Chapter 258 - 134: Upper Sect

Yu Hualong paused, his tone growing graver.

"However, once you reach the Postnatal Realm, I’m afraid a fight with him will be unavoidable..."

Zhang Su withdrew the hand that was gripping his sword.

"A fight in the Postnatal Realm?"

Zhang Su felt no fear in his heart.

Once he developed Inner Strength, he would simply have to fight Shi Buyi.

When that time came, the outcome would be far from certain.

The Elders from the Guiyuan Sect and the Five Elements Sect were, in fact, all watching the situation here unfold.

Qu Zhengliu stood not far away, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword.

Although Lu Cangfeng had a smile on his face, his eyes remained fixed on Shi Buyi.

Zhong Wangji’s expression was even more severe, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

If Shi Buyi had truly made a move, they would have stopped him immediately.

Seeing that Shi Buyi didn’t clash with Yu Hualong, Zhang Su, and the others, but instead turned and left, the Elders from both sides exchanged a look and breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

In the past, they would have loved nothing more than for their own Celestial Prides to fight and suppress the other.

It wouldn’t have even been a problem if one killed the other.

But things were different now.

The Three Sects had now formed an alliance to stand against the Jingyuan Sect.

If their own Celestial Prides were to fight at a time like this, it would be a disregard for the bigger picture.

It was a huge headache for them as Elders.

Just then, Lu Danxi also walked over.

Her steps were light, and she quickly arrived before the members of the Guiyuan Sect.

"Senior Brother Yu."

Lu Danxi cupped her fists toward Yu Hualong in greeting.

"Junior Sister Lu."

Yu Hualong cupped his fists in return.

The relationship between the two of them was actually quite amicable, not nearly so tense and hostile.

Lu Danxi’s gaze fell upon Zhang Su, and she looked him up and down.

"This must be your sect’s Inner Sect Celestial Pride, Zhang Su?"

"Correct."

Yu Hualong nodded.

"Weren’t you said to only have an Embracing Pill Cultivation? To think you’ve already reached Gang Force..."

A peculiar glint flashed through Lu Danxi’s eyes.

She had, of course, heard of Zhang Su.

Slaying an Embracing Pill expert while at the Huajin level.

Then, with an Embracing Pill Cultivation, he overpowered all rivals to become number one at the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes.

The various tales of Zhang Su’s deeds were widely circulated, even in the Medicine Valley.

She had originally thought Zhang Su still had an Embracing Pill Cultivation and hadn’t expected him to have already broken through.

"I’ve heard Ye Ling mention you; she holds you in high regard. However, Ye Ling is currently attempting to break through to the Postnatal Realm, so she couldn’t make it this time. But you, a Gang Force Martial Artist, why are you going to the Upper Sect?"

Lu Danxi asked.

Her tone carried a hint of curiosity.

It was indeed rare for a Gang Force Martial Artist to go to the Upper Sect.

The minimum requirement for the Upper Sect’s disciple recruitment was the Postnatal Realm; a Gang Force Martial Artist didn’t even qualify to participate in the selection.

"Junior Brother Zhang isn’t participating in the Upper Sect’s selection this time. He’s just going to broaden his horizons."

Yu Hualong explained.

This was the official story the Guiyuan Sect gave to outsiders.

After all, it was indeed somewhat strange for a Gang Force Martial Artist like Zhang Su to be going to the Upper Sect.

They couldn’t let everyone know that Zhang Su was going to Mixed Element Peak to become a Named Disciple.

Lu Danxi was skeptical.

However, since Zhang Su was being heavily groomed by the Guiyuan Sect, the reason that he was going to the Upper Sect to gain experience was plausible enough.

She didn’t press the matter further, instead taking out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve.

The bottle was entirely snow-white and emitted a faint fluorescent glow under the sunlight.

"I heard you practice the Guiyuan Sect’s Supreme Secret Transmission, the Pure Yang Nine Combinations Divine Skill? Since this is our first time meeting, I have to give you a gift. This is a Fire Yang Pill I recently concocted. Its medicinal effects are quite potent, so it should be very suitable for your condition."

After speaking, Lu Danxi handed the porcelain bottle to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su glanced at Yu Hualong.

A helpless expression appeared on Yu Hualong’s face.

"Junior Sister Lu, this isn’t another one of your newly concocted Medicine Pills, is it? Junior Brother Zhang is my Guiyuan Sect’s Inner Sect Celestial Pride; he won’t be able to withstand your pills..."

Yu Hualong’s tone held a hint of a wry smile.

Clearly, he was aware of Lu Danxi’s "track record."

Lu Danxi often concocted all sorts of strange and bizarre Medicine Pills herself and frequently gave them to others to consume.

As for what side effects would occur after taking them, Lu Danxi couldn’t care less.

When Yu Hualong first met her, he had also fallen for her trick.

At the time, he thought Lu Danxi was genuinely being friendly, so he accepted the Medicine Pill and swallowed it on the spot.

As a result, he spent that night tossing and turning in bed, his entire body burning with heat. It took him half the night before the effects finally subsided.

However, Lu Danxi was indeed very talented in Alchemy.

The effects of the concoctions she made were actually quite good.

Although the process was a bit unpleasant, Yu Hualong had indeed reaped some benefits from it.

"Don’t worry. The Fire Yang Pill’s effects are just too potent for an ordinary Martial Artist to handle. But since Zhang Su cultivates your Guiyuan Sect’s Pure Yang Nine Combinations Divine Skill, it definitely won’t be a problem. He can eat it casually; it won’t kill him."

Lu Danxi spoke with complete confidence.

Yu Hualong was left speechless.

In the end, Zhang Su accepted the bottle of Fire Yang Pills.

He didn’t have to worry about things like poisoning.

Lu Danxi wouldn’t do something like that.

However, Zhang Su didn’t take it immediately.

He first took out a Fire Yang Pill and fed it to Little Red Horse.

After eating it, Little Red Horse snorted a few times, and some blood trickled from its nostrils.

Zhang Su took a look. It seemed to have just gotten overheated; it wasn’t a big problem.

Moreover, Little Red Horse became very spirited, galloping around the courtyard with its hooves flying, much more lively than usual.

Seeing that Little Red Horse was fine, Zhang Su finally felt at ease and swallowed a Fire Yang Pill.

As the Fire Yang Pill entered his stomach, a current of heat instantly surged from his abdomen, spreading toward his limbs and throughout his entire body.

The heat was extremely potent, bringing a scorching sensation wherever it went.

Zhang Su immediately circulated his Pure Yang Gang Power, guiding the current of heat to merge with his body.

As the Pure Yang Gang Power circulated within him, it absorbed a bit more of the heat with each revolution.

His cultivation speed for the Infinite Divine Technique was clearly much faster than usual.

He hadn’t had much time to practice the Infinite Divine Technique these past few days while traveling.

But with the help of the Fire Yang Pill, he could make up for the cultivation time he had lost during the journey.

After the people from the Three Sects gathered at Lei Family Castle, they set out together the next day.

The group was much larger than before.

There were fourteen people from the Guiyuan Sect, over a dozen from the Medicine Valley, and more than twenty from the Five Elements Sect, totaling over fifty people.

The party of over fifty people traveled north along the main road.

With three Elders at the Peak of the Postnatal Realm leading the way, they encountered no trouble along the journey.

The few foolish bandits they occasionally encountered would see the imposing presence of the group from afar and give them a wide berth.

After a month of hurried travel, they finally arrived outside Haojin City.

The city gates were very wide, able to accommodate four horse-drawn carriages passing through side-by-side.

Many Martial Artists stood on either side of the gates, inspecting those entering and leaving the city.

People were constantly coming and going at the city entrance: merchants carrying goods on shoulder poles entered the city, carriages pulled cargo out of it, and Martial Artists in various attire galloped past on horseback.

It was bustling and extremely lively.

"We’re finally here..."

The members of the Three Sects all breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they hadn’t encountered any danger on the road, everyone was exhausted after a month of arduous travel.

Now, seeing Haojin City, they all felt much more at ease.

"Let’s enter the city."

Qu Zhengliu waved his hand and led the group toward the city gates.

Everyone followed behind him in an orderly line.

Just then, another group of people arrived from behind them.

The group wasn’t large, only a dozen or so people, but each one had a powerful presence.

They wore uniform, dark-blue robes, with a golden character for "Jing" embroidered on the chest.

Upon seeing this group, the expressions of everyone from the Three Sects, whether disciple or Elder, immediately grew tense.

Yu Hualong, Lu Danxi, and even the perpetually cold and arrogant Shi Buyi all looked incredibly grave in an instant.

Zhang Su’s gaze fell upon the group.

He saw a young man in luxurious robes among them.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties, dressed in a dark-blue brocade robe embroidered with golden cloud patterns, and with a Jade Belt fastened around his waist.

He exuded an incomparably domineering aura.

Even standing in a crowd, he was impossible not to notice at a single glance.

"Jiang Tianze!"

Yu Hualong said, his voice low as he spoke the name word by word.