Chapter 780: Sect-Guarding-Tier Immortal Sect Technique
To secure his spot on the team, Zhang Yu decided he needed to master Martial Eleven and Martial Twelve as quickly as possible.
Zhang Yu knew that the greatest obstacle to mastering these two martial arts wasn’t their inherent difficulty or complexity, but their staggering price.
With a flicker of his gaze, the purchase interface for the cultivation arts he had collected appeared before him. Martial Eleven and Martial Twelve were prominently displayed among them.
“One art costs 100,000 Immortal Coins and 100 Dao Merit.”
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. “I can afford the Dao Merit, but both arts together will cost 200,000 Immortal Coins…”
He glanced at his savings: just over 25,000 Immortal Coins. “I’ll have to take out a loan.”
After spending so much time in Kunxu, Zhang Yu had become a seasoned borrower.
“Borrowing is part of my potential,” Zhang Yu thought.
Fu Ji chimed in, “Exactly. Since joining the sect, you’ve worked and cultivated diligently every day, earning promotions in rank and position. Your loan limit has increased accordingly.”
“An increased loan limit is just like a salary raise, it’s a direct reflection of your growing strength. If you never cash in on that limit, isn’t all that growth going to waste?”
“Go ahead and borrow, Zhang Yu!” Fu Ji encouraged. “It’s time to unleash the potential you’ve been accumulating for nearly a year.”
Zhang Yu nodded. He couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity to participate in the Immortal Sect Technique Review.
Based on both his own judgment and Immortal Slayer’s experience, this credential would be a massive boost to his future promotions, equivalent to three to five years of experience as a Group Leader.
“If I pass up this chance, who knows when another like it will come along? To reach the 4th Rank within three years and claim what Fu Xiantian left on the Fourteenth Layer, I have to seize this opportunity…”
With that thought, Zhang Yu swiftly borrowed from several platforms, amassing a total of 180,000 Immortal Coins.
A message immediately appeared before him: “Next month’s repayment: 3,824 Immortal Coins (Click to reduce repayment amount).”
Zhang Yu thought, “My take-home base salary is only 2,000 Immortal Coins a month… That means I’ll have to rely on performance bonuses or side jobs, this extra income, just to make the monthly loan payments.”
And this was the loan with the lowest monthly repayment Zhang Yu could find.
The 3,824 Immortal Coin repayment would continue for five years, totaling nearly 230,000 Immortal Coins.
The sheer size of that number sent a wave of pressure crashing down on him.
As for the “Click to reduce repayment amount” option, Zhang Yu didn’t even spare it a glance. He knew it was a gamble, an invitation to bet on whether his repayment would increase or decrease.
Watching this unfold, Fu Ji also felt a pang of nervousness. She thought, “If joining this group doesn’t yield any gains… Zhang Yu’s assets won’t grow for the next five years. He’ll be stuck in place. And if some unexpected expense arises, he’ll sink even deeper into debt.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had already purchased Martial Eleven and Martial Twelve. His account balance instantly plummeted to just over 5,000 Immortal Coins and 240 Dao Merit.
For the next two days, Zhang Yu focused entirely on his work and cultivation. He successfully pushed both Martial Eleven and Martial Twelve to Level 40.
His Chain Formation Diagram Formless Martial Art now stood at (12/10).
Zhang Yu knew that if he chose to sacrifice 10 martial arts now, he could advance the Formless Martial Art to (2/11).
However, doing so would temporarily strip him of the Formless Martial Art’s enhancements. He would need to spend at least eight days re-cultivating martial arts to bring it back to (10/11) and reactivate its triple effects.
To unlock the fourth-tier effect of the Formless Martial Art, he needed to reach (12/12).
“I’m joining the task force in a few days,” Zhang Yu thought. “The Formless Martial Art is indispensable for reviewing techniques. I can’t afford any downtime right now.”
So, over the next few days, alongside his work, Zhang Yu continued to enhance his Nascent Soul Sacred Body, pushing it to (32/25).
At the same time, he was informed that the Special Task Force would be completely sealed off, both internally and externally. For most of the duration, all outside contact would be severed.
Therefore, before entering, Zhang Yu needed to hand over his current work.
He also sent messages to True Monarch Starfire, Yu Xinghan, and Bai Zhenzhen, informing them of his situation so they wouldn’t worry when they couldn’t reach him.
Of course, for Yu Xinghan and Bai Zhenzhen, if they couldn’t contact him through the Dharma Realm or Spirit Realm, they might be able to communicate using the Evil God’s power. But they would only know if that worked after trying.
As the preparations were completed step by step, the days passed.
The day before Zhang Yu was scheduled to join the project team, Gu Qingya contacted him to share some inside information about the Special Task Force.
“The creator of this cultivation art is extremely mysterious. So far, not a single clue about their identity has surfaced.”
Gu Qingya looked at Zhang Yu and continued, “According to my sources, at least two factions do not want this Immortal Sect Technique to be approved. Once you’re inside, observe and listen more, speak less. Follow the general consensus and absolutely do not act rashly on your own.”
Zhang Yu thought, “A technique they don’t want approved?”
Driven by a flicker of curiosity, Zhang Yu finally reached the day he would formally join the Special Task Force.
As he followed the directions down a long corridor, he felt the once-vibrant power of the Dharma Realm gradually fade away, severing his connection to the outside world.
In that moment, Zhang Yu was completely cut off from both the Spirit Realm and the Dharma Realm, leaving only the Local Dharma Realm within the area still operational.
Once disconnected, the first thing that crossed Zhang Yu’s mind was his loan payments.
“Now that I’m cut off from the network, will it affect my loan repayments?”
“How long will this Special Task Force assignment last? Is there a subsidy? With just my base salary, I have over three thousand in monthly loan payments… I can only last two months at most…”
“If it comes to it, will I have to take out new loans to pay off old ones? I can’t just gamble it all away, can I?”
Shaking his head, Zhang Yu suppressed these distracting thoughts and ran another test. He tried to use the Evil God’s power to contact Bai Zhenzhen and Yu Xinghan.
“A-Zhen? Xinghan?”
But his call was like a stone sinking into a bottomless abyss, receiving no response whatsoever.
“Even the Evil God’s power can’t penetrate this barrier?”
Zhang Yu then tried to activate his Feather Spirit Root. He felt that the root, which could normally transcend spatial barriers and instantly teleport him to Bai Zhenzhen’s side, was now sealed as if encased in a concrete pillar. No matter how he urged it, he couldn’t teleport to her.
“Even space itself is locked down?”
A jolt of alarm shot through Zhang Yu. He was beginning to grasp the extraordinary scale and strict secrecy of this Special Task Force.
At the same time, Immortal Slayer’s voice echoed in his mind: “The Spirit Realm, the Dharma Realm, space… even the Evil God’s power can’t break through. This level of security… the Immortal Sect Technique you’re reviewing must be anything but ordinary.”
“Perhaps… it’s a Sect-Guarding-Tier Immortal Sect Technique.”
“Sect-Guarding?” Zhang Yu’s heart trembled at the words.
He knew that Immortal Sect Techniques were categorized into four tiers: True Inheritance, Strategic, Sect-Guarding, and Heaven-Opening. The highest-tier technique he had ever studied or seen was only Strategic-Tier.
“A Sect-Guarding-Tier technique, even within the Sect Layer, is enough to cause massive repercussions and trigger shifts across multiple industries.”
Zhang Yu recalled the few Sect-Guarding Techniques he had seen on the Technique Transmission Tower Platform. Each one was priced at a minimum of one billion Immortal Coins and required millions of Dao Merit points.
As this thought crossed his mind, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. “Could it be… that this time, I’ll have the chance to learn a Sect-Guarding-Tier Immortal Sect Technique?”
“But with a Sect-Guarding-Tier technique involved and such strict security measures, will the Dharma-Warding Talisman be enough to conceal my secrets?”
Immortal Slayer replied, “It should be fine. The Dharma-Warding Talisman was likely developed by the Reincarnation Group to exploit existing loopholes in the Dharma Realm. It won’t be easily detected.”
While Zhang Yu’s mind reeled, he underwent several more rounds of inspection, covering not only his physical body and memories but also his Bionics and magical artifacts.
Although he knew that climbing the sect’s ranks would inevitably lead to increasingly stringent monitoring and checks, this was the first time he had faced measures of this magnitude, and he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of nervousness.
Fortunately, thanks to the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture and the Dharma-Warding Talisman, he passed each inspection without issue.
Moreover, Zhang Yu no longer had any Bionics on him. Even his original Bionic Eye had been temporarily replaced due to the Dharma Realm’s applications.
As for magical artifacts, he had only brought items necessary for office work. After a cursory inspection, they were promptly returned to him.
Next, he faced a financial inspection. When the Dharma Realm displayed his financial status as “healthy,” Zhang Yu couldn’t help but laugh wryly.
“My basic monthly salary isn’t even enough to cover my loan payments, and they call this ‘financially healthy’?”
After enduring round after round of inspections, Zhang Yu finally entered a room.
The moment he stepped inside, he felt countless eyes turn to him.
“Yu Qingrang? Chen Xingxuan?” Zhang Yu’s heart skipped a beat as he immediately recognized two familiar faces in the crowd, the same opponents he had faced during the last Adaptability Assessment.
Besides them, as Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the room, he realized everyone else was a Cultivator from either the Mental Cultivation Group or the Body Refinement Group.
Standing at the center of the crowd were the leaders of both groups, alongside Lu Hengzhang, who seemed to have just been in the middle of a conversation.
When Lu Hengzhang saw Zhang Yu arrive, he glanced over without acknowledgment and continued his discussion with the two group leaders through the Local Dharma Realm.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Everyone here is a martial dao Cultivator from the Review Department. Didn’t they say this selection was a cross-departmental initiative? It seems people from other departments aren’t here.”
Meanwhile, Chen Xingxuan stood nearby, his face etched with worry. “Ugh, now that we’re disconnected from the external Dharma Realm, I can’t access the Celestial Inquiry Star… I’ve spent so much money on it! Isn’t this like having my wings brutally clipped?”
As Chen Xingxuan fretted, Lu Hengzhang addressed the entire group. “The review of this Immortal Sect Technique is of utmost importance. To increase efficiency and accuracy, the Pavilion has partnered with the Platform to deploy high-intelligence Artifact Spirits for auxiliary review…”
The crowd gasped in unison. Zhang Yu thought, “Are they promoting high-intelligence Artifact Spirits? Will all work in the Edict Pavilion… eventually be handled by them?”
Immortal Slayer commented, “If high-intelligence Artifact Spirits are given full access to the Edict Pavilion’s data, it means they’ll start accessing vast amounts of cutting-edge Immortal Dao technology and knowledge.”
“Once that happens, high-intelligence Artifact Spirit technology could undergo a gradual, massive leap forward.”
As Lu Hengzhang continued to explain the high-intelligence Artifact Spirits, he suddenly froze. The words died on his lips, his back hunched slightly, and a respectful smile slowly spread across his face.
Fu Ji remarked, “Looks like he’s speaking with a leader.”
After finishing the conversation, Lu Hengzhang’s gaze turned sharp again. He swept his eyes over the crowd and said lightly, “A certain leader needs some help…”
With a light tap of his finger, he marked Zhang Yu, Yu Qingrang, and two other cultivators.
“You four, go.”
“Remember, no matter what she says, just do it. Your work for the next few days is to complete every task she assigns you.”
Watching Zhang Yu’s group depart, Lu Hengzhang thought, “Zhang Yu… was he chosen because of his outstanding performance earlier? Fine, let her put you through the wringer first.”
Following the directions, Zhang Yu, Yu Qingrang, and the other two arrived at a laboratory. There, they saw a young woman sitting at an experimental bench.
The young woman stood about 1.8 meters tall, petite and delicate compared to most women Zhang Yu had encountered.
She wore a black Daoist robe, her long legs exposed and twitching restlessly… radiating an aura of impatience.
Sensing their arrival, the young woman turned around. Looking at the four of them, she asked, “Sent by Lu Hengzhang?”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. As he processed the information radiating from her, he thought, “Bu Yingshu, Vice Pavilion Master of the Martial Arts Pavilion? Void Refinement Realm, 5th Rank… She has a rather classical beauty.”
Just as these thoughts flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind, Immortal Slayer’s voice suddenly boomed in his head: “Zhang Yu, no matter what happens, do not defy this woman.”
Zhang Yu was surprised. “What’s wrong?”
Although the woman before him was a 5th Rank cultivator in the Void Refinement Realm, a major figure by Zhang Yu’s current standards, she was a leader of the Martial Arts Pavilion, not the Edict Pavilion. Her jurisdiction didn’t extend to him. So, while Zhang Yu knew she deserved respect, he didn’t think the situation was as dire as Immortal Slayer made it sound.
“Bu Yingshu… this woman is a true Immortal Descendant, known within the sect as a member of the Immortal Clan.”
Zhang Yu’s heart tightened. He knew the so-called Immortal Clan was a lineage formed by the descendants of Immortals.
Though few in number, this clan held immense power and status within the sect.
Immortal Slayer continued, “When I left the sect, she already possessed at least a Homicide Permit, a Body Seizure Permit, a Compulsory Dual Cultivation License, a Legal Injury Permit, and a Legal Public Property Damage Permit…”
“If she’s willing to pay, there are at least ten ways she can kill you legally, legitimately, and in full compliance with sect regulations.”
“If she’s willing to pay extra, she can even lock onto your True Spirit and hunt you across three lifetimes.”
“A single strike at thirty percent power would be enough to obliterate you. You’d have to spend your next life, and the life after that, just to pay off the remaining seventy percent.”
“She could blast you down to the First Layer of Kunxu with a single breath.”
“And if you dare to fight back, if you even resist, you’ll be committing a crime.”
Zhang Yu was stunned. He couldn’t help but think, “What the actual fuck…”
Immortal Slayer warned him again, “Don’t you dare say that out loud. Cursing a member of the Immortal Clan, if discovered, will get you fined into bankruptcy. It’s written into the Immortal Clan Rights Protection Law.”
Zhang Yu knew that in the Sect Layer, there was no such thing as a “Juvenile Protection Act”… well, actually, similar laws did exist. They were enacted after some sect disciples started mass-producing offspring to use as collateral for loans, which also led to a ban on immortal cultivation for minors.
But aside from that, protections for women’s rights, labor rights, elderly rights… none of these existed.
Instead, there were protections for Immortal rights, Immortal Clan rights, and sect disciple rights…
Looking at the young woman before him, Zhang Yu could no longer sense any of her beauty. All he felt was an extreme sense of danger, like a mortal trapped with a wild beast.
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but think, “How is an Immortal Clan member like her still at the 5th Rank? Why is she even here? Shouldn’t she be in a much higher position?”
Immortal Slayer replied, “Bu Yingshu was born over eighty years ago, making her part of the last generation bred by the Immortal Clan.”
“As for why her position and rank are what they are now… even I don’t know the full story.”
Just then, the young woman spoke in a calm, detached voice, “I want the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation to pass review and be uploaded to the Dao Repository…”
Hearing Bu Yingshu’s words, all four people present were momentarily stunned.
Bu Yingshu frowned. “The Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation is the Sect-Guarding Technique we’re here to review. What’s wrong? Haven’t any of you read the materials yet?”
“Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation?” Zhang Yu thought silently. “Pass review?”
He recalled Gu Qingya’s warning: a powerful figure was determined to block this cultivation art from passing. Yet here was this Immortal Clan woman pushing for its approval?
Zhang Yu inwardly groaned. He had just joined the team and was already caught in a conflict, one involving the Immortal Clan, no less.
Just then, Yu Qingrang braced herself and spoke up. “Dao Monarch Bu, the Pavilion’s stance is… different.”
As the blood descendant and dual cultivation partner of former Minister Luo Wuji, Yu Qingrang remained well-informed despite her massive debts. She knew even more than Zhang Yu, that the leadership at the Vice Pavilion Master level had already decided to block this Immortal Sect Technique.
Yu Qingrang continued, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang… seems to believe there are still issues with this cultivation art.”
“Yang Kaitai?” Bu Yingshu said coolly. “So what if he thinks there are issues? Are you suggesting my judgment is inferior to his?”
Yu Qingrang flinched and whispered, “But the Pavilion…”
Bu Yingshu snorted coldly. “Are you trying to say the Edict Pavilion doesn’t want the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation to pass review?”
“So if the Edict Pavilion says no, it doesn’t pass?”
She sneered. “Remember whose land you stand on. Who gave you this peaceful life? Who gave you the chance to cultivate the Dao?”
“If not for my ancestors fighting the Demonic Path to the death, what right would you commoners have to even set foot on the immortal path? You’d have been flayed alive by the Demonic Cults long ago, your souls damned for eternity.” Bu Yingshu almost spat out the words, but looking at these lower cultivators, she decided it wasn’t worth the effort.
“The Edict Pavilion, in the end, is still the Myriad Laws Sect’s Edict Pavilion.”
Bu Yingshu concluded coldly, then turned to the four. “I need to deconstruct the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation to prove its Dao. I require two subjects for the experiment.”
“Let’s see which of you is worthy.”
In Bu Yingshu’s eyes, being her lab rats, participating in her experiment, was an opportunity countless lower cultivators would fight and queue for. She was like an immortal ancestor descending to bestow a fateful encounter upon these mortals.
But not everyone was worthy of such an encounter.
Though these four were the elite of the Edict Pavilion’s Review Department, Bu Yingshu still needed to select carefully to avoid hindering her progress.
With that, she tapped her foot lightly. Zhang Yu and the three others felt an invisible force surge out, as if a fair, delicate jade foot were descending from the heavens to crush them.
Boom!
A soft thud echoed as all four took the blow simultaneously. One cultivator immediately began bleeding from all seven orifices, his internal organs burning as if incinerated. He writhed under the pressure, contorting like a cockroach being stomped flat.
“Too fragile. Get out.” Bu Yingshu curled her lip in disdain. With a flick of her finger, a stream of Immortal Coins shot toward him.
“Thank you, Dao Monarch! Thank you, Dao Monarch!”
The cultivator, who had been terrified just a moment ago, was instantly overjoyed. He bowed repeatedly while backing out of the room.
Bu Yingshu then turned to the remaining three, who were struggling to withstand her power. “Not bad. You survived my stomp. Your constitutions are acceptable.”
“Now let’s see if you can even talk to me.”
Her cherry lips parted slightly, and a torrent of information flooded the three cultivators’ minds.
In an instant, Zhang Yu felt as if the heavens were collapsing around him, a waterfall of data crashing down.
Fu Ji gasped in his mind. “This woman is communicating with you at the thought speed of a Void Refinement Realm cultivator!”
Fu Ji knew that as a cultivator’s realm increased, their thought and communication speeds accelerated dramatically.
This was especially true for Void Refinement Realm cultivators. If they communicated with Lower Cultivators at their normal thought speed without restraint, the Lower Cultivators would often have to activate their Dharma Realm’s thought acceleration just to keep up.
During these conversations with Upper Cultivators, a moment’s carelessness could plunge a Lower Cultivator into massive debt.
But Zhang Yu was no ordinary Lower Cultivator. Though initially stunned by the torrent of information, he quickly rallied. With the combined mental power of his Monsterfolk Clones, he managed to barely keep pace with Bu Yingshu’s communication speed.
Meanwhile, Yu Qingrang let out a muffled groan, clutched her head, and collapsed unconscious.
“Bionic brain overload.” Bu Yingshu shook her head. With another flick of her finger, she sent a stream of Immortal Coins toward Yu Qingrang and swept her out of the room.
Gazing at the remaining two, Zhang Yu and the other cultivator, Bu Yingshu said coolly, “You two are passable. You’ll do.”
“I’m about to deconstruct the cultivation art. If you can’t keep up, you’ll be kicked out of the Special Task Force immediately.”
“Here’s the data for the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation. Start reviewing it…”
As the cultivation art’s introductory materials appeared before him, Zhang Yu’s heart pounded with excitement.
Though it wasn’t the full text of the art, just like when he browsed data on the Cultivation Art Platform, this introductory information was enough to trigger the Feather Book’s analysis of Chain Formation Diagrams.
“Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation? Does this belong to the Great Sage’s Heir Chain Formation Diagram?”