Chapter 145: The Fourth-Rank Sect

Chapter 145: A Fourth-Rank Sect

“Buzz…”

As Jiang Yan pressed both palms against the Azure Jade Seal, the surface of the jade seal, which shimmered with a faint blue-green hue, suddenly burst into brilliant light. In an instant, the radiance filled the entire sect hall, obscuring everything within it. The dazzling glare forced all the Huashan disciples to shut their eyes, while Yun Ying shrank her little head and hid behind Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan felt the world spin around him. The scene surrounding him abruptly changed. The sect hall vanished, and he seemed to find himself in a desolate expanse of starry sky, connected neither to heaven above nor earth below. In that vast firmament, the only source of light was the Azure Jade Seal beneath his palms, whose faint glow illuminated the space around him.

After taking in his surroundings, Jiang Yan raised his head and gazed into the distance, trying to see the entire starry expanse clearly.

Far away, beneath the boundless canopy of stars, four blue-green dragons of light twisted and flowed. Above each of them floated an Azure Jade Seal, pressing down upon the dragon beneath it. No matter how the dragons writhed and surged, they could only circle in place.

A realization dawned on Jiang Yan. He lowered his head and looked beneath his feet. Sure enough, another dragon of light was twisting and flowing there. Because of the Azure Jade Seal beneath his palms, however, it could only coil beneath him and was unable to move even a fraction away.

These must be the four earth veins of the Heavenly Peak Realm, Jiang Yan thought to himself. The Azure Jade Seal in his hands was used to suppress an earth vein, so the dragon beneath his feet should be one of them. Likewise, the other four dragons must also be earth veins.

A sudden chill entered his palm. A gentle, cool spiritual power slowly flowed from his hand into his meridians, replenishing the spiritual energy he had just expended by infusing the Azure Jade Seal.

Curious, Jiang Yan lowered his head and saw that the blue-green radiance on the seal had already withdrawn. At the bottom of the seal, however, the dragon of light had separated a slender stream of energy, which was swiftly pouring into the Azure Jade Seal.

As the stream of spiritual power gradually entered the seal, its radiance began to shine once more, growing brighter and brighter.

The scenery around him changed again. When Jiang Yan could see his surroundings clearly, he was once more sitting cross-legged in the sect hall. The Azure Jade Seal beneath his palms was slowly drawing in its faint radiance, revealing everything within the hall: Junior Brother Nan, frowning with his eyes closed, and the smiling Monk Kongse, whose expression was as gentle as ever.

Yet during that brief instant, without anyone else realizing it, Jiang Yan’s spiritual consciousness had traveled through the Azure Jade Seal and made a complete circuit within it. As the seal’s radiance gradually faded, a profound heaviness suddenly rose from beneath his feet. It was as though, by grasping this Azure Jade Seal, Jiang Yan had completely drawn the land beneath him into the space between his palms.

This must be the power of the earth vein, Jiang Yan thought with quiet delight. This Azure Jade Seal could actually help him borrow the strength of the earth. It was truly incredible.

The radiance on the seal finally vanished completely. Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, the Azure Jade Seal slowly floated into the air.

It rose higher and higher, gradually growing smaller. When it reached the space above Jiang Yan’s brow, the Wood character at the center of his forehead suddenly released a beam of blue-green light. The beam spread outward in the shape of a trumpet, enveloping the Azure Jade Seal. Then, under the stunned eyes of the crowd, the seal drilled into the Wood character on Jiang Yan’s forehead.

Jiang Yan immediately turned his spiritual consciousness inward. Within the blue-green sea of consciousness, he sensed the Azure Jade Seal floating upon the waves, rising and falling with them in perfect calm.

“Have you reached the threshold of a first-rank talisman master who has truly entered the hall?”

Monk Kongse stared at Jiang Yan with round eyes and asked the question in astonishment. His usual mild expression had completely vanished.

The fact that a talisman master could absorb an Azure Jade Seal was no secret among the fourth-rank sects capable of controlling them. The Southern Sword Sect had once possessed a first-rank talisman master who had reached this very realm and absorbed an Azure Jade Seal. However, that talisman master later died of old age, and the Azure Jade Seal fell intact from his body.

Since then, the Heavenly Peak Realm had produced no other first-rank talisman master who had truly entered the hall. Thus, when Jiang Yan absorbed the seal, Monk Kongse immediately asked the question in astonishment.

One had to understand that after a first-rank talisman master entered this realm, his strength nearly doubled compared with the intermediate stage. At the same time, a core of spiritual consciousness would begin to form within his sea of consciousness. This marked his genuine entry into the ranks of talisman masters, granting him the ability to independently arrange large-scale talisman formations and unrivaled strength among practitioners of the same cultivation level.

If Jiang Yan had truly entered this realm, then he alone would be able to sweep aside all the late Foundation Establishment cultivators of the other three fourth-rank sects in the Heavenly Peak Realm. That meant Huashan, because of Jiang Yan alone, would surge in strength and become the foremost of the fourth-rank sects.

Jiang Yan’s expression was also somewhat bewildered. Recently, he had focused only on cultivating spiritual power and had not cultivated his spiritual consciousness at all. Could it be that, after a year, his spiritual consciousness had finally advanced once more and entered the threshold of true mastery?

Jiang Yan slowly sank his mind into his sea of consciousness, seeking the core of spiritual consciousness within his body.

After a first-rank talisman master reached this realm, a core of spiritual consciousness would condense within the sea of consciousness. This core could continuously supply the talisman master with spiritual consciousness, assisting him in arranging talisman formations and engraving talisman inscriptions onto spirit artifacts.

Jiang Yan sent his spiritual consciousness to the bottom of his sea of consciousness and stirred it wildly, turning the entire sea upside down. At last, he discovered a round, walnut-sized bead resting on the seabed.

According to the Spirit Refining Manual, this was the core of spiritual consciousness he had recently formed. Spiritual consciousness constantly entered and emerged from the surface of the round bead, while the blue-green bead continually swelled and contracted in rhythm with its movements.

What Jiang Yan failed to notice was that, as the core at the bottom of his sea of consciousness expanded and contracted, the Azure Jade Seal floating on its surface also brightened and dimmed in response.

Jiang Yan was somewhat bewildered by the fact that he had entered the first-rank realm of true mastery. Somehow, without even realizing it, he had broken through.

Still, he smiled at Monk Kongse and said, “That’s right. I have indeed advanced to the first-rank realm of true mastery.”

A faint smile appeared on Monk Kongse’s face, and his voice carried a trace of delighted surprise.

“Congratulations, Lay Brother. Congratulations indeed. Now that you have advanced to the first-rank realm of true mastery, your claim to a place among the fourth-rank sects is entirely justified.”

…

After seeing Monk Kongse off, Jiang Yan ordered Nan Menluo to sound the Pure Brahma Melody and summon the first- and second-generation disciples of the sect to the main hall. They were to discuss Huashan’s participation in the gathering of third-rank sects.

Before long, all the first- and second-generation disciples of Huashan had assembled in the sect hall. Aside from Mu Yun, who was still in seclusion, and Yun Ying, who had run off without a trace, every first- and second-generation disciple of Huashan was present.

Jiang Yan sat cross-legged on the elevated platform. Only after he saw that everyone had arrived did he speak in a calm voice.

“Everyone, Huashan is now a fourth-rank sect…”

P.S. I’ve lost my motivation to write. Please, give me everything you’ve got—the subscriptions, rewards, monthly votes, and recommendation votes. Throw them all at Huashan!