The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 19: Qianyuan Greater World | Chapter 365: Qualm

The remaining seven guardians of the pillar stood before them, some of them injured, though not severely, and their expressions were filled with hostility. Their clothes were stained with blood—some from their opponents and some from their own wounds.

It was clear they had gone through a fierce battle.

Though the killing intent had not yet dissipated, the seven shixiong first looked toward Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie.

Upon seeing the two new disciples, they felt a mixture of concern and curiosity. But as they observed, their surprise quickly turned to joy.

These shixiong had been gambling against the Baiyun Mountain Domain for years and were well aware of their opponents’ styles and power distribution. Now, aside from noticing that Xu Ziqing appeared to have expended more energy, Yun Lie showed no signs of abnormality, proving to be remarkably powerful.

Ke Hong, who was somewhat impatient, asked, “Yun Shidi, Xu Shidi, how did your battles go?”

Xu Ziqing smiled slightly in response, saying, “We have managed to uphold our end.”

The shixiong quickly realized that the two disciples had not only avoided serious injuries but had also defeated their opponents and successfully defended the pillar… truly impressive.

At that moment, Venerable Xing also inquired, “How did the rest of you fare? If you lost, you’d lose face in front of these two disciples.”

Xu Ziqing felt something was amiss upon hearing this. Their victory should have been a good thing, but if it upset any of the shixiong, that wouldn’t be ideal. However, the next moment, Xu Ziqing recognized he was thinking too much.

Two shixiong, Xie Feng and Guan Hengping, shook their heads and said, “We lost this time, but at least we made them hurt a bit.”

Despite their words, they showed no signs of displeasure when facing Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie.

At that moment, Xu Ziqing felt an increased fondness for the Wuling Mountain Domain.

Since he began his cultivation, he had consistently enjoyed good fortune, and his relationships with those in authority had always been harmonious, leading to an expansive mindset.

—He was certainly eager to get along with those he considered elders.

Upon hearing the two brothers speak, Venerable Xing chuckled, saying, “Fortunately, we still won this gamble. Otherwise, if resources had been taken away, we would have had to deduct from you two.”

Xie Feng and Guan Hengping exchanged smiles and replied in unison, “If that were truly the case, we wouldn’t have any complaints!”

After this exchange, Domain Lord Hang smiled and led everyone to the spring, where they all sat on the ground. He took out two bottles of fine wine and shared them for everyone to taste.

Xu Ziqing still had many questions, but seeing that everyone was so pleased, he accepted a cup and drank. When it was Yun Lie’s turn, he reached out to stop him and, by extension, drank on behalf of his shixiong.

The wine was rich and mellow, and after a few rounds of drinking, the bloodthirst stirred up during the earlier gamble gradually subsided, and everyone’s expressions became more serene.

Venerable Xing clapped his forehead and laughed, “Today is such a joyous occasion that I almost forgot that the two disciples still have much to learn. Let me explain a few things to you.”

Xu Ziqing eagerly listened, wishing to absorb every word.

Venerable Xing thought for a moment before saying, “After experiencing the earlier battle, Xu Shidi must have many questions?”

Xu Ziqing nodded, “Exactly, I hope Venerable can enlighten me.”

Venerable Xing sighed, “I’ll explain some key points first. If there are still things you don’t understand afterward, feel free to ask when I’m done.”

Xu Ziqing naturally complied.

Venerable Xing began, “Although the Zhoutian Immortal Sect has abundant resources, its disciples are numerous as well. Not to mention the many adherents from the outer sect, even within the inner sect, the requirements are extremely high—only those who have reached the Golden Core stage can become inner disciples. Even so, there are still over a hundred thousand Golden Core practitioners.”

At this point, Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but gasp.

One hundred thousand Golden Cores! What an astonishing number!

He thought about the Wuling Immortal Sect, which was a major power in their world, where Golden Core masters were already considered significant figures, and Nascent Soul Laozu were even more impressive. How could there be so many Golden Core practitioners within the main sect of this Qianyuan Greater World?

Recalling the earlier heavenly battle, he realized that those who came to challenge them were at least at the Nascent Soul level. Just thinking about it, even the Baiyun Mountain Domain sent a Divine Transformation master to deal with him and his brother, who had the lowest cultivation levels. What kind of formidable opponents were facing the other shixiong on different pillars?

And just a single Mountain Domain could produce so many Nascent Soul-level powerhouses… it was almost comparable to an entire large sect.

Suppressing his racing heart, Xu Ziqing calmed down and continued to listen to Venerable Xing.

Indeed, Venerable Xing continued, “Any region with more than eight Nascent Soul practitioners can establish a mountain range, governing a specific area and eight pillars. Among the thousands of Mountain Domains, most are occupied by the disciples of clans or sects within the Qianyuan Greater World. Only a small fraction are comprised of disciples from second- and third-tier immortal sects affiliated with us.”

Xu Ziqing thought about this and found it to be true.

The Qianyuan Greater World was incredibly vast, and the Zhoutian Immortal Sect had a resounding reputation. There were countless affiliated clans and sects, and with such abundant spiritual energy and numerous heavenly materials and earthly treasures, practitioners in this great world naturally progressed faster at the same age, leading to more formidable masters.

Among these clan and sect disciples, those at the Nascent Soul level would gather quickly, enabling them to occupy more Mountain Domains.

In contrast, lower-tier sects were already situated in mid-tier worlds, with far less spiritual energy than the top three thousand. With the rule that “only those who reach Nascent Soul after three hundred years can be accepted,” their numbers were far fewer. To attract eight disciples was quite difficult, and thus the number of occupied Mountain Domains was even scarcer.

Xu Ziqing was struck with a thought and blurted out, “The Baiyun Mountain Domain must have its foundation in the outer sect?”

Having so many Nascent Soul practitioners likely wouldn’t come from the lower-tier three thousand worlds.

Venerable Xing smiled, “Correct. The Baiyun Sect has significant influence within the inner sect.”

Because of the Zhoutian Immortal Sect, no matter how the affiliated sects of the outer sect met the requirements, they wouldn’t dare add the word “Xian” (immortal) to their names.

Then, Venerable Xing concluded, “Xu Shidi must understand that for any practitioner who has reached Nascent Soul, progressing further requires considerable resources. Once supplies run low, it becomes easy to stagnate; in severe cases, one’s foundation can be damaged, leading to a regression in their cultivation.” He paused before adding, “It’s easy to imagine that the sect must provide for so many Nascent Soul practitioners, as well as those with higher realms striving for immortality. The expenditure is significant; how can everyone be supported? Thus, there must be some selection and control.”

Xu Ziqing took a deep breath and nodded.

The reasoning was certainly sound.

The sect protects its disciples, but those disciples also need to showcase their strengths; it wouldn’t be fair for everyone to be treated equally, as that would lead to injustice.

Xu Ziqing could also foresee what would come next.

Because of the limited resources, the sect had regulations stating that every Mountain Domain would have a fixed quota of resources every month. If that quota wasn’t met, they would have to compete for it.

And the way to compete was through the Battle For The Sky.

There are a total of eight pillars in the Sky Pillar arena, with no limit to the number of guardians on each pillar, and likewise, there is no limit to the number of challengers.

However, once challengers ascend a pillar, their numbers cannot change. If there are two guardians, then seven or eight challengers may come, but only two can fight at a time, while the rotation is flexible, and there are no restrictions on cultivation levels; killing is also allowed.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but sigh internally. This main sect is indeed too ruthless; how can they allow their disciples to engage in such mutual slaughter?

With such regulations in place, the fighting would inevitably become fiercer, and intentional killings were not out of the question.

No wonder during the earlier battles, the first two Nascent Soul practitioners had been so merciless. Even though Xu Ziqing and his brother had managed to fight back, they were still killing fellow disciples, which felt quite unpleasant.

Moreover, under such rules, there would surely be numerous Mountain Domains engaging in chaotic fights over resources. Take the Baiyun Mountain Domain, for instance, which sought to exploit the smaller Wuling Mountain Domain. If they tasted success a few times, they would likely continue this way, stripping resources from many weaker Mountain Domains. Not to mention the many innocent disciples who were killed before they could even grow stronger.

Wasn’t this sect’s style quite similar to “breeding poison”?

But how could such a large sect treat its disciples this way? This was too harsh and too unfeeling.

Furthermore, the Wuling Mountain Domain already had a small number of disciples. If several forces like the Baiyun Mountain Domain appeared, they would be in a precarious situation.

As someone involved in this, Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but worry.

The others, including Venerable Xing, noticed Xu Ziqing’s concern and exchanged glances before they all laughed.

Xu Ziqing realized that his thoughts had been seen through, but he didn’t understand why his shixiong were reacting this way.

Then Gongye Feibai spoke, “This rule does sound cruel, but it isn’t so biased that it leaves us with no way to survive.”

Ke Hong added, “If you only think that this regulation will lead to reckless behavior, any smart person wouldn’t want to create enemies everywhere. Otherwise, they would only attract bloodshed. And those who are truly foolish enough to act that way will find themselves in dire straits. Can such people really prosper?”

Xu Ziqing was momentarily taken aback; he had some vague ideas but couldn’t grasp them immediately.

Then Senior Brother Hu Zhang said, “Unless you are truly weak and left with only a few Nascent Soul practitioners guarding a short-lived Mountain Domain, which Mountain Domain doesn’t have strong figures like Venerable Xing? If during a battle you don’t leave room for others, you can be sure that someone will retaliate, allowing a powerful practitioner to crush your weaker disciples. There are always ways to make you suffer. At that point, when your vitality is severely wounded, other Mountain Domains can take advantage of the situation. How could you not leave yourself an escape route?”

Xu Ziqing suddenly understood this point.

Yes, in the cultivation of immortality, mastering the heart is of utmost importance. The sect’s rule that allows the plundering of others’ resources is, in fact, a test.

If they engage in fights honestly and exercise restraint, it can lead to friendly competition and possibly mutual benefits. But if one revels in killing and bullying the weak, it is certainly the greed that causes turmoil. They would gradually become consumed by their desires, leading to inner demons, and before long, during a trial or a duel, they might fall just like that.

Those who can cultivate to this level must not be easily misled by inner demons; none of them are foolish.

Even if the duels don’t restrict cultivation levels, is there truly a Mountain Domain that would send a Nascent Soul master to deal with a junior Nascent Soul disciple? Even if they could manage it, would they dare to act with such brazen disregard? Moreover, who would take care of the other powerful master that the Nascent Soul practitioner should be facing? Even if they truly had more powerful practitioners than challengers, wouldn’t they fear that the opponent’s powerful figures would retaliate and cause trouble for them? If any powerful practitioner went all out and caused their own master to fall, that would be a devastating blow. If other Mountain Domains took advantage of their weakened state to challenge them before they had fully recovered, they would only be handing an advantage to the later challengers, gaining nothing in return!

Thus, those who participate in battles always seek to suppress their opponents while ensuring they do not harm themselves.

Usually, stronger Mountain Domains would send several practitioners of the same level against weaker ones, adding one or two who were one level higher, thereby significantly increasing their chances of winning while allowing the stronger ones to protect their own disciples from needless death. Anyone who surrendered would ensure that the opposing Mountain Domain could not continue to kill.

When Xu Ziqing heard this, he felt a chill in his heart.

If that’s the case, then why did the Baiyun Mountain Domain immediately come to attack him and his brother? If it weren’t for the fact that he and his brother were a bit different from ordinary practitioners, they might have been forced to concede before they could retaliate, which would mean swallowing their pride and letting the other side return to plot their next kill!

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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