Liver Become Mortal Sword Immortal

"This is absolutely a Martial Prodigy. I can't sense this qi and blood you speak of, but I can feel the suffocating pressure radiating from him. The pressure he gives me is even greater than the Diamond Demonic Ape's."

The crowd Discussed Vigorously.

It was a long walk from the Mountain Gate to the outer sect's Scripture Pavilion. Though they would not pass through the Training Ground, they still had to pass nearby.

The Diamond Demonic Ape was simply too enormous, its presence intimidating. Its coat of golden fur made it impossible not to notice.

They also knew about the earlier Diamond Demonic Ape mission, which was worth a thousand Qi Nurturing Pills.

Even among B-grade missions, that was considered quite a generous reward, and the threshold was low as well—anyone in Late Body Tempering could accept it.

How could such a mission go unnoticed? Yet within the outer sect, few were able to make up their minds to take it.

Even if they did not need to compensate for anything, the time spent on it could have been used to complete who knew how many C-grade missions.

Moreover, the Diamond Demonic Ape was immensely powerful, only a hair's breadth away from Demonic Transformation. It was also violent by nature—who knew whether one might carelessly end up perishing beneath its hands?

Even disciples in the Qi Condensation Stage did not dare try their hand at a Diamond Demonic Ape lightly.

And how many Qi Condensation Stage disciples were there in the outer sect?

"I'll go hand in the mission first. We can talk later," Yun Shu said with a smile.

"Alright." Lin Yang nodded.

He had also heard the discussions around them. Yun Shu's strength was no longer what it had been back then.

At this level, Yun Shu was likely already invincible within the Body Refining Realm.

It was no exaggeration to say that anyone capable of capturing a Diamond Demonic Ape alive in the Body Refining Realm would have little trouble entering the Top Three of Outer Sect Disciple Ranking.

He simply had not gone to do it yet.

Lin Yang could not help but realize sadly that no matter how hard he worked, the gap between his strength and Yun Shu's only seemed to be growing wider.

Yun Shu arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.

The Fat Steward was still sitting there leisurely, eyes closed as he hummed an unknown little tune. His rocking chair creaked back and forth without pause, while the palm-leaf fan in his hand swayed unhurriedly.

"I'm here to hand in a mission," Yun Shu said.

"Hand in a mission? Alright, give me your disciple token," the Fat Steward said casually.

Then he rose and opened his eyes, his pupils widening slightly. "You?"

"It's only been four days. You brought back the Diamond Demonic Ape?"

"I brought it back. I left it outside. Go inspect it," Yun Shu said.

"I'll have to take a look. Come, come, come." The Fat Steward stood and followed Yun Shu outside.

The moment they reached the entrance to the Scripture Pavilion, the Fat Steward saw the Diamond Demonic Ape's massive frame.

"It really is a Diamond Demonic Ape. Its strength is at the Peak of Body Tempering Ninth Layer. Your strength has increased again." The Fat Steward gave a Moming sigh, his expression slightly complicated. "That old fellow truly didn't misjudge you. Your Body Refining Talent is indeed far stronger than that person's was back then."

Yun Shu heard him, but merely narrowed his eyes slightly and pretended not to have.

"Here are a hundred Origin Nurturing Pills. Take them." The Fat Steward returned to the counter, took out a Jade Box, and handed it to Yun Shu.

Origin Nurturing Pills were standard medicinal pills for the Qi Condensation Stage. The medicinal potency of one pill was equivalent to ten Qi Nurturing Pills. Of course, Spirit Stones were even harder currency, but most Qi Condensation Stage cultivators were not yet qualified to come into contact with Spirit Stones.

He then took back the mission token and added five Contribution Points to Yun Shu's Identity Jade Token.

C-grade missions gave three points, while B-grade missions gave five. This was assessed according to the level of danger. Most missions were not so dangerous, but the world was vast, and accidents could happen anywhere.

"Keep it well. Once you become an Inner Sect Disciple, you can still come here to accept missions. Of course, Inner Sect Disciples have other missions of their own as well. I wish you good luck." The Fat Steward resumed his composed smile.

"Alright, thank you." Yun Shu clasped his hands slightly.

"No need for courtesy. Come to think of it, your Senior Brother and I..." At a certain moment, the Fat Steward abruptly fell silent, and Yun Shu did not press him further.

He only felt that the Fat Steward was acting strangely today. Had something stirred up an unpleasant memory?

But since he knew Master, it was naturally some old grudges and entanglements from the previous generation. Yun Shu could only play deaf and dumb.

For now, it was not something he ought to know about.

Yun Shu soon saw the Old Man's arrangements.

An Inner Sect Deacon delivered a new Identity Jade Token, transferring his previous Contribution Points onto it.

There were also the robes of an Inner Sect Disciple, as well as a sword.

Myriad Sword Pavilion was, at the very least, a sect of Sword Cultivators, so a sword was essential. Though it could not slice through iron like mud, it was no ordinary weapon—at the very least, it was the work of an Artifact Refiner.

There was also a thin booklet containing the guidelines for Inner Sect Disciples, its contents extremely comprehensive.

It included how many missions had to be completed each month, what activities had to be attended within the inner sect, and the inner sect's rules.

Yun Shu read every word without skipping a single one.

There was one benefit to entering the inner sect: every peak had a Transmission Elder responsible for explaining all manner of problems encountered in cultivation.

Most importantly, they would provide the most basic Cultivation Method for the Qi Condensation Stage!

"I do not know what Spiritual Roots you possess, so that I may choose a Cultivation Method for you."

"Metal, wood, and water," Yun Shu answered truthfully.

"Fire Earth?" The steward opposite him almost responded on instinct, but then caught himself. "Triple Spiritual Root?"

This truly surprised the steward.

"These are the metal-attributed Flowing Gold Art, the wood-attributed Spirit Wood Art, and the water-attributed Water Control Art." The steward found three manuals.

He did not know what grade Yun Shu's spiritual roots were, but they were likely not poor?

"Good. Many thanks." Yun Shu cupped his hands slightly.

"You're welcome." The steward smiled. "I'm merely doing my duty. Come with me, then. I'll take you to your new residence. Other stewards will tell you everything else when we get there."

Yun Shu packed away his things and, without making the steward wait long, stepped out of the room.

"Lin Steward."

"Lin Steward."

Many Outer Sect Disciples recognized the newcomer and hurriedly saluted him.

They glanced at Yun Shu following behind him with some curiosity, but when they recalled Yun Shu's formidable record, they naturally understood what Lin Steward was taking him away for.

His aptitude had caught the eye of one of the Sect's Elders!

Only those accepted as disciples by an Inner Sect Elder had the qualifications to enter the Inner Sect directly.

Moreover, Lin Steward was a steward of Spirit Sword Peak, the Sect Master's lineage. That alone hinted at something far from ordinary.

Could it be that Yun Shu had been brought to Spirit Sword Peak?

Whether they were Outer Sect Disciples or disciples overseeing the Outer Sect residential area, all of them looked on with envy in their eyes.

Had they known, they would have accepted that mission.

Of course, even if they had accepted it, they might not have been able to capture the Giant Ape alive. Without sufficient strength, they were bound to miss certain opportunities.

This was truly a case of lying still until, with one flight, soaring into the heavens.

"I remember this Senior Brother has Triple Spiritual Roots. He was tested in the same batch as me just a month ago. I never expected him to enter the Inner Sect so quickly. He truly is a dragon among men."

"Triple Spiritual Roots? But his Body Refining speed is far too fast. Five realms in a month—I wouldn't even dare imagine it. Still, Myriad Sword Pavilion is ultimately a Sect of the Immortal Path. No matter how strong his talent for the Martial Path is, he may find it difficult to stand out."

"No matter what, he's already become an Inner Sect Disciple. That's an incomparable glory. Besides, if his aptitude caught an Elder's eye, it can't be bad, right?"

"What's there to fear about Triple Spiritual Roots? I remember there was once a fierce Body Refining expert in the Sect with Five Spiritual Roots. He specialized in Body Refining, and in five years, his Body Refining strength rivaled the Foundation Establishment Stage. He was invincible in close combat!"

"What happened afterward?"

"No one knows where he went. What a pity. If that Senior Brother were still around, he might already rival the Golden Core Stage by now."

"Body Refining reaching the Golden Core Stage? How is that possible? Are you mad, or am I?"

"A Body Refining prodigy—if he weren't different from ordinary people, how could he be called a prodigy?"

The crowd talked animatedly, but Yun Shu did not feel much about it.

He had seen the Old Man sitting motionless at the Training Ground for two years. Those two years were merely the two years since Yun Shu had entered the Sect.

Before Yun Shu came along, perhaps he had already sat there for years, even decades. No one could say.

He, too, had been searching for an exceptional Body Refining Genius to inherit his mantle.

But how could there be so many Body Refining Geniuses?

Had there been no Yun Shu, perhaps he could have sat there for countless more years, only to never encounter another before Myriad Sword Pavilion was destroyed.

In this Sect that used swords, Body Refining was naturally an anomaly.

Body Cultivators and Sword Cultivators had two different modes of attack.

Sword Cultivators had a wide attack range; the farther their attacks reached, the better.

Though Body Cultivators also possessed great attack ranges in the later stages, in the beginning, they relied only on Martial Arts. Only in close combat could they bring out their greatest strength.

Each had its strengths, and each had its weaknesses.