Chapter 635 - 212: The Impact on the Xuanzhen Sect’s Leadership (2)

Upon learning that the Demon Sect had resurfaced in Jintai Prefecture, the hearts of the Xuanzhen Sect’s upper echelon grew heavy. A palpable sense of pressure and urgency settled over them all.

Cao Zhen nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over the others in the hall. His voice was firm. "My brother is right. We must immediately increase patrols within the Xuanzhen Sect’s territory, especially in the hundred-li radius around Hidden Dragon Lake. Not a single valley, not a single dense forest, can be overlooked.

"The safety of the entire Jintai Prefecture is at stake. As one of the five major sects, we of the Xuanzhen Sect cannot afford the slightest lapse in vigilance."

He paused before continuing, "We will soon discuss the details of dividing patrol areas and assigning personnel for each peak. When you return, you must inform your disciples to be meticulous during their patrols. They cannot let a single clue slip by.

"Many of our younger disciples have never experienced the chaos of the Demon Sect’s past rampages. They are unaware of how bizarre and malevolent the Demon Sect’s Cultivation Techniques are. We cannot allow them to grow careless and underestimate the enemy, lest we suffer casualties."

The seven Peak Masters and Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan responded in unison, their voices ringing with solemn resolve, "As the Sect Leader commands!"

Cao Zhen took a slow, deep breath, trying to quell some of the gravity in his heart. He then looked up at the assembly and said grimly, "Now, for the second matter."

All eyes focused on Cao Zhen once more. The news of the Demon Sect had already been a heavy blow. Now, hearing there was another important matter, everyone’s expressions grew even more taut as they waited for the Sect Leader to speak.

Cao Zhen’s voice was tinged with melancholy as he spoke slowly. "The second matter is news I just received. Last night, Chen Chu, a Core Disciple of the Yunxiao Sect, officially broke through to the True Qi Realm."

His words hit the hall like a silent tidal wave. Everyone’s expression changed in an instant, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

Breaking through from the Qi Absorption Realm to the True Qi Realm was a notoriously difficult bottleneck on the path of the Martial Dao. Many exceptionally talented Martial Artists found themselves stuck at this stage, spending half their lives in fruitless effort, unable to make the leap.

Within the Xuanzhen Sect, even the most senior male and female disciples of each vein—the very cream of the younger generation—remained stuck at the Peak of Qi Absorption Realm. Not one had been able to take that crucial step.

Meanwhile, the Yunxiao Sect—counting Chen Chu’s recent breakthrough—now had three Core Disciples who had successfully reached the True Qi Realm, each a true powerhouse in their own right.

With Chen Chu’s breakthrough, the gap in power between the younger generations of the Xuanzhen Sect and the Yunxiao Sect widened once more, stretching to a nearly insurmountable length.

At that moment, it was as if a great mountain had been dropped upon the hearts of the Seven Vein Peak Masters and Ouyang Jingxuan. Even their breathing grew labored.

To these sect leaders, the pressure from Chen Chu’s breakthrough to the True Qi Realm was no less potent than the news of the Demon Sect’s potential resurgence.

For two consecutive Jintai Grand Competitions, not a single disciple from the Xuanzhen Sect had managed to break into the top five. They were consistently outmatched by the likes of the Yunxiao Sect and the Celestial Sword Sect.

Now, as one prodigy from the Yunxiao Sect after another broke through their bottlenecks into the True Qi Realm, the pressure of this widening gap was snowballing, crushing the Xuanzhen Sect’s leadership to the point they could barely breathe.

It was precisely this immense pressure that drove the Xuanzhen Sect’s leadership to spare no effort in nurturing their young disciples. This year, they had even expended vast resources to hold the Fushan Grand Competition, all to identify and select the most promising disciples. They intended to pour all their efforts into training them, hoping to close the gap with the Yunxiao Sect.

Lei Lie, the burly and fiery-tempered Thunder Peak Master, couldn’t help but grumble, "So the Yunxiao Sect has another True Qi Realm prodigy. Fantastic. At this rate, our Xuanzhen Sect’s performance in next year’s Jintai Grand Competition will be even more pathetic than the last. We’ll be lucky to even make the top ten!"

The expressions of everyone in the hall turned grim, but no one refuted Lei Lie’s words.

His words were crude, but every one of them was true, striking a nerve with all present.

For a moment, a deathly stillness fell over the hall. The very air seemed to freeze.

Two consecutive bombshells—the unknown but perilous threat of the Demon Sect, and the undeniable gap in strength among the next generation of disciples—had left the leaders of the Xuanzhen Sect reeling, their minds in turmoil.

The Demon Sect’s threat still lurked in the shadows. No one could say whether they were merely passing through Jintai Prefecture or had long been laying a secret plot to rise again and sow chaos.

But Chen Chu’s breakthrough to the True Qi Realm was an established, irrefutable fact.

Chen Chu was already a renowned prodigy among the younger generation in Jintai Prefecture, his talent and strength both top-tier.

Now that he had successfully made the leap from the Qi Absorption to the True Qi Realm and broken through that martial bottleneck, he had truly joined the ranks of Jintai Prefecture’s top experts, on par with the veteran True Qi Realm Elders of the five major sects.

Across all of Jintai Prefecture, short of an intervention from a Pill Realm master, a True Qi Realm prodigy like Chen Chu now stood at the apex of power below the Pill Realm. He could not be easily challenged.

Amid the oppressive atmosphere, Huang Zhen, the Celestial Derivation Peak Master, slowly rose. His posture was ramrod straight as he looked with unwavering resolve at Cao Zhen at the head of the hall. "Sect Leader," he said, his voice deep and resonant, "things have reached a critical point. We cannot delay any longer. The implementation of the Grade-A Training Rooms must be put on the agenda immediately. There can be no more hesitation!"

As Huang Zhen’s voice faded, a brief hush fell over the hall. All eyes turned to him.