Chapter Seven: The Remarkably Powerful Training Ground

Thank you to the readers for the recommendation votes—six in one go. My heartfelt gratitude.

Jiang Yan called up the sect master system’s task panel, searching for any way to obtain spiritual grain seeds through sect tasks. Under the construction task section, he was delighted to find a reward for exactly that.

Side Quest—Training Grounds Construction. Build a sect training ground to receive a reward of ten jin of spiritual grain seeds and ten spirit stones.

Jiang Yan was overjoyed. No sooner had he wished for spiritual grain seeds than a task appeared to grant them. Indeed, the sect master system was an unparalleled tool for the development of a sect.

Turning around to set off and fulfill the construction task, he was stopped by a gentle voice from behind: “Senior brother, you haven’t eaten all day. Would you like something now?”

Tang Wan stood behind him, radiant and graceful, her eyes filled with concern as she looked at Jiang Yan. Today, Jiang Yan had kept vigil for his master, and when mealtime came, he had continued meditating. Thus, Tang Wan had instructed the younger disciples not to disturb him. Now, seeing that he had stopped meditating, she came to seek him out. In her heart, Jiang Yan was the pillar of support, the future of Mount Hua. He must not come to any harm.

Jiang Yan glanced up at the sky, surprised to see it was already evening. Breaking through to the third level of Qi Refinement with the Azurewood Technique had taken the entire day. Yet, he felt no hunger—perhaps because of all the water he had drunk.

“Junior sister, I’m going to construct the sect’s training ground now. Would you like to come with me?” Jiang Yan decided that Tang Wan should witness the process. The sect’s future depended on the few junior disciples; he could not keep everything hidden.

Tang Wan’s beautiful eyes flashed with surprise. Was senior brother going to build the training ground alone? The sect had neither puppets nor laborers, let alone the blueprints for such a facility, which only a talisman master could produce…

Laughter and barking drifted from the spirit beast yard—Yun Ying and Howling Sky Dog were playing. Tang Wan’s gaze grew curious.

Overnight, an ancient, towering gate had appeared at the mountain’s base, and a spirit beast yard fit only for a third-rank sect atop the mountain. All of this was senior brother’s doing. If he now intended to build a training ground, he must have found a way. With this thought, Tang Wan replied softly, “As you command.”

Jiang Yan led the way, Tang Wan following. Soon, they reached the broad platform halfway up the mountain. He glanced at the boundary stele on the edge of the platform, now completely hidden by the Sword Order’s power; without the sect master system, he would not even be able to locate it.

Taking out the blueprint for the training ground, Jiang Yan proceeded as he had with the mountain gate and spirit beast yard, summoning four wooden puppets to begin construction.

Seeing Jiang Yan command the wooden puppets, Tang Wan was already stunned. So, senior brother truly had puppets at his disposal.

But when Jiang Yan produced the training ground blueprint, Tang Wan was utterly astounded.

Only a talisman master could craft such blueprints! Linqing Prefecture spanned hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, housed a million people, and tens of thousands of cultivators—including three or four Foundation Establishment experts. Yet, there was not a single talisman master in the entire region; no one could produce blueprints for spiritual structures.

The wooden puppets worked swiftly, and in roughly two hours, a grand and spacious training ground stood before them.

Tang Wan gazed at the enormous structure occupying the whole platform, her delicate face frozen in shock, lips parted and speechless. The towering walls, the ancient gatehouse, and the faint spiritual energy drifting from within—all of this was beyond her comprehension. More astonishing, she had witnessed its creation.

“Senior brother, were those blueprints made by a talisman master?” Though she was nearly certain the blueprints must have come from one, Tang Wan still asked. That Jiang Yan could contact such a powerful figure was almost beyond belief. As for buying the blueprints, she dismissed that possibility outright—Mount Hua had no spirit stones to pay for a talisman master’s work.

Talisman masters were a mysterious and powerful group. Drawing blueprints for special buildings was but one of their many skills; they could also craft military talismans for summoning troops or formation talismans for instant, grand arrays…

Senior brother must have acquired the treasures of some mysterious talisman master, Tang Wan concluded.

“Indeed, they are the work of a talisman master.” The blueprints for the mountain gate, spirit beast yard, and training ground all came from the sect master system, but Jiang Yan could hardly reveal that. It was convenient to attribute their origins to a legendary talisman master.

With the training ground complete, Jiang Yan eagerly called up the translucent information panel to check its level, focusing intently as the details appeared before his eyes.

Special Building: Training Ground
Grade: First-rank, non-upgradable
Maximum Capacity: Fifty disciples
Function: Increases cultivation speed
Additional Features: Boosts disciples’ advancement speed by five percent; aids Foundation Establishment, raising its success rate by fifty percent.

A five percent increase in disciples’ advancement speed—the true value of the training ground was clear. With it, disciples who cultivated here would progress five percent faster than usual. Though five percent seemed generous, it was not unheard of.

Ordinary training grounds built from blueprints typically offered a one or two percent increase, which was already impressive. The sect master system’s blueprints yielded a five percent increase, a notable advantage, but not inconceivable—talisman masters’ creations varied in potency.

Considering the system’s exclusivity and the additional function of a minor spirit-gathering array, Jiang Yan felt the five percent bonus was actually modest.

But the auxiliary Foundation Establishment function—boosting success by fifty percent—left Jiang Yan momentarily stunned.

Foundation Establishment was a watershed in a cultivator’s journey. In Linqing Prefecture, with its million people and tens of thousands of cultivators, there were only three Foundation Establishment experts, all hidden in the third-rank Golden Flame Sect. By such a measure, Foundation Establishment was a rare and precious achievement.

For a Qi Refining cultivator at the peak to succeed in Foundation Establishment through their own efforts, the chance was a meager 0.5 percent. Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, it was nearly impossible.

With the pill, success rose to five percent. If a cultivator failed, their realm dropped by one layer, and they’d need to train back to the peak before trying again.

But this newly-built first-rank training ground could increase the chance of success by a staggering fifty percent.

Jiang Yan could hardly contain his excitement. With this fifty percent boost, if paired with the Foundation Establishment Pill, what would Mount Hua’s disciples’ chances be?

Put simply, for Mount Hua’s disciples, reaching the peak of Qi Refining meant even without the pill, they now had a one-in-two chance of breaking through.

Closing the information panel, Jiang Yan stepped into the training ground. At its center stood an ancient, dignified six-sided platform—the Six-Star Platform—about as tall as a person, with a blue-gray hue and spanning several dozen meters. From above, it was a hexagon, with a meditation cushion at each point. In the center was a smooth marble slab with a circular depression—the mechanism for activating the spirit-gathering array, according to the information panel. The six cushions were likely intended for cultivation or Foundation Establishment.

Tang Wan followed, her face alight with curiosity. These were the miraculous works of talisman masters, and only senior brother could receive such aid. The mountain gate below, the spirit beast yard—surely, too, were built with a talisman master’s help…