Chapter 157: Chapter 157: No Communication
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Taihao Peak.
Of the Cloud Sun Nine Peaks, Taihao is the first.
Taihao Peak is not only the main peak and main vein of the Cloud Sun Sect.
But this imposing mountain peak that towers over a thousand feet is also the highest peak of the Heaven Cloud Mountain Range!
The three Golden Cores of the Cloud Sun Sect all cultivate on Taihao Peak.
Dominating ten thousand li in all directions.
Normally, Taihao Peak is shrouded in layers of clouds and mist, hiding its true face from view.
But when the time comes for the debate of the Nine Peaks, clouds dissipate and sunshine fills the sky.
Eight thousand Inner Sect disciples gather at the summit’s arena, together witnessing the birth of Cloud Sun Sect’s ten True Disciples!
Apart from the main vein of Taihao, the achievements of disciples representing the other eight peaks in the sect’s grand competition determine the resource allocation ratio for each vein for the coming year.
Therefore, eighty standout representatives from their respective peaks all put forth their utmost effort on the grand debating stage, putting on a spectacular show of fierce battles!
One after another, the scions of heaven displayed their brilliance.
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Zhao Huaian was merely one dark horse among them.
Attention-grabbing figures weren’t limited to him alone!
Take, for instance, Lin Feng from Flying Feather Peak.
Though born to the Purple Mansion Lin Clan of Cloud Lake, he was the offspring of a maidservant, an accidental product of the Lin family’s eldest son’s drunken indiscretion.
Regarded as a disgrace by the Lin family, too humiliating to mention to outsiders.
Lin Feng not only failed to be listed in the family tree but also suffered long-term humiliation and oppression from his clan members.
His status was even lower than that of a servant, with even maidservants daring to ridicule him to his face.
However, Lin Feng did not fall into an abyss from which he couldn’t rise; instead, he silently endured.
One day, he broke out of his cocoon, drawing the attention of an Elder of Flying Feather Peak who saw his potential and included him in the sect.
Immediately, he soared high upon the winds, showing his true sharpness!
On the debating stage, he successively defeated three opponents and secured a spot among the ten True Disciples.
Lin Feng was exceptionally handsome.
His domineering performance captivated the attention of numerous females from the Mingxiu and Lingyuan Peaks!
Then there’s Xiao Hongyi from Lonely Sword Peak. His appearance and demeanor were in no way inferior to Lin Feng’s, and his status was even that of the direct lineage of the Purple Mansion Xiao Clan.
But Xiao Hongyi had been deemed a failure since childhood, with incomplete Root Bone and natural meridian blockages, making it impossible to say he could cultivate the Dao, and he couldn’t even compare to ordinary mortals in martial arts practice.
The Xiao Clan had given up on him early on and left him to fend for himself.
Yet, Xiao Hongyi did not give in to despair; he strived to strengthen his body and then went through a miraculous transformation.
He, too, triumphed over all his opponents and made it among the top ten.
There are also Ye Junhao from Changyang Peak, Qin Ge from Lingyuan Peak…
All of them stood out in this sect competition, becoming the focus of attention from thousands.
Wang Chen, who was watching the entire event unfold, counted and found that there were no less than six or seven individuals who could be compared to Zhao Huaian!
Their radiance shone on the top of Taihao Peak, lighting up the entire sect.
It caused everyone to marvel at the profound depth of the Cloud Sun Sect!
This debate of the Nine Peaks.
The Cloud Sun Sect saw the emergence of a group of talents with boundless prospects, able to sweep away the gloom following the human hunting case.
It also defended the glory of the number one sect of Heaven Cloud Mountain.
At the end of the debate, the Golden Core Sect Leader Ji Guantao and Mu Qingqiu both appeared on the debate stage.
Ji Guantao personally awarded the newly promoted ten True Disciples and announced them as candidates for the Sect Leader’s Disciples.
The scene was so lively and the atmosphere so electrifying, like fiery oil in a pan or flowers blossoming with brocade.
It made everyone’s heart surge with excitement!
The hearts of the Inner Sect disciples, as if in that moment, coalesced into one, with no further strife or division.
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The only one who probably didn’t feel much was Wang Chen.
As a bystander, he was like someone who had watched a grand and lavish stage drama.
Although Zhao Huaian, Lin Feng, Xiao Hongyi, and others performed exceptionally well, with the audience cheering and applauding enthusiastically, Sect Leader Ji Guantao even contributed acting worthy of an Oscar winner.
But for some reason, perhaps because human joys and sorrows do not resonate with him, Wang Chen always felt an inexplicable sense of falsity!
However, he hid his emotions well, blending in with the eight thousand disciples without betraying any emotion.
Speaking of this year’s peak competition and sect tournament, aside from watching the excitement, Wang Chen’s biggest gain was probably making the acquaintance of the puppeteer Pang Zitong.
Not only was he adept at crafting Puppet Mechanisms, but he was also incredibly well-informed.
The identities, backgrounds, and rumors of the prodigious individuals like Lin Feng, Xiao Hongyi, and Ye Junhao were all relayed to Wang Chen by him.
And with the end of the Nine Peaks discourse, the Cloud Sun sect quickly returned to tranquility.
Everyone began to prepare for the New Year.
Wang Chen was no exception.
This was the second New Year that he was going to spend in this world since his transmigration.
Before the opening of the Heaven Cloud Immortal Gathering, Wang Chen raised his Primary Talisman Making Skill to the Great Perfection level.
Yet, the investment of one hundred points of Human Virtue left him somewhat disappointed.
The Great Perfection Stealth Breath Technique greatly reduced Wang Chen’s presence, making him very difficult to be noticed.
The Great Perfection flame technique allowed Wang Chen to conjure a Heavy Winged Fire Crow, shattering boulders weighing tens of thousands of pounds with a single strike!
However, when the Primary Talisman Making Skill also reached the Great Perfection level, after repeated tests, he found that it merely reduced the consumption of mana and spirit ink for drawing talismans.
The cost was saved somewhat, but the problem was that the power of the produced Magical Talismans wasn’t much different from those at the Grandmaster level.
Perhaps because his previous expectations were a bit high, Wang Chen inevitably felt let down by such a result.
He even felt like the 100 points of Human Virtue were wasted.
It would have been better to invest them in other skills.
But he was an optimist by nature, so since the dye was cast and could not be changed, he quickly accepted the fact.
Then Wang Chen used his Great Perfection level Talisman Crafting Technique to draw a batch of commonly used talismans.
He planned to take them to the Heaven Cloud Immortal Gathering to earn some Spirit Stones.
After all, one could never have too many Spirit Stones; even a mosquito’s leg is meat.
His current need for Spirit Stones was still significant.
For instance, the contracted price for the smaller version of the Spiritual Plant Puppet made by Pang Zitong was a thousand Low Spirits.
Just ordinary usage would consume Spirit Stones, and if he didn’t keep some in his Storage Bag, he wouldn’t dare to use what he acquired.
That would be like being able to afford a car but not the gas, which would be truly pitiable!
Next, Wang Chen followed the previously agreed plan.
He invested his last available 100 points of Human Virtue into the Object-Controlling Technique.
The Great Perfection level Object-Controlling Technique didn’t disappoint Wang Chen.
The control distance and strength of this skill increased simultaneously, and when building upon this foundation with the Sword Control Technique, he clearly felt that his mastery over the Fire Crow Sword had been elevated to a new level.
Handling it felt as natural as moving his own limbs, and the occasional sluggishness he used to feel had now completely vanished!
Encouraged, Wang Chen went all out and pushed his Sword Control Technique to the peak of Minor Achievement.
Then he spent 10 points of Human Virtue to advance it to the Great Achievement level!
Wang Chen tested it out, and with the Great Perfection level Object-Controlling Technique combined with the Great Achievement level Sword Control Technique, his maximum control distance for the Flying Sword had increased by a whole factor of two.
The power of the Fire Crow Sword had increased too!
Thus, Wang Chen once again immersed himself in the cultivation of sword techniques, unable to extricate himself, and almost missed the Heaven Cloud Immortal Gathering.
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The second update is here.