Sure enough, Fire Origin True Person continued, "Senior Chu just told me that we are the vanguard. She specifically instructed us to be especially careful."
Yan Chihuo immediately understood. The Seven Hegemons of the East Sea still feared that the Demon Race might be plotting something, so they wanted to use him as bait. He secretly glanced at Fire Origin True Person and saw that the other man had not noticed him at all. He seemingly did not understand the true implication behind what those Ascension Stage cultivators had done.
Fire Origin True Person continued, "Senior Chu said that as the vanguard, we must be careful. If we encounter the Demon Race, we must not lose our edge. She will send Ascension Stage cultivators to protect us in secret, but there are thirteen ships in all and only six Ascension Stage cultivators. They cannot look after us every moment, so we must mainly rely on ourselves. That is why I gathered everyone here—to discuss whether there is some way to improve our combat strength."
A dark-faced cultivator said, "If we are talking about improving combat strength, formations are the main thing. But formations of extraordinary power are, first, exceedingly difficult to master, and there simply is not enough time. Second, they are the secrets of each sect and cannot be passed on. As for those that can be learned quickly and that the various sects are willing to share, their increase in strength is limited."
This dark-faced cultivator was named Chu Hong. His cultivation was one level higher than Yan Chihuo's, at mid-stage Spirit Cultivation, and he was the sect master of the Water Origin Sect. Although the Water Origin Sect was not among the top seven of the major sects, its strength was not much inferior. The reason it