Chapter 1

Tianluo Sect, Cloud Boat Docking Port.

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A group of injured outer sect disciples, with missing limbs, walked onto the cloud boat with dejected faces, frequently looking back at the direction of the Tianluo Sect’s entrance as they walked.

The path of martial cultivation is extremely cruel, especially the competition among sect disciples, which is particularly intense. A slight misstep could lead to elimination.

Eliminated disciples will be uniformly sent back to their original homes at the end of each month.

“Don’t dawdle, hurry up!”

“Although you’ve been eliminated, at least you’re still alive. How many disciples have died? You’re much luckier than them…” The fat steward suddenly stopped speaking, looking in surprise at a gray-robed youth walking from a distance.

The gray-robed youth had a pale, bloodless face, and his steps were unsteady. He took a deep breath with each step, giving the impression that he might collapse at any moment.

The group of outer sect disciples being sent back couldn’t help but murmur in surprise.

“Isn’t that Xiao Yun from Tianji Hall?”

“It is Xiao Yun.”

“How could Xiao Yun, who was just selected into the inner sect three days ago, be sent back?”

The outer sect has eight halls, and Tianji Hall ranks fourth among them. The entire Tianji Hall has about thirty thousand outer sect disciples, and Xiao Yun was one of the top five outstanding disciples in Tianji Hall.

Three days ago, at the inner sect selection meeting of Tianji Hall, Xiao Yun came out on top and was selected as an inner sect disciple.

At that time, countless outer sect disciples envied him so much that their eyes turned red, wishing they were Xiao Yun.

Originally, it was thought that Xiao Yun would rise rapidly after entering the inner sect. However, it was unexpected that after just a few days, he would be sent back like them, which was truly surprising.

After all, it’s rare for inner sect disciples to be sent back.

After all, those who can stand out among thirty thousand disciples and become the top outer sect disciples of a hall are not ordinary people.

“Could he have encountered some kind of accident?”

“No matter what kind of accident, he’s finished.”

“Indeed, he’s finished. His limbs are intact, but his steps are unsteady, his face is pale, and he looks weak and powerless. His injuries must be severe, clearly indicating that his foundation has been destroyed.”

“He’s definitely been crippled by someone. Otherwise, even if he couldn’t make it in the inner sect, he could still continue in the outer sect and wouldn’t be sent back.”

“The once-gifted martial cultivator of Tianji Hall, who was once so glorious, has now fallen to such a state.”

Seeing Xiao Yun like this, many of the sent-back disciples felt a sense of balance, and some even showed mocking and derisive expressions.

Under the strange gazes of the crowd, Xiao Yun struggled to walk onto the cloud boat, then held onto the handle and walked inside, finding a place to sit down.

The crowd’s attention to Xiao Yun lasted only a moment. No matter how glorious and brilliant Xiao Yun once was, he was now finished.

The other outer sect disciples being sent back gradually entered, some of them glanced at Xiao Yun and then looked away, sitting a few seats away from him.

Xiao Yun was isolated.

The cloud boat would depart in half an hour. The disciples who were already inside gradually accepted their fate of being sent back and started chatting.

“Do you know our Tianluo Sect’s core disciple, Ling Yujie?” a yellow-robed man said.

“Of course, who doesn’t know Ling Yujie?”

“What? Is there news about her?”

The male disciples immediately became excited. After all, Ling Yujie was not only the most beautiful woman in the Tianluo Sect but also a genius disciple. Others had to go through multiple selections to become inner sect disciples of the Tianluo Sect, but she directly became an inner sect disciple and became a core disciple in less than a year.

Her beauty and genius attracted countless gazes.

Any news about Ling Yujie would pique the interest of many disciples within the sect, not just male disciples but also some female disciples.

“There’s news that two days ago, Ling Yujie awakened a seventh-grade thunder beast martial spirit. The sect leader even came out of seclusion because of this and might take Ling Yujie as a personal disciple,” the yellow-robed man said.

“Is that true?”

“A seventh-grade thunder beast martial spirit? Are you sure?”

“Of course, it’s true. This news came from a steward, and I heard it with my own ears. It’s definitely not fake,” the yellow-robed man said firmly.

“A seventh-grade thunder beast martial spirit… I can’t imagine how powerful it must be. I don’t even want a seventh-grade thunder beast martial spirit; a third-grade martial spirit would be enough. No, even a second-grade one would do.” Someone said enviously.

“You’re dreaming. How easy is it to awaken a martial spirit?”

“If it were that easy to awaken a martial spirit, we would all have one.” The others shook their heads. Very few martial cultivators can awaken a martial spirit, with a probability of only one in a thousand.

A martial spirit, it is said, is a legacy of the legendary divine spirits left in the human body. Only those who enter the path of martial cultivation have a chance to awaken a martial spirit. However, the probability is very low, with only one in a thousand martial cultivators awakening a martial spirit.

A martial spirit can assist martial cultivators in accelerating their cultivation speed, enhance their strength, and even allow them to cultivate martial spirit-specific techniques.

Martial cultivators with martial spirits far surpass ordinary martial cultivators.

On a daily basis, the outer sect disciples mostly see first or second-grade martial spirits, and third or fourth-grade ones are already rare. Fifth or sixth-grade ones are even rarer.

As for seventh-grade… for outer sect disciples, they only exist in legends.

The outer sect disciples were chatting, and no one noticed Xiao Yun sitting in the corner. At that moment, Xiao Yun’s face was contorted, his body trembling, his veins bulging, and his fingers digging into the ground.

Ling Yujie!

Xiao Yun gritted his teeth. The swollen organs, swollen limbs, shattered qi sea, and destroyed martial spirit seed… all of this was caused by Ling Yujie.

“Ling Yujie! You bitch! I saved you out of kindness, but you plotted against me, using me as a cauldron to steal my martial spirit seed to enhance your own martial spirit, and even destroyed my qi sea…”

Xiao Yun’s nails dug into the deck, breaking and bleeding due to the excessive force.

The pain in his fingertips was far less than the pain in his body and soul.

Two days ago, Xiao Yun had just entered the inner sect and went out to travel to improve himself. He encountered Ling Yujie being ambushed. Not recognizing her, he thought she was just an ordinary inner sect disciple and, being a fellow Tianluo Sect disciple, he came to her aid.

The result! The rescued Ling Yujie suddenly attacked and severely injured Xiao Yun, then captured him.

After being captured, Xiao Yun learned that Ling Yujie had been targeting him, knowing that he possessed a seventh-grade martial spirit seed that was about to awaken.

To enhance her own martial spirit, Ling Yujie had plotted to capture Xiao Yun.

In the end, Xiao Yun was used as a cauldron, and his seventh-grade martial spirit seed was taken by Ling Yujie. His qi sea was shattered, and he was thrown into a cliff.

However, Xiao Yun survived the ordeal.

But with his qi sea shattered, his path of martial cultivation was completely cut off. According to the rules of the Tianluo Sect, he could only be sent back to his original home.

Xiao Yun also thought about reporting the incident, but it was useless.

Tianluo Sect disciples fighting outside the sect are not bound by sect rules, meaning if you are killed outside, it’s your own fault for being weaker.

The competition among martial cultivators is inherently cruel!

“Ling Yujie! If I can cultivate again, I will make you regret what you did…” Xiao Yun spoke each word with boundless hatred.

Boom!

Xiao Yun suddenly felt something explode in his ear, and a deep, dark hole appeared before his eyes, emitting a mysterious and ancient aura.

As Xiao Yun looked at the dark hole, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head.

The feeling of death suffocated him, and he quickly realized that something was eroding his consciousness, as if trying to replace him.

A soul…

Xiao Yun sensed a powerful soul from an unknown source trying to take over his body.

His consciousness was gradually fading.

Xiao Yun realized that his life was no longer in his control, feeling both helpless and angry. First, Ling Yujie, and now you!

“I don’t care who you are, if you want to take over my body, I’d rather die than let you have your way.”

Xiao Yun used all his strength to draw a dagger and stabbed it into his heart.

The dagger was halfway in when Xiao Yun suddenly lost his strength, but the pain made his consciousness clearer.

At that moment, the soul disappeared.

Pieces of memory fragments flashed in Xiao Yun’s mind, then vanished without a trace. Although the memories couldn’t be retained, the scenes they showed were enough to shock Xiao Yun deeply.

The soul that had tried to possess him was no ordinary being; it was one of the six great emperors of the Nine Heavens Divine Domain, Yun Tianzun.