511: Impact upward

Jin Cui was startled and said, "Please explain in detail, Messenger."

The messenger pointed at the map, specifically at the Lowest Tier branch where Yanwang Prefecture was located, then moved his finger up toward the Lower Stream region and said:

"In the Lower Stream region above our Lowest Tier area, there are a total of thirty-seven Sects. One of those Sects has declined recently and offended a large middle stream Sect. Almost all the experts in that Sect were killed, and the other thirty-six Sects don't dare to take them in."

"According to tradition, as long as we Lowest Tier Sects can crush the remaining forces of that Sect and occupy their mountain, we can leap forward and become a Lower Stream Sect!"

Ye Chun's blood couldn't help but boil as he listened, and he hurriedly asked, "Do you mean you want our Heshui Prefecture to head upward with you and challenge a Lower Stream Sect?"

The messenger nodded. "Exactly! However, this matter is still in preparation, and various Sects are hesitating. Currently, only three Sects, including my Nine Swords Dao, have clearly committed to moving upward together."

Jin Cui frowned and asked, "How many experts are still stationed in that Lower Stream Sect?"

The messenger sighed. "Although most of their experts were killed, there are still several Fourth-Rank Experts in the Sect. If they defend their Sect, they still have foundations they can utilize; they shouldn't be underestimated."

Jin Cui and the other He Shui Manor Elders looked at each other.

"Most were killed" yet "there are still several Fourth-Rank Experts."

Just how many Fourth-Rank Experts did this Lower Stream Sect have at its peak? How prosperous was it?

Jin Cui couldn't help but feel ashamed, saying, "My Heshui Prefecture doesn't even have a single Fourth-Rank Expert right now. What right or ability do we have to join such a grand undertaking?"

Ye Chun suddenly interjected from the side, "Messenger, are you perhaps valuing us players?"

Only then did Jin Cui realize.

Indeed, if it were an ordinary Heshui Prefecture relying solely on native Cultivators, they would be mere small fry, far inferior to Sects like Nine Swords Dao. There would be no reason for anyone to make a special trip to invite them.

But if players were taken into account, the situation would be completely different.

Players possessed infinite possibilities and could pull out inexplicable good items at any moment.

Moreover, many players were currently in seclusion to achieve a Breakthrough to the Fourth Rank. Given their numbers, someone was bound to succeed.

Once a Fourth Rank appeared, the status of the entire player community would be incomparable; they would truly have a seat at the table.

So the messenger looked at Ye Chun and nodded. "Correct. We hope to use Heshui Prefecture as a base to have more players join this operation."

The Ascension Assembly had indeed allowed Sects like Nine Swords Dao to recruit many players, but the numbers were still far from enough.

The reason Heshui Prefecture was allowed to relocate along with the various Lowest Tier Sects of the Eastern Region was precisely because of its influence among players, hoping to use it to exploit the players.

Ye Chun understood the benefits and risks involved. He discussed some details with the messenger but didn't agree immediately, saying he needed to discuss it with the players first.

After the messenger left, Heshui Prefecture held an internal discussion first. Then Ye Chun posted on the Forum, telling all the players about the matter and asking for everyone's opinion.

The player community immediately exploded with excitement.

Everyone knew the map of the Xuanhuan World was huge and that there was a Central Region outside the Eastern Region, but they weren't very clear on the specifics.

Now, for the first time, everyone clearly understood the vastness of this world.

It turned out that the hundred or so Sects holding the Ascension Assembly were merely a Lowest Tier branch of the Eastern Region, and there were eleven other branches equal to it in the Eastern Region alone.

Further up, there were Lower Stream, middle stream, upper stream, and finally the Central Region.

The higher one went, the stronger the Sects one would encounter. Naturally, there were also more spiritual resources, and cultivation would be faster.

Logically, these areas should have been opened through one version update after another, but now the Xuanhuan World had completely opened all regions, so version updates no longer existed.

Of course, some players felt there were still versions, but those were versions defined by the players themselves, with the players leading the plot.

After the Ascension Assembly, the players had briefly entered a late-version lull.

During this time, everyone had to focus on cultivation or explore the Ancient Battlefield of the East Sea and the various small Sects and Families in the Eastern Region's Lowest Tier branches. Few people went to explore the broader territories.

Because the cost-effectiveness was low.

But now, when everyone heard they could attack Lower Stream together, occupy it, and become a new Lower Stream Sect...

Everyone was ecstatic.

Someone discussed on the Forum:

"If we succeed in entering the Lower Stream tier this time and become a Lower Stream Sect, will we be able to attack middle stream after that?"

"Not just middle stream, we could even attack upper stream or even break into the Central Region in the future!"

"Holy crap, the main storyline is finally here!"

"I thought the main quest of exploring the immortal path was broken, but who knew it would be picked up again?"

"So everyone, what should we do now?"

"Join Heshui Prefecture, of course! Only by joining Heshui Prefecture can you participate in this crusade."

The players immediately took action, and for a time, countless people joined Heshui Prefecture.

Meanwhile, the messenger from Nine Swords Dao continued to travel, trying to recruit more Sects, but he was met with rejection almost everywhere.

The gap in strength between Lowest Tier Sects and Lower Stream Sects was enormous.

Although they all had Fourth-Rank Experts, there were differences in quality even among Fourth-Rank Experts.

Setting aside the minor sub-Realms within the Fourth Rank itself, the initial strength of a Fourth Rank achieved through different Cultivation Techniques and different Breakthrough methods was different from the start.

Lower Stream Sects often had better Cultivation Techniques and better spiritual resources for cultivation, and they could usually choose better methods when breaking through.

Therefore, Fourth-Rank Experts who grew up in the Lower Stream regions were usually stronger than Fourth-Rank Experts from the Lowest Tier.

Below the Fourth Rank, the Fifth Rank was not just a gap in raw power but also a huge gap in numbers. Further down, the numbers would only differ even more.

So even though there was an opportunity to strike upward this time, most Lowest Tier Sects remained bystanders, not daring to try.

Some Sects even thought that instead of attacking Lower Stream, it would be better to follow the previous plan and swallow up Eastern Region East to expand their territory significantly.

In short, regarding this plan to strike Lower Stream, only the players were excited; the native Cultivators' performance was mediocre.

As a result, Nine Swords Dao and other Sects that wanted to move upward had to rely even more on players, even proactively opening new special recruitment slots to bring more players into their Main Sect.

After hearing about this, Luo Daonan's expression was extremely complicated.

He had once dreamed of entering Nine Swords Dao and had put in countless efforts for it, only to find in the end that slots in Nine Swords Dao could actually be obtained so easily.

And now, to please the players, Nine Swords Dao had almost eliminated all barriers, as if it were becoming the players' private domain.

He sighed in his heart, feeling more and more that his past self wasn't worth it, and he stopped paying attention to Nine Swords Dao.

However, Nine Swords Dao's drive to move upward still affected him because Green Feather Sect had also joined the Alliance to strike Lower Stream.

To expand its combat power, Green Feather Sect recruited disciples on a large scale. Because of this, Luo Zheng successfully joined Green Feather Sect, and Luo Daonan also found an opportunity to join the Green Feather Sect's outer Sect.