Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Guiyuan Sect |
| Alias(es) | Guiyuan Sect (归元派) |
| Occupation/Role | Major martial arts sect with Outer Sect and Inner Sect divisions; an affiliated sect of the Haojin Upper Sect through Primordial Unity Peak |
| Status | Active; protected by its former Inner Sect Heavenly Pride Zhang Su, now an Upper Sect Personal Disciple and regional warden; receives dedicated Upper Sect resource allocations and a permanent share of Three Ridges Garrison Office income. 185 218 |
| First Appearance | 1 |
Organization
- The sect maintains distinct Outer Sect and Inner Sect ranks. Outer Sect disciples can enter the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples, while Inner Sect disciples gain access to Internal Force-level martial arts and higher-status lineages. 34 51 52
- Outer Sect recruitment ordinarily has a minimum age of fourteen. Zhang Su entered at fifteen only because the Su Family spent heavily to secure him a place. 1
- The Outer Sect contains tens of thousands of disciples, making the rank of number one Outer Sect disciple a significant mark of prestige. 43
- The sect governs ten prefectures and thirty counties, making mineral veins, trade routes, and local martial forces strategically important to its interests. 81
- Its leadership consists of Sect Leader Meng Shouzhen, the masters of the Ten Martial Veins, Houtian Realm elders, and Supreme Elder Cang Xuan, a Xiantian Realm Grandmaster. 119 121 131 185 186
- The Ten Martial Veins were modeled after the Haojin Upper Sect’s Nine Peaks, though the Guiyuan Sect’s lineages remain far inferior in scale and foundation. 140
- The sect includes prominent peaks and lineages, including Bamboo Sword Peak, Hualong Peak, Jade Peak, Yishui Peak, and Pure Yang Peak. 52 132 133 136
- Hualong Peak is associated with Yu Hualong, while Zhang Su selects Pure Yang Peak after becoming a Heavenly Pride. Zhou Peng and Xie Guanchao assist in managing Pure Yang Peak, which also attracts disciples such as Han Guiyi and Lu Tianqing. 132 133 136
- The sect’s Scripture Pavilion houses ordinary martial arts, Internal Force-level techniques, Xiantian Realm classics, and the supreme secret transmission Pure Yang Nine-Union Divine Art. 14 51 56 131
- The Trading Hall allows disciples to exchange contribution points for cultivation resources and equipment, including Blood Replenishing Pills and weapons. 4 15
- The sect operates cultivation facilities such as the Cultivation Room and Fire Melting Cave. 15 96 98
- The Mountain-Suppressing Bell is sounded for major sect affairs, summoning the Martial Vein Masters to the Sect Main Hall. 81
- The sect hosts and participates in the Three Sects Exchange Conference, a decennial gathering with Medicine Valley and the Five Elements Sect that regulates competition between the three major southern factions. 120
- Following Zhang Su’s appointment as Warden of the Three Ridges Region, Guiyuan Sect elders and disciples assist in staffing and administering Three Ridges City. 185 186
Ranks and Privileges
| Position / Rank | Documented privileges or significance |
|---|---|
| Top Ten Outer Sect Disciple | Provides benefits such as residence on a mountain peak, ten Blood Qi Pills per month, a 10% Trading Hall discount, and one-on-one instruction from an Internal Force elder. 34 |
| Inner Sect Disciple | Receives access to the Scripture Pavilion’s second floor and may select Internal Force-level martial arts. 51 |
| Heavenly Pride | A rank second only to the Sect Leader, above the Ten Martial Vein Masters in status. Holders may browse all martial arts and receive priority access to sect resources without contribution points or merit. 131 |
| Primordial Unity Peak Registered Disciple | An Upper Sect affiliation secured for Zhang Su through the Guiyuan Sect’s Three-Thousand-Year Ice Lotus. The position gave him entry into the Haojin Upper Sect but carried limited initial status. 135 139 140 |
| Primordial Unity Peak Personal Disciple | The rank Zhang Su attained after passing the Personal Disciple Examination and defeating a Xiantian-level puppet. Personal Disciples wear purple robes and possess sufficient standing to deter threats against their affiliated lower sects. 177 185 |
Power Progression
| Period | Development |
|---|---|
| Pre-Hengshan County conflict | The Guiyuan Sect was a major southern sect governing ten prefectures and thirty counties, but had repeatedly placed last in the Three Sects Exchange Conference’s competition below Danjin. 81 121 |
| Hengshan County mineral-vein conflict | The sect mobilized eleven Xiantian Realm elders to supervise its campaign against the Five Elements Sect while restricting direct combat to martial artists below Danjin. Zhang Su’s killing of Dugu Jian removed the Five Elements Sect’s decisive Huajin advantage and secured victory in the dispute. 84 106 |
| Three Sects Exchange Conference | Han Guiyi led the sect to first place in the competition below Danjin, while Zhang Su won the Three Sects Heroes Gathering and was named the fourth Inner Sect Heavenly Pride. 125 131 |
| Jingyuan Sect invasion | Repeated alliance defeats forced the Guiyuan Sect to surrender thirty percent of its revenues as tribute, sharply reducing cultivation resources and exposing its lack of high-level protection. 135 |
| Upper Sect investment | The sect committed its Three-Thousand-Year Ice Lotus to secure Zhang Su’s Registered Disciple position at Primordial Unity Peak, ultimately gaining the protection of an Upper Sect Personal Disciple. 135 139 177 |
| Three Ridges Region administration | Zhang Su’s appointment as regional warden placed the Guiyuan Sect, the Three Sects Alliance, and Jingyuan Sect territory under his jurisdiction. Guiyuan Sect personnel became part of his administrative foundation, while Jingyuan Sect’s four Xiantian Supreme Elders were compelled to report to Three Ridges City. 183 185 186 188 |
| Long-term stabilization | Rather than merge or forcibly expand the Guiyuan Sect, Zhang Su and Cang Xuan preserve its affiliated status. The sect receives dedicated Upper Sect resources, continuing access for disciples to enter the Upper Sect, and a permanent portion of Three Ridges Garrison Office income. 218 |
Supreme Arts and Cultivation
Pure Yang Nine-Union Divine Art
The Pure Yang Nine-Union Divine Art is the Guiyuan Sect’s supreme secret transmission. It consists of nine renowned peerless divine arts, requires a Second-Time Limit Breaker to cultivate, and can establish a foundation for advancement through the Houtian and Xiantian realms. 56
- The art is composed of the Three Yang Divine Arts, Three Yin Divine Arts, and Three Extremes Divine Arts. 57 98 123
- The Three Yang Divine Arts—Lieyang, Chiyang, and Jiyang—form the art’s initial extreme-yang foundation. Their unification enables the practitioner to unleash Anjin. 57
- The Three Yin Divine Arts—Taiyin, Xuanyin, and Jueyin—balance the Yang arts. Fourfold Unity permits advancement to Huajin, while Sixfold Unity leads toward Danjin. 98
- The Three Extremes Divine Arts—Outer Extreme, Inner Extreme, and Wuji—must be cultivated in sequence and correspond to the Outer Gang, Inner Gang, and Inner-Outer Unity stages of Gangjin. 123
- Its cultivation requires a balance between Yin and Yang. 98
- Zhao Qianfeng provides Zhang Su with three Extreme Yin techniques to address this requirement. 98
- Zhang Su’s cultivation of the art is supported by Fire Yang Pills gifted by Lu Danxi of Medicine Valley. 137
- Though preserved by the Guiyuan Sect, the art originates from the Primordial Unity lineage of the Haojin Upper Sect. 135
- The art is extraordinarily difficult: before Zhang Su, only a founding master of the Guiyuan Sect was known to have successfully cultivated it. 56
Unity Sword Technique
The Unity Sword Technique is provided to Zhang Su by Zhao Qianfeng after his advancement to Gangjin. Zhang Su uses it as a foundation for integrating multiple sword arts into the Fast Sword Style and Heavy Sword Style. 134
- By his Inner Gang stage, Zhang Su had incorporated thirty-six sword techniques into the Fast Sword Style and twenty-one into the Heavy Sword Style, with both styles producing Divine Intent. 136
History
The Guiyuan Sect is an established major sect with hundreds of years of history, though its recent performances at the Three Sects Exchange Conference had been poor. Before Zhang Su’s rise, it had placed last for several consecutive sessions in the competition for martial artists below the Danjin Realm. 121 125
Zhang Su’s advancement through the sect elevated its standing. He became the top-ranked Outer Sect disciple, surpassing tens of thousands of Outer Sect disciples, then entered the Inner Sect after cultivating one thousand strands of blood energy and birthing Internal Force. 43 46 51 His exploits during the Hengshan County mineral-vein conflict—including killing numerous Five Elements Sect experts—further raised the sect’s morale and confidence. 96 103
During the Hengshan County campaign, the sect deployed eleven Xiantian Realm elders to oversee the conflict while barring Danjin and higher martial artists from participating directly. Zhang Su’s eventual killing of the Five Elements Sect’s Huajin leader Dugu Jian removed the enemy’s greatest advantage and caused the Five Elements Sect to concede the mineral-vein dispute. 84 106
The sect’s rivalry with the Five Elements Sect intensified over the Hengshan County mineral vein. Its prodigy Yu Hualong lost to Five Elements Sect prodigy Shi Buyi, a defeat that angered the sect’s senior leadership and damaged its prestige. 81 82 In the subsequent Three Sects Exchange Conference, Han Guiyi led the Guiyuan Sect to first place in the competition below Danjin, ending its prior losing streak. 125
The sect’s leadership also demonstrated its willingness to protect exceptional disciples when Medicine Valley demanded an explanation for Zhang Su’s destruction of Hidden Sword Villa and killing of Ouyang Yin. Meng Shouzhen publicly imposed only a nominal month of confinement and warned Medicine Valley that Zhang Su might represent the sect at the upcoming conference. 119
After Zhang Su defeated peak Gangjin martial artist Chu Hanjiang and later killed Zhou Dingshan to win the Three Sects Heroes Gathering, Meng Shouzhen publicly named him an Inner Sect Heavenly Pride—the fourth in Guiyuan Sect history. 128 131 The sect then invested its resources in Zhang Su, expecting him to restore its reputation and eventually defeat Shi Buyi. 131
When the Jingyuan Sect invaded and defeated the Three Sects Alliance repeatedly, the Guiyuan Sect shifted its hopes toward securing protection through the Upper Sect. It arranged for Zhang Su to travel to Primordial Unity Peak as a registered disciple, intending for him eventually to become a personal disciple and shield the Guiyuan Sect through that status. 135 136
The alliance’s defeat by the Jingyuan Sect forced the Guiyuan Sect, Five Elements Sect, and Medicine Valley to surrender thirty percent of their revenues as tribute, reducing the Guiyuan Sect’s cultivation resources and worsening internal pressure. 135 In response, Meng Shouzhen and the elders committed the sect’s Three-Thousand-Year Ice Lotus to secure Zhang Su an opening at Primordial Unity Peak. 135 139
The arrangement succeeded despite the Guiyuan Sect’s other candidates failing the Upper Sect selection. Zhang Su received a token as a Registered Disciple of Primordial Unity Peak, later rose to Chief Disciple, and became a Personal Disciple within approximately one year of entering the Upper Sect. 139 158 177
Zhang Su’s rise transformed the sect’s position. After becoming the Upper Sect’s Second Personal Disciple and receiving appointment as Warden of the Three Ridges Region—whose jurisdiction includes the Guiyuan Sect, the Three Sects Alliance, and Jingyuan Sect territory—he returned to his former sect in person. 183 185 He drove off Jingyuan Sect Heavenly Pride Leng Shuangyue, ordered Jingyuan Sect’s four Xiantian Supreme Elders to report to Three Ridges City, and requested Guiyuan Sect personnel to help establish his regional administration. 185
The Guiyuan Sect’s leadership, including Meng Shouzhen and Cang Xuan, pledged full cooperation. 185 Zhang Su subsequently defeated Cang Xuan in a sparring match after displaying Martial Dao True Intent, proving that his protection of the sect rested not only on Upper Sect status but on genuine Xiantian-level combat power. 186
At a later stage, Cang Xuan opposed merging the Guiyuan Sect into a larger regional force, judging that expansion could create friction with the Upper Sect and instability after Zhang Su’s departure. Zhang Su accepted this assessment, instead arranging a permanent allocation of Garrison Office income for the sect. Together with the Upper Sect’s dedicated resource support and continuing access for Guiyuan Sect disciples, this preserved the sect’s independence while securing its long-term competitiveness. 218
Conflicts and Alliances
- Five Elements Sect — Long-standing rival; the two sects dispute a mineral vein in Hengshan County and compete through their respective prodigies and disciples. Zhang Su’s killing of Dugu Jian was decisive in the Guiyuan Sect’s victory in the mineral-vein conflict. Despite this rivalry, both later joined the Three Sects Alliance, while Shi Buyi became one of Zhang Su’s trusted Upper Sect companions. 81 82 91 106 133 185
- Medicine Valley — Rival during the Three Sects Exchange Conference, but also part of the Three Sects Alliance and a joint expedition to the Upper Sect. Medicine Valley unsuccessfully demanded an explanation after Zhang Su destroyed Hidden Sword Villa, but Lu Danxi later accompanies Zhang Su as an ally in the Three Ridges Region. 119 120 137 184 185
- Jingyuan Sect — Invaded south across Weiling Mountain, defeated the Five Elements Sect, and inflicted five consecutive defeats upon the Three Sects Alliance. Following Zhang Su’s return as an Upper Sect Personal Disciple and Three Ridges Region warden, its four Xiantian Supreme Elders were compelled to submit to his summons and report to Three Ridges City. 133 185 186 188
- Three Sects Alliance — Alliance of the Guiyuan Sect, Five Elements Sect, and Medicine Valley formed to resist the Jingyuan Sect. The alliance was forced to pay tribute after its defeat but continues to function under Zhang Su’s expanding regional authority. 133 135 185
- Primordial Unity Peak / Upper Sect — The Guiyuan Sect secured Zhang Su’s Registered Disciple position there through the Three-Thousand-Year Ice Lotus. Zhang Su subsequently became a Personal Disciple of Primordial Unity Peak, providing the Guiyuan Sect with its intended protection. The Upper Sect later provides the Guiyuan Sect with dedicated resources and an ongoing channel for its disciples to enter the Upper Sect. 135 139 177 185 218
- Three Ridges Garrison Office — Zhang Su’s regional administration incorporates Guiyuan Sect personnel and permanently allocates part of its income to the Guiyuan Sect, strengthening the sect without requiring a formal merger. 185 186 218
Notable Members
- Meng Shouzhen — Sect Leader; has governed the Guiyuan Sect for thirty years and oversees its growing influence. He later commits the sect’s resources to Zhang Su and supports his Three Ridges Region plans. 121 185
- Zhao Qianfeng — Scripture Pavilion elder, Zhang Su’s master, and the figure who reveals the Pure Yang Nine-Union Divine Art to him. 51 56
- Cang Xuan — Supreme Elder and Xiantian Realm Grandmaster. He supports Zhang Su’s regional plans, advises subduing rather than destroying Jingyuan Sect, and helps Zhang Su develop Martial Sense after their sparring match. He later advises preserving the Guiyuan Sect’s independent affiliated status rather than pursuing a merger. 185 186 218
- Yu Hualong — Heavenly Pride associated with Hualong Peak; lost to Shi Buyi and was later seriously injured in the conflict with the Jingyuan Sect. He later develops a left-handed saber style after losing his right thumb and is defeated by Leng Shuangyue before Zhang Su’s return. 82 133 135 185
- Zhang Su — Fourth Inner Sect Heavenly Pride in the sect’s history; receives the sect’s full support as its principal hope for revival and protection. He later becomes a Primordial Unity Peak Personal Disciple, the Upper Sect’s Second Personal Disciple, and Warden of the Three Ridges Region. 131 136 177 183 185
- Han Guiyi — Huajin disciple who cultivates Divine Intent and leads the Guiyuan Sect to first place in the competition below Danjin. He later joins Zhang Su’s Pure Yang Peak faction. 125 136
- Xie Guanchao — Huajin disciple noted for killing multiple opponents during the Hengshan County clash. He later assists Zhou Peng in managing Pure Yang Peak. 91 135 136
- Zhou Peng — Inner Sect deacon and associate of Zhang Su; later assists in managing Pure Yang Peak. 120 132
- Wang Dakui — Elder who discusses sect affairs with Zhao Qianfeng and supports Zhang Su’s participation in the Heavenly Pride Trial. 81 106
- Qu Zhengliu — Master of Bamboo Sword Peak. Though he once rejected Zhang Su, he later supports the decision to gamble the sect’s Three-Thousand-Year Ice Lotus on Zhang Su’s Upper Sect future. 52 119 136
Trivia
- Guiyuan Sect disciples are described as wearing azure or green robes and carrying long swords at their waists. 120 124 125
- The sect had only three Inner Sect Heavenly Prides before Zhang Su became the fourth. 131
- A Heavenly Pride Token is palm-length, pitch black, heavy, warm and smooth like jade, and engraved with the words “Heavenly Pride.” 131
- The Three Sects Exchange Conference is held once every ten years. 120
- Although the usual minimum age for Outer Sect recruitment is fourteen, Zhang Su entered at fifteen through the Su Family’s financial intervention. 1