City Seizing Battle

"A Five Vine Gold Point Orchid, never before seen."

"Since the Three Pure Mountains cultivated the Gold Point Orchid, this has never happened."

After a long while, Wang Rulin finally calmed down and said thoughtfully, "There are only two possibilities now. One is... the Gold Point Orchid is broken."

"The other is, this kid might be a peerless genius rarely seen in the human world in three thousand years."

The reason for saying three thousand years is because that was when Saint Zhuang established the Mystic Sect. Before that, there was no such variant as the Gold Point Orchid. Wang Rulin even suspected that even if the few human saints who had already ascended were to come down and test, they might not have such high talent.

Five Vine Orchid!

Who in the history of the Mystic Sect has ever seen one?

Among the countless people in each generation of the human world, there are only a handful of prodigies at the Four Vine Orchid level, and they are all figures who can stand at the peak once they grow up.

How terrifying would the level of these five immortal vines be once they mature?

"I think the latter is more likely." Wen Yifan calmed down faster and analyzed calmly, "Given his previous talent in comprehending cultivation techniques, it's understandable that he could stimulate five immortal vines. Uncle-master, congratulations."

"Heh." Liang Yue himself had just come back to his senses, rubbing his forehead with his hand, and smiled, "I didn't expect this either."

"Kid, come here."

Wang Rulin suddenly grabbed Liang Yue's shoulder, and with a sudden leap, they were already back in the main hall, kneeling on the futon.

Liang Yue immediately realized that this was the ceremony for him to enter the sect and become a disciple.

It was really a bit sudden.

It was as if they were afraid he would run away.

However, it was normal for Wang Rulin to be a bit hasty after just seeing the Five Vine Orchid.

"Ancestor Saint Zhuang once said that junior disciples who enter our sect do not need to kowtow, they only need to answer one question."

"From now on, if you are a disciple of my Mystic Sect, you should adhere to your true heart, be benevolent and kind in dealing with the world. When the world is peaceful, cultivate great freedom; when the Nine Provinces are in crisis, raise a three-foot sword. Do not rob, do not steal, do not lust, do not insult, do not bully the weak, do not fear the powerful, take eliminating demons and defending the Dao as your responsibility, and be ready to die!"

"Can you do it?"

Liang Yue's face was serious, and he replied, "Yes!"

But looking at Wang Rulin's face, he actually had the urge to ask a question in return.

Don't just ask me.

Can you do it?

However, he didn't dare to say it in the end.

After the brief question and answer, Wang Rulin moved a futon and sat opposite Liang Yue, saying, "Good, from now on you are a disciple of the Mystic Sect."

"It's... over?" Liang Yue was a little surprised.

It was a bit too simple.

"Hehe, you probably don't understand the cultivation of a Qi Refiner." Wang Rulin smiled, "Confucianism cultivates the vast and righteous qi, Buddhism cultivates the compassionate heart, and our Daoist Mystic Sect cultivates the idea of freedom."

"Everything should be about freedom and ease, not those elaborate rituals. If you lose your freedom, your realm will actually drop."

"Like when I was back then..."

He paused at this point, then shook his head and chuckled softly.

"I'll tell you about these things later. Anyway, what you're cultivating with me now is the martial path, so you don't need to worry about these matters of the Dao heart. A martial artist's mind is the simplest; with a sword in hand, they charge forward without hesitation, their thoughts clear and unobstructed. You call me Master, and from now on, you are my disciple."

Liang Yue nodded gently and called out solemnly, "Master!"

Wang Rulin continued, "Since you have entered my sect, from now on you are my only true successor, master and disciple, like father and son, never to betray... This is what my master told me back then, you don't need to worry about this."

"Huh?" Liang Yue blinked.

This Master was indeed quite unconventional.

"I have only one requirement for you. As long as you complete it, whether you continue to be my disciple, join another sect, or even become a traitor, it doesn't matter," Wang Rulin said slowly. "But you must complete this task for me, otherwise I will no longer acknowledge you as my disciple."

"What is it?" Liang Yue's back straightened slightly as he asked seriously.

He heard Wang Rulin say, word by word, "I want you to participate in the City Seizing Battle."

A question mark slowly rose above Liang Yue's head: "Me?"

"City Seizing Battle?" Miss Wen, who was observing the ceremony from the side, also heard the name and showed a slightly puzzled expression.

Liang Yue was completely confused, not understanding what this had to do with him becoming a disciple. Was this the requirement Wang Rulin had stated so solemnly?

The so-called City Seizing Battle originated from the conclusion of the Battle of Heavenly Gorge twenty-six years ago.

Before the Mubei Dynasty, the dividing line between the Nine Provinces and Nine Yang had always been Sky Gorge Pass. Beyond Sky Gorge Pass was the Wood Wolf Tribe of Nine Yang.

The Nine Yang tribes would periodically raid south from Sky Gorge Pass, retreating whenever they encountered setbacks. When the Nine Provinces dynasty was strong, it could hold Sky Gorge Pass and maintain some deterrence. Once the Nine Provinces weakened, Sky Gorge Pass would be occupied by Nine Yang, making them even more reckless.

It wasn't until thirty years ago, when the new Mubei Emperor ascended the throne, that Nine Yang once again took the opportunity to raid. Unexpectedly, the Mubei Emperor was so bold that he directly mobilized the entire nation's strength to resist in the north.

This war lasted for four years. The first three years were spent expelling the Nine Yang army from the Yin Dynasty's territory, and the last year was the Yin Dynasty army counterattacking Sky Gorge Pass.

This action shocked the world.

At the height of internal and external troubles, after repelling the enemy, the Mubei Emperor still refused to stop and actually ordered the army to march north and counterattack!

Later, when the war suffered setbacks and there was some pressure in the court, the Mubei Emperor even personally led the army, fighting the three-month Battle of Heavenly Gorge.

The Battle of Heavenly Gorge was fraught with danger, and the Mubei Emperor himself was repeatedly in peril, but in the end, he still won. The Yin Dynasty army advanced unimpeded, annexing all the territory of the Wood Wolf Tribe beyond the pass, and fought all the way to the Wood Wolf Tribe's last city - Frost North City.

The territory of Nine Yang was somewhat like a deformed gourd. Sky Gorge Pass was the wider mouth of the gourd, and Frost North City was the narrower waist of the gourd.

It was only at this point that the Nine Yang tribes realized the Mubei Emperor's intention.

In the past, the Nine Provinces dynasties defended from Sky Gorge Pass, but the area around the pass was easily crossed and did not actually serve as a barrier against the enemy. Frost North City, on the other hand, was the choke point that could truly trap the other tribes inside.

He wanted to completely block the possibility of the Nine Yang tribes moving south!

The Nine Yang tribes began a frantic counterattack, vowing to defend the exit at Frost North City, while the Yin Dynasty army was equally fearless of sacrifice, determined to hold this point.

Both sides had already been fighting for four years and had just gone through the battle at Sky Gorge Pass. They were both at the point of exhaustion, relying solely on sheer willpower to hold on.

Frost North City was like a grinding mill, countless living people entering and turning into flesh and blood.

Countless cultivators and ordinary soldiers died here, yet neither side was willing to give up. By the end, varying degrees of mutiny had occurred within the armies.

It's unclear who proposed it first, but the two sides decided to hold a small-scale City Seizing Battle to determine the ownership of Frost North City.

Because both sides had suffered heavy casualties among their Grandmaster Realm experts, any further loss could be a huge detriment. The final agreed-upon rule was that each side would send seven young prodigies under the age of twenty to participate in a City Seizing Battle.

The seven young people sent by the Yin Dynasty were later known as the "Four Heroes and Three Wonders."

In that battle, after a bloody struggle, they ultimately won the ownership of Frost North City for the Yin Dynasty and also brought peace to the land.

Even Nine Yang was amazed by them.

"Southern figures are stars in the sky, the Four Heroes and Three Wonders illuminate the two capitals!"

After locking down Frost North City, the eight tribes of Nine Yang found it difficult to step into the Wood Wolf Tribe's territory again, and even less could they threaten Sky Gorge Pass behind them, as well as the Nine Provinces south of Sky Gorge Pass.

The Mubei Emperor temporarily became a figure of great talent and strategy, no less than the Daxing Emperor.

However, during the great war in the northwest, many other southeastern countries also took the opportunity to harass the borders. After the victory, the Mubei Emperor ordered the military god Tang Wei to sweep through and take revenge, destroying countless cities and annihilating over a dozen countries.

Although this displayed their might, it also greatly depleted the national strength. Nine Yang, who had been recuperating for several years, grew increasingly angry the more he thought about it and still felt he could not permanently lose Frost North City, so he made a comeback.

The two sides finally signed an alliance under the joint witness of three Immortal Realm experts.

The City Seizing Battle would take place every twenty years. Regardless of who won, they could occupy Frost North City for twenty years, and the other side must never go back on their word.

Thus, the rule of a City Seizing Battle every twenty years was established, and the time for the second City Seizing Battle was next year.

The City Seizing Battle was crucial to the situation between Nine Yang and the Nine Provinces. Without a doubt, the seven young people chosen by both sides would certainly be contemporary prodigies listed on the Young Phoenix Ranking.

For example, Wen Yifan would definitely be among them.

But Liang Yue was still a Second Realm martial artist.

I was just considering whether I could pass the Imperial Capital Guard's regularization assessment, and you're directly sending me to the City Seizing Battle.

Just one year.

It truly sounded like a fantasy.

As a member of the Mystic Sect, Wang Rulin should have no other involvement with the imperial court except for being arrested for breaking the law. He was not among the Four Heroes and Three Wonders back then, so why was he so insistent on this?

It was somewhat puzzling.

However, Wang Rulin's attitude towards this was very firm. He repeated, "I will take you as my disciple, but you must represent the Yin Dynasty in the City Seizing Battle and win. Otherwise, we will go our separate ways after one year."

After a brief moment of thought, Liang Yue immediately nodded and said, "Okay!"