Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 28: Chapter 26 Thick Earth

The status of a Great Grandmaster is transcendent.

As long as the Flying Flower Sword Sect doesn’t cause trouble and keeps Song Feiqiong focused, it helps the Court and gains Song Feiqiong’s goodwill.

He contemplated the situation at that time.

With his words, two emotionally moved Elders were touched, while another Elder and Lu Wan showed no emotional fluctuation.

It was undoubtedly due to their deep insight, but more importantly, they also recognized the problem.

However, trying to change the entire sect’s mentality at this time by preventing disciples eager to join the Court would turn them into the enemies of all disciples of the Flying Flower Sword Sect.

If they couldn’t reverse the situation, then the Flying Flower Sword Sect would suffer.

Behind Yujing’s bustling prosperity lay a ruthless competition. Those martial arts experts who disregarded the law wouldn’t care whether the Flying Flower Sword Sect had a Great Grandmaster.

In the Military Suppression Department, any expert would have a Great Grandmaster behind them.

If disciples of the Flying Flower Sword Sect join the Military Suppression Department, they would be like ripe fruits, and it’s uncertain how much they would lose.

Chu Zhiyuan put aside these selfish thoughts and asked, ”Master Gao, is the Thick Earth Sect under the management of our Sect Martial Department?”

”It’s under our Sect Martial Department,” Gao Lingfeng’s face darkened, and he sneered, ”These sects, relying on their many followers, are quite arrogant.”

”Which other sects?”

”In Yujing, there are eighteen major sects. The Thick Earth Sect is one of them, along with the Chengxin Sect, the Mystic Thought Sect, the Yuan Guang Sect, the Zhen Yi Sect, the Tianqin Sect, and so on. Not to mention the Wuyou Sect and the Silent Joy Sect that span across the Da Jing, they aren’t exactly receptive to the Court.”

”They harbor grievances against the Court?”

”I think they do,” he replied.

”Why?”

”Humph, they don’t want the Court to interfere, they don’t want the Court to be so controlling... How is that possible! If the Court didn’t manage them, they could turn Da Jing into chaos!”

”It’s inevitable that they want more power,” Chu Zhiyuan slightly nodded.

Expansion is the fundamental characteristic of sects and organizations, and they prefer chaotic expansion,

”I think the Court’s control is too lenient, too indulgent!” Gao Lingfeng sneered, ”If this continues, they’ll become uncontrollable!”

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

The Court’s strict control may be efficient, but it’s not conducive to the nation’s prosperity.

Binding the top sects on the same ship is the best way, as it is with the Four Great Sects.

Of course, maintaining the Court’s strength at all times is essential. With the Court owning four major Grotto Heavens and four Secret Lands, no sect can shake it.

With this confidence, the Emperor can afford to be so lenient.

”How strong is the Flying Flower Sword Sect exactly?” Chu Zhiyuan asked, ”How many Grandmasters and how many Innate experts do they have?”

”According to my investigation, there are three Grandmasters in total: the Sect Leader, Elder Lu, and a Supreme Elder, plus thirteen Innate experts, among whom is a genius. The rest are mediocre and not worth cultivating.”

The Flying Flower Sword Sect is fairly fortunate, producing a genius in every generation. The current leaders are the Sect Leader and Song Feiqiong, the previous generation was Lu Wan, who is the next Sect Leader, and there’s also a genius in this generation, ensuring the Flying Flower Sword Sect won’t completely decline.

Of course, if the Flying Flower Sword Sect weren’t so lucky, they wouldn’t have produced a Great Grandmaster like Song Feiqiong, who seems to be graced with fortune.

”Not worth cultivating...” Chu Zhiyuan mused.

Gao Lingfeng said, ”I think, even with the Spirit Pill from the Heavenly Treasure Department, they won’t achieve the level of Grandmaster.”

Becoming a Grandmaster is difficult; talent alone is insufficient and requires enough comprehension. Otherwise, no amount of hard work can make up for it.

There are many Grandmasters in Yujing because it gathers seventy to eighty percent of the Grandmasters in the entire Da Jing Dynasty.

Anyone who wishes to become a Great Grandmaster will almost inevitably come to Yujing.

Those Grandmasters not in Yujing either have a tranquil character, realizing they have no hope, or are completely hopeless, having left Yujing.

Gao Lingfeng continued, ”For the Flying Flower Sword Sect to rise, it must wait for the next generation to recruit more talents, but trying to catch up with the Four Great Sects is something I think may never be possible.”

The Four Great Sects’ strength lies not only in genius disciples but also in their exceptionally powerful cultivation techniques, which are rarely found in the world.

The Flying Flower Sword Sect is not like that.

Throughout generations, Song Feiqiong was the only one to become a Great Grandmaster, indicating that her advancement was due to fortuitous encounters, not because of the sect’s strong mental method.

The martial artists in Yujing are all shrewd like monkeys, and they’ve surely seen this point clearly, so they haven’t gotten involved.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head, ”You underestimate the Great Grandmaster.”

He had read the Great Grandmaster’s Martial Arts Notes and knew how profound and deep they were. After Song Feiqiong became a Great Grandmaster, if motivated, the Flying Flower Sword Sect’s martial arts could leap to the top tier.

”By the way, when you go back, give me a file on the Thick Earth Sect and the Flying Flower Sword Sect.”

”Yes.”

——

Ministry of Rites Martial Arts Department

As a Junior Minister, Chu Zhiyuan had his own private office.

The bright morning sunlight shone through the window onto a crimson lacquered ornate table, illuminating two stacks of files on the desk.

One stack contained the files of the Flying Flower Sword Sect and the Thick Earth Sect.

Clad in a crimson robe, Chu Zhiyuan picked up the files and scanned them rapidly.

The duties of the Sect Martial Department are to coordinate Yin and Yang and maintain stability in the martial arts world.

If turmoil and chaos arise in the martial arts world, the Sect Martial Department has failed. If turbulence can be smoothed over, it is considered a significant achievement, and merit is often rated above the ninth grade.

If the Military Suppression Department is a sword, suppressing demons and devils with a tough approach, then the Sect Martial Department softens the approach with kindness.

The two departments, one suppressing and one placating, jointly maintain the stability of the martial arts world.

The Military Suppression Department is not under the Ministry of Rites; it reports directly to the Emperor, while the Sect Martial Department belongs to the Ministry of Rites, and its power is naturally weakened.

Chu Zhiyuan found this arrangement intriguingly thoughtful.

The Military Suppression Department uses force to subdue demons, while the Sect Martial Department uses prestige to subdue people; by not being under each other’s command, they can reduce the resistance and hostility of the martial arts sects to the greatest extent.

The intelligence gathered by the Military Suppression Department is transferred here.

The responsibility of the Sect Martial Department is to use this intelligence to analyze the dynamics and trends of the martial arts world, making timely adjustments to prevent turbulence.

After browsing through these files, Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

The Thick Earth Sect was a newly established sect after the founding of the Da Jing Dynasty and had thrived for nearly a millennium, now having grown to a size of over a thousand members.

These thousand people are the sect members, not including the followers.

The main altar of the Thick Earth Sect is not in Yujing, but there is a Thick Earth Hall here, with branch halls elsewhere.

The doctrine of the Thick Earth Sect holds that the earth is the mother of all things, the final resting place for humans. If one can merge with the earth, they can transform into mountains, forests, and rivers after death, avoiding being reborn as humans to endure worldly suffering.

The Thick Earth Sect worships the Earth Venerate, and through arduous cultivation, one can establish a connection with the earth through the Earth Venerate and draw strength from it.

As a member of the Thick Earth Sect, one can bear all worldly pain, for all pain is the soil that makes oneself more solid and closer to the earth.

While reviewing the files, Chu Zhiyuan recalled the situation with High Elder Zhu Yishan at the time.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have contact with Zhu Yishan and couldn’t grasp his mental method.

He was intensely curious about how the Thick Earth Sect could mobilize the power of the earth, as it could potentially greatly benefit his Earth Origin Technique.

After finishing the two stacks of files, he left the government office and headed to the Tongtian Pavilion.

——

Night fell as serene as water.

Chu Zhiyuan sat calmly on the bed, his wide white robe gradually settling down from its inflated state.

The twelve-layered Jade Tower was now down to nine layers. Breaking through the Third Layer meant reaching the realm of the Innate Fourth Layer.

With each layer broken, the True Qi became deeper and purer.

His sword-like brows knit together, showing no sign of joy.

The Jade Lock Gold Barrier Skill was powerful, and with the support of the Earth Origin Technique, the progress through the Jade Tower came swiftly and with great momentum, indeed surpassing most talents of the era.

However, the realm was still too low, and even at the Innate Fourth Layer, it was too weak. One could only have enough self-protection at the level of a Grandmaster, and he wished he could step into the realm of Grandmaster in one step.

Alas, this was a mere wish.

More importantly, he discovered a problem.

The True Qi became deep and pure, but the enhancement of the meridians couldn’t keep up with the rate of the True Qi enhancement, resulting in increasing pressure on the meridians.

Originally, he could condense twelve Binding Dragon Ropes, but now even ten were unbearable.

And the Jade Tower became more solid and difficult to break as he progressed.

The first two layers of the Jade Tower broke with a single strike, but the Third Layer required more than a dozen attempts to barely break open.

Ultimately, the bottleneck hindering the progress was the meridians.

The Dragon Transformation Technique was already one of the top body refining techniques in the world, yet its progression still couldn’t keep pace.

Should he rely on spiritual medicines like the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill to accelerate body refining progress?

Was there any faster method?

He decided to visit Mingwu Hall to see.

And then there was the Auditing Department, which was too slow. He didn’t know what rank of merit his contributions to helping the Military Suppression Department this time would achieve.

...

Setting aside his frustrations, he picked up the gold inlaid jade next to him, focused on it until he felt mentally exhausted, and then lay down to sleep.

The next morning, he rose early.

He first went to Mingwu Hall, where he practiced with Chu Zhitian, Chu Zhichuan, and Chu Mingxuan throughout the morning. At the appointed hour, he went to the Ministry of Rites to check attendance. After marking his presence and reviewing the files on his desk, he headed to the Tongtian Pavilion.

This was the rhythm of a day’s life.

While returning to the Prince Mansion for lunch at noon, he suddenly spotted a Thick Earth Hall.

He had never noticed it before, but after becoming aware of the Thick Earth Sect, he was surprised to find the Thick Earth Hall situated right on the bustling main road.