Chapter 170: Xuanji’s Concerns

After hearing what Venerable Xuanji had to say, Su Che finally understood the whole story behind the hardships he had endured earlier.
Firstly, it was because he had to go to Taiyi Gate to complete a mission related to faction exchanges that he encountered the disaster caused by the Soul-Shaking Bell. The Soul-Shaking Bell Market was located at the intersection of the territories controlled by Taiyi Gate, the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sect, and the Blood God Cult—what was commonly known as a no-man’s-land.
Furthermore, if it weren’t for Ghost Princess forcing him to go to the Stormy Desolation to collect the Black Domain Immortal Lotus, and later the pursuit by the demonic sects, he wouldn’t have been drawn into Taiyi Gate’s conspiracy. He might even have encountered other troubles along the way. In any case, now that he had fallen into that web, those days would surely be difficult…
Thinking of this, the last traces of resentment Su Che felt toward Ghost Princess disappeared. After all, without her coercion, he wouldn’t have gained those opportunities later on.
At that moment, Venerable Xuanji spoke again, “This reinforcement will be led personally by the Supreme Elder of Zixiao. In addition to the dozen or so Golden Core elders from the Battle Hall, the ten main peaks will also send at least thirty young disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage.”
Venerable Xuanji looked around at everyone, “You thirty-six are the elite among the thousands of disciples of my Xuanji Peak. This time, you will all go with the Supreme Elder of Zixiao to temper yourselves further.”
“Yes, Master!”
The disciples replied in unison.
“There is one more very important matter…”
Venerable Xuanji’s gaze shifted from the front-row disciples to Su Che and the others. “The Supreme Patriarch has sent word that this reinforcement is of great significance to the entire cultivation world. If any inner sect disciple happens to achieve great merits, they can be promoted to a true disciple ahead of schedule, without having to wait for the inner sect competition in a year.”
“Huh?”
“Really?”
The twenty-some inner sect disciples were immediately filled with excitement. Such achievements often relied more on luck than on one’s own strength. Since it was a matter of luck, it meant everyone had a chance. Otherwise, no one would dare compete with prodigies like Su Che and Yu Qing.
Thus, only Su Che and Yu Qing remained calm. Even if they failed to achieve any merits this time, they still had a chance at the inner sect competition in a year and a half.

Elder Xuanji’s gaze fell once again on the ten top disciples in the front row. His expression turned serious, and he spoke in a heavier tone, “You, my ten top disciples, must not think this is just an opportunity to watch. To be honest with you, you are in danger!”
The ten top disciples immediately sat up straight, not daring to breathe even slightly…
“The Supreme Patriarch and the four great elders intend to use this reinforcement mission as an opportunity to assess all one hundred top disciples in the sect. At least five of them will be eliminated. In other words, if you perform poorly, you might be among those unlucky ones.”
Elder Xuanji seemed especially strict toward the top disciples. With a cold snort, he said, “Actually, I agree with this approach. Those with poor morals, ulterior motives, or a lack of ambition do not deserve the sect’s special attention. Their status as top disciples should be taken away!”
“Gather at the Patriarch’s Hall at dawn tomorrow. Be careful what you do!”
After saying these words, Elder Xuanji vanished. However, he secretly sent a message to Su Che, telling him to return half an hour later.
After leaving the Golden Hall, most of the disciples headed straight for Wuhua Peak.
Since they would set off early the next morning, time was extremely tight. They had to hurry to Wuhua Peak to acquire various supplies. At such a critical moment, having an extra spirit talisman could very well turn the tide in their favor.
Half an hour later, Su Che returned to the Golden Hall and sat in front of Elder Xuanji.
“I cast a divination for myself yesterday…”
Elder Xuanji said solemnly, “It predicted that I might suffer the pain of losing a child in the near future. But since I have no children, this prediction must refer to one of my disciples.”
“After careful consideration, among all the disciples, you are the one I value the most. That’s why I kept you here alone.”
These words deeply moved Su Che. It was as if his master was indirectly acknowledging that he regarded him as a close family member, like a biological son.
Elder Xuanji continued, “However, after all, these are just human divinations. They are sometimes accurate and sometimes not. They can’t be completely reliable. So, whether you participate in this sect’s reinforcement mission is up to you to decide.”
“Master, why not just cast a divination for me? That would make things clearer!” Su Che suggested.
Elder Xuanji waved his hand and said seriously, “One must not rely entirely on divinations, nor completely disregard them. It has taken me over a hundred years to grasp even a little of the art. Predicting for others is certainly impossible.”

Su Che nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, “Master, I also sense that this journey ahead will be full of hardships and may be extremely dangerous. Yet, I refuse to be deterred by these dangers and still wish to challenge myself.”
“I knew you would make such a decision.”
Elder Xuanji nodded, flipped his wrist, and took out a golden little sword from his storage bracelet.
Su Che, being perceptive, immediately realized that this was not a flying sword but a talisman.
“It must be an attack talisman of the metal element, created by Master himself,” Su Che guessed inwardly. “After all, Master specializes in metal-element cultivation techniques.”
“Although your cultivation progress is rapid, your time in cultivation is still too short, so you haven’t had enough time to master many spells and skills.”
Elder Xuanji handed over the talisman. “Facing those with greater strength, you might not even be able to match them. This talisman contains three waves of metal-element sword energy. Each wave is equivalent to my full-power strike. If used unexpectedly, it can kill someone at the mid-stage Golden Core level. Remember, there are only three waves—make good use of them.”
Of course, Su Che was extremely eager for such a powerful weapon, but he said with a pained expression, “Master, my spiritual essence hasn’t yet taken shape. How can I use a talisman?”
Normally, the power of a top-grade spiritual talisman is equivalent to the full-power strike of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and only those at or above that level can create them. However, to use them, one only needs vital energy to activate them.
The finest spiritual talismans are created by Golden Core cultivators, with power equal to their full-power strikes. They must be activated with true essence and are usually combat weapons for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Talisman weapons, on the other hand, can only be created by those at the late Golden Core stage, using the power of their spiritual essence.
But a cultivator must reach the Golden Core stage to form a true spiritual essence and possess real spiritual power. Su Che was still at the Foundation Establishment stage and indeed did not qualify to use talismans.
“Do you think I’m too foolish to think of this?” Elder Xuanji said deliberately with a stern expression. “I’ve already infused a trace of spiritual essence into it, and you can activate it as you wish.”
“What?”
Su Che was shocked and trembled as he said, “Master, how could you… how dare you do this!”
It’s no wonder Su Che was so alarmed—spiritual essence is the most precious energy for advanced cultivators, equivalent to a person’s soul power.

Elder Xuanji said he had condensed a trace of his primordial spirit energy on this talisman. The word “condensed” is far too mild to describe it. To be precise, he had split off a trace of his primordial spirit and gathered it on the talisman, which represented a significant loss for him. Especially since he was at the crucial stage of forming his infant soul, even the slightest loss could lead to unpredictable consequences. “It’s already done. What’s the point of bringing it up now?” Elder Xuanji said calmly. “It’s just a trace of primordial spirit. With a few months of cultivation, it can be restored. There’s no need for such an uproar.” “Master…” Su Che didn’t know what to say. “If you insist on going, I won’t stop you,” said Elder Xuanji, tossing the talisman at him. “But you must promise me that you won’t let my prediction come true.” “Yes, Master!” Su Che caught the talisman, which weighed as much as a mountain, and nodded firmly in agreement. In the Immortal Prison, Lao He muttered softly, “I increasingly think my master’s teacher is quite remarkable.” There was no conversation that night. Su Che didn’t need to go to Wuhua Peak to buy anything anyway, as nothing particularly good could be found there. Early the next morning, as dawn broke, over 200 disciples of Tianxuan Sect gathered in the square in front of the sect’s main hall. Su Che silently counted: there were more than forty Golden Core cultivators, plus the Purple Sky Elder at the Infant Soul stage, making them a formidable force. This reinforcement mission was of great significance, so the sect leader personally saw them off, delivering an inspiring speech filled with blessings. The distance to Taiyi Gate was about a hundred and ten thousand miles. To save time, Tianxuan Sect deployed a spiritual treasure-class flying artifact called the “Vast Ship.” At first glance, it appeared to be a dragon boat just over ten zhang long, but in reality, its interior could accommodate tens of thousands of people. To make the Vast Ship reach its maximum speed, it was said that at least two Infant Soul elders or twenty Golden Core elders would be needed to control it together. “Kids, board the ship!” The Purple Sky Supreme Elder waved at them from the entrance to the cabin. Su Che smiled inwardly. This Purple Sky Supreme Elder had a truly carefree personality. No matter when he was seen, he always wore a casual smile, as if even if the sky collapsed, he would find it amusing. Everyone boarded the Vast Ship one after another. Su Che looked around curiously—it was his first time entering someone else’s magical artifact space.

The interior space of the Vastness Ship was far smaller compared to the Immortal Prison, with its length and width being only a few hundred zhang. However, the Tianxuan Sect had put considerable effort into decorating it, making it resemble an immortal garden at first glance. There were lush green lawns, delicate flower beds, artificial hills, and ponds—everything one could imagine. Among rows of willow trees, several beautifully designed houses could be seen, likely intended for the elders to rest in during long flights. “The Vastness Ship travels a hundred thousand miles per day—what kind of long-distance journey requires the elders to stay and rest?” “How vast is the realm of cultivation, exactly?” At that moment, Su Che couldn’t help but think that he must travel throughout the entire realm of cultivation in his lifetime to witness its grandeur and expanse with his own eyes…