Gathering

Dong Lin began browsing through the bookshelves at the very bottom.

After carefully selecting and comparing them, Dong Lin ultimately chose two movement techniques that suited him fairly well, intending to borrow them back to his residence and study them slowly.

They were the Moon-Grasping Wind-Chasing Steps and the Pine-Wind Treading-Snow Steps.

Both movement techniques were High Yellow Tier. He did not know how difficult they would be.

The Moon-Grasping Wind-Chasing Steps were an explosive movement technique, pursuing bursts of speed.

By harnessing wind and thunder spiritual qi, one could tread through the air for a short time.

It was divided into two realms: the Wind-Chasing Realm and the Moon-Grasping Realm.

The Moon-Grasping Realm allowed one to tread through the air to evade danger, while the Wind-Chasing Realm used wind spiritual qi to unleash a powerful wind field, helping the cultivator erupt with astonishing speed.

Once both realms reached Minor Mastery, one could tread through the air and glide at extreme speed for a certain distance. Whether for maneuvering in battle, pursuit, or retreat, it was highly practical.

The Pine-Wind Treading-Snow Steps, meanwhile, were a movement technique that emphasized agility. In battle, one could shift and change with fluidity to evade an enemy's spells.

By using wind spiritual power, one could change directions flexibly and unpredictably to deal with close-range entanglements.

When airborne, agile changes in direction could produce unexpectedly effective results. That was precisely why Dong Lin had chosen it alongside the Moon-Grasping Wind-Chasing Steps.

When paired together, the two could produce remarkably dazzling results.

With nothing troubling Dong Lin for the time being aside from removing pests from the Spirit Field on schedule, he threw himself wholeheartedly into cultivation.

Every day, he spent half his time practicing movement techniques and the other half raising his cultivation.

More than two months slipped quietly by.

His cultivation rose rapidly at a pace of over two units each day.

Just as before, the minor bottlenecks and little methods he had learned about in his studies, such as using spiritual qi to scour ailments from the body, had proven completely unnecessary.

He advanced smoothly all the way to the Peak Mid Qi Refining Stage.

The two hundred and ten units of spiritual power within his dantian gave Dong Lin an overwhelming sense of security.

His movement techniques had also achieved a little success, though there was nothing particularly outstanding about them.

He had reached Minor Mastery in both realms of Moon-Seizing Chasing Wind, while Pine-Wind Treading Snow had only barely crossed the threshold.

When it came to techniques of ordinary attributes, Dong Lin's comprehension seemed rather unremarkable.

He had spent quite a bit of time before gradually getting the hang of using wind spiritual power.

For Dong Lin, whose elemental affinity was limited to thunder alone, cultivating a technique that used the wind element—

was considerably more difficult.

However, this kind of fine control differed from casting large-scale offensive wind-attribute spells, which required extremely strong wind-attribute talent.

The requirements for using wind attributes in movement techniques were still far easier than those of offensive methods.

Just as Dong Lin was about to get up and treat himself to a good meal, a message arrived through his jade token.

It was sent by Gu Chen, the captain of the Star Eternity Squad.

He informed Dong Lin to gather at the outer sect plaza a day later and prepare to enter the Dawnsource Secret Realm to build up the team's coordination.

One month later, the sect would hold a Hunting Tournament. While tempering its disciples, it would also clear out a wave of spirit beasts around the outskirts of the secret realm.

This would allow the sect's disciples to explore the secret realm more safely.

The rewards were exceptionally generous, stirring the enthusiasm of many disciples.

Ever since the mountain had been sealed, many disciples accustomed to venturing out for training had long since grown unbearably itchy-handed.

The Qi Refining Stage competition would be held in the Dawnsource Secret Realm, while Foundation Establishment Realm disciples would compete within the Mystic Nether Secret Realm.

These two secret realms were regularly open exploration grounds within the sect, and they contained many precious resources.

As spirit beasts proliferated, the outskirts of the secret realms had grown increasingly dangerous.

Taking advantage of the fact that so many disciples would be present, the sect was preparing to organize a grand tournament.

The tournament's points were calculated individually, but the sect did not prohibit hunting in squads.

That was what set Gu Chen, who had been cultivating in seclusion, thinking.

Blindly cultivating in seclusion could instead lead one into a dead end, unable to find a way out.

Participating in more battles and tempering oneself could sometimes produce entirely different results.

Although spirit beasts now covered the Dawnsource Secret Realm and the danger had increased somewhat,

solo exploration might prove problematic, but the odds of the Star Eternity Squad—a squad composed of direct disciples—suffering a disastrous setback were minuscule.

Besides, direct disciples all carried, to some extent, life-saving items bestowed by their elders. Nothing too serious would happen.

For his first time "running a dungeon," Dong Lin had prepared quite thoroughly.

He had prepared a bottle each of various useful pills, such as Poison-Averting Pills and Clearheart Pills.

The two Peak Black Tier protective thunder talismans Zheng had given him not long ago were carried close to his body.

It was only because Dong Lin's control over Lightning Arts was exceptionally profound that Zheng Huayuan felt at ease handing him two Peak Black Tier Sky Thunder Talismans for self-defense.

Had it been an ordinary disciple, with talismans that so vastly exceeded their cultivation—

they might have exploded in their own hands before even being released.

Activating talismans also required a certain level of cultivation.

Generally speaking, cultivators could at most control talismans equivalent to their own realm.

After Dong Lin grasped the True Intent of Thunder, his control over thunder attributes had strengthened.

After testing him, Zheng felt reassured enough to give Dong Lin these two Peak Black Tier thunder talismans, each possessing power comparable to the full-force strike of a Peak Foundation Establishment Realm lightning cultivator.

Aside from that, Dong Lin also wore the High Black Tier Mystic Nether Robe issued to direct disciples.

This robe was made from Celestial Profound Silkworm Silk, with a trace of Netherworld Power refined into it and attached to the robe.

Netherworld Power was frigid to the extreme and profoundly yin. It possessed excellent resistance to thunderfire attributes, and it could also block most of the chill from cold spells such as water and ice. It was a superior defensive robe.

The Dawnsource Secret Realm lay fifty li north of the mountain gate. The group raced through the mountain forest, treading swiftly across the leaves.

In only half an hour, they reached their destination.

The entrance to the secret realm was guarded by two high-ranking deacons from the Law Enforcement Hall.

Generally, the deacons of Heaven Sect's various divisions managed the affairs of their respective departments. Most were disciples with talent for administration.

Deacons were also ranked by grade. Usually, only high-ranking deacons could access the core affairs of each department and wield a portion of its authority.

One key, hard requirement for promotion to high-ranking deacon was the Golden Core Realm.

High-ranking deacons generally managed and arranged for mid-ranking and low-ranking deacons to handle specific matters.

The number of high-ranking deacons in any department was extremely limited.

That was because most high-level cultivators within the sect either fervently pursued outside training or cultivated in seclusion.

There were exceedingly few high-level cultivators willing to take office and manage the sect.

The further one traveled on the path of cultivation, the more free of desire one became.

Only those who could endure loneliness could pluck the Dao Fruit and attain the Great Dao.

Yet high-ranking deacons happened to be the busiest people in the sect.

Nascent Soul ancestors stood high above all others. Even if they served as leaders of various departments, it was only because of their cultivation.

Most of them were hands-off shopkeepers, personally handling matters only when major incidents arose.

The ordinary daily operations usually required no need to alarm the great leaders.

The sole motivation of high-ranking deacons was that their positions made it easier to accumulate resources and hold authority.

Accumulating resources was far more convenient than for those who buried their heads in bitter cultivation.

Only the sect's sole violent institution recruited high-level cultivators with all manner of benefits and favorable treatment,

because the Law Enforcement Hall placed extremely high demands on martial strength.

That was why the Law Enforcement Hall could have more than a dozen high-ranking deacons and still spare personnel to guard the gates.