Using entries to cultivate immortality in chaotic times

In the Sect Hall.

Chen Qiu stood on the dust-covered bluestone floor, silently contemplating as the Barrier slowly faded, revealing the Sect Leader's Chair shrouded in cobwebs, his expression complex. This challenge could be said to have posed no difficulty at all.

Simply sitting in the Sect Leader's Chair would signify victory.

So theoretically, the sixth challenge should have been the last one. However, he knew nothing of what that challenge entailed, having skipped directly to the seventh.

An eerie thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Perhaps these seven challenges—how the Chao Tian Sect selected its disciples over tens of thousands of years—were not as simple as they seemed. Were they made easier out of fear that no one would pass and the position of Sect Master would remain unclaimed after the sect's fall?

Or was it because of its transformation into a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm?

It was indeed lamentable.

A sect from the ancient past, one that bore an impressive name, met its end as a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.

Throughout his journey, nearly all the buildings on the mountain were ruined; most structures were chopped in half with no roofs remaining, a clear indication of an ancient great enemy. Even the Sect Hall was cleaved in two by a single strike, allowing sunlight to spill directly onto the ground.

Yet, there were no traces of blood to be found, which was quite bizarre.

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If one could argue that the bloodstains had been erased by the passage of time, the absence of even a single skeleton was harder to explain. After all, the skeleton outside the Sword Pavilion was still sitting there quietly, suggesting that not enough time had passed for bones to turn to dust.

He shook his head and thought no further.

Previously, he had contemplated founding a sect recognized by the Heavenly Dao, a complex process requiring the passing of a Golden Core and the payment of 100 Spirit Stones. Now, inheriting an existing sect was naturally beneficial, but it was unclear whether this sect was acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao.

It was quite strange that the assistance of a being at the level of Golden Core in establishing a Heavenly Dao-recognized sect apparently cost only a mere 100 Spirit Stones.

It was likely the handiwork of minions, since even Golden Core cultivators needed to accumulate Spirit Stones to pave their paths of cultivation. Many sects never considered inheritance; their sole purpose was to provide a secure environment for seclusion, allowing subordinates to use their names for personal wealth accumulation.

...

"..."

Chen Qiu did not despise the spiderweb-covered chair; after pausing silently for a few moments, he calmly approached and sat down on the Sect Leader's Chair. The webs, aged over time, seemed nebulous. Spiders were nowhere to be seen and probably had starved to death in some unknown corner.

And the moment he sat down,

A panel enveloped in mist appeared before him.

"You have inherited the position of Sect Master of 'Chao Tian Sect,' becoming the seventeenth-generation Sect Master."

"At present, the overall strength of this sect ranks 3,483rd on the 'Da Xia Sect Rankings,' which are updated annually on the first day of the year."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Differing ranks receive differing blessings from the Heavenly Dao; the higher the rank, the stronger the Heavenly Dao Blessing received."

"Currently, the level of Heavenly Dao Blessing received is: none."

"The lowest level of Heavenly Dao Blessing requires the sect to be within the top one-thousand in the rankings."

-

Without surprise, there must be exactly 3,483 sects throughout Da Xia, and at this moment, he was the only person in his sect. This was the advantage of inheritance: no prerequisites required, no need for disciples, no need for a Golden Core.

He had not anticipated that there would be over three thousand sects within Da Xia Country.

He estimated that two thousand of those were likely no more than shell institutions.

Similar to the type Fat Long had initially set up, lacking even a piece of land, possessing just the name of a sect. Its members devoted themselves to cultivating through worldly experience, never needing to return—considering the entire world their home.

And at the same time—

In his personal panel, there was a minor change in the "Influence" entry.

"Influence": Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master.

So far, the Chao Tian Sect consisted of him alone, and it was only when he took his seat in the Sect Leader's Chair that he discovered the entire Chao Tian Sect was enveloped by a colossal Mountain Protection Array, with every formation within the sect intricately linked to this protective formation.

The Sect Leader's Chair beneath him acted as both the focal point of the array and an Array Talisman.

Once a blood oath was sworn, he would be able to control any corner's formation at will within the sect, and his Divine Sense would survey the entire interior of the sect through the formations.

"Drip."

As a drop of blood fell on the Sect Leader's Chair, what was originally a dust-covered and long-abandoned chair suddenly seemed to be reborn, a thin red glow fleeting across the surface of the chair.

Immediately after!

Chen Qiu suddenly felt as if he had merged with the peak of the mountain; if he wished, he could see any corner within the sect.

For example...

Zhao Yishi, who was hiding in a corner, was holding a bowl full of what appeared to be chili sauce, grabbing chunks of enormous cooked demon beast meat from Demon Beast Mountain, dipping them in the sauce, and wolfing them down.

The monster-sized pieces of demon beast meat, in the presence of Zhao Yishi's exaggerated mouth, seemed like mere sunflower seeds.

He didn't even spit out the bones.

That biting power is truly remarkable.

And Fat Long, who was carefully following behind others in the ruined buildings, hoping to find something valuable overlooked by others.

Everything in the small world suddenly felt extremely familiar to him.

This small world now completely belonged to him, and with a mere thought, he could open this small world and enter it from the outside world at any time. As long as he didn't encounter someone with much higher cultivation, no one could touch him once he sought refuge in the small world.

"Sigh."

Chen Qiu looked down upon the cultivators exploring for treasures in the ruins, sighed helplessly, and thought about what they were searching for. After he took full control over the sect, he instantly became well acquainted with all the conditions within the sect.

There was nothing.

No ancient medicinal herbs or Spiritual Treasures had been passed down; the sect was completely devoid of everything, clean and empty.

Almost all formations had also suffered severe damage, and to repair these, he would need to find a High-level Array Master. Although he could not understand the formations, he could sense that they were not of a low level.

Average Foundation Establishment Array Repairers probably wouldn't be able to fix them; at the very least, a Golden Core Array Repairer would be required.

But what's most critical is—

Array Repairers are also divided into many types.

The formations of the Chao Tian Sect are mostly "Sword Arrays," and to set up such formations, one must have considerable expertise in both the paths of Sword Cultivation and Array Repair in order to deploy, maintain, and repair them. Such Array Masters are even rarer, so it seems there's little chance for an immediate repair.

But he didn't plan on repairing them anyhow.

Although the power of these formations was quite formidable, he simply couldn't afford to spend so many Spirit Stones to maintain them.

However, it couldn't be said that nothing was left for him at all.

For example, in front of the Sword Pavilion, there was that... Sword Bone.