Lv Baitian sat down, then began to ask Gu An about what kind of event to hold next to make it more attractive.
Ye Lan, Zhen Qin, and Shen Zhen stood by, listening; they were also curious about how Gu An strategized for Lv Baitian.
Gu An pondered and said, “The Supreme Sect has already held numerous events; although the types are changing, for the vast majority of disciples, there isn’t much participation. Other sects have started to imitate us, making it hard to increase our influence no matter what kind of event we hold.”
Lv Baitian nodded, troubled by this situation himself.
Other sects were not fools; seeing the Supreme Sect to profit, they also began to hold similar events. Especially with Cangtian Sect joining, cultivators across the land flocked to them, significantly reducing the Supreme Sect’s appeal.
To this day, Cangtian Sect remained the top sect in the Immortal Cultivation World of the three dynasties.
Shen Zhen also fell into deep thought.
Although the Great Yu Dynasty was no more, the Daotian Sect remained. Now, having established close ties with the Supreme Sect, the better the Supreme Sect’s development, the more it benefited Daotian Sect.
Gu An continued, “Actually, we’re in the best position. We have two Mahayana Realm cultivators and the mysterious Sword Venerable Fudao. On this point, Cangtian Sect cannot compete. If you want to surpass Cangtian Sect, why not hold a Tianbang Tournament? No age limit, no cultivation realm limit, combat to determine the top hundred ranks. As long as we announce it, the world’s cultivators will be shaken. Sects that don’t dare participate will only be ridiculed.”
“If Cangtian Sect doesn’t dare to participate, they will be deemed weaker than our Supreme Sect in the eyes of the world’s cultivators. If they participate, then let it be a normal competition to see if their Daoist Lord can defeat Senior Xuan and Senior Qiao.”
Lv Baitian’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, but he still hesitated, saying, “Mahayana Realm combat, if it gets intense, how do we control it?”
Gu An thought for a moment and said, “How about holding it in the Outer Sect? We can use Sword Venerable to deter them.”
Lv Baitian frowned, still hesitant.
The Supreme Sect’s high-level members also had reservations about Sword Venerable; they didn’t know what Sword Venerable’s intentions were or his origins.
Previously, they fantasized that Sword Venerable was an ascetic trained by the Supreme Sect, hiding his cultivation level, unknown to anyone. But as immortals continued to appear in their vision, they realized that the Supreme Sect’s soil couldn’t nurture such an existence. Sword Venerable was simply too powerful, forcing them to recognize reality.
“If the sect leader fears angering Sword Venerable, we can allocate part of the Tianbang Tournament’s proceeds to the Heavenly Repair Platform as a tribute to Sword Venerable, showing our sincerity,” Gu An suggested.
Lv Baitian hesitated and asked, “Is that alright?”
Gu An continued, “You can inquire in front of the Heaven-Cutting Axe. Sword Venerable is an immortal; he will surely hear you. As long as you explain the stakes clearly, he should tacitly allow it.”
“After the Tianbang Tournament is held, as long as the Supreme Sect cultivators retain the top position, other sects won’t be able to host their own Tianbang Tournaments, since only the top sect in the world has the qualification to host it. If Cangtian Sect cannot secure the top position, their morale will also suffer.”
“Like the previous Golden List Tournament, the Tianbang must be recorded. It’s best to distribute it to the world’s cultivators without charging spirit stone fees, to spread its influence first. The second Tianbang Tournament can then collect spirit stone fees for profit.”
As long as the Supreme Sect made this announcement, the matter would be settled.
Throughout history, no sect dared to do it despite thinking of it. Gathering the world’s top cultivators within their sect to compete for supremacy could easily spiral out of control, possibly leading to total destruction.
The Supreme Sect was different, as they had the balance-breaking existence of Sword Venerable Fudao!
Shen Zhen couldn’t help but say, “This plan is indeed devious; no sect in the world can refuse. Even if they know they can’t secure the top position, they have to participate.”
The more Lv Baitian thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. As long as the Supreme Sect secured the top spot, they could still attract great cultivators in the future!
“What if cultivators from the Holy Land or overseas participate? What do we do then?” Lv Baitian hesitatedly asked.
Gu An smiled and said, “Wouldn’t that further prove the Supreme Sect’s influence? Even cultivators from the Holy Land couldn’t resist participating. As long as our people’s ranks are the highest within the three-dynasty Immortal Cultivation World, that’ll be sufficient.”
Lv Baitian found it reasonable and began to discuss the specific details with Gu An.
Mere slogans wouldn’t suffice; there had to be tangible benefits to attract more cultivators to participate.
Ye Lan watched Gu An and Lv Baitian discuss matters involving the world’s great trends. She felt sentimental; as expected, her senior brother was destined not to be an ordinary person.
Zhen Qin, on the other hand, didn’t think much; she was already fantasizing about the Tianbang Tournament.
Who wouldn’t want to be the world’s number one?
Though she had no qualification to compete, she still wanted to know who was the number one in the Immortal Cultivation World.
An ancient hour later, Lv Baitian hurriedly left, not even celebrating the New Year.
Gu An took the three women downstairs to enjoy the New Year’s atmosphere with the disciples. The disciples in the Medicine Valley even set up a market, making it very lively.
As dusk approached, Lu Lingjun returned. The gap in cultivation between her and Ye Lan and the other two women was vast, so there was no conflict. Distracted, she paid no attention to their relationship with Gu An.
Gu An first went back to Mystic Valley, drank with the disciples, and returned to the Third Medicine Valley to continue celebrating with the others.
The next morning, guests left, and the disciples resumed their busy routines. Lu Lingjun also left Medicine Valley, flying towards the main city of the sect.
One night, several days later, Gu An saw Lv Baitian leading several dozen members of the Hall of Elders to the Heaven-Cutting Axe. They set up a formation to prevent other disciples and cultivators on the platform from hearing them.
After explaining the Tianbang Tournament, the Heaven-Cutting Axe remained silent, and they took this as Sword Venerable Fudao’s tacit approval.
Gu An had already begun to look forward to the benefits the Tianbang Tournament could bring; he could buy many high-rank medicinal herbs.
The second morning, Gu Zong brought a large group of cultivators to find Lu Lingjun; these cultivators had a minimum cultivation level of Void Crossing Realm, numbering over a hundred.
Lu Lingjun immediately took this group of disciples southward. Gu Zong exchanged pleasantries with Gu An before leaving.
Gu An didn’t ask what Lu Lingjun was up to. There’s no need to guess; it’s obvious it was about overseas ascenders.
One month later.
The Supreme Sect announced the Tianbang Tournament, and notices about the tournament quickly covered every city in the Immortal Cultivation World. At the same time, Lv Baitian sent out invitations to various sects, acting first and reporting later.
The world was shaken!
The higher-ups of the various sects cursed the Supreme Sect’s shamelessness, but the lower and middle-level cultivators were exhilarated.
Many were curious: aside from Sword Venerable Fudao, who was truly the world’s number one?
Sword Venerable, being too powerful, was considered an outsider by the cultivators of the three dynasties. The local world’s number one had never been definitively determined.
When Gu An rode the Blood Prison Great Saint into the Outer City, the disciples passing by discussed this matter excitedly.
Yang Jian, who was following beside the Blood Prison Great Saint, also felt his blood boiling.
He wondered if he would ever have a chance to be on the Tianbang in this lifetime.
Throughout the journey, Yang Jian saw Gu An greeting people frequently. He knew many, including cultivators with their subordinates, which made Yang Jian admire Gu An even more.
This morning, Gu An had Xiaochuan send word to Yang Jian, saying he would take him to the Outer Gate City, thrilling him.
It meant Gu An was truly accepting him!
Not just him; other servant disciples also thought so, which led to many imitating him, gathering around the White Spirit Rat, leaving An Xin helpless.
“Yang Jian, are you willing to truly become my disciple?”
Gu An suddenly asked, making the daydreaming Yang Jian freeze. He asked reflexively, “What?”
Gu An glanced at him, giving him a fright that drenched him in cold sweat.
“Fool, the master is asking if you are willing to truly become his disciple!” the Blood Prison Great Saint said mockingly; it was his way of caring for Yang Jian.
Yang Jian had served him for five years, so he naturally had a liking for him and wanted to help him.
Others might not know Gu An’s true cultivation level, but the Blood Prison Great Saint knew very well.
The strongest person in the Supreme Sect was Gu An; he even suspected that the mysterious Sword Venerable Fudao was Gu An.
“Ah? I am willing! I am willing! Master, please accept my bow!”
Yang Jian was overjoyed and knelt in the street.
The passing disciples all looked at him with strange expressions.
Gu An didn’t feel embarrassed, accepting his bow. After he kowtowed three times, he let him up.
The Blood Prison Great Saint continued forward, and Yang Jian followed closely, trembling with excitement.
He had been in the Third Medicine Valley for five years. In his mind, Gu An was highly esteemed. Although Gu An seemed to only be at the Core Formation Realm, there were actually Mystic Heart Realm great cultivators hidden in the valley, leading him to imagine many things.
The Blood Prison Great Saint glanced at the trembling Yang Jian, feeling a bit sour.
Why?
This kid seemed unremarkable and extremely ordinary!
This kind of person could be Gu An’s disciple, while he, an invincible ascender in the Mortal World, could only be a mount.
The Blood Prison Great Saint felt conflicting emotions.
If he hadn’t been so reckless when he first ascended, hadn’t hunted down Li Ya and Zhang Buku, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.
But then he thought, if not for those incidents, even after a thousand years of cultivation, he might not have encountered a great cultivator like Gu An. Even if he did, he would probably be killed.
He considered it a blessing in disguise.
“He can have many disciples, but if I am his only mount, it would be different,” the Blood Prison Great Saint thought, getting excited again.
As the saying goes, beating a dog depends on the owner’s face…
Spit!
Disciples eventually graduate, but a mount is a lifelong bond!
Even if Gu An freed him a thousand years later, he would pledge loyalty, saying he would always be Gu An’s mount.
He wanted Gu An to be his backing in the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
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The more the Blood Prison Great Saint thought about it, the more excited he became. His ox body began to tremble.
Gu An looked down at him and then at Yang Jian. He suddenly worried that Yang Jian might be led astray by the Blood Prison Great Saint, as his mind didn’t seem stable.
Just then, a shabbily dressed old man stopped the Blood Prison Great Saint. He looked at Gu An, his eyes wide, rambling, “The mortal disaster is coming, the ocean will engulf everything, the apocalypse is nearing…”
The Blood Prison Great Saint stopped, eyeing him suspiciously.
Yang Jian also glanced at him, drawn by his words.
The old man finished speaking, turned, and stopped other passing cultivators, saying the same things.