The Butian Sect's Internal Situation (Bonus Chapter)

Within the endless void, a mysterious and majestic structure flickered in and out of sight, like an immortal palace in a heavenly realm. This was the headquarters of the Butian Sect.

On a cliff somewhere within the structure, the entire ground was an unsettling black, as though it had been scorched by raging flames, utterly devoid of life.

Yet in the center of that ink-black land stood a tall figure, proud and imposing.

Clad in a black robe, he had completely concealed his face, making it impossible for anyone to glimpse his true appearance.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he stood straight as a pine, radiating an invisible pressure.

At that moment, he slowly turned around and softly asked the Dark Guard kneeling on one knee behind him, "Is what you just said true? The Holy Son actually invited someone to join our Butian Sect?"

The Dark Guard respectfully replied, "Reporting to you, my lord, it is absolutely true! This subordinate has carefully investigated him. He has been an orphan since childhood and has no background. His Martial Soul is the extremely rare Black Phoenix, and at the age of thirteen, his Soul Power Level has already reached an astonishing level 48.

"However, although he has never harmed anyone, Shrek Academy still listed him as a wanted criminal because of his Martial Soul."

After hearing the Dark Guard's report, Liu Yu pondered briefly before casually waving a hand. "If that is the case, then accept him. If any Elder takes a liking to him and wishes to accept him as a Direct Disciple, let them do as they please."

After saying that, Liu Yu fell silent and turned his gaze once more toward the distant, illusory void.

Having received his instructions, the Dark Guard did not dare delay in the slightest. He hurriedly bowed to Liu Yu again in thanks, then flashed away and vanished from the cliff in an instant, leaving only that tall figure standing quietly where he was...

The Butian Sect had always upheld the doctrine of accepting all without discrimination, gathering talents from across the world. No matter what type of Martial Soul one possessed, one could join the sect and cultivate.

There were disciples with Body Martial Souls, powerful Tool Martial Souls, and fierce Beast Martial Souls here. Even those with Evil Martial Souls, whom the world regarded as evil, could find a place to belong.

For this reason, in only a few years, the Butian Sect had established good relations with numerous factions and become a rising power in the Douluo Continent.

Even the infamous Holy Spirit Cult maintained a certain degree of contact with the Butian Sect.

But that so-called contact was really just one side wanting to recruit the other while the other coveted its secret arts.

They were all old foxes. No one had any right to look down on anyone else.

(Of course, that excluded the arrogant, self-important bunch at Shrek Academy.)

At this time, a child with a Black Phoenix Martial Soul joining the Butian Sect could be considered the recruitment of yet another genius.

However, such a Martial Soul was hardly unusual within the Butian Sect.

After all, all manner of strange Martial Souls emerged here one after another.

The person who truly controlled the lifeline of the entire Butian Sect was the mysterious Sect Master, Gu Chen.

He had never revealed his true face before anyone, leaving the outside world full of curiosity and speculation about him.

After all, the earliest group of powerful experts had all joined the Butian Sect only after receiving invitations from Gu Chen, the Butian Sect's Sect Master.

But once he had invited enough powerful experts, he simply vanished.

The one who frequently appeared in public to handle sect affairs was Vice Sect Master Liu Yu.

Speaking of Vice Sect Master Liu Yu, he was truly an extraordinary figure! His Martial Soul was a Dark Crow, and the darkness it contained had nearly reached the realm of Extreme Darkness, comparable to the dark power possessed by the legendary Super Soul Beast, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

With his exceptional talent and tireless efforts, Liu Yu had successfully broken through to become a Level 98 Super Douluo. He was only one step away from the coveted realm of Limit Douluo.

Furthermore, he was a remarkably powerful Four-Word Battle Armor Master. His formidable Battle Armor made him even more formidable.

The Dark Crow lived in darkness, but it was not evil. Liu Yu had already lived for more than sixty years, and looking back on his life, he truly had never committed any evil deeds.

Yet fate was always full of irony. Some mysterious and powerful faction had labeled him an Evil Soul Master without explanation.

Faced with such baseless accusations, Liu Yu felt incomparably wronged and helpless.

With nowhere else to turn, he had ultimately chosen to join the Butian Sect.

"Shrek... this truly is a troublesome problem." Liu Yu muttered, his brows tightly furrowed as though he were facing an insurmountable obstacle.

"Sky-Prop Douluo Yun Ming, a Four-Word Battle Armor Master, the undisputed strongest expert on the continent..." After repeatedly murmuring those awe-inspiring words, Liu Yu seemed to have had his soul drained from him and instantly fell into deep silence.

One had to know that both the Butian Sect and the Spirit Pagoda harbored extreme apprehension toward this peerless expert standing at the pinnacle of the continent.

After all, Yun Ming's terrifying strength and influence were enough to make any faction opposed to him tremble in fear. (Yun Ming was too powerful; below the godly level, almost no one could defeat him in a one-on-one battle.)

It was precisely because the Butian Sect accepted all kinds of members and practically refused no one that Shrek Academy had always been dissatisfied with and hostile toward it.

Furthermore, it was rumored within the Butian Sect that it possessed a mysterious secret art capable of making up for innate deficiencies, undoubtedly arousing endless curiosity.

Shrek was naturally no exception. They, too, were eager to uncover the secrets of this miraculous art.

After all, the rumors heard by the other two great factions had been exaggerated to an almost mythical degree.

There had once been someone who awakened an incredibly powerful Martial Soul, one capable of suppressing most other Martial Souls.

Yet astonishingly, that person did not possess even the slightest Innate Soul Power.

Under normal circumstances, such a situation meant that he would be destined never to become a peerless expert.

But fate was always full of twists. Just when everyone believed he had no hope in this life, a miracle occurred!

Through some unknown and mysterious method, he had transformed overnight into a genius with Innate Full Soul Power!

And behind all of this was the mysterious yet powerful Butian Sect.

In only a few years, the Butian Sect had risen rapidly from an obscure little sect and successfully become one of the top factions.

The most crucial reason was that they had mastered this secret art capable of defying fate and creating miracles.

Not only that, the Butian Sect had another little-known secret—the location of its headquarters was almost impossible for anyone to find.

Because of this, even when facing several other powerful factions, the Butian Sect had no fear. As long as its foundation remained hidden, its enemies would find it difficult to deal it a fatal blow.

This secret art, capable of producing armies of powerful experts in batches, naturally drew the covetous gazes of countless people.

Whether they were sinister evil factions or seemingly righteous and upright prestigious sects, all of them watched this miraculous secret art with greedy eyes.

Even the Spirit Pagoda, which appeared to maintain good relations with the Butian Sect, was no exception.

However, was the situation truly as simple as others coveting the Butian Sect's secret art?

Of course not!

As the saying went, "When the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole waited behind." Why would the Butian Sect not wish to pry into the treasures held by other factions as well?

For example, Shrek's Golden Tree and the Spirit Pagoda's method of creating Soul Spirits.

It was simply the beginning of a fierce contest centered around the interests of every side, creating a three-way standoff among the major factions.