Chapter 18: Xuanjiang Prefecture, The Five Great Sects, and the Underwater Cave

The Next Day.

Shen Mo turned over and got out of bed.

Images of the book he had read overnight floated in his mind.

The book's script was both elegant and bold, likely written by Murong Yue herself.

"The situation in Xuanjiang Prefecture is indeed complicated."

"In a radius of a thousand miles, there are eighty-six cities, with more than ten sects of the same scale as the Qingxuan Sect. Each sect controls three to five cities."

"And the most prosperous cities in Xuanjiang Prefecture are controlled by the Five Sects of Xuanjiang, namely, the Divine Sword Sect, the Rising Sun Sect, the Thunderfire Sect, the Verdant Vine Sect, and the Heavenly Water Sect."

"The strength of these sects depends solely on the number of Core Formation stage cultivators."

"Each of the Five Sects of Xuanjiang has more than thirty Core Formation stage cultivators, with the Divine Sword Sect having more than thirty-five Core Formation stage cultivators on record."

"The Qingxuan Sect used to be one of these five sects, but thirty years ago, a conflict erupted, and twelve Core Formation stage cultivators, including the Qingxuan Sect's leader, died in battle."

"The death of the twelve Core Formation stage cultivators was a massive blow, causing the Qingxuan Sect's strength to plummet. Its position was overtaken by the rising Heavenly Water Sect, forcing it to retreat to the southernmost part of Xuanjiang Prefecture, occupying an area centered around Qingshan City, Xishan City, and Gufeng City."

"This area was also where the Qingxuan Sect initially rose to prominence and has been relatively well-maintained."

"Fortunately, even a lean camel is bigger than a horse. The surrounding forces do not dare to provoke the Qingxuan Sect, which is good news."

Shen Mo frowned in thought.

His predecessor believed the Qingxuan Sect was the greatest hegemon.

Little did he know, there are always higher mountains and greater skies!

Above the Qingxuan Sect, there are the Five Sects of Xuanjiang.

They are the true dominant forces of Xuanjiang Prefecture!

After breakfast, Shen Mo headed straight to the deep pool.

Murong Yue had gifted him a copy of the Xuan Grade technique "Blazing Sun Technique" and had thoughtfully shared her own insights with him.

She was indeed very considerate.

But he had a better option.

That was the Heaven Grade technique!

There was the "Hell Flame Destruction Manual" under the deep pool, something Shen Mo had long anticipated.

He hadn't come before because it would have been too conspicuous.

After all, the area around the deep pool was bustling with people. If he suddenly dove into the pool, others would surely become suspicious.

But now, his identity was different.

Aside from his Heaven Grade physique and being a disciple of the sect leader, he had also defeated Lei Xiaojun head-on.

Such strength made him a top-tier disciple within the inner sect.

Even if he entered the pool, few would dare to question him.

As he walked, Shen Mo remembered something.

After awakening his physique yesterday, both Zhang Weihu and Zhao Rou mentioned that Murong Yue had called a meeting with all the elders to discuss making him the fifth true disciple.

But today, Murong Yue hadn't mentioned it.

"Most likely, the elders rejected it."

Shen Mo's eyes were deep.

It seemed that although Murong Yue was the sect leader, her control over the Qingxuan Sect wasn't strong.

Only her current strength was the greatest, allowing her to suppress everyone, including Liu Yuanfeng.

"The Qingxuan Sect's higher-ups are not united. Besides Murong Yue, who sincerely helps me, I need to be wary of everyone else." Shen Mo nodded.

As for the identity of a true disciple, he didn't mind.

While becoming a true disciple would be good, not having this status for now wasn't a big deal.

After all, he couldn't rely on the limited resources of a true disciple to grow quickly; he had to seize opportunities on his own.

Thinking as he walked, Shen Mo soon arrived at the deep pool.

There, several muscular disciples were sitting under the waterfall, having stripped off their clothes.

This method of body tempering through water pressure was not uncommon; many people did it.

However, the waterfall's water pressure from the mountaintop was immense.

Most people gave up after a short time.

Shen Mo's arrival immediately caught the disciples' attention.

"Senior Brother."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Shen!"

Both outer and inner sect disciples looked at him with respect.

"Senior Brother Shen, are you here to temper your body as well?" Zhao Rou was also there.

Seeing Shen Mo, she immediately beamed with joy.

Compared to these ignorant disciples, she truly knew Shen Mo's identity!

Shen Mo nodded. "I'll give it a try."

He took off his disciple robe, preparing to throw it on the ground.

Zhao Rou, with a smile on her face, caught it. "I'll hold it for you; don't dirty it by throwing it on the ground."

Shen Mo smiled and nodded. "Alright." He handed the disciple robe to Zhao Rou.

The disciples saw Zhao Rou being so enthusiastic toward Shen Mo and felt a wave of envy.

Usually indifferent to many male disciples' advances, Zhao Rou now seemed like a different person.

With a leap, Shen Mo jumped into the deep pool.

The white, silk-like hundred-foot waterfall suddenly crashed down.

Shen Mo clenched his teeth, his entire body enduring the incredible water pressure.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Until the eleventh breath!

Only then did Shen Mo feel he couldn't hold on any longer, so he didn't continue.

"Eleven breaths! He's already surpassed Liu Yunxuan, who held the longest time among Qi Condensation Realm disciples!"

"That's right, back then Liu Yunxuan, Senior Brother Liu, challenged this when he was at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, and he only lasted nine breaths."

"Not many Qi Condensation Realm disciples can last more than five breaths; Senior Brother Shen is amazing!"

"Senior Brother Shen's physical body is so strong! He must have tempered it in the Body Tempering realm for a long time."

"Shh, don't you know? Senior Brother Shen's foundation was once damaged, but he later rebuilt it, reaching his current level. He has endured more hardships in the Body Tempering realm than anyone else."

The disciples discussed fervently.

Some even talked about Shen Mo's past experiences, which were both lamentable and admirable.

"Who is Liu Yunxuan?" Shen Mo leaned against the poolside and casually asked.

Zhao Rou giggled, her eyes flowing with affection like water. "Senior Brother Shen, you don't even know him? Liu Yunxuan is the son of Vice Sect Leader Liu and one of our Qingxuan Sect's four true disciples. He is now a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator."

"Many inner sect elders see him as a strong candidate for the next sect leader."

Shen Mo nodded slightly.

Then, with a dive, he swam towards the depths.

Soon, he took out a blue pill and popped it into his mouth.

This was a Breath-Holding Pill, a low-grade Huang Tier pill, the most basic kind.

Its only function was to allow underwater breathing for a period.

Shen Mo had long been prepared for the Hell Flame Destruction Manual under the deep pool.

His vision scanned the dark waters.

Soon, he felt a faint sense of foreboding.

His gaze turned to a recessed crack.

"I understand now, it's my Scorching Sun Flame Body resonating with the inheritance site."

"No wonder no one had ever discovered the inheritance site before it was found by Xiao Fan. It was because of the Scorching Sun Flame Body."

"Surely, the Immortal Hell Flame had prepared this, only allowing those with Heaven Grade fire attribute physiques to discover the inheritance site."

Shen Mo felt a surge of joy and immediately swam toward the crack.

The crack was initially narrow, barely allowing a person to pass, but after swimming ten more feet, it suddenly opened up.

However, it still seemed like just a rock wall.

Shen Mo examined it closely and suddenly felt inspired, pressing his palm against the rock wall.

Buzzing.

An unusual power emanated from the rock wall, quickly spreading throughout Shen Mo's body through his palm.

It felt as if it were examining his physique.

A few breaths later, the rock wall slowly disappeared, revealing a cave behind it.

Shen Mo passed through the rock wall, immediately feeling like he had gone through a water-repelling barrier, with the water instantly being repelled.

He removed the Breath-Holding Pill and took a deep breath.

The cave was very simple, not like the so-called inheritance sites.

Inside, there was only a table and a chair.

However, the fire spiritual energy here was astonishing, several times denser than on the surface.

On the table, a ball of light floated quietly.

Inside it, golden Inscriptions flickered.

They seemed to have life, swimming back and forth in the light like little golden snakes.