Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 750 - 749: Unrivaled and Invincible

Hou Niao was uncharacteristically staying in Sikong Mansion to cultivate his body and mind, which made many of the old servants of Sikong Mansion who knew him very well wonder, why had he suddenly changed his nature?

In fact, he was not completely staying inside the mansion; rather, he was using the time to exchange his merits for as many valuable material items as he could, especially those of high value.

He excused it as cultivating some kind of special swordsmanship, cultivation techniques, and so on.

He had a bad feeling that perhaps this time at the Shan Sect’s annual meeting, he would be punished, which was usually no big deal for him, but previously when he was punished, the best part was that he was penniless, so they could only take his future, not a penny of his present situation.

But now he was no longer a poor man, possessing considerable wealth, especially having accumulated a lot of merits, which he couldn’t take with him...

So he could only realize their value!

He had seen in history that a large part of the sect’s punishment for erring disciples was taking away their merits, which he found somewhat unacceptable; with his straightforward mindset, what was his was his. If they wanted to penalize him, they could put it on the bill and then see if they had the ability to collect it?

First, spend the merits and exchange them for hard currency he could carry with him was his way of avoiding risk; in fact, with his current wealth and the backing of Bai’s Trading Company, he wasn’t lacking in resources and didn’t need to be so scrupulous, but if a person was punished often enough, they’d develop a rebellious mentality: I won’t let you fine even a single hair off me!

All of this stemmed from what he planned to do next, which could very well stir up a hornet’s nest; for someone like him who spent his life causing trouble, someone accustomed to stirring up misfortunes often developed a miraculous intuition, vaguely sensing unease... but he couldn’t stop himself.

He was preparing, preparing for the loss of merits, confinement, demotion to some remote and destitute place, or being assigned a dangerous task after causing trouble... all of these were possible because what he wanted to do had not been dared by anyone in the nearly two thousand years since the Quanzhen Sect was established. It was a case of attacking those above him, challenging tradition, upsetting others’ interests, facing a group of people, all of whom were higher than him in realm levels.

This made him worried but also secretly excited. He liked the feeling of tearing open others’ wounds, watching them grimace in pain; he couldn’t help feeling a sense of satisfaction, especially if he could bring some of their flesh with him...

He was certain that this might be the only Sword Sect in Jinxiu Continent, but it definitely wasn’t the Sword Sect of his dreams; patching things up had not been very useful, to truly make a change, things had to start anew, and he didn’t mind being the first to remove a brick, breaking these jars and vases.

For others, it seemed bizarre that a minor Tongtian Third Realm Cultivator should have such audacious dreams, but to him, it didn’t seem strange at all, considering his unique beginning in cultivation, a mindset he had determined before he even formally began cultivating, a mindset to keep a low profile.

This was not a goal that could be achieved in a single step; now was just the beginning, and he would spend his lifetime working towards it;

Was it because of a promise made to Chong Ling or a sense of responsibility toward the Sword Sect? Now it seemed hard to distinguish clearly, it was partly both, and yet not entirely so...

It was a complex combination of factors, involving the old Daoist from Chong Ling, a desire to see the Sword Sect improve, the reluctance to be left behind in the dawning of a great era, his personal ambition for power, and his yearning for the Outer Universe... With all these factors combined, it was hard for him to remain indifferent.

A great era, a vast background, a grand future... it was the greatest favor heaven could bestow on a cultivator; how foolish would he have to be to give up such an opportunity?

Therefore, even though Yu Zhengxing’s hints and reminders were sincere and heartfelt, he would never stop his march forward.

Even if I stand alone against millions, I will go forth.

Lie Wind and Cloud Changes, I stand uniquely indifferent!

He finally understood the true meaning of that phrase, seeking defeat in solitude! freeweɓnøvel~com

It was a transcendence in mindset; only by achieving such a feat could he fully comprehend the true meaning of the character ’Lie,’ so from the perspective of cultivation, he also had to take this step.

In the three Body Sword Skills he mastered, the "Front" technique’s "Supreme Ego" stance had already achieved minor success, and the "Lie" technique’s "Invincible Seeker" stance also showed progress. Now, he was only lacking the "Formation" technique.

This made him increasingly curious about who had created this swordsmanship?

This person was his true master, yet he didn’t even know the master’s name.

How others advanced on their Daoist Path, he did not know, but for him, it was challenge after challenge!

If one day he lost the courage to face challenges, his Daoist Path would also come to an abrupt end. This was his way of cultivation.

In the month he had been secluded, many significant and minor events had occurred in Yujing City. For instance, had there been a conflict between the disciples of Tongtian from Sima Mansion and Situ Mansion, leading to a minor brawl?

For example, did Prince Manor and Martial Prince Manor hold a small Dharma assembly, inviting many cultivators from Outer States to attend?

For example, did nine True Disciples perform swordsmanship at Cangjian Platform, unconcerned by the spectators?

For example, within the Sect, Sima Mansion planned to establish a new hall called Seeking Truth Hall; starting from the next selection of True Disciples, all Quanzhen disciples could participate, based on ability. The future positions of the nine major True Disciples must emerge from Seeking Truth Hall, not appointed from above.

Especially the last point, the emergence of Seeking Truth Hall was a tacit acknowledgment of a change in the selection method for True Disciples. It disregarded origin, background, or connections, gathering the finest talents together, clearly distinguishing the superior from the inferior.

But this would start from the next session.

A discerning person could see the underlying intentions behind this move. It was to divide and dissolve, splitting the Tongtian Realm into two parts, giving hope to Tongxuan and God Sensing cultivators, so they would have something to look forward to in the next session, thus not causing troubles with the Natural Realm disciples this time.

By distinguishing the Natural Realm cultivators separately, the vast numerical advantage of the Tongtian Realm cultivators lost its significance, as in terms of numbers, the Tongxuan Realm had the most, God Sensing Realm was next, and the Natural Realm had the fewest...

This move was cunning, filling the annual meeting with unpredictability.

... On the last day before the annual meeting began, they met again at that tavern, the brothers gathered together.

All that needed to be done had been done, yet the situation was not entirely favorable. Linking up within the Natural Realm group went smoothly, but many Tongxuan and God Sensing cultivators started having second thoughts. This was the strength of Seeking Truth Hall.

There were many negotiators. They, being the lowest level of negotiators, faced opponents of much higher status who appeared on stage as Golden Core Upper Cultivators, promising substantial benefits...

"They are scared!"

Hou Niao judged, then looked at his brothers and, abandoning his usual seriousness,

"What I want to say is, whatever happens at the meeting, it is my issue alone; don’t come out in attempt to fight injustice or incite a crowd. No matter how we assemble, we are now in the minority.

We can’t compete with the quality of the Golden Core Masters above, or the quantity of Tongxuan and God Sensing below.

Leave it to me, to try my best and accept fate!"