Chapter 132.1: Divine Fortification at the Heavenly Abyss Gorge! (I)

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. It was now the second day since he had arrived at the courtyard.

He had stayed in the courtyard this entire time, but this did not mean he had no awareness of what was happening outside. His Sense Domain could extend across a radius of one hundred li, allowing him to grasp the situation of the entire outer sect as clearly as if he held it in the palm of his hand.

The courtyard itself was empty and quiet, but the outer sect was far from peaceful. Lu Changsheng knew that, as a newcomer to the sect, many had their eyes fixed on him, waiting to attack him after the three-month protection period.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Northern Region Heavenly Sect truly deserves its reputation as the hegemon of the region. Even the outer sect is already full of talents. All of these disciples are strong, cautious, and calculative. But until they figure out my background, none of them will make a move against me, so, at least, I have three months of peace.

Through the Sense Domain, Lu Changsheng had come to understand how the outer sect functioned. Here, everything had to be fought for. Missions required competition, and so did becoming a scion disciple.

Refusing to compete meant falling behind, and falling behind could mean expulsion from the Northern Region Heavenly Sect.

Furthermore, outer sect disciples could remain for at most ten years. After ten years, if they had still not reached the Divine Fortification Realm and advanced to the inner sect, they would be expelled.

As a result, competition within the sect was extremely intense. Despite that, competition remained relatively fair. There were only a few hidden plots or secret schemes.

People measured one another carefully, but they did it face to face, not from the shadows. Victory depended on real combat strength. The strong would rise, and the weak would fall. No one could argue with the result.

Lu Changsheng reflected quietly.

Everything here must be fought for... but that is the Martial Dao. It is like sailing against the current. The moment you stop moving forward, you fall behind. In Nanyang City, I lived too comfortably; it was the same in Zhanhai City. I never truly carried a martial artist's competitive spirit.

Only here, in the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, is the Martial Dao truly practiced. To follow this path is to compete.

He was not afraid of competition. No matter what he had to face, he believed that he would be the one to stand at the peak of the Martial Dao.

Lu Changsheng stood up and prepared to head to the Transmission Hall to select a martial art.

The moment Lu Changsheng stepped out of the courtyard, he felt countless gazes from outer sect disciples landing on him. However, none of them approached him.

Whispers soon spread among the outer sect disciples.

"Look, Lu Changsheng is leaving."

"Is he going to the Transmission Hall?"

"A scion disciple can choose a top-tier Divine Fortification Realm martial art at no cost... how lucky."

Ever since Lu Changsheng's arrival, many outer sect disciples had been jealous of him. In the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, everything had to be earned through competition, and martial arts were no exception. Contribution points could be exchanged for martial arts, and a top-tier Divine Fortification Realm martial art was extremely expensive.

As a scion disciple, however, Lu Changsheng could select one directly without paying. Lu Changsheng ignored the attention and walked straight toward the Transmission Hall.

The hall towered above the surrounding buildings and was divided into multiple levels. Lu Changsheng went straight to the second level, where the Divine Fortification Realm martial arts were stored.

For martial artists who wanted to reach the Divine Fortification Realm, the key lay in condensing divine fortification. It affected not only immediate combat strength but also future cultivation potential. More importantly, the divine fortification a martial artist had chosen to condense had to be suitable for them.

Otherwise, they would find it impossible to master even the finest martial art.

Lu Changsheng approached the shelves. Rows of bookcases stood packed from end to end with Divine Fortification Realm martial arts. There were so many of them that they numbered in the hundreds.

Glancing through the martial arts, Lu Changsheng realized that he had underestimated the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. The sect's resources far exceeded anything he had imagined.

Lu Changsheng stopped before a shelf and picked up a martial art titled

Flowing Sand Divine Fortification Martial Art

. He opened it and read.

This martial art condenses the Flowing Sand Divine Fortification and enhances the physique by ten times. Without comprehending the Flowing Sand Intent, the success rate is below thirty percent.

With the Intent, the success rate rises to at least thirty percent, and the deeper the comprehension, the higher the success rate. If a Flowing Sand Domain is formed, divine fortification can be condensed with absolute certainty.

This was only an ordinary Divine Fortification Realm martial art, but a ten times enhancement was no small matter.

Once a martial artist in the Thousand Cauldrons Stage condensed divine fortification, their power would immediately increase ten times over, reaching the power of ten thousand cauldrons. Their defense would rise to the same level. This was the standard power of a Divine Fortification Realm expert.

Lu Changsheng realized something just then.

So the claim that ten thousand cauldrons of power can shatter divine fortification isn't an exaggeration. If someone at the Divine Strength Realm can unleash ten thousand cauldrons of power, they can truly break an ordinary Divine Fortification martial artist's divine fortification.

And once their divine fortification shatters, their greatest advantage is no more.

Of course, divine fortification increased not just strength and defense, but reaction and endurance as well. Compared to a Divine Strength martial artist, a Divine Fortification martial artist held an overwhelming advantage in every aspect.

Only the most exceptional geniuses in the Divine Strength Realm could unleash ten thousand cauldrons of power. Even then, that was only in theory. After all, a Divine Fortification martial artist would never stay as a stationary target waiting to be struck. In practice, the one with the higher realm would almost always dominate.

After understanding the power of divine fortification, Lu Changsheng's thoughts returned to Intent.

So Intent enhances a martial artist's power, but its greatest role actually shines when condensing divine fortification.

Just like the Flowing Sand Divine Fortification, without the Flowing Sand Intent, the success rate of condensing divine fortification falls below thirty percent. Most people would never succeed, no matter how many times they try, and even with some comprehension, success remains uncertain. Only by developing a Flowing Sand Domain would advancement be guaranteed.

Intent is clearly crucial for divine fortification, but the Flowing Sand Divine Fortification Martial Art is only an ordinary Divine Fortification Realm martial art. I want something better.

Lu Changsheng continued browsing, turning the pages of one Divine Fortification Realm martial art after another. Soon, he noticed a pattern. Ordinary Divine Fortification Realm martial arts usually strengthened the physique by about ten times, sometimes eleven or twelve. Top-tier martial arts, however, could enhance the physique by twenty times.

This meant that the claim that ten thousand cauldrons could break divine fortification applied only to ordinary Divine Fortification martial artists. Once a martial artist cultivated a top-tier Divine Fortification martial art, even a powerful Divine Strength Realm expert would struggle to shatter their divine fortification.

Still, the most important factor of condensing divine fortification was the success rate. An eighty percent success rate still meant a twenty percent chance of failure. A failed attempt would not kill the cultivator, but they would be weakened, and their foundation would be damaged.

A martial artist whose physique had already reached the Thousand Cauldrons Stage could be heavily injured by a failed condensation and fall all the way back to the Hundred Cauldrons Stage. Recovering to the Thousand Cauldrons Stage would then take years, and some would never recover at all. Hence, a high success rate when condensing divine fortification was crucial.

For any divine fortification, if the matching Intent was comprehended and a Domain was manifested, the success rate would reach one hundred percent.

Unfortunately, there were countless types of Intent in the world, and a perfectly matching Divine Fortification Realm martial art did not always exist. At best, a martial artist could find a similar one and bring the success rate to around ninety percent.

A sharp light flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes.

Divine fortification is not limited to a single layer. With sufficient talent, it is possible to condense two layers, three layers, or even more. The more layers, the deeper the foundation and the greater the strength.

He possessed four Intents. Aside from the Sense Domain, which was a supportive Domain and had no corresponding Divine Fortification martial art, he still had three other Intents.

This meant that, in theory, he could condense three layers of divine fortification. Of course, finding martial arts that matched those Intents would not be easy.