When Elders take elite disciples to a grand assembly, their journey is naturally not a simple one. The True Spirit Sect was once the head of the sects in the Southern Region. In those days, even the Perceptive Moon Sect had to avoid its edge.
Although it had declined and retreated to the Secluded Valley, its foundation was still incomparable to that of ordinary sects. Tunqi Pond was the Dao Arena of the Perceptive Moon Sect, a Blessed Grotto-Heaven located very far from the True Spirit Sect. For this trip, they rode the Immortal Crane Soaring Ark, ascending into the sea of clouds.
Zhao Chun had once ridden the Nine-Sail Beast-Headed Ship during her trip to the Flaring Wind Sect ruins; in terms of size, scale, and the fineness of its details, it truly could not compare to this one. Although the Hundred Sects Assembly was named as such, it did not mean there were exactly one hundred sects.
Various powers gradually rose, new sects climbed up, and old sects declined. With these rises and falls, the number of sects attending the assembly was always around a hundred, hence the name. What made a major sect?
First, one had to look at its upper-echelon combat power to see if it had any Profound Division Stage Cultivators. Such cultivators could intimidate an entire region and represented the strongest realm in the Drifting Clouds World. If a sect lacked cultivators of this realm, one would then look at the number of Great Core Formation Cultivators within the sect.
There had to be more than ten to meet the requirements of the Hundred Sects Assembly. Since its battle with the Yang Water Sect, the True Spirit Sect's vitality had been greatly damaged, and its decline had intensified. In the Profound Division Stage, only Master Tusheng was left to struggle to support it.
If he were to pass away, the sect, with only five Core Formation cultivators in its ranks, would be removed from the list of the Hundred Sects Assembly. Even though Zhao Chun was merely a Qi Refining Disciple, she could still sense the impending storm within the sect.
After leaving the territory governed by the sect, one could often see various types of flying apparatuses passing by. Some were lacquered entirely in gold, while others were shaped like giant beasts; each was different. Zhao Chun felt that the True Spirit Sect's great ark indeed had a more immortal air.
Although it also had carved beams and painted rafters, it possessed a grand and rustic style. Sects that were usually hard to see had all appeared now. The fame of the True Spirit Sect of the Secluded Valley had once covered the Southern Region for a thousand years.
After relocating, it had less contact with the outside world, and in many people's minds, it was more like a long-lost legend.
“Martial Uncle, look quickly at that great ark ahead, it's so magnificent! Do you recognize which sect it belongs to?”
The Abyssal Azure Sect was a minor sect that had only risen in the last hundred years. Its Sect Master was in the Late Core Formation Stage and had founded the sect with his Dao Companion, apprentices, and friends to preach the Daoist Arts.
Later, after another disciple broke through to Core Formation, the sect gathered ten Core Formation cultivators, qualifying them for the Hundred Sects Assembly. This was their first time attending the grand assembly, so the disciples were quite curious and often looked around. Among them was a young girl in the Qi Refining Stage, only eleven or twelve years old.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled and pointed at the great ark diagonally ahead, asking the previous question. The person she called Martial Uncle was a Core Formation Cultivator with a clear and handsome face. He said lovingly, “Pine trees climbing the ark's bottom, immortal cranes circling among the clouds…
This is precisely the True Spirit Sect's Immortal Crane Soaring Ark that the Sect Master speaks of.” The Abyssal Azure Sect had not been established for long and, unlike other sects, did not have strict hierarchies. The relationships among its members were close, more like those between family and friends.
Others might laugh at this as the way of a minor sect, but its disciples were perfectly happy with it.
“True Spirit? Is that the reclusive sect from the Secluded Valley? Grandfather does mention it often.”
The young girl nodded, only half-understanding. The higher one's cultivation base, the more difficult it was to have offspring. The Sect Master of the Abyssal Azure Sect and his wife were deeply in love and had a son only after being Dao Companions for over a hundred years.
Unfortunately, their son's talent was ordinary, and it took him decades to reach Foundation Establishment. His granddaughter, however, had outstanding talent and was brought to the Sect Master's side to be taught personally. Her Martial Uncle laughed heartily.
“Not at all, not at all!”
He gently stroked the girl's hair with his large palm.
“If it were a reclusive sect, how could it leave the mountains so casually? The True Spirit Sect merely has little contact with the outside world; it has not sealed itself off. Its disciples are often seen venturing out for experience.”
His gaze was profound as he thought to himself, They all say this former leader has long lost its past glory, and just when people were mocking the True Spirit Sect for having no more geniuses, a figure like Qiu Jianying appeared. I wonder if any disciple will reveal their edge this time.
The young girl, however, did not think too deeply about it. She gazed at the great ark in the distance, marveling at its magnificent craftsmanship.
When Zhao Chun pushed her door open and came out, her eyes met the girl's. The girl was leaning on a lacquered golden railing, and behind her, the entire great boat was a resplendent, brilliant gold. Mortals would all envy such overwhelming wealth, but in the eyes of cultivators, it was somewhat unorthodox.
When she saw Zhao Chun, she suddenly blinked and gave a toothy grin. Zhao Chun nodded in acknowledgment, as a response. However, she had important matters to attend to at the moment and could not delay.
After responding, Zhao Chun hurriedly carried her sword and headed for the deck. Seeing her leave, the girl was a little puzzled. Suddenly, she saw a Glazed Crystal Ship arrive next to the True Spirit Sect's ark, glittering brightly in the clouds.
“Martial Uncle! Look! Look!” she hastily pulled on her Martial Uncle's sleeve, speaking repeatedly.
Her Martial Uncle first calmed her down, then said, “It's the Long Plain Sect. Judging by their posture, they have likely come for a Dao Discourse.” This “Dao Discourse” was a rather embellished term.
In reality, it was when sects encountered each other on their journey and challenged one another to a duel to showcase the style of their disciples. After all, at the Hundred Sects Assembly, apart from those top-tier geniuses who were already famous, it was very difficult for others to stand out.
Figures like Qiu Jianying, who were previously unknown but shocked everyone with a single battle, were rare, with only one or two appearing in a century. To invite another sect for a Dao Discourse, one had to first send a challenge letter.
The moment Li Su received the challenge letter from the Long Plain Sect, he immediately ordered all disciples to the deck. Dao Discourses on the journey had become a semi-established custom, and there was an octagonal dueling platform cast onto the great ark's deck specifically for this purpose.
Zhao Chun and the others had already been informed of this kind of unwritten rule, so when the summons was first issued, they did not feel alarmed. On the contrary, the fighting spirit of the disciples surged, especially among the twenty in the Qi Refining Stage.
They would not be able to compete at the Hundred Sects Assembly, but in this type of small-scale duel, they were the main force.
“I see that this generation of disciples are all exceptionally talented and full of vigor. In recent years, geniuses have repeatedly appeared in the sect. We are no longer in our former state of decline and are gradually showing signs of a resurgence. Once they have grown, our True Spirit Sect will be able to continue its past glory.”
On the high pavilion of the great ark, the newly promoted Core Formation cultivator, Huo Zixun, was exceptionally gratified, his eyes and brows filled with great joy. When he was in the Qi Refining stage, he had followed Li Su to Tunqi Pond to watch the battles.
In the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, he had been able to go up on the platform to fight. Now, if he were to fight again, it would be as a Core Formation cultivator.
When the True Spirit Sect retreated in defeat from Pine Mountain, besides the numerous casualties among its disciples, its fortune was also cut in half, leading to its gradual decline.
In past Hundred Sects Assemblies, although it was a major sect with a Profound Division Stage cultivator holding the line, its disciples could hardly compete with those from the lowest-ranking sects. Even in his generation, among the ten Foundation Establishment disciples, only three were in the late stage, and the remaining seven had to be filled by mid-stage cultivators!
If Qiu Jianying had not appeared out of nowhere, the True Spirit Sect would have long become a joke. But at this grand assembly, for the Core Formation stage, they had Qiu Jianying leading the charge. For Foundation Establishment, they had peak late-stage cultivators like Liu Xuan, Du Fanzhi, and Jiang Yun.
Even for the next generation, they had Zhuang Kun, Fang Cairan, and Zhao Chun to fill the ranks. And observing Zheng Chenqing's momentum, they could have another Core Formation cultivator in ten years! Li Su saw the joyful state of his disciple and felt relieved in his heart.
What Huo Zixun said was not false; the sect was gradually showing signs of recovery, and he could see it with his own eyes.
(End of this chapter)