Chapter 1434 – Saint Pool Baptism
The Scarlet Firmament Peak occupied half of the quotas on the Heaven Ranking. Should he say it was as expected of the main peak of the Sword Sect? But it was really pitiful that no one from the Divine Firmament Peak made it in.
Lin Yun didn’t bother wondering what Mu Qingqing meant in her words, but asked, “Are there any benefits in making it into the ranking?”
“Let’s not talk about the Heaven Ranking. If you make it into the top fifty, you can obtain a daily hefty sum of contribution points. Since there are only ten quotas in the Heaven Ranking, many people wouldn’t be in a hurry to make a breakthrough into the Dragon Pulse Realm. This is why you can’t make it into the top ten right now, and this is also the intention of the sect.” Mu Qingqing smiled.
“Oh?” Lin Yun had a somewhat interested look when he heard what she said.
“At the Elysium Core Realm, the more stars you accumulate, the further you’ll go in the Dragon Pulse Realm. Each step in the Dragon Pulse realm is a transformation, and you’ll have to experience the Divine Dragon Tribulation each time. So you’ll die if you’re not careful.” Mu Qingqing’s expression became grave when she talked about it. “Before reaching the Dragon Pulse Realm, you’ll only run amok if you fail in making a breakthrough. But once you’re at the Dragon Pulse Realm, there’s a high chance that you’ll lose your life since the Dragon Pulse Realm is a step towards the Saint Realm, where your physique transforms.”
“I’ve heard that the accumulation of stars is also connected to your comprehension. It’s not something you can accumulate however much you want.” Lin Yun replied.
“That’s right.” Mu Qingqing smiled. “But think about it, do you think anyone who can make it into the top ten on the Earth Ranking has poor aptitude? The reward for those in the top ten is an unimaginable amount.”
Every single sect had contribution points that could be used to exchange for all kinds of resources. Then again, the available resources were related to the sect's foundation. But as a powerful sect, and once a holy land, many resources could be exchanged in the Sword Sect.
“As for the Heaven Ranking, they’re the most dazzling existences in the Sword Sect. If they’re willing to stay in the sect, they’ll become peak master candidates in the future. If they choose to leave the sect, every single one of them can establish a sect of their own. As long as there aren’t any accidents, it won’t be an issue for them to become a saint.” Mu Qingqing’s pupils were blazing with flames when she mentioned the Heaven Ranking, and it was evident that she greatly admired those on the Heaven Ranking.
“If you join the Scarlet Firmament Peak, it’s practically certain that you can be one of those ten on the Heaven Ranking in the future.” Mu Qingqing smiled.
Lin Yun instantly detected what she was planning and his eyes flickered while he looked at the ten pictures.
“Tenth on the Heaven Ranking, Scarlet Firmament Peak’s Zhou Yuan, the second stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm!”
“Ninth on the Heaven Ranking, Scarlet Firmament Peak’s Chen Fan, the second stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm!”
“Eighth on the Heaven Ranking, Scarlet Firmament Peak’s Wang Yun, the second stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm!”
“Third on the Heaven Ranking, Scarlet Firmament Peak’s Mu Xuaqin, the second stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm!”
“Second on the Heaven Ranking, Golden Firmament Peak’s Ye Xuanqing, the second stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm!”
What Mu Qingqing said was true. Lin Yun looked at the ten paintings on the Heaven Ranking. Half of them were disciples from the Scarlet Firmament Peak. Aside from that, the Indigo Firmament, Azure Firmament Peak, and Golden Firmament Peak also had a disciple who made it on the Heaven Ranking. As for the Profound Firmament and Emerald Firmament, one was focused on forging while the other focused on refining elixirs.
“First on the Heaven Ranking, Scarlet Firmament Peak’s Gu Ruochenn, the third stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm!”
When Lin Yun’s eyes fell onto the last painting, the painting was very high, and it exuded an oppressive aura. Behind the name, the ‘third stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm’ was pretty striking because the remaining nine were only at the second stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm.
It seemed that it wouldn’t be easy to condense a dragon pulse after reaching the Dragon Pulse Realm. Otherwise, those nine wouldn’t have stopped in the second stage of the Dragon Pulse Realm.
“There are so many Dragon Pulse Realms amongst the younger generation?” Lin Yun muttered as he held onto his chin.
“Is it weird? They might be over thirty, but they could be considered disciples if they were under thirty-six years old. After that, they would have to contribute back to the sect…” Mu Qingqing smiled. “Furthermore, rising in cultivation isn’t that hard for geniuses of the powerful sects. Many people will even suppress their cultivation to accumulate more.”
Mu Qingqing then gave Lin Yun a tour around the Sword Sect. Lin Yun naturally knew why no one from the Divine Firmament Peak made it on the Heaven Ranking.
Aside from the Profound Firmament and Emerald Firmament Peaks, the five peaks had their own legacies. The Divine Firmament Sword Sutra that belonged to the Divine Firmament Peak should be the strongest of the five peaks, but it required high comprehension. So this meant that it would be hard for those to take another step further after reaching a high stage.
Since Jian Jingtian, no one managed to cultivate the Divine Firmament Sword Sutra above the third stage. In addition to that, the Radiant Sword Saint rarely cared about the peak. Since they hadn’t received any guidance from a saint, the Divine Firmament Peak naturally declined over the years.
In comparison, the inheritance of the other peaks was easier to grasp, not to mention that their saints were around. So they naturally managed to produce more geniuses.
“Oh, I still have to tell you about the seniority of disciples. This is very important!” Mu Qingqing suddenly recalled what she missed and continued, “The seniority in the Sword Sect is divided into Heaven, Saint, Moon, Xuan, and Zhen. There are only three with Heaven seniority. Generally speaking, saints represent the Saint, Samsara Edict Realm represents the Moon, Dragon Pulse Realm represents Xuan, and Elysium Core Realm represents Zhen.”
“So it’s classified by cultivation? Won’t the seniority be in a mess?” Lin Yun asked in a surprised tone.
“If we go according to seniority, the peak masters have to call you martial uncle upon seeing you. So won’t it be more chaotic, then? Not to mention that you’re not the only disciple of a saint.” Mu Qingqing smiled.
Lin Yun was briefly stunned when he heard that before he laughed. Indeed, it would be a little messy according to seniority, especially since his master, the Radiant Sword Saint, had high seniority in the Sword Sect.
“You don’t have to overthink it. Let’s go; I’ll bring you to the Divine Firmament Peak.” Mu Qingqing smiled as she led Lin Yun to the Divine Firmament Peak.
When it was almost dusk, Mu Qingqing brought Lin Yun to the Divine Firmament Peak, handing him to Feng Luan before she bade her farewell. She tried to persuade Lin Yun into joining the Scarlet Firmament Peak, but she ultimately gave up after seeing how unwavering he was. But since she was well-restrained, this gave Lin Yun a pretty good impression of her.
The Divine Firmament Peak was located southeast of the Sword Sect. Aside from the main peak, there were over a hundred floating giant peaks around it, surrounding the Divine Firmament Peak. Lin Yun could see countless palaces on those floating peaks with people shuttling back and forth.
Even if it was the weakest amongst the five peaks, the Divine Firmament Peak still had high popularity, which was why powerful sects were so strong. Waterfalls also fell from those giant peaks, and the waterfalls converged to form a massive lake. If one looked at it, one could discover that the water was made of astral energy.
“The Saint Pool!” The Saint Pool popped up in Lin Yun’s mind as he recalled what Jue Chen had told him. There was a saint vein beneath the Saint Mountain, connecting the seven main peaks, and each peak had a Saint Pool. It was no wonder why Mu Qingqing said that it wasn’t hard for the Sword Sect’s disciples to rise in their cultivation as long as they were talented enough.
But that was only applicable before the Dragon Pulse Realm. After reaching the Dragon Pulse Realm, one would have to experience the Dragon Pulse Tribulation in every breakthrough, and most people didn’t dare to try it.
Feng Luan stood beside Lin Yun on the Divine Firmament Peak and smiled, “This is the Saint Pool, but it’s sealed most of the time. It will only open once every six months, but even so, it won’t be entirely accessible. The Divine Firmament Peak has five thousand official disciples, with less than a hundred direct disciples. Only the direct disciples are eligible to be baptized by the Saint Pool.”
“Are there any requirements for direct disciples?” Lin Yun asked.
“You’ll automatically be promoted to a direct disciple after reaching the Dragon Pulse Realm. Aside from that, you also have to go through three tests. But you’ll probably be granted the position of a direct disciple by the peak master rather quickly.” Feng Luan explained.
“Without mentioning the fact that you’re the disciple of Senior Radiant, you’re qualified to be a direct disciple based on your performance on the test. There are many benefits in becoming a direct disciple, and the Saint Pool Baptism is only one of them.” Feng Luan briefly paused before he continued, “But I’ll tell you beforehand that the competition in the Sword Sect is fierce. Even if you have a high potential, it’s undeniable that people will be unhappy that you’ve become a direct disciple while being at the Greater Elysium Core Realm. You should know that swordsmen have irritable tempers, even if you’re the Radiant Sword Saint’s disciple.”
The competition in a sect was naturally fierce, which meant that everyone would have to rely on their abilities. Lin Yun naturally had no objections to that because he would also be unhappy if he was in their position. If he was defeated, this simply meant that he wasn’t strong enough and didn’t have the qualifications to become a direct disciple.
Right then, a grey-clothed man appeared. He was the peak master of the Divine Firmament Peak, Mu Chuan. Feng Luan was surprised when he saw the peak master because he was about to bring Lin Yun to him. He didn’t expect that the peak master would come to meet Lin Yun in person.
“I came after receiving an order from the sect master. Lin Yun, due to your contribution to the sect, the Divine Firmament Peak’s Saint Pool will be opened three days from now. You can quickly accept the baptism, and the seals up to the ninth layer will be lifted.” Mu Chuan said after briefly looking at Lin Yun.
Lin Yun had no idea what he meant by lifting the seal up to the ninth layer, but he would receive more benefits through the baptism. So he immediately thanked Mu Chuan, leaving the dumbfounded Feng Luan, whose jaw nearly fell off, to the side.
He initially thought that Lin Yun would be granted the identity as a direct disciple before accepting the baptism, but he never expected Lin Yun to be exempted from that step. Now that he thought about it, the Sword Sect was really good to Lin Yun.