Chapter 188: The Fifty-Three Candidates: A Golden Core Fast-Track Protocol
The fifty-three late-Foundation Establishment cultivators stood in formation on the training ground, confusion etched on their faces. They had been summoned without explanation, and the air was thick with nervous anticipation.
Sun Yi stood before them, Er Gouzi at his side. The other high-ranking officials—Elder Li Tai, Elder Jin Jue, and Elder Ouyang Zhong—were notably absent, having already entered seclusion to convert their cultivation bases to the Five Elements Art.
Sun Yi’s gaze swept over the assembled elites. He smiled, a calming, charismatic expression. “Relax. There is no crisis. I have gathered you here to announce a massive opportunity.”
Hearing “opportunity,” the disciples’ eyes lit up instantly. Is the Headmaster about to rain Points on us again?
Seeing the avaricious gleam in their eyes, Sun Yi chuckled, reading their minds with ease.
“Ahem. I didn’t call you here to distribute Points.”
A collective sigh of disappointment rippled through the crowd, though they tried to hide it.
“However,” Sun Yi’s voice took on a sharper, more serious edge, “what I am offering is far more valuable than mere currency.”
“Starting today, the Sect is initiating a comprehensive cultivation protocol designed specifically for you. As part of this program, the supply of Qingyun Dew will be uncapped. You will be granted unlimited access. Drink as much as you can absorb.”
The silence lasted for a heartbeat before the formation broke into chaos.
“What?! Unlimited Qingyun Dew?!”
“Headmaster, you… you aren’t joking, are you?”
“That’s Qingyun Dew! Liquid gold! You’re really going to let us drink it like water?”
“Heavens, did I hear that right? He said Qingyun Dew, not some generic spirit water?”
The fifty-three elites were thunderstruck. Qingyun Dew was the crown jewel of the Sect’s resources, a luxury item with an exorbitant exchange rate. While Qi Refining disciples received a subsidy to help them breach Foundation Establishment, for anyone else, acquiring it meant bleeding Points. Even the War Hall disciples, who enjoyed a discount, treated every drop as precious.
Yet Sun Yi was offering an all-you-can-consume buffet. This benefit was far more aggressive than a simple Point bonus—it was a fortune.
Watching their faces flush with excitement, Sun Yi dropped the second bombshell. “In addition to Qingyun Dew, body tempering resources will also be provided without limit.”
“What? Even the body tempering baths are free?”
“Headmaster, this… the cost will be astronomical!”
Sun Yi smiled, raising a hand to settle the noise. “You fifty-three are the seeds of our future. You are the ones with the highest probability of breaking through to the Golden Core stage. Moreover, every single one of you has passed the Heart Questioning Array. Your loyalty is absolute.”
“Therefore, the Management has decided to invest everything in you.”
His expression turned grave. “We face a technical hurdle: the Sect currently lacks the Golden Yuan Pill to assist in breaking the Golden Core bottleneck. Without that pill, the transition is perilous. To succeed, you must walk the path of Trinity Cultivation.”
“I do not know the intensity of the Heavenly Punishment Force you will face when you attempt to form your Core, but rest assured, it will not be gentle. Therefore, we must push your Body, Spirit, and Qi to their absolute peaks. You must face the tribulation in your strongest possible state.”
“You may worry about the resource cost. Do not. You are the Sect’s vanguard. You are the sharpest blade in our arsenal. Only when you are strong is the Sect secure.”
“I believe that when you ascend, you will lift the Sect with you. When the Sect calls, you will answer.”
“As long as you do not fail the Qingyun Sect, the Sect will never fail you. This is my promise. This is our contract.”
Sun Yi’s gaze pierced through them, heavy with expectation. “Are you willing to bind your fate to the Sect, in life and in death?”
The speech was short, but it struck a chord deep within their souls. These fifty-three cultivators felt a surge of validation. The Sect wasn’t just using them; it was betting its future on them.
A profound sense of belonging and honor swelled in their chests, making their blood boil.
“I am willing to live and die with the Sect!” Luo An was the first to shout, punching his fist into the air.
“I am also willing!” Lin Yi roared, his face flushed with emotion.
“I will never betray this trust!”
“As long as I draw breath, the Sect shall stand!”
“I will slaughter all enemies of Qingyun!”
“I swear absolute loyalty!”
The roar of fifty-three voices shook the air. Sun Yi could feel the raw sincerity in their oaths. Loyalty bought with sincerity and solidified by shared ambition was the strongest kind.
“Very good,” Sun Yi nodded, satisfied. “With you as our pillars, the Sect is destined for greatness.”
Suddenly, a vast, crushing pressure descended from the sky. Patriarch Qingxuan materialized beside Sun Yi, his aura profound and ancient. He looked at the fifty-three disciples with a gaze full of grandfatherly pride.
“Greetings, Patriarch!”
The disciples bowed deeply, reverence painting their features.
“Rise,” Qingxuan said, his voice gentle yet resonant. “I heard your vows. I am pleased. With such spirit, the Qingyun Sect will surely return to its former glory.”
“Patriarch, rest assured! We take the revival of the Sect as our solemn duty!”
“Good! From this day forth, I will personally oversee your training. If you encounter any bottlenecks or confusion in your cultivation, come to me directly.”
The disciples trembled with joy. To be personally tutored by the Patriarch—a Golden Core ancestor—was a dream come true.
“Thank you, Patriarch!”
Sun Yi grinned at the group. “With the Patriarch watching over you, I expect no slacking off.”
“Headmaster, Patriarch, don’t worry! We’ll work ourselves to the bone!” Lin Yi promised, slapping his chest.
Sun Yi nodded and turned to the old man. “Patriarch, I leave them in your capable hands.”
“Go. Attend to your work,” Qingxuan dismissed him with a nod.
With Qingxuan’s guidance and unlimited resources, their progress would be rapid. The only bottleneck remaining was the production rate of Qingyun Dew—a supply chain issue Sun Yi needed to solve.
Sun Yi and Er Gouzi left the training ground. Er Gouzi departed to handle logistics, while Sun Yi returned to the Scripture Library to resume his scholarship.
The entirety of the Qingyun Sect’s archives, combined with the looted libraries of Evil Spirit Valley and Black Wind Stockade, had been scoured by Sun Yi’s research team. Every text related to “Spirit Locking” had been categorized and piled onto his desk.
Despite days of intensive study, while he had found some leads, he was still far from engineering a functional Cultivation Space.
Currently, Sun Yi was multitasking on a massive scale. He was researching the Cultivation Space while simultaneously analyzing the secret arts of the annexed factions to upgrade the Demon Refining Tower. The eight split spirits in his Sea of Consciousness were operating at maximum capacity, processing data like a biological supercomputer.
One day, deep in his research, a transmission talisman from Er Gouzi lit up.
The representatives from the Seven Star Tower had arrived.
Sun Yi immediately ceased his calculations, his eyes narrowing. It was time for business. He rose and walked out of the cultivation chamber.
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