Lü Zhong left the Purple Jade Forest, but he didn’t rush to trade for the Secret Pattern Pills. Instead, he prepared to make a trip to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. They had sent someone over the day before yesterday to inform him that his assigned mission would be finalized today.

Lü Zhong knew quite a bit about Sect missions. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Generally speaking, missions that required Inner Sect Disciples were never trivial matters.

They involved either purging roving Demon Cultivators or eliminating spies from hostile forces—all predicated on protecting the Heling Sect’s interests. Occasionally, there were also garrison missions.

As for the specifics, the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall claimed it was confidential; he would have to go there in person to find out.

As he reached a covered bridge in the mountains, a sudden, thunderous RUMBLE echoed from up ahead. It sounded like an exploding Magic Skill, and his curiosity was piqued. After crossing the bridge, he glanced ahead and to the left.

There was a platform built on the side of a cliff.

About thirty disciples were gathered on the platform. Standing near the edges, they were vaguely split into two groups, cheering on their respective champions.

"Senior Brother Qin, use that technique! Let us see it again!"

"Come on, Senior Sister Feng!"

...

Intrigued, Lü Zhong moved closer.

He saw a disciple from the Profound Moon Sword Vein sparring with one from the Flying Star Magic Vein. They were trading blows with great enthusiasm, employing flashy techniques and Magic Skills that, at first glance, looked quite impressive.

The disciple from the Profound Moon Sword Vein was a young man with a square jaw. His features weren’t handsome, but he radiated an incredibly sharp, masculine aura. His Swordsman attire was a modified disciple’s robe, tailored not to impede his movements.

The Sword Vein specialized in offense. His Swordsmanship was like cascading Moonlight, and when combined with his elusive, light-footed Body Technique, it gave him a major advantage in close combat. From a distance, he could also unleash Sword Qi, posing a significant threat.

At the moment, Senior Brother Qin had firm control of the offense.

His opponent was a bewitching woman, the one they called Senior Sister Feng.

Her disciple robe was also heavily modified and currently shimmered with a faint Spiritual Light.

The Flying Star Magic Vein specialized in versatility, and her successive Magic Skills were dazzling to behold.

Throughout the fight, Senior Sister Feng was in constant peril, yet she always managed to neutralize her opponent’s techniques. She even found moments to counterattack with a Magic Skill or two, forcing the Sword Vein disciple to pull back and evade.

Lü Zhong learned a great deal just from watching for a short while.

The skill of these two, both in their use of Magical Artifacts and their understanding of Magic Skills, far surpassed his own. He figured that if he returned and carefully analyzed the fight using a scene regression, he might make even greater gains.

"What a joke. The Profound Moon and Flying Star veins are nothing special!"

Just then, a rough voice rang out.

The speaker’s tone was arrogant and clearly derogatory, earning looks of displeasure from the spectating disciples. Even the two combatants paused their fight and looked toward the source of the voice.

Following the sound of heavy footsteps, a bald giant nearly ten feet tall approached, leading a group of other burly men. Though they were all cultivators, they radiated a brutish aura, giving the impression of human-shaped Demon Beasts.

’That’s Feng Yan, the Eldest Senior Brother of the Tuoyang Xuan Vein,’ Lü Zhong noted internally.

The man was so famous that even an outsider like Lü Zhong knew of his exploits.

In the recent war between the Three Sects, Feng Yan’s performance had been outstanding. Relying on the Tuoyang Body of the Tuoyang Lineage, he had slain many cultivators from the two rival sects. He had even managed to stall an injured Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Luoyun Sect and played a significant part in their eventual execution.

For someone with only a Qi Refining Cultivation, never mind stalling a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, just managing to survive an encounter with one was an incredible feat.

The fact that Feng Yan could stall one and survive proved his strength was anything but weak.

...

Feng Yan’s arrival immediately sent tensions flaring through the crowd.

"Hmph! You’re too arrogant, Feng Yan. As it happens, I recently mastered the Lanyue Technique. Why don’t I test your Tuoyang Body right here and now!" Senior Brother Qin brandished his longsword, pointing its tip at Feng Yan as he spoke.

Although the three Magic Veins of the Heling Sect were supposedly as close as brothers, there was no shortage of disputes between them.

For instance, the question of which Magic Vein was the strongest had been debated since the day the three merged to form the Heling Sect. Throughout the Sect’s thousand-year history, each of the three Magic Veins had had its time in the spotlight, but none had ever managed to secure an absolute, lasting advantage. As such, the question remained unanswered.

With the Flying Star Magic Vein now in decline, it was an era of rivalry between Profound Moon and Tuoyang.

"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!" Feng Yan boomed, shaking his head.

His words were humble, but his expression was pure provocation.

By this point, Lü Zhong had already slipped away from the crowd.

He had no intention of getting involved in the disputes between the three Magic Veins.

This was partly due to his own nature.

And partly due to the stance of his nominal master.

Through his extended contact with her, Lü Zhong had discovered that Shuini did not belong to any of the three Magic Veins. He had originally assumed her transcendent status was due to her own strength, but he had recently come to understand it was because of her connections to a major sect in the Central Earth.

In theory, Shuini constituted a fourth faction within the Heling Sect.

It was for these reasons that after becoming Shuini’s disciple, Lü Zhong had received no invitations from any of the cliques, big or small, within the three Magic Veins. That might only change once he chose a legacy to follow, at which point he might have a chance to integrate.

He hadn’t gone far when the sounds of a battle erupted behind him.

Lü Zhong didn’t look back. Without breaking stride, he continued toward the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

The vast grounds of the Heling Sect were divided into three main areas: the Front Mountain, the Central Courtyard, and the Rear Mountain.

The Front Mountain was primarily the residential area for disciples and also where the cave abodes of the various Foundation Establishment Master Uncles were located. Numerous Spirit Medicine Gardens were also scattered throughout the area, situated on a branch of Heling Mountain’s Spirit Vein.