Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

The mountain range went quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and every man in it simply stared. The three Dao Bodies were gone like smoke. There had not even been a scream. A shattered Dao Body meant a dead Earthly Saint.

It was absolutely brutal; there was no other way to put it. He had crushed three Earthly Saint Dao Bodies with his hands, which was the same as crushing the three Earthly Saints.

The spectators stood there dumbfounded. They expected an earth-shaking battle, something that was long and vicious. Instead, what they saw was one exchange. Three Earthly Saints were crushed in one move, dying on the spot.

"That's it?"

"Were those three really Earthly Saints?"

"Were they that weak, or is he that strong?"

"He crushed three Earthly Saint Dao Bodies in one grip. Is he still an Earthly Saint?"

Nobody could believe what they had watched. Some of them started wondering whether the three had been Earthly Saints at all.

The Earthly Saints watching from a distance knew better, and every one of them drew a frightened breath.

Three Earthly Saints in one blow.

His Martial Dao Will is beyond imagining. He pinned three Earthly Saints in place with his Martial Dao Will alone. What kind of Martial Dao did he condense? Whatever it is, his Dao Body is no less frightening, or one grip would not have burst three of them.

Thank the heavens I left the range... that would have been me.

Every Earthly Saint out there was counting his luck, the Floating Cloud Sect's ancestor most of all. He had an embryo and a top-tier Martial Dao Will of his own, which meant he understood precisely what he had just watched. One of him would not have been enough. In fact, ten of him rushing in together would have died all the same.

He made up his mind on the spot.

Retreat! Stay far away from the Hundred Flowers Sect's territory from now on. From today, no disciple of the Floating Cloud Sect sets foot inside their range.

The Hundred Flowers Sect had found themselves a monster. Coveting anything of theirs was a death wish. The best thing to do was leave and stay alive.

He was not the only one thinking it. The Earthly Saints around the range emptied out almost immediately, quietly putting distance between themselves and the Hundred Flowers Sect.

Lu Changsheng came back down to the sect, smiling. "Sect Master. I'd say the Hundred Flowers Sect is safe for a good long while."

Zhang Ling bowed at once. "Thank you, Supreme Elder."

She understood what he had given them. One fight had restored the sect's renown and safety altogether. Her disciples could now move around Sacred Star City freely without fear of being attacked for their treasures, and the Hundred Flowers Sect could take its place among the great sects again.

"Keep a close watch on the Secret World Pavilion's auctions and any other channel. If a set of secret world coordinates comes up for sale anywhere, I want to hear about it that day." Lu Changsheng gave his instructions without ceremony.

He had not gone to all this trouble to be somebody's Supreme Elder for fun. He had wanted people under him who could bring him news of secret worlds.

Zhang Ling's face went serious and her voice solemn. "As the Supreme Elder commands."

She knew a test when she was handed one. If the sect could not manage even this, why would he stay and put himself between them and the world? The arrangement only held when both sides got what they wanted, so she promised herself she would finish this task beautifully.

Quiet settled over the sect after that, and half a year went by. One day, Zhang Ling asked to see Lu Changsheng.

"Supreme Elder, there's news about a secret world. Do you know of the Twin Saints of the Sacred Spirit Palace? The two of them are Dao companions[1], and they founded the palace together.

“Not long ago, they came across a set of secret world coordinates by chance, and the energy level is said to be high. The news got out, and top-tier Earthly Saints came after them one after another until the one known as the Flower Saint was killed.

“The one remaining, known as Spirit Saint, made it back to the Sacred Spirit Palace in a fury and swore publicly that whoever killed the Dragon Abyss Saint would get the secret world."

"The Dragon Abyss Saint is top tier himself with a record to match, and he's brought a pack of Earthly Saints with him to besiege the Sacred Spirit Palace. Right now, neither side can move. A grand formation keeps the palace safe for now, but the Spirit Saint also can't defeat him."

Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. It was the news he had been waiting half a year for.

"Is it reliable?" He was careful about these things.

"Absolutely," Zhang Ling replied.

Lu Changsheng thought it over. There were two roads he could take. He could break into the Sacred Spirit Palace himself, except a grand formation holding off that many Earthly Saints was unlikely to open for him either.

Alternatively, he could do what the Spirit Saint had asked, kill the Dragon Abyss Saint, and take the secret world as his prize.

Whether the Spirit Saint would keep his word was not even worth worrying about. He had sworn on his own Martial Dao, and breaking that oath meant never rising to become a Heavenly Saint.

He could always save the world for his disciples and their descendants, of course, though that would mean crossing a top-tier Earthly Saint capable of killing the Dragon Abyss Saint. It wasn't a clever trade at all.

"Give me a map to the Sacred Spirit Palace."

"Yes, Supreme Elder."

Zhang Ling quickly handed it over.

It was not far, as both sects sat near Sacred Star City, and nothing near the city was far from anything else.

"How strong is he?"

Lu Changsheng didn't think anyone at the Earthly Saint stage was his match, but he also did not take an opponent lightly, as the Dragon Abyss Saint had a fearsome reputation around Sacred Star City.

Zhang Ling's face was grave. "He's no weakling, Supreme Elder. The embryo he condensed is a terrible one, and he's cut down more Earthly Saints on the way up than anyone has counted. His name is built out of their corpses, stacked on top of one another.

“Many experts have died at his hands. Take the Twin Saints, for example. Neither of them is ordinary. Both have condensed embryos, and both carry a Martial Dao Will. The two of them fought him together, and the Flower Saint died anyway. The Spirit Saint ran home and hasn't dared to step outside to avenge him since.

“That should give you an idea of how strong he is. Please be careful."

She knew how strong Lu Changsheng was, and she knew that he was going after the man regardless. Still, the Dragon Abyss Saint had cut his way out of a mountain of corpses to earn his reputation, so she had no idea how it would go.

"I'd like to come with you, Supreme Elder." Zhang Ling offered.

She was worried about him. It had taken the sect long enough to get a top-tier Earthly Saint, and she had no intention of losing him like this.

Lu Changsheng knew exactly what she meant by it, and he smiled. "Though a fight between Earthly Saints doesn't usually involve juniors like you, I guess I'm your Supreme Elder now after all. Are you afraid that if I die, the Dragon Abyss Saint will come for the Hundred Flowers Sect to seek vengeance?"

She blinked, then gritted her teeth and answered him steadily, "You are the Supreme Elder of the Hundred Flowers Sect, and that cannot be undone. We rise with you, and we fall with you. If something happens to you and he turns on us for it, we still have the formation to stand behind. Don't let it weigh on you."

Lu Changsheng smiled. The sect was a tool to him and nothing more, and its Sect Master was a tool for finding secret worlds. She was clever enough to see where she stood and to stand there without complaint, and he liked that.

"Come along, then. Once the Dragon Abyss Saint is dealt with, there'll be details to settle at the palace, and you can handle those."

Zhang Ling knew people inside the Sacred Spirit Palace, which made her a better fit for settling details than a stranger.

"Yes, Supreme Elder."

Lu Changsheng walked out of his residence and set off for the Sacred Spirit Palace with her behind him.

Outside the Sacred Spirit Palace, crowds of martial artists formed a circle to watch. Inside them stood Earthly Saints, eyeing the place hungrily for any opportunity. Closest to the gate, a handful of Earthly Saints under the Dragon Abyss Saint hammered at the grand formation over and over without leaving a mark on it.

"Spirit Saint! Hand over the secret world and you have my word that nobody inside your palace will get hurt. Keep being stubborn, and I'll sit on this place for ten years, a hundred years, bring in Formation Grandmasters and take your grand formation apart at my leisure. The day it comes down, not one of you will walk out."

The Dragon Abyss Saint’s voice echoed loudly.

The Spirit Saint's voice came back from inside the palace. "Don't take too long, Long Yuan. A secret world whose energy level may well reach the Martial Saint tier? You know what that is worth. I've sworn on my own Martial Dao, and somebody will come along to kill you soon enough."

"Kill me? Hahaha!" He laughed. "A thousand years I've cultivated, and the men who wanted me dead would fill a valley, yet here I stand! Unless a Heavenly Saint comes down, who would dare? Who could even kill me?"

The arrogance in his voice carried across, and not one Earthly Saint stepped forward to challenge him. Everyone within the vicinity of Sacred Star City knew how dangerous the Dragon Abyss Saint was.

Just then, a voice rolled in from the horizon, and every ear caught it.

"Is that so? I dare."

Whoosh!

Two figures came into view, and every eye snapped to them.

1. 道侣: a cultivation partner, part spouse and part sworn ally, who shares a practitioner's path and often their resources and lifespan. ☜𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦