CHAPTER 350: CHAPTER 228: OUTER SECT DIVINE SKILLS RANKING! CHANGE OF PLANS!

If it hadn’t been for the Hundred Dynasties War, where he and Jiang Shu became life-and-death friends, Xue Xuan would have chosen to be a loner during his initial period after entering the Sect. As a royal, he knew the viciousness of human hearts better than anyone else. Here, there were not only struggles between members of the same Dynasty and different Dynasties, but also conflicts between the new generation of servant disciples and the older generation.

The Hundred Dynasties War, held every ten years, was just one of the ways the True Martial Sect recruited servant disciples. More servant disciples came from the True Martial Thirty-Six Cities, which were under the direct jurisdiction of the True Martial Sect.

The True Martial Thirty-Six Cities, like thirty-six colossal stars, guarded the True Martial Sect, which was like a bright moon. Each city’s City Lord was an existence at the Primordial Pill Realm. The residents within were primarily former servant disciples who had left the Sect.

These servant disciples, having no hope in the path of Immortality, no longer pursued the way of Cultivation and would return to their cities to spread their lineage. Their descendants would join the Sect upon reaching the Detachment Realm, ensuring a constant supply of servant disciples for the True Martial Sect.

Generation after generation, some servant disciples even managed to attach themselves to Outer Disciples upon entering the Sect by relying on connections. Their tasks were no longer merely menial servant duties but involved assisting Outer Disciples in external missions. The Contribution Points they were allotted were many times greater than what ordinary servant tasks would yield.

The main patrons of the Spiritual Food Hall came from their ranks.

"Brother Xue, I understand." Luo Yu was taken aback for a moment but then nodded. He could naturally tell that Xue Xuan’s words weren’t meant to show distrust towards him or Brother Jiang, but rather to remind him not to be overly trusting of people here.

"Brother Luo, you’ve been performing servant tasks for the past two months and probably haven’t had much time to cultivate. I recall the Luo Family doesn’t possess a Martial Arts Compendium. You should still pick one from the Jade Token to rebuild your foundation. This step is indispensable if you want to advance to the Furnace Fire Realm."

"Cultivating Supreme Cultivation Techniques might seem to allow one to reach the Peak of the Detachment Realm. However, because our Da Jing Dynasty divides Cultivation Techniques into Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement, even if one cultivates to the Martial Arts Sixth Realm, the foundation isn’t truly solid. There’s a disconnect between Realms, a lack of harmony. Furthermore, some Martial Arts Compendiums are derived from Divine Skills. Cultivating these particular Divine Skills later allows for faster progress than other Cultivators."

Jiang Shu also spoke at this time. Having cultivated the Heavenly Intent True Self Fist to Perfection, he could clearly feel the changes within himself. He now felt that his essence, qi, and spirit had reached an unprecedented level of integration. It was as if a door stood before him; a single push would open it to a brand new world. He knew he had reached a bottleneck in his Martial Arts. This was the true distinction between mortals and Immortals.

All one hundred thousand servant disciples of the True Martial Sect were stuck at this stage. Each year, only a few hundred managed to break through this Realm and become Outer Disciples.

"Okay, I’ll listen to Brother Jiang." Luo Yu nodded, but just as he was about to say more, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. The noise was so loud it seemed intended for every servant disciple in the Spiritual Food Hall to hear clearly.

"Senior Brother Ye achieved so much this time in the Underground Abyss! Not only did he slay three powerful demons, but he also found a Xuanjin Earth Vein! Who knows how many Pure Essence Pills he can exchange those Contribution Points for!"

"Back then, Senior Brother Ye’s swordplay was like the auspicious purple qi arriving from the east, truly filled with a royal, domineering aura! He’s truly worthy of his origins from a top-tier Dynasty. Not only did he command respect within his Dynasty, but after joining the True Martial Sect, he advanced to the Furnace Fire Realm at an incredible speed. I became an Outer Disciple even before Senior Brother Ye, yet in the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed, and his strength now surpasses mine by an unknown measure."

"With such great gains this time, when Senior Brother Ye returns to the Sect, he’ll probably ascend directly onto the Divine Skills Leaderboard!"

If the servant disciples in the Spiritual Food Hall had previously dismissed the boasting while focusing on their meals, the mere mention of the ’Divine Skills Leaderboard’ made everyone tense up.

The Divine Skills Leaderboard. It was one of the most prestigious rankings for Outer Disciples, ranking them based on the power of the Divine Skills they had mastered. Every Outer Disciple on the Divine Skills Leaderboard possessed at least twice the combat power of ordinary Cultivators in the same Realm.

It was said that being listed on the Divine Skills Leaderboard meant a fifty percent chance of becoming an Inner Sect Disciple!

At that moment, everyone lifted their heads to look outside the Spiritual Food Hall.

A man stood at the forefront, striding forward with his head held high. He was strikingly handsome, with a captivating presence. He wore the special robe of an Outer Disciple of the True Martial Sect, embroidered with flowing cloud patterns and faintly twinkling stars.

This robe was not only a symbol of an Outer Disciple but also a Low-grade Spirit Rank Treasure!

It offered protection from fire, repelled dust, was impervious to water, neutralized poisons, safeguarded the physical body, and defended against malevolent entities.

Behind the man followed seven others like stars around the moon. Only three of them were also dressed in the Outer Disciple’s robes, while the rest wore the ordinary garments of servant disciples.

What rotten luck, Xue Xuan cursed inwardly, unable to stop himself from glancing at Jiang Shu. He had instantly recognized Ye Huang among the entourage and thus guessed the identity of this Senior Brother Ye.

Ye Jiankong. A genius from the Great Yuan Dynasty twenty years ago, ranked third on the points list during the Hundred Dynasties War. In terms of relations, he should be Ye Huang’s imperial uncle. To think that in just twenty years, he had not only become an Outer Disciple but was also confident enough to aim for the Divine Skills Leaderboard! Such a rapid advancement in his Realm was truly world-shocking!

Luo Yu seemed to sense something as well and quickly lowered his head, daring not to look at anything.