Chapter 99: Internal Conflict in the One Heart Church

"Alright then," Old Man Shen relented with a nod.

Only upon reaching a high level would one come to realize the significance in the selection of aura manifestation cultivation arts.

Sun and moon aura cultivation arts allowed for fast progress as both had objects of reference, but they were limited in their potential, while star aura cultivation arts had limitless ceilings.

The problem was that very few people possessed the aptitude required to pursue such cultivation arts.

Hence, one often had to temper their ambitions and adopt a more pragmatic approach.

Fang Che had decided to go all-in on this lifetime, with an aim to become as powerful as possible, so star aura was an easy choice for him, and he was going to select it for the sword, the spear, and the halberd.

Old Man Shen could heave an internal forlorn sigh.

"These are all incomplete cultivation arts. While star aura cultivation arts truly exist, no one has ever been able to cultivate one to the very pinnacle, so no one knows what such a cultivation art even looks like in the late phase. In fact, no one even knows if the contents of these initial phase star aura cultivation arts are correct. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"

"I'm certain!"

Fang Che's resolve on this matter was unshakeable.

Only star aura cultivation arts could grant him the path of limitless potential that he desired.

At the very least, he knew of at least two people in this world who were definitely using star aura cultivation arts, namely Xue Fuxiao and Duan Xiyang.

This was something that he had learned by chance in his past life, and thus, his mind had been made up from the very beginning.

Among the star aura cultivation arts, he was going to choose the ones that could manifest star soul aura.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"In that case, I can only wish you the best of luck. Normally, I would put a bit more effort into trying to dissuade you, but I can tell that you've thought long and hard about this. I may have lost my cultivation base, but in exchange, my intuition in certain matters has become sharper, and I have a feeling that star aura can take one very far.

“However, once you reach a certain point, you'll have to rely entirely on yourself as there will be no trodden path for you to follow. That is the main drawback to pursuing star aura cultivation arts."

"I understand."

"Hence, it'll be up to you to prove whether this decision of yours is right or wrong. No one else can tell you the answer to that question."

"Elder Shen, can I ask you how many students in the history of our academy have chosen to pursue star aura cultivation arts? And how has that worked out for them?"

"Very few people choose to pursue star aura cultivation arts, generally comprising only around 1% to 2% of the students who come here to choose aura manifestation cultivation arts. Many of them were forced into civil or logistical roles as they were unable to make progress in their cultivation arts beyond a certain point.

“There are also many others who have passed away or disappeared, as well as many who returned to their clans. Ultimately, all of them were handicapped by their choice of cultivation arts, with not even a single one able to reach their full potential.

“Hence, in the past couple of decades, the proportion of students selecting star aura cultivation arts has dropped even further to only around 0.1% to 0.2%. Do you understand now how treacherous this path is?"

"I do."

Fang Che was completely unfazed.

"You can't leave the scripture library with the jade slip, so you'll have to absorb its contents here," Old Man Shen said.

Fang Che promptly sat down with his legs crossed and channeled his Cool as Ice and Boundless Sutra in unison before pressing the jade slip against his own forehead.

A vast amount of knowledge instantly flooded into his mind, and he felt as if he could see a galaxy of stars appear before his eyes, stretching into infinity and beyond.

***

While Fang Che was selecting cultivation arts in the scripture library, a fierce altercation had erupted within the One Heart Church.

Never had Ren Zhongyuan imagined that the White Cloud Prefecture branch helm would be eradicated, and right after carrying out Yin Shengong's orders, no less.

Clearly, the branch helm had been cut off by Yin Shengong.

There weren't many powerful warriors stationed in that branch helm, but it had been a very important piece under Ren Zhongyuan's control, and what was particularly invaluable was that all of the branch helm members had official identities that granted them an extra layer of secrecy and protection.

Hence, the White Cloud Prefecture branch helm had always been one of the One Heart Church's best-performing branch helms, whether it came to the amount of wealth and resources plundered or its mission completion rate, yet it had just been eradicated out of the blue!

Ren Zhongyuan was furious, and after gathering his think tank for a meeting, he reported this matter to his higher-ups before immediately requesting an audience with Yin Shengong.

"Pope Yin, our White Cloud Prefecture branch helm has been taken out by the Guardians!"

Ren Zhongyuan wasted no time, cutting straight to the chase.

Yin Shengong sat on his throne, not even bothering to look up as he reprimanded, "That's not true, Deputy Pope Ren. The branch helm was taken out by the Protectionists, not the Guardians."

Ren Zhongyuan gritted his teeth to suppress his temper, then amended, "My apologies, it was indeed the Protectionists. Are you aware of this, Pope Yin?"

"You think I'm such an incompetent pope that I would be unaware of such a significant event?" Yin Shengong scoffed.

"Pope Yin, there's something that I want to get off my chest."

"Go ahead then. You can be as candid with me as you like."

A hint of indignation appeared on Ren Zhongyuan's face as he said, "There have been many abnormal occurrences in our church of late. I initially thought it was all just a series of coincidences, so I didn't think much of it, but recently, I feel as if... as if..."

"As if what?" Yin Shengong asked as he focused an intense gaze on Ren Zhongyuan.

"I feel as if you're treating me differently from before, and I don't understand why this has been the case. I don't know what I've done wrong. If I really have done something wrong, please tell me so that I know what mistakes I've committed!"

All of the higher-ranking members of the One Heart Church were standing off to the side, watching the showdown between pope and deputy pope in silence.

"You're overthinking things, Deputy Pope Ren," Yin Shengong said in a nonchalant manner. "You've always been my most trusted subordinate and my most capable right-hand man."

"In that case, some recent events have left me feeling rather perplexed, and I would like to request an explanation."

"Oh? What is it that's gotten you so perplexed?"

At this point, it was too late for Ren Zhongyuan to back down.

He and his think tank had agreed that seeing as Yin Shengong had already made a move, he definitely wasn't going to hide his intentions any longer. Hence, it would be better to lay out all the cards and have an official showdown.

At that point, Ren Zhongyuan would put on a display of weakness to dispel the misunderstanding and pledge his loyalty, thereby placating Yin Shengong and erasing his suspicions.

However, Yin Shengong hadn't taken the bait at all, and that left Ren Zhongyuan in a rather awkward position.

Hence, he could only muster up his courage as he said, "I think your handling of the White Cloud Prefecture branch helm was not very appropriate, Pope Yin."

"My handling of the branch helm? What do you mean by that?"

"I have been managing the White Cloud Prefecture branch helm for over a century, and it's made countless contributions to our church during that time, yet it's just been entirely eradicated after receiving a secret order from you..."

Yin Shengong sat back in his throne as he looked down upon Ren Zhongyuan and scoffed, "I see. You're insinuating that I colluded with the Protectionists to sell out my own church."

"Not at all, Pope Yin!"

Ren Zhongyuan instantly began sweating profusely, realizing that he had been too rushed and impatient in his approach.

"Deputy Pope Ren! I have always seen you as my most trusted subordinates, yet here you are, doubting my integrity! How dare you suspect me, the pope, of colluding with the Protectionists? If that's really true, then why didn't I just sell all of you out to the Protectionists? Wouldn't that earn me more favor with them than just throwing out a single branch helm?"

"I wouldn't dare to insinuate that, Pope Yin!" Ren Zhongyuan hurriedly said in an anxious manner.

"I wouldn't dare!"

Sweat was pouring down Ren Zhongyuan's face like rain at this point.

He had completely misjudged how Yin Shengong would react.

Everyone had thought that with Yin Shengong already making the first move, they had been backed into a corner and would have to find some way to reverse the situation.

At the moment, they were still not prepared to stage a fullblown coup, so they had to buy more time for themselves.

However, Yin Shengong's nonchalant reaction had come as a surprise to all of them, and they felt as if they had thrown a punch into a wall of cotton.

All of a sudden, Ren Zhongyuan found himself backed even further into a corner, unsure of what to do.

Mu Linyuan was standing in the shadows with a mask on his face, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ren Zhongyuan.

Clearly, he was completely outmatched by Yin Shengong when it came to scheming and mind games.

Yin Shengong had honed these skills to perfection over the course of his centuries serving as the pope of the One Heart Church, and Mu Linyuan genuinely didn’t understand what these people hoped to gain by supporting Ren Zhongyuan's cause.

What he was even more perplexed about was why Yin Shengong wasn't making any aggressive moves even after forcing all of these people out into the open.

Were their intentions not clear? Why not take this opportunity to eliminate them all?

However, Yin Shengong had other considerations.

As the pope of the One Heart Church, he had to consider far more factors than Mu Linyuan did.

He had anticipated this visit from Ren Zhongyuan, but he was perplexed by the extent of Ren Zhongyuan's resolve and finality.

All he had done was eradicate the White Cloud Prefecture branch helm, did that really warrant such a vehement reaction?