Chapter 4: Sect Master

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It was said that even the weakest disciple of the Godly Supreme Hall, if placed in another sect, would easily be able to become one of that faction’s strongest core disciples.

Moreover, while every level in one’s Qigong cultivation is like an unreachable gap, each Godly Supreme Hall disciple, at minimum, possessed the ability to battle against those of a single level higher. As for the core disciples? Even fighting cultivators two or three levels above themselves was not an impossible feat! This was the superiority and quality of disciples from the Godly Supreme Hall! It was practically a den of monsters, in one sense or another, out a world population of nearly fifteen billion mortals.

Today, the disciples were going about their usual trainings and routines as everyone hurried towards their destination. Each person was eager to get stronger, as they were surrounded by fellow top geniuses after all. The competition is very fierce within sects like these.

While everyone was busying moving from one cultivation hall to another, a golden light could be seen shooting across the clear blue sky before disappearing into the sixth floor of the Head Martial Tower. However, there were no reactions or cries of shock from the disciples below, as there were many powerful individuals residing within the Godly Supreme Hall.

Seeing beings who could streak across skies with their Qigong were more or less a norm in this sect. Many of Sect residents most likely thought it was one of the elders who were streaming across the sky, so therefore neither the elders nor the disciples paid much attention to it.

Moreover, there was a powerful formation set up around the sect that would identify the crest that was placed on the clothe of each disciple and elder. Therefore, only those who are a part of the sect would enter, be it sky or land, without worry. Otherwise, a sealing formation would be activated to capture the intruder and all elders would be notified immediately…

*Whoosh*

The window to the sixth floor of the Head Martial Tower abruptly fluttered open, and an old man dressed in silk black robe floated lightly down into the room. Landing on the red carpet that covered every corner of this room, whose size was closer to that of a wide dining hall, Song Huang Xue raised his head and examined his surrounding.

While the room was spacious, each corner of it was filled with shelves after shelves of what looked like scrolls and blue, paper covered manuals. Huang Xue could even vaguely feel a strange Qi aura emanating from some of the pamphlets.

“Oh? It seems there are truly a few Spiritual and Astral grade techniques present on this floor…” Huang Xue mused to himself.

Just as a person’s Qigong cultivation could be ranked, the level of martial arts technique can be similarly categorized based on their output power, complexity, and use. They are separated into what are known as ‘Grades’, from lowest to highest:

Common-grade, Earth-grade, Sea-grade, Heaven-grade, King-grade, Spiritual-grade, Astral-grade, Timeless-grade, Legendary-grade, and Fate-grade

Each grade is further broken down into Lower or Upper to differentiate its quality, with the amount of power every grade could exhibit coinciding with the level of cultivation starting at the Earth-grade.

Common artifacts are normal items that low-leveled cultivators and normal cultivators would use. In other words, an Earth-grade artifact possessed the strength of a Temporal Di practitioner, while a Sea-grade item would have the power of a Jie Hai cultivator, and so on.

In regards to solely martial arts techniques, only practitioners who are in the Divine Zhu realm or higher would possess the necessary insights and Qi amount to create skills on their level or lower!

On the other hand, artifacts also follow the same categorization as skills. Though, techniques are often viewed with greater value than artifacts of the same grade. This is due to the fact that techniques tend to have an innate capability to evolve or to possess the possibility of being improved on, while artifacts are often set in how much power they can exhibit at most. Skills often possess greater power compared to weapons as well.

But this is merely taking into account that the artifacts do not possess sentiments, as the value of such artifacts would then be equivalent to, or even higher than, a Legendary-grade skill book itself!

Yet, according to Song Huang Xue’s original memories, these kind of artifacts are exceedingly rare and even more so random. It is unclear how an item would be able to attain sentiment, but it was said that even Common-grade artifacts may gain spiritual thoughts, which would then enable them to evolve into higher grades in the future. Hence, the randomness part. Even when Huang Xue had roamed the land when he was still a mortal, artifacts with sentiments were similarly rare to find.

However, it was often guaranteed a Legendary-grade technique book or artifact would possess sentiment!

After all, those level of peerless items were personally created by domineering Immortal Sovereign practitioners. The amount of energy, soul, and sweat that was put into those artifacts were simply too difficult to fathom.

Because of that, even a Common-grade weapon that possesses sentiment would be valued as world treasures, as they reserve the nearly guaranteed potential to one day ascend into the deeply yearned Legendary-grade...

“Time really has changed...to think that now even a trashy Heaven-grade was considered world shaking…” Huang Xue thought to himself. “Back when I was still a mortal, only items that were Spiritual-grade or higher could be considered precious. *Sigh* The world in which I once lived in has truly become weaker over the years.”

From Huang Xue’s original memories, he came to understood that in an overview of the entire continent, Common- and Earth-grade items were a norm, Sea-grade can be considered quite rare, while treasures that were Heaven-grade was already the best that even strong organizations could procure.

As for Heaven-grade or higher? Aside from a few individuals, a small portion of truly powerful factions, and the Three Absolute Grand Sects that Huang Xue had in his memory, there could be said to be no one would possess such items.

But Huang Xue did care much about things such as this. After all, in a world of ancient martial arts, only the strong ones could take their pick on things, while the weak could only stand on the sideline and watch. It was place where blood flowed at the slightest provocation, and where with only great power could one stand above all others!

Huang Xue continued to reminiscent the changes in the Earthly Land when he suddenly felt another presence enter the room. It was a familiar presence.

Turning around, Huang Xue saw several pieces of purple lights combining together in the middle of the room. When the light shards completely fused, it took on the shape of a human before fully revealing a middle-aged woman in white, silk dress.

The person looked no older than fifty years of age, with small spots of gray on her flowing dark hair. However, judging from how deep this person’s foundation was, Huang Xue could tell that she was possibly at least a few thousands years old in actuality!

The woman’s face was shapely outlined, with few wrinkles on her face. There were Bagua symbols all over her snowy dress, and the middle-aged woman exuded an air of importance and elegance.

Huang Xue watched as the middle-aged woman materialized and kneeled down in front of him. Bowing her head down and cupping her hands towards Huang Xue as a sign of respect, the elderly woman greeted in a tone filled with deep respect and reverence:

“Your disciple pays respect to honorable Master! Please forgive your worthless disciple for coming here so late to greet you! Yue’er did not expect master to go out of his seclusion so early on...If Master is displeased, I am willing to accept your punishment!”

Then, the white dressed woman paused for a moment as she a strange aura in the air, before a dazzling smile grew on her face. In an excited voice, she continued:

“Congratulations to Master for successfully breaking through to the Immortal Sovereign realm! Disciple formally greets Sovereign Song!”

Huang Xue stood silent as he observed the familiar person kneeling before him. Looking closely, Huang Xue realized that he “recognized” the woman.

Her name was Yue Jing, and she was one of the only four disciples whom the previous host had taken in for nurturing.

At the moment, she occupied the position...as the current exalted Sect Master of the Godly Supreme Hall!