Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 68 The Intimidating Power of the Earth Ranking (Bonus Chapter for 500 Monthly Tickets)

Compared to sects, aristocratic families are inherently inferior and have obvious disadvantages.

How can something that can only be passed down through bloodlines and surnames compare to a sect that selects the best from among the masses?

In the beginning, they might produce several generations of geniuses, leading the family to its peak.

The blessings bestowed by a virtuous person will only last for five generations.

No matter how powerful or divine, can one guarantee the continuation of their bloodline for generations?

A family that has existed for thousands of years has reached its limit.

Families that have been able to preserve their lineage for a longer period of time have all subtly changed their methods of inheritance through other means.

Major clans recruited new blood and reduced internal stagnation by employing guest retainers, forming alliances through marriage, and having members of the same surname return to their clan.

But outsiders are still outsiders; how can one truly trust them completely?

Just like the Chasing Wind Gentleman, the Gu family of Kuaiji only selects from the sons of the county with a clean background, and there are people in the Gu family who have served for three generations.

He was examined for his innate talent at age six, tested for his comprehension at age twelve, and assessed for his aptitude at age eighteen.

Only those who pass all three tests can become Wind Chasers, and their treatment will be comparable to that of the direct descendants of the Gu family.

However, from internal energy cultivation methods to accompanying martial arts techniques, everything serves the purpose of lightness skills and agility, and no deviation from these principles is allowed.

Just like that man in yellow, whose speed burst forth in an instant was no less than that of a cultivator in the Divine Realm.

Long-distance raids, utilizing secret techniques, allow for travel of thousands of miles without needing to rest.

But in a life-or-death struggle, I'm afraid even a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't be able to defeat him.

Similar to those martial artists who specialize in one area, the Gu family of Kuaiji also kept many others, specializing in assassination, lying in wait for months, all for a single, swift strike.

With a powerful physique and massive body, he was fearless of sharp weapons and was dedicated to shielding the eldest son of the clan from harm.

These kinds of martial artists are not easy to cultivate, and only the five great families in the world can afford to raise them.

The appearance of the Wind Chaser, rather than a secret agent from the Thieves' Bureau, reveals a subtle difference that cannot be ignored.

This suggests that it's possible to infer which side is behind the scenes driving this event.

"Most of the academy's disciples serve as officials in the court, and they must distance themselves from powerful families. The Gu family of Kuaiji has very little contact with us—even if they find us an eyesore, it should be the Lu family of Wujun who should step forward. The Crimson Fire Secret Realm is right on their doorstep; what does it have to do with the Gu family?"

Master Qingming was having a headache thinking about it, but he spoke of it so casually. It was impossible for him to actually lead his disciples to fight their way out.

Whether it's Gu Jingyi or the Silver-Clad Captain, the meaning changes completely after they've shed blood.

As the three were discussing the matter telepathically, Gu Jingyi suddenly walked forward, causing the atmosphere to become tense.

"Don't worry about it. I just think the three of you should see this secret document—top-secret intelligence sent back by seven top-notch secret agents from the North Room of the Privy Council."

"No, it was either the seven who were sacrificed or they were intercepted—fortunately, one of my uncles was traveling on the border and knew that I was concerned about this matter. After he seized the secret letter, he asked Chasing Wind to deliver it day and night."

The three students from the academy looked at each other, wondering what kind of intelligence would lead the North Room to pay such a high price.

A top-notch secret agent represents not only strength, but also an intelligence network, which may take more than ten years to infiltrate the Great Zhou.

The sudden exposure of seven people almost destroyed nearly half of the hard work that the north side had put in over the past few decades.

Master Qingming secretly shook his head, indicating not to rush. Who knew if it was a scheme by the Gu family, a forged secret letter?

The secret letter flew straight towards him; he blew on it lightly, and it stopped in front of him.

With just one glance, his expression changed drastically, and he asked in alarm, "Is this true?"

The secret letter was handed to Yu Ziqi. He glanced at it from head to toe, remaining silent, except for the ancient longsword which twitched slightly.

"What did they even write? Why are you making such a fuss?"

Li Xunzhen impatiently grabbed the secret letter and read it aloud.

"Zhai Baishi's whereabouts are uncertain; he has been missing for over twenty days—what's so surprising about that? Does the North Chamber want to track down the movements of a cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Refinement stage?"

"Seven days ago, a Silver Fish Envoy from Guangling County was suspected of being killed by the Great Zhou Demon-Slaying Sword Scripture—just for this reason, is it worth making such a fuss and causing such a scene?"

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it abruptly stopped, clearly indicating that he had realized what was happening.

"You, surnamed Gu, are you saying that Zhai Baishi has come into the territory of the Great Chu? How is that possible? He's not crazy. Isn't he afraid of being surrounded and dying in a foreign land?"

Zhai Baishi, Dean of Yingtian Academy, has reached the pinnacle of spiritual refinement and ranks twenty-ninth on the Earthly Ranking.

The Great Zhou Demon-Slaying Sword Scripture was perfected and its flaws were corrected in his hands.

He was a tough man who vigorously promoted the military-style management of the disciples of Yingtian and repeatedly revealed his intention to trample the Great Chu.

Such a person, if he dares to step into the Great Chu, will definitely attract the attention of a half-step Dharma Body, who will suppress or kill him directly.

Normally, there would be no temptation for him to take this risk.

Unfortunately, such a thing exists within the Crimson Fire Secret Realm.

"The Great Zhou's military genius inspected the border troops last month, advancing three hundred li, and has not withdrawn since. The Prince of Xuanwei and the General of Jingyuan are both bound by fate and cannot leave—at the time, it was thought to be a deterrent to the border, preparing for an invasion, but now it seems that they are clearly covering for Zhai Baishi!"

Gu Jingyi finally lost his elegant demeanor and became somewhat exasperated.

"I told them long ago that Yingtian Academy was haunted, but no one believed me—and now look what's happened, we can't even muster a single top-ranked expert!"

The seventy-two people on the Earth Ranking include all the well-known experts from the Great Chu, Great Zhou, beyond the borders, and at sea.

While there are certainly omissions or deliberate concealment of strength, the general difference shouldn't be too significant.

The seventy-two people were scattered in various places. Some were in seclusion to break through their cultivation level, some were traveling to distant places to temper their minds, and some were living in seclusion and not obeying orders.

In fact, the number of powerful individuals on the Earth Ranking who could be used by the imperial court was very limited.

"If it really is Dean Zhai who is present, then Yingtian Academy must have found the whereabouts of the innate qi in the secret realm last time, and they are determined to obtain it this time. They are worried that our dynasty will not be able to supply this thing, so they came to escort it themselves, which makes sense."

Based on the contents of the secret letter and the information gathered by Yuelu Academy through its own intelligence channels, Master Qingming was already 80% convinced.

For a master who has reached the peak of the Spirit Refinement stage, if a divine object that can help condense a Dharma Body truly appears, they would spare no expense to achieve it.

"How many days until the Crimson Fire Secret Realm ends?"

Gu Jingyi reverted to his aristocratic demeanor and asked calmly.

"Two days."

Master Qingming replied.

"Zhai Baishi will not make a move against us within two days. It will be meaningless and will only make the adults in Kyoto lower their guard. The most dangerous moment will only come when the secret realm ends."

Gu Jingyi seemed somewhat eager to try, and said with a hint of provocation.

"Could the four of us, joining forces, possibly put up a fight against Zhai Baishi?"

All three remained silent, understanding the meaning behind Gu Jingyi's words: the powerful figures in the capital who belonged to the imperial court should not be acted upon lightly.

If we fall for their trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain, leaving the capital city vulnerable, that would be a real disaster.

Only after it is confirmed that Zhai Baishi's eyes are indeed in the Crimson Fire Secret Realm will the imperial court's reinforcements arrive.

Even if the major families knew the truth, they would not risk their lives for the imperial court and the top experts on the Great Zhou's Earth Ranking.

Winning is pointless, but losing means losing your own strength.

It is clear that Gu Jingyi's actions were personal and had nothing to do with her family.

When will reinforcements arrive?

Master Qingming's expression was solemn, and he did not respond directly.

"Lord Yuan should be able to arrive in one day at most—or in three days, the Langya Wang Clan from the north side can send a top-ranked expert!"

Gu Jingyi's eyes were filled with excitement, and her voice rose several decibels.

"If that's all there is to it, then I'm afraid I can't comply—we can only protect our own disciples first, and it's impossible for us to stop Dean Zhai."

The three Daoist masters, Qingming and his companions, communicated telepathically and, after a long while, slowly shook their heads.

"That's a top 30 cultivator on the Earth Ranking who has reached the peak of the Divine Refinement stage—if we don't even use half a step of our Dharma Body, and we really think we can keep him here, we'll just be throwing away our lives for nothing."

"If the imperial court truly wishes to eliminate this formidable enemy, it should not hesitate and should request the Vice Privy Councilor to take action!"

Gu Jingyi grew anxious and stepped forward: "All we need to do is stall Zhai Baishi and wait for reinforcements!"

"Then please let Lord Gu and the thief-catching team delay their progress yourselves; we are powerless to do so."

1

Master Qingming directly refused. Although the three academies were largely dependent on the imperial court, their opinions were not enough to change their attitude, given that they were merely members of the bandit-catching bureau.

Even if a lawsuit were to be brought before the emperor later, they might not necessarily lose.

If the disciples of Yingtian Academy truly obtain the innate Qi, Zhai Baishi will be eager to return. As long as no one stands in his way, he will never stop and waste precious time taking the initiative to attack.

Gu Jingyi flicked her sleeves and left, returning to the standoff between the two sides.

Only Yu Ziqi stroked the ancient longsword, seemingly lost in thought.

Back in the Crimson Fire Secret Realm, Lu Li didn't know whether to call it good or bad luck, as he didn't encounter a single person for two days.

They circled the white ape's dwelling in a big loop, but only encountered one demon spirit.

He practiced the Xiabu sword technique on it, tormenting it with hundreds of sword strikes, before ending the battle with the move "Lixia".

Unfortunately, there has been no progress yet.

"It seems that Zhai Xiao was teleported to the north, and the Yingtian Academy's plan is probably centered around that area. It looks like we won't run into him before leaving the secret realm."

As the end of the secret realm drew closer, Lu Li felt a pang of disappointment. He had prepared for so long in the Floating Island world, only to miss out on it.

So it seems the source of my unease lies outside the secret realm.

Could it be that more than three Refinement Realm experts have come to Yingtian Academy? Otherwise, there's no way to explain it.

But how did they manage to keep such a grand display from the Great Chu Privy Council?

Even if Lu Li breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage and his strength increases dramatically, he will still be insignificant when facing a Refinement God expert.

Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he turned to a cloud of smoke beside him. Sure enough, a slender figure emerged a few breaths later.

"Senior Brother Lu? I'm so glad to see you! I haven't been sleeping or eating well these past few days, I was almost at my breaking point!"

When Song Yuming saw her fellow disciples, her little mouth trembled, and her voice was already trembling with tears.

"Alright, it's best if nothing happens."

Seeing that she was safe and sound, Lu Li said with relief.

After all, she was just a sixteen-year-old girl, the one with the lowest cultivation level among all the disciples.

The disciples of Bailu Academy felt that the secret realm quota was a special favor to her, but for her, it was actually a dangerous test.

If I were to encounter Kong Zhao from Yingtian Academy ahead, I would probably be killed with a single blow.

Encountering a demonic spirit with a fierce desire to attack is also very dangerous.

It appears to be completely unharmed; I wonder if it's due to good fortune or a protective treasure bestowed upon it by the dean.

"Did you encounter any other people or spirits?"

"I ran into a fire rabbit that just ran back and forth between a few caves—I seized the opportunity and killed it with one sword, and even found a pair of mandarin duck short swords in the cave."

Song Yuming instantly went from crying to laughing, and pulled out two top-quality weapons as if presenting treasures, scattering her silvery laughter.