A Sect from a Spirit Vein-Chapter 86 - 83: Enlightenment

Lu Qian took a deep breath and boldly said, "Zhenren, what if we’re unlucky, or our skills are insufficient, and we fail to seize the spirit vein?"

Master Chi Yu laughed heartily, "Then you go back to where you came from. I can only give you one chance to repay a favor, and that’s it. Do you think you can cling to me?"

Lu Qian suppressed his tumultuous thoughts and forced himself to remain calm. Master Chi Yu continued, "The third option is quite straightforward. That Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit from the past truly helped me tremendously. Upon careful reflection, it probably saved me ten years of struggle and arduous cultivation. Since it granted me ten years, I’ll return ten years to you."

Lu Qian unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Did Master Chi Yu mean?

"I’ll dispatch a Foundation Establishment True Disciple, posing as a Loose Cultivator, to serve as an Honored Guest Elder at your Yunshan Sect and assist you wholeheartedly for ten years. What do you think?"

Lu Qian’s heart pounded like a drum, and his face flushed slightly with excitement. He took several deep breaths to suppress his emotions.

After finishing, Master Chi Yu took another hearty swig from the wine jar and looked at Lu Qian’s tense and conflicted appearance, laughing heartily, "Possessing Consciousness Collection, your thoughts are as swift as lightning, yet you’re still indecisive about this choice. It must be quite challenging. Interesting, interesting, young man, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll give you a night to think it over. Chengjun, take him away."

The night was already deep, and Lu Qian sat in the courtyard, gazing at the vast starry sky. The three choices kept switching, dissecting, calculating, and extending.

He was now halfway up Fire Cloud Peak, in a small, single-occupant courtyard with no neighbors nearby, providing a tranquil environment. When Dong Chengjun brought him here in the afternoon, he couldn’t help but say, "Is there really a need to consider?"

Consider indeed, as each choice had great allure.

Lu Qian felt a bit fatigued and used spiritual power to sweep away the dust on the bluestone slab with a wave of his sleeve, then lay down directly.

Using a high-level spiritual vein as a bed and the vast starry sky as a blanket, this feeling was truly wonderful.

Unfortunately, he was here alone, without anyone to discuss it with. If his senior sister were at his side, he wondered what she would say.

Thinking this, it seemed as though the gentle Jiang Qingfeng sat beside him, smiling faintly at him.

Indeed, along this journey, he wasn’t alone. He had Qingfeng Baitao, Master Xuan Ji, Lin Le, and soon, Tan Hong and Zhang Lemei would return. His choices didn’t solely represent himself; they would affect everyone.

So, what did he truly want?

Was it to be cautious and modest, burying himself in hardship, single-mindedly pursuing immortality, with all else as fleeting clouds?

Was it to be free, following his desires, traveling from the North Sea to Cangwu in the evening, drunk and riding whales in the Eastern Sea?

Perhaps it was to be a disciple of a prestigious sect, adorned with glory, enjoying endless rare treasures, boasting of eternal pride and luxury.

Or was it to be the supreme leader of a sect, with followers gathering and landscapes changing at his whim, controlling life and death with a single thought?

Lu Qian waved his hand upwards, gazing as though the vast starry sky, with its changing universe, were all within his grasp.

He suddenly chuckled lightly.

Indeed, what he wanted was clear from the beginning.

The original oath echoed in his ears once again, "When entrusted with this dangerous mission to succeed as Sect Leader, I must not let the three-hundred-year legacy of Yunshan end in my hands. Henceforth, I shall exhaust my wisdom and strength, wholeheartedly working to glorify the sect, and vow to avenge the blood feud. When my soul returns to the earth one day, I can say to my mentors that I have no regrets!"

As he walked this path, his desire for power grew stronger daily, and the fire of ambition burned more fiercely.

Danxia Sect is indeed strong, but who says Yunshan Sect cannot grow to this level?

Are kings and lords born with noble lineage?

One day, I will lead Yunshan Sect and everyone I care about to stand atop the clouds, overlooking the world!

With this thought, Lu Qian felt his mind become clear, his thoughts coherent, instantly widening his horizons, eliminating all distracting thoughts, leaving only unwavering determination.

As his mind followed his will and energy circulated throughout his body, suddenly, Lu Qian’s acupoints trembled, showing signs of breaking through!

Lu Qian hurriedly flipped up to sit but after a few breaths, the spiritual power within his body gradually calmed down. Lu Qian knew his accumulation was still lacking by a bit, and he couldn’t make a breakthrough today. However, seeing this progress, in another month or so, he would surely break through to the Qi Cultivation eighth layer and successfully enter the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation.

He temporarily set aside the matter of his cultivation and reconsidered the three choices.

Having reached enlightenment, the first choice could obviously be excluded.

The second choice, though superficially appealing, had several major flaws.

Firstly, all prerequisites required Yunshan Sect to become Danxia Sect’s vassal. Perhaps, for a Qi Cultivation Sect to become a vassal of the Golden Core Sect might seem like a great thing to ordinary people. But for Lu Qian, whose ambition was enormous, it wasn’t at all.

Becoming a vassal, in modern terms, means being subordinate and constrained by the leader in domestic, foreign, and economic affairs. While protected by the leader, when the leader engages in war, they’d also be drawn in as support, potentially even as cannon fodder.

If Lu Qian developed slowly himself, occupying a spirit vein, he would be led by a local Golden Core Sect as its sub-sect, which is completely different from being a vassal sect.

Secondly, the land expansion warfare spoken of by Master Chi Yu lacks a definitive start time. Waiting for several decades is not worthwhile for Lu Qian. He has already established himself at Lotus Peak, and given Chongming County’s situation, he is confident that he can use Lotus Peak as a springboard to completely occupy a spirit vein and reestablish the mountain gate. This goal should be achievable within three to five years, so why waste time?

Thirdly, can a small Qi Cultivation Sect actually participate in the Golden Core Sect’s land expansion warfare? It’s akin to an ant trying to stop a rolling wheel, instantly crushed. Trying to gain advantages in the power competition of the Golden Core Sect is far from easy. A slight misstep could lead to catastrophic results. Even though he’s accustomed to using the small against the large, he still discerns what’s achievable and unachievable.

Thus, the second choice can only be dismissed.

That leaves the third choice. Master Chi Yu said this choice was straightforward, and indeed, it is.

Getting a Foundation Establishment Feather Scholar to fully assist for ten years? For his current plans in Chongming County, this is really an immense opportunity!

Originally, after long planning, he hoped at worst to receive substantial resources from Master Chi Yu, then leverage various forces to slowly integrate them into a coalition to achieve his ultimate goals.

But Master Chi Yu offered an unexpected option. If he could directly secure Foundation Establishment combat power, these plans could be significantly modified.

The only concern remaining is how to constrain the Foundation Establishment’s behavior and ensure he truly follows his command. Although emotionally believing that Master Chi Yu intends to fulfill his promise and return a favor without other ulterior motives, with just a few insignificant Qi Cultivation sect members, it’s not worth scheming for.

Nonetheless, he still needs to protect against the Foundation Establishment Feather Scholar becoming an overriding guest.

At that moment, he took out paper and pen, using the bright moonlight and starlight to write and sketch, modifying a standard contract for an Honored Guest Elder. He needs to carefully consider how to first use the Dao Heart Oath’s contract as the initial shackle for this Foundation Establishment.