The Jade Spring Sect and the Heart-Eroding Stronghold Dock have a long-standing feud.
However, since the two sides' territories are separated by the Empty Sword Sect, border clashes are not very frequent, so this feud... can naturally be put on hold for a while.
However, the actions of Heart-Eroding Stronghold, such as harassing the borders of sects, massacring villages and clans, and collecting large amounts of mortal Essence Blood and souls to refine Devil Cultivator Law Artifact, can be described as dancing on the face of the Jade Spring Sect.
Chen Shuangbai believed that the sect's higher-ups Nengren this.
Perhaps in the near future, the sect will recruit disciples from within, who will then sail on radiant cloud ships to the battlefield to fight alongside their fellow disciples from the Empty Sword Sect against the Heart-Eroding Demon Beast.
The Book Spirit continued, "Within the mountain gate, things are still relatively peaceful. After all, our sect has accumulated prestige for a long time, and we still have twelve Foundation Establishment. How could the Heart-Eroding Demon dare to offend us so easily... It's just that in these more remote areas, the disciples of the Evil Hunting Hall and the Jade Guarding Hall are quite busy."
Among the three main halls and nine chambers, the Evil Hunting Hall, the Jade Guarding Hall, and the Expenditure Hall have the largest number of members.
Now, a portion of the elites of the Evil Hunting Hall have been transferred to assist the Empty Sword Sect in suppressing the Heart-Eroding Stronghold, while the task of patrolling the sect's territory has been handed over to the Jade Guarding Hall.
It can be said that the two halls have made invaluable contributions to maintaining peace and tranquility within a radius of three thousand miles around Sunken Jade Valley.
certainly.
The Expenditure Hall also made significant contributions by coordinating resources and dispatching airships.
Chen Shuangbai pondered silently in his heart--
'Under these circumstances, a major war is likely imminent.'
The Book Spirit continued, "You performed your guard duty exceptionally well, earning top marks. In the past, once all the guards had gathered, the list of those promoted to inner sect would have been announced. But this year, there might be some unusual developments."
Chen Shuangbai frowned slightly, thinking of the potential war, and asked, "With war about to break out, the sect might have other plans..."
The Book Spirit stopped short of making a direct comment.
Its small eyes gave Chen Shuangbai a deep look.
Chen Shuangbai did not employ any Method Formula to conceal his cultivation level, so his Seventh Layer of Qi Refining realm was clearly visible, allowing the special Foundation Establishment Book Spirit, to sense it as soon as he entered.
It was a clever Book Spirit that never asked Chen Shuangbai if he had any extraordinary encounters.
The person and the Book Spirit maintained a tacit understanding and upheld this good relationship.
"I can't say any more. With your intelligence, you should be able to guess. Go and get back to your business!"
The Book Spirit began to shoo people away.
Chen Shuangbai knew that the Book Spirit also had its own difficulties, and that revealing these things to her was already considered a violation of the rules.
Chen Shuangbai bowed and left the Book Collection Cave.
The sun shone brightly outside the cave, but his mood was much heavier and clearer than when he went in.
The shadow of a sect war has already fallen, the threat of the demonic path is imminent, and the rules for inner sect selection may change drastically... But crisis is often accompanied by fortuitous opportunity; whether it brings fortune or misfortune depends on oneself!
After all, one must be strong to succeed.
Chen Shuangbai rested for a while in the pavilion outside the cave. Just as he was about to ride the Flowing Cloud Flying Pouch towards the Expenditure Hall, a flying boat approached from not far away. On it stood a fellow disciple dressed in brocade robes with an ordinary appearance.
" Junior Brother Chen!!!"
Chen Shuangbai stared intently, and couldn't help but twitch her lips slightly. As the flying boat drew closer, a smile spread across her face. " Senior Brother Lu, from now on I should call you 'Informant'."
It was none other than Lu Zhiyuan!
Lu Zhiyuan chuckled, "Junior brother is as humorous as ever."
Lu Zhiyuan maneuvered the flying boat to a steady stop outside the pavilion, jumped down nimbly, and put on a hearty smile. He looked Chen Shuangbai up and down, but when he got closer, his expression turned to surprise.
"Junior brother, you've... Seventh Layer of Qi Refining?"
Lu Zhiyuan was genuinely shocked.
He was on good terms with Chen Shuangbai. Before leaving the sect, Chen Shuangbai was only at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer and had only recently broken through. However, three years later, he had already Seventh Layer of Qi Refining and even caught up with his senior brother who had cultivated for more than ten years!
He paced around Chen Shuangbai a few times, clicking his tongue in amazement as he said, "I, Lu Zhiyuan, was right. Junior Brother, you truly are a hidden dragon."
Chen Shuangbai smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the sect's cultivation and a bit of good fortuitous opportunity that I was able to break through so smoothly."
Lu Zhiyuan shook his head slightly.
He is now almost forty years old. He has taken pills to slow down the changes in his appearance, which is why he looks young. It took him almost five years to go from the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, which shows how hard he worked.
He initially befriended Chen Shuangbai because he thought she had a high chance of being promoted to an inner sect disciple, but now it seems...
"I had such good judgment back then!"
Lu Zhiyuan mentally praised himself a couple of times.
" Junior Brother Chen is indeed a prodigy; his future is limitless!"
Lu Zhiyuan was deeply moved, his eyes filled with even more fervor.
"Senior brother, you flatter me."
Chen Shuangbai hand dismissively, maintaining the same relationship with Lu Zhiyuan as before.
The relationships between people are actually mixed with many factors.
Chen Shuangbai knew that Lu Zhiyuan was only befriending her because he wanted to invest in her, but so what?
Lu Zhiyuan had helped him many times.
That's enough.
After exchanging a few words, that familiar feeling from three years ago returned.
The smile on Lu Zhiyuan's face became more genuine.
And it was at this time.
A pale yellow ribbon suddenly floated over from the nearby spiritual peak. When it got closer, it was revealed to be a female cultivator with a round face and almond-shaped eyes. The female cultivator first glared at Lu Zhiyuan, and then looked at Chen Shuangbai, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes.
" Junior Brother Chen... you've completed your defense and returned to the mountain?"
Another familiar fellow disciple!
Chen Shuangbai smiled and cupped her hands, saying, " Senior Sister Huang, it's been three years since we last met, but your beauty remains unchanged, even more stunning than a lotus flower!"
It was Huang Shanglan.
Upon hearing this, Huang Shanglan's round face immediately broke into a satisfied smile. Then, she glared fiercely at Lu Zhiyuan, stepped forward, and shoved a Storage Bag into his hand, feigning anger as she said, "You're always so forgetful. What if someone else finds it?"
Chen Shuangbai was somewhat surprised to see the two of them like this, but she immediately realized what was going on.
" Senior Brother Lu, Senior Sister Huang, what's going on here...?"
Lu Zhiyuan chuckled, retied the Storage Bag, grabbed Huang Shanglan's right hand, and faced Chen Shuangbai with a proud expression.
" Junior Brother Chen, we've decided to become dao companion."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shuangbai was slightly taken aback at first, then a delighted smile blossomed on her face. She quickly cupped her hands again, this time with a more formal greeting. "Congratulations, Senior Brother! Congratulations, Senior Sister! A match made in heaven! This is a joyous occasion!"
He was genuinely happy for the two of them.
Although Lu Zhiyuan was worldly and sophisticated, he had his principles and had indeed helped me a lot.
Huang Shanglan was also on good terms with him and quite friendly. She was also a member of the Jade Dew Hall. Now that the two planned to become dao companion, it could be said that their relationship was even closer.
"Haha, thank you for your kind words, junior brother!"
Lu Zhiyuan grinned so wide his eyes disappeared from his grin. Although Huang Shanglan playfully slapped him, a faint blush and an undisguised look of happiness appeared on her face.