Daoist Competition

Initially, the Deep Water Pool belonged to the Su Family, but after being breached by the sect disciples, the cave mansion had long been reduced to ruins. The pearl ornaments and furnishings within were either destroyed or taken away. What is seen now was re-decorated by Miao Kun, yet due to his shallow foundation within the sect, even for these items, he had to exert quite some effort.

Miao Kun glanced in the same direction as Zhang Yan and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. He said, "Junior Brother, please don’t disdain my place for being too barren."

Zhang Yan smiled faintly and said, "How could I? Such trifling decorations. If Senior Brother does not mind, I could have some items transferred from Yue Tian Pavilion."

Not only was Zhang Yan the master of the Lower Court, he also served as Pavilion Master of Yue Tian Pavilion. All allocations of true disciples’ cave mansions, including miscellaneous provisions, fell under his jurisdiction.

In his view, these were merely mundane items, so he was willing to make a gesture of goodwill.

Miao Kun’s face lit up with joy. He said, "Then I won’t refuse, Junior Brother. Truth be told, this cave mansion is far too shabby. As a host, I find it too embarrassing to entertain guests here."

In his excitement, he waved his large sleeve and ordered the maid to bring up two jars of fine wine. Raising his cup, he declared, "This wine is an old treasure of the Su Family, greatly beneficial for cultivators. After the mansion was breached, most were seized by the sect, but I secretly kept a little aside. Junior Brother, today you must drink with me to your heart’s content until we’re fully intoxicated."

Zhang Yan did not stand on ceremony, promptly raising his cup to drink with him.

The two exchanged drinks, chatting about sect secrets and amusing anecdotes, unknowingly passing an hour.

The wine indeed lived up to the Su Family’s reputation—its effects surged their inner qi, seemingly enhancing it to an extent. However, its potency was intense; Zhang Yan managed well, but Miao Kun was already somewhat tipsy.

Under the influence of wine, Miao Kun suddenly remarked, "Junior Brother, do you know that to counter the Demon Sect, Huo Xuan intends to support five sects apart from Mingcang Sect, as a forward force when the Demon Tribulation arises? However, the Sect Leader has yet to respond."

Hearing this, Zhang Yan’s expression shifted, his hand holding the wine cup paused slightly, and his thoughts began spinning.

This strategy of Huo Xuan’s clearly involved meticulous planning. Now as one of the Top Ten Disciples, he was eager to expand his influence.

If the plan to foster sects succeeded, it could be said he would wield considerable leverage over numerous cultivation resources, entirely at his discretion to allocate.

Moreover, he didn’t need to exert much effort. Merely spreading rumors and offering small benefits to minor sects would likely cause a host of factions to seek his favor.

By leveraging the sect’s power while simultaneously elevating his own prestige, this maneuver would also serve as preparation for the Sixteen Sects Sword Competition, achieving multiple objectives at once.

Zhang Yan deliberated silently, considering whether the Beichen Sect—which was not far from Mingcang Sect—was among Huo Xuan’s designs?

If so, it could not be left in others’ hands. It had to be secured under his control. With these thoughts, he turned and said earnestly, "Senior Brother, thank you for sharing this matter."

Miao Kun, dazed from the alcohol, glanced up with a foggy expression and asked, "What did I just say?"

Seeing his feigned obliviousness, Zhang Yan opted not to press further, smiling slightly, "Senior Brother seems unable to handle wine today. I shall take my leave, though I hope you will visit my mansion sometime."

With a wave of Zhang Yan’s hand, two maids immediately stepped forward to help Miao Kun inside.

After downing the remaining wine in his cup, Zhang Yan’s eyes glimmered. He departed Jiuquxi Palace alone, soaring into the sky, heading toward Zhao You Heavenly Pond.

His sword escape was swift, allowing him to return to his cave mansion in no time. Sitting in the Master Hall, he summoned his Mirror Spirit and asked, "Have the Earth Evils been arranged properly?"

The Mirror Spirit replied, "Master need not worry. All sixteen Earth Evils have been planted, with no leaks or omissions."

Zhang Yan nodded, "Good. Beyond this, is there anything else?"

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The Mirror Spirit said, "Indeed, Master. Just now, a Daoist Nun arrived, claiming to be under the Top Ten Disciple Zhong Muqing. She delivered a stone box."

With both hands, he offered a stone box about half a foot in length.

Zhang Yan received the stone box, opened it, and found inside a brilliant talisman glowing with golden light. He instantly recognized it as the True Seal Seed promised by Zhong Muqing.

Zhang Yan closed the lid and instructed the Mirror Spirit, "You may withdraw for now."

The Mirror Spirit bowed slightly and disappeared in an instant.

Zhang Yan placed the stone box aside and retrieved a fragment of residual bone obtained from Yao Yin Mountain, setting it on the desk before him.

He then activated his mind, releasing the Nine Capturing Demon Scroll as a streak of light that shot out from his forehead.

The jade scroll revolved around the fragment of bone but could seemingly find no point of entry. It shuddered briefly, breaking apart into mist, sinking downward to envelop it layer by layer.

Linked to Zhang Yan’s mind, the jade scroll revealed that to fully absorb this bone fragment without losing a trace would require a year, if not longer.

This surprised Zhang Yan greatly. The Nine Capturing Demon Scroll, even when devouring the remnant of Great Demon Gui Congyao, had consumed far less time. Who would have thought that a mere fragment of a thousand-year-old bone from Taiheng Ancestor would demand such effort?

His eyes gleamed with intrigue, and he silently mused, "Could this Taiheng Ancestor possibly be some kind of ancient mutant?"

However, the grander the origins of this figure, the greater the benefits it would bring to his Mysterious Skill. He couldn’t help but feel a thread of anticipation.

Since the item couldn’t be refined for now, Zhang Yan turned his attention to the True Seal Seed within the stone box.

Adding this one to the seed earlier gifted by Sect Leader Qin, Zhang Yan now possessed two True Seal Seeds.

With these two True Seeds in hand, he could begin deducing his efforts to condense his own True Seal. But there were still many tasks to complete before that.

Once the True Imprint of Dharma Power was condensed, all cultivated Daoist Skills and techniques would be enhanced by another level, making their application more powerful.

Thus, before passing this stage, cultivators would meticulously refine their cultivation techniques and divine skills, ensuring that when condensing the True Seal, their expertise would reach unprecedented depth.

The higher the grade of elixir formation, the more Daoist Skills the True Seal could accommodate, and the greater the enhancement of power.

Especially divine skills within the sect, which are notoriously difficult to master. To cultivate them to the level of effortless command often requires decades or centuries. However, if practiced before condensing the True Seal and further elevated during the process, the need for prolonged cultivation afterward would vanish.

For instance, Zhuang Bufan acquired the "Great Luo Heavenly Sleeve," a divine skill of unfathomable power, and achieved mastery in just sixteen years. One reason was that his cultivation technique, "Kunyu Micro Dust Skill," inherently harmonized with this divine skill. Another was the advancement granted by the boundless essence from his Third-grade Elixir Formation at the moment of True Imprint condensation.

Those who achieve the top three grades of Elixir Formation possess dense elixir essence, enabling their Daoist Skills imprinted onto the True Seal to exceed ordinary cultivators by several folds.

Of course, some focus solely on perfecting one Daoist Skill, elevating it above all others. This ultimately hinges on the cultivator’s personal choices.

As for those cultivators who fail to master superior skills before reaching the Third Realm of Hua Dan, even condensing a True Seal would only marginally boost their strength. If they later gain the chance to learn a divine skill, the time required for cultivation would be significantly longer than for the aforementioned cultivators.

With a First-grade Elixir Formation, Zhang Yan’s abilities promised extraordinary superiority. If he leveraged the True Imprint condensation to elevate his Daoist Skills and cultivation techniques, he would undoubtedly surpass his peers. Naturally, this required him to diligently acquire these divine power skills beforehand, though it would prolong his efforts considerably.

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...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)