The transformation of the Divine Soul caused a surge in Innate Power, a surprise Lin Chen did not anticipate.
However, this was not the only surprise.
The transformation of the Divine Soul not only made his perception of everything around him clearer, but it also sped up his reactions.
The Celestial Derivation Myriad Phenomena Destruction Palm, which he had previously deduced in the Martial Derivation Mirror, now gained further insight at this moment.
This Palm Technique, created by himself, unlike the Azure Wave Technique and Canglan Finger, continuously improved as his Divine Soul strengthened.
The Divine Soul not only affects perception, Martial Path Will, but also reaction and deduction abilities.
Lin Chen slowly raised his hands, focusing all his spirit on his hands.
He gently struck with his right palm, the trajectory of the Celestial Derivation Myriad Phenomena Destruction Palm slowly emerged, and in the center of his palm, a trace of gray lines flickered intermittently.
Pa!
A palm struck out.
A small collapse and annihilation appeared in the space in front.
What kind of energy is this?
The gray energy slowly dissipated the moment it struck out from his palm, leaving only a few wisps that quickly vanished into the palm.
There was a gleam in Lin Chen’s eyes; this wasn’t Canglan energy, nor Innate Power, but a peculiar, enigmatic energy with the potential to annihilate all things.
However, when Lin Chen attempted it again, the gray energy never appeared again.
"Strange."
He stared at his palm for a while, unable to make sense of it, and Lin Chen temporarily gave up.
At this moment, his points on Martial Arts Mountain were completely exhausted.
With a thought, Lin Chen withdrew from Martial Arts Mountain.
In the yard, Ji Cangtian and Du Xiaofeng were still there, and upon seeing Lin Chen appear, they immediately glanced over.
"It seems you’ve gained quite a lot."
With just a glance at Lin Chen’s state, smiles appeared on Ji Cangtian and Du Xiaofeng’s faces.
With their keen perception, though Lin Chen did not outwardly emit his aura, the increase in strength and aura was still perceptible to them.
"Sect Leader, Master, the Innate Power within me has tripled, and my Divine Soul has also transformed."
Facing the two of them, Lin Chen did not hide and recounted his experiences on Martial Arts Mountain.
However, what Lin Chen did not expect was his master’s solemn expression after hearing his story.
"Elder Du need not worry, Lin Chen is walking a different path."
Ji Cangtian understood what Du Xiaofeng was concerned about; no one’s Divine Soul naturally forms a Star Map, and Du Xiaofeng worried that Lin Chen’s Divine Soul might have gone astray.
In the Flame Dynasty’s Martial Arts Realm, there were some geniuses whose Divine Souls were different from ordinary martial artists; these geniuses had exceptionally strong Divine Souls, but only when they reached higher cultivation did they realize their path was wrong, and they became stuck at the Innate Realm.
Some even had their Divine Souls mutate beyond control, plunging entirely into madness.
However, Ji Cangtian was fully aware that the changes in Lin Chen’s Divine Soul were due to the Azure Wave Technique.
He initially thought that Lin Chen would only undergo such a transformation after entering the Innate Second Realm, but unexpectedly, Lin Chen’s Divine Soul had already manifested a Star Map at the Innate First Realm.
"I understand now."
Upon hearing the Sect Leader’s words, Du Xiaofeng realized the transformation in his disciple’s Divine Soul was likely related to the places the Sect Leader had taken him.
"As for the matter of your Divine Soul forming a Star Map, do not speak of it to others to avoid unnecessary attention."
Ji Cangtian reminded Lin Chen, who nodded in agreement.
"In the coming days, stay within the sect and cultivate well. As for the sect tasks, you can participate after you’re done with the Martial Arts Mountain challenges."
"Sect tasks?"
Lin Chen was a bit puzzled; weren’t sect tasks chosen by the disciples themselves?
Disciples who needed contribution points would take on sect tasks, and those who didn’t need contribution points wouldn’t have to.
"Every disciple must complete a sect task after joining, even direct disciples are no exception. Normally, one must start within three months of joining..."
Seeing his disciple’s confused expression, Du Xiaofeng explained with a smile.
"I see."
Lin Chen understood, and this arrangement seemed reasonable.
"Elder Du, I’ll take my leave now."
Ji Cangtian did not stay longer in the yard; he was very pleased with Lin Chen’s growth on Martial Arts Mountain.
Watching the Sect Leader leave, Lin Chen curiously asked, "Master, what kind of sect task will be assigned?"
"Being a direct disciple, your task differs from those of outer and inner sect disciples. Generally, a direct disciple’s first task is to patrol the borders of our Canglan Domain, but since your situation is unique, the Sect Leader surely won’t send you to the Canglan Domain’s borders but rather assign you a more relaxed task."
Du Xiaofeng stroked his beard with a smile; even among direct disciples, there are distinctions, and his disciple belonged to those with high potential.
"Either you’ll be dispatched to one of the Flame Dynasty’s sub-kingdoms to oversee the transportation of martial arts resources back to the sect, or you’ll be stationed at a place rich in herbs or Innate Energy mines for six months."
"If possible, I would choose to be stationed somewhere."
After pondering for a while, Lin Chen made his decision. The Canglan Domain was Canglan Sect’s stronghold, and those mines enriched with Innate Energy were guarded by powerful individuals; no one dared contest these mines within the Canglan Domain, so going there would mostly mean changing his training environment.
On the other hand, escorting martial arts resources back to the sect would be a continuous journey without stops, thus delaying cultivation time.
"Alright, I will make arrangements for you."
Du Xiaofeng nodded; typically, direct disciples had no choice, but his own disciples were an exception.
...
...
After bidding farewell to his master, Lin Chen returned to his own courtyard.
Although he had gained sufficient insight into his cultivation technique with the help of the Martial Derivation Mirror, it didn’t mean there was no room for improvement.
Especially in the control of the Divine Soul, the Thousand Mechanisms Divine Refining Technique still had room to be explored.
He decided to focus all his mind on the Divine Soul before entering Martial Arts Mountain for challenges.
...
...
In the serenity of cultivation, a month passed smoothly.
...
An island in the Eastern Sea.
Liang.
In the Imperial Court, at this moment Kong Qifeng was discussing a list with the Left and Right Prime Ministers.
Since the establishment of the Martial Arts Alliance, the Eight Kingdoms have also begun to interact with other islands, learning much about martial arts information beyond the First Grade.
Indeed, a few kingdoms have already started sending martial artists to other islands and the Eastern Sea.
Liang is doing the same, beginning to collect information from outside the islands.
"Currently, there are three destinations; one is the Cyan Mountain Sect in the Eastern Sea. The Cyan Mountain Sect has two Innate powerhouses and occupies a city in the Eastern Sea. Anyone under thirty who can reach the Middle Grade has the opportunity to join."
The Left Prime Minister informed the two of the gathered information: "Besides the Cyan Mountain Sect, there are several sects on Nine Mountains Island recruiting disciples, but the requirements are higher..."
Kong Qifeng looked at the records of the major sects in his hand, a contemplative expression on his face, while the Right Minister spoke: "What about the East Sea Divine Palace in the Eastern Sea?"
"Forget about it; the East Sea Divine Palace’s requirements for recruiting disciples are extremely high, needing one to reach the Middle Grade martial artist realm before the age of twenty. Currently, no one in Liang meets this requirement."
"It’s not entirely impossible. If sufficient martial arts resources were provided, a few young individuals might reach the grade, but such forced improvements in their realm would make them just unnoticed outer sect disciples even if they entered the East Sea Divine Palace."
Kong Qifeng shook his head; the East Sea Divine Palace is the number one sect in the Eastern Sea, ruling over the entire area and these sea islands, a true behemoth.
If possible, they wish for geniuses from their country to join the East Sea Divine Palace as well.
But the East Sea Divine Palace’s requirements for accepting disciples are too high; very few in the entire Liang meet them, and even those few would not be valued after entering.
"Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix; the disparity is too great and might affect these youngsters."
In Liang, those who can reach the Middle Grade before twenty include Xiao Yaojin, Fang Zhan, and a few other youngsters. They still have a year before turning twenty, and if Liang is willing to exchange some martial arts pills with the outside world, these individuals can enter the Seventh Grade.
Yet these youngsters, whether in terms of origin or martial arts cultivation progress, are top-tier in Liang. Sending them to the East Sea Divine Palace to become unnoticed outer sect disciples, the psychological gap might be unbearable, ultimately affecting their cultivation mindset.
"Not everyone is Lin Chen."
Kong Qifeng’s lamenting statement made the Left and Right Prime Ministers agree profoundly.
Like Lin Chen, few are able to rise from humble origins, reversing their fate; it can be said he is the first since the beginning of martial arts cultivation in the Nine Kingdoms.
"So, shall we agree to the Cyan Mountain Sect’s conditions?"
The Left Prime Minister asked, noting that the Cyan Mountain Sect recruits Middle Grade martial artists under thirty, but that doesn’t guarantee entry.
The condition they gave Liang is that each disciple must carry one Innate Energy, the so-called entry fee.
This is the reason for the hesitation among the three, including Kong Qifeng.
Liang has places containing Innate Energy, and due to the Canglan Sect, other forces dare not covet them.
These three places containing Innate Energy are Liang’s only capital for exchanging martial arts resources with the outside world. As for pills and herbs, they don’t attract martial artists from the islands much.
Conversely, Liang needs better martial arts pills from the outside world, and these need to be exchanged for with Innate Energy.
The entire outside world uses Flame Coins. The vast Liang received only a thousand Flame Coins from the Canglan Sect noble who brought Lin Chen here.
A thousand Flame Coins would be a considerable fortune for one martial artist, but for Liang as a whole, it’s a drop in the ocean. There are too many needs in Liang that demand Flame Coins.
"We can produce three streams of Innate Energy annually; this year’s three streams have been collected. Let’s first send three disciples to the Cyan Mountain Sect."
Kong Qifeng stated his suggestion, the Left and Right Prime Ministers showing a trace of hesitation in their eyes. From their perspective, the best approach would be to start cultivating a new generation of martial artists.
After interacting with the outside world, Liang also learned how it cultivates martial artists—starting from a young age. Liang can entirely rely on Innate Energy to purchase such pills and begin nurturing those four or five-year-old children...
After a decade or so, these children will definitely be able to step into the Middle Grade, and thus, there’s no need to exchange Innate Energy for an entry slot.
The two had proposed this suggestion, but it was vetoed by Kong Qifeng.
In Kong Qifeng’s view, this would mean abandoning the current generation of martial artists, sacrificing their future.
As the Minister of Martial Affairs, he couldn’t bear to see these youngsters languishing away in Liang.
"Let’s send three first and decide after seeing the results next year."
Kong Qifeng’s eyes carried a hint of pleading, and ultimately, the Left and Right Prime Ministers nodded in agreement.
"I’ll contact the steward of the Cyan Mountain Sect."
The Cyan Mountain Sect has a steward residing in the capital of Liang, waiting for Liang’s response.
Just as the Left Prime Minister stood up to leave the hall, suddenly, a voice rang from above the hall.
"Hahaha, congratulations to Liang, felicitations to Liang."