Chapter 149: Oh, and a Pack of Brown Bears.

Chapter 149: Oh, and a Pack of Brown Bears.

Over the next ten days, Chen Xiu remained in his small world, meditating atop a peak at the back of the Mock Heaven Sect's mountain range. He spent nine days advancing his cultivation progress and one day consolidating his cultivation realm.

On the tenth day, as the morning light illuminated the sky, Chen Xiu, seated cross-legged on the peak, gazed into the distance at the two Demon Lotuses floating in the air not far away. He exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, marking the end of his seclusion. The later it got, the slower his cultivation advancement became. It took him a full eleven days to progress from the eighth to the ninth level of the Golden Core realm.

His cultivation level had now reached—

- Cultivation Level: Ninth Level of the Golden Core Realm (1.1%).

"Finally, I've broken through to the ninth level of the Golden Core!"

Chen Xiu stared into the distant sky, his expression dreamy and lost in thought. All he needed now was to seclude himself for another ten days or so, advancing his cultivation to the peak of the Golden Core realm, and he would be ready to set out. Of course, he still needed to finish the move with Scholar and Ji Jianian first.

The reason for his rapid cultivation progress in the Golden Core realm was primarily the daily Celestial Blessing from the Celestial Pride Ranking. He didn't know if there would be a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill after the Nascent Soul realm.

But soon, he shook his head.

It was too early to think about such things before reaching the Nascent Soul realm. Even if there was a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, it would undoubtedly be hard to come by and not easily obtainable.

He then turned his gaze inward, visualizing the cultivation panel floating above his Dantian, shrouded in clouds.

He still had one more chance to use the Celestial Retrace Talisman in the Golden Core realm, and if he didn't use it now, he would have to give up the opportunity once he reached the Nascent Soul realm. In other words, if none of the three randomly selected entries were particularly appealing to him, he would choose the pink entry, "Virtue Sage," which he had previously rejected.

Kill a demon beast and receive one Virtue Point.

Although he didn't think this entry would have much effect on him, given that he already had 9.8 billion Virtue Points, it was still better than nothing. If he didn't randomly get an entry he wanted, choosing "Virtue Sage" wouldn't be a bad option.

"Cultivation level has surged, officially entering the ninth level of the Golden Core Realm."

"Please select one of the three randomly generated entries within ten breaths."

1:

Entry Name: Sword Like the Wind.

Entry Grade: Yellow.

Entry Effect: The faster your flying sword, the greater the damage it inflicts.

2:

Entry Name: Supreme Body Technique.

Entry Grade: Yellow.

Entry Effect: The more Spirit Qi you contain in your Dantian, the faster your speed becomes.

3:

Entry Name: Eternal Devotion.

Entry Grade: Yellow.

Entry Effect: If you and your Dao Companion truly love each other, both your spell power and speed will double. If either of you dies, the other will die simultaneously. If either of you falls in love with someone else, all three of you, including the new love interest, will self-destruct together.

".

A glint of light flashed in Chen Xiu's eyes, and he had indeed been waiting for this. His biggest weakness had always been his speed!

Even though he had now reached the ninth level of the Golden Core realm, he still relied mainly on Scholar for transportation.

But now—

With the entry "Supreme Body Technique," his speed would significantly improve. Whether it was for escaping or retreating, his speed would be greatly enhanced.

Moreover, the amount of Spirit Qi he could contain would continue to increase without limit as he killed more demon beasts, meaning his speed could also improve indefinitely. It was a mutually beneficial, perpetual motion-like effect.

As for the first entry, "Sword Like the Wind," it would be quite suitable for Scholar. If he could obtain this entry for Scholar, it would be excellent. But the third entry, "Eternal Devotion," was completely useless to him.

He had no need for a Dao Companion.

Most people sought Dao Companions for a few reasons: either the companion could assist them in some way, like a Heavenly Dao Beauty, or they lacked trustworthy teammates and wanted a Dao Companion to explore mystic realms together, or they had grown up together from humble beginnings.

He had never heard of anyone at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm going out to find a Dao Companion.

Wouldn't that be like planting a hidden danger for oneself?

You couldn't possibly keep your protective Spirit Qi active at all times, and your Dao Companion would be your bedmate every night. What if you had an argument one day while sleeping or cultivating, and your Dao Companion stood behind you with a Lightning Decision in hand, their eyes gleaming with malice, ready to strike you down?

That would be a terrible way to die.

People at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms had witnessed too much deception and betrayal to easily find a completely trustworthy Dao Companion. Those who did so were either young cultivators who had already produced offspring, those who had chosen their lifelong partners early on, or those who simply imprisoned a group of women with lower cultivation levels, ensuring they could bear their children without the emotional attachment, purely for procreation.

The same was true for female cultivators.

Most importantly, the effect was mediocre, but the cost was significant.

Without hesitation, Chen Xiu chose the entry "Supreme Body Technique," discarding the other two entries. He then used the Medium-grade Golden Core Celestial Retrace Talisman and selected the pink entry, "Virtue Sage."

He now had two pink entries: "Core Expansion (Unique)" and "Virtue Sage."

However, in terms of effects, Virtue Sage paled in comparison to Core Expansion, even though they were both pink entries. The difference between them was like heaven and earth.

After making his selection, Chen Xiu didn't leave seclusion but immediately entered it again.

He planned to cultivate until he reached the peak of the Golden Core realm before emerging.

Thirteen days passed.

On the thirteenth day, as the morning light bathed the sky, Chen Xiu sat cross-legged atop the mountain at the back of the Mock Heaven Sect, exhaling a long breath of turbid air. He gazed at the cultivation panel floating above his Dantian.

-

"Cultivation Level": Ninth Level Golden Core (100.00%).

-

It was no easy feat, as his cultivation had finally reached the peak of the Golden Core Realm, the Grand Completion stage. He had a feeling that as long as he used his Spirit Qi to shatter the Golden Core above his Dantian, allowing the Nascent Soul to break free, he would successfully ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm.

However, a mysterious force from heaven and earth firmly protected the Golden Core within.

He couldn't see a trace of hope to shatter this Golden Core.

In Daxia.

It was impossible for anyone to ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm, without exception, unless one could break through the power of heaven and earth. But if you could do that, why would you still consider ascending to the Nascent Soul Realm? You could easily kick a Mahayana stage cultivator and tear apart a Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator without any issues.

This seclusion lasted for a total of twenty-three days.

It was the longest seclusion he had ever undertaken.

Standing atop the peak, Chen Xiu looked down at the bustling Mock Heaven Sect below, feeling as if he had been separated from the world for a lifetime. In the past, the Mock Heaven Sect was filled with collapsed buildings and ruins, with hardly any intact roofs, and dust was everywhere.

But now...

Most of the buildings had been repaired, including the Sword Pavilion, which was shaped like a long sword with its blade piercing the ground, standing hundreds of zhang tall, the tallest building in the sect.

Towering into the clouds.

Even the buildings in places like the Grand Hall had been repaired, and from this high vantage point, the entire sect looked majestic and awe-inspiring.

"Not bad."

Chen Xiu chuckled lightly, and Spirit Qi surged from beneath his feet, vanishing from his original location.

In the blink of an eye—

His body appeared beside Fat Dragon, who was discussing matters with some craftsmen. Chen Xiu hadn't used any body techniques; this was purely the speed of a Golden Core cultivator. It was only after researching that he discovered the term "Body Technique Supremacy," which didn't match his expectations.

It didn't increase the speed of body techniques.

Instead, it increased the speed of the Golden Core cultivator themselves, and the boost was not insignificant.

Although currently, some body techniques, when fully activated, were still faster, the advantage was that they didn't consume much Spirit Qi, making them suitable for long-distance travel and pursuit battles. On the other hand, body techniques that could increase speed within a short time often consumed a lot of Spirit Qi.

It had its pros and cons.

But in his opinion, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

"How is it?"

Chen Xiu stopped thinking about this and turned to Fat Dragon, who was chatting with the craftsmen, and smiled.

"Most of the buildings have been repaired."

Seeing Chen Xiu suddenly appear beside him, Fat Dragon hurriedly reported, "But those grand arrays, the array cultivators we found said they couldn't repair them at all. They said that those arrays were at least Nascent Soul arrays, completely beyond their capabilities."

"Only some arrays for daily life have been fixed."

"For example, the Dust Purification Array that covers the entire sect, ensuring that there's no dust inside the sect, keeping it clean at all times. There's also the Clear Water Array for the disciples' dormitories and the Alchemy Hall, used for daily cleaning and drinking, and the Earth Fire Array beneath the Alchemy Hall and Armory Hall, used for alchemy and forging..."

"These arrays have all been repaired, but..."

Fat Dragon hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping short, "The Dust Purification Array and Clear Water Array are daily arrays that are activated every day. Aside from these two, there are also daily arrays like the Clear Wind Array, and since our sect is in a small world, there are no external enemies attacking, so we don't need to activate the sect's warning arrays every day."

"But the daily Spirit Stone consumption for activating all these daily arrays is around 100 low-grade Spirit Stones."

"That doesn't seem low."

". "

Chen Xiu kept his hands behind his back and remained silent.

He had a considerable amount of Spirit Stones in his possession. Although he had exhausted all his Spirit Stones during his previous Golden Core breakthrough, he later obtained a substantial amount of Spirit Stones after becoming the top-ranked cultivator on the Celestial Pride Ranking, and with subsequent opportunities, some disciples with keen eyes outside had also offered him some as tribute.

He currently had—

300 medium-grade Spirit Stones and 30,000 low-grade Spirit Stones.

He could have had even more, but after purchasing 200,000 Malevolent Wood, the Wang family patriarch had almost emptied his entire fortune, and Chen Xiu naturally wouldn't let him work for free.

He had also given a substantial reward, and with his daily expenses, this was all the Spirit Stones he had left.

His daily consumption was 100 low-grade Spirit Stones, which meant that his 30,000 low-grade Spirit Stones could only support him for 300 days. The annual expenditure for the sect's daily arrays alone was 30,000 low-grade Spirit Stones.

This was no small amount.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Xiu suddenly asked, "Generally speaking, how do sects make a profit? It can't be that they spend so much money to cultivate disciples and end up making a loss, right?"

"Well..."

Fat Dragon hesitated, "To be honest, I'm not entirely clear either. My plan for the Sky-Shattering Gang hadn't even been executed when it was cut short. But based on my observations at the Flower Offering Sect for a few months, there are a few points."

"Through bazaars or having many shops in cities."

"Impossible," Chen Xiu shook his head. He didn't think that after going to the Xuantian Continent, he could seize a bazaar from an already stable power. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to protect it. His current plan was to develop low-key after leaving, taking things one step at a time.

"Swallowing other families or sects, this is also a common method used by some sects."

"Next."

"Sending disciples to mystic realms, and then having them hand over all their harvests to support the sect's development, but there's a certain flaw."

"What flaw?"

"It's easy for collective rebellion to occur."

"Next."

"Also, if the sect has a good reputation and has its unique cultivation methods, some wealthy families' children will spend a lot of Spirit Stones to obtain an entry quota. This is also a way for sects to make money when recruiting disciples each year."

"Anything else? If not, these methods aren't very suitable for the Mock Heaven Sect.

"Hmm," Fat Dragon pondered for a moment before hesitating, "There is a way, which is to slay demons and seize their resources. Usually, the sect sends people to scout ahead and mark the locations, then the disciples are dispatched in small teams. Half of the resources go to the disciples, and the other half to the sect."

"How do you determine if someone is a demon?"

"Use your mouth to determine."

"That's good."

Chen Qiu smiled with satisfaction, "This sounds like a suitable direction for the future development of the Mock Heaven Sect. We'll head in this direction from now on. After leaving, I'll focus on breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm first."

He then noticed the fluctuations of spiritual energy on Fat Dragon's body and asked with a hint of surprise, "Your cultivation speed is not bad. You've already reached the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment."

"Hmm."

Fat Dragon replied with a hint of helplessness, "There's a demoness at the fifth layer of the Golden Core Realm, and a dual cultivation technique that increases cultivation speed ninefold. If I can't break through to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment within twenty days, I'll be letting Brother Qiu down."

"The scholar broke through to the Golden Core Realm three days ago."

It took two to three dozen days, but the construction and daily arrays of the Mock Heaven Sect were almost completely repaired, much faster than initially expected. This was due to the hard work of the craftsmen day and night, as well as the abandonment of many arrays.

Chen Qiu, who had initially felt a bit disappointed, no longer had any thoughts of restoring the sect's grand array when he heard about the high spirit stone consumption of the daily arrays. The daily operation of the sect's grand array would probably drain his entire fortune in a single day.

Since the Mock Heaven Sect was not going to be revealed to the world for the time being, there was no need for the grand array anyway.

This was good enough.

The craftsmen and array cultivators were escorted out of the Mock Heaven Sect and boarded a flying boat heading for the capital, ready to return home.

As for the powerful cultivators at the peak of the Golden Core Realm who had been staying in the Fat City Inn these past few days, they had already grown impatient. For Chen Qiu, it had only been less than a month since he entered seclusion.

For them, it was the remaining years of their lives, and their lifespan had decreased by several decades!

They couldn't survive any longer!

This group of people had already been brought back to the Mock Heaven Sect and were standing in the square at the mountain gate, the largest square in the sect.

These elders, who were absolute powerhouses in their respective forces, now stood shoulder to shoulder like new disciples who had just embarked on the path of cultivation, their faces solemn as they waited for Chen Qiu's speech on the high platform.

A hint of awe could still be seen beneath their stern expressions.

Hasn't it only been twenty days?

How did the sect leader suddenly reach the peak of the Golden Core Realm? Although they knew that the sect leader's cultivation speed had been fast since his rise, wasn't this a bit too fast?

It had taken them a lifetime to cultivate to the peak of the Golden Core Realm.

Did the sect leader achieve in two months what they had achieved in a lifetime?

Wasn't that a bit exaggerated?

However, they now felt more confident. The main reason they joined the Mock Heaven Sect was to leave Great Xia and have a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm to extend their lifespan. The unfamiliar Xuantian Continent outside also made them look forward to it.

If they had a powerful sect leader protecting them, that would be even better.

".

Chen Qiu stood on the high platform in the square of the Mock Heaven Sect, with one hand behind his back, looking down at the old men below. They all looked aged, but most of them were at the peak of the Golden Core Realm, and the power within their bodies was not weak.

There were 57 people in total, 38 of whom were at the peak of the Golden Core Realm, while the rest were at the late and mid-stages of the Golden Core Realm, each with their own specialties.

These were the first batch of disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect.

Oh, and there was also a batch of brown bears.

He turned his head to look at the more than two hundred brown bears standing straight not far away, their faces filled with the words 'loyalty' written in black charcoal. It wasn't an exaggeration; the words 'loyalty' were indeed written on the faces of these bears.

These brown bears were an unexpected joy.

When they went to Fat City, they saw Zhao Yishi and more than two hundred bears waiting outside the city for a long time. After learning of their intentions, he didn't refuse this ill-gotten wealth and accepted all the brown bears into the Mock Heaven Sect.

They lived on the back mountain.

In addition, some disciples who joined the sect, such as Zhao Dezhu, brought a large number of spirit beasts, which were all kept in the back mountain, making it less desolate and adding some vitality, which was good.

At that time, when he thought that he could take or leave these two hundred brown bears, a young brown bear stepped forward and said something that moved him.

"In the future world of an Immortal King, there must be some cute pets."

Hmm.

He thought it made sense, so he accepted them.

As for Zhao Yishi, he didn't take him in but left him in the small world, instructing him to come find them when he could defeat the puppet on his own. Zhao Yishi's cultivation technique was actually quite good.

But it was too expensive to cultivate.

He recruited disciples not to cultivate them but to strengthen his own power, to have dozens of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators surrounding him when he went out to exterminate and plunder other sects. With the resources to cultivate Zhao Yishi, why not cultivate himself?

Most importantly, what use was there in having a timid disciple? Was he going to be a mascot? The thought passed.

Chen Qiu stood on the high platform with one hand behind his back, looking down at this group of people who belonged to his sect's foundation. He said softly, "From today onwards, you are all official disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect."

"Those below the Nascent Soul Realm are menial disciples."

"Those who break through to the Nascent Soul Realm are outer sect disciples."

"Those above the Nascent Soul Realm are inner sect disciples."

"Once you enter the Mock Heaven Sect, you must abide by the sect rules."

As his voice fell,

Fat Dragon, who was standing beside him, deliberately put on the "Brown-Red Long Robe" that had been custom-made for him, symbolizing his status as an elder. With a solemn expression, he took a large step forward and stood behind Chen Qiu, raising his voice.

"The rules of the Mock Heaven Sect are as follows."

"First, all disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect must have upright conduct and high morals. They must not engage in any behavior that violates ethics and morality."

"

Second, all SkyMock Sect disciples must respect their teachers and uphold the Dao, be filial and fraternal, and not engage in infighting or disobedience."

"Third, disciples must abide by the sect's rules and regulations, and obey the arrangements of the Sect Leader and Elders."

"Fourth..."

"Article 17, the last one, no one shall hunt the demonic beasts raised in the inner circle of the mountain at will."

In total, there were seventeen articles, but the main principles could be summarized in just a few points: strive to improve cultivation, do not go against the will of the Sect Leader and Elders, do not betray the sect, be a morally upright person, and do not slaughter mortals indiscriminately, among others.

There wasn't much difference from the rules of a righteous sect.

After all, the SkyMock Sect wasn't some evil sect.

There was just one additional rule: do not hunt the demonic beasts raised on the mountain at will. This was Chen Xiu's request, as he wanted to gradually transform the mountain into a place with a self-sustaining ecosystem, filled with birds and flowers. If the beasts were hunted indiscriminately, they would be eaten up in just a few days.

After introducing the rules.

Chen Xiu waved his hand again and said, "Distribute the sect's disciple tokens and clothing."

Fat Dragon stepped forward once more, walked down the stage, and distributed the disciple tokens and clothing to each person. Soon, everyone had changed into the sect's uniform, a plain gray robe with a white 'Cao' character embroidered on the left chest.

This symbolized that these people were all members of the SkyMock Sect.

After distributing the clothing, Fat Dragon continued, "The disciple tokens contain communication rings, which can be used for free communication among disciples and to report to the sect when on missions outside."

"And you..."

Fat Dragon glanced at the brown bears standing not far away and waved his hand, "Come forward and receive your disciple tokens and sect clothing."

"We can have them too?"

The young brown bear chieftain, who was standing at the front, was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly opened his bear mouth and laughed, running forward with excitement. He respectfully received the disciple token and sect clothing with his two bear claws and bowed.

He had thought they were just sect pets.

But now, they had suddenly become sect disciples.

This change in status was a huge deal! Being a disciple meant having a secure meal!

The more than two hundred brown bears behind him quickly came forward to receive their own disciple tokens and sect clothing, and they quickly changed into them, looking quite adorable.

After a cup of tea.

All the outer sect disciples settled into their own dormitories and temporarily focused on cultivation. Of course, this didn't include the brown bears, who were assigned to the mountain and were mainly tasked with helping Chen Xiu raise the spiritual beasts there.

As for the Starlight Sect's Sect Leader, who was the most powerful Alchemy Cultivator among them, he was assigned to the Alchemy Hall and given a junior disciple—the same Alchemy Cultivator who had married the Heavenly Dao Second Beauty.

This young man indeed had exceptional talent. After receiving guidance and explanations on the difficult points of the Alchemy Cultivator's heritage from the Starlight Sect's Sect Leader, he successfully inherited the Alchemy Cultivator's heritage and was quite sensible in turning over the acquired Nascent Soul Body to the sect.

These two young men also stayed in the SkyMock Sect and followed the Starlight Sect's Sect Leader to learn how to refine pills.

Basically, the sect's setup was almost complete.

However, it was a bit lopsided.

The high-end combat power was almost at its peak, including Chen Xiu and the dozens of future Nascent Souls, but the low-end combat power was virtually non-existent, and there were no Array Cultivators, Talisman Cultivators, or Artisan Cultivators, which were essential departments for a sect.

But...

That was enough!

After settling everything in the SkyMock Sect, Chen Xiu left the pocket world with the scholar and the others, heading towards Jingzhou. With most of the matters resolved, the scholar had now reached the Golden Core Realm, albeit at the first layer.

However, he was once the Supreme Sword Cultivator of Daxia.

With his cultivation restored, his entire demeanor seemed different from before. Just by standing there, he exuded the aura of a sharp sword.

The timing was almost perfect.

Just a little more was needed.

Meanwhile, in the City Lord's Mansion of Fat City, a middle-aged, plump man with tears streaming down his face and a look of grief and anger, glared in the direction of Chen Xiu's departure and gritted his teeth, "National Teacher, you really don't care about me!"

He was the City Lord of Fat City.

Thirty years ago, he had received the National Teacher's order to guard Fat City.

He had always held the National Teacher in high regard, and when he learned that Chen Xiu was the National Teacher, his first reaction was disbelief. He even personally returned to the palace to see the emperor and learned that the National Teacher had not been in seclusion for the past three years but had instead reincarnated and started over.

Later, he received news that Chen Xiu's SkyMock Sect was recruiting disciples and preparing to leave the Great Xia country to seek opportunities to ascend to the Nascent Immortal Realm on the Xuantian Continent. His first thought was that this meant he could once again serve the National Teacher with utmost loyalty.

Of course, he also had his own agenda.

Given how much he had done for the National Teacher in the past, Chen Xiu would surely remember him, and might even personally invite him to join the SkyMock Sect. If he joined, he would be considered a senior among the disciples.

But...

After forcing himself to wait for over twenty days, he realized that Chen Xiu had no intention of visiting the City Lord's Mansion, and had already left Fat State. At this point, he could no longer sit still, fearing that Chen Xiu would leave without him. He was so upset that he even considered dying.

"It's fine."

At this moment—

An elder standing behind him spoke in a low voice, "City Lord, you once said that everyone has their reasons for doing things. People only defecate when they feel the urge, and no one would pull down their pants and defecate on the street without reason."

"The National Teacher must have his reasons."

"Your mother's head!"

The City Lord of Fat City, who was already feeling sad and angry, heard his steward speaking in a strange tone and couldn't hold back his anger. He slapped his steward, sending him flying.

Only then did he feel a little better, and he secretly made up his mind. He had to go and see the National Teacher himself, or he might truly be left behind.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end