Chapter 302: Chapter 145: Qualitative Change, Meridian Realm

A look of interest appeared in Elder Mu’s eyes. "Alright," he said. "Find me after you reach the Meridian Realm. I’m quite curious myself to see if you can really defeat a Unity Realm expert while only at the Meridian Realm."

"Alright, then it’s settled. I’ll be on my way," Shen Bai said, setting down his teacup and rising to his feet.

He didn’t waste any time. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Elder Mu, he left the room and headed for a room in the Martial Arts Arena to grind the Skill Level of his Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill.

Shen Bai watched the green light pulsing in his hand and the Skill Level numbers ticking upward, a great sense of satisfaction washing over him.

’The day of the internal assessment will be the day I reach the Meridian Realm,’ Shen Bai thought.

...

Time gradually passed, and many days flew by in the blink of an eye.

Throughout this time, Shen Bai remained as he always was, completely engrossed in the frantic grind to raise his Skill Level.

But as Shen Bai became increasingly reclusive, the legends surrounding him in Fenglin State slowly began to fade.

That was the way of the Jianghu. Big news might cause a stir, but the ripples would quickly fade, like those from a stone tossed into a pond.

Countless geniuses rose each day, and just as many fell.

Although Shen Bai had left a deep impression on the hearts of Fenglin State’s Jianghu People, his daily seclusion meant that the talk of his deeds gradually died down.

Of course, whenever someone brought up Shen Bai, it would spark memories of his exploits in Fenglin State, and the conversation would branch out from there.

But if no one brought him up, both the common Jianghu People and the members of various factions would gradually forget, preoccupied as they were with their own conflicts.

This was the Jianghu. It seemed to be in constant turmoil, but at times, it could be as still and silent as the deep sea.

But while most were gradually forgetting the legends of Shen Bai, certain people remembered them all too well.

「In a hidden space.」

The Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect had gathered.

A quick glance revealed over a thousand members present.

These thousand-plus members were the elites of both sects; every single one of them possessed the strength of the Five Organ Realm at a minimum.

Monk Yuan’an and the Qianqing Daoist stood at the forefront, observing the members of their two sects before exchanging a look.

They were the leaders of the Wild Taoist Sect and Wild Buddha Sect forces throughout Fenglin State. While they might not be highly regarded by their main headquarters, here, they were in absolute command.

After they locked eyes, Monk Yuan’an gave the Qianqing Daoist a slight nod.

The Qianqing Daoist understood. He slowly stepped forward.

After he had taken just a couple of steps, all eyes in the crowd turned to him.

The Qianqing Daoist scanned the assembly, his gaze passing over the thousand elites from both sects. He nodded and began to speak.

"Everyone, I’ve gathered you here because you all know the situation. Support from our headquarters has dwindled to almost nothing. In fact, it’s safe to say it has been cut off entirely."

"Meanwhile, the Observatory’s campaign to eradicate us has not let up for a moment. With no support from one side and constant attacks from the other, we’re being crushed. Our destruction is a foregone conclusion." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

As he finished speaking, the members in attendance exchanged glances before falling into a long, heavy silence.

Every person here had committed unforgivable, heinous crimes.

Even if they were to surrender to the Observatory, they wouldn’t be granted the mercy of leaving a whole corpse behind.

That was why they fought with their lives on the line whenever they faced an assault from the Observatory.

But alas, the disparity in strength was too great. Both sects had suffered devastating losses and were now on the brink of complete annihilation.

The Qianqing Daoist’s words cast a pall of sorrow and despair over the crowd.

Seeing the ashen, defeated looks on their faces, the Qianqing Daoist shook his head. "But we are not at the end of our rope just yet," he said. "There is still one sliver of a chance."

At his words, every head in the crowd snapped up. They stared at the Qianqing Daoist, waiting for him to continue.

The Qianqing Daoist paused, gathering his thoughts before speaking slowly. "The reason our headquarters lost faith in us is because our operations in Fenglin State were single-handedly thwarted by one man, causing us to suffer disastrous losses. You know who I’m talking about. Shen Bai."

"The man the Jianghu now calls the Six Extremes Young Master."

The crowd nodded, a look of bitter resentment flashing in their eyes.

It was precisely because they had failed to kill Shen Bai that the main organization lost all faith in them, believing they had disgraced its name.

If they couldn’t kill Shen Bai, their supply of resources would be cut off for good.

At this thought, the crowd’s hatred for Shen Bai intensified, and they began to murmur amongst themselves.

"That bastard is too hard to kill. We sent so many people after him, and every last one was annihilated."

"When the Wild Taoist Sect wants him dead, he should just obediently offer up his neck. But no, he has to make all this trouble for us."

"It’s all his fault! He has to die, or headquarters will be the death of us."

Listening to the rising murmurs, the Qianqing Daoist nodded and raised his hands.

As he raised his hands, the crowd fell silent.

But the hatred in their eyes only grew more intense.

The Qianqing Daoist cleared his throat and said slowly, "You’re right. This is all his fault. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. For that very reason, Shen Bai cannot be allowed to live. Therefore, we must seize this final opportunity."

The crowd exchanged uncertain glances, wondering what this "final opportunity" was.

The Qianqing Daoist turned to Monk Yuan’an, gesturing for him to come forward and speak.