Chapter 286 - 178: Two Major Fiends
"Indeed, whether it’s swordsmanship or magic, both must be honed through real combat to progress quickly. Liou Zhen also considered joining the Disciplinary Hall for this reason back in the day." Fang Yu had no doubt about Liou Yuan’s words.
Seeing that Liou Yuan had made up his mind, Fang Yu no longer tried to persuade him.
He began warning Liou Yuan about some secrets of the Disciplinary Hall based on his position as the guide for new members.
"You are now at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer; you should only take on missions to capture criminals below the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer."
"Do not confront criminals beyond your cultivation rank."
"None of those hunted by the Disciplinary Hall are to be underestimated and may even be hiding their true strength."
"In past years, half of the Disciplinary Hall disciples who died at the hands of those criminals did so because of inaccurate information and underestimating their strength."
"Also, do not take on any of the missions related to those listed on the capture list, even if it’s just gathering intelligence, as there’s a constant risk of death."
"As long as you obey these two rules, with your current strength, you’ll manage in the Disciplinary Hall."
The advantages of having connections were obvious; Fang Yu was assigned as the guide for the Fifth Peak, responsible for monitoring the cultivation ranks and death register of the Fifth Peak disciples.
The things he mentioned were not information the average person would hear, and Liou Yuan took note of them seriously.
Seeing that time was pressing, he got up and bid farewell to Fang Yu.
As they were about to part, Fang Yu suddenly smacked his forehead as if remembering something, then pulled out two bottles of elixirs from his pocket and handed them to Liou Yuan, "Almost forgot about this."
"Your elder brother obtained two bottles of elixirs to enhance your cultivation from the Inner Sect before he was sent to the Erosion Land. They are meant for you to use when trying to break through to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer."
"He handed them to me back then, and I almost forgot to give them to you."
"You should keep them safe."
Looking at the two bottles of elixirs handed over by Fang Yu, Liou Yuan felt a slight warmth in his heart.
But since they were gifted by his elder brother, there was no reason to refuse them, so he thanked Fang Yu and put them into his storage bag.
After bidding farewell to Fang Yu, on his way back, Liou Yuan took out the two bottles of elixirs and examined them.
They were indeed Spirit Attachment Elixirs.
Liou Zhen had once mentioned that the descendants of his family mostly used Spirit Attachment Elixirs, as they were highly effective and more easily absorbed by cultivators compared to other superior elixirs.
"These must have cost a lot," Liou Yuan murmured to himself.
In addition to these two bottles of Spirit Attachment Elixirs from Liou Zhen, there was also one from Liou Tao, and two Qi Gathering Elixirs sent by Wei Miaomeng a few days ago.
Liou Yuan now had five bottles of elixirs for enhancing his cultivation, more than enough to attempt breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer with some to spare.
"Now that I have the elixirs, I should start using them to cultivate today." Saying this, Liou Yuan stored the Spirit Attachment Elixirs into his storage bag.
He was now at the very top of the Fifth Peak, and looking down, he could see clouds and mist enveloping the mid-mountain region.
He paused to contemplate but didn’t choose to return to his cave; instead, he walked down a path leading to the Disciplinary Hall.
Due to the presence of the Fixed Star Compass, Liou Yuan needed the authority to enter and exit the Five Extremes Mountain at any time.
And only by becoming a disciple of the Disciplinary Hall could he achieve this.
So joining the Disciplinary Hall was a necessity for Liou Yuan.
"Senior Brother Lao Xiuyuan once said that there are two criteria for joining the Disciplinary Hall."
"First, one’s cultivation must be above the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. I am already at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, meeting this requirement."
"Second, one must capture two criminals registered by the Disciplinary Hall within a year."
When Liou Yuan killed Ji Jie, he was at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, and the Outer Sect training hadn’t started yet.
From the time Liou Yuan closed himself off for a year to reach the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, to spending over three months in the Erosion Land, it had been over a year by now.
So for Liou Yuan to meet the second requirement, he needed to capture two more criminals registered by the Disciplinary Hall.
"I was able to capture Ji Jie at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, and now at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, the Disciplinary Hall’s examination should be no challenge for me."
"This time, I might as well take on two capture missions at once and solve them in one go."
Liou Yuan had already planned it out in his mind.
Empowered by the Treading Flowing Waves technique, he reached the entrance of the Disciplinary Hall in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
With prior experience in capturing criminals, Liou Yuan smoothly made his way to the Wind Chasing Division.
Over a year ago, Lao Xiuyuan, who was responsible for registering capture missions, was long gone and was replaced by a burly man with a full beard.
Liou Yuan’s Evil Eyes noticed that he was only at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer.
Lao Xiuyuan was one of the top ten experts of the Outer Sect, among the few most likely to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He was previously assigned to register at the Wind Chasing Division entrance because he had offended the higher-ups of the Disciplinary Hall and was punished.
Now that so much time had passed, it was apparent that his punishment period was over, and leaving was only natural.
Not seeing Lao Xiuyuan personally still made Liou Yuan furrow his brow slightly.
He remembered that in order to enter the Disciplinary Hall, aside from meeting those two strict requirements, a recommendation from an internal disciple was also needed.
Lao Xiuyuan had promised to recommend him to the Disciplinary Hall.
Now that he was gone, even if Liou Yuan met the two requirements, he would not be able to enter the Disciplinary Hall.
After a moment’s hesitation, Liou Yuan approached the bearded man and, addressing him as senior brother, inquired about Lao Xiuyuan’s whereabouts.
"Senior Brother Lao Xiuyuan? He went into seclusion a year ago, saying he was attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm."
The bearded man looked about a generation older than Lao Xiuyuan, yet still addressed him as senior brother, and there was a sense of reverence in his expression when mentioning this name.
"Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm! So quickly!" Liou Yuan was initially stunned but then realized that given Lao Xiuyuan’s reputation, attempting a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment wasn’t surprising for someone like him.