Sekte Scarlet Solaris mengadakan kompetisi murid untuk menentukan pembagian sumber daya di dalam sekte. Acara ini dibagi menjadi Kompetisi Luar, Dalam, dan Inti. Namun, tidak seperti Kompetisi Luar dan Dalam yang memiliki puluhan ribu anggota, murid inti hanya berjumlah sembilan orang saja.
Kompetisi ini juga menjadi kesempatan untuk naik tingkat ke kelompok murid berikutnya atau memperoleh hadiah. Sebagai contoh, sepuluh besar murid luar akan dipromosikan ke Tingkatan Dalam, tiga besar murid dalam diberi kesempatan untuk dipromosikan ke Tingkatan Inti, dan murid inti peringkat pertama mendapat kesempatan memasuki Kolam Mistik Scarlet selama tujuh hari.
Kolam Mistik Scarlet adalah area tempat berkumpulnya Qi Scarlet yang tercipta dari bumi dan dapat digunakan untuk menempa energi bawaan alami seseorang, seperti Yin, Yang, dan elemen-elemen alam. Kolam ini juga dapat membantu seseorang mengubah Jantung Qi mereka menjadi Jantung Qi Scarlet—sebuah bentuk qi material tingkat lanjut.
Qi Scarlet yang tipis di gunung memiliki efektivitas kurang dari seperseribu dibandingkan kolam tersebut. Oleh karena itu, satu hari berkultivasi di dalamnya hampir setara dengan tiga tahun. Tempat ini sangat luar biasa dan memicu persaingan sengit di dalam sekte.
Wei Wuyin pernah berpartisipasi dalam Kompetisi Luar dan Dalam, masing-masing meraih peringkat ketiga dan kedua. Inilah alasan mengapa ia mampu mengklaim statusnya saat ini sebagai murid inti. Namun, Kompetisi Dalam tidak hanya mengharuskannya mencapai puncak, tetapi juga mengalahkan murid inti yang sudah ada sebelumnya untuk merebut posisi mereka.
Oleh karena itu, Wei Wuyin harus waspada terhadap persaingan di tingkat Dalam maupun Inti, karena peserta berperingkat teratas dapat dengan kejam merebut status dan posisinya.
Jika ia terluka akibat upaya pembunuhan itu, ia yakin tempatnya akan direbut beserta perlindungan alami yang menyertainya. Jika seseorang ingin berurusan dengannya pada saat itu, mereka bisa melakukannya secara lebih langsung jika ia berstatus sebagai murid dalam.
Swoosh!
Wei Wuyin berdiri di atas bangau peliharaannya saat makhluk itu meluncur membelah langit. Lingkungan sekitar dipenuhi orang-orang yang menaiki burung mirip elang, menandakan status mereka sebagai murid dalam. Beberapa burung ini dinaiki oleh beberapa orang sekaligus dengan santai. Meskipun demikian, tekanan samar bisa dirasakan di udara.
Ini adalah saat ketika alokasi kekuasaan bergeser. Di antara para murid inti, masing-masing memiliki faksi yang terdiri dari murid dalam dan murid luar. Serupa dengan para murid inti, murid dalam memiliki jumlah slot yang terbatas. Jika seorang murid inti dapat menguasai sebagian besar slot murid dalam, kekuatan faksi mereka akan menjadi yang nomor satu dan keuntungannya tidak ada habisnya.
Untungnya, karena setiap murid inti memiliki faksi mereka sendiri, termasuk dirinya, distribusi kekuasaan tidak dimonopoli. Faktanya, bahkan dirinya, murid pendatang baru, memiliki sekitar tujuh persen murid dalam di dalam faksinya. Ia juga memiliki banyak murid luar yang menjanjikan.
Kultivasi sangatlah sulit. Begitu sulitnya hingga banyak orang tidak pernah bisa keluar dari Alam Pendirian Pondasi, atau bahkan fase pertamanya—Penempaan Fisik.
Begitu sulit hingga bisa menghancurkan hati. Jumlah sumber daya yang dibutuhkan berada di luar kemampuan individu sebagian besar murid. Untuk mengatasi dan meringankan masalah ini, para murid inti menggunakan mekanisme kelompok demi meraup sumber daya dan mendorong pertumbuhan.
Wei Wuyin menatap para murid dalam yang mendekati stadion. Matanya berkilat saat indra spiritualnya menganalisis standar kultivasi mereka. Li Yin, wanita dari Sekte Bulan Violet, berada di tingkat Kebangkitan Meridian, padahal Li Yin dulunya hanyalah seorang murid luar di sektenya.
Untuk menjadi murid dalam di Sekte Scarlet Solaris, salah satu dari Sembilan Sekte Besar, persyaratan minimumnya adalah mencapai Pendirian Dantian, dan mencapai Alam Kondensasi Qi hampir menjamin seseorang untuk menjadi murid dalam. Namun, mengkondensasi Jantung Qi seseorang dengan menggabungkan pikiran, semangat, materi, dan esensi adalah hal yang sangat sulit.
Oleh karena itu, sekitar delapan puluh persen murid dalam berada di Alam Pendirian Pondasi, Fase Pendirian Dantian. Bahkan dengan sumber daya dari sekte dan waktu, itu semua hanya menunjukkan perjuangan berat yang harus ditanggung seseorang.
Jika seseorang ingin mencapai tiga besar dalam Kompetisi Murid Dalam, mencapai Tahap Kedua Kondensasi Qi, Aliran Eksternal, adalah satu-satunya jalan. Wei Wuyin menempati posisi kedua dalam kompetisi dalam semata-mata karena hal itu.
Kondensasi Qi dibagi menjadi Sembilan Tahap dan perbedaan mereka ditunjukkan melalui Sembilan Fase Qi. Fase pertama qi adalah Fase Penciptaan Qi, di mana pikiran, semangat, materi, dan esensi digabungkan untuk menciptakan Qi Metafisik dan Jantung Qi.
Mereka yang berada di Pendirian Dantian memiliki tingkat kekuatan yang tidak manusiawi, tetapi mereka yang berada di Fase Penciptaan Qi adalah monster. Mereka dapat merobek batu besar dengan tangan kosong, bertarung melawan beruang dewasa dan menghancurkan tubuh makhluk itu hanya dengan satu pukulan. Sungguh mengerikan.
Tahap Kedua Kondensasi Qi adalah Fase Aliran Eksternal. Dengan memperkuat dan mengkondensasi qi seseorang ke bentuk sempurnanya, energi itu dapat mengalir di luar tubuh dengan cara yang sangat mendasar, seperti gelombang kejut atau gelombang berdenyut. Hal ini secara bersamaan melahirkan persepsi sensorik unik yang disebut Indra Spiritual, indra keenam seorang kultivator.
Setiap kenaikan tahap dan bentuk setiap fase membawa manfaat luar biasa bagi tubuh fisik dan indra seseorang, termasuk indra spiritual.
Wei Wuyin pernah mengalami pertemuan penuh keberuntungan saat memburu sisa-sisa Sekte Bulan Violet, di mana ia memperoleh Sumber Esensi Baja. Itu adalah cairan yang terbentuk dari esensi elemental, terutama logam, dan telah matang selama ribuan tahun. Itu adalah kesempatan mujur yang sangat sedikit orang bisa harapkan.
Dengan menggunakannya, ia memperkuat qi-nya dan melahirkan elemen-elemen—tanah, api, angin, and air—serta mengkondensasi qi logam sebagai bonus. Oleh karena itu, qi dan tubuh fisiknya memiliki ketangguhan yang lebih tinggi, ketahanan terhadap suhu, lebih mudah dikendalikan, dan lebih cair dalam aktivitasnya. Dengan disertakannya qi logam, ia memiliki daya tahan dan ketajaman yang ditingkatkan.
Keberuntungan kedua adalah menemukan seorang wanita dari Sekte Bulan Violet yang memiliki Tubuh Yin Tiga Titik yang belum terjamah. Setelah menggunakannya sebagai kuali seksual dan mendapatkan Yin Primordialnya melalui kultivasi ganda, ia dengan cepat naik ke Fase Wujud Yin, Tahap Keempat Kondensasi Qi.
Berkat itulah ia mampu mengatasi intrik-intrik yang mengincar nyawanya. Dengan kultivasinya saat ini, ia bahkan sudah lebih kuat daripada semua Murid Inti. Ia tidak hanya mengkondensasi qi logam, tetapi juga mampu memberi wujud pada qi-nya.
Hanya ketika seseorang mencapai tingkat kultivasi inilah opsi untuk menggunakan potensi penuh seni qi dan mantra spiritual terbuka. Seni qi itulah yang memungkinkannya membunuh dua pembunuh bayaran yang ahli dalam hal penyusupan dengan mudah serta melarikan diri dengan cepat dan relatif tanpa kesulitan.
Sekarang, dengan adanya kompetisi ini, ia pasti akan menjadi pusat perhatian.
Saat indra spiritualnya menyapu ke depan, mata peraknya bersinar karena diperkuat oleh mantra spiritual, Mata Inti Besi. Mantra ini memungkinkan indra spiritual seseorang menembus lebih dalam dan mengumpulkan lebih informasi, termasuk menangkis mantra spiritual.
Ia telah mengumpulkan banyak seni dan mantra sebelum berangkat untuk misinya sebagai mekanisme pencegahan, yang ternyata jauh lebih bermanfaat daripada yang ia duga semula. Berkat persiapan itulah ia dapat menggunakan seni dan mantra ini sekarang. Jika tidak, meskipun basis kultivasinya tinggi, itu akan bagaikan mengayunkan pedang besar tanpa keahlian yang memadai.
Untungnya, sekte tidak mengatur seni qi dan mantra spiritual untuk para murid inti; oleh karena itu, ia dapat mengklaim semua seni dan mantra yang tidak dibatasi untuk anggota eselon atas.
The Scarlet Solaris Sect held disciple competitions to decide the distribution of resources in the sect. It was divided into Outer, Inner, and Core Competitions. However, unlike the Outer and Inner Competitions who had tens of thousands of members, the core disciples only had nine in their ranks.
It was also an opportunity to be promoted to the next class of disciples or obtain rewards. For example, the top ten outer disciples were promoted to the Inner Rank, the top three inner disciples were given a chance to be promoted to Core Rank, and the top core disciple had a chance to enter the Mystic Scarlet Pond for seven days.
The Mystic Scarlet Pond was an area of accumulated Scarlet Qi, which was birthed by the lands and could be used to temper one’s innate, natural energies such as Yin, Yang, and the natural elements. It could also help one transform their Heart of Qi into a Heart of Scarlet Qi - an advanced material qi form.
The faint Scarlet Qi of the mountain had less than a thousandth of an effectiveness than the pond. Therefore, a single day of cultivation within was the near-equivalent of three years. It was extraordinary and drew the fierce competition of the sect.
Wei Wuyin had participated in the Outer and Inner Competitions, reaching third place and second respectively. This was why he was capable of claiming his current status as a core disciple. However, the Inner Competition not only required him to reach the top, but defeat a pre-existing core disciple, taking his place.
Therefore, Wei Wuyin had to be wary of the competition of both Inner and Core, as a top ranker could ruthlessly snatch away his status and position.
If he was injured by that assassination attempt, he was certain that his spot would’ve been taken along with the natural protections that it granted. If someone wished to deal with him at that point, they could do so in a more direct manner if he was an inner disciple.
Swoosh!
Wei Wuyin stood atop his crane as it soared through the skies. The surroundings were filled with people on eagle-like birds, indicating their status as inner disciples. Some of these birds had multiple people riding them leisurely. However, a faint pressure could be felt from the atmosphere.
This was the time that the allocation of power shifted. Amongst the core disciples, each had factions of inner disciples and outer disciples. Much like the core disciples, inner disciples had a limited amount of spots. If a core disciple could take the majority of the inner disciples slots, their faction’s strength would be number one and the benefits would be endless.
Fortunately, as each core disciple had their own faction, him included, the distribution of power wasn’t monopolized. In fact, even him, the newest disciple, had about seven percent of the inner disciples in his faction. He also had many promising outer disciples.
Cultivation was profoundly difficult. In fact, it was so difficult that many people never break free from Foundation Establishment Realm, or even its first phase - Physique Tempering.
It was so difficult that it was heart-crushing. The amount of resources needed was beyond the level of many disciples’ individual capabilities. To solve and alleviate this issue, the core disciples use a group mechanism to earn resources and promote growth.
Wei Wuyin looked at the inner disciples approaching the stadium. His eyes flashed as his spiritual sense analyzed the standard of cultivation. Li Yin, the woman from the Violet Moon Sect, was at the Meridian Awakening, yet Li Yin had been merely an outer disciple of her sect.
To become an inner disciple in the Scarlet Solaris Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, the minimum requirement was to reach Dantian Establishment, and reaching the Qi Condensation Realm was nearly a guarantee to become one. However, to condense one’s Heart of Qi by merging the mind, spirit, matter, and essence was exceptionally difficult.
Therefore, about eighty percent of inner disciples were at the Foundation Establishment Realm, Dantian Establishment Phase. Even with the resources from the sect and time, it only goes to show the struggles one must suffer.
If one wanted to reach the top three in the Inner Disciple Competition, reaching the Second Stage of Qi Condensation, External Flow, was the only way. Wei Wuyin placed second in the inner competition only because of that.
The Qi Condensation was divided into Nine Stages and demonstrated their difference by Nine Phases of Qi. The first phase of Qi was Qi Creation Phase, where mind, spirit, matter, and essence were merged to create Metaphysical Qi and a Heart of Qi.
Those at the Dantian Establishment had inhuman levels of strength, but those at the Qi Creation Phase were monsters. They could rip apart boulders of stone with their bare hands, fight full-grown bears and crush their bodies with a single blow. It was terrifying.
The Second Stage of Qi Condensation was the External Flow Phase. By strengthening and condensing one’s Qi to its fully developed form, it can flow outside the body in a very elementary way. Such as a shockwave or pulsing wave. This simultaneously gave birth to a unique sensory perception called Spiritual Sense, the sixth sense of a cultivator.
Each stage advancement and each phase’s form brought about tremendous benefits to one’s physical body and senses, including spiritual sense.
Wei Wuyin had met a fortuitous encounter while hunting the Violet Moon Sect’s remnants, obtaining a Steel Essence Source. It was a liquid that had formed from elemental essence, primarily metal, and matured over a thousand years. It was a lucky chance that very few could ever hope for.
Using it, he strengthened his qi and gave birth to the elements - earth, fire, wind, and water - and condensed metal qi as a bonus. Therefore, his qi and physical body held a higher toughness, resilience to temperature, was easier to control, and was more fluid in its activity. With metal qi included, he contained an enhanced durability and sharpness.
The second lucky chance was finding a woman from the Violet Moon Sect who contained an undiscovered Three-Point Yin Body. After using her as a sexual cauldron and gaining her Primal Yin via dual cultivation, he quickly ascended to the Yin Form Phase, the Fourth Stage of Qi Condensation.
It was thanks to that he was capable of overcoming the schemes aimed at his life. With his current cultivation, he was already stronger than all the Core Disciples. Not only did he condense metal qi, but also could give form to his qi.
Only when one reaches this cultivation level does the option to use the full potential of qi arts and spiritual spells become unlocked. It was those qi arts that enabled him to easily kill two assassins skilled in stealth and escape quickly and with relative ease.
Now, with this competition, he was bound to take the spotlight.
As his spiritual sense swept forth, his silver eyes shined as it was bolstered by a spiritual spell, Iron Core Eyes. It allowed one’s spiritual sense to pierce deeper and gather more information, including defending against spiritual spells.
He had accumulated a lot of arts and spells before departing for his mission as a precautionary mechanism, which was far more beneficial than he’d originally thought. It was because of his preparations that he could use these arts and spells now. Otherwise, while his cultivation base may have been high, it would be like wielding a claymore without the appropriate skill.
Luckily, the sect did not regulate qi arts and spiritual spells for core disciples; therefore, he was capable of claiming any and all that weren’t restricted to the upper echelon members.
"The standard of cultivation has dropped..." Wei Wuyin frowned as he noticed that a few Inner Disciples had just broken through to the Dantian Establishment Phase. It indicated that their ascension was due to the weaker standard of cultivation bases overall.
"Did something happen while I was away?" He mused in his thoughts as he recalled matters Du Ling had informed him of. Nothing in particular stated why the standard had dropped. In fact, it should’ve increased due to the Violet Moon Sect’s destruction. The resources of the sect and combat should’ve shaved the weaklings and promoted the strong.
And yet...
"Lord Wuyin!" A cold, feminine voice sounded from a distance. It broke Wei Wuyin out of his thoughts and he turned to look.
This was the cold, indifferent woman from the last battlefield. He had ordered her to take care of Li Yin earlier. She was also an Outer Disciple who was a member of his faction. Her name was Su Mei.
She was on an eagle-like bird, being carried along with four other outer disciples with an inner disciple at the lead. Wei Wuyin recognized all of them as subordinates of his. He swiftly analyzed their cultivation bases and was pleasantly surprised.
Su Mei had condensed her qi, reaching the First Stage of Qi Condensation, Qi Creation Phase. Her body not only stored metaphysical qi, but her Heart of Qi allowed her to passively restore her natural energies using the Essence of Heaven and Earth and control her qi.
The others had all reached the Dantian Establishment, even the inner disciple was at this level. No wonder Su Mei was the one that called out to him despite being lower-ranked than the inner disciple. With her cultivation level, she was essentially the leader of this group.
He regarded this young woman in her early-twenties further. She had short black hair and clear black eyes. Her jade-like countenance was extraordinary, but her features were only above average. While she was a beauty, she wasn’t a top-tier or even a high-level one. She was just a good-looking woman in her own right.
As for breasts and ass, she was only average sized in both, perhaps even below average.
Su Mei and the rest arrived, hovering below Wei Wuyin’s crane, as they paid their respects. Wei Wuyin nodded in acknowledgment.
Wei Wuyin’s gaze caused Su Mei to shiver slightly. She had condensed her qi and thus had merged her mind, matter, spirit, and essence, allowing her perception to be enhanced thoroughly. She didn’t know how, but she felt Wei Wuyin was looking at her entirety, as if she had no clothes on.
Her cold and indifferent facial expression had a faint blush of red that gave way to a cute flavor to her.
Wei Wuyin noticed and slightly smiled. He was known for being exceptionally handsome with mind-drawing silver eyes and a good figure. However, he didn’t have any interest in sleeping with his subordinates. At least, he hasn’t done so yet.
"The Outer Disciple Competition will happen first, so I may as well join you guys. What do you think?" Wei Wuyin asked.
The Outer, Inner, and Core Competitions happen one after the other. The reason had to be because those who reach the top ten in the Outer Disciple Competition can participate in the Inner Disciple Competition. Those in the Inner Disciple Competition’s top three would then be able to fight a core disciple, replace them, and then fight for resources.
Usually, the core disciples wouldn’t show up until they were required. However, Wei Wuyin wasn’t like the typical core disciple, choosing to watch the competition from the beginning. After all, this competition was how he rose in power. It had a special significance.
Su Mei and the rest were surprised, but swiftly regained their expressions. Wei Wuyin was their Faction Leader and contributed heavily to their success and influence, so they would never deny his requests.
He nodded and followed them along the way. As he did so, an inner disciple spoke, "Lord Wei, there’s a rumor circulating that you’ve given form to qi, reaching the fourth stage of Qi Condensation." The young man, who seemed to be in his mid-twenties, informed.
Wei Wuyin’s eyes narrowed. He had never revealed his full cultivation base to others, and only while fighting the remnant forces of the Violent Moon Sect did he execute an elementary application of elemental qi. He hadn’t even revealed his metal qi yet.
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