The Qin Sect's Daoist tradition came from Mohe Mountain and belonged to the Black Tortoise Lineage, a branch of the Daoist Sect inclined toward ancient martial arts and body cultivation. It was obscure and little understood, at odds with the Daoist mainstream. Yet however obscure a Daoist sect might be, no one could deny its Daoist roots, for no school, whether Daoist or Buddhist, had ever underestimated the importance of the body.
The body was a treasure trove, with the Purple Mansion hidden within. Who dared disregard it?
An obscure, little-understood tradition paired quite well with a remote location. Such was the current state of the Mohe Sect in the Qin Kingdom.
For this contest over the Water Spirit Pearl, the Qin Sect had mustered nearly fifty experts of the Heavenly Connection Natural Realm, almost half their strength across the three Heavenly Connection realms. Apart from those unable to get away for various reasons and those wandering abroad, these were all the cards they could put on the table.
The Yue Sect was much the same. The two sects were strikingly similar in both size and tradition. The Qin Sect emphasized physical martial arts, while the Yue Sect excelled at Spirit Striking; both followed obscure, unorthodox paths. That they should face each other in the Northwest was a twist of fate, yet their similar circumstances had not made them fellow sufferers who pitied one another. Instead, they regarded each other as mortal enemies. There were indeed many things in the cultivation world that defied reason.
Her bare feet white as snow, Yin Qingsi stood on the bank of the Flowing Sand River. The waters surged downstream. Owing to the Northwest's peculiar environment, the water was turbid, carrying mud and sand like a great yellow dragon racing along. Its force was