Chapter 271 - 139: Unreconciled Indignation, Do 3 Things! What is a Legend? The ’Martial Saint’ in His Youth

Chapter 271: Chapter 139: Unreconciled Indignation, Do 3 Things! What is a Legend? The ’Martial Saint’ in His Youth

"If you had just become my disciple, I, as your Master, would have ordered you to draw a clear line with the Celestial Blade School. From that day on, you would have had to completely sever your ties with both Chen Hex and Duan Chenzhou."

At these words, Ji Xiu reached back and touched the Titled Blade Plaque on his back. It was wrapped in cloth strips and slung alongside his Broken Jade Great Bow.

His brow furrowed.

"General Luo, I might be able to agree to any other condition. But if becoming your disciple means I must draw a line between myself and Master Duan, and Chen Hex..."

"That is something I’m afraid I cannot do."

Becoming the disciple of a Dragon Tiger Realm expert and the Successor to the Garrison Commander was a truly tempting offer.

But...

A man must remember where he came from.

Ji Xiu searched his heart. He knew that Duan Chenzhou and the Celestial Blade School had been an indispensable part of his rise to power.

If he were to abandon his principles for personal gain today, forsaking all of that just to secure his future...

He shook his head.

He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

"Young man, it’s a good thing to be loyal."

Hearing Ji Xiu’s reply, Luo Daocheng just smiled.

He had already predicted Ji Xiu would say as much, so he wasn’t surprised. Instead, his imposing aura softened, and a look of appreciation appeared in his eyes.

"But loyalty and honor won’t put food on the table."

"I’ll be blunt with you."

"Jiangyin Prefecture has some twenty or thirty Schools, large and small. Most of them establish what they call ’Daoist Schools’ on Daoist School Street to recruit disciples. A Grandmaster from the main School serves as the Daoist School Master, responsible for selecting the next generation of talent." ℯℯ𝑙.

"The ordinary Daoist Schools are one thing, but six of them represent the ’six great mountains.’"

"And each of these mountains... represents a great expert of the Dragon and Tiger Realm."

"Before Duan Chenzhou’s fall, every single plaque of the Daoist Schools established by these Schools in Jiangyin Prefecture bore a mark from his blade."

"Before his fall, Duan Chenzhou hung his blade before these six Daoist Schools, established his own legacy on his own authority, and trampled all the other Daoist Schools underfoot."

"If you acknowledge that you are his disciple, then you must also acknowledge his debts. You would become the Hall Master of this ’Celestial Blade Hall,’ the Martial Arts Master of the hall at the very end of Daoist School Street, ’No. 1.’"

"You are merely at the Outer Gang realm. Can you handle such a heavy, dangerous burden?"

Luo Daocheng pointed toward Jiangyin Prefecture.

"And then there’s the Celestial Blade School."

"The debt of the Daoist Schools is already a heavy enough burden for you."

"But Wang Xuanyang..."

"Back in the day, he was like a fierce dragon crossing the river. He came into Jiangyin Prefecture and seized Golden Turtle Island. Out of the dozens of islands surrounding Jiangyin Prefecture, it is the only ’Blessed Land’—a place that produces outstanding talent and can nurture Earth Treasures."

"And he personally snatched it from the hands of the School that is now ranked second."

"To be honest, the only reason the Celestial Blade School’s Golden Turtle Island still exists today is thanks to Wang Xuanyang’s lingering might."

"If things had continued this way, Chen Hex might have been able to keep riding on that reputation for a few more years, but..."

"Recently, the contest to become the next Daoist of the Dragon Elephant True Sect has begun."

Luo Daocheng’s tone was casual.

"A True Sect is a behemoth that stands above the Schools. Its Daoist is the one who receives the True Inheritance of its core teachings, representing the next ’True Sect Successor.’"

"A single True Sect typically has enough influence to span several Prefectures."

"The more powerful Sects can even use the Realm Gates that form from Outer Dao Rifts to establish new branches, giving their core members a chance to witness the sights of other Celestial Universes!"

"And the Dragon Elephant True Sect is just such a Sect."

"Although they only have one Titled Martial Saint, that Saint is a figure from over a hundred years ago. He once taught a peerless prodigy who became a Daoist and contended against the Celestial Pillar, the Giant House, and even the Great Xuan Royal Family, never once being outshone!"

"Those were the most glorious days of the Dragon Elephant True Sect."

"That Daoist from sixty years ago was named Ye Wenjiang. He was a contemporary of your Ancestral Master."

"However, Ye Wenjiang was born at the wrong time. During that most turbulent period, he chose the wrong side."

"In the end, he met a grim fate: his own Master personally stripped him of his Daoist title, expelled him from the Sect, and had him hunted down and killed."

"After that, the Dragon Elephant Martial Saint went into seclusion for a full sixty years. And so the title of ’Daoist,’ which must be personally bestowed by the Sect’s Titled figure, also remained vacant for a full sixty years."

"Until recently, that is. This Martial Saint has come out of seclusion."

Luo Daocheng’s tone grew solemn.

"It’s hard to say whether he achieved a breakthrough or simply resolved his inner turmoil."

"In any case... the True Inheritors and wandering disciples of this generation in the Dragon Elephant True Sect finally see a chance to become the next Daoist, and so they are doing everything they can to increase their own influence."

"Among them, three True Inheritors are the most promising. They are all prodigies capable of Opening the Four Great Limits."

"The Dragon Elephant True Sect’s influence spans the Three Mansions’ Land. One of those Mansions is Jiangyin Prefecture—the most prosperous and the one most filled with hidden masters."

"One of these True Inheritors has managed to win over the ’six great mountains’ in Jiangyin Prefecture, those backed by Dragon and Tiger Realm experts."

"Now that they are backed by the Dragon Elephant True Sect, with a Titled Martial Saint supporting them, the winds have naturally shifted. Wang Xuanyang, at his absolute peak, only reached the Will Barrier. In the face of the monumental Dragon Elephant True Sect, he’s like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"Furthermore, I’ve heard that the reason the previous Daoist of the Dragon Elephant True Sect was disgraced and fell, and why that Titled Martial Saint went into seclusion for sixty years, is connected to the Sect that Wang Xuanyang, the Celestial Blade Sect Ancestor, once belonged to."

"So, the history between the two sides is like that of fire and water."

"If you go to mourn Duan Chenzhou at a time like this, and on top of that, acknowledge yourself as a disciple of the Celestial Blade School..."