Martial Saint with Passives

And so, he began feeding it Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat.

At the same time, he used his own pure Strength to smooth its feathers and temper its body.

And Xiaohei’s growth rate was nothing short of astonishing!

In just a few short days, its fine coat of down had already been shed.

In their place was a coat of black feathers that looked as if they were forged from Profound Iron, shimmering with a metallic sheen!

Its size also increased rapidly.

Soon, it was half a meter tall!

Its talons and beak became incomparably sharp, easily capable of tearing through refined steel!

What delighted Jiang Che even more was...

...that its racial Talent as a Shadow Iron Eagle was beginning to manifest.

When it moved, its form would become faint and indistinct, as if it could merge into the shadows at any moment!

Jiang Che knew.

Once it reached adulthood, its power would be no less than that of any expert at the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm!

...

As Jiang Che focused on his Cultivation, his power rapidly increasing,

the situation in the Cangzhou Prefecture Jianghu was thrown into turmoil once more!

Ever since news of the battle at the Abyss of Ten Thousand Poisons spread—news that a True Master Realm expert from the Demon Sect had appeared to hunt the prodigies of the various sects—

the entire orthodox Martial World of Cangzhou Prefecture had been shrouded in a grim atmosphere!

Although a joint investigation team formed by the Three Great Sects and the Qilin Army conducted a large-scale, high-profile purge,

the results were minimal.

This made everyone realize that the Demon Sect’s infiltration ran far deeper than anyone had imagined!

For a time, a state of panic ensued, with everyone fearing for their own safety.

It was at this moment.

Xie Songnian, the Vice Sect Leader of the Cangyun Sect, acted with lightning speed. He once again took the lead, uniting several influential Elders from the Taiyuan Sect and the Profound Sound Sect, and formally proposed the formation of the "Cangzhou Demon Extermination Alliance" to the entire Cangzhou Martial World!

In the proposal, Xie Songnian spoke with great earnestness, detailing the evils of the Demon Sect. He called upon all major Sects and Noble Families to cast aside their prejudices, to unite as one, and to face this unprecedented crisis together!

To better coordinate the power of the younger generation and select a future leader from among them,

the Alliance decided to hold a public martial arts tournament. In half a month’s time, an arena would be erected in the central square of Cangzhou Prefecture City!

From the young talents of the various sects, the tournament would select a "Young Alliance Leader" of outstanding character and unparalleled strength!

This Young Alliance Leader would be granted an alliance token and vested with immense authority to command and dispatch the young disciples of all sects participating in demon extermination missions!

What drove all the young Martial Artists into a frenzy was...

that the final victor of the tournament would receive an unimaginable wealth of resources as a reward!

Beyond the vast amount of Cultivation resources—enough to make any Refining Organ Realm expert green with envy—jointly provided by the major powers of the alliance,

the grand prize was a legendary Supreme Treasure Medicine: a True Essence Pill!

This pill was the culmination of years of painstaking effort by several True Master Realm experts, who had gathered dozens of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to refine it.

Its greatest effect was to cleanse the Divine Soul, solidify the Dao Heart, and increase one’s chances of breaking through to the True Master Realm by a full thirty percent!

Thirty percent!

Furthermore, even in the case of failure, it would prevent any damage to one’s foundation!

For all the prodigies stuck at the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm, struggling on the ethereal path of "Refining Spirit," this was nothing less than a stairway to the heavens!

However, to ensure the quality of the tournament and to balance the interests of the various powers,

the rules stipulated that each of the Three Great Sects could send two participants.

As for the smaller, less powerful sects like the Heaven-Sundering Sect and Feiyun Sect, they were allotted only one spot each.

This news was like a giant boulder dropped into a placid lake, instantly sending massive waves through the younger generation of Cangzhou Prefecture!

Every eligible Martial Artist in the Refining Organ Realm was rubbing their hands together, eager for a chance to compete!

This wasn’t just a climactic showdown for personal honor and fame.

It was a battle for the grand path to the next summit of the Martial Dao—the True Master Realm!

...

Within the Cangyun Sect.

The two priceless tournament spots instantly ignited a debate of unprecedented intensity!

The disciples’ discussions began to fill every corner of the dining hall, the Martial Arts Arena, and even the Scripture Pavilion.

"Is there even a question? One spot has to go to Senior Sister Gu! She’s the undisputed number one in our Sect!"

"Exactly! No one would argue with Senior Sister Gu taking a spot!"

There was no disagreement whatsoever throughout the entire Cangyun Sect about Gu Qingxuan taking one of the spots.

However, a huge debate erupted over who deserved the second spot!

The debate centered primarily on two individuals.

Namely, Fang Muye, the Chief of Liufeng Courtyard.

And Jiang Che, the Chief of Yunhai Courtyard!

For a time, the Sect was split into two clearly divided factions.

"Of course it should be Senior Brother Fang! He’s a veteran Chief whose Cultivation has reached the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm! He has a profound foundation, and he was the runner-up in the last Inquiry Conference. His strength is there for all to see!"

"Exactly! Jiang Che is powerful, but he only broke through to the Mid-stage of the Refining Organ Realm a short while ago. He’s a whole level below in terms of Realm! For a battle that represents the honor of our Sect, sending Senior Brother Fang is the safer bet!"

"And don’t forget, Senior Brother Fang has the Fang Family backing him! When it comes to deep-seated resources and connections, how can Jiang Che even compare? So what if he received True Master Bai Yi’s inheritance? Without the immense resources of a Noble Family, it’s hard to say who will go further in the long run! What we need right now is immediate combat strength, not some nebulous potential!"

The disciples who supported Fang Muye were numerous, and their reasoning was sound: Fang Muye was in a higher Realm, had more experience, and possessed a more powerful background!

However, the voices supporting Jiang Che were just as strong.

"Bullshit! What do you mean, ’immediate combat strength’? Last time in True Master Bai Yi’s grotto, Fang Muye couldn’t even pass the second trial, while Jiang Che made it all the way to the end! It’s obvious who’s stronger!"

"Right! And what about the Hidden Dragon List rankings? Jiang Che is ninth, and Fang Muye is tenth! That’s the official ranking from the Four Seas Tower. You dispute that?"

"Besides, Chief Jiang received the inheritance of True Master Bai Yi’s True Intent! His Root Bone was completely reforged! You think he’s the same Jiang Che he was before? I’m telling you, his power now is far beyond anything Fang Muye can match!"

"That’s right! I heard that Chief Jiang actually broke through to the Late-stage Refining Organ Realm a while back! In terms of Realm, he’s almost on par with Fang Muye now!"

The two factions argued incessantly, and the dispute even led to several minor altercations and scuffles in the Martial Arts Arena.

Overall, however, those who supported Fang Muye still held a slight majority.

...

In a meditation chamber within the Chief Courtyard.

The latest issue of the Cangzhou Wind and Cloud Chronicles lay casually tossed to one side.

The ink on its report about the contest for the "Young Alliance Leader" was barely dry.

Jiang Che sat cross-legged, cradling the increasingly majestic Shadow Iron Eagle, Xiaohei, in his lap.

He was using streams of pure Strength to smooth its feathers, which were as hard as Profound Iron.

Xiaohei’s eyes were narrowed in comfort as it occasionally nuzzled its head affectionately against his chest.

Jiang Che felt not the slightest bit of interest in the external world’s scramble for fame and profit, a contest that was driving other young Martial Artists mad.

’Young Alliance Leader?’

’It sounds impressive, having command over the young prodigies of every sect.’

’But,’ Jiang Che knew full well, ’with great power comes great responsibility.’

’Once I’m in that position...’

’...my days will inevitably be filled with endless mundane disputes!’

’I’ll not only have to navigate the politics between all the sects, but I’ll even have to personally lead teams on the most dangerous demon extermination missions!’

’When that happens, how will I ever find the time to cultivate in peace and seclusion like I do now?’

’It’s simply not worth it to chase after a hollow title and lose sight of what’s truly important.’

’Besides...’

Jiang Che’s gaze passed through the meditation chamber window toward the Vice Sect Leader’s courtyard, his eyes growing cold.

’This so-called Demon Extermination Alliance is just another one of that old dog Xie Songnian’s schemes...’

’I can’t shake the feeling that there’s some hidden conspiracy behind it all!’

’That old fox would never be so benevolent. He’s not really doing this for the sake of justice!’

’It’s probably an elaborate trap, and he’s just waiting for everyone to jump right in!’

’As for that True Essence Pill that increases the chances of breaking through to the True Master Realm by thirty percent...’

’...it sounds incredibly tempting, I’ll admit.’

’But for me, the allure isn’t that strong.’

’My greatest advantage is the ever-reliable [Skill Proficiency Panel] in my mind.’

’It’s a heaven-defying Ability that lets me ignore all bottlenecks!’

’What’s more,’

’I inherited the entirety of True Master Bai Yi’s lifetime of cultivation insights!’

’You could say the path to the True Master Realm is already laid out clearly before me, free of any fog!’

’All I lack is the accumulation of time and resources.’

’So, it’s best if I don’t get involved in this mess.’

Jiang Che made up his mind. He would turn a deaf ear to the outside world’s conflicts and continue with his own grand plan for Cultivation.

However, a few days later, a Sect-wide announcement, personally signed by the Sect Leader, completely shattered his plans.

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