Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 761 - 760: Era of Change

The Shan Sect’s annual meeting, which had captured the close attention of the entire Cultivation World on the Jinxiu Continent, had finally ended. To everyone’s surprise, the results had a swift and widespread impact, causing all Daoist traditions to reflect deeply.

A regular Shan Sect disciple, not even a True Inheritor, had managed to slay a Constellation True Inheritor in a fair battle? What did this imply?

Was there something wrong with the selection system that the Continent had adhered to for thousands of years? Or was this just an isolated case? This led to a series of speculations.

If even a Constellation True Inheritor could be so unfit for the title, what about those ordinary True Disciples? It was certain that if challenges were opened up, a large number of them would likely be exposed.

The annual meeting of the Quanzhen Shan Sect was bloody, but it also broke the shackles of the Daoist traditions. The Demon Sect remained true to its nature, completely disregarding the feelings of other Daoist traditions, thereby abolishing the original candidates for True Inheritors, turning the situation into one where deception was rampant and anyone could pursue the truth.

Such news inevitably sparked a chain reaction among the middle and lower tiers of cultivators in all Daoist traditions. If the Shan Sect could do it, why couldn’t we?

This was a shake-up of the fundamental principles. Any Upper Cultivator or Great Cultivator with a bit of insight understood that this was not to be taken lightly, nor could they pretend ignorance. With the foundation of public sentiment shaken, the upper echelons were naturally unstable. This was bound to cause significant problems.

This minor Sword Cultivator had successfully spread chaos across the entire Continent. It wasn’t only the problem of the Quanzhen Shan Sect needing to "clean up the mess," but all powers needed to do so. Was it so easy to clean up millennia of deep-rooted traditions?

The ripple effect was massive, wave after wave followed.

Less than a month after the Shan Sect annual meeting ended, another startling piece of news came from Anhe Country. North Anhe had announced the selection of two individuals as their True Disciples.

Normally, such a minor event would not stir any uproar in the Southwest. However, one of these chosen individuals shone with a radiant aura, making a brilliant entrance!

The two True Disciples from North Anhe were designated as Daoist Yan and Hou Niao!

It was utterly unbelievable. This minor Daoist tradition, which was barely making it in the Southwest, had scored such a huge sleeper hit. North Anhe’s Master had demonstrated remarkable boldness — "the quick have, the slow lack..."

But considering that Hou Niao’s hometown was in Anhe, perhaps it wasn’t so unreasonable?

Returning to one’s roots, the proverbial leaves falling back to their roots. Others had raised him from childhood with much hardship, only for him to become someone else’s treasure once he showed promise?

A cultivator’s strength is multifaceted: for a Sword Cultivator, the Flying Sword is incredibly important, akin to a second life. But beyond that, numerous factors impact a cultivator’s ability, such as mana, Divine Soul, experience, and insights, among others.

Given Hou Niao’s ability to slay a Constellation True Inheritor, even if he were to lose his Flying Sword and merely wield a regular sword for Body Cultivation, would he not still be a match for ordinary True Disciples?

A big oversight, indeed a pity.

This news made many people reflect not only on the individual but also on the implications behind the events.

But it didn’t end there; there was even more shocking news to come.

A month after North Anhe announced Hou Niao as a Sect True Disciple, the Heavenly Heart Pavilion, in alliance with the Taihao Sect, made a decision that shook the entire Cultivation World of the Continent.

Considering that the number of Constellation True Inheritors had decreased to nine, after careful scrutiny, they supplemented Hou Niao, a True Disciple from the Anhe Daoist Sect, as the new Constellation True Inheritor, with the title of Sky Dog Star.

This decision truly ignited the Cultivation World of the Continent. The issue was not about power—Hou Niao’s ability to slay Sirius Duan Wuqian proved he was capable. The real question was how much capacity he retained without his Flying Sword, surely making him somewhat weaker. But since the Heavenly Heart Pavilion deemed him suitable, there wasn’t much doubt about it.

What truly prompted deep contemplation was what the rearrangement by the Heavenly Heart Pavilion implied. Did this signify an endorsement of these changes?

Thus, if the Quanzhen Shan Sect had changed, and the Anhe Daoist Sect had changed, should other Daoist traditions also consider changing?

The higher-ups needed to tread carefully, but under the continuous provocation of such news, the ambitions of the middle and lower tier cultivators could no longer be restrained. Similar challenges, insubordinate actions, and rampant ambitions began to emerge like bamboo shoots after a rain, one after another.

One core concept is, how should we embrace the changes between Heaven and Earth in the correct way? Should we welcome it by cleaning the platform? Should we wait with ceremonial gestures? Should we block the path with offerings of food? Or should we sharpen our blades and prepare for battle?

After the gates of Heaven and Earth were opened, the nature of our contact with the extra-worldly Cultivation civilizations was uncertain; everyone was filled with anticipation yet also ridden with unease.

A habitual understanding has been that since for the past one or two thousand years, blessings from beyond could be obtained through prayers and wishes, wouldn’t the results be good if the Heaven and Earth Chains were unlocked?

After all, the existence from beyond has been continuously bestowing Cultivation Techniques, Artifacts, materials and other helpful items for Cultivation; it is hard to imagine that opening the gates would allow a pack of jackals to enter?

This is not wishful thinking but a consensus formed over nearly two thousand years; the Cultivation World of Jinxiu Continent has always speculated optimistically about the external realms, always thinking about how to venture out, yet they never considered the possibility of someone invading.

But as the time window drew increasingly nearer, a more rational voice began to emerge within the Cultivation circles, according to the Cultivation laws of the survival of the fittest, what if the reality after opening the Heaven and Earth Chains is the opposite of what everyone expects?

This is not needless worry. As nearly one or two hundred years passed, more and more Cultivators began to change their thinking; even if the visitors from beyond are not demonic savages, at the very least, one must maintain a sufficiently strong ability to defend oneself.

After the gates were opened, perhaps the progress in Daoist studies could fall into second place, but seemed like combat abilities became more important?

This was a potential trend. Up until now, no Daoist group had officially announced it, they were just quietly preparing to some extent, but the changes after the annual meeting of the Shan Sect showcased the top Demon Sect of Jinxiu Continent’s attitude without any reservation.

The competition among True Disciples, from now on, would be determined solely by the sword.

Heavenly Heart Pavilion actually agreed?

A chain reaction began to unfold, and in the coming months, other Demon Sects in the Southwest also like Xiashahuncheng and Yunzhang Blood Transformation declared the abolishment of their set True Inheritors and shifted to an all-member competition, where the stronger ones would rise.

The winds seemed to be changing.

Although most Daoist lines still continued with tradition, observing and adapting, some radical, visionary, and action-oriented groups were no longer silent. Time was running out, with less than twenty years left; if change was necessary, now was the right time.

However, the influence of the Southwest Cultivation World was after all limited on the Continent; people were more concerned with the movements of the Southeast Daoist and Northeast Buddhist Sects, waiting and watching.

The Cultivation World of the Continent was stirred into turmoil, with the hearts and minds of people shifting, but the original provocateur disappeared from everyone’s sight as if evaporated from the human world, without a trace.

Everyone knew he would be refining his sword anew, but whether he could achieve the current level before the descent of Spiritual Green from the outer realms remained an unknown.

.........

PS: I bled writing today, emptying my stockpile of drafts. But if it can make my friends enjoy themselves, I’ll put everything into it.

Yet, I must say something that I can’t hold back: you can say that I’m verbose, but you cannot say that writing poetry is being verbose!

This is a treasure of the Chinese nation, the essence, not verbosity!

A few dozen words in a poem are verbose? That doesn’t make sense, right? If I truly wanted to be verbose, I could write several hundred words in the time it takes me to research!

There’s no Cultivation without poetry!

Here, you will never see a bunch of teenagers wildly fighting and killing each other; that will never change!

Also, with so many updates, asking for a round of monthly tickets isn’t too much, right? Donations work too, I’m not picky.

Thank you, everyone.