Chapter 61

Fan Ye sat beside Chu Yan: "Yeah, isn't it quite amusing to watch a fool think he's won and cheer about it?"

"Damn, do you want me to beat you up?" Chu Yan, with a black line on his forehead, grabbed the Sun-Extinguishing Sword beside him.

"Want to fight?" Fan Ye took out a large hammer, taunting.

But Chu Yan hesitated and then put the Sun-Extinguishing Sword down. The reason was simple; he couldn't beat Fan Ye right now. Fan Ye was at the eighth level of the Dust-Moving stage and was a prince of the Yan Kingdom, with numerous martial techniques. Even with the Sun-Extinguishing Sword, Chu Yan still couldn't beat Fan Ye. However, he didn't back down. He gave Fan Ye a mischievous smile and beckoned to Little Wolf: "Disciple, come here."

"Growl!" Little Wolf came to Chu Yan's side, and Chu Yan rubbed Little Wolf's head: "My good disciple, go talk to this fat bird. If I get upset, make it throw this fool down. If the fat bird doesn't listen, I'll let you eat it."

"Growl!" Little Wolf got excited. He had wanted to eat this griffin for a long time.

Probably because Little Wolf had bitten the griffin, it now only listened to Little Wolf, as if afraid of being bitten again. So if Little Wolf told the griffin to throw Fan Ye down, it would definitely listen.

Fan Ye's mouth twitched: "Fine, you're ruthless enough!"

Chu Yan shrugged: "Now, can you tell us why you want to help us? Aren't you afraid of offending Chiyue?"

Fan Ye sighed: "Chu Yan, don't you remember me?"

"Huh?" Chu Yan was taken aback. Why did another person want to claim kinship? Chu Yan really wanted to say, "Who the hell are you? I, Chu Yan, don't know everyone."

"It's not surprising that you don't remember. Back then... you were probably less than two years old. The Alchemy King once took you to the Yan Kingdom. At that time, our kingdom was suffering from a plague, and I was the host of the plague. All the ministers and citizens demanded that my father kill me, saying I was the incarnation of a demon."

Ye Xun frowned. He knew about the plague in the Yan Kingdom back then; it was a big deal in the mortal world.

"So you're the prince born during the Yan Kingdom's calamity?"

"Yep. The Alchemy King saved me by refining a cure for the plague, so he is a benefactor of our Yan Kingdom."

Chu Yan suddenly understood and had a vague memory: "Then why did you want to fight me?"

Fan Ye gave Chu Yan a disapproving look: "I just wanted to see if you had the qualifications to survive. In the Black Forest Trial, strength is paramount. If you couldn't beat me, who is at the third level of the Dust-Moving stage, I would have really killed you. At least I would give you a quick death, which is better than falling into someone else's hands."

"..." Chu Yan remained silent, not denying it. Indeed, in such a life-and-death battle, killing the opponent is the greatest kindness.

"Of course, there's another reason I'm helping you."

"What reason?"

"It's that I can't stand Chiyue's arrogant attitude. My Yan Kingdom may not be large, but it's not something he can command."

"Alright, I'll remember this. When we get to the Vast Heaven Sect, I'll treat everyone to a drink."

"Drinks? Alcohol?" At this moment, the fat man, who had been sleeping, suddenly sat up, his narrow eyes gleaming.

"Ha ha ha!" Everyone laughed heartily. At that moment, the laughter of the young men was so sincere, without any pretense. Some things, a drink, could resolve. Their bond was so good, untainted by the world and interests. This scene was something Chu Yan would yearn for and recall for many years to come. Unfortunately, at that time, although they had achieved great success in their respective fields, they could no longer enjoy drinks and camaraderie like they did that day.

Chu Yan, Ye Xun, the fat man, Fan Ye, and the other new Vast Heaven Sect recruits had somehow ended up together. From that day on, they would be companions for a long time, becoming comrades, sharing life and death, until a certain event caused many of them to part ways.

Half a month passed in a flash. The new recruits, riding griffins, crossed thousands of miles and finally arrived above the Vast Heaven Sect.

The Vast Heaven Sect!

This was the foremost of all sects, vast and expansive. From above, countless magnificent buildings could be seen, each exuding a rich aura of immortality.

Sects were different from empires. In empires, there were commoners, but in sects, there were none. All buildings were neatly arranged, divided into inner and outer courts, with elite halls, training grounds, the Alchemy Tower, the Artisan Hall, the Martial Techniques Pavilion, the Cultivation Techniques Department, and each department was orderly, guarded by elders, with a level of authority that no empire could match.

"This is the foremost of all sects, the Vast Heaven Sect." Standing on the griffin, the recruits were all excited.

Ye Xun was also deeply moved and excited. He knew that he would be cultivating here for a long time. What made him happiest was that Chu Yan would be with him. They, as a group of brothers, could develop here and then participate in the Grand Gathering of All Sects in three years, shining brightly and avenging their past.

The griffin landed, and Jiang Yi was the first to leap down. Since Jiang Yi had already sent the news back, many recruits and elders were waiting to welcome them.

"Elder Jiang Yi, are these this year's new recruits?" the elder responsible for the handover, Jiang Feng, asked.

"Yes, tell the Heavenly Sovereign that we have not let him down and have brought them back."

"Is this the Chu Yan?" Jiang Feng glanced at Chu Yan but frowned. He had received news about Chu Yan long ago, and the Vast Heaven Sect had treated this matter as the most important. However, when he saw Chu Yan's laughable cultivation, he shook his head in disappointment: "His talent is too poor, and his strength is weak. Is he really a descendant of the wilderness?"

"Cut the crap, give them the Vast Heaven Orders, and start their cultivation tomorrow." Jiang Yi glared at Jiang Feng. He understood Jiang Feng's thoughts but couldn't agree with them. The reason was simple: Jiang Feng hadn't seen the grand scene on the Grand Gathering Platform, but he had.

And there was Empress Qin Zixuan's words, which were a blatant threat.

"You few, follow me. I'll take you to your quarters and explain the rules of the Vast Heaven Sect." Jiang Feng beckoned to Chu Yan and the others.

Chu Yan and the others followed Jiang Feng. The nine new recruits were like tourists, marveling at the majestic Vast Heaven Sect.

"I know that each of you nine has a distinguished background, having lived a life above others, whether as a prince or a family genius. However, I want to tell you that in the Vast Heaven Sect, what is most lacking is geniuses. Every disciple here is like you, the elite among the tens of thousands of new recruits each year. So I hope that from the moment you step into the Vast Heaven Sect, you forget your past identities. Here, you are just a recruit of the Vast Heaven Sect."

The recruits all nodded respectfully, except for Chu Yan.

For the foremost of all sects, any recruit's background was insignificant, except for Chu Yan. So he didn't take it to heart. To Chu Yan, this was just some official talk, meant for some unruly recruits.

"Alright, now let me explain the rules of the Vast Heaven Sect."

"Teacher, please speak, we promise to follow the rules!"

"I'll take notes!" All the disciples were excited. For them, joining the Vast Heaven Sect was the start of a grand journey, where they wanted to show their worth.

Jiang Feng shook his head, looking at the recruits. He handled admissions every year and had seen many recruits and geniuses. Most recruits lost their edge within half a year, their pride from their families or empires quickly buried in the Vast Heaven Sect.

"There's no need to take notes. The rules of the Vast Heaven Sect are very simple: there are no rules!"

"No rules?" The recruits frowned, looking at Jiang Feng in confusion, not quite understanding this so-called lack of rules.

"The Vast Heaven Sect has a thousand-year legacy and has always been the foremost of all sects. The outside world says the Vast Heaven Sect is a paradise for cultivators, but this paradise is only for a select few. For most, it is a cruel hell."

"The Vast Heaven Sect never instills ideals, teaches morals, or educates people. There is only cultivation. Here, there are no rules, no principles. Here, only strength matters. If you want resources, go and fight for them. As long as you don't kill anyone, no one will interfere. If you want status, fight for it. If you win, you are strong; if you lose, no one will pity you."

"Here, no one cares if a weak person dies. The world of martial arts is like this: the weak are destined to be bullied, and only the strong can survive. This is the rule of the Vast Heaven Sect." Jiang Yi said calmly. This was the first lesson for all new recruits in the Vast Heaven Sect.

Hearing these harsh rules, the recruits all lowered their heads, deeply shaken. They had thought they would receive good education and endless cultivation resources, but they didn't expect their first day to be so harsh.

Ye Xun also frowned. Although he knew the world of the strong was cruel, he didn't expect it to be so brutal, with even recruits competing so fiercely.

"There's nothing strange about it. Rules are defined by the strong for the weak. The weak follow the rules, but the strong break them." Chu Yan wasn't surprised. He had seen this cruel world while traveling with Qin Ruomeng.

How many brothers turned into enemies, how many loved ones betrayed each other. This seemed to be the most common thing in the world of martial arts.

Of course, how many true bonds remained?

Chu Yan glanced at Ye Xun but said nothing.