Chapter 6: A Path of No Return

Upon his return to Green Wave City, Sun Yuan had immediately paid a visit to the Su Clan, only to discover that all of the clan's authority figures were absent.

"Where did they go?"

No one knew.

"Did they leave any message behind?"

No.

"Who's at home right now"

The wives.

"When will they be back?"

No one knew.

Sun Yuan was left speechless and exasperated.

What the hell is the Su Clan up to?

He searched through the entire Su Clan's estate with his spirit sense, but was unable to find even a single authority figure, so he could only return to the inn in frustration.

In the end, he had no choice but to seek out Fang Che on his own.

Upon arriving at the Fang Clan's estate, he discovered that Fang Che was butchering a deer with a sharp paring knife. After just a brief period of observation, Sun Yuan was unable to resist the urge to reveal himself.

Even though he was only butchering a deer carcass, the way that he handled the paring knife was such an outstanding picture of efficiency and precision that it was as if the knife were an extension of his body, and Sun Yuan was convinced that he had uncovered a prodigy!

The more he examined Fang Che, the more pleased he became.

There was a hint of translucence to his flesh, tendons, and meridians, and while the reports had stated that Fang Che merely possessed B-grade aptitude, Sun Yuan was convinced that A-grade aptitude was a much more fitting assessment.

The aptitudes of warriors were split up into four grades: A, B, C, and D, with each grade split up into the low, mid, and high subgrades.

Someone with low D-grade aptitude would have to settle with mediocrity. Perhaps they would attain slightly superior strength to the average person by training as a warrior, but that would be the extent of their achievements.

High D-grade aptitude coupled with diligent training could grant one a life of prosperity, and upon reaching the B-grade, one would be considered a prodigy in the eyes of the masses.

High B-grade aptitude was generally the minimum prerequisite for large sects searching for disciples, while anyone with A-grade aptitude was considered a super prodigy, and high A-grade aptitude was exceptionally rare.

Above the A-grade were all of the legendary physical constitutions, such as Bones of Blades, the Sword Spirit Body, the Innate Spirit Body, the Void Spirit Body, as well as certain physical constitutions that were only seen in women.

Sun Yuan had thought that Fang Che only possessed B-grade aptitude, so he had entrusted the Su Clan with the task of planting a Five Spirit Parasite into his body without a second thought.

The Su Clan deceived me!

Sun Yuan thought to himself in a furious manner.

However, this was also understandable to him, given the tense relationship between the Su Clan and the Fang Clan.

They must've thought that by understating Fang Che's aptitude, I would assign him with a Five Spirit Parasite, thereby leading to the demise of a Fang Clan prodigy. If he hadn't survived, I would've missed out on a diamond in the rough!

"You wanna help me? Who're you supposed to be?" Fang Che asked with a derisive sneer.

Even though he had already decided to join the One Heart Church, he couldn't just eagerly hand himself over. Instead, he was going to play hard to get.

"I am Sun Yuan, also known as the Soaring Saber King!" Sun Yuan declared in a proud manner.

This was Sun Yuan's official identity, and a king-level figure was more than enough to reign supreme in a small place like Green Wave City, so he was certain that this declaration would be met with immense awe and admiration from Fang Che.

However, to his surprise, Fang Che rolled his eyes as he scoffed, "I don't know who that is, and I'm not a fan of using sabers. Also, how did you even get in here? Guards! Guards!"

Sun Yuan's first instinct was to urge Fang Che to be quiet, but he then changed his mind as he said, "Yes, gather your family so they can bear witness."

"Bear witness to what?"

"Bear witness to you becoming my disciple!"

"But I'm not looking for a master, and you're just a King..." This was a genuine sentiment from the bottom of Fang Che's heart.

As a mere King, Sun Yuan was most definitely far from an important figure in the Church of the Self-Righteous.

Sun Yuan was astonished.

How was it so difficult for a King like himself to take on a disciple from a ninth-tier warrior clan?

Even the most powerful warrior in your clan is only a Grandmaster, and a Lesser Grandmaster, at that! A Lesser Grandmaster is separated from me by four tiers, Great Grandmaster, General, Lord, and Warlord, which equates to thirty-six subtiers! What gives you the right to look down on me!

"You're looking down on me? You may not even be worthy of becoming my disciple!" Sun Yuan harrumphed coldly as he pulled out a miniature, white jade pagoda, namely a Dragon Fish Pagoda, which was used to test aptitude in the cultivation world.

If Fang Che only possessed low A-grade aptitude, then he would hand over the insolent brat to someone else in the One Heart Church.

If he possessed mid or high A-grade aptitude, then Sun Yuan would just have to think of some way to convince him.

In any case, the trial had to be conducted first.

"Give me your hand!"

"What? Why? No!"

Sun Yuan gave a cold harrumph as he grabbed onto Fang Che's hand before pressing it against the Dragon Fish Pagoda, while simultaneously pressing his hand into Fang Che's back to inject a burst of spirit power into his body.

The bottom six levels of the Dragon Fish Pagoda instantly lit up, and the D, C, and B tiers were bypassed at such an incredible speed that Sun Yuan couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Immediately thereafter, the seventh level, which indicated low A-grade aptitude, lit up, quickly followed by the eighth and ninth levels.

Sun Yuan gulped nervously as he looked on in awe and anticipation.

The tenth level was next. It was the top level of the pagoda and indicated legendary aptitude.

The golden light passed through the tenth level without any impediment, then erupted out of the top of the pagoda altogether.

The Dragon Fish Pagoda instantly became completely devoid of luster with a dull thump, having just been broken.

Sun Yuan was completely rooted to the spot.

This was beyond legendary aptitude!

This was like encountering a diamond in the rough the size of a house, and never had Sun Yuan imagined that such an enormous blessing would fall upon him!

He cast the ruined Dragon Fish Pagoda aside as he tightened his grip around Fang Che's hand and demanded, "You have to become my disciple!"

Sun Yuan was so excited that he was on the verge of tears.

He only possessed low A-grade aptitude, and he had sustained some past injuries that robbed him of any chance of further progression in his cultivation base, so there was no way he would pass up such a golden opportunity.

Fang Che was also a little dumbstruck.

Dragon Fish Pagodas had been around even back in his past life, so he knew exactly what they were, and he also was curious about his current aptitude.

At the very most, this body of his possessed high B-grade aptitude, but somehow, the combination of three Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruits and the Boundless Sutra had elevated his aptitude all the way to beyond the legendary status!

The problem was that this was simply impossible to accomplish through consuming Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruits, so could it be that the Boundless Sutra was the cause?

After ascertaining Fang Che's aptitude, Sun Yuan began eagerly showing off his abilities.

Crushing steel in his hands like playdough!

Flattening sledgehammers against his own head!

Unleashing dazzling storms of saber strikes!

That was followed by all types of promises, such as: "Even if you become my disciple, I won't exert any control over you. You're free to accept other masters in the future, and you can do whatever you please. Additionally, you will have access to all of the resources of our church, as well as my entire wealth, and I can ensure that you receive treatment on par with that of the highest-ranking members of our church!"

Sun Yuan knew that a prodigy of this caliber was not something that he could keep to himself. Once he progressed a little in his cultivation base and completed a few missions, he would surely catch the eye of people in very high-up places.

As a mere King, there was no way he could keep others from taking Fang Che from him, and if he were to display any opposition to the idea, then he would be instantly killed, upon which his killer would be able to take Fang Che as their disciple anyway.

All he wanted was the status of being Sun Yuan's initial master, and for that, he was willing to do anything. Once Fang Che began to fulfill his potential, he would almost certainly become a high-ranking member of the Church of the Self-Righteous, and as Fang Che's initial master, that title alone would be enough to grant Sun Yuan and his descendants boundless benefits and endless prosperity!

In the end, Fang Che agreed, but of course, he made a great show of reluctance.

As he prepared to bow and kowtow to Sun Yuan to officially become his disciple, Sun Yuan raised a hand to stop him.

"Hold on a second! The authority figures of your clan must be present to bear witness to such a significant event, and a grand and formal ceremony must be held!"

Fang Che was very opposed to the idea.

"I'm the one becoming your disciple, not any of my clansmen. Why do any of them have to be present?"

If his clansmen were to bear witness, then the entire Fang Clan would be implicated if Sun Yuan's identity as a One Heart Church envoy were exposed.

However, if there were no one to bear witness, then at the very most, only he would be implicated, and he could easily pass off his reluctance to comply as a symptom of the rebellious nature of a child his age.

After a vehement argument, Sun Yuan was ultimately the one to cave.

A prodigy of this caliber deserved certain special privileges.

I just have to make an official record in the church,

Sun Yuan thought to himself.

With that, Fang Che bowed and kowtowed to his new master.

He saw no shame in this. As long as he could infiltrate the enemy's ranks, he would've been willing to subject himself to much more hardship and humiliation.

He still couldn't recall who he had been in his past life, but his conviction to bring down the Church of the Self-Righteous remained as strong as ever, and he knew that he had just chosen an extremely difficult path for himself, one in which he would become a mole with no handlers or allies.

He was going to be all on his own deep in enemy lines, and perhaps he would even be killed by those that he was fighting for someday, but he didn't regret this decision.

In his past life, he had started off as an ordinary warrior before passing the examination to join the Protection Army. Upon reaching a certain point in his cultivation base, he had come out of the Protection Army to complete missions and earn merit points, gradually reaching Guardian status.

From there, he had climbed up the ranks from an Iron Guardian to a Silver Guardian, and he had lost his life on the cusp of becoming a Golden Guardian.

Over his journey, he had seen countless comrades perish by the hands of the Church of the Self-Righteous, including his master, his mistress, and his senior and junior brothers and sisters.

All of his loved ones and comrades had been picked off by the Church of the Self-Righteous one by one, and he had witnessed just how much of a cancerous tumor the Church of the Self-Righteous was to the entire world.

Villages upon villages of dead bodies, mountains upon mountains of skeletons, cities upon cities of carnage...

He thought back to all of the slaughtered cities that he had passed through, the deathly silence that made his skin crawl, punctuated only by the calls of scavenging birds and the sound of his own footsteps.

All of the bodies strewn over the ground had dazed and horrified looks etched onto their faces.

They couldn't understand why they had been killed through no fault of their own, and it was those horrific scenes that planted a deep-seated hatred of the Church of the Self-Righteous into Fang Che's heart.

The Church of the Self-Righteous had only been growing more powerful, to the point that even the Guardians were beginning to be outmatched.

Now that an opportunity to infiltrate the Church of the Self-Righteous had presented itself, Fang Che was determined to grab it with both hands, even if it was going to lead to his demise.

He knew that there were also undercover Church of the Self-Righteous agents among the Guardians, even among the top brass.

In a sense, he was the perfect undercover agent, given that no one from the Guardians knew about him, so regardless of how deep the Church of the Self-Righteous dug, they would never be able to unearth any suspicious connections that traced back to him.

***

Sun Yuan felt as if he were on cloud nine.

He had just taken on a generational talent as his disciple, and he could already envision his own meteoric rise in the church.

He was certain that this disciple of his would be able to reach glorious heights, and that he was sure to become a member of the Church of the Self-Righteous's top brass.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

At the very least, he would surely become a high-ranking figure of the One Heart Church, perhaps even the pope, and that would still be a position of immense power.

When that time comes, I, Sun Yuan, his initial master...

He was almost unable to suppress the urge to burst into laughter as this train of thought played out in his mind, and he immediately began shelling out resources.