"Helps in entering Spirit Venerable..." Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, when will you enter Spirit Venerable?"

"It seems you don’t believe me." Zhang Ji Yuan snorted, "Our Heaven-Reaching Sect has way more Spirit Venerables than your Heavenly Sword Sect!"

"How many are there?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "At least twelve, more than your Heavenly Sword Sect, right?"

"Twelve?" Chu Zhiyuan said, "Are there really that many?"

"What do you think? Humph, our Heaven-Reaching Sect’s martial arts are profound, reaching the Extreme Realm, making it easier to touch the Spirit Venerable realm!"

"I am impressed." Chu Zhiyuan made a fist-palm salute.

He truly hadn’t expected Heaven-Reaching Sect to have twelve Spirit Venerables, an astounding number.

To his knowledge, the Heavenly Sword Sect had at most two Spirit Venerables, and even the entire Court might not have twelve Spirit Venerables.

Having twelve Spirit Venerables in a single Sect is truly astonishing.

This should be due to two factors.

First, the disciples of Heaven-Reaching Sect have extraordinary talents and also very good luck.

Second, the martial arts heart method of Heaven-Reaching Sect is profound, close to the path of Spirit Venerable.

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "So, have you changed your mind?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile.

He never believed there was such a good thing in the world, where there were only benefits without any effort.

He never believed in getting something for nothing, and was instead extremely cautious.

"You... are too stubborn." Zhang Ji Yuan shook his head, "You can talk to your Sect Leader in the Heavenly Sword Sect to see if he agrees."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled slightly.

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "If he agrees, then you don’t need to hesitate anymore."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Mr. Zhang, what do you usually do?"

"Me? Just wander around for fun." Zhang Ji Yuan said, "Traveling the world, looking for breakthroughs, it’s impossible to enter the Spirit Realm through closed-door hard cultivation alone."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

That’s not wrong, to achieve a breakthrough, one must look for an opportunity.

This is just like when he broke through to Great Grandmaster.

He is quite experienced in breakthroughs.

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "I am unburdened, since you are a disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect, you probably can’t be as free as I am."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Mr. Zhang, then fine, I’ll go back and discuss it with the Sect Leader."

Zhang Ji Yuan showed a smile, "He will definitely agree, I await your good news."

Chu Zhiyuan made a fist-palm salute.

Zhang Ji Yuan suddenly flashed away, disappearing without a trace.

Chu Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows.

This Qinggong has a trace of the flavor of his own Earth Origin Technique, with a semblance of transference.

It was a bit inferior to the Earth Origin Technique, with closer distances and not as fast.

However, it was already strong enough for dealing with opponents, as others did not have his Super Sense, making it very difficult to quickly capture his whereabouts.

With Qinggong like his, it was already possible to freely enter and exit the Heavenly Sword Branch unobstructed.

This was clearly Zhang Ji Yuan intentionally showing off.

...

"Brother Chu! Brother Chu?"

Huang Zhengyang’s voice came from outside.

Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward to open the courtyard door.

Huang Zhengyang looked at him, stepped into the courtyard, and glanced around.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "He’s already left."

"Did he trouble you?" Huang Zhengyang looked Chu Zhiyuan up and down again.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Please ask Director to go back first."

He had already seen the Director of the Evil Extermination Department, Zhou Muyin, wandering on the street not far from the Heavenly Sword Branch.

His gaze occasionally swept over, ready to pounce at any moment.

Zhou Muyin, this Director, preparing to take action personally, was quite surprising to him.

Huang Zhengyang said, "Then why did he come?"

Chu Zhiyuan then recounted the series of events, to which Huang Zhengyang repeatedly clapped his thigh.

"Brother Chu, you shouldn’t have," Huang Zhengyang said regretfully, "Such a good opportunity, why refuse?"

"Precisely because it was too good, that’s why I refused," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile, "I really don’t trust him."

Huang Zhengyang frowned, "Do you think he’s luring you into the sect, then has other plans?"

"Is that possible?"

"...Possibly." Huang Zhengyang nodded slowly.

If one truly becomes a disciple of Heaven-Reaching Sect, if the elders or someone higher up speaks, how could they not follow?

To disobey would be to violate orders, to violate the sect rules, and then there would definitely be severe punishment.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "In short, entering a sect is not like entering a city, it’s better to be cautious."

"Being cautious is indeed not wrong." Huang Zhengyang nodded, then shook his head, "If it were me, I probably would have agreed long ago."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Brother Huang, if you really encountered it, you would hesitate too."

"Probably not." Huang Zhengyang sighed, "It’s too tempting, Heaven-Reaching Sect, after all."

"Is Heaven-Reaching Sect really that formidable?"

"More formidable than imagined, yet we don’t quite understand Heaven-Reaching Sect."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "Unfathomable."

Huang Zhengyang slowly calmed down, turning from regret to understanding.

...

Heavenly Sword Peak

Sect Leader’s Hall

Chu Zhiyuan sat together with Lu Wanshan, Zhou Chongming, Meng Xusheng, and Xu Qianfan.

After hearing what Chu Zhiyuan said, Meng Xusheng laughed, "Zhiyuan, you actually turned it down?"

Xu Qianfan laughed, "Such a good opportunity, how could you refuse it so decisively? What a pity."

Zhou Chongming seemed lost in thought.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Lu Wanshan, "Sect Leader, what exactly is this Heaven-Reaching Sect?"

Lu Wanshan sighed, "I’ve inquired with Prince Zhuang, and Prince Zhuang avoided the topic."

Chu Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows, "Prince Zhuang knows?"

"It seems he knows, but just told us to keep our distance from Heaven-Reaching Sect and said no more." Said Lu Wanshan.

As the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, given that Chu Zhiyuan became entangled with Heaven-Reaching Sect, how could he possibly be utterly indifferent and not try to find out?

He had already asked several people and finally received a warning from Prince Zhuang.

"Telling us to keep our distance from Heaven-Reaching Sect implies it’s not so harmless." Zhou Chongming said softly, "Seems it’s not to be provoked."

"Could it be an Evil Sect?" Xu Qianfan said, "It just so happens to restrain the Undying Evil Venerable, feels like there’s a connection."

Meng Xusheng said, "That’s unlikely, if it were an Evil Sect, the Court wouldn’t bestow it to Zhiyuan, right?"

No matter how the Court engages in small tricks, they wouldn’t go that far.

Chu Zhiyuan contemplated.

He was thinking in his mind, analyzing, and integrating past experiences and insights.

Lu Wanshan said, "Zhiyuan, what do you think? This Heaven Reaching Sect doesn’t seem problematic?"

"As of now, they don’t mean any harm to me." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "But since I am a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, how could I switch to Heaven-Reaching Sect."

"If Heaven-Reaching Sect disciples can truly be free and unrestrained, it wouldn’t matter if you joined, since it doesn’t conflict with us." Meng Xusheng said.

Xu Qianfan said, "But what if? What if there’s a conflict, how will Zhiyuan handle it?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Lu Wanshan said, "It doesn’t seem like an Evil Sect, does it?"

"It doesn’t." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "As of now, it doesn’t look like an Evil Sect."

Meng Xusheng said, "Still, it’s a bit of a pity, this Heaven-Reaching Sect’s secret technique is formidable, if practicing it makes it easier to become a Spirit Venerable..."

The Heart Method of Heaven-Reaching Sect is closer to Spirit Venerable, on its own it is an immeasurable temptation.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Uncle Meng, I always feel there’s no such great thing like that in the world."

Meng Xusheng said, "I think you’re being too pessimistic, the secret technique of Heaven-Reaching Sect is powerful, but because it is too powerful, it’s quite hard to master. I guess, for them, having someone able to master it and keep it from being lost is of utmost importance."

"Makes sense." Xu Qianfan nodded.

There have been many sects whose heart methods were lost due to their difficulty.

Probably Heaven-Reaching Sect faces this predicament too, hence their eagerness for talent, wanting to take in anyone who can master their secret technique as a disciple and pass on the remaining secret techniques.

"Zhiyuan, you decide for yourself on this matter, if you want to join Heaven-Reaching Sect, do so, you are still our Heavenly Sword Sect disciple." Lu Wanshan said slowly.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Sect Leader, I’m not joining Heaven-Reaching Sect."

Lu Wanshan said, "In the future, you might regret it."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Even if I regret it, there’s nothing I can do, this is my current choice."

"Zhiyuan, you’re truly conservative." Meng Xusheng shook his head.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Uncle, I think it’s better to be a bit cautious, still remain as a disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect."

They all shook their heads, but their mouths carried a smile.

Admittedly, if it were themselves, they probably couldn’t remain as composed or hold steadfast to their hearts.

Chu Zhiyuan’s utter dedication to Heavenly Sword Sect is truly rare.