468 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

Chapter 468: The Secret Meeting of Three Jiang Family’s ancestor, known simply as Huan, had an ordinary appearance and an old, worried face. He often hunched his shoulders and overall seemed like a very mediocre Nascent Soul stage cultivator. In terms of appearance, Jiang Mingrong, his direct descendant, surpassed him by far. However, achieving the Nascent Soul stage means one cannot be a common talent. Though Jiang Mingrong looked impressive, he was in reality quite shallow, reminding one not to be deceived by appearances. After Chu Zhen's death, even though the status and power of the Qi Yun's Chu family had declined, and they gave up profitable businesses in Black River Market, suffering losses after a battle at Si Guo Mountain, the essential strength of the two Chu factions was actually growing. This was mainly due to the rise of the Southern Chu Sect. Several migrations took place, gathering cultivators focused on production, with significant improvements each time. Their production became richer and more advanced, with the Tier 3 "Yi Mu Wind-Controlling Shuttle" being their crowning achievement. Their vassal, the Chu Qin Sect, also developed rapidly, transforming into the Chu Qin Alliance with a tenfold increase in grassroots power. Individually, Nascent Soul elders Chu Hongshang and Chu Shentong had prospects of reaching the supreme path. Meanwhile, Chu Wen and Chu Wuying performed exceptionally in the Jixia Stele Forest trial, with higher hopes of forming Nascent Souls than others—something beyond most Nascent Soul families in Qi Yun. For instance, Jiang Huan, with no hope of advancing beyond the initial Nascent Soul stage, explains why Jiang Family's status in Qi Yun Sect is average. Nevertheless, Jiang Family is among the old-established major clans in the region, with their Jiang Yun Peak being slightly superior to the Chu Yun Peak, a presence that cannot be easily ignored. “Hand it over!” Upon sitting down, Jiang Huan reached out with his palm upward, gesturing for something. Qi Xiu turned his head to seek approval from Chu Hongshang, seated upon the crystal rock throne. With an impatient expression due to the presence of outsiders, Chu Hongshang first gave him a sharp look before nodding her permission. The hall housed only three: with Qi Xiu being a Golden Core cultivator dealing with a Nascent Soul, he feared being taken advantage of. That's why he arranged this meeting in the underground chamber of Southern Chu City, with Chu Hongshang as a witness, ensuring that Jiang Huan couldn't easily pull tricks. Chu Hongshang, having hopes of reaching the supreme path, was always cultivating in seclusion, unwilling to waste even a moment. It was understandable she was displeased by Qi Xiu's disturbance. Even rolling her eyes looked stunning... Grinning sheepishly, Qi Xiu took out the “Qin Clan's Huangting Art”—a unique creation by Qin Weiyu—from his bosom and handed it to Jiang Huan. For a Nascent Soul cultivator, a Qi Refinement level technique posed no difficulty. Flipping through it, he quickly understood. “This path is too treacherous! It’s risking one's life!” Jiang Huan remarked with a frown. "When all methods fail and there's nowhere to turn, what concern is there about taking risks? One must wager everything. The creator of this technique succeeded, and so did Jiang Yan." Qi Xiu spoke matter-of-factly, which Jiang Huan naturally understood. “Is the creator of this technique still alive?” Thinking of Qin Weiyu, who was nourishing his spirit at the outer sea, Qi Xiu lightly shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the topic, and directly asked, “Do you believe it now, Senior?” “This technique is too crude, hmm…” Jiang Huan pondered for a moment, “Let me give it a try.” With that, he actually sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, seemingly intent on personally testing the “Qin Clan's Huangting Art.” The core of any technique lies in its qi-flow path. With Qin Weiyu's aptitude at the time, forging this path, his pure nature was a factor, but luck played a major role. The Huangting Art, formed with such randomness, carried a high risk of cultivation deviation. Hence, within the Chu Qin Sect, only a few had practiced it over the past century under Qi Xiu, and mostly without success. "Even as a Nascent Soul, isn't there some danger in walking a deviating path? Why so reckless?" Qi Xiu thought, puzzled, he shifted his gaze to Chu Hongshang, whose expression had grown serious, her body slightly leaning forward as she watched Jiang Huan intently. “Bah!” In seconds, Jiang Huan exhaled a deep breath, opened his eyes, and laughed heartily, “A unique path indeed!” Sure enough, it had some merit! Not only that, his aura suddenly soared, full of spirited vigor, losing his earlier mediocrity. “You… you…” Seeing him like this, Chu Hongshang’s expression turned grave, “You are not Jiang Huan!” She realized abruptly, leaping from the crystal throne in a fiery cloud, launching herself at him. Qi Xiu was confused, initially thinking the “Qin Clan's Huangting Art” had resolved some hidden peril in Jiang Huan, leading to an emotional change. It wasn’t until he sensed the rare alarm in Chu Hongshang's shout that he realized something was amiss. In an instant, a life-and-death struggle unfolded. Fortunately, Qi Xiu had faced many such dangers before and understood that interfering in a Nascent Soul battle without cause could backfire against Chu Hongshang. He spat out the "Clear Illusion Mirror," preparing to unleash the strongest attack from his past duel with Huo Bai, with "Manggu Yin-Yang Pearl" and "Xuan Deng Sea Jiao" summoning "Xuan Deng Ghost Jiao," while darting toward the exit to alert Chu family cultivators to form a trap. “Ah!” Alas, everything happened so swiftly, far beyond the reaction speed of a mere Golden Core cultivator. Within the blink of an eye, before the yin-yang energies of the Manggu Yin-Yang Pearl could be unleashed, Chu Hongshang was struck back by Jiang Huan, sent tumbling into the crystal throne! With a simple strike of his palm, Jiang Huan had completely snuffed out her will to fight, clutching her head in agony, exclaiming, "It hurts, it hurts!" like a little girl. In the underground hall, with a casual move, Jiang Huan had already secured victory, laughing heartily. Qi Xiu hadn't even reached the door before the force of his laughter knocked him to the ground, unable to muster any strength, crumpling with his face in the dirt, not even touching the edge of the exit. Seldom had he seen the beautiful Chu humiliated, much less lose her fighting spirit, "Who exactly are you!?" It hadn't even crossed his mind that he had brought such a terrifying enemy to Chu Hongshang's side! The premonition had given no warning whatsoever, leaving him filled with regret, only able to lie on the floor and shout his frantic questions at Jiang Huan. “Hahaha…” The figure merely laughed, rising to reveal himself as a tall, slender, and elegantly refined elder with a full aura of celestial grace. The mere presence of the Qi Yun robe on him exuded a blend of gentleness and dominance, a composure yet oppressive feeling. "Don't seem like a bad person..." Amidst the tension, a sudden thought popped into Qi Xiu’s mind, seemingly out of nowhere. Was it some form of enchantment? Or did his demeanor alone compel submission? Qi Xiu was unsure, but Chu Hongshang's reactions provided the answer. With her hands releasing her head, her beauty took on a girlish coquettish tone as she gestured at the red mark on her forehead, pouting at the man, “Bullying the younger, you bad old man, how could you hit so hard?” “Uhh…” Qi Xiu was speechless. This kind of behavior from Chu Hongshang only ever appeared with Elder Pei during the Nascent Pill trials, indicating the man was likely a friend rather than foe and akin to the likes of Elder Pei and Chu Zhen. It was unsettling to realize he had been frightened for nothing. “Haha…” The ‘bad old man Jiang Huan’ ceased laughing, looking at Chu Hongshang with an indulgent gaze typical of elders, “Hongshang, your Great Dao's fiery power is far stronger than before; I must indeed be cautious.” “Calling her Hongshang so intimately?” Watching the exchange, feeling out of place, Qi Xiu had a sudden sense of danger, “Old version of Nangong Zhi?” A slightly sour thought crossed his mind before he realized he was still laying on the ground and sprang up. “Which senior might this be?” He mustered the courage to take over the conversation. “Cough.” Chu Hongshang stood up gracefully from the crystal throne, urged Qi Xiu to kneel with her before the elder, “Greetings, Master!” “She herself is the Southern Chu Sect's leader; who else could she recognize as Master!?” In a flash of insight, Qi Xiu realized that only one Nascent Soul in Qi Yun had the status for Chu Hongshang to kneel: Qi Yun Sect Leader, Lu Yunzi! (To be continued)