Chapter 744: Making Decisions (II)
The information Zong Linjing knew was somewhat more detailed than what Qiu Kun and Bai Lin had heard. She had learned all of it from Nie Zhiyu. Although Nie Zhiyu was not formally Zong Linjing's master, perhaps because they were both women, she took particularly good care of Zong Linjing. More accurately, their relationship was closer to that of a mother and daughter. As a result, Zong Linjing often learned many confidential matters from Nie Zhiyu.
"How careless!" Qiu Kun could not help blurting out. "Uh, no, I don't mean any disrespect toward that senior. He was just too careless. If he'd cleaned up properly afterward, we wouldn't be dealing with all this trouble now.
"Perhaps it wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't. The martial artists of the three ancient martial esteemed families are not to be underestimated. When they fully unleash their bloodline powers, they are capable of fighting above their level. After killing Woo Jin, that senior must have been greatly depleted and afflicted by the Woo Family's bloodline curse, forcing him to flee immediately and find somewhere to enter seclusion. After all, thoroughly erasing every trace of the Woo Family's bloodline powers left behind in the world is no easy task." Bai Lin speculated.
Hearing this, Lin Zheyu badly wanted to refute him. He had actually had plenty of time back then. He simply had not thought of doing such a thing, nor did he possess any suitable methods for it.
Perhaps I should learn a few more practical secret arts, the sort that are indispensable for travel, killing people, and seizing treasures, Lin Zheyu muttered inwardly. As his strength increased, the enemies he killed were becoming stronger and stronger, while the methods at their disposal were growing ever stranger, more mysterious, and more formidable.
"I agree with Fellow Zong's theory. There's a good chance that senior was cultivating in seclusion within those ruins and obtained the Shamanic Clan inheritance there. Then Woo Jin and the others barged in without knowing what was happening, so the senior silenced them. This theory isn't without basis.
"According to that lord from the Directorate of Celestial Observation, the senior from the Martial Alliance possesses a powerful Shamanic Clan secret treasure. That secret treasure is extremely formidable and can conceal the workings of heaven. Otherwise, with that lord's strength combined with the Sky-Patrolling Mirror, he would have been able to divine a great deal of useful information from the trace of bloodline power Woo Tianlei brought back," Zong Linjing added.
Hearing this, Lin Zheyu nodded and finally relaxed. "It seems the truth is probably just as Fellow Zong said."
It seemed that when that lord performed the divination, Lin Zheyu had happened to be cultivating inside the Primordial Chaos Pool, which had concealed the heavenly secrets surrounding him. Fortunately, while he was at the Evilheart Sect, he had cultivated diligently and spent most of his time in seclusion within the Primordial Chaos Pool. Otherwise, he really would have been in serious trouble.
"It's a pity that the current environment of heaven and earth is no longer suitable for cultivating shamanic arts. Still, the Shamanic Dao and Martial Dao have quite a few things in common. I wonder whether that senior, after obtaining the inheritance, will be able to use it as a foundation to find a path for martial cultivation beyond the current realm," Bai Lin said with a sigh.
After advancing to the Shackles realm, one had to begin accumulating knowledge and experience in preparation for forging one's own martial cultivation path in the future. Yet the more one saw, the more bewildered one became, and the less certain one was about how to proceed.
Lin Zheyu shook his head. "It would be very difficult. You said it yourself. The current world is no longer suitable for cultivating the Shamanic Dao. If you can't cultivate it, how are you supposed to comprehend its more profound knowledge and mysteries?"
He was more qualified than anyone present to speak on this matter. Basic Shamanic Dao knowledge offered only limited help to martial cultivation. One had to comprehend more profound knowledge for it to be truly useful. However, although the Shamanic Dao and Martial Dao shared certain similarities, they were still two entirely different cultivation systems. Without being able to cultivate the Shamanic Dao itself, there was simply no way to begin comprehending its more advanced knowledge. It was like trying to decipher a heavenly tome.
"It might not be easy, but at least it gives us something to hope for, right?" Qiu Kun curled his lips and chuckled.
"By the way, what are you planning to do next?" Bai Lin asked Lin Zheyu.
"What's the situation like over at the demon cave?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"It's a complete mess over there right now. Many strongholds have fallen, and large numbers of Great Wei's Demon-Suppressing Army, Buddhist sect monks, barbarian troops, and others are fighting the yao in the demon cave with bloodshot eyes. It's become a bloody battlefield in every sense of the word. You're not thinking of going to the demon cave, are you? It's not suitable for people like us to get involved there right now. The ancient martial esteemed families have sent large numbers of experts to lie in wait inside the demon cave specifically to hunt martial artists from our Martial Alliance," Qiu Kun said, shaking his head.
They themselves had only just withdrawn from the demon cave. If not for this matter, they would not have wanted to return so soon. After all, the more intense the fighting in the demon cave became, the easier it was to earn contribution points, and Qiu Kun was always short on them these days.
"Looks like I won't be able to go there, then. In that case, I'll spend some time cultivating in seclusion at the Martial Alliance, then head to the Black Tortoise Realm to participate in the Ascension Assembly. Do any of you want to come along?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile.
Although the Ascension Assembly was mainly held for immortal cultivators, there were also a few events in which martial artists could participate, such as arena competitions and yao hunting contests. The rewards for these events were quite generous. Those who placed in the top three could even earn the right to use the Sky-Patrolling Mirror.
"The Ascension Assembly? I'm not going. It's boring and a waste of time." Qiu Kun shook his head. "I'm in desperate need of cultivation resources right now, so I need to take on missions as soon as possible. Otherwise, I won't even have enough Divine Power Crystals for my daily needs."
"Same here." Zong Linjing shook her head.
Bai Lin also shook his head slightly, indicating he wouldn't be going either.
Qiu Kun looked at Lin Zheyu and asked tentatively, "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you exchange for cultivation resources or Divine Power Crystals through the Martial Alliance. Don't tell me you've stumbled upon some heaven-defying opportunity?"
"Uh, I have exchanged for quite a few resources. As for Divine Power Crystals, aren't they pretty easy to get? Whenever I go out for a while, there are always some fools who come looking for trouble on their own, and almost every one of them carries plenty. Do you need any? I still have quite a lot on me. I can lend you some," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.
His own circumstances were rather unusual, so he had almost forgotten that Divine Power Crystals were essential supplies for every cultivator, whether for cultivation or travel. Martial artists had it somewhat easier, but immortal cultivators had an even greater need for Divine Power Crystals. This was also one of the reasons the various sects and factions were willing to unite under Great Wei.
"Only you could make killing people and taking their treasures sound so perfectly justified," Qiu Kun could not help muttering under his breath.
Zong Linjing and Bai Lin could not help looking as though they agreed. Lin Zheyu laughed heartily and dropped the matter. He had originally wanted to invite Zong Linjing and the others to attend the Ascension Assembly with him so they could broaden their horizons and see whether they might stumble across some opportunities. Unexpectedly, none of them were interested.
After bidding farewell to Zong Linjing and the others, Lin Zheyu walked out of Profound Light Tower. Watching their departing figures, he could not help lamenting how difficult the path of cultivation was. The current cultivation environment of the world was simply too cruel to cultivators without powerful backgrounds or exceptional natural talent. Powerful families and sects that could stand on their own dominated entire regions by themselves. Those that could not instead banded together, much like the many sects and factions of Great Wei, to jointly dominate a region. As for rogue cultivators, it was almost impossible for them to survive.
Take the Chaotic Star Sea, for instance. Truly powerful rogue cultivators were exceedingly rare there, and most of the strong cultivators were merely representatives sent by major sects and factions. Among traditional immortal cultivators without any affiliation, the False Core realm was already the absolute limit. Something had gone wrong with this world. Advancing to the Golden Core realm required not only sufficient natural talent, but also some special form of authorization. Rogue cultivators simply had no possibility of reaching the Golden Core realm.
Among the rogue cultivators of the Chaotic Star Sea, the strongest was merely Cao Hongchang, a demonic cultivator who followed the Yao Dao. As a result, outside Great Wei, there were simply no substantial gathering places for rogue cultivators.
Even if Lin Zheyu wanted to leave Great Wei and explore the outside world in search of opportunities, his chances of finding anything worthwhile were slim. His only real option was to search for secret realms and ruins and venture inside them. Unfortunately, such places were hardly easy to find.
I'll go take a look at the Ascension Assembly first and try my luck. If I don't gain anything there, I'll head to the demon cave afterward. With the fighting there being so intense, there should be plenty of opportunities, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
Unfortunately, he could not return to those Shamanic Clan Ruins for the time being. Otherwise, that would have been his best choice. Sneaking into barbarian territory to hunt powerful barbarians was also far too dangerous. There might well be a supreme treasure there similar to the Sky-Patrolling Mirror, and things could easily go wrong.
A chaotic place like the demon cave was much better suited to him. As for the three ancient martial esteemed families, Lin Zheyu was not particularly concerned about them. As long as they did not send out an expert at the Deity Transformation realm, he had nothing to fear.
"The Heavenly Derivation Sect... There are still about thirty years to go. That's really a long time, even longer than I've been cultivating." Lin Zheyu shook his head helplessly.
He was quite eager to join the Heavenly Derivation Sect. After all, it was a powerful sect renowned for its Formation Dao. If Lin Zheyu wanted to further optimize his divine patterns, knowledge of Formation Dao was indispensable.
Unfortunately, joining the Heavenly Derivation Sect was far too difficult. His only slim chance of entering the sect would come during the Formation Dao Exchange Conference held by the Heavenly Derivation Sect.
Which sect or department in Great Wei specializes in Formation Dao again? I wonder whether they accept outsiders like me... Lin Zheyu pondered as he leisurely made his way back toward his courtyard.
At the Ascension Assembly, anyone who displayed sufficient natural talent and ability could be recruited by official organizations such as the Heavenly Works Pavilion or the Directorate of Celestial Observation. That was precisely what Lin Zheyu was aiming for this time. Joining the Heavenly Derivation Sect was not an option for him at present, but he still had a decent chance of entering one of Great Wei's official organizations. Once inside, he should be able to learn at least some knowledge related to Formation Dao.