty-seven Disciples guarding the pass were killed in action, and over a hundred were seriously injured."

Dead silence.

The cold wind of late autumn scraped across the plaza, rolling up a few withered bamboo leaves; no one moved.

Lin Xuan stood in the crowd, able to clearly hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

Forty-seven people killed in action—behind this number were Cultivators who, just like him, had entered the mountain to seek the Dao.

"The Sect has entered a wartime state."

Immortal Master Qingzhu flicked his sleeve, and a huge light screen unfolded in mid-air.

Text appeared densely on the light screen, listing the conscription roster and task assignments.

"All Disciples, execute tasks according to the following groupings."

"Category One: Those at Qi Refining Stage 7 or above are assigned to the 'War Department'. Assemble within one day and rotate to the front line."

On the left side of the light screen, a long list of names lit up.

"Category Two: Disciples from Early to Middle Stage of Qi Refining are responsible for patrolling inside and outside the Sect, guarding, escorting supplies, and constructing defensive fortifications."

More names lit up in the middle area.

"Category Three: All Disciples possessing production skills such as Medium Grade Talisman Making, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Formation, regardless of cultivation level, are uniformly conscripted to each peak for wartime production."

The right side of the light screen began to scroll.

Lin Xuan's gaze quickly scanned the "Talisman Making" list.

He saw his own name—Lin Xuan, Emerald Bamboo Peak, Qi Refining Level 3 (displayed).

Immediately after, in the "Artifact Refining" list, he saw Chen Hao's name.

As expected.

"Conscripted Disciples, report to the designated locations with your identity jade tokens."

Immortal Master Qingzhu's voice pulled everyone's attention back, "You must complete your quota of production tasks daily. The quota will be determined based on an assessment. Those who fail to complete the quota will have contribution points deducted; those who are seriously negligent or evade conscription... will be dealt with according to the Sect's wartime laws."

The tone turned cold in the last sentence.

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"The war is dangerous, but the Sect will not mistreat Disciples who render meritorious service."

Immortal Master Qingzhu's tone softened slightly, "All conscripted Disciples will have their monthly base contribution points doubled. There will be additional heavy rewards for front-line battle merits and exceeding production quotas."

"Everyone," his gaze swept across the crowd, "The Sanyang Sect has stood for a thousand years, having weathered many storms. We must survive today's calamity together."

"Dismissed."

The light screen retracted, and Immortal Master Qingzhu's figure flickered and disappeared.

The plaza was silent for a moment, and then it exploded with a buzz!

"Even Iron Wall Pass was lost... and the war has only been going on for one day!"

"My Senior Brother is on the front line, will he, will he..."

"Talisman Making... it's over, I only just started learning to draw the Golden Light Talisman, how can I complete the quota?"

"It's still better than being on the front line!"

"I heard that Nascent Soul seed was the grandson of the Xuanyin Sect's Grand Elder..."

Amidst the noise, Lin Xuan silently exited the crowd.

He returned to his small courtyard and closed the door.

The soundproofing Formation was activated, shutting out the clamor from the outside.

Standing in the center of the Quiet Room, Lin Xuan slowly let out a breath.

What was meant to come, had finally arrived.

He took out the conscription order from his Storage Pouch—the information from the light screen had been synchronized to his identity jade token.

[Lin Xuan, Disciple of Emerald Bamboo Peak, Qi Refining Level 3]

[Conscription Category: Talisman Making]

[Reporting Location: Thousand Talisman Peak · Hundred Talisman Hall]

[Reporting Time: Before the third quarter of the Chen hour today]

[Note: Bring personal talisman-making tools and common Materials; quota tasks will be determined by on-site assessment after reporting]

The third quarter of the Chen hour...

Lin Xuan looked at the sky outside the window; it was nearing the Chen hour.

He packed up quickly.

He had eight stacks of common purple-patterned paper left, five jars of specially made thunder-pattern cinnabar; these were all things he had stockpiled before.

Three talisman brushes: one for main use, two as spares.

There was half a box of "Heart-Clearing Incense" left for calming his mind while drawing talismans.

He put all of these into a box and stored it in his Storage Pouch.

Finally, he stood in the center of the Quiet Room, his mind sinking into the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The space remained tranquil.

The thunder essence fruit tree had grown to eight feet tall, its crown like a canopy, and the pale purple bud at the tip of that side branch had swollen a bit more, with the embryonic form of a flower bud faintly visible.

The blue-purple fruit on the thunder-attracting vine was already the size of an infant's fist, with electric sparks jumping and crackling on its surface.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse was rolling around in the thunder-pattern grass.

Sensing its master's consciousness probing in, it squeaked and darted to the edge of the spirit field, tilting its little head up.

The Pangolin crawled out of its burrow, its dark golden scales gleaming with a metallic luster under the thunder light.

The Thunder-Light Bug flew around the thunder-attracting vine, just as usual.

Lin Xuan looked at this little world that belonged solely to him, his heart settling slightly.

He exited the space and pushed open the door of the Quiet Room.

In the courtyard, the cluster of wild jasmine shivered in the autumn wind, its leaves mostly turned yellow.

The bamboo shadows were mottled, swaying on the ground.

Lin Xuan stood at the courtyard gate, looking back at this small courtyard where he had lived for several years.

He knew that once he pushed the door open and stepped out, the days of stable cultivation, burying himself in talisman making, and improving step by step had temporarily come to an end.

The wheels of war were grinding forward; no one could remain aloof.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Xuan turned and stepped into the late autumn morning light outside the door.

The mountain wind was biting.

In the direction of Thousand Talisman Peak in the distance, the bell ringing had ceased, but that invisible, taut, murderous aura permeated the entire Tianzhu Mountain Range.