Chapter 106 - 98: Battle of Foundation Establishment

Chapter 106: Chapter 98: Battle of Foundation Establishment

Within that silver gleam of sword light, Zhao Zuo sensed an incredibly sharp will and a profound fear. Even though the person wielding this Sword Intent hadn’t directed the attack at him, he still felt he couldn’t possibly resist it—that he would be slain by that single flash.

The brilliant light seemed capable of soothing the soul, yet it was also solemn and majestic, daring no one to approach. Then, the silver light converged into a pillar that pierced the heavens and shot from the core of Moyun Workshop toward the valley bordering the Yunlan Mountain Range at an incredible speed.

Immediately after, a massive, thunderous BOOM spread out from the valley.

Zhao Zuo stood in his courtyard, gazing toward the valley as waves of thunderous rumbling rolled in from the distance. He was tempted to go check out the commotion, but he was also terrified of getting caught in the crossfire between two powerful experts. In the end, he could only pick up his Black Flame Saber and resume practicing his slashes.

In the blink of an eye, the night deepened. Only then did he return to his room to cultivate.

The next day, Zhao Zuo took the eighty Lower Grade Magical Artifacts he had refined during this period and headed to Moyun Workshop. He had two goals: first, to inquire about the Earth Fire Hall’s recruitment of Outer Sect disciples, and second, to find out what exactly had happened last night.

He figured someone must have been unable to contain their curiosity and gone to the battle area.

Inside a teahouse, Zhao Zuo ordered a pot of Cold Thorn Tea and listened intently.

As expected, people were discussing the events of last night. On the surface, Zhao Zuo remained impassive, but he was actually eavesdropping on the rumors and gradually piecing together the truth.

The True Inheritor Chief of the Moyun Sect had broken through to Foundation Establishment at the age of twenty-one and slain a Second Tier Demon Beast!

Zhao Zuo recalled faintly hearing a tiger’s furious roar yesterday and found himself believing this somewhat outrageous news. He could only sigh inwardly in admiration. ’Truly a child of destiny.’

That was the path of Perfect Foundation Establishment; an ordinary person would need to spend ten years just in the first Nourishing Body Realm.

Zhao Zuo couldn’t help but feel a surge of envy. Even with his Golden Finger, he had given himself fifteen years to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, but Chen Xiaorong had done it in only eight.

’How is she just a seed for the Golden Core Realm? With talent like that, she probably has a good chance of even reaching for the Nascent Soul Realm, doesn’t she?’

At this thought, a sense of urgency inevitably rose in Zhao Zuo’s heart. The sooner he broke through to Foundation Establishment, the more time he would have to strive for even higher realms.

With the advancement materials for the Spring and Autumn Cicada still unclear, his only path to longevity... was Cultivation!

After finishing his Cold Thorn Tea, Zhao Zuo spent another twenty Spirit Stones to buy two liang of it.

To practice drawing the Heavy Mountain Spirit Patterns, Zhao Zuo had already used up all the Cold Thorn Tea he had bought before. Since he was already at the teahouse, he took the opportunity to buy two more liang to keep in reserve.

Moyun Workshop was bustling during the day, with most people discussing the events of the previous night. The genius girl who broke through to Foundation Establishment and then slew a Foundation Establishment-level Demon Beast was excellent fodder for gossip.

Zhao Zuo noticed many more teenagers on the streets of Moyun Workshop. They wore brand-new Taoist Robes, their faces full of ambition, their eyes filled with anticipation for the life ahead. They were fundamentally different from the jaded old-timers with their numb expressions.

They were the Immortal Seeds the Moyun Sect had discovered from all over the Great Yue Country. However... they must be the ones who failed the assessment, which was why they had appeared in Moyun Workshop.

Just like the Zhao Zuo of ten years ago. Although he had failed the Outer Sect disciple assessment, his heart was still filled with a yearning for Cultivation and a naive, pure spirit.

In the coming months, they would be brutally beaten down by reality. Some would lose their lives, while others would gradually get used to Moyun Workshop and eventually become jaded old-timers themselves.

A new generation of Immortal Seeds arrived each year, but how many of them could ultimately reach Foundation Establishment?

They would have to learn about the cruelty of the Cultivation Realm for themselves, just like the jaded old-timers who now watched them with cold indifference. Fortunately... these newcomers were all poor and wouldn’t attract the attention of Tribulation Cultivators. As long as they worked hard... they could safely get through the first few months.

Zhao Zuo shook his head with a sigh, then began to deal with his items according to his plan.

After leaving the teahouse, Zhao Zuo first visited several shops to sell his Lower Grade Magical Artifacts in batches. He then went to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion and sold forty Magical Artifacts, earning another forty Spirit Treasure Pavilion points. He had now intermittently accumulated a total of one hundred points.

Before leaving, Zhao Zuo also purchased the materials to upgrade his Communication Jade and Breath-Concealing Ring. He also managed to buy some Thousand-Year Spirit Silkworm Silk from a few other shops, gathering some of the materials needed to upgrade his Hundred-Change Mask. In the end, he had spent every last Spirit Stone he had earned on this trip.

Additionally, the six Middle Grade Spirit Stones he had taken from the Centipede Puppet’s core had lost some of their Spiritual Power, so their price was heavily discounted. In the end, they sold for only three hundred Spirit Stones.

Once all his purchases were complete, Zhao Zuo set off for the Earth Fire Hall.

The Underground Fire Vein had returned to normal in early March, so some of the Earth Fire Hall’s Forging Chambers had opened to the public, providing a space for Artifact Refining Apprentices to work. However, by that time, Zhao Zuo already had his own Forging Chamber and naturally wouldn’t choose a less convenient option.

He hadn’t been there in several months, but the Earth Fire Hall was basically unchanged.

Zhao Zuo walked into the exchange hall and noticed that a registration desk for the Outer Sect disciple assessment had been specially set up at the counter on the left. Behind a long mahogany table sat a young man in green robes with his eyes closed, resting. His skin was fair and smooth, showing no signs of hardship or fatigue; he was clearly an Outer Sect disciple of the Moyun Sect.

There were also significant distinctions among the disciples of the Moyun Sect. Besides the official ranks, the Outer Sect disciples who had cultivated in the Moyun Sect since childhood looked down on those who had only joined as teenagers. And both groups jointly discriminated against... disciples who passed the Outer Sect assessment at an advanced age.

Therefore, even if Zhao Zuo successfully entered the sect, he would be at the very bottom of the Moyun Sect’s pyramid.

Zhao Zuo subtly probed and discovered that this person had the same level of Cultivation as him—the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer. However, the youth’s aura was far weaker than his own, suggesting he had only broken through recently.

"Sir, I’d like to sign up for this year’s Earth Fire Hall Outer Sect disciple assessment?"

Although they were equal in strength, the other person was an Outer Sect disciple, after all. So Zhao Zuo spoke very politely, a somewhat fawning smile on his face.

"Do you have enough Moyun Sect contribution points?" the green-robed youth asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, his tone quite flat.

"Of course." Zhao Zuo took out the Contribution Token issued by the Earth Fire Hall. His name was on it, which could be matched against the register in front of the green-robed youth.

"Zhao Zuo, three hundred and sixty-seven contribution points. That’s enough. Are you sure you want to register?"

After taking the iron token, the green-robed youth began flipping through a book to cross-reference it.

"I’m sure."

"The assessment is on the eighteenth of March. If you miss it... the contribution points will be deducted anyway."

The green-robed youth picked up a writing brush and made a change to Zhao Zuo’s entry in the register. A flash of Spiritual Light passed, and the contribution value after his name changed to two hundred and sixty points.

Zhao Zuo’s expression remained unchanged, but he understood instantly. In the hands of a Loose Cultivator, Moyun Sect contribution points were only useful when one wanted to retake the assessment. But for an Outer Sect disciple, they could be exchanged for resources, inheritances, and even lectures from the Elders.

Their value was self-evident. And this green-robed youth before him... had skimmed seven points!

....

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