CHAPTER 450: USING THE WHIRLWIND PILLS

Chapter 450: Using the Whirlwind Pills

...

One hour later.

The Wind Spirit Sect was filled with lamentations.

All disciples, willing or not, had their cultivation dispersed.

The entire Black Blade Sect, numbering over fifty members, suffered varying losses—the newly initiated Qi Refining disciples fared better, but those like Li Zongsi, who had reached the Golden Core stage through the Ascension Pillar, looked ashen-faced, as if mourning their own deaths.

"My Golden Core... all my hard-earned cultivation... gone, completely gone!" Li Zongsi wiped his tears, actually sobbing aloud.

"Pathetic!" Zhang Yibai glared fiercely at Li Zongsi.

He and Chen Huaian were examining the Ascension Pillar.

This pillar surprisingly had connections to the previous Black Blade Sect leader—it was said to have been obtained from the Kunlun Immortal Palace.

However, the Ascension Pillar couldn't be used freely within the sect; activating it required sacrifices.

The sacrificial materials were simple: demon cores from various monsters spawned after the Spiritual Revival.

Chen Huaian pondered.

Killing monsters for sacrifices to level up—how was this different from gaming mechanics?

The only distinction was that the "experience points" didn't directly go to the killer but instead formed an "experience pool" through these sacrifices, distributed later by sect elders based on contribution.

"Brother, I suspect every sect nowadays has such an Ascension Pillar..." Zhang Yibai frowned.

This was clearly problematic. While the pillar could forcibly elevate cultivation regardless of talent, allowing ordinary people to become cultivators, those without innate gifts like Spiritual Roots would always lag far behind true Cangyun Realm cultivators.

"How many monsters did you sacrifice to activate the pillar?" Chen Huaian asked the despondent Li Zongsi.

Li Zongsi lifted his gaze weakly. "About ten Foundation Establishment-stage monsters could activate it. Foundation Establishment Ascenders could also trigger it. But the energy generated this way only allows Foundation Establishment disciples to advance one or two minor realms—it's painfully slow."

Chen Huaian and Zhang Yibai couldn't help but curl their lips at this.

Slow?

In Cangyun Realm, a Foundation Establishment cultivator might kill a hundred monsters at their level without guaranteed advancement!

"There are hardly any monsters in Mount Emei. Where did you gather enough energy for the pillar?" Chen Huaian pressed.

During their ascent, they'd encountered few monsters—unusual, given the current circumstances where remote mountains should be teeming with demons.

"We've killed all we could find; the rest have gone into hiding." Li Zongsi sighed. "Now, the only way to get sacrificial materials is near the Demon Sealing Pagodas. With the Qinling pagoda gone, we periodically travel to another one—the closer to the pagoda, the more monsters. Each trip yields decent harvests."

"But the back-and-forth is exhausting. Reaching Golden Core again would take at least one or two months." Bitterness laced Li Zongsi's voice, clearly resentful about his dispersed cultivation.

To him, his power had been earned through hard work slaying monsters—how could he not resent its complete loss?

Seeing Chen Huaian and Zhang Yibai silent, he continued morosely:

"In a few days, Spirit Jade veins will emerge in Tianfu District. With our cultivation gone, we'll lose the competition for resources, falling behind... Mount Emei is a blessed land where spiritual energy naturally gathers. When others come invading, we might not even defend our own sect."

He sighed again, squeezing out two more tears.

Ignoring Li Zongsi, Zhang Yibai secretly transmitted to Chen Huaian: "Without restoring their cultivation, morale will collapse. Besides, their talents are abysmal, lacking any true dedication to the Dao. For example..."

"You mean using those potential-draining pills to force their progress?" Chen Huaian immediately grasped his meaning.

"Alas, it's the only way." Zhang Yibai stroked his beard. "Frankly, even Whirlwind Pills would give them more substantial power than the Ascension Pillar—ensuring superiority over ordinary Ascenders!"

The cost? Merely exhausted potential, halting future progress.

But this wasn't absolute—if any showed genuine dedication, Zhang Yibai could help them despite the drained potential.

The implicit message: Without true determination, they should remain mediocre.

"Agreed." Chen Huaian nodded. "We'll use Whirlwind Pills!"

Though unethical, it surpassed the pillar's methods.

Moreover, exceptions could be made for truly promising disciples.

"But regarding their martial arts—and those for future formal disciples—what are your thoughts?"

Sword cultivation would undoubtedly draw the Kunlun Immortal Palace's ire.

Hence, even when confronted by the palace's elders earlier, he'd refrained from sword techniques—dispatching those weaklings required no real skill.

"No sword arts." Zhang Yibai agreed, smiling. "Surely you don't think I only know swordsmanship? Before founding the True Martial Sect, I was a martial arts grandmaster—my 'Crow Takes Flight' technique proves it."

Chen Huaian: "..."

And "Black Tiger Steals the Heart" too? Ridiculous.

"As long as you have a plan. These Ascenders are uncultured, their techniques crude. Reining them in won't be hard with proper guidance."

After finalizing plans, Chen Huaian addressed the dejected Li Zongsi: "Elder Li, no need for such despair. The sect leader had reasons for dispersing your cultivation—and means to swiftly restore your former strength."

Li Zongsi's eyes lit up. "Back to Golden Core?"

"No." Chen Huaian shook his head.

"Then—"

"Because your Golden Cores were impure."

Releasing his own aura, Chen Huaian's spiritual energy density dwarfed Li Zongsi's by dozens of times.

Li Zongsi paled, disbelief flooding his eyes.

"Your energy—"

"Indeed." Chen Huaian smirked, spinning his tale:

"Follow the sect leader faithfully, and you'll attain such profound energy. Forget envying others' realms—solid foundations matter most! Imagine defeating Golden Core Ascenders while only at Foundation Establishment's peak—wouldn't that be prideworthy?"

After some contemplation, Li Zongsi found logic in this.

Yet skepticism lingered.

Could anything truly replace the Ascension Pillar?

"Please enlighten me, seniors!" Li Zongsi knelt before them.

"Just restore some strength—don't let me remain worthless... I'll do anything!"

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