Baiyun Temple, True Spirit Hall.
Master Baiyun sat at the head, flanked by Zuo Leng and Ming Tian.
Before him sat Ling Xiao, Ling Yixue, and others.
Still four true disciples and eight entry disciples.
Master Baiyun’s injuries had mostly healed. The Beast King Palace expert clearly hadn’t aimed to kill, likely wary of Baiyun’s Moonlight Sect affiliation.
Ling Xiao’s resurrection shocked Yun Kong City, even Master Baiyun found it hard to believe.
But the mysteries of the Ninth Revolution were unclear to him. Ling Xiao’s survival was good news, and he didn’t pry. His focus was on the sect’s upcoming expansion.
Though he wasn’t optimistic about Ling Xiao, as an entry disciple, Baiyun was glad he was alive.
“Do you know why I don’t care about the conflicts between the Blue-Eye Clan, Ninja Clan, and humans?” Master Baiyun asked abruptly.
The twelve disciples shook their heads.
They had their own thoughts but dared not speak.
“Fine, I’ll tell you today,” Master Baiyun said with a kind smile. “In ancient times, there were no ninja spirits or heroic spirits, no Ninja Clan or Blue-Eye Clan.”
“What?” The group was stunned.
“At that time, humans were the sole rulers of Tianlong Continent, the spirit of all things. The continent teemed with ancient demon and ferocious beasts, far stronger than today’s,” Baiyun continued. “Humans relied solely on martial souls.”
“Then what about the Ninja and Blue-Eye Clans?” Ming Tian couldn’t help asking.
“About 100,000 years ago, the twelve sects had a shared leader who sought immortality. He sent Xu Dao’s martial artists overseas for an elixir of eternal life. Xu Dao took 1,000 men and 1,000 women—they became the Ninja Clan’s ancestors,” Baiyun answered. “Xu Dao proclaimed himself Ninja Emperor, the first of their line. Ninja spirits are just martial souls by another name.”
“As for the Blue-Eye Clan, they split from humans around the same time. The twelve sects’ leader had a child with golden-blue eyes, deemed a monster and bad omen. The leader exiled the child, their mother, and their lineage to the wilds.”
“No way, the Ninja and Blue-Eye Clans came from humans?”
The revelation was staggering, given the millennia of grudges among humans, Ninja, and Blue-Eye Clans.
“You may not believe it, but it’s true. That’s why the twelve sects, now reemerging, are open to recruiting Ninja and Blue-Eye disciples,” Baiyun sighed. “There’s also the Barbarian Clan, founded by the twelve sects’ leader’s younger brother, originally human too.”
“Humans, Barbarians, Blue-Eye, Ninja—all from the same root? These are the ‘lesser races’ you mentioned?”
The disciples struggled to process this, especially after the recent bloody clash with the Blue-Eye and Ninja Clans.
“Exactly. The twelve sects exist to restore humans as the spirit of all things, to rule Tianlong Continent again and compete with the races of the other twelve continents,” Baiyun nodded. “My point is simple: I ignored your squabbles before, but with the Mountain River Martial Soul’s emergence and the twelve sects’ return, the other continents will soon know. We face a common enemy—stop fighting among yourselves.”
“We obey, Master,” the twelve young geniuses replied promptly, though their true thoughts were unclear.
“Enough on that. Now, Lin Ze and Wan Ben will announce your military merits, which can be redeemed for rewards in the Merit Hall,” Baiyun said.
The disciples were confused.
Ling Xiao and other Hidden Dragon Camp members earning merit points made sense, but what about Zuo Leng and Ming Tian? Or Fei Yu and the Heavenly Ninja Academy geniuses? They had points too?
“Seeing your confusion, it’s simple. You saw this war as life-or-death, but to me, it was a test to evaluate you,” Baiyun explained. “Hidden Dragon Camp earned points killing Blue-Eye and Ninja Clans. Heavenly Ninja Academy earned theirs killing humans. Clear now?”
His words unsettled the twelve young disciples, but Baiyun’s callous nature was no surprise.
He didn’t seem to care about the casualties.
“Now, read the merit rankings. I trust you’ve sorted them?” Baiyun glanced at Lin Ze and Wan Ben.
Lin Ze represented humans, while Wan Ben, just returned, represented the Blue-Eye and Ninja Clans.
“I’ll read,” Wan Ben said, taking the merit ledger. “First…”
He paused, his expression sour, before continuing, “First is Ling Xiao, with 1,060 merit points!”
“What?”
Baiyun was stunned, eyeing Wan Ben. “You sure you didn’t misread? Not Ming Tian or Zuo Leng? Ling Xiao?”
Baiyun didn’t believe it.
Neither did Wan Ben.
But the points were tallied by a treasure device, ensuring accuracy.
In the True Spirit Hall, Ming Tian, Zuo Leng, and the Heavenly Ninja Academy disciples looked grim.
They didn’t dare challenge Wan Ben directly.
“Master, there’s a special case. Ling Xiao, with Lin Ze, killed a Ninja Clan Ninefold master, earning significant merits,” Wan Ben explained.
“Not quite,” Lin Ze interjected. “The treasure device tallied it. Ling Xiao took ninety percent of the merit for that kill, I only got ten. I assisted him, not the other way around.”
“Enough, no need to argue now. How many points for killing that Ninefold master?” Baiyun cut in.
“Killing the Ninja Ninefold master yielded 500 points, with Ling Xiao getting 450,” Wan Ben answered.
“Even for a Ninefold master, that’s a lot,” Baiyun said.
“Master, this man had a shadow martial soul, posing a massive threat to Yun Kong City. Had he lived, the war’s outcome might’ve shifted. That’s why the merit was so high,” Lin Ze replied.
“Fair, but even with 450 points, it doesn’t add up. Did the treasure device err?”
