The grand, ancient gates of the Heaven Spirit Sect stood tall, whispering tales of power and prestige. A young man, cloaked in a simple scholar's robe, stepped through them. This was Liang Tianyu, or so the world would know him. In truth, it was Bai Xing, a soul reborn, now walking a path of grand design. His true identity, and the profound secrets he carried, remained hidden beneath a carefully constructed facade.
No sooner had he joined than a peculiar silence descended upon his new dwelling. The sect thought Liang Tianyu, a newly ascended Taoist, was striving for the coveted Nascent Soul realm, a feat of immense significance in their world. But inside, Bai Xing was charting a different course entirely. He wasn't breaking through; he was building, learning, and crafting his greatest creation yet.
The new world, a swirling canvas of spiritual energy, presented itself with a fresh set of rules. Bai Xing devoured knowledge, particularly concerning the grades of artifacts (magical items) and the ranks of alchemists (potion makers).
For artifacts, he learned of the following tiers:
* Spirit Grade: These were the tools of the Nascent Soul realm, imbued with potent spiritual energy.
* Sovereign Grade: Far more powerful, these artifacts resonated with the Transformation realm.
* Void Grade: The pinnacle of creation, Void Grade artifacts were wielded by Divine Lords themselves.
A fascinating concept also emerged: Quasi-Grades. These were unique to artifacts and allowed a lower-realm cultivator to wield power beyond their current stage. For example, a Nascent Soul cultivator could use a Quasi-Sovereign artifact. While not as potent as a true Sovereign Grade artifact, it still offered a significant advantage over a mere Spirit Grade item.
Alchemy, however, followed a different, more straightforward system. There were no quasi-grades here, only pure, unadulterated skill and mastery. The grades of alchemists and the materials they used directly corresponded to the cultivation realms, ensuring a clear hierarchy of power.
After weeks of intense seclusion, a subtle ripple of Nascent Soul aura escaped Liang Tianyu's dwelling. The sect elder, noting the presumed breakthrough, nodded in satisfaction. Bai Xing, having achieved his goal of establishing his "breakthrough," stepped out into the bustling sect grounds for the first time.
He had barely taken a few steps when a youth, brimming with youthful arrogance, blocked his path. The boy, clearly at the Golden Core Peak stage, puffed out his chest.
"Hey, new guy! You think you can just waltz around here?" the youth sneered, his eyes scanning Liang Tianyu's seemingly ordinary robes.
Bai Xing merely exhaled. A wave of Nascent Soul aura, subtle yet undeniable, washed over the young man. His eyes widened in terror, his swagger dissolving into a comical scramble. He yelped, then turned tail and ran as if the very devils were at his heels. Bai Xing simply watched him go, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
Bai Xing made his way to the Ascension Hall, the place where disciples could climb the ranks. The air thrummed with a nervous energy, a mix of ambition and anticipation. Presenting his identification token and the subtle confirmation of his Nascent Soul realm, he was swiftly promoted to a Core Disciple. This elevation granted him a more spacious residence and greater access to sect resources.
Life as a Core Disciple quickly settled into a rhythm. Bai Xing diligently completed sect missions, a necessity for earning Contribution Points. He hunted spiritual beasts, sometimes even those of Spirit Grade, and scoured ancient forests for rare spiritual herbs. In all, he accumulated 1220 Contribution Points.
With his newly acquired points, he visited the Treasury of Heavenly Finds, the sect's grand contribution shop. He browsed the shelves, eventually purchasing a few Spirit Essence Pills, designed to accelerate cultivation. This cycle became his routine: missions, cultivation, repeat.
Five years passed. Bai Xing, now fully integrated into the Heaven Spirit Sect, had learned much about its unique culture. This was a sect that championed the Fire, Sword, and Earth Dao, emphasizing aggressive and decisive cultivation. Indeed, the Heaven Spirit Sect was rumored to be the strongest among the three great spirit sects, primarily due to its intense focus on combat.
The sect even had a dedicated Dueling Ground. While Core Disciples like Bai Xing were exempt from the weekly duel requirement imposed on outer and inner disciples, he often chose to participate. The reason was simple: the loser of a duel had to forfeit 40% of their Contribution Points.
Bai Xing's skill with the sword, honed through countless trials and tribulations in his past life, quickly became legendary. He moved like a shadow, his blade a blur, striking with precision and power. He rarely lost.
"Did you see that?!" a young outer disciple exclaimed to his friend after a particularly dazzling duel. "Liang Tianyu just swept him away!"
"He's incredible," his friend agreed, eyes wide. "They call him the Sky Soaring Blade now. He's already made it into the top 50 Core Disciples!"
Another disciple chimed in, "Yeah, I heard he's earning a fortune in contribution points from those duels. No one wants to fight him!"
Bai Xing, the Sky Soaring Blade, continued to accumulate Contribution Points, but even with his prowess, it wasn't enough for his true purpose. He needed something more.
Every five years, the items within the Treasury of Heavenly Finds were refreshed, replaced by new treasures the sect had acquired. This cycle, a grand discovery had been made: an ancient rune, which led to a trove of Spirit and Quasi-Sovereign Grade artifacts. Bai Xing's eyes gleamed as he saw the new inventory. These were precisely what he needed for his grand creation. But they were astronomically expensive.
"This won't do," he muttered to himself. The dueling grounds were lucrative, but not that lucrative. He needed a new stream of income, a massive one.
An idea sparked. With his unparalleled knowledge of alchemy, why not open a shop? Not just any shop, but the best refining shop under the heavens. He decided to call it the Pill Heaven Pavilion.
He set up his shop in a quieter corner of the sect, a humble abode with a simple sign. Days turned into a week, then ten days. No one came. The silence was deafening.
"Perhaps a little incentive is in order," Bai Xing mused. He put up a new sign: "First 10 Customers: Any Spirit Grade Pill, Free of Charge!"
The next day, a hesitant young man, his face etched with worry, approached the shop. "Is...is this offer real?" he stammered, holding a single, precious Spirit Grade herb. "I need a Spirit Nurturing Pill. My little sister is ill."
Bai Xing nodded, a calm smile on his face. Within moments, the potent aroma of newly refined pills filled the air. The young man received his pill, his eyes widening as he felt its powerful effects. He quickly spread the word.
"The Pill Heaven Pavilion! The pills are incredible, and the first ten are free!"
News traveled like wildfire. By the end of the day, all ten free slots were filled, and more customers were clamoring at the door. Bai Xing, ever the astute businessman, limited his output to 100 pills per day to maintain quality and control.
The Pill Heaven Pavilion flourished, becoming the talk of the sect. Bai Xing's reputation as an alchemist soared. But success often breeds envy. Other shopkeepers, their own businesses suffering due to the Pill Heaven Pavilion's overwhelming popularity, seethed with jealousy. They concocted a plan to sabotage him.
One night, under the cloak of darkness, they infiltrated his shop. They tampered with his pill furnaces, subtly altering them so that as a pill neared completion, the temperature would increase by 10 degrees, making the concoction unstable. They also secretly added minute amounts of incompatible materials to Bai Xing's raw ingredients, ensuring that even if the temperature was stable, the mixture would overload and fail.
The next morning, the Pill Heaven Pavilion opened its doors, but something was wrong. Pill after pill failed, exploding in clouds of acrid smoke. Customers, bewildered and disappointed, stopped coming. Within days, the once-bustling shop was deserted.
Bai Xing observed the failures, his mind a whirlwind of calculations. He knew this wasn't mere bad luck. He knew he was being framed. He could almost taste the malice in the air. Yet, he said nothing. He simply began to meticulously inspect his equipment and ingredients.
It took him several days, but his keen senses and profound knowledge of alchemy finally pinpointed the problem. The subtle temperature fluctuations, the minute, foreign particles in his materials. He recognized the signature of sabotage. He fixed the furnaces, purified his ingredients, and prepared to reopen.
The Pill Heaven Pavilion's doors reopened, but the damage had been done. No one came. The initial excitement had been replaced by skepticism and doubt. Bai Xing knew he needed something drastic, something to restore faith and shatter all doubts. He decided to unleash his trump card.
He unveiled two new elixirs:
* Golden Core Breakthrough Pill: This miraculous pill increased a cultivator's chances of breaking through to the Golden Core realm by a staggering 10%.
* Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill: Equally astonishing, this pill boosted the chances of entering the Nascent Soul realm by 5%.
The rumors spread like wildfire, but so did the doubt. "Breakthrough pills? Impossible! No alchemist can guarantee such a thing!" people scoffed.
Bai Xing, leveraging his status as the Sky Soaring Blade and a Core Disciple, knew exactly how to quell the skepticism. He approached Elder Lin, a venerable Sovereign Grade alchemist renowned throughout the sect.
"Elder Lin," Bai Xing began respectfully, "I have developed two new pills, and I believe they can greatly benefit the sect. However, I need your esteemed confirmation to dispel any doubts."
Elder Lin, intrigued by the young alchemist's audacity, agreed to examine the pills. He meticulously analyzed their composition, his eyes widening with each passing moment. The intricate formulations, the purity of the ingredients, the sheer genius behind them… it was undeniable.
"These… these are truly remarkable!" Elder Lin boomed, his voice echoing through the sect's main hall. "I, Elder Lin, a Sovereign Grade Alchemist, confirm the efficacy of these pills! The Golden Core Breakthrough Pill increases breakthrough chances by 10%, and the Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill by 5%!"
The sect erupted. With Elder Lin's powerful endorsement, all doubts vanished. The Pill Heaven Pavilion was besieged by cultivators, desperate to acquire these life-changing elixirs. Bai Xing, the Sky Soaring Blade, the master alchemist, had triumphed once more. His coffers overflowed with Contribution Points, more than enough for his every need.
Satisfied with his success, Bai Xing once again retreated into seclusion. The world believed he was cultivating, striving for higher realms. And in a way, he was. But the truth was far grander, far more complex. He was building. He was creating. And the Heaven Spirit Sect was just the beginning.