Chapter 138.1: Returning to the Northern Region Heavenly Sect; Lu Changsheng Challenges a Scion Disciple! (I)

I'm back.

Lu Changsheng had finally returned to the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. However, his trip down the base had taken a little over two months, meaning it had been just past three months since he had entered the sect. In other words, he had automatically lost his status as a scion disciple.

Under ordinary circumstances, if no one challenged him on the very first day after the three-month limit, he could have retained that status. Unfortunately, the outer disciples of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect had been watching him closely all along.

Once the three months were up, someone actually issued a challenge against him within the very first hour. The rules stated that failure to respond within a day automatically led to forfeiture. Now, it was already the third day past the deadline, yet Lu Changsheng felt no urgency at all. Even if he lost his status as scion disciple, he could simply earn it back. With his strength, this change in status was a trifling matter.

That said, the Abyss Mystic Iron ore would have to remain with him for the time being. Without scion disciple status, he would not receive double rewards, so exchanging it for contribution points now would be a poor deal. The right call was to wait.

With that, Lu Changsheng summoned his status panel and examined his current condition.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 3630 (Praised by All)

[Skills]

Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique: Sword Crafting, 6 years and 8 months

Heart Sword Art: Progress 24% (Heart Sword)

Wave Domain: Progress 1%

Storm Domain: Progress 6%

Sense Domain: Progress 21%

Starry Sky Intent: Progress 8%

Lu Changsheng's Perception had reached 3,630 points and was still rising steadily. He knew better than anyone that Perception was his true foundation. From his own observations, a second major transformation would likely require reaching 10,000 points.

At present, he was not short on martial techniques. He had effectively cleared out the Martial Pavilion back then, but there were almost no techniques left that he could instantly perfect. What he had left were mostly fourth- and fifth-tier techniques. Even with his current level of Perception, Lu Changsheng was still unable to instantly perfect those kinds of techniques.

Regardless, he would not face any shortage of martial techniques for a long time. The real limitation was the growth rate of Perception itself—roughly 150 points per month, sometimes a little more, sometimes less. Even so, without any further transformation, his Perception already surpassed that of most people. Even within the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, which gathered the geniuses of the entire Northern Region, his Perception was not inferior to anyone.

In terms of manifesting Domains, at least, he encountered no obstacles. The real difficulty lay in the process of refinement. Once the Domain was formed, further advancement became noticeably slow. That was only natural; many Divine Fortification martial artists never even managed to evolve a Domain in their lifetime.

Lu Changsheng also planned to dismantle the Starry Sky Waterfall Intent. He had already comprehended the Starry Sky Intent and was now only missing the Waterfall Intent. For that, he needed to behold a real waterfall, and there happened to be one at the Celestial Foothills Mountain Range. The Celestial Foothills Waterfall was grand and magnificent, perfect for comprehending Intent.

Lu Changsheng stood up and left Courtyard No. 12, heading toward the outer sect. Along the way, a few gazes landed on him, but far fewer than before. No longer being a scion disciple, he naturally received less attention. Moreover, many people believed that Lu Changsheng had not accepted challenges because he deemed himself not strong enough, and had therefore given up his status voluntarily. With such assumptions, it was no surprise interest in him had dwindled considerably.

"That's Lu Changsheng, right? He's only been in the sect for a little over three months. Seems he never accepted the challenge and lost his scion disciple status."

"It's him! He was not in the sect even after the three-month period. That's why the challenge was left unanswered. What a pity."

"What's there to pity? You really think he didn't want to come back? He stayed away on purpose. He just didn't want to face any challenges. He knew he wasn't strong enough to keep his scion disciple status. At least he saved himself the embarrassment and forfeited his position."

"Still, holding onto the scion disciple status for three whole months is nothing to scoff at."

"True. Among outer disciples, almost no one manages to keep that status for long after joining the sect."

"Wasn't Wang Cheng the first one to challenge Lu Changsheng?"

"Yeah, it was Wang Cheng. But today it's his turn to accept challenges himself. A lot of people are watching him now..."

Lu Changsheng activated his Sense Domain. He could hear almost all the discussions among the outer disciples clearly.

So it was Wang Cheng who challenged me? He only held the scion disciple title for a single day and already has to face challengers... Might as well take a look.

He was merely curious. After all, Wang Cheng could be considered the disciple who had effectively replaced him. Under the Perception of the Sense Domain, Lu Changsheng quickly found Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng's situation was far from good. He was already being challenged by an outer disciple named Zhang He. At this moment, the two stood facing each other on the outer sect's dedicated martial arena. Disciples were allowed to fight freely; in fact, they could go as hard as they wanted as long as they did not kill their opponent. For Divine Strength Realm disciples, there was no such thing as accidental killing. As long as no vital points were struck, death was unlikely, no matter how severe the injuries.

Even so, that did not ease the pressure. At this moment, Wang Cheng was extremely nervous. Truth be told, he had lucked into this position. By sect rules, challenges worked on a first come, first served basis. When Lu Changsheng's status was up for grabs, many challengers came forward, but Wang Cheng was the first disciple to submit an application with the outer sect administration. Just like that, he managed to secure the scion disciple status without a fight.

However, it was time for Wang Cheng to actually defend his position. He knew very well how important it was to defeat Zhang He then and there. If he managed to defend his status, he would be exempt from further challenges for the rest of the month, and one full month was more than enough to gain a great deal.

Buzzzz!

The two stepped onto the arena without exchanging a single word and unleashed their Intents at once. There was nothing fancy about the clash. In such duels, strength spoke for itself, and weakness had nowhere to hide.

Wang Cheng was clearly being suppressed from the very start. Zhang He was no ordinary opponent. His Intent had reached over ninety percent progress and was not far from evolving it into a Domain. Against that, Wang Cheng stood no chance. With his Intent suppressed, he had no choice but to draw his sword.

Whoosh!

Wang Cheng executed a sword technique, and a streak of white light instantly surged toward Zhang He. Due to being suppressed, he failed to add significant power to his strike. Regardless, his secret technique was powerful by itself, and his swordplay was extremely refined. This strike carried at least six thousand cauldrons of force—respectable by any measure.

Even so, Zhang He was simply stronger.

Clang!

He drew his saber, and a brilliant saber light tore through the air. It was fast, precise, and ruthless. The strike erupted with more than eight thousand cauldrons of force.

BANGGGG!