Chapter 103: The Golden Sidekick, Bloodline Purity

Nantian Yijian glanced around. "Uncle Jun, why isn't anyone speaking? What should we do next?"

Jun Wudi patted his shoulder. "It's nothing. They're just dazed. They'll come around soon."

Lu Chen had already walked up beside Nantian Yijian. Grinning, he gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Little Jian, you were incredible. So this is the Dao you've been chasing all along."

The sudden jolt made Nantian Yijian bare his teeth in pain.

Watching the two before him, Jun Wudi suddenly broke into hearty laughter. "Who would've thought? After five hundred years of cultivation, the first two disciples I ever accepted would turn out to be dragons among men."

With a wave of spirit qi, Jun Wudi erased the crowd's memories of the lightning, ensuring no whispers of it could spread and bring trouble to Nantian Yijian.

Lu Chen seized the moment, setting a package of spoils before each cultivator. Each bundle was packed full of various cultivation resources.

By the time the crowd snapped out of their daze, the memory of the lightning was gone. All they saw was Lu Chen retracting the Divine Tree vines.

The cultivators blinked at the heavy bundles in their hands. The weight proved this was no illusion. "They actually gave them to us... and in even greater amounts than before."

Two seconds later, thunderous cheers erupted beneath the arena, voices calling out the names of Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian.

Lu Chen raised a hand and signalled them to remain silent. "I may have handed these resources to you, but don't think they came free."

"What do you mean?" the cultivators pressed. "Senior Brother Lu, tell us quickly. Nothing could be harder to come by than cultivation resources."

"Little Jian was the one who decided to return these spoils to you. I won't ask for anything in return. But..."

He turned, picked up a bundle, and drew out two jade bottles, setting them on the table.

One contained high-grade Ordinary Tier Spirit Gathering Pills, while the other held mid-grade Ordinary Tier Body Tempering Pills.

"These two bottles are my gift to you as the chief disciple of the Serene Void Academy. One to refine your spirit qi, and one to temper your body. They'll last you two months."

The cultivators quickly tore open their own bundles and found one blue and one red bottle inside.

They bowed deeply to Lu Chen. "Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Lu, for the medicine."

Then, clutching the bottles to their chests, they hid them away in fear of being robbed.

Once everyone had accepted the pills, Lu Chen spoke again. "Since you now hold the best resources, it's only fair I set the terms. From this moment until the sect trials two months from now, each of you must raise your cultivation by at least three levels."

The cultivators burst into protest. "Three levels? That's impossible!"

Many had been stuck at their current levels for years.

"It's not as hard as you think," Lu Chen countered. "Take me, for instance. I'm only at the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm. With these resources, I can push up three levels easily."

A cultivator argued, "But what about those of us at higher realms?"

"Exactly. I'm already at the fifth level. Even with these resources, it would take me a year or two just to advance once."

The crowd wavered, torn between eagerness and doubt.

At that moment, Sun Xiaohu stepped forward. "Why the fuss? None of you has even asked what happens if we fail to meet his demand."

He locked eyes with Lu Chen. "Senior Martial Brother Lu, what if we can't do it?"

"Right. What happens if we fail?"

Jun Xiaoma rose as well. "Most of us have spent over a hundred years to reach our current levels. How could we possibly raise our cultivation by three more in just two months?"

"Before this, your slow progress was only because you lacked resources."

He tossed the two bottles from the table toward them. "Now that you have them, your cultivation should yield results every single day."

"Rest assured. As long as you use them properly, I'll provide as many resources as you need. I'll lead you in the sect trials to reclaim what belongs to us, but only if your strength is enough for you to stand on your own."

"In the sect trials... we will seize resources from other academies?" Wang Xiaolong's sharp mind caught on immediately. His voice trembled with realization. "Senior Martial Brother Lu, are you serious?"

The moment his words fell, the entire crowd went silent.

Every gaze fixed on Lu Chen, fists clenched tight. The matter of lost trial resources had always been a thorn in their hearts. Instead of answering Wang Xiaolong directly, Lu Chen laid down the consequences. Seeing the cultivators' anger slowly ignite, Lu Chen knew the time had come. "If you've made your resolve, then take these resources and train well. But remember this. If, after two months, you fail to meet the requirement, everything you've taken must be returned... in double."

His words stoked the anger and resentment buried deep in their hearts. This was the spark he needed to ignite their fury.

Sun Xiaohu gripped the pill bottles tightly, bowed, and asked, "Senior Marital Brother Lu, do you truly mean to lead us? To have us seize the resources of the other academies with our own hands during the sect trials?"

Lu Chen looked at him. Realizing that the moment to ignite their emotions had arrived, he clasped his hands and declared, "We won't just seize their resources, we'll also rise to the very top of the six academies."

Sun Xiaohu tucked the bottles away and shouted, "Senior Martial Brother Lu, I'll train as hard as I can. Not for anything else, but to put those arrogant bastards in their place."

"That's right. We'll show them our strength. We'll stand at the top of the six academies!"

"We will become the number one academy. I have faith in you, Boss Lu!"

The cultivators below the arena, hesitant only moments before, erupted with excitement. The instant Lu Chen openly declared his intent to reclaim the resources, their hesitation vanished.

They no longer cared about the conditions. One by one, they packed away their bundles and roared in unison, their voices brimming with burning battle intent.

Lu Chen watched their response, smiling as he nodded in satisfaction.

Sun Xiaohu truly lived up to his reputation as a master of rousing the crowd. With only a few words, he had roused their emotions to just the level Lu Chen desired.

In the end, several cultivators ran onto the arena like men injected with chicken blood, lifting Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian over their heads and tossing them up into the air as they celebrated wildly.

Jun Wudi looked at the cultivators within the cabin. With just a few words, Lu Chen had united them completely. A satisfied smile touched his lips as he nodded. "Little Lu's vision is truly sharp. With these two at his side to counsel him, he won't stumble."

His gaze shifted to Nantian Yijian and Jun Laoye, and he muttered softly, "Seems once I've restored my cultivation foundation, I can safely head to the Deer Ridge of the Western Mountain."

***

At the Godslayer Squad's roundtable, Boss Wang watched the scene unfolding in the cabin and broke into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha! Impressive! Truly impressive! Who would've thought? Old Yao, after just one battle, all your junior disciples have gone and become someone else's disciples."

There was no mistaking the hidden edge behind his words.

Song Ping shot him a glare. "You don't understand a thing, you jealous little poser. That's Junior Martial Brother Lu's charisma. He's accomplished what I failed to do in the past."

Boss Wang squinted and smirked. "

Hehehe...

then I'd really like to see this 'charisma' of his for myself. One battle, and even the proud and lofty Old Yao bows his head."

"

Hmph!

That's not arrogance, it's the bearing of a true genius."

Song Ping took a swig of wine and continued, "Speaking of which, Boss Wang, the lord has told me to learn from you on how to use my bloodline talent. When are you going to teach me?"

"Bloodline talent,

huh?

Let me think..." Boss Wang scratched his head. "For us, bloodline talent is like fingers. We're born knowing how to use them. There's never been such a thing as teaching someone about it."

"So where should I even start?"

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Boss Wang racked his brain for a long while, but even then he couldn't come up with an answer. Finally, he yanked out a tattered manual and tossed it to Song Ping.

"Why not start with this? Learn to purify your bloodline first. Maybe then the rest will come naturally."

Song Ping frowned at the book in his hand. On the cover were four words: "How to Purify Bloodlines."

"This? This is rubbish." He flung the manual back onto the table and roared, "I memorized this front to back back in my clan! You don't actually know how to use bloodline talent at all, do you?"

Boss Wang admitted with an awkward laugh, "

Uh...

well, I did forget how to teach it. This may be common, but it's still valuable. When I was a child, it was my first guide. It's just... after so many years, the method slipped my mind. Your bloodline wasn't pure back then, so maybe you never grasped its essence. Now that it's refined, read it again and you might uncover its secrets."

Boss Wang slapped his forehead as though he had recalled something. "

Uh...

wait, I think I remember. This manual has to be read upside down. That's how I learned it back then."

Song Ping raised a brow, wine cup still in hand. "

Oh?

Then show me."

Boss Wang quickly flipped the manual upside down. As the pages turned, the text began to twist, and alluring, indescribable images emerged on the paper.

"

Pffft!

"

Song Ping spat his mouthful of wine straight onto Boss Wang's face. "These things aren't even written!"

Boss Wang wiped the wine off his face and grinned. "But this really stirs the blood. That's exactly how I trained when I was young."

Song Ping tucked the so-called key manual away with a sigh. "Not a single one of you is reliable. I'll just wait until we reach the sect and check the Scripture Hall myself."

Boss Wang smirked. "You really don't know how to appreciate things. This book's a treasure. Back then, everyone wanted to borrow it, and I refused. Now you're getting it for free—"

Song Ping sneered and cut him off. "

Hmph.

Over five hundred years old, yet you still act like a child. Shameless old man."

Not paying any more attention to Boss Wang, Song Ping turned his attention back to the arena.