Of the five great sects of Jing Kingdom, the Jade Spring Sect was the strongest. Its sphere of influence covered three provinces, and it maintained close ties with the Empty Sword Sect. Their disciples often associated with one another, and the two sects were on good terms.
The Heart-Eroding Stronghold, however, was no weakling either.
The Empty Sword Sect and the Heart-Eroding Stronghold were roughly evenly matched in strength.
That had been the state of affairs fifty years ago.
But of the Empty Sword Sect's two Golden Core cultivators, one had died while traveling fifty years ago, leaving the sect a step behind the Heart-Eroding Stronghold. If it wanted to claim the wind copper mine entirely for itself, it would most likely have to seek the Jade Spring Sect's help.
Of course, it would have to surrender a share afterward. Presumably, the Golden Core True Persons of the two sects could discuss a solution.
But the local common folk will most likely have to suffer for it.
Chen Shuangbai sighed inwardly.
Immortals and mortals lived in different worlds.
When disciples of the righteous path went out, whether to fight with their arts or attend to other matters, they would do their utmost to avoid involving mortals. The Heart-Eroding Stronghold was different.
Its members regarded mortals as cultivation resources.
Afterward, when the conversation turned to the disputes and conflicts between those two sects in recent years, Chen Shuangbai took the opportunity to ask the two senior brothers, who had entered the sect more than a decade before him, about the general situation in Jing Kingdom and the surrounding nations.
As for the five sects of Jing Kingdom alone:
The Jade Spring Sect, the Empty Sword Sect, the Heart-Eroding Stronghold, the Great Buddha Temple, and the Spirit-Seeking Sect.
The relationships among the five great sects were as tangled as intertwined roots, far too complicated to explain in a few words.
From the perspective of the Jade Spring Sect, where Chen Shuangbai came from, its relations with the other four great sects could be summed up in one sentence-
Close to Kong Jian, averse to the Great Buddha, hostile to Spirit-Seeking, and enemies with Heart-Eroding.
The Buddhist sects had a poor reputation both in Jing Kingdom and in the twelve surrounding nations. They had to keep their tails tucked between their legs and ordinarily dared neither provoke nor stir up trouble.
The Spirit-Seeking Sect had originally been the foremost sect in Jing Kingdom, only to be overtaken by the Jade Spring Sect. The two had consequently had many disputes and had fought more than once, with real animosity flaring between them.
One of its Golden Core True Persons had fallen at the hands of Ling Qingque, the Jade Spring Sect's sect master, whom outsiders respectfully called True Person Qingchen.
She was also the foremost cultivator in all of Jing Kingdom, even though her cultivation realm ranked second.
Golden Core Great Perfection.
Hearing this, Chen Shuangbai could not help growing curious. "...Senior Brother Lu, why can the sect master be called the foremost cultivator in Jing Kingdom when her cultivation realm ranks second?"
At that, Lu Zhiyuan put away the frivolous look on his face and gazed toward the depths of the sect. His tone was solemn, and his face showed a sense of shared pride.
"Why, naturally, it's because our sect master, at Golden Core Great Perfection, fought the Spirit-Seeking Sect's great elder at Half-Step Nascent Soul from morning till night, until he fled for his life!"
A Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivator was a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator who had attempted to break through to Nascent Soul. Such a cultivator had already begun trying to form a Nascent Soul, and their soul, Law Power, and physical body had begun a fundamental transformation, allowing them to touch upon a sliver of the might and characteristics of the Nascent Soul Realm.
The gap between that and Golden Core Great Perfection was as vast as the gulf between heaven and earth.
Ordinarily, when a Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivator fought someone at Golden Core Great Perfection, even if they could not crush their opponent, they would certainly hold an overwhelming advantage.
Yet the sect master had been able to press her opponent hard throughout the fight. That alone showed how formidable True Person Qingchen was.
That brought them to an old story.
As the story went, the Spirit-Seeking Sect's great elder, respectfully titled True Person Kunyuan, had cultivated for nearly four hundred years and more. He had mastered Wu Earth Kun Spiritual Qi and was also well versed in formations. He was said to possess boundless Law Power as long as his feet stood on the earth, and his defenses had few equals among Jing Kingdom's Golden Core cultivators.
More than a century ago, he had refined three precious pills and chosen an auspicious day to take them, hoping to break through to Nascent Soul.
Unfortunately, his foundation had ultimately been insufficient, and the breakthrough failed. Yet the misfortune had also brought him a blessing: he entered the Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm, and his strength soared. For a time, no one could rival his prominence.
After emerging from seclusion, he had sought to reverse his sect's decline. Striking while the iron was hot, he had set out to subdue or absorb the other four sects and establish his own as the foremost sect in Jing Kingdom.
Thus, he had first come knocking at the Jade Spring Sect's door.
True Person Qingchen had only recently entered Golden Core Great Perfection herself. When she saw True Person Kunyuan come to challenge her, she gladly emerged from seclusion and fought him for a full day at Falling Star Cliff in Jing Kingdom.
Their battle had truly darkened heaven and earth, leaving the sun and moon without light.
Ordinary people could not see the state of the two combatants amid the depths of their clash. But as the sun slanted westward that day, the once-confident High Person Kunyuan fled in sorry straits, having lost half an arm, like a dog that had lost its home.
After that day, the Spirit-Seeking Sect's strength waned considerably, and the Jade Spring Sect seized the opportunity to rise.
Of the three provinces now under the Jade Spring Sect's control, Wind Province had been forcibly bitten out of the Spirit-Seeking Sect's mouth.
From then on, the two sects had been as incompatible as fire and water. If their disciples encountered one another outside, they would strike to kill whenever they could; even if they could not, they would still hack away half their opponent's life.
Were it not for the Empty Sword Sect and the Great Buddha Temple lying between them, their clashes would most likely have been even worse.
As for the Heart-Eroding Stronghold...
They were beasts of a demonic sect, whom everyone wanted to strike down. Did anyone need a reason?
The sun slanted westward.
From the two senior brothers, Chen Shuangbai had heard much news that disciples within the sect could not hear. But seeing that the moon would soon be high overhead and it would be time to cultivate, he took the initiative to bid the two farewell.
"Speaking with you two senior brothers today has been worth ten years of study. Not only have I gained a clear understanding of the sect and the situation outside, but I have also gained a great deal of valuable experience. I am deeply grateful."
Chen Shuangbai spoke with gratitude.
"Haha, you're too polite, Junior Brother."
Lu Zhiyuan laughed. He glanced at the sky and added, "We've had such an enjoyable chat that it's nearly dusk already."
Qian Jin rose as well to see Chen Shuangbai off.
Outside the hall, he said, "Put your mind at ease, Junior Brother. Junior Brother Du honors his promises and keeps his word. He will certainly contact you when he comes out of seclusion."
"In that case, thank you both, Senior Brothers. I'm sorry for imposing on you today. I'll come again another day to ask for a cup of plain tea."
With that, Chen Shuangbai rose on the wind and headed back toward his cave abode.
But halfway there, he had another thought. He went to the Cloud Peak Small Market and purchased a large quantity of spiritual materials.
The Empty Sword Sect and the Heart-Eroding Stronghold have come to blows in earnest over ownership of the ore vein. No wonder the Expenditure Hall bought thirty to forty percent more basic pills this year than last...
A clash between forces on such a large scale would certainly cause demand for pills to rise.
Chen Shuangbai decided to take advantage of this time to refine more of them.
Although he currently knew only how to refine the five Jade Spring pills, it was precisely these basic pills that were in greatest demand among the markets.
Besides, the first-tier pills would surely be supplied by the sect's first-tier Alchemists. The fact that the sect let him pick up a few scraps and have a sip of the broth could already be considered an act of mercy.
By the time he finished his purchases and returned to Lesser Yang Peak, dusk had closed in on all sides.
Inside his cave abode, Chen Shuangbai sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.
Moonlight filtered through the opening overhead, spilling down in silence.
As the Moon-Worshipping Clear Illumination Method circulated, he drew in wisps of moonlight's power and refined them, blending them into every limb and bone before they finally flowed into the Qi sea in his Dantian.
Faintly, behind him, a figure of light seemed to float slowly, with a dragon's head and a human body, holding a blue jade tablet.
It silently lowered its eyes and looked at Chen Shuangbai, saying nothing.