Friends

Hundred Refinements Sect. Yaoguang brought another round of cultivation to a close. He glanced at the bare bottle and let out a sigh. "The Heavenly Being Pills are gone." As he spoke, he cast a glance a short distance away. There, he faintly felt a sensation of being "observed." At first, he had been somewhat surprised. Still, considering that civilian flying sword technology and sect flying sword technology ultimately shared common ground, and that the biggest backer behind the Xianying series was the Flying Sword Department, it was hardly strange that they would secretly observe him and inquire into his background after he suddenly appeared and drastically reduced the spirit consumption of the Xianying 60. It was just... "It's already been half a month. Still no response from Lin Sen? Whether they use my proposal or not, at least give me a definitive answer. Or send me some funds first—thirty spirit stones would do—so I can buy another bottle of Heavenly Being Pills and continue cultivating." After a silent grumble, he finished wrapping up his practice. After some thought, Yaoguang decided to go ask in person. Waiting around like this led nowhere. If Lin Sen of Longxiang Taixue Academy had truly swallowed his credit, then don't blame him for committing murder, plundering the spoils, and defecting to the Astral Sea Sect. Still, the coordinates of the Artifact Nurturing Realm's Star Gate were anchored to the Nine Cauldrons Sect after all. The knowledge and cultural immersion he had received back there aligned best with the Nine Cauldrons Sect, which inherited the mantle of the Artifact Sect. Even if he went to the Astral Sea Sect, trying to integrate would likely waste quite a bit of time. The moment he stepped outside, Yaoguang saw a dozen people gathered together, cupping their hands in congratulation toward one disciple. "Congratulations!" "You succeeded in refining qi into spirit and developed divine sense? Now you can apply for a position at the Energy Department!" "The Energy Department—that's a genuine iron rice bowl. You'll be set for life!" Yaoguang listened for a moment and understood what was happening. The Energy Department... Not only did it offer high pay and excellent benefits, but once you joined, you were essentially never fired. It was the lifelong ambition of all low- and mid-tier cultivators. Of course, if one could become a high-tier cultivator, their standing naturally surpassed the scope of Energy Department employees. Those with auxiliary professions could take examinations to become academy professors, while those without could take up positions in the Nine Cauldrons Sect itself. At that moment, a disciple suddenly called out, "Eldest Senior Sister is here!" At those words, the disciples who had just been celebrating scattered in an instant. However, as an Eighth Layer Body Refining martial artist, Huang Yunqi's hearing was extraordinarily sharp. Naturally, their earlier celebrations had not escaped her ears, and for a moment her expression turned somewhat sour. Yang Kaitai, who had walked over alongside her, saw this and snorted coldly. "As members of the Hundred Refinements Sect, instead of aspiring to become high-tier cultivators, Star Lords, or even building a Dao Foundation, they focus entirely on refining qi into spirit and smugly celebrate merely qualifying to test for the Energy Department. Utterly decadent." "Enough. Just a bunch of outer disciples who pay tuition to be taught. Why waste your breath on them? If they want to learn, let them; if not, ignore them. As long as we collect their money, that's all that matters," Huang Yunqi said with a taut face. "Quite right. For true disciples, the most important trait is loyalty—absolute fidelity to the sect. Only then can we place our trust in them and pour everything into cultivating them. Without loyalty, what does it matter to us even if they train exceptionally well?" Yang Kaitai nodded in deep agreement. Listening to this, Yaoguang felt nothing stir within him. If anything, he found Zong Lian, the master of the Hundred Refinements Sect, rather pitiful. After all these years, not only had the Hundred Refinements Sect failed to produce a single decent cultivator, but the disciples under its wing each harbored their own agendas. Instead of building the sect's reputation and credibility, they only thought about using the sect to rake in cash. Truly... exceptional talents. Yet immediately afterward, another thought occurred to him. If the Nine Cauldrons Sect was compared to a world-leading megacorporation, the Hundred Refinements Sect was at best a small company. Employees of a massive conglomerate would naturally remain loyal to the group, tying their own interests to its success. In a small company, however, wasn't everyone just vying for power and profit, their eyes fixed solely on making money? If a small company tried to talk about grand blueprints and changing the world, people would dismiss it as an empty pie in the sky and scoff. "Forget it. Ji Pingtian and the others can tolerate these people because they've already settled into their own station in life—middle-class service providers to society. But since I can't stand this conduct, yet still stay at the Hundred Refinements Sect... isn't that just asking for trouble? I might as well move out and save myself the headache," Yaoguang mused. High-tier cultivators, even in the most fiercely competitive body cultivator lineage, belonged to the elite class in any sect, guaranteed a comfortable livelihood no matter what job they took. He had originally intended to look for Zong Yan and Ji Pingchuan, but considering that the two were preparing for the examinations and academy applications, he decided not to disturb them. So he stepped out of the Hundred Refinements Sect alone. Walking along the street, watching the neon lights and the streaks of sword light darting across the sky from time to time, Yaoguang felt a dazed sensation. Even he hadn't expected that after more than a month in the Cangwu Realm, he still hadn't managed to make any real headway. "Holy Lord... Yaoguang..." Just then, a slightly surprised voice called out. Yaoguang looked over and saw Xie Yier waiting beside a transit platform, looking at him with surprise. "Oh? It's been a while. Are Xie Yushu and the others doing well?" Yaoguang asked. "They're doing well. We got in touch with a family that had good personal ties with our Xie family in the past, and they're willing to offer us some help..." Xie Yier said, then looked at the solitary Yaoguang. "Holy Lord Yaoguang... what brings you out..." At the sound of that title, a young girl also standing by the platform couldn't help but burst into laughter. Immediately realizing how rude it was, she quickly waved her hands. "I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you! I just suddenly remembered something funny." Yaoguang gave her a speechless look, then turned back to Xie Yier. "Just call me Yaoguang." "All right." "Have you started preparing for the Nine Cauldrons Sect examinations?" "Yes." "Then work hard," Yaoguang said. "Holy Lord Yao... If you went to take the exam, I'm sure becoming an official disciple would be effortless for you," Xie Yier said. Those words once again piqued the curiosity of the young girl and several people nearby. An official disciple. That was a title of considerable weight. "We'll see." Yaoguang did not commit to an absolute answer. Just then, a streak of sword light descended. It was a poised, refined man in his thirties. The man clearly followed the path of a sword cultivator, arriving atop a flying sword. Beneath his feet was none other than a Liuxian Model 8 flying sword. This model was not particularly fast, but it was sleek and aesthetically pleasing, offered great stability, came with a built-in wind shield, and had low spirit consumption. Its overall performance was substantially higher than the Xianying 50, yet it was cheaper. "Senior Brother Murong." Seeing the man land, Xie Yier promptly greeted him. "Junior Sister Xie, sorry to keep you waiting," the man addressed as Senior Brother Murong replied warmly. He then glanced toward Yaoguang, who was conversing with her. "And this is..." "This is the master of the Xiayu Sacred Land we mentioned to you earlier... Yaoguang..." Xie Yier said. However, Senior Brother Murong showed little enthusiasm, merely offering Yaoguang a polite nod before turning back to Xie Yier. "All right, let's head out." "Okay," Xie Yier agreed. She stepped onto the flying sword, then waved to Yaoguang. Yaoguang gave a slight nod in return. Soon, as the man soared into the air on his flying sword, the two merged into the high-altitude guidance lane and vanished from Yaoguang's sight before long. Yaoguang turned and continued walking forward. Yet the young girl hurried after him, her face filled with gossip. "Hello, Senior Brother! My name is Ran Xiaoyu. Can we exchange comms?" "Senior Brother?" Yaoguang glanced at her. "I'm a registered disciple of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Once you enter the Nine Cauldrons Sect, won't we be fellow disciples?" Ran Xiaoyu asked with an inquisitive expression. "Was that your ex-girlfriend? Looking at the two of you, it didn't seem quite like it. What's the real story there? Senior Brother, won't you tell me?" Yaoguang paid her no further attention and kept walking forward. "Senior Brother..." Ran Xiaoyu was about to say more when a hovering vehicle roughly eight meters long, resembling a minibus, pulled up alongside Yaoguang. A moment later, Lin Sen poked his head out, his face beaming with a broad smile. "Yaoguang, I have a friend who'd like to chat with you. Care to come aboard for a seat?" Yaoguang had been on his way to look for him anyway. Seeing this, he nodded. "Sure." Following Lin Sen through the opened door, he quickly boarded the vehicle. Only after stepping inside did Yaoguang realize that although this vehicle was nowhere near as flashy as a flying sword, its interior was remarkably luxurious. A refrigerator, projection equipment, panoramic exterior display screens—it had everything, and the interior layout resembled a compact conference room. However, none of that was the main point. The main point was the other three people seated inside. One of them Yaoguang had seen in holographic records. Dean of the School of Energy and Special-Grade Professor at Longxiang Taixue Academy, Qin Yadong. As for the other two... One exerted a faint pressure upon his mind. The other looked completely harmless, yet Yaoguang could sense a life force field so immensely powerful that it lay far beyond his ability to shake—sealing the man's entire vital energy, spirit, and soul so thoroughly that not a shred could be felt from the outside. One had to remember that his current realm was at the Star Lord level. Even if his cultivation base had not yet caught up, his discernment was in no way inferior to that of any Star Lord. For someone to evoke such a feeling in him... *An Origin Spirit... and a Star Lord...* Yaoguang looked toward Lin Sen. "Professor Lin, I suspect you didn't invite me here merely for a casual chat, did you?" "Mr. Yaoguang, we truly only wish to have a brief talk with you. There are no ulterior motives," the Origin Spirit realm cultivator said with a warm smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zhang Jianlin, and my other identity is an elder of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's Jiuxiao Domain branch. This is my good friend Qin Yi, deputy hall master of the branch's War Hall. We took the liberty of inviting you here today because we would like to hear your thoughts on our Nine Cauldrons Sect." "My thoughts on the Nine Cauldrons Sect?" Yaoguang paused, slightly taken aback. "Yes. I know you've just arrived from outside the Great World, but you've been living here for over a month now. If the Nine Cauldrons Sect has any shortcomings or issues, we'd like to ask for your opinion so we can see where there's room for improvement," Zhang Jianlin said with a smile. This attitude... It instantly struck Yaoguang as utterly bizarre. One of you is an Origin Spirit realm Divine Path Great Cultivator, and the other is a Star Lord realm Martial Path Great Cultivator. Speaking to a mere high-tier cultivator like me in this kind of tone... Is that really appropriate?