Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 506 - 51 The Former Sect Master Emerges from Seclusion

Chapter 506: Chapter 51 The Former Sect Master Emerges from Seclusion

Chengshan City was an ancient metropolis with a population of several millions and a history spanning over ten thousand years. Within this ancient city stood dozens of martial arts sects of varying sizes.

The sects fought among themselves, with blood battles and sect annihilations being common occurrences.

However, among these sects, only four had withstood the test of time and turmoil for over a thousand years.

Among them, Banshan Sect was one.

Since the founding ancestor, Moving Mountain True Man, established the sect, Banshan Sect had a history of over three thousand five hundred years, making it one of the oldest among the many sects.

But in this world, what sect does not eventually decline?

Since the great war several hundred years ago, Banshan Sect had fallen into decline.

The rise of a sect is often filled with hardships, but its fall can be remarkably easy.

The sect’s scriptures were scattered, its occupied territories divvied up, its outstanding disciples poached or assassinated... After descending for over a thousand years, Banshan Sect finally reached the brink of life and death.

The headquarters’ great hall of Banshan Sect.

As an ancient sect over a thousand years old, the location of its headquarters had never changed. Despite numerous renovations, the architecture still oozed historical charm after more than three thousand years of wear and tear.

In the great hall, seats meant for hall masters, which used to be fully occupied, now hosted only a third of their capacity.

Moreover, many of those present bore injuries.

And in the main seat, a middle-aged Wild Beastman with a stature like a giant bear but a weak aura furrowed his brow deeply.

This middle-aged man was Kong Xiong, the Sect Master of Banshan Sect.

Half a year ago, a Jianghu Guest appeared out of nowhere to challenge him, leaving him with internal injuries.

Subsequently, a rumor spread through Chengshan City claiming the old Sect Master of Banshan Sect had died, and the new Sect Master who had practiced Moving Mountain Barbaric Bull Power was an incompetent waste.

The former overlord of Chengshan City had now become a paper tiger.

In the hall, a Wild Beastman dressed unmistakably as a disciple was kneeling on the ground, holding a scarlet invitation letter in hand.

"Sect Master, a messenger from Taiyue Sect has sent an invitation, asking you to attend this edition of the Chengshan Martial Arts Conference," the disciple said.

Kong Xiong extended his hand, and the invitation was seized by an invisible force, floating into his palm. Unfolding it, he glanced over the contents, and a formidable pressure instantly filled the entire hall.

As the Sect Master of Banshan Sect, Kong Xiong’s strength had indeed reached the realm of a Martial Arts Master.

"These bastards are really too much! They’re brazenly set on carving up our Banshan Sect!"

The content at the front of the invitation was straightforward, maintaining the same trite language as the past several hundred conferences. However, at the end of the invitation, Taiyue Sect had added a new clause.

It mentioned that the constant fighting between the sects over the years had significantly disrupted many businesses within the city.

Yet the taxes levied from above had been climbing continuously. In order to supply Chengshan City with sufficient taxes, they had decided to form a Chengshan Martial Alliance, which would redistribute the power among the sects, thereby ending the chaos.

Though the statement sounded noble, those major sects were the ones at the dining table, and those smaller sects meant to be served had already found high-ranking supporters.

Only Banshan Sect lacked sufficient strength to secure a seat at the table, nor was it willing to bow down and submit.

Once the conference began, it was certain they wouldn’t even get a taste of the soup. The legacy built by their ancestors was at risk of being carved up by others.

But even if they could see through the scheme, what could they do?

Without enough strength, they were nothing but food on the table.

Banshan Sect’s former glory was well witnessed by the other major sects, and if they could ensure Banshan Sect never rose again, they wouldn’t hesitate to trample on it.

As the oppressive aura dissipated, Kong Xiong coughed and waved his hand towards the silent hall masters.

"Sigh, disperse, I will think of a solution," he said.

Some hall masters seemed eager to speak, but in the end, they remained silent.

In their view, they could completely set aside their pride for the time being, cowering to bide their time. Once the opportunity arose, they would reclaim their lost honor.

Kong Xiong glanced at them; he was well aware of their intentions. But he was even more familiar with the thoughts of the other sects.

Banshan Sect bowing down was merely like scraping flesh with a small knife.

Unless Banshan Sect was completely crushed, those sects that had once attacked Banshan Sect would not rest easy.

Soon, the hall masters dispersed from the great hall.

Kong Xiong moved, hovering in mid-air, and flew toward the back mountains.

Chengshan City was built against the mountains. The vast city was almost entirely composed of large and small mountain tops. Although many of the peaks had been flattened by martial artists, almost every major sect still preserved some mountain tops as part of their gardens.

As the former dominator of Chengshan City, Banshan Sect’s gardens were enormously expansive, naturally including many mountain tops.

Kong Xiong flew among these mountain tops for a while, eventually stopping in front of a cave sealed by giant boulders.

He knelt before the cave entrance, his voice filled with sorrow, "Master, the sect is now at a life-or-death crossroads. If you do not exit your seclusion now, the legacy of Banshan Sect for over three thousand years will be buried by our hands, disciple and teacher alike!"

After speaking, Kong Xiong bowed deeply to the ground.

But after a long wait, there was still no response from within the cave.

Kong Xiong felt a sense of despair. Could it be that one’s pride was more important than the existence of the sect?

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a muffled sound. The huge stone in front of him seemed to tremble slightly.

In the next moment, a loud boom echoed.

The giant rock sealing the entrance suddenly shattered, and an old Beastman with a valiant face, as if forged from iron, stepped out.

Kong Xiong looked at the old Beastman, his eyes immediately brimming with hot tears.

He bowed deeply to the old Beastman and said, "Disciple Kong Xiong greets Master upon exiting seclusion!"

The old Beastman heard this and his expression turned somewhat strange. He stretched his limbs and slowly said, "Stand up, Kong..."

The old Beastman paused as if in thought. After a while, he continued, "Stand up, Kong Xiong."

Kong Xiong stood up, completely oblivious to the odd behavior of his Master.

"Master, the Sects within Chengshan City are about to divide us up. I, your disciple, am incompetent and cannot stand up for our Sect, so I have no choice but to ask for your return."

The old Beastman nodded slightly, "Fine, I understand. Find me a room, and then bring up all the changes that have happened in the city over these years."

"Arrange a room?"

Kong Xiong shuddered, speaking fearfully, "Master, now that you have emerged from seclusion, you are the Sect Leader. I will tidy up your room immediately, ensuring it is exactly as it was before you left."

The old Beastman said expressionlessly, "That will do, go on then."

"Yes!"

Watching the departing Kong Xiong, the old Beastman touched down to the ground and suddenly relaxed.

A black crow flew out from the Black Crow Forest, landing on the old Beastman’s shoulder, and said, "This young one really can endure, waiting until now to ask you to come out of seclusion."

The old Beastman stretched his muscles and bones, his tone carrying a bit of complaint.

"I feel I was still too lenient with him that day, I should have left him with just a breath of life."

As he spoke, the old Beastman’s form shifted, and in a fleeting moment, he transformed from the old Beastman into Richard.

Seeing this, the audience must have understood by now.

The plight that Banshan Sect faced in the past half year was all orchestrated by Richard, the Black Wizard.

After entering Chengshan City with the merchant caravan, Richard began his scheme.

First, he ascertained the exact situation of the Banshan Sect, and after confirming that it was indeed as told by the old Beastman in the caravan, he sneaked into the back mountain of the Banshan Sect.

Under the surveillance of the Dimension Eye, Richard quickly found the former Sect Master of Banshan Sect, who was in deep seclusion.

That old Sect Master was already somewhat incoherent, years of failures combined with unscientific experiment methods had done great damage to his brain.

Using his completely overpowering physical condition and his superb sneaking skills, Richard effortlessly dealt with the old Beastman.

And through Soul Search, he learned a portion of the old Beastman’s memories—unfortunately, he didn’t understand Soul Rules and wasn’t a Wizard of the Soul School. The Soul Searching Technique was something he had just learned for this infiltration. Gaining some memory was already the limit.

After that, he disguised himself as a Jianghu Guest trying out in combat and injured the current Sect Master of Banshan Sect. Then he spread rumors in the city, claiming that the old Sect Master of Banshan Sect had died and the new Sect Master was an incompetent wretch.

To pressure Kong Xiong into asking him to come out of seclusion.

Under such circumstances, his identity would not be under any doubt. Even if there were doubts, after he finished dealing with the current problems of the Banshan Sect, those doubts would dissolve into nothingness.

"But there’s one problem with your plan, you don’t know the martial arts of Banshan Sect, isn’t it very easy to expose yourself in battle?" Ulysses questioned.

Richard confidently replied, "I’ve researched it. The biggest characteristic of the Moving Mountain Barbaric Bull Power is immense strength. And my strength, without bragging, is superior to these Wild Beastmen even without martial arts.

"When the time comes, I just need to casually mention that I had some insights during my seclusion, and the rest can be left to their imagination."

Ulysses was taken aback upon hearing this, then praised, "Choosing this old guy was the right move, ’entered seclusion’ can explain anything."

Richard chuckled. If the situation at Banshan Sect hadn’t been so special, he wouldn’t have bothered to go to such lengths, sneaking in and spreading rumors to force the old Sect Master to be called out of seclusion.

Soon after, Kong Xiong returned to the back mountain.

He glanced at the black crow on his Master’s shoulder, and then at his expressionless Master, and decided to set aside the matter of the black crow for the moment.

He knew that his Master was a man who took great pride in his reputation. Breaking his oath to come out of seclusion was humiliating for his Master’s dignity. If he talked too much now and angered his Master, he was likely going to be severely punished.

This had happened all too often before he had become the Sect Master.

"Master, your room has been prepared."

Richard glanced at Kong Xiong and nodded slightly, "Good, take me there. Also, list out the names of the Sects that have bullied us the harshest over these years."

Upon hearing this, Kong Xiong’s eyes filled with tears.

After being bullied for so many years, they were finally going to retaliate. But... even though his Master was stronger than he was, he wasn’t that exaggeratedly powerful.

Moreover, his Master had been in seclusion for so many years, and it was uncertain whether he still possessed his old strength without having fought during that time.

Richard glanced at Kong Xiong and casually slapped a nearby tree.

Instantaneously, a muffled sound was heard. A centennial tree thunderously collapsed.

Kong Xiong saw that the core of the tree had been completely shattered, yet the outer layer of the tree was unharmed in the slightest.

This was clearly the result of masterful control over one’s strength.

Richard spoke indifferently, "I have had some insights over these years. Although I haven’t perfected the Body Refining Technique, I haven’t been stagnant in martial arts either."