39: Chapter 39 A Feast for the Gluttons

Besides Ye Fan, Gu Xu, and Jiang Chen, there were five other True Disciples, all at the Golden Core Stage.

Seated in the main position was a Cultivator dressed in a star-patterned Daoist robe, with hair and beard as white as snow, yet his face bore not a single wrinkle, appearing like that of a middle-aged man. He sat with his eyes closed, conserving his spirit.

He exuded no outward aura, yet he gave off a sense of profound stillness and towering majesty.

An unparalleled pressure that seemed to meld with the very heavens and earth.

This person was precisely the Sect Elder leading the team to the Feixiao Secret Realm, Qin Wuyan.

A genuine Nascent Soul realm powerhouse!

Seeing Chu Xiao enter, Qin Wuyan slowly opened his eyes. A flicker of approval and warmth passed through those seemingly turbid pupils.

"Chu Xiao, you've arrived," he spoke gently.

"Greetings, Elder," Chu Xiao bowed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Hmm." Qin Wuyan nodded, his gaze sweeping over Ye Fan and the other two before he said solemnly, "This is Chu Xiao, your newly promoted Junior Brother. His talent is unparalleled; he is the future hope of our Sect. When entering the Secret Realm, you three, as his Senior Brothers, should look after him and ensure his safety."

"Rest assured, Elder."

Ye Fan stepped forward, offering Chu Xiao a gentle smile. "Junior Brother Chu, you can stay by my side in the Secret Realm. I, Ye Fan, guarantee that as long as I have breath in my body, not a single hair on your head will be harmed by the Devil Heads of the Jiuyou Sect."

His tone was sincere, his posture humble, showing not a trace of the airs of the top-ranked True Disciple.

However, facing this goodwill, Chu Xiao shook his head and spoke calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Lin. However, I am accustomed to acting alone."

As these words fell, the atmosphere in the hall instantly froze.

The smile on Ye Fan's face stiffened slightly. The other True Disciples also looked at Chu Xiao with astonished eyes.

Even Elder Qin Wuyan frowned.

"Nonsense!"

A trace of displeasure entered his tone. "The Feixiao Secret Realm is fraught with peril. The Disciples of the Jiuyou Sect harbor deep hatred for us. For a newly advanced Golden Core like you to act alone is no different from seeking death!"

He earnestly advised, "Chu Xiao, I know you are proud and ambitious, but one must act within one's capabilities. Consider this entry into the Secret Realm as an Opportunity to broaden your horizons and familiarize yourself with the environment. Do not forcefully pursue Opportunities. Wait ten years until your cultivation reaches Major Achievement; then it will not be too late to contend for them."

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder."

Chu Xiao remained as calm as before, but his next words shook everyone present.

"But this Disciple believes that the path of cultivation is like sailing against the current: if you do not advance, you will retreat. Opportunities are not things to be waited for; they are things to be fought for and seized!"

His voice was not loud, but each word was firm and resolute, carrying a sense of determination.

"Without this unwavering, forward-facing true heart, this Disciple could not have stood here in such a short time."

His speech left the entire hall in utter silence.

The way Ye Fan, Gu Xu, and Jiang Chen looked at Chu Xiao completely changed.

That trace of disdain and astonishment vanished without a trace.

In its place was a heavy sense of wariness.

They finally understood why this seemingly low-cultivation Junior Brother before them

had been able to create such a shocking, miraculous rise.

Because deep in his bones lurked a beast fiercer and more covetous than any of them!

Qin Wuyan stared at Chu Xiao for a long while before finally sighing helplessly. "Very well. Since your mind is made up, this old man will say no more. Remember, be careful in all things."

"This Disciple understands."

Qin Wuyan said nothing further. With a wave of his sleeve, a flying vessel, a hundred zhang long, crafted entirely from cyan jade and carved with countless profound runes, materialized in the sea of clouds outside the hall.

"Let's depart!"

Everyone filed out and boarded the flying vessel.

The moment he stepped onto the vessel, Chu Xiao's immense Golden Core Divine Sense, like an invisible tide, silently swept over Ye Fan, Gu Xu, and Jiang Chen.

"Ye Fan, seventh level of Golden Core. Sword Intent is condensed, Foundation is solid. A formidable opponent."

"Gu Xu, sixth level of Golden Core. Saber Intent carries a bloody, baleful aura. Likely a decisive killer."

"Jiang Chen, sixth level of Golden Core. Qi and blood are vigorous and abundant. Probably follows the Body Refining path. Possesses astonishing strength."

In just an instant, he had formed a general assessment of these three strongest 'fellow Disciples.'

These people would be his greatest competitors within the Secret Realm, aside from the Jiuyou Sect.

The cyan jade flying vessel emitted a soft hum, transforming into a streak of light and speeding away.

...

The cyan jade flying vessel traversed the vast sea of clouds ten thousand zhang high, its speed astonishingly fast.

The clouds on either side were stretched into blurry white lines. Only the faint cyan spiritual light barrier surrounding the vessel remained steady as a rock, isolating the fierce gales of the Nine Heavens above.

On the vessel, the Tianyan Sect's True Disciples either sat cross-legged in meditation or gazed into the distance at the cloudscape, each adjusting their state.

Ye Fan, Gu Xu, and Jiang Chen gathered together, discussing their strategies for entering the Secret Realm in low voices.

Chu Xiao stood alone in a corner by the railing, seemingly forgotten by everyone.

Facing the wind, his gaze calmly watched the mountains, rivers, and great plains rapidly receding beneath his feet, but his heart was not as calm as his exterior.

"System, Insight into Heavenly Secrets."

At his mental command, the System's light screen quietly appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Ye Fan]

[Fate: Sword Dao Prodigy (Purple)]

[Recent Opportunity: Three days later, at the 'Broken Sword Cliff' within the Feixiao Secret Realm, beside the remains of an ancient Sword Cultivator, discovers their lifelong Legacy: the Profound-Grade Peak sword technique 'Crimson Sunset Weeping Blood Sword'!]

...

[Name: Gu Xu]

[Fate: Innate Dao Obsessive (Blue)]

[Recent Opportunity: Four days later, within the 'Ten Thousand Beasts Valley' of the Feixiao Secret Realm, slays a Golden Core eighth-level Yao Beast 'Blood-Eyed Demonic Ape.' Discovers an Profound-Grade High Grade saber technique 'Frenzied Butcher Seven Ultimate Slashes' within its nest!]

...

[Name: Jiang Chen]

[Fate: Luck-Blessed (Blue)]

[Recent Opportunity: Four days later, atop the 'Gravity Mountain' peak within the Feixiao Secret Realm, endures ten-thousand-fold gravitational pressure. Physical Body achieves a Breakthrough. Discovers the Profound-Grade High Grade Body Refining Cultivation Technique 'Unshakable Bouldering Tyrant Body Art'!]

...

Streams of information flowed before Chu Xiao's eyes. These 'fellow Disciples' around him

were without exception individuals blessed with deep Luck, each corresponding to a not insignificant Opportunity.

Profound-Grade High Grade, even Peak Grade.

Such Cultivation Techniques, if placed in any Sect in the outside world, would be enough to serve as the core Legacy of the inner Sect, inciting countless Disciples to fight tooth and nail for them.

Not a single ripple stirred in Chu Xiao's eyes.

These Opportunities were certainly good, but they were not enough to tempt him into action now.

Earth-Grade Cultivation Techniques were the true watershed on the path of Immortal Cultivation.

As far as he knew, the entire Tianyan Sect possessed only a handful of Earth-Grade Cultivation Techniques, all treasured by the Sect Master and the Grand Elders. Only those who had made earth-shattering contributions to the Sect or True Disciples with Prodigy-level talent to the extreme had the slightest chance of being granted one.

These Profound-Grade Cultivation Techniques were merely appetizers.