Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

After a slight pause, Lu Changsheng decided to recount everything.

"I founded the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect in the Heavenly Sacred City and built friendly ties with the Li Clan Merchant Association. I challenged Sword Venerable Chen Peng of the Myriad Sword Manor and killed him. As a result, I took possession of the Myriad Sword Manor's spirit stone mine, which can serve as the foundation of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect."

As Lu Changsheng spoke, the eyes of the seven Grand Elders grew brighter and brighter; by the end, they were shaking in their seats—not from fear, but from sheer excitement and exhilaration.

It hadn't even been a year since Lu Changsheng had left for the Sacred Earth. Who could have imagined that in that short period of time, Lu Changsheng would manage to establish the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect and gain a firm footing in the Heavenly Sacred City? The Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, as it stood now, was already stronger than the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect itself.

Had Lu Changsheng not displayed such tremendous might at the Vast Immortal Sect, the Grand Elders would scarcely have believed everything, even coming from his own mouth.

"Hahaha! Seems like the heavens are smiling at our Ancient Region Heavenly Sect!"

"The Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. The three Heavenly Sects have always been one body, with no divisions among them..."

"With the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect established, we can finally journey to the Sacred Earth with our minds at ease and pursue the peak of the Martial Dao."

"More than that, our own disciples, as well as those of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, will all be able to go to the Sacred Earth. When it comes to martial cultivation, the environment of the Sacred Earth far surpasses those of the Ancient Region and Northern Region."

"And the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect holds a spirit stone vein. That is the foundation upon which a great power rises..."

The seven Grand Elders talked on and on, their voices bright with joy and full of dreams for the future.

Lu Changsheng simply gave a nod of approval. He, too, had given thought to all three Heavenly Sects. There was no reason to abandon the other two.

He had noticed that martial artists forged in brutally harsh environments tended to perform remarkably well once they set foot in the Sacred Earth. The Northern Region Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect could serve perfectly as talent reserves for the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

"I have a proposal," he said. "The three Heavenly Sects are one in origin, but there is still division among them. In the Northern Region, the spirit energy between heaven and earth is already gone. In that environment, cultivating to the Divine Fortification Realm is roughly the limit. So let it be set that any disciple of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect who reaches the Divine Fortification Realm may come to the Ancient Region.

"Here in the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, the limit is reaching the peak of the Dao Foundation Realm, which is to say, condensing a Divine Ability Dao Fruit. So let us establish another thing: any Ancient Region Heavenly Sect disciple who condenses a Divine Ability Dao Fruit may proceed to the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, where Heavenly Spirit Water will naturally be provided to them.

"With the Northern Region and Ancient Region Heavenly Sects continuously feeding geniuses into the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, then given time, the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect is certain to flourish, producing genius after genius and growing ever stronger within the Sacred Earth!"

The moment Lu Changsheng finished speaking, everyone's faces were beaming with unbound excitement, something close to awe.

"E-Excellent... A most superb proposal, Venerable Lu!"

"If there is one thing our Ancient Region and the Northern Region have never lacked, it's geniuses. We can select the best of the best."

"That's right! Our Ancient Region Heavenly Sect and the Northern Region Heavenly Sect are bound to grow stronger and stronger! Becoming the strongest martial sects of the Ancient Region and Northern Region is already set in stone. When that day comes, every supreme genius in both regions will gravitate toward our three Heavenly Sects."

"But it all rests on the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect keeping its foothold in the Sacred Earth, with enough power and wealth behind it."

"With a spirit stone vein, wealth is no issue. And with Venerable Lu present, who apart from a Martial Saint faction could threaten the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect?"

"The Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect's momentum is unstoppable now..."

Discussion filled the hall, and everyone was thoroughly pleased with Lu Changsheng's proposal. It was the very scene they had always dreamed of: steady, methodical growth, expanding step by step.

Of course, going down this path meant the three Heavenly Sects would have to merge into a true whole, not remain as they were now, connected only by the thread of a shared origin.

As things stood, the Northern Region, Ancient Region, and Sacred Earth Heavenly Sects merely traced back to the same source, with no obligations between them and no hierarchy to speak of. In order to implement Lu Changsheng's plan, the status quo had to change.

The three Heavenly Sects had to become one, and there had to be an order of precedence: the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect ranked highest, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect second, the Northern Region Heavenly Sect third, with the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect governing the other two and holding final say over their major affairs.

These were mere details, but they would touch many interests and would surely displease more than a few. The Northern Region Heavenly Sect, for instance, had long reigned as the unchallenged king of its distant corner, far from any authority. Being ordered about by the Ancient Region and Sacred Earth Heavenly Sects would certainly rankle.

But what did that matter? This was a world where martial power reigned supreme. As long as Lu Changsheng and the seven Grand Elders of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect agreed, the rest would be simple. Whether the Northern Region Heavenly Sect consented to this was irrelevant. A single Divine Ability Grand Elder paying them a visit would be all the persuasion they needed.

"That reminds me, there is still one key problem," Lu Tong added. "We have no long-distance teleportation formation of our own. If we keep relying on the Vast Immortal Sect's..."

Indeed, continuing to borrow the formation of the Vast Immortal Sect was not sustainable in the long term.

"That won't be difficult to solve," Lu Changsheng replied. "In time, once everything is in order, the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect will engage a formation master to build long-distance teleportation formations at both the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect and the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Then we will have no further need of the Vast Immortal Sect's."

The others nodded. It seemed that Lu Changsheng had a solution for every possible problem.

"The only issue left is the Black Light Merchant Association," Lu Changsheng said flatly, though his tone brooked no dispute. "The Ancient Region, and the Northern Region too, will not be meddled with by any faction of the Sacred Earth. The Ancient Region can belong to no one but the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect!"

Once the Black Light Merchant Association was gone, the Ancient Region would sooner or later become the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect's domain. After all, only the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect had a foothold in the Sacred Earth.

As time passed, the entire Ancient Region would quietly, and inexorably, become the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect's back garden. No drastic measures were needed, as time itself would be the finest instrument for this undertaking.

For the time being, there was nothing to do but wait for the Ancient Region's factions to locate the long-distance teleportation formation in the Black Light Merchant Association's hands, and then destroy it.

***

Deep in the Void Ridge Mountain Range of the Ancient Region, a camp stood in a stretch of open ground.

Within it were many martial artists and immortal cultivators, apparently guarding something: a long-distance formation leading to the Sacred Earth. The formation was under the control of the Black Light Merchant Association, but at this moment, every face in the camp was grim.

"Still no one from the association?"

"We already sent word back. Stay or withdraw, the association needs to give the order."

"Drag this out any longer and the Ancient Region's people will find us."

"Hah. Who could have imagined that Ouyang You and Saber Venerable Zhou Lie would fall in a wilderness like the Ancient Region? We ran straight into an iron wall. The Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect... Hehe, we'd never even heard of it before."

"Then we wait. Word should come soon."

Waiting was all the Black Light Merchant Association's people could do. They already knew what had happened at the Vast Immortal Sect. The group sent there had included Golden Core True Ones, who could transmit messages directly through communication stones, so the Association knew every detail.

Still, that did not help much. Even if they knew, they still had to negotiate with the Li Clan Merchant Association.

Of course, were it not for the Li Clan Merchant Association, the Black Light Merchant Association would never fear a mere Martial Venerable, even one with an immeasurable divine ability. After all, the Black Light Merchant Association had a Martial Saint!

Hum...

The long-distance teleportation formation suddenly activated, and within moments, a figure emerged before the crowd.

Many rose respectfully. "Greetings, Vice Chairman."

The man before them was the vice chairman of the Black Light Merchant Association, a direct descendant of the association's Martial Saint and a man of exalted standing.

He swept his gaze over them, then shook his head. "Withdraw, all of you. We have already negotiated with the Li Clan Merchant Association, and their stance is unyielding. Golden Core True Ones and Divine Ability experts may be sent in any number; that counts as fair competition.

"But if our Martial Saint acts, the Li Clan Merchant Association's Martial Saint will not stand idle either. The Grand Elder sees no point in it. A barren zone whose spirit energy is in decline is not worth a war to the death with the Li Clan Merchant Association. So effective immediately, we withdraw from the Ancient Region!"

The crowd stiffened. Many opened their mouths, hesitated, and in the end said nothing.

The vice chairman had explained it plainly enough. The Grand Elder Martial Saint going to war over the Ancient Region was out of the question. It simply was not worth it. This time, they had to lower their heads.

"But Ouyang You and Saber Venerable Zhou Lie both died at Lu Changsheng's hands..." someone couldn't help saying.

"Yes, and we have to put up with it!" said the vice chairman. "How did the Black Light Merchant Association rise in the first place? By enduring! Back before the Grand Elder became a Martial Saint, we bore everything in silence, right up until the day he ascended. Then every past humiliation was washed clean, and the association grew tenfold—no, a hundredfold.

"This Lu Changsheng is no ordinary man. By the Grand Elder's own assessment, he may very well become a Martial Saint one day. Risk a death struggle with a future Martial Saint over one measly Ancient Region? Not worth it!"

The crowd nodded inwardly at his words. In truth, the vice chairman had left one thing unsaid. If Lu Changsheng could be killed, that would naturally be the best option of all.

But as things stood, with the Grand Elder Martial Saint unwilling to act, who could kill him? If victory was not feasible, then they simply had to endure. That was the Black Light Merchant Association's way of survival.

"One more thing. Send someone directly to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect to meet Lu Changsheng in person. Convey our association's goodwill, and present this long-distance formation to him as a gift. Since we're going to put up with this, why not turn the tide to our advantage and offer a favor to ease relations?"

The vice chairman had handled it all quite fittingly. And after weighing the matter back and forth, he decided to travel to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect himself.