In the Council Pavilion, Lü Zhenghai revealed quite a bit of information about the Merak Sacred Land, giving Yang Chan and the others some insight into the situation there.
All in all, the Merak Sacred Land was no paradise on earth. It had its own internal conflict, as well as the external threat of the underground Earth Demons. To put it simply, there was a lot to deal with.
However, it was also an excellent place for Cultivation. For instance, Lü Zhenghai had been stuck at the Peak of Internal Refining Six Viscera, but after entering the Merak Sacred Land, he was now an expert at the Inner Refining Five Level, and his Cultivation was still steadily increasing.
It could be said that risk and opportunity coexisted. There were many troubles, but one’s Cultivation could also improve, which was a chance many people dreamed of. This was especially true for those stuck at a bottleneck.
When one’s Cultivation hit a bottleneck, it was very possible to be stuck there for a lifetime. Therefore, one could only rely on external forces to break through, which was time-consuming and arduous, with no guarantee of success. This was a problem countless Cultivators faced.
To spend one’s entire life unable to see the path forward, eventually dying of old age, or to perish in a conflict while fighting for a chance to break through—this was the fate of most people.
Yang Chan had originally thought Lü Zhenghai had other business, but nothing was brought up in the Council Pavilion. He wasn’t sure if there truly was nothing else, or if it was just inconvenient to speak in front of so many people.
Until the meeting ended, no other matters were mentioned.
After it was over, Yang Chan left along with the others. As he was leaving, Lü Zhenghai gave him a particularly friendly smile, a clear show of goodwill.
However, Yang Chan couldn’t help but feel there was a hidden meaning within that goodwill. He simply gave a polite nod before leaving.
’Whatever Lü Zhenghai wants to do, he’ll have to go through Gu An first. And Gu An is no simple man, so I’m not too worried.’
’After confirming the situation in the Merak Sacred Land, I’m in even less of a hurry to go. Liu Xuan and the others haven’t even established a firm foothold there yet. If I go now, I’ll probably be targeted. It would be a disaster if they assigned me a few dangerous missions.’
And so, Yang Chan was no longer in a hurry.
’Anyway, the Cyan Yuan Sect is relatively stable right now, and the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty isn’t about to go to war with other Imperial Dynasties for the time being. I can basically stay in the Cyan Yuan Sect, cultivate in peace, and continuously raise my Cultivation.’
’Strength is the only source of stability. With enough strength, I can easily resolve any situation I face. Even in the Eighteen Layers of Hell, I’d be able to tread as if on level ground, ignoring everything.’
After Yang Chan and the others had left, Gu An and Lü Zhenghai remained behind.
"So, what did you really come back to the Cyan Yuan Sect for this time?"
Once they were the only two left, Gu An looked at Lü Zhenghai, his eyes seeming to see through everything. He spoke bluntly, no longer beating around the bush as he had before, but getting straight to the point. The two had worked together in the Cyan Yuan Sect for countless years and naturally knew each other very well, which was why Gu An asked so directly.
"You know the Cyan Yuan Sect’s current situation. It has declined even further! It was already going to take a very long time to recover from you taking so many people. Then we went through the incident with the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, which resulted in even more devastating losses. There’s simply no chance of recovering in the short term!"
He had been observing Lü Zhenghai and sensed that he was here to recruit more people again.
’Before the border war, he might have been able to pull some people away. But if he takes more now, the Cyan Yuan Sect will have no future.’
Lü Zhenghai didn’t argue. Instead, he began to describe the unvarnished truth of the situation they faced in the Merak Sacred Land. Although he had mentioned some things earlier, he hadn’t touched upon certain details, such as the casualties and the full extent of their circumstances.
"The situation in the Merak Sacred Land is complicated. Our Chiyu Peak has yet to establish a firm foothold. Most of the disciples we brought last time have perished! The Earth Demons in the Underground World are exceptionally ferocious, far stronger than ordinary people, and they are utterly fearless of death! In a battle between those of the same Realm, the Earth Demons have a huge advantage!"
"Doesn’t the Merak Sacred Land have numerous experts? Isn’t there a solution?" Gu An asked after a moment of thought. "Using experts to surround and kill them should be very effective, I imagine!"
"The Underground World has Martial Saint Level experts as well, and they are extremely powerful. But if experts of that level were to act, the Grotto Heaven would likely be destroyed, and the Underground World would disappear along with it. So, the higher-ups on both sides have an agreement: High Tier Martial Arts Cultivators are not to interfere. The various battlefields are also divided, and no one exceeding the upper limit is allowed to join the fight. If one is discovered, the other side is permitted to send in their own experts to eliminate them! That’s why we needed so many Official Disciples from the Cyan Yuan Sect last time. The area we were assigned to guard specifically required Official Disciples who had comprehended Power to participate in the battle!"
Lü Zhenghai revealed yet another secret piece of information.
This was something only known to those within the Holy Land; ordinary people had no idea.
"Chiyu Peak was established in the Merak Sacred Land too recently. We don’t have deep foundations, so last time we couldn’t even gather the required number of people. This directly led to significant casualties! The strength of the Earth Demons far exceeds that of ordinary people, so attacking them in groups of two or three is much more effective. Naturally, that requires more disciples!" Lü Zhenghai continued.
"However, we are also aware of the Cyan Yuan Sect’s current situation. We certainly won’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. After all, the Cyan Yuan Sect is our root. If the root is gone, how can it grow into a towering tree? It will only wither away and die!"
Lü Zhenghai shifted the topic back to the Cyan Yuan Sect, seeming to consider their situation and appearing very reasonable.
"So? Get to the ’but’?" Gu An said with a sneer, looking at Lü Zhenghai.
’He knew Lü Zhenghai’s character. After such a long preamble, he definitely had something to say. We’re both thousand-year-old foxes, so why play these games?’
"This time, I want to bring some people with outstanding talent into the Merak Sacred Land and give them special training! Compared to the disciples we recruit from other places, we have more trust in people from the Cyan Yuan Sect. After all, there are people in the Merak Sacred Land who want to replace Chiyu Peak. They might plant their own people among the new recruits, so we don’t plan on accepting any from outside. It’s best to choose the future leaders of Chiyu Peak from among those cultivated from the Cyan Yuan Sect. After all, we know their background, so there won’t be any problems. Otherwise, if they turn out to be spies for another power, they’ll only turn on us once they’ve grown strong. The loss would far outweigh the gain!"
Lü Zhenghai laid out his reasoning.
In truth, those who joined the Merak Sacred Land this way would naturally receive far more Cultivation Resources.
After listening, Gu An fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "You can select some people with good Martial Arts Cultivation talent to join the Merak Sacred Land, but the number must not exceed thirty. The Cyan Yuan Sect is not in a good position right now. Taking too many people will affect our development. After all, these disciples are our future backbone, and we need them to stabilize the Cyan Yuan Sect’s standing."