Chapter 362 - 360: The Purpose of Taking a Disciple

Chapter 362: Chapter 360: The Purpose of Taking a Disciple

’After stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm, blindly following the path left by predecessors will ultimately limit my achievements. I must make improvements based on my own circumstances.’

For Bai Zichen, thinking about the path beyond the Nascent Soul Realm was by no means overly ambitious.

For an ordinary Core Formation True Man, every action and motivation revolved around reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to make long-term plans, but reality simply didn’t allow for it.

The Nascent Soul Realm was already an unattainable goal, like the moon in the water or a flower in a mirror, let alone anything further.

Even if you told them that diligently cultivating a technique for a 60-year cycle would smooth their path to the Nascent Soul Realm, most would just shelve the idea.

Only a cultivator of Bai Zichen’s caliber, who didn’t have to worry about reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, had the luxury of time to make such arrangements.

He could start preparing for the path beyond the Nascent Soul Realm right now.

’The Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture only has nine layers. Once I reach the Early-Stage Nascent Soul Realm, I’ll have to switch cultivation techniques. Otherwise, my future cultivation will be as good as severed... Brother Ge is currently cultivating Thunder Skills first and will only consider a new cultivation technique once he reaches the Peak of the Early-Stage Nascent Soul Realm. I have the Dragon Transformation Scripture as a fallback, but it’s only a fallback.’

The Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture could only be cultivated to the Early-Stage Nascent Soul Realm. It wasn’t impossible to cultivate in later realms without a technique, but the efficiency would drop to an unimaginable low.

With a cultivation technique, the efficiency of refining nature’s spiritual energy might be one hundred. Without one, it would be five at most.

At the same time, problems such as chaotic True Essence, Qigong Deviation, and a slim chance of breaking through to the next realm would all arise.

Forging his own path didn’t mean creating a cultivation technique from scratch, but rather making minor adjustments and improvements to an existing one.

The Fish Dragon Sect’s Dragon Transformation Scripture could be cultivated all the way to Nascent Soul Perfection, but the ideal cultivator for this technique was someone with a Water Spiritual Root.

Cultivators with other Spiritual Roots could also practice it, but the results would certainly not be as good as for a Water Spiritual Root cultivator.

By the time Bai Zichen reached perfection in the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture, his Fire Spiritual Root would have been elevated to the level of an Inferior Celestial Spiritual Root, creating an inevitable conflict if he were to cultivate this technique.

Unless it was a last resort, he would definitely not choose to switch to the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

For the Qingfeng Sect’s heritage to include cultivation techniques that led directly to the Nascent Soul Realm was already impressive. In the past, no one had ever considered their techniques to be a weakness.

It was only when he and Ge Cang grew at an astonishing rate, both approaching the limits of their techniques, that everyone realized the sect’s cultivation techniques had an upper limit that was somewhat unworthy of the current Qingfeng Sect.

’I can figure out the cultivation technique situation slowly. At worst, I’ll go to the Central Domain to find a solution. But I really need to put more effort into my Sword Dao... To hold the title of the number one Sword Dao talent since the Near Ancient era and still not have touched upon the realm of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws after so many years...’

The Tianhe Sword Sect’s enthusiastic praise for Bai Zichen, supported by his subsequent battle records, had led more and more cultivators to accept this assessment.

Normally, Refining Sword into Silk was a skill only Nascent Soul True Monarchs could master, and One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws was a realm one could only comprehend after being immersed in the Sword Dao for a very long time.

But for a genius sword cultivator, comprehending the Third Realm of Sword Dao during the Core Formation Stage was a basic requirement, standard for the core disciples of the major sword sects.

Furthermore, the few Great Powers who had achieved Divinity Transformation had all seen through to One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws while still in the Core Formation Stage.

For Bai Zichen to live up to his potential for Divinity Transformation and the title of number one Sword Dao talent, One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws was the minimum requirement.

This was why True Monarch Tang Fei had been so surprised to see him only at the initial stage of the Refining Sword into Silk Realm. In Tang Fei’s mind, it was only natural that Bai Zichen would have already mastered One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.

Considering his heaven-defying feat of slaying True Monarch Jiulian, it wouldn’t even be impossible for him to have glimpsed the Sword Light Division Realm.

The blame lay with the shocking display back then, when Bai Zichen alone had attracted the Moon Xuan Sword, causing both the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword and the Xing Yao Sword to hum with excitement. Not even the Divinity Transformation Sword Cultivators of the Taibai Sword Sect, as described in the ancient texts, had shown such a phenomenon at the same cultivation level.

Yann Yuanzai, at the Core Formation Stage, had spent a hundred years in refinement and communication yet still couldn’t make the Xing Yao Sword truly acknowledge him as its master. He even had to get the Sword Spirit’s permission to borrow the flying sword’s Origin Power.

Bai Zichen, on the other hand, had been at the Foundation Establishment Stage and hadn’t even touched it. The mere aura he exuded had made the Xing Yao Sword rejoice, almost causing it to fly directly from Yann Yuanzai’s hand and seek a new, worthier master.

And that was when the aura of the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword had already faded considerably. If he were to bring out that sword today, along with the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, the Xing Yao Sword might still lose control, even if Yann Yuanzai had already successfully refined it and connected with it mentally.

Fortunately, with the precedent of Xiang Ji, True Monarch Tang Fei understood that one’s displayed Sword Dao Realm did not represent the whole picture.

Besides, Bai Zichen, with his Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivation, could freely wield a Tier Four Flying Sword without any sign of insufficient True Essence. Not even a sword cultivator who practiced the Celestial River Technique could achieve that.

Therefore, although True Monarch Tang Fei had his doubts, he didn’t ask a single question.

Bai Zichen’s heart was like a clear mirror; he knew his actual Sword Dao Realm was already falling behind the core disciples of the Central Domain’s sword sects.

From now on, he needed to spend more time on his Sword Dao.

The True Enlightenment Sword Technique was an inexhaustible treasure trove of sword manuals. Though he had seemingly digested it, any swordsmanship style he picked from it had room for further, deeper study.

Not to mention the Heaven-Opening Sword Intent and Celestial Phenomenon Sword Intent hidden in his Sea of Consciousness. Immersing himself in comprehending them could easily take a year or more.

With a great enemy at his side before, practicing the Sword Dao had indeed been too much of a luxury.

He had only practiced the Nine Illusions Sword Technique a few times, and five days had already passed. Ma Ruoxi had come to Celestial Thunder Cliff again, requesting an audience.

"Martial Uncle, I’ve completed the investigation. The two tea trees in Red Leaf Valley both advanced twelve years ago. The Fang Family concealed this news to earn more Spirit Stones. They used their connections with cultivators from other counties to secretly sell Tier Two Top-Grade Silver Needle Spirit Tea. The Fang Family Patriarch has confessed everything."

Ma Ruoxi rattled off everything she had found, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

With a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Elder from the Upper Sect personally visiting Red Leaf Valley, how could the Fang Family dare to hide anything? They immediately confessed every last detail.

"In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

The two Silver Needle Tea Trees were nothing to the present-day Bai Zichen. What he cared about was the difference in mindset between the disciples from Black Mountain and Hejian County.

As the proportion of disciples from Hejian County grew within the sect, it was highly likely to cause conflict in the future. It was necessary to nip the problem in the bud.

Entrusting this matter to Ma Ruoxi was also a way to test her capabilities.

As the most outstanding disciple from Hejian County, a large number of disciples from her home county would inevitably gather under her banner in the future, regardless of her personal wishes.

This was human nature; it was unavoidable.

As long as the sect was in a period of upward growth and continuous expansion, these small problems wouldn’t erupt.

Once the Qingfeng Sect entered a stable period, with its Spirit Veins fully developed and resource allocation stabilized, the hidden dangers would gradually surface.

Of course, with two great Buddhas like Ge Cang and Bai Zichen present, they could suppress all dissent and prevent any trouble from brewing.

But Bai Zichen would sooner or later leave to travel the world. He couldn’t possibly stay cooped up in Black Mountain, guarding the sect for his entire life.

The same was true for True Monarch Ge Cang. At his age, he was still in his prime among Nascent Soul Cultivators and would not be held back by Liang Country.

A man like Ge Cang, who could trigger the Four Great Nascent Soul Phenomena, had a limitless future. The Northern Domain was too small to provide the cultivation conditions for a cultivator with the potential for Divinity Transformation.

Once the two of them were no longer in the sect, if a disciple from Hejian County managed to reach Core Formation, it could indeed lead to a situation where two rival factions emerged.

At that time, the leader would be very important.

For now, at least, Ma Ruoxi was the disciple from Hejian County with the greatest hope of reaching Core Formation, making her worthy of his time and careful observation.

"Fifty percent of the annual yield of Silver Needle Spirit Tea belongs to the sect. The Fang Family’s actions were tantamount to undermining the sect’s foundation... According to the rules of the Law Enforcement Hall, the Fang Family should be fined ten times the Spirit Stone revenue from the tea sales and stripped of their eligibility to participate in any sect activities for thirty years."

Ma Ruoxi said, her head held high and her voice crisp and clear.

"The Red Leaf Fang Family hasn’t had a Foundation Establishment Cultivator for many years, and the clan is in decline. Even if they emptied their treasury, they couldn’t afford to pay such a large amount of Spirit Stones. The debt can be paid in kind. The entire output of the two Silver Needle Spirit Tea trees for the next hundred years will belong to the sect, and the Fang Family will not be held responsible for the Spirit Stone fine."

"Furthermore, considering that the Fang Family lacks the strength to care for Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Plants, the Spirit Plant Hall will dispatch four disciples to take exclusive care of the Silver Needle Tea Trees."

After listening to Ma Ruoxi’s proposed solution, Bai Zichen smiled. He neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead asked, "Are you willing to become my disciple?"

"This... Master, please accept this disciple’s bow." Ma Ruoxi was stunned for a moment, thinking she had misheard. But when she saw Bai Zichen’s serious expression, she hurriedly knelt and kowtowed.

Ever since she entered the Qingfeng Sect, the special companion Spiritual Objects she needed for her cultivation path were all thanks to Bai Zichen’s guidance, so she had always been close to Huo Feiyan and the others.

She had always harbored the thought of becoming his disciple, but over the years, Bai Zichen was either in secluded cultivation or busy with Sword Refinement, so ordinary disciples rarely had a chance to interact with him.

She never expected that such a small matter would bring her to Bai Zichen’s attention and lead to him accepting her as a disciple directly.

"I already have three before you, so you will be the fourth... I don’t ask much of my disciples. Just remember your original intention for cultivating and do not fail the sect."

Bai Zichen took out a Sound Bamboo Sword, a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact he had casually refined, and bestowed it upon Ma Ruoxi as the customary gift for his disciples.

Accepting a fourth disciple was a decision based on several factors.

In terms of cultivation aptitude, Ma Ruoxi, who possessed a Water Stone Spiritual Body, was no slower in her cultivation than Li Guizhen after obtaining the Curved Water Five-Eyed Bodhi.

It was still uncertain which of the two would reach Core Formation first. It was perfectly normal to be stuck at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage for decades; being one step ahead didn’t guarantee reaching Core Formation sooner.

Among all the disciples in the sect, her chances of reaching Core Formation ranked in the top five.

In handling this incident, Ma Ruoxi did not follow the customs of Hejian County and impose a severe punishment on the Red Leaf Fang Family, one that would have led to the confiscation of their property and the destruction of their clan.

Nor did she let them off lightly. The ten-fold fine, combined with dispatching disciples from the Spirit Plant Hall to take up residence, was a veiled way of stripping the Fang Family of their jurisdiction over the Silver Needle Tea Trees for the next hundred years.

Given the Fang Family’s current situation, it was hard to say if this cultivation family would even still exist a hundred years from now.

Her impartial, moderate approach was exactly what Bai Zichen was looking for in a future leader for the Hejian County faction.

Whether this was her true nature or a calculated move after guessing Bai Zichen’s intentions was unimportant.

Ma Ruoxi becoming Ancestor Bai’s direct disciple also sent a signal to all disciples from Hejian: the sect treated disciples from both counties equally, with absolutely no preferential treatment.