Chapter 22

When Chen Hai woke up again, it was already afternoon. Lying on the simple bed, he saw Ge Tong and Zhou Jingyuan’s daughter, Zhou Qingyun, just bringing in the decocted herbal medicine.

Seeing Chen Hai awake at this time, Ge Tong said, "Fortunately, your body is not bad, and you have a solid foundation in martial arts practice. When Jingyuan carried you down from the Transmission Hall, I didn’t expect your injuries to be so severe, yet you could still hold on in the Dao Army Arena..."

Chen Hai's body slightly moved, and his chest was wracked with intense pain. Speaking with difficulty, he felt a tearing pain in his chest and asked, "Where is Senior Brother Zhou?"

"You defeated the young and famous Kong Tong in this battle, making countless people look at you with new eyes!" At this moment, Zhou Jingyuan walked into the bedroom, his face beaming with excitement.

Zhou Jingyuan was skilled in calculation. After being tricked by Chen Hai into joining the band of the notorious 'Xing Gongzi,' he had always been worried about the risk of ruin and disgrace in the future.

Zhou Jingyuan was not afraid of danger. How could he be afraid of danger when he aged copper artifacts for huge profits?

What he was actually worried about was that the notorious Xing Gongzi was not worth all his bets, not worth taking such a great risk.

But Chen Hai's performance today was truly the most satisfying and exciting for him.

"Everyone saw that I used a trick, so they might not look at me with new eyes," Chen Hai said lightly.

Today, even though he defeated Kong Tong, he was severely injured and could not participate in the next two disciples' matches. In the initial ranking of Dao Army disciples in the Taiwei Sect, he was still at the bottom, far from the time to be overly proud.

"You say that people might not look at you with new eyes, but Senior Brother Zhou Jun personally delivered the bone-healing ointment to treat your injuries. Otherwise, with your broken ribs, you would have to lie in bed for four to five months to recover," Zhou Jingyuan laughed.

The bone-healing ointment sent by Zhou Jun was far inferior to the spiritual medicine Chen Lie used for Yao Xing after he fell off the cliff, but from Zhou Jun's act of sending the medicine, Chen Hai knew that his crisis of being unable to stand in Iron Stream Ridge had finally passed.

Chen Hai thought about the dual halberd stance he formed on the Dao Army Arena, wanting to capture that mysterious feeling before it faded, and quickly imprint the secret diagram of the stance into the ancestral aperture of his puppet avatar's mind sea.

Chen Hai asked Zhou Jingyuan to help him sit up, enduring the tearing pain in his chest, and assumed a posture of deep meditation, so that even if his soul consciousness entered the Blood Cloud Wasteland, no one would notice anything unusual.

In Zhou Jingyuan and Ge Tong's eyes, Chen Hai, despite his severe injuries, could still endure the pain and seize every moment to practice diligently, which they greatly admired. They left the bedroom and did not disturb Chen Hai.

**************************

Feeling the snake bracelet, Chen Hai's left wrist felt as if it was being burned by fire, and his soul consciousness entered the Blood Cloud Wasteland.

The ground was littered with corpses and bones, grotesque and terrifying, with blood clouds hanging low and lightning columns striking the ground, shattering the iron-hard remains of the Rakshasa ghosts.

Chen Hai's consciousness entered the puppet avatar, and seeing the desolate surroundings, he did not have much time to think. He tried to recall the feeling he had on the arena, and the puppet avatar's hands held the bone halberds in front of him, practicing the stance over a thousand times before he found that mysterious, mountain-like feeling again.

At that moment, the ancestral aperture of the puppet avatar's mind sea opened on its own, imprinting the secret diagram of the basic halberd stance...

The first move of the Spirit Shock Halberd, the God-Killing Strike, was evolved from the basic martial arts stance of dual halberds. In theory, no matter how complex and profound the martial arts techniques were, they were all composed of various martial arts secret forms. Chen Hai then tried to recall the actions of Kong Tong's dual halberds, practicing repeatedly.

It sounded simple, but Chen Hai, controlling the puppet avatar with his consciousness, practiced the bone halberds countless times and still could not grasp the essence of the first move of the Spirit Shock Halberd.

The Spirit Shock Halberd was far more complex than he imagined. Chen Hai thought he still needed to start with the basic battle halberd techniques and break down the various martial arts secret forms...

Fortunately, the puppet avatar's secret sea continuously supplied true essence to its limbs, and Chen Hai did not feel tired.

In the Blood Cloud Wasteland, there was no sun or moon, and Chen Hai, immersed in practicing the dual halberds and comprehending the halberd techniques, did not feel the passage of time. Only when he confirmed that with his current martial arts foundation, he could not comprehend the first move of the Spirit Shock Halberd, did he cut off the connection with the snake bracelet and withdraw his soul consciousness from the Blood Cloud Wasteland.

When Chen Hai's consciousness returned to the courtyard at the southern foot of Iron Stream Ridge, he felt that the tearing pain in his chest had eased considerably, and his arms felt strong enough to move.

Chen Hai supported himself on the edge of the bed, feeling that he could barely get out of bed, and realized that he must have stayed in the Blood Cloud Wasteland for quite some time.

Hearing the commotion outside, Zhou Jingyuan and Zhou Qingyun pushed the door open and came in.

Seeing Chen Hai trying to get out of bed, Zhou Qingyun hurriedly brought him his soft boots.

Zhou Jingyuan stood to the side and said, "Junior Brother Yao has been in deep meditation for over half a month, which greatly surprised Senior Brother Ge. Coincidentally, Senior Brother Ge was called by Supervisor Zhao to ask some questions and will probably be back soon."

Among the two thousand Dao Army disciples in Iron Stream Ridge, fewer than a hundred had the potential to open their spirit seas and reach the Spirit Sea Realm.

Having the potential was one thing, but those who could successfully open their spirit seas and enter the Inner Gate of Qingxi Peak would not exceed ten.

Ge Tong was among the hundred purple-clothed Dao Army disciples with the potential to open their spirit seas, ranking no lower than ordinary attendants and considered a high-ranking official in the Iron Stream Ridge Dao Academy. Zhao Ruhui might have some tasks for Ge Tong to handle.

Chen Hai thought that after just over half a month, his injuries were almost fully healed, and he felt that the bone-healing ointment sent by Zhou Jun must have been a good spiritual medicine.

Less than half an incense stick's time later, Ge Tong returned from the mountain, and Zhou Jingyuan asked, "What did Supervisor Zhao ask you to do?"

"Iron Stream Camp is short of a garrison commander, and the main officer of the Medicine God Hall will be transferred there. The Medicine God Hall will be replenished, and there will be a vacancy for an attendant. The four attendant elders can each recommend one person, and Supervisor Zhao intends to recommend me this time," Ge Tong said.

The Medicine God Hall was mainly responsible for the cultivation of medicinal fields, the storage of medicinal herbs, and the refining of elixirs. Although it was not directly managed by the attendant elders, it was of great importance within the sect and was one of the most important affairs of the Dao Academy, alongside the Transmission Hall, Ancestral Hall, Armory, and Heavenly Punishment Hall, known as the Five Halls.

Hearing that Supervisor Zhao Ruhui recommended Ge Tong to the Medicine God Hall as an attendant, Zhou Jingyuan said excitedly, "This is great news!"

He knew that Ge Tong had the potential to open his spirit sea, but the chances were very slim. If he could be transferred to a yellow-clothed attendant of the Dao Academy within the next two years, he could stay in Iron Stream Ridge and not be kicked out of the Dao Academy if he failed to break through in two or three years.

Ge Tong, however, smiled with a lack of enthusiasm, not as excited as Zhou Jingyuan and Chen Hai imagined. He said, "The other three attendant elders recommended descendants of noble families. The candidate list still needs to be confirmed by the Seven Peaks. My chances are very slim. However, it is strange that in the past few years, Supervisor Zhao never opposed Zhang Huaiyu and the others, but in the last few months, he has been actively recommending commoner disciples for vacancies in the Dao Academy, which is more aggressive than before..."

Zhou Jingyuan sighed softly and lowered his voice, saying, "It is said that Supervisor Zhao's time is running out. He is probably trying to do more for the commoner disciples to establish a foothold in Iron Stream Ridge."

Chen Hai knew that Zhao Ruhui and Zhou Jun had ulterior motives for him, so he did not feel particularly grateful for the bone-healing ointment sent by Zhou Jun.

He had long known that the disciples of the Taiwei Sect were divided into noble and commoner families, but he was not very clear about the specific conflicts and entanglements within the sect. He asked Ge Tong and Zhou Jingyuan:

"I have been practicing in the Taiwei Sect for over a year, but I rarely pay attention to sect affairs. When did the entanglements between the noble and commoner factions of the Taiwei Sect begin, and why have they become more intense?"

Ge Tong and Zhou Jingyuan knew that Chen Hai came from the Yao family, had his cultivation revoked, and was sent to the Taiwei Sect, staying in Splash Cloud Cliff for a while, so it was normal that he did not understand the conflicts in the lower-level Dao Academy. They explained:

"Junior Brother Yao, you know that in cultivation, besides root bones and talent, the adequacy of resources is also extremely important..."

Chen Hai felt this most deeply. His current consumption could no longer be replenished by daily meals alone. Whether he had essence pills to supplement his essence and qi made a tenfold difference in his daily practice speed.

"Take the threshold of the Profound Realm, for example. Disciples from humble backgrounds, no matter how diligently they practice, have only a one in ten chance of crossing this threshold, even if they are highly talented," Ge Tong continued with a sense of feeling.

"However, noble family descendants may have been treated with top-grade spiritual medicines in the womb, born with all their meridians open, and thus do not face the threshold of the Profound Realm. How can commoner disciples compete with them?"

Chen Hai also felt ashamed.

Although the memories left by Yao Xing were fragmented, he knew that Yao Xing, due to his mother's high cultivation, had been treated with spiritual medicines in the womb, born with four spirit meridians, and already had the cultivation of the late Profound Realm. At thirteen or fourteen, he successfully opened his spirit sea on the foundation of seven spirit meridians, conditions that commoner disciples could not match.

But all of this was in the past. Theoretically, since Yao Xing's cultivation was revoked and he was expelled from the clan, and some of his memories were erased, he had no connection with the Yao family after seeking refuge with his uncle Chen Lie in the Taiwei Sect.

If Chen Hai, who had taken Yao Xing's place, had any mishaps in the Taiwei Sect, he could only rely on his uncle Chen Lie to stand up for him, and the Yao clan would not intervene.

"However, although the noble families are powerful and have many descendants, few can endure the loneliness and focus on diligent practice, making it difficult to fill the sect. Besides frequent battles with the noble families of Jinzhou, the northern domain's demon savages also increasingly threatened the northern border of Yanzhou, and the army needed a large number of brave warriors to defend the borders..."

Hearing this, Chen Hai picked up the thread, asking with a sigh, "This is where the commoner disciples found their path, right?"

"Not yet," Ge Tong shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Although few noble family descendants can endure the loneliness and focus on diligent practice, the noble families have a large number of retainers, guards, and even slaves. Many commoners also seek to rise by attaching themselves to noble families. In the early days of the Taiwei Sect's Dao Academy, disciples were divided into servants and outer gate disciples. Noble family descendants entered the Dao Academy as outer gate disciples, while the larger number of servant disciples were selected from the children of retainers, slaves, and commoners attached to noble families..."

"Then when did the situation in the Taiwei Sect change, and the Dao Academy disciples were no longer divided into outer gate and servant disciples, but were all called Dao Army disciples?" Chen Hai asked.

"Junior Brother Yao, you don't know much about the background of the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis?" Zhou Jingyuan asked.

Chen Hai smiled awkwardly. Yao Xing's memories before his exile to the Taiwei Sect were erased, and he only knew that the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis, Dong Liang, wielded great power in Hexi, currently serving as the Deputy Chief of the Heavenly Pivot Hall, the Grand Protector of Hexi, and the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis, leading the million-strong Martial Vigor Army across the northern domain. He was also the Grand Elder of the Taiwei Sect, but he did not know Dong Liang's background or how he rose to power.

"The Martial Vigor Divine Marquis also came from the servant disciples of the Taiwei Sect, with extraordinary talent, even considered the best in the Great Yan Empire for a thousand years. Although he lacked cultivation resources, he successfully entered the Bright Aperture Realm after practicing for twenty years in the sect. Even so, the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis could not formally enter the Inner Gate of the Taiwei Sect at that time. Later, when the northern border demon savages rose, the Imperial Heavenly Pivot Hall recruited a large number of disciples from the Taiwei Sect to join the army. The Martial Vigor Divine Marquis, despite already having the cultivation of the Bright Aperture Realm, was repeatedly promoted in the Hexi Army but could not advance, staying at the rank of a hundred-man deputy captain for over a decade, during which he had already entered the Dao Pill Realm..."

Hearing the old stories of the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis, Chen Hai was deeply moved. He thought that Chen Lie, with the cultivation of the late Bright Aperture Realm, was already a general commanding ten thousand elite soldiers, a core commander of the Weijiang Camp. In the past, the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis, even with the cultivation of the Dao Pill Realm, could only serve as a deputy captain in a hundred-man unit, truly a very unfulfilled position.

Ge Tong continued, "When Emperor Yitian was still a prince, he was exiled to Hexi and met the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis in the Hexi Army, forming a deep friendship. With Emperor Yitian's help, the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis gradually gained recognition in the Hexi Army. Later, the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis helped Emperor Yitian ascend the throne, was ennobled, and reorganized the Hexi Army into the Martial Vigor Army. As the Grand Elder, he reformed the educational affairs of the Taiwei Sect, unifying the Dao Academy disciples as Dao Army disciples, eliminating the distinction between outer gate and servant disciples. At this point, the children of commoners in the Hexi region no longer needed to attach themselves to noble families to enter the Taiwei Sect for cultivation, and the Taiwei Sect finally had a lineage of commoner families..."

Chen Hai had not expected the deep roots of the conflict between the noble and commoner factions within the Taiwei Sect and sighed deeply. He had not expected that the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis, besides his incomparable cultivation, had such admirable achievements. However, he still had many doubts and said, "Since the commoner faction has the support of the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis, why does the current situation not seem very solid?"

Chen Hai thought: The Martial Vigor Divine Marquis wields great power in Hexi and is the Grand Elder of the Taiwei Sect. With his support, the commoner disciples should not be so suppressed by the noble families!

Hearing Chen Hai's question, Zhou Jingyuan smiled bitterly, "When the Martial Vigor Divine Marquis was ennobled, the Dong family entered the ranks of the thirty-six noble families..."

Hearing this, Chen Hai was stunned for a moment and sighed silently.

Although Dong Liang came from a humble background, after rising to power, he had become the head of a new noble family. Even if Dong Liang wanted to give commoner disciples a path, how could he break the millennia-old monopoly of noble families on cultivation resources?

(For years, my brothers have been looking forward to me writing a sequel to "Rebirth: The Official and Business Journey." Due to contractual obligations and lack of energy, I have not been able to continue writing, and I apologize to everyone. However, there are some excellent fan continuations on the internet. I found Brother Shezu and obtained his authorization to revise and publish his continuation of "Rebirth: The Official and Business Journey" on my WeChat public account for everyone to enjoy. You can search for "Gengsu" on WeChat and follow my WeChat public account.)

Page Flip AD Start

Page Flip AD End