Splendour Translations.
Pledge on Patreon to get rewarded with Advance chapters.
Chapter 37: Unique Perception Ability:
"Xuan... Dao... Heavenly Alliance?"
"What's that?"
On the first floor of the inn, four male disciples following Xu Ze were gathered around a table. Three of them looked confusedly at Li Xing, who was standing on a stool, talking excitedly.
“What? You guys don’t even know about the Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance?” Li Xing looked at them oddly. “Aren’t you all senior disciples of our Heavenly Dark Sect?”
The three scratched their heads and laughed awkwardly.
“I got to be a senior disciple only because I’m good at alchemy.”
“I became a senior disciple because of my theoretical knowledge.”
“Aren’t the Heavenly Dark Sect’s senior disciples promoted just by completing five years as intermediate disciples?”
Li Xing: "..."
Li Xing sighed in exasperation as he realized how stupid his fellow disciples were. “Fine, I won’t keep you in suspense.”
Li Xing, hands behind his back, proudly explained, “The Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance is a highly esteemed alliance of cultivators in the Profound Realm. It was founded by ancient experts and has a history spanning tens of thousands of years. Initially, it was a secret sect that never recruited disciples externally. Among its disciples, there were ten sages, with the weakest being in the Condensation Realm, making them incredibly prestigious.”
“But about ten thousand years ago, the ten sages and the ancient experts mysteriously disappeared, leaving only ordinary disciples. Desperate, the Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance began forming alliances with other sects. Its reputation persisted, and the new leader, a half-step Peak Realm expert, helped the alliance grow. Today, tens of thousands of sects are part of the Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance, including some top-tier sects.”
After Li Xing finished, the other three suddenly understood.
Then, Zhou Yang asked, “Brother Li, is our Heavenly Dark Sect part of the Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance?”
Before Li Xing could answer, a cold voice came from outside.
“The Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance is nothing but trash. The Heavenly Dark Sect never relies on others. Our master, Leng Youran, is the undisputed top cultivator in the Profound Realm. Even if the Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance gathers many sects, they are just a bunch of rabble.”
Xiao Yong crossed his arms as he walked in with a cold expression.
“Senior Brother Xiao.” The four disciples greeted him with cupped fists.
“Though you are senior disciples, your strength is too weak.” Xiao Yong sneered. “With our master in charge, no one dares to challenge us, but you all live too comfortably.”
“Um...”
The four looked at each other, embarrassed.
Indeed, under Leng Youran’s protection, the Heavenly Dark Sect had lost the intense, desperate drive for cultivation it had a few hundred years ago.
“From now on, each of you will practice for three hours a day, even during sleep time!” Xiao Yong banged the table, startling the four disciples.
“Yes, Senior Brother Xiao!” They replied hurriedly, scurrying away.
After snorting, Xiao Yong walked off with arms crossed.
...
Meanwhile, in the inn's best room.
Xu Ze was enveloped in spiritual Qi, feeling his meridians solidify. His cultivation rapidly increased, soaring from the 1st to the 5th stage Spirit Division Realm in less than half an hour, and still rising.
The Ten Thousand Transformation Elixir Pill was indeed superior to the commonly circulated inferior versions in the Profound Realm by several hundred times.
As his cultivation surged, Xu Ze’s senses seemed to enhance as well. He could clearly hear Xiao Yong's voice from downstairs and even the disciples’ discussions about the Xuan Dao Heavenly Alliance. His range of perception was expanding, even picking up the sounds of street vendors packing up their stalls. Although the outside sounds were faint, Xu Ze could roughly discern the number of people and their appearances.
“This must be the ‘perception’ often mentioned in fantasy novels... Not just sensing life, but also clearly detecting people's outlines, blood flow, and the distribution of their mystical energy.”
“This is incredibly powerful.”
Xu Ze was elated. Cultivators in the Profound Realm, after years of training, would concentrate their spiritual Qi on certain parts of their bodies based on their techniques. For example, those skilled in palm techniques would concentrate energy in their hands, while sword practitioners would distribute energy differently depending on their weapon and style. Even those preparing for a sneak attack would secretly gather their energy.
With Xu Ze's new perception ability, these efforts would be futile.
As he reveled in this newfound ability, he suddenly sensed someone unique on the street. This person had immense spiritual Qi, concentrated mostly in their arms and the index and middle fingers, indicating they were skilled sword practitioners.
What surprised Xu Ze more was another aspect: this person had numerous hidden injuries, the most severe being a frozen meridian, likely inflicted by a powerful ice-based technique.
“This is my master’s Ice Palm technique?”
"It must be a couple of days since this person was injured by my master, right? ”
-To be continued!