“If I wanted, taking first place wouldn’t be an issue, so what’s fourth place?”
Don’t forget, Ling Xiao’s Book of Seals still held a sealed Heavenly Venerable.
No matter how powerful Ren Xingtian was, he hadn’t yet broken through to the Heavenly Human Realm. Ling Xiao’s words were definitely not nonsense.
However, the Book of Seals was a life-saving trump card for critical moments. Relying on it too much wouldn’t help improve his own strength.
So, Ling Xiao wouldn’t use it lightly.
“Good, as long as you’re confident. But just dominating within the Moonlight Sect isn’t very meaningful. The Four Factions Martial Assembly, previously called the Three Factions Martial Assembly, is mainly a sparring event among the three major sects in the eastern Holy Dynasty: Sword King Sect, Beast King Palace, and Moonlight Sect. In past years, Moonlight Sect has always been at the bottom.”
The Moon Maiden sighed, “You might not yet understand the strength of Sword King Sect and Beast King Palace, but you mustn’t underestimate them. Among our sect’s ten core disciples, probably only Ren Xingtian stands out. The rest really don’t measure up.”
“Is it that extreme?”
Ling Xiao stuck out his tongue inwardly.
He had killed quite a few Sword King Sect disciples and even publicly defeated Beast King Palace disciples. They didn’t seem that impressive.
He had even taken down Wang She, one of Beast King Palace’s top ten core disciples, and the Moon Maiden knew about it.
“If Moonlight Sect is so weak, why hasn’t it been wiped out?”
Ling Xiao asked casually.
“In the end, the other eleven sects are wary of Moonlight Sect’s protective mountain array, guardian beast, and sect treasure.”
The Moon Maiden explained, “Without these, Moonlight Sect might indeed face extinction.”
“They don’t know about you, Sister Moon Maiden, do they? If they did, no one would dare provoke us.”
Ling Xiao smiled.
“That’s true. I’ve hardly appeared in public. The only time was when I helped you kill an inner sect elder of Beast King Palace. Before that, no one knew I existed, and even if they did, they wouldn’t know my strength.”
The Moon Maiden nodded.
“Sister Moon Maiden, how are sects ranked? They keep saying the twelve sects are major factions, while others are minor. How is that divided?”
Ling Xiao asked with interest.
“Major factions? Well, on the Heavenly Dragon Continent, they’re considered major, but in the entire Mysterious Realm, the twelve sects are insignificant.”
The Moon Maiden said helplessly, “The Heavenly Dragon Continent has suffered severe power depletion, especially with the long absence of martial souls, which greatly weakened the twelve sects. But now, with the reappearance of the Mountain River Martial Soul and the continuous emergence and rise of martial souls, the continent’s strength will recover, sooner or later.”
“Insignificant!”
Ling Xiao felt a bit bitter. The Moonlight Sect he had worked so hard to join was insignificant in the Mysterious Realm. That was quite tragic.
“Exactly. Let me put it this way: the Mysterious Realm is divided into Three Teachings and Nine Streams, a total of ten tiers of power!”
“Not twelve?”
“The Three Teachings are on the same tier, the strongest forces controlling the Mysterious Realm. But they’re legendary, and no one knows if they still exist, as their leaders are even older than the Human King.”
The Moon Maiden explained, “Generally, the Nine Streams are recognized as nine levels, with the First Stream being the strongest and the Ninth Stream the weakest.”
“So, insignificant means not even Ninth Stream?”
Ling Xiao asked curiously.
“Correct!”
The Moon Maiden nodded, “Of course, that’s a misunderstanding. By this classification, a sect with over ten Heavenly Human Realm martial artists and two or more Cave Heaven Realm martial artists qualifies as a Ninth Stream force. Our Moonlight Sect actually meets that standard now, though this is a recent change. Before, Chang Yueli and Wu Xiang had no martial souls and didn’t count as Cave Heaven Realm martial artists.”
“I see. So, the other eleven sects are probably Ninth Stream sects too, right?”
Ling Xiao mused.
“Most likely. That martial artist who obtained the Mountain River Martial Soul has probably fused with its soul and bloodline, causing such a major shift. They’ve truly saved the Heavenly Dragon Continent.”
The Moon Maiden smiled.
Ling Xiao chuckled inwardly. He hadn’t expected his own changes to impact the entire Heavenly Dragon Continent. That was quite a merit.
“What’s the fourth faction in the Four Factions Martial Assembly?”
Ling Xiao asked curiously.
“It’s the recently risen Divine Sword Sect, endorsed by various minor sects and fully supported by the Northern Han Kingdom.”
The Moon Maiden answered.
“What?”
Ling Xiao nearly bit his tongue.
He hadn’t expected that the Divine Sword Sect, established less than a year ago, would qualify to join the Four Factions Martial Assembly alongside the twelve sects.
That was his own sect.
Perfect. After leaving here, he’d return to the Divine Sword Sect and settle the Land of Dragons there. With the addition of young dragon clan members like Long Chen, the Divine Sword Sect’s strength would surely rise further.
Perhaps it would shock everyone at this Four Factions Martial Assembly.
Ling Xiao also wanted to use this chance to venture out and see just how strong the disciples of Beast King Palace and Sword King Sect were!
“Don’t get careless. The Four Factions Martial Assembly may only involve four sects, but it’s still full of talent and geniuses! One slip, and you could embarrass yourself or capsize in the gutter.”
Seeing Ling Xiao’s distracted look, the Moon Maiden warned.
“Oh?”
Ling Xiao’s eyes lit up with excitement. Strong opponents made it interesting. Otherwise, what would be the point of attending?
“Sigh, you’re still not taking it seriously. Let me tell you, Beast King Palace has recently produced a peerless genius named Ying Wuya. He was originally ranked ninth among their ten core disciples, but after a trial similar to the tower-climbing ceremony, he obtained the Ancient Golden-Winged Great Peng Martial Soul inheritance, along with many other benefits.”
The Moon Maiden continued, “Now he’s ranked second among Beast King Palace’s core disciples, reportedly because he hasn’t fully mastered the Ancient Golden-Winged Great Peng Martial Soul inheritance.”
“That impressive!”
Ling Xiao had met Ying Wuya. The man was adept at restraint, with outstanding talent, like Ming Tian, both possessing Divine Treasure Bodies, but clearly with better luck.
“Now do you see you can’t underestimate them?”
The Moon Maiden asked.
“Heh, Sister Moon Maiden, don’t scare me. How long until the Four Factions Martial Assembly?”
Ling Xiao asked with a smile.
“Two months!”
“That’s plenty.” Ling Xiao nodded, “In two months, I can fully absorb and convert what I gained from the Moonlight Treasure Pagoda. Then, I really plan to meet this Ying Wuya.”
Back in the Plague Valley, he and Ying Wuya had made a promise. He had said he’d seek him out.
He couldn’t let it seem like he was backing down.
