Chapter 52: Chapter 48: Accident
It was just a bit more arduous.
It was precisely for this reason that the majority of martial masters chose to stay.
Most of them were well into middle age or even in their sixties or seventies. They had given up their comfortable secular lives for the sake of struggle in this borderland between the Celestial and Mortal realms, not for themselves.
They had descendants. Even if they could not enter the Immortal Sect themselves, if any of their progeny had the natural Immortal Bone, the resources they had accumulated could be put to good use.
By settling down in Illusory Spirit City and intermarrying with the descendants of Immortals, there was a possibility of stepping onto the celestial path.
The reason Ji Feng could become the leader was partly due to his sufficient strength, but more importantly, because of his great-grandfather.
Ordinary disciples, without the support of a noble family, would start on the same footing upon entering a sect, but with the care of an Outer Sect Elder, it was a completely different story.
Having such connections was what made Ji Feng almost unanimously followed among these martial masters.
When all is said and done, it's all for the sake of future generations.
The trip to the mine had already changed Chu Zheng's original plans; he now had far more options.
The barrier between the secular world and the Immortal Sect was not just a simple gap in strength; the deepest separation was that of information.
The secrets known to the Immortal Sect far exceeded mortal imagination; at least in Chu Zheng's view, no matter how lacking the Phantom Spirit Sect might be, they should at least know the true extent of the current world.
The reason Chu Zheng had gone to great lengths to enter the sect was for the Scripture Pavilion within the Phantom Spirit Sect.
The texts stored there were far more comprehensive than the few Immortal Sect books Song Lingqing had given him before.
If Chu Zheng wanted to find his path forward, this step was essential.
Without even a clear view of the world, how could one talk about treading a path?
Chu Zheng's heart was full of unresolved doubts; setting the distant ones aside, what was the purpose of this so-called Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects?
According to normal logic, wouldn't the sects cherish someone with a rare High Quality Immortal Bone, rather than letting them take risks?
How many years has Song Lingqing been in the Immortal Sect?
Even if she were to participate in the Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects, shouldn't there be more than just Qin Feng accompanying her? Are those Supreme Elders in the Divine Infant Realm really too busy for this?
Was Song Lingqing's fall unforeseen by the people of the Phantom Spirit Sect? That seems impossible.
With a single leaf obstructing sight, living a hundred years without ambition is empty; if one knows nothing and lives in confusion, even living a thousand years is meaningless.
Sixth Order is only the limit for Great Circulatory Qi Guideline, not the limit for Qi Cultivators.
In ancient times, Qi Cultivators, seeking even a sliver of breakthrough, would even willingly face Life and Death Tribulations. Without experiences, their attainment in the Dao couldn't grow at all.
Even the Celestial Emperor, to attain the supreme position, must endure myriad tribulations; living contentedly in one place and closing oneself off in meditation has no meaning whatsoever.
The rare things in the world are difficult to come by; without difficulty, how can they be treasured?
However, for the short term, Chu Zheng needn't consider these things. The Condensing Space Bracelet is a Spatial Spiritual Treasure of Sixth Order quality, surely containing a vast amount of cultivation resources, enough for him to assimilate for a long time.
Moreover, within it may lie the information he seeks.
The pressing matter for Chu Zheng now is to quickly repair the Condensing Space Bracelet, inventory the gains, enhance his cultivation, and then contemplate his path forward.
Having just entered Spirit Transformation, he might be able to kill cultivators in the Early Spirit Spring Realm with some tricks, but those above, in the Entry Dao Realm or even the Soul Condensing Realm, were simply beyond his ability to contend with.
With the Condensing Space Bracelet in hand, he could consider other ways to proceed, as long as he could achieve the Golden Core and cultivate several Divine Skills for protection, he would have the capital to sit down and negotiate with these Immortal Sects.
If he took it a step further, he could even dismantle the Phantom Spirit Sect and take a look at the Scripture Pavilion of the sect.
......
......
Upon boarding the Flying Boat, Chu Zheng found a corner to shrink into and closed his eyes to feign sleep.
When the Flying Boat returned to Illusory Spirit City, the sky had already turned to night.
Contrary to his expectations, the Flying Boat did not stop in Illusory Spirit City but directly crossed over the sect's grand formation to enter the Phantom Spirit Mountain Range.
Chu Zheng was slightly startled but quickly understood.
His identity had changed; he was now an odd-jobber belonging to the Phantom Spirit Sect, though due to special circumstances, he had not yet passed through the Sect Gate.
The entrance check had already been completed when they recruited miners.
Even if they were to return to Illusory Spirit City, their destination should be the Outer Sect of the Phantom Spirit Sect, not Illusory Spirit City itself.
The martial masters on the Flying Boat sensed nothing amiss.
They had come for the purpose of joining the Phantom Spirit Sect, so it made no difference to them where they went.
Chu Zheng stood up, pressed against the light barrier formed by the array, his eyes circulating with Spiritual Light, and his expression gradually changing.
An endless mountain range came into view, powerful Life Yuan Qi fluctuations ebbed and flowed, like a series of blazing fires, stretching upward and illuminating the entire sky.
Inside the Phantom Spirit Sect, there must be experts skilled in the Qi Observation Technique, with the distribution of these Yuan Qi fluctuations meticulously arranged, perfectly covering the entire mountain range. The circulating Yuan Qi endowed the range with vitality.
All the Yuan Qi between heaven and earth were orderly, not the least bit chaotic, as if combed by an invisible hand, circulating around the entire mountain range like tides.
Just as living beings breathed in Spiritual Energy for cultivation, the entire mountain range was also inhaling the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, nourishing itself.
In this way, as long as the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth did not cease, this Spirit Land would forever remain at its peak, and might even progress further, undergoing transformation.
This was an invincible foundation that could last for eternities.
Coming back to his senses, Chu Zheng couldn't help but inwardly sigh; he never imagined that he would enter the Phantom Spirit Sect in such a manner.
If he could bring the Condensing Space Bracelet inside, it meant others could also bring things in through the same method.
No matter how stringent the rules, they are still implemented by people; seemingly tight defenses will always have loopholes to exploit.
Now that he had already come in, all he could do was to quietly observe the changes and wait for the opportunity when Fu Quanliang would call him back, and then make plans for the next step.
As Chu Zheng pondered, the Flying Boat slowly landed on a plaza.
Though it was deep into the night, the area was still brightly lit; stout stone pillars scattered about, cast a hazy glow, lighting up the place like it was daylight.
Chu Zheng followed the dozen or so martial masters off the Flying Boat. Next to the Flying Boat stood an Outer Sect Disciple of the Phantom Spirit Sect and three martial masters dressed distinctly differently.
The Outer Sect Disciple appeared to be over thirty years old, and judging by his Yuan Qi fluctuations, his cultivation should be in the initial stage of the Spirit Spring Realm.
The three martial masters were easily identifiable as odd-jobbers.
After disembarking from the Flying Boat, the dozen or so martial masters stood in a row. Chu Zheng, appearing to be in his twenties and with his remarkable looks, was quite conspicuous among these middle-aged martial masters.
The eyes of the Outer Sect Disciple landed on Chu Zheng first:
"You..."