Chapter 258: Chapter 253: Truly Strict With Themselves

Ning Zhiquan was paying for the meal. Spirit Stones were the currency in the Great Yuan Realm, but here, even the lowest denomination used was the Middle-Grade Spirit Stone, making consumption incredibly expensive. It was clear Ning Zhiquan wasn’t splurging for any selfish reasons.

Throughout the meal, Ning Zhiquan did his best to manage the atmosphere, but Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing just focused on eating and drinking, showing no reaction. They didn’t even seem very satisfied with the place.

Only when the meal was over, after they had eaten and drunk their fill, did Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing wipe their mouths and speak. "We don’t have much experience to share, but since we’re all from the same Sect, here’s some advice: keep a low profile, and then keep it even lower. If you get into trouble, you handle it yourself. Don’t drag anyone else into it, because no one can save you!"

Hex Zui said.

"You must obey the Star Alliance’s rules. Anyone who breaks them—we won’t even wait for others to act. We will clean house ourselves!"

Mu Ziqing added sternly.

With that, the two of them left, just as bluntly as they had spoken, leaving the others dumbfounded.

"Brother Ning, what’s with those two?"

When you were far from home, especially in a strange place like this, coming from the same Sect and being familiar with one another was a significant bond forged by fate. It wasn’t as if there was any bad blood between them.

Ning Zhiquan gave a bitter smile. "They’re the only two I could contact who were willing to come."

"Are you kidding me? Can you even call them Holy Hall Disciples anymore!" Li Tianyi said with contempt.

"Maybe we still see them as such, but to them, it’s more important to become a member of the Star Alliance."

Ning Zhiquan smiled wryly. "The Ancestral Masters sent us here hoping we would raise the Holy Hall’s ranking, which would be a great help to the Sect. But for many disciples who come here—not just from our Holy Hall, but from other Sects too—their ultimate goal is to become a member of the Star Alliance."

"Isn’t that just betraying their Sect and forgetting their roots!"

Mingren said.

Clearly, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing had seemed reluctant to even mention the Holy Hall. Perhaps they found it embarrassing.

"Brother Ning, I don’t think you need to seek them out again. Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it. We’ll have to rely on ourselves in the end. I think the Cultivation Academy’s rules aren’t too bad; we just need a fifty percent win rate, and we have a whole year to prepare," Ma Tian’Er said gently. She had no fondness for people like Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing, who had forgotten their Sect.

"Junior Sister Ma, you’re too naive," Ning Zhiquan countered. "The competition here is far more terrifying than we imagined. You must know our Holy Hall’s ranking by now—it’s not just a number. We must strive to meet the Star Alliance’s requirements and do our part to raise the Holy Hall’s standing. If we fall into the obliteration zone, the consequences will be unimaginable. Failure isn’t just death. You have to understand that the Sect paid an enormous price to send us here. I hope everyone will fight to make them proud!"

Ning Zhiquan was saying this for them, but it seemed he was also saying it for himself.

"Brother Ning, did something happen?" Mingren, being quite perceptive, had noticed a drastic change in Ning Zhiquan’s demeanor. It definitely wasn’t without reason.

Ning Zhiquan sighed. "You’ll find out tomorrow. Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing were right about one thing: you have to keep a low profile here. There are many people we can’t afford to offend."

"Brother, what if people bully us then? Are we supposed to just take it and not fight back?" Li Tianyi asked. He really looked down on Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing.

"Here, all we have is each other. I can’t give you much guidance. You should all just follow your own paths."

Seeing the earnest and confident look on Li Tianyi’s face, Ning Zhiquan swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

’A month ago, I was just as confident when I first arrived,’ he thought. ’But what awaited me was a nightmare.’

The cost of living in the Great Yuan Realm was ferocious. Although they had all prepared a considerable number of Spirit Stones before coming, spending twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones on a single meal today was truly staggering.

When paying the bill, Ning Zhiquan was clearly mentally prepared for it. They didn’t know how long they would be staying here. To receive support from the Sect before they... died, they would have to show sufficient results. If...

It wasn’t that Ning Zhiquan didn’t want to find a better place; it was that private rooms started at one hundred Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, something they simply couldn’t afford.

And that was just for one meal!

Ning Zhiquan’s morale was truly at rock bottom, leaving Wang Meng and the others at a loss for how to console him.

Perhaps they first needed to truly understand the situation. All would be revealed tomorrow.

Wang Meng returned to his room. He surveyed the Quiet Chamber, sweeping it once with his Heart Spirit. There was nothing out of the ordinary. ’If there were anything,’ he figured, ’it wouldn’t escape the sliver of Divine Sense hidden within my Heart Spirit.’

Wang Meng sat down cross-legged and first used the Nourishing Essence Technique to calm himself.

Wang Meng’s caution was justified, but the Star Alliance had no need for petty tricks. Nothing could stand against it; the Star Alliance had already established an invincible system.

All the experts and powerful Sects from every Small Thousand Realm were required to join the Star Alliance and abide by its rules. For those who refused, the Star Alliance could easily mobilize its existing forces to annihilate them. Faced with this behemoth, one could only adapt, no matter where they came from.

The establishment of the Cultivation Academy was a brilliant, final checkmate—a move that pulled the rug out from under everyone.

Those sent here were the elites of their respective Sects. For the sake of rankings, no one dared send their weaker disciples; they would only come here to die. But if you sent your very best, they would learn the Academy’s superior methods, experience the might of the Star Alliance firsthand, and in the future, how could they possibly dare to rebel?

Furthermore, the Star Alliance had another devastatingly effective policy: every apprentice officially remained a member of their original Sect. Although the most outstanding among them would become direct members of the Star Alliance, they still retained their Sect affiliation.

But as for where their true loyalties lay, only they themselves knew.

Even possessing world-shattering power would only inspire fear and, sooner or later, rebellion. But the brilliance of the Star Alliance lay in this: while possessing mysterious and immense power, they also tied everyone’s interests to the great ship that was the Alliance. If any rebels appeared, the Alliance wouldn’t even have to lift a finger; its own members would be eager to eliminate the traitors to improve their own rankings.

At the same time, the Star Alliance had no use for the useless. Both Sects and individual Cultivators had to face challenges and pressure. They had to strive for the benefit of the Great Yuan Realm while simultaneously managing the interests of their own Small Thousand Realms, because the talent and resources needed for survival in the Great Yuan Realm still came from their home realms.

Invest too much in the Great Yuan Realm, and your own Small Thousand Realm would suffer. How was one to master this balancing act?

Success was the only measure of a hero.

Of course, Wang Meng didn’t need to worry about such things. He was already addicted. The moment his Heart Spirit was replenished, it shot straight into the Spirit Lock Array.

The Godhood was always there, awaiting his arrival. Very soon, Wang Meng shuddered and opened his eyes.

He had been insta-killed again.

The Godhood had no emotions; it simply executed its function with meticulous precision.

Wang Meng gritted his teeth and charged back in.

The more setbacks he faced, the more determined he became. Wang Meng refused to accept this. For the past month, he had tried countless times, only to be insta-killed every single time. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’at least let me land one hit! That’s not too much to ask, is it?!’

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)