Growth

"Courtesy before force..." Upon hearing this, Yaoguang's heart sank slightly as well. "These top factions are truly overbearing. Joining isn't even optional." "That's just the prevailing environment of Beihai Star." Li Hanqiu handed several invitation cards directly to him. "Take a look." "These are..." Yaoguang gave them a cursory glance. "Hundred Flowers Valley, the Iron Blood Sect, the City Lord's Manor of Yunshan Commandery, the Zhou Family of the Immortal Martial Sect?" A prominent clan spanning a single commandery was at most at the level of an Incandescent White Golden Core; having one or two Deep Blue Golden Cores overseeing them was already their absolute limit. The Zhou Family of the Immortal Martial Sect was likely no different. As for the remaining Hundred Flowers Valley and Iron Blood Sect... They were only slightly stronger than the Yunxiao Sword Sect, possessing one or two Incandescent White Golden Cores within their ranks. "What are they trying to do?" Yaoguang asked, quickly realizing the answer. "A probe?" "Exactly." "Why?" "Why?" Li Hanqiu found it somewhat absurd himself. "Because we are too benevolent." He looked at Yaoguang. "It is impossible for a faction possessing a Void Piercing-level expert not to expand aggressively, wipe out all eleven neighboring sects large and small, and swallow up the one hundred and three cities of Yunchuan. There is only one possible reason they haven't done so: they are a paper tiger, lacking true strength! That supposed Void Piercing cultivator is highly likely just a Void Piercing Battle Immortal—perhaps even a dying one who cannot afford to act lightly." "It must be that other people in the sect showed weakness," Yaoguang said. To motivate the disciples of the Jiuxiao Sect to strive diligently, Yaoguang and Li Hanqiu had kept the true state of their Void Piercing cultivator a secret from almost everyone, including figures at the Hall Master and Domain Lord level. Consequently, they all believed that just as Wan Liugui had claimed, Li Hanqiu could only live three to five years if he did not fight. Although several spans of three to five years had already passed by now, they still lacked the confidence that came with having a true Void Piercing cultivator backing them. Whether a faction possessed true confidence showed in many ways. "An outside faction with a Void Piercing Battle Immortal—and a dying one at that—how vast an inheritance of assets must they leave behind? Especially recently, when this faction has grown at an incredible pace, clearly evidencing substantial assets! Under the temptation of these assets, monsters and scoundrels naturally turned their eyes our way." Li Hanqiu continued, meeting Yaoguang's eyes. "They are seeking their own deaths, but this is Beihai Star. If you don't exploit others, they will think you are weak inside and come after you. Because you are strong, yet you don't plunder the weak—what would be normal elsewhere is the greatest abnormality on Beihai Star!" Such an illogical concept was veritable truth on Beihai Star. You are so powerful, so why aren't you plundering? Back in the Cangwu Great World, when the Nine Cauldrons Sect held their grand military review, many people were deeply puzzled: since the Nine Cauldrons Sect was already so powerful, why hadn't they stationed troops across other factions or established outposts? Even the Cangwu Great World, which still possessed order, was like that. Beihai Star... Here, the law of the jungle was far more blatant. "When the time is ripe, I'll find time to wipe out Hundred Flowers Valley and the Iron Blood Sect. But what happens after that? Once we unify the Yunchuan Mountains, do we grow our sect? In growing the sect, do we develop quietly behind closed doors, or expand outward? If we expand, we easily offend Great Shang and the Immortal Martial Sect. If we don't expand, then on top of being exploited by Great Shang and the Immortal Martial Sect, we still have to face the schemes and malice of other factions, all guessing whether we've become frail again." At this point, Li Hanqiu let out a long sigh. "So this proves what Susan, Yang Han, and the others said. On Beihai Star, if you don't join a top faction and secure a certain degree of influence within it, you will never truly gain a firm foothold." "When everyone is filled with malice, upholding righteousness is the greatest heresy!" Yaoguang said. Li Hanqiu nodded. "Beihai Star is a paradise for the strong and a hell for the weak!" He sighed again with deep feeling. "Many powerful cultivators on Beihai Star have likely realized this as well, but they are unwilling to make changes because the rules favor them. They even created a system of true disciples drastically different from what we know just to maintain Beihai Star's rules. But precisely because of this system, I wanted to suggest that you choose a top sect." "To fly their banner," Yaoguang said. "Yes. Although competition within the sect is just as fierce, once that banner is raised, it will save us a tremendous amount of trouble," Li Hanqiu replied. Yaoguang nodded, understanding Li Hanqiu's meaning. Furthermore, he wasn't particularly resistant to becoming a true disciple of some top faction. After all, true disciples on Beihai Star possessed immense autonomy. Though called disciples, they were essentially representatives of a faction's interests. Their relationship with the sect was more akin to a partnership. A partnership between an individual enterprise and an investor. "Then which faction do you think I should choose?" "Great Shang isn't suitable. From the looks of it, the Immortal Martial Sect, the Heavenly Dao Sect, and the Sanqing Sacred Hall are the best choices." Li Hanqiu had clearly gathered relevant information over the past dozen or so years, speaking with effortless familiarity. "Needless to say, the Immortal Martial Sect is renowned as one of the Three Martial Sects and is closest to us. As for the Heavenly Dao Sect... it lies across the Sea of Chaos, which isn't too far either. Moreover, entering it could resolve a latent danger. As for the remaining Sanqing Hall, it is the strongest among the Ten Immortal Sects; describing it as at the zenith of its power would not be an exaggeration in the slightest." As he spoke, he handed over a jade talisman. "Take a look. The specific choice is entirely up to you. Even if you don't want to be bound by a sect and plan to develop on your own, we will support your decision." "All right." Yaoguang took the jade talisman. Ending their conversation, the two descended toward the Jiuxiao Sect. *** No one had noticed Yaoguang taking to the sky, but Li Hanqiu's departure had caused quite a stir. When the two touched down, Li Qingshan, Tang Fenghua, Huang Tianhao, and others stepped forward together to greet them, their gazes toward Yaoguang brimming with delight. "Perfected Yaoguang!" "Congratulations, Perfected One, on condensing an Incandescent White Golden Core! The Void Piercing realm is in sight!" "Under the leadership of the Perfected One and the Supreme Elder, our Jiuxiao Sect is thriving and flourishing by the day!" Several people cupped their hands in congratulations at the same time. Yaoguang nodded to them. After sizing them up, a smile appeared on his face. "You've reached the Constant Light realm? Splendid." "We've each consumed hundreds of Pure Yang Great Pills. If we still couldn't attain the Constant Light realm, we would truly be unworthy of the nurturing given by you and the Supreme Elder," Tang Fenghua said with a laugh. Yaoguang considered the potency of the Pure Yang Great Pills, coupled with the fact that Li Qingshan and the others already possessed good innate talent and had built deep foundations back in the Cangwu Great World. Now, fully unleashing that accumulated potential over the past dozen years, breaking through to the Heavenly Fire and Constant Light realms was entirely reasonable. "How many in the sect are currently in the Heavenly Fire and Constant Light realms? Has anyone formed a Golden Core?" he asked with concern. "The sect currently has two cultivators in the Crimson Golden Core realm, twenty-six in the Constant Light realm, one hundred and eighty-nine in the Heavenly Fire realm, and over two thousand Core Formation cultivators remaining," Li Qingshan replied. Beside him, Tang Fenghua remarked with great emotion, "In such a short time, experts have emerged in droves within the Jiuxiao Sect. Back in the Cangwu Great World, this would have been utterly unimaginable. Now, with these cultivators enriching our foundation, our Jiuxiao Sect finally possesses some real backing in the Yunchuan Mountains." "Two Crimson Golden Cores? Who?" Yaoguang was somewhat surprised. "One is Xu Nianhua, and the other is Su Yaoxue," Li Qingshan said. "Xu Nianhua and Su Yaoxue..." He wasn't surprised by Xu Nianhua achieving a Crimson Golden Core. That man already possessed exceptional talent, having formed an internal core years ago. Among the twenty-four people selected for focused cultivation, he was considered the highest priority, likely having received several thousand of the tens of thousands of Pure Yang Great Pills. Breaking through from Core Formation to the Crimson Golden Core realm over the course of a dozen years was hardly surprising. Yet Su Yaoxue... "Given Su Yaoxue's talent, making the priority list was already her limit. No matter how she cultivated, she shouldn't have been able to reach the Crimson Golden Core realm..." "That was my decision." Before Yaoguang could finish, Li Hanqiu cut him off. He said solemnly, "I know you bear immense pressure, so much so that you have little spare time to look after your family. But... while you uphold fairness and act selflessly, we cannot take your dedication for granted and turn a blind eye to others. Especially nine years ago, when the young girl suffered qi deviation while breaking through to the Heavenly Fire realm and nearly lost her life—did you know about that?" Yaoguang was taken aback. He had known about it. He had kept it in mind back then. Yet over the years, completely absorbed in his cultivation, he had forgotten. "Then she..." "I entered Great Shang's territory and purchased a Nine-Refinement Great Pill, barely pulling her back from death's door. As a great pill worth over ten thousand, its effects go far beyond merely rescuing someone from qi deviation. Relying on this pill, not only were the hidden dangers in her cultivation resolved, but her physique was also improved. Coupled with the gradual release of the residual medicinal efficacy, she managed to break through two realms in nine years and condense a Crimson Golden Core." A Nine-Refinement Great Pill. If taken by a Crimson Golden Core cultivator, it might have had a chance of creating a Radiant Sun Golden Core. However... He wouldn't oppose Li Hanqiu's decision either. He merely didn't want Su Yaoxue and the others to become dependent on him, but that didn't mean he would truly stand by and watch Su Yaoxue suffer qi deviation with indifference. That incident occurring... Was an oversight on his part. Li Hanqiu's handling of the matter was the best possible outcome. "Thank you. I will reimburse the cost of the pills in due time," Yaoguang said. Li Hanqiu shook his head, declining to argue over such an unnecessary issue. "That young girl is too diligent. Her bitter cultivation was heartbreaking even for me to watch. If you truly don't have time to instruct her, I'll keep her by my side for now. I can't promise anything far off, but I can still offer some experience regarding the progression from a Crimson Golden Core to a Radiant Sun Golden Core." After a moment of thought, Yaoguang did not refuse. "Then I shall trouble you, True Monarch." The Su family was gone. Su Yaoxue was the only one left from the Su family who had shown promise. Nine years ago, that accident caused by neglect had occurred as well. Now that she had demonstrated diligence, perseverance, determination, and an indomitable conviction far beyond ordinary people, what harm was there in giving her appropriate support? "It seems we still need to obtain more Pure Yang Great Pills. Only with sufficient pills can everyone in the sect continue to advance by leaps and bounds," Yaoguang said with a smile. "Those of us from the Nine Cauldrons Sect are elites who survived the sifting of great waves. The main reasons we were stuck in the Foundation Establishment realm back in the Cangwu Realm were the techniques and the environment. The flaws in our techniques were rectified decades ago, and now, supplemented by resources like Pure Yang Great Pills, everyone's cultivation naturally advances rapidly." Li Hanqiu understood the sect's circumstances intimately. "If there are enough Pure Yang Great Pills, in another eight to ten years, someone might just break through to the Radiant Sun Golden Core realm." Yaoguang nodded. And when it came to possessing the greatest reserves of assets like Pure Yang Great Pills, none compared to factions on the level of the Ten Immortal Sects. To say that the Ten Immortal Sects, the Nine Demon Lineages, and the Six Demonic Sects held a complete hundred-percent monopoly over the Pure Yang Great Pills and Void Dao Pills on Beihai Star might be an overstatement, but ninety-nine percent was certainly no exaggeration. A few dozen factions combined, representing less than one ten-thousandth of the total cultivator population, commanded ninety-nine percent of Beihai Star's resources. This was the true picture of resource distribution across Beihai Star.