Returning to the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, Lu Changsheng Challenges a Seed Disciple!

"I'm back." At the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, Lu Changsheng had finally returned. Calculating the time, this trip down the mountain had lasted just over two months. From the moment he had first entered the sect, it had been exactly three months and two or three days. In other words, he had automatically forfeited his status as a seed disciple. In truth, if no one had challenged him on the very first day following the three-month mark, Lu Changsheng would still hold the status of seed disciple. Unfortunately, the outer sect disciples of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect had all been keeping their eyes fixed on him. Once the three months elapsed, someone had challenged him not merely on the first day, but within the very first hour. If Lu Changsheng failed to accept the challenge after a single day, it was treated by default as relinquishing his seed disciple status. Now, it was already the third day past the three-month deadline. Yet Lu Changsheng was not in the least bit anxious. Having lost the seed disciple status, he could simply seize it back. It was hardly a big deal. With strength on his side, why worry about lacking the status of a seed disciple? However, the deep-sea profound iron ore would likely have to remain in his hands a bit longer. Without the status of a seed disciple, there were no double rewards. Turning in the deep-sea profound iron ore for contribution points now would be far too great a loss. Lu Changsheng had to wait a while longer. Lu Changsheng summoned his attribute panel to inspect his current physical condition. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 3,630 (Praised in All Directions) Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method: Sword cast for 6 years and 8 months. Mind Sword Formula: Progress 24% (Mind Sword) Ocean Wave Domain: Progress 1% Tempest Domain: Progress 6% Perception Domain: Progress 21% Starry Sky Conception: Progress 8% Seeing that his comprehension on the attribute panel had reached 3,630 points, Lu Changsheng noted that it was steadily advancing. He knew very well that comprehension was the foundation of everything he had. According to his observations, if his comprehension were to undergo another qualitative transformation, it would likely require ten thousand points. That was a terrifying figure. At present, Lu Changsheng did not lack martial techniques. He had bundled away quite a few martial arts from the Martial Demonstration Tower, but techniques that could reach consummate mastery in an instant were practically all gone. What remained were mostly fourth-rank and fifth-rank martial arts. With his current level of comprehension, he could not yet bring fourth-rank and fifth-rank techniques to consummate mastery in an instant. While Lu Changsheng would not have to worry about running out of martial arts for a long time, the comprehension points gained each month were not particularly high, increasing by roughly 150 points a month. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. Even before undergoing another transformation, however, his comprehension already surpassed ninety-nine percent of people. Even though the Northern Region Heavenly Sect gathered geniuses from across the entire Northern Region, his comprehension would not lose out to anyone. At the very least, when it came to evolving domains, his current comprehension posed no hindrance. Yet once a domain evolved, continuing to elevate it seemed to hit a slight bottleneck. Progress was painfully slow. That was only natural. Even among many Divine Gang Realm martial artists, most were incapable of evolving a domain at all. Lu Changsheng also planned to split the Starry Sky Waterfall Conception. For now, he had comprehended the Starry Sky Conception, leaving only the Waterfall Conception ungrasped. He needed to see a real waterfall to comprehend the Waterfall Conception. The Tianlu Mountain Range happened to house a massive cataract known as the Tianlu Waterfall. It was extraordinarily grand—perfect for comprehending martial conceptions. Lu Changsheng rose and left Courtyard Number Twelve. He walked toward the outer sect. Along the way, several gazes fell upon him, but compared to before, they were far fewer. Lu Changsheng could guess the reason. He was no longer a seed disciple, so naturally he drew less attention. Furthermore, many probably assumed that because Lu Changsheng had not accepted the challenge, he had recognized his lack of strength and voluntarily given up his seed disciple status. Consequently, even fewer people paid him any mind. "That's Lu Changsheng, isn't it? He joined the sect just over three months ago, but apparently never accepted the challenge and was stripped of his seed disciple status." "It's him, Lu Changsheng! Still, on the first day after the three months were up, Lu Changsheng seemed to still be down the mountain and hadn't returned, so he couldn't take the challenge. What a pity." "Pity? You think he actually wanted to come back? He deliberately avoided returning to the sect because he didn't want to accept the challenge. He knew his strength was insufficient to keep the seed disciple status. Relinquishing it this way at least preserved some face." "Regardless, holding the status of seed disciple for three months is enough to be proud of." "Among outer sect disciples, almost none can maintain seed disciple status continuously after entering." "Wasn't the first to challenge Lu Changsheng named Wang Cheng?" "That's him, Wang Cheng! But he has to accept a challenge today. Plenty of people are eyeing him..." Lu Changsheng extended his Perception Domain slightly. He heard every word of the outer sect disciples' discussions with crystal clarity. "The one who challenged me was Wang Cheng?" "He held the seed disciple status for a single day, and now he must accept a challenge today." "Let's go have a look." Lu Changsheng was merely curious. He wanted to see this Wang Cheng. After all, Wang Cheng was the disciple who had supplanted him. Guided by his Perception Domain, Lu Changsheng soon located Wang Cheng. Wang Cheng, however, was in a rather precarious spot. He was obliged to accept a challenge, and the one challenging him was an outer sect disciple named Zhang He. At that moment, Wang Cheng and Zhang He stood on the arena of the outer sect's dedicated martial grounds. Disciples were permitted to fight and clash fiercely, but killing an opponent was strictly forbidden. For Divine Strength Realm disciples, there was no such thing as an accidental killing so long as lethal vitals were spared; no matter how grievous the injury, it would not be fatal. Even so, knowing one would not die did not prevent nerves from fraying. Right now, Wang Cheng was exceptionally tense. He had essentially picked up an unearned advantage. According to the rules, if numerous disciples challenged a seed disciple on the same day, the one who submitted the challenge first was automatically chosen. There had been an overwhelming number of disciples seeking to challenge Lu Changsheng, but Wang Cheng had been the very first to lodge an application at the Outer Sect Deacon's Office. Thus, he was fortunate enough to claim the seed disciple status without fighting a single bout. Now, however, he had to face someone else's challenge. Wang Cheng knew full well that he had to defeat Zhang He. As long as he could overcome Zhang He, he would not have to accept another challenge this month, securing his seed disciple status for an entire month. A month's time was enough for Wang Cheng to reap immense benefits. A low hum resounded. Neither man spoke a word upon the arena stage, unleashing their martial conceptions directly. The collision between martial conceptions lacked all flourish. Strong was strong, and weak was weak. In this clash of conceptions, Wang Cheng was visibly at a disadvantage. Zhang He was no weakling; the progress of Zhang He's martial conception had reached over ninety percent, not far from evolving into a domain. Wang Cheng was simply no match for him. With his martial conception suppressed, Wang Cheng had no choice but to draw his sword. A whistling sound cut the air. Wang Cheng executed an exquisite sword technique, a beam of white sword light instantly thrusting toward Zhang He. Because he was already suppressed, this strike lacked substantial amplification. Even so, Wang Cheng's secret method was formidable and his swordsmanship refined, unleashing at least six thousand tripods of force—quite commendable. Yet Zhang He was even stronger! A metallic clang rang out. Zhang He drew his saber, a brilliant arc of saber light slicing through the void. Swift, accurate, ruthless. Moreover, it erupted with over eight thousand tripods of force. Boom! Beneath that single blade, Wang Cheng's sword light shattered in an instant. Struck as if by a thunderbolt, Wang Cheng suffered a brutal blow as his arm was sheared clean off. Defeated. In just one move, Wang Cheng had lost. A clash between Divine Strength Realm martial artists had little room for pointless embellishment. "You lose," Zhang He said coldly. Wang Cheng looked thoroughly despondent, his face ashen. He had experienced the status of seed disciple for a solitary day; before he could even celebrate, it had slipped through his fingers. In the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, taking opportunistic shortcuts was entirely meaningless. Even if he had been eager and become the first to challenge Lu Changsheng, winning by forfeit, his lack of strength made it little more than a one-day trial pass. Wang Cheng turned and stepped down from the arena. He knew very well that had this not been inside the sect, Zhang He's saber strike would have lopped off his head, slaying him on the spot. A loss was a loss. In truth, the outcome surprised no one. Many outer sect disciples were familiar with Zhang He. He had challenged numerous seed disciples in the past, falling short each time by only the slimmest margin. "Wang Cheng has been in the outer sect for four or five years. Did he really not understand that without strength, gaining seed disciple status is like grasping at the moon reflected in water?" "Heh, maybe Wang Cheng wanted to try his luck, hoping the first disciple to challenge him would be even weaker than he is." "Wang Cheng merely took advantage of an opening. That Lu Changsheng climbed the Heavenly Stairway to enter the sect purely by luck; he never had the strength of a seed disciple and simply didn't dare come back to face a challenge." "Wang Cheng only got a one-day taste of being a seed disciple. I wonder who will challenge Zhang He tomorrow?" "Wait, isn't that Lu Changsheng, the seed disciple who entered the sect three months ago by climbing the Heavenly Stairway? He actually came back, and he's watching the fight between Wang Cheng and Zhang He..." Just then, many people spotted Lu Changsheng. Even Zhang He on the arena turned his gaze toward him. Lu Changsheng, the "former" seed disciple. He had failed to return to the mountain in time and had his status stripped, only to show up three days later. This was quite amusing. For a moment, numerous disciples waited to see how Lu Changsheng would react. Yet Lu Changsheng showed no reaction whatsoever. Seeing Wang Cheng defeated by Zhang He, Lu Changsheng said nothing at all, simply turning around and walking away. "Hah, Lu Changsheng certainly knows his limits." "Do you think Lu Changsheng will challenge Zhang He tomorrow?" "Impossible... Maybe in a few years he might. As for now? If he truly had the strength to challenge Zhang He, he wouldn't have deliberately stayed away." "Climbing the Heavenly Stairway to enter the sect—what a glorious feat! Yet in the end, he still couldn't hold onto his seed disciple status." The onlookers shook their heads. Seeing that Lu Changsheng made no gesture, Zhang He ceased paying attention to him. He needed to prepare for tomorrow's battle. So long as he could overcome his challenger tomorrow, he would secure the status of seed disciple for an entire month. To Zhang He, that was of paramount importance! By this point, Lu Changsheng had already descended the mountain. He entered the Tianlu Mountain Range once more and arrived before the Tianlu Waterfall. It was indeed an enormous waterfall. Though it might not strictly cascade down three thousand feet, it was undeniably magnificent. Rumble! The plunging waters crashed down with a deafening roar. "Not bad. The Tianlu Waterfall truly lives up to its reputation." To comprehend the Waterfall Conception, Lu Changsheng naturally needed to learn from nature. Being able to witness such a magnificent waterfall with his own eyes was ideal. With that, Lu Changsheng sat down cross-legged and unleashed his Perception Domain. With the Perception Domain active, he had no need to stand under the torrent to physically feel the waterfall. The domain revealed every minute detail, making it peerless for grasping martial conceptions. Time slipped by. Lu Changsheng was not comprehending the Waterfall Conception entirely from scratch; he was splitting a conception. He had previously comprehended the Starry Sky Waterfall Conception, so upon beholding the Tianlu Waterfall, it took him a mere four hours to re-comprehend the Waterfall Conception. A soft hum vibrated through the air. Lu Changsheng manifested the Waterfall Conception. It was as though a colossal cataract were plunging down, rushing ceaselessly, its thunderous roar echoing endlessly in his ears. "Done!" Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. With the Tianlu Waterfall before him, grasping the Waterfall Conception had been effortless. He even felt that his Waterfall Conception would progress at tremendous speed, and if he were to evolve a domain, it would likely evolve before the Starry Sky Conception did. The next day, someone challenged Zhang He. Lu Changsheng went to watch again. Zhang He secured a narrow victory over his opponent. With that, Zhang He was overjoyed. He was finally a seed disciple, guaranteed to hold the rank for at least a month. If he could defeat his challenger next month as well, he could maintain his seed disciple status for another month. Lu Changsheng looked over the other seed disciples. It was not that they had no challengers; they had challengers as well, but very few. After all, everyone understood the strength of those seed disciples. Without considerable confidence, no one dared challenge them. Nearly all the challengers failed. Aside from Zhang He and Wang Cheng, who had managed to succeed, every other challenge had ended in defeat. In other words, among all the outer sect seed disciples this month, only Lu Changsheng's spot had changed hands. Lu Changsheng remained unhurried. Holding the status of seed disciple was of little use to him right now anyway; it was better to pour all his efforts into comprehending the Waterfall Conception and Starry Sky Conception first. In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed. On this day, Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged before the Tianlu Waterfall, the deafening roar of falling water still ringing in his ears. Over the course of a month, his progress in the Waterfall Conception had advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching an astonishing ninety-nine percent. Now, all he needed was an opportunity. Yet that opportunity remained elusive. Or rather, Lu Changsheng had not been as fortunate this time around, unable to find the right catalyst. Come nightfall, Lu Changsheng meditated on the Starry Sky Conception. The Starry Sky Conception lagged behind the Waterfall Conception by about ten days, but it too finally reached ninety-nine percent progress. Yet it was similarly stuck awaiting a catalyst. Even so, Lu Changsheng was confident he would find it. Three to five months at most, three to five days at least—perhaps tomorrow he would stumble upon the catalyst and evolve a domain. But that depended on luck. Lu Changsheng furrowed his brows. "Both the Waterfall Conception and Starry Sky Conception have reached ninety-nine percent. They're just a sliver of an opportunity away from consummation and evolving into domains." "My comprehension should be sufficient, but it hasn't reached the point where I can forcefully evolve a domain." "I either keep waiting, or find a way to enhance my comprehension." Lu Changsheng considered his options. As for boosting his comprehension, he had no particularly great methods right now, other than practicing martial arts. However, while he could not permanently boost his comprehension, he could temporarily raise it. For instance, with a Dao Comprehension Pill! Lu Changsheng thought of the Dao Comprehension Pill. The effects of the Dao Comprehension Pill were said to be miraculous, capable of plunging a person into sudden enlightenment. As for the results of that enlightenment, that varied from person to person. The Dao Comprehension Pill was immensely potent, coveted by all. Yet it had one glaring drawback: it was excessively expensive. A single Dao Comprehension Pill cost ten thousand contribution points! One had to realize that when outer sect disciples completed missions, a single task usually yielded only one or two hundred contribution points. Missions worth over a thousand contribution points carried significant peril and were exceedingly difficult, or else exceedingly tedious, requiring years to finish. Just how many missions would one have to complete to amass ten thousand contribution points? Lu Changsheng, however, was different. He possessed deep-sea profound iron ore; once handed in, it would yield a massive sum of contribution points. Yet without the status of a seed disciple, turning in the deep-sea profound iron ore now would be far too wasteful, as he could not receive double rewards. "It seems I still need the status of a seed disciple after all." Lu Changsheng made up his mind. Tomorrow, he would challenge a seed disciple and secure the status first. The next day, Lu Changsheng went to the Outer Sect Deacon's Office. To challenge a disciple, one had to register with a deacon, who would then arrange matters according to the application timestamp and actual circumstances. Quite a few disciples were gathered at the Outer Sect Deacon's Office. Extending his perception slightly, Lu Changsheng discovered that competition for the seed disciple spot had been exceptionally fierce this month. The issue still stemmed from Zhang He. Last month, Zhang He had obtained the seed disciple status, only to suffer a narrow defeat at the hands of Lu Feng this month. Lu Feng had then lost to Xia Yang. Later, Xia Yang had fallen to Ji Wuchang. Right now, these disciples were lining up to challenge Ji Wuchang. Naturally, Ji Wuchang would only face a single challenger. Lu Changsheng glanced at the crowd. He had no chance of challenging Ji Wuchang, as others had registered their applications long ago. Lu Changsheng was not about to wait around for Ji Wuchang to be defeated by someone else before submitting an application of his own. He had no desire to deal with such hassle. Moreover, even if he applied, he might not secure the spot, as that depended on luck and the deacon's arrangements. For Lu Changsheng to become a seed disciple, there was no need for such convoluted effort. "I would like to see which seed disciples can still be challenged this month," Lu Changsheng asked the outer sect deacon directly. "You aren't going to challenge Ji Wuchang? Or wait to see whether Ji Wuchang wins or loses tomorrow?" the deacon asked, looking at Lu Changsheng with mild surprise. "No need. Show me the other seed disciples," Lu Changsheng replied calmly. The deacon clearly recognized Lu Changsheng. After all, Lu Changsheng was a former seed disciple who had entered the sect by climbing the Heavenly Stairway; he was hardly an unknown figure. The deacon produced a roster and looked through it line by line. "Most seed disciples have already been challenged. They cannot be challenged again this month; you can only wait until next month." "However, there are still three disciples who have not been challenged." "Are you sure you want to try?" The deacon passed the roster to Lu Changsheng. Three names were written upon it. Yet upon seeing those three names, Lu Changsheng finally understood why no one had challenged them. Though Lu Changsheng had not spent much time in the outer sect, he enveloped it with his Perception Domain every day. When it came to the affairs of the outer sect, Lu Changsheng was clearer than anyone. The three names on that list were absolute taboos within the outer sect—existences no one dared provoke. From the moment they had become seed disciples, they had never once tasted defeat. In fact, they could condense Divine Gang and advance to inner sect disciples at any time, yet for certain reasons, they had refrained from doing so. Lu Changsheng knew that these three shared the exact same objective as him: to remain in the outer sect and continuously build their foundation. Once they advanced to the inner sect, they would be able to defend their standing as inner sect disciples as well. These were disciples with true ambition! Anyone who challenged such figures was merely inviting humiliation. Lu Changsheng, however, did not care. The fact that no one challenged them was all the better, making it all the easier for him to claim a seed disciple spot. "Him, then. I register to challenge Meng Fang!" Lu Changsheng's voice was not loud. Yet the moment the words left his lips, dozens of gazes snapped onto him in an instant.