Chapter Eighty-Five: Intentions

Outside the secret realm.

Feng Jinbo turned his head to glance at Liu Changtian, who sat upright and tense, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on his lips. “Old Liu, what’s the matter—worried about your disciples? Haha, my disciples from the Great Yuan Sect know their limits!” The implication was clear: he wouldn’t let Liu Changtian suffer too much embarrassment.

Indeed, that was the truth. The average strength of Great Yuan Sect’s disciples surpassed that of the Divine Sun Sect by a clear margin. If He Yiming and the others had truly intended to kill, they could have easily beaten Liu Longfei to death. Feng Jinbo spoke with confidence, underpinned by solid conviction.

“The disciples of both sects haven’t emerged yet—it’s a bit early for such boasts, isn’t it? Let’s wait until their journey through the secret realm is over before drawing conclusions,” Liu Changtian replied, his face darkening. He harbored little hope for his own disciples and could only evade the topic, unwilling to argue directly.

“Hah! Old Liu, you’re absolutely right!” Feng Jinbo’s tone was mocking. “But if Divine Sun Sect keeps pinning its hopes on the four great clans, I’m afraid you’ll end up at the bottom again!” At these words, Liu Changtian’s expression grew even gloomier. He snorted lightly and fell silent.

The four great clans of Divine Sun Sect had all but cut off the path of advancement for disciples from common backgrounds, inevitably causing the sect to lose its vitality and vigor. Liu Changtian understood this perfectly well. Yet, no matter which clan provided the sect leader, none could break this entrenched pattern. How could they, after all, use their own resources to nurture outsiders first? That would certainly be effective, but after a few decades or centuries, the clan itself would fall into decline.

Seeing Liu Changtian silent, Feng Jinbo chuckled softly, inwardly triumphant.

Just then, the gateway to the secret realm began to ripple gently, like a stone cast into water, sending waves of shimmering radiance outward.

Have they come out?

Feng Jinbo, Liu Changtian, and the surrounding elders from both sects all perked up, their eyes fixed intently on the gateway.

The Great Yuan Sect disciples who had accidentally entered the secret realm previously were merely a handful of weak cultivators in the Condensing Qi stage, so they hadn’t brought back any useful information. But this time, seventy outstanding Condensing Qi disciples from both sects had ventured inside. They weren’t necessarily the most elite candidates nurtured by their sects, but they were certainly excellent.

Without a doubt, the secrets of the secret realm were about to be revealed.

Moreover, this joint venture would inevitably determine superiority between the sects. Even though the secret realm belonged to Divine Sun Sect, Feng Jinbo cared little for that; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brazenly demanded a joint exploration.

If Divine Sun Sect’s honor was to be trampled, so be it—why worry?

The first to emerge from the secret realm was a disciple of Great Yuan Sect.

Feng Jinbo’s spirits soared, and he stood tall, laughing heartily. “Good! You haven’t shamed our sect!”

The order of emergence favored Great Yuan Sect over Divine Sun Sect—certainly good news, and Feng Jinbo was deeply satisfied. Even if the secret realm belonged to Divine Sun Sect, what did it matter? His disciples could outshine theirs even on their own turf; this was skill, proof of his excellent guidance.

Liu Changtian’s face was somber. He had anticipated this outcome, but being overtaken by Great Yuan Sect still left him uncomfortable. The elders of Divine Sun Sect felt the same, deeply displeased. Internal conflicts between the four great clans were one thing, but in the face of Great Yuan Sect, unity was imperative.

The second, the third...

One after another, Great Yuan Sect disciples leapt from the gateway, the ripples unceasing. Clearly, their departure had not been hindered at all.

Feng Jinbo’s expression grew ever more smug. When He Yiming finally emerged, he nodded slightly—this was the most outstanding disciple of the group, with a real chance of further cultivation within the sect.

Thirteen in total!

Though losing more than half made Feng Jinbo feel some regret, he soon dismissed it. The process of sifting through sand to find gold, of letting the strong survive and the weak perish, was natural law, unavoidable. Besides, Divine Sun Sect was bound to lose more.

He relished the thought: forty Divine Sun Sect disciples entered, but only eight or ten would emerge—how delightful.

“He Yiming, did you have the chance to instruct the outstanding disciples of Divine Sun Sect?” Feng Jinbo asked, all propriety and satisfaction. “How does their strength compare to ours—still far behind?”

Liu Changtian, hearing this, nearly exploded with rage. What did he mean by this? Was Divine Sun Sect truly inferior to Great Yuan Sect?

He could only endure it; venting his anger would feel good for a moment, but once his few disciples emerged and were mocked, it would only be more humiliating.

“He Yiming is ashamed to have failed the sect’s trust, defeated by a disciple of Divine Sun Sect. I ask the sect leader for punishment.” He Yiming bowed his head in remorse, his tone heavy with guilt and frustration.

What?

Feng Jinbo’s eyes widened. The implication was not only that he lost, but that he lost badly, without even the strength to fight back?

He glanced at the other Great Yuan Sect disciples and realized none looked excited; instead, they all seemed dissatisfied and reluctant.

The gateway rippled again, this time heralding the disciples of Divine Sun Sect.

Hmph, Feng Jinbo thought, let’s see how many battered remnants Divine Sun Sect has left!

It mattered little if their strongest disciple lost; so long as they had superior numbers, they could still trample Divine Sun Sect’s reputation.

Feng Jinbo’s anticipation grew.

As the outer disciples of Divine Sun Sect emerged in orderly succession, Liu Changtian’s expression softened.

Eighteen!

Though Divine Sun Sect had sent ten more disciples than Great Yuan Sect and suffered heavier losses, proportionally, Great Yuan Sect fared worse.

Liu Changtian was pleased. The deaths of dozens of outer disciples were of little concern—none were the elite strength of the four great clans. What truly brought joy was that survival numbers favored Divine Sun Sect.

In fact, if not for Great Yuan Sect’s three strongest being drawn away by Qin Tianyu, and then plundered by Luo Tian, shifting everyone’s focus to gathering resources, Divine Sun Sect would have suffered even heavier losses.

“Longfei, to defeat Great Yuan Sect’s finest in a direct confrontation—you’ve done well!” Liu Changtian nodded, his gaze carrying a hint of admiration. The strongest among the group was Liu Longfei, without question; the Liu clan’s scion was the true hero.

Unexpectedly, at these words, not only did Divine Sun Sect’s disciples cast strange looks at Luo Tian, the last to emerge, but even Great Yuan Sect’s disciples gazed at Liu Longfei with disdain, some even cutting their eyes at Liu Changtian, the sect leader.

In an instant, Liu Longfei’s face flushed crimson. “This time, Senior Brother Luo decisively defeated He Yiming, besting him in a direct contest and bringing glory to Divine Sun Sect! Earlier, I was ambushed by their three disciples, and couldn’t prevail one against three.”

Though the person he addressed was the Liu clan patriarch, this was a conversation between sect leader and disciples, so family titles were out of place.

Uh...

Liu Changtian was taken aback.

“He Yiming is a ninth-turn Condensing Qi disciple—Luo Tian managed to defeat him across realms, that’s indeed impressive!” Slightly unsettled, Liu Changtian quickly regained his composure. This fellow brought by the Seventh Prince was formidable—after two years of quiet cultivation, he rose in a single bound.

Luo Tian only smiled, and a white aura of vital energy surged from his body. Though not dense, it unmistakably revealed his current realm. “Thank you, Sect Leader, for your praise! I merely managed to edge out Brother He Yiming with my ninth-turn Condensing Qi strength—just a stroke of luck, nothing more.”

Condensing Qi, ninth turn!

Liu Changtian’s heart trembled, but his ability to control his emotions was strong. In a moment, his expression returned to normal. “It seems this journey into the secret realm has been fruitful for everyone—excellent! Sect Leader Feng, I’ll take my leave now—I won’t see you off.”

With those words, he summoned the flying boat.

What was the Seventh Prince up to, placing Luo Tian in Divine Sun Sect? Did the boy truly possess extraordinary luck?

Luo Tian’s rapid progress had greatly unsettled Liu Changtian.

Back then, the Seventh Prince of Cloudpeak Empire condescended to visit Divine Sun Sect—considered the weakest sect in the empire—and left the amnesiac Luo Tian behind, stating plainly he was to be treated and cultivated as an ordinary disciple.

At first, Luo Tian not only failed to show any talent, but seemed even worse than most, so Liu Changtian gradually lost interest. Yet, in just over two years, he had become a ninth-turn Condensing Qi cultivator within months!

What was the Seventh Prince really planning?

Liu Changtian felt overwhelmed. With such a prodigy, who dared suppress him?

He had to figure out how to deal with Luo Tian; he couldn’t let him shine so brightly in the sect, or else the outer disciples from common backgrounds might develop dangerous ideas.

The rewards from the secret realm were secondary; Luo Tian’s bizarre cultivation speed was what truly demanded urgent action.

Once he became an inner disciple of the Vein Flow stage, the deeds of the four great clans would be exposed. If he learned the truth and reported it to the Seventh Prince, what would become of Divine Sun Sect?

Tasked with selecting and nurturing talent for the empire, the four great clans of Divine Sun Sect monopolized everything, cutting off every path for commoners. The empire would never tolerate such a thing.

Watching Liu Changtian, distracted as he hurried his disciples onto the flying boat, Feng Jinbo found it odd. Why was he, with such a rare chance to outshine his rival, in such a rush to escape?

Truthfully, Divine Sun Sect’s practices were not only known by Great Yuan Sect, but by other sects within thousands of miles. Yet no one reported them; having a weak sect as a competitor benefited everyone.

If the four great clans were ousted and the empire sent a strong leader, producing a host of talented disciples, those disciples would affect resource allocation across the entire Tianfeng County.

Divine Sun Sect’s self-imposed decline was a boon, a contribution to the resources of other sects—who would bother to expose them?

As the flying boat shot into the sky, Feng Jinbo suddenly felt bored. He summoned his Water Spirit Turtle and departed with his disciples.