Ch143 Who is Li Hao?

At the border of the Inner and Outer Sect, there rests two enormous mountains. Each holds a high grade tier 2 vein beneath them.

One of these mountains is where the Law Enforcement Hall resides. All conflicts reported by outer sect disciples are taken care of here. It can range from small investigations of discrepancies in spirit stone payouts for quests, to collecting overdue taxes of allied clans, to even serious reports like murders within the sect.

After Mu Shouxin dropped off a very detailed report of what happened during the wedding conflict, and the handwritten plans of the Blood Sword Sect, many Law Enforcement Hall Disciples have been sent out to various cities deeper into the Hidden Mist County.

There are many Vice Masters at either the 10th level of qi refinement, or 1st level of foundation establishment overseeing small collections of peaks.

The four nearby peaks of the Combat, Forging, Alchemy, and Beast Mastery are only strictly linked to one of the major foundational cities.

There are over twenty other major outer sect peaks, and half a dozen foundational cities of equal size to Lingshi City surrounding the sect.

Each one has a team sent out to secure the land, even select members of the Inner Sect are called upon to help with this task.

Mu Shouxin and Wang Yang are heavily rewarded.

A Low Grade Tier 2 Spirit Copper Vein has been granted for their families to share the mining rights for 20 years.

Roughly 50 kilograms of Low Grade Tier 2 Spirit Copper can be safely mined from this vein per year near its center without overstraining it.

Thousands of kilograms of Tier 1 High and Perfect Grade Ore can be mined from the higher quality fractured runoff veins, and a near endless supply of Mid and Low Grade Spirit Copper can be mined from its outer ring.

This material in its Tier 2 quality is one of the most sought after ores in the Hidden Mist County. It is vital in many Tier 2 array formation crafts, used by foundational clans in their strongholds. Its Tier 1 ore can be used in weapon crafts too, but it is far less rare.

This mine can be converted into an immense amount of wealth, and with it, many connections with strong foundational clans can be built. The Wang and Mu Clans have an opportunity to cement their rule in this county much deeper.

Additionally, the old Jiang Family peak has been granted to the new consolidated WangMu Clan branch.

These gifts are not solely meant as a direct reward for these families' help in discovering the Blood Sword Sect's plans. It is a clear indication that the higher ups in the sect have predicted Wang Ming and Mu Shulan to be valuable assets, and wish to speed up their foundation establishment breakthroughs to secure new strong members of the Inner Sect within the next two decades.

Simple alerts of this event are broadcast to important peak masters, but the general population of the outer sect is not notified.

–

The nearby high grade tier 2 peak beside the Law Enforcement Hall is the Recruitment Peak.

Disciples here are often sent out on journeys deep into the Hidden Mist County to keep the sect's population stable.

After wars, taxes increase. Spirit stones, cultivation resources, and more manpower from cultivation families are required as tribute.

Those with qi refining cultivation already reaching the 4th level are accepted directly into the outer sect, and those with initial stage cultivation can be granted comfier positions as stewards.

Everyone else is grouped in with the mortals taken from the various empires in the Hidden Mist County.

After all, the majority of this land mass is devoid of natural qi.

Only areas with dense spirit veins are taken over by the sect. Cultivators live in these areas, as they would have to rely solely on the qi in their body, or spirit stones brought along to maintain their cultivation otherwise. There are hundreds of thousands of villages and cities in the areas with no spirit veins in sight.

It is far more peaceful, with less wars, and the strongest beings at the Martial Elite Status. Even then, they are mostly elderly men far past their prime. Young Martial Warriors are the majority of top military forces and leaders of cities.

Regular humans fear them, but most cultivators still see them as nothing but slightly stronger mortals. They are only useful as servants.

Recruitment Peak disciples travel into this barren land and test children's spirit roots in various small villages, bringing those with any potential back to the sect. It keeps the servant population at a steady number in order to continue expanding the main sect's territory and build up future outer sect disciples that are good at following orders and climbing a hierarchy.

The Elder Peak Master of this operation, Gu Luo, receives the recent wedding conflict news and lets out a dissatisfied grunt.

He rubs a scar on his left arm.

It still crackles with purple and black energy, and hasn't gone away despite taking multiple tier 2 healing elixirs.

The memories of that purple armored warrior out in the undeveloped wilderness before the war broke out are still vivid in his mind.

She was merely a qi refiner, and only wielded a Tier 1 Perfect Grade axe, yet he could not capture her.

This woman killed hundreds of members of the Blood Sword Sect while stealing and overstraining all of their strongholds near the southwest border.

She also killed many Azure Cloud Sect outer disciples that tried to contain her.

Gu Luo, a 7th level Foundation Establishment Cultivator, holds an Initial Stage Spirit Grade Blue Steel Acquired Physique.

This physique is one of the strongest acquired pure physical type physiques in the Outer Sect. Its offensive power rivals that of the Black Iron Battle Physique of the Combat Peak, but its defense is unrivaled. Not even Perfect Grade Tier 2 swords can puncture his skin.

It is a family heirloom, passed down only by Gu Luo himself with a secret technique he received in the same way from his great ancestor. It can only be awakened during a foundation establishment breakthrough.

Four vice peak masters of the Recruitment Hall are direct sons of this old man, all at the 1st level of foundation establishment, holding the same spirit grade physique. There are dozens of mid and late stage qi refiners that are his grandchildren in this peak, striving to inherit it and a vice peak master title.

An unsuspecting 6th level qi refiner, Gu Shan, stands before this old man today in the main peak's hall.

"Senior Patriarch, Peak Master, what can this humble grandson do for you today."

Both of them share similar features, square jaws and earthy brown hair. However, the old man stands half a meter taller than him, and has sharp blue eyes of steel.

He stands beside a large jade pedestal, covered in sect paper records and jade tablets holding logged ledgers.

They're all left open on the Alchemy Peak, where Gu Shan is in charge of recruitment.

The name Li Hao pops up over and over again, circling his fast rise in the sect. His name came up in the newest report from the Law Enforcement Hall.

It seems he was accepted to the Beast Mastery Peak through a connection with the Wang Family, and he survived the Jiang Family's attack at the center of it, even killing a foundation establishment cultivator himself with the borrowed strength of the Mu Family.

He is on good terms with these families, as they are closely tied to the Beast Mastery Peak, but not close enough to reach out on a whim. He privately contacts the Peak Master for more information.

An even stranger note is that his own grandson reportedly manned the recruitment vessel that picked him up from deep in the Hidden Mist County. It was one that the Young Sect Master of the Inner Sect tagged along on to increase her contribution points before heading off to the capital.

Qin Yue herself was the one that found him.

"Who is Li Hao?" he asks, and Gu Shan's eyes widen in surprise.

–

Atop a peak closer to the outer ring of the sect's land, the Beast Mastery Peak, one of Gu Luo's childhood friends receives his update on the wedding from the Law Enforcement Hall too. Later, a personal message comes in from the Recruitment Hall.

Kang Luo entered the sect 180 years ago at the age of 13, alongside Gu Luo.

Both came from unrelated small foundational clans, and were the pride of their families with 4th grade roots.

They grew through the sect ranks in different peaks, but always heard of the others' names similarly climbing with steady cultivation. With identical personal names, the two formed a bond of brotherhood within the sect. Both broke into foundation establishment in their early forties, and fought together in the last great war against the Blood Sword Sect.

Afterward, they had success climbing the minor disciple ranks of the Inner Sect, but did not have the talent to climb further. Both have found their comfortable positions as Outer Sect Peak Master Elders later in life.

Kang Luo responds, sending out all of the knowledge he has about the feud in Lingshi City, but he has no knowledge of this Disciple Li Hao.

The old man looks through his peak records, and a deep blue late stage foundation establishment spirit crane peacefully sleeps beside him.

He quickly discovers this disciple's past, and sees he's been traveling to Lingshi City as an assistant to Lan Xin, and was personally invited as an honorary guest to the Wang Family wedding.

He was given special permission by a member of the Lin Clan's branch family to go on an egg hunting expedition in the Misty Forest despite not being at the necessary 6th level of qi refinement.

All of his stewards have registered their own 8th grade earth lizards, bringing in more profit than the spirit fields themselves to help with planthopper infestations on neighboring peaks.

The more Kang Luo reads, the more confused he is about this disciple too.

To collect more information, two men are called to the main peak.

The first is the 99 year old Kang Yelang. He is the 1st level foundation establishment vice peak master.

"Greetings father." He bows, and his grey wolf lowers its head too.

The other man looks far older, but he is only 91, Kang Yejing, a 10th level qi refiner, the younger brother of the vice peak master.

He is an honorary named disciple, given a perfect grade vein right below the vice peak master's palace.

His spirit fields are full of flowers, many at the late and perfected stage of tier 1. A very small select crop has an initial stage physique enhancement. It creates a nectar that is carried by his swarm of spirit bees to produce naturally enchanted honey.

This is the most profitable lower peak of the entire Outer Sect's Beast Mastery domain.

Despite failing to break through into the foundational realm three times, he wears a kind, satisfied expression, bowing to his father that looks even younger than him.

"Greetings Father, how can I be of help?"

Kang Luo looks down with a troubled expression.

"It is nothing too serious. I was just looking through the peak records, and wonder if one of our newest disciples has been undervalued. He has connections with the Lin, Wang, and Mu Clans... Even our prized named disciple Lan Xin has registered him as her assistant. Yet, we've shunned him to the worst inferior grade spirit rice peaks."

Both brothers raise their heads in confusion, but Kang Luo continues.

"Do some digging for me... find out, who is Li Hao?"

–

Tens of thousands of kilometers away, deep in the Black Marsh County, atop one of the Blood Sword Sect's major Tier 2 peaks, a pair of crimson eyes looks down at a soul lamp that has recently flickered out.

"Another one failed... Jiang Duo! You fool... tasked to merely secure three low grade tier 2 veins, and you've gotten yourself killed and our plans leaked."

Over the last few hours, there have been many communication talismans ringing in this room, alerting their Head Envoy that reinforcements from the Law Enforcement Hall and even the Inner Sect have begun securing the cities they were planning to attack next.

Waves of Spirit Grade Blood Energy vibrate through this massive dark chamber, but waves of spirit grade Illusory Soul Mist contain it, not allowing the energy to erupt and destroy everything it touches.

The Head Envoy pours a large amount of aura into the dim soul lamp, lighting it bright with white and red energy, until it shatters into pieces, and a short display of the remnant soul's final moments appear as a hologram in the center of this room.

Fifteen enormous golden blades swing in a beautiful symmetric display of slaughter. It shows Jiang Duo activating all of his trump cards, attempting to escape with everything he has, and roaring out in fury at his own failure.

The small imagery of a young man, glowing with dense golden light, covering most of his features is left as the final bright flash before the soul remnant fades entirely.

"There is an unregistered Golden Core Artifact in Lingshi City... Wielded by a qi refiner..." He murmurs out, first in shock, but his tone turns to excited greed.

A chaotic laugh echoes through the chamber as he triggers a communication talisman with a single character for the Ye Clan on its front.

"Envoy Ye Wuhun, I have a task I need completed discreetly. Send out a few of your most loyal Phantoms to Lingshi City. Have them report names and details of any activity going on in that marketplace out of the ordinary... I am looking for a young man, but I do not know his name or what he looks like yet. He has an artifact I desire. I will send you a soul remnant recording that may help your search. Use any means necessary to find what I'm looking for."

A rough raspy voice echoes back, "Orders received."

–

Even further away from the Azure Cloud Sect, there is a massive treasure ship floating down a river spanning a hundred kilometers wide.

It cuts through the waves faster than flying vessels trying to keep pace above in the sky.

Its hull is coated in Tier 3 Verdant Steel, and spirit beasts hide far beneath the surface when the aura of its protective arrays comes near.

There is a large Wei Clan character on its sail, and it carries over ten thousand cultivators from deep within the Hidden Mist County. It has stopped at many cities built on the water's edge every few days.

For a single ride one way in the economy area, bunched in with spirit beast livestock, the cost is 33,000 spirit stones.

It is the most secure mode of travel to Nine Rivers City for cultivators that do not want to risk the journey through the nearby forest. It is unconquered land spanning thousands of kilometers filled with foundational spirit beasts, and even occasional reports of rampant golden core monsters.

At the front of the livestock seating area, there is a young woman with a black hood over her head.

Her purple eyes, and matching short hair peek out as she looks out at the approaching capital.

There were once scars all over her body, proof of her battles when she was still a mortal, training with blades against other martial warriors in a small village she was lying low in for years as a teen.

Now, all of those scars are gone.

She was forced to eat a heavenly grade healing elixir on the edge of death, and it turned her rough scarred skin into smooth sun-kissed brown.

Still, she flinches and grits her teeth as one wound remains that could not be healed.

A deep blue steel-colored fist mark in her back still digs deep into her soul.

After reaching the 9th level of qi refinement, every time she cultivates, her Initial Stage Noble Grade Physique slowly eats away at the bright blue residual energy.

The process may take years to naturally recover, and her cultivation progress has been stunted, unable to grow further.

Xu Hong has ventured to Nine Rivers City to seek a faster cure, remembering the words and calm face of that strange young steward that opened a string of fate between them.