Chapter 346: The Sky Sword Sect Decides to Participate in the Seven Great Sects Re-selection Conference

Sitting in the observer seats, Yu Die and Cai Die felt a sense of unease.

Throughout history, those who became assassins for shadow organizations rarely met a good end in their later years.

Moreover, Zhang Erhe was the leader. If he were targeted for revenge, the sect would be almost powerless to offer him any protection.

Noticing their concerned gazes, Ning Tianchen emphasized, "Old Zhang, prioritize your own safety above all else. If you encounter an opponent you can't handle, remember that the sect and everyone here have your back. Don't face danger alone."

Bai He chimed in, "That's right. We're all part of the sect, working together as one big family. We won't abandon anyone!"

The elders echoed their agreement.

Zhao Wuji gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder and laughed, "Old Zhang, don't forget—when we worked together, I was your best enforcer. If anything happens, just give me a shout. I'll be the first to step in and settle things for you."

Zhang Erhe looked at everyone, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

After thirty years of wandering, he had never made a single friend.

Though these people had come together because of the sect, there was no denying that they now regarded him as a friend.

"Everyone…"

Yang Wudi chuckled, "Come on, men don't get emotional like this. When we have time, let's spar more and improve together. In the future, no one will stand a chance against us."

Zhang Erhe nodded earnestly.

Both being strong offensive-type weapon soul masters with similar strength levels, they were each other's best sparring partners.

Since Yang Wudi joined the sect, the two had sparred no fewer than ten times.

---

After assigning tasks to each elder, Ning Tianchen still had one important announcement to make.

"You've all heard about the Spirit Hall's upcoming re-selection conference for the seven great sects, right?" Ning Tianchen asked.

The elders nodded.

Yang Wudi burst out laughing, "Sect Leader, with our current strength, securing a spot among the top three sects should be a piece of cake!"

Ning Tianchen raised his hand to calm them and said gravely, "Don't underestimate our opponents. From what I know, the lower four sects and some powerful sects have secretly aligned themselves with the Spirit Hall."

"The Spirit Hall has seen our strength, and it's possible they'll secretly assist our opponents in securing a spot among the top three sects."

The top three sects represented the pinnacle of power on the continent, far surpassing the influence of the lower four sects.

In the past, even though the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's strength had severely declined, their status as one of the top three sects meant that despite their exclusivity, many people still clamored to join them every year.

Therefore, Ning Tianchen didn't believe the Spirit Hall would easily relinquish the top three positions.

After carefully analyzing the situation, Feng Changlin said solemnly, "The emergence of the Snow Mountain Sect has made us realize that there are many powerful hidden sects on the continent. It's possible the Spirit Hall could recruit one or two of them."

"We only have Honorary Elder Dugu Bo as a Title Douluo. Facing a sect with two or more Title Douluo, we wouldn't stand a chance."

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

Although Yang Wudi could fight desperately enough to hold his ground against a typical Title Douluo, holding ground was one thing—defeating a Title Douluo was another matter entirely.

Ning Tianchen wasn't pessimistic about the situation and changed the subject, "The format of this re-selection conference is divided into qualification battles and ranking battles. Among them, the ranking battles consist only of sect leader battles and elder battles."

The number of participating sects would undoubtedly be large. In the first round of qualification battles, each sect would send its strongest member to fight. If a sect lost, the entire sect would be eliminated.

After each match, there would be a rest period of about two hours. Ultimately, seven sects would advance to the final ranking battles.

Some sects with great reputations but not overwhelming strength would often face challenges from multiple sides during the qualification battles, forcing them to fight repeatedly.

Although the Sky Sword Sect had forced the Elephant Armor Sect to retreat, many sects on the continent still didn't know much about them.

To avoid being dragged into prolonged attrition battles, they had to make a resounding statement in the first battle, intimidating other sects into not targeting them.

Dugu Bo said, "Leave the first battle to me."

A sect with a Title Douluo-level fighter would almost certainly pass the qualification battles, and other sects would likely avoid provoking the Sky Sword Sect.

After the qualification battles came the ranking battles, where the top three sects would become the new upper three sects.

The ranking battles were conducted in a round-robin format, meaning each sect would face every other sect once.

The sect leader battle was worth four points, while the elder battles consisted of three matches, each worth two points, for a total of ten points.

To defeat an opposing sect, either the sect leader had to win one match and the elders one match, or the elders had to win all three matches.

However, the order of the elder battles wasn't fixed, similar to the strategy in horse racing.

If the sect leader battle was lost, the elder battles would become the key point of contention.

After hearing the rules, Zhang Erhe couldn't help but feel frustrated.

If he could appear openly, the Sky Sword Sect would have more flexibility in the elder battles.

"I'll also participate. Besides Honorary Elder Dugu, I've decided to bring three additional elders to compete. You can volunteer yourselves," Ning Tianchen arranged.

Only three elders could participate in the elder battles, but there was no rule limiting each sect to bringing only three elders.

Thus, bringing an extra elder would provide more options when facing opponents.

"Sect Leader, if you attend in person, you'll have to participate in the sect leader battle!" Bai He exclaimed in alarm, quickly reminding him.

Indeed, the sect leader battle could be fought by a substitute only if the sect leader wasn't present or if the sect leader was an auxiliary-type soul master (a rule created specifically for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect).

If Ning Tianchen attended and was a combat-type soul master, he would have to participate in the sect leader battle.

While no one doubted his talent or growth speed, his soul power level was still significantly lower than that of veteran experts. Entering the sect leader battle would put him at a severe disadvantage.

If the sect leader battle was lost, all the pressure would fall onto the elder battles.

Winning all three elder battles would be extremely difficult.

Ning Tianchen raised his hand to quiet the elders' murmurs.

"I know you're worried about me. There are still about six months until the re-selection conference. I'll go into seclusion as soon as possible to break through to level eighty."

When he was at the Soul Sage stage, Ning Tianchen had already been able to defeat Soul Douluo-level experts.

Once he reached the Soul Douluo stage, his strength would only grow stronger.

In the sect leader battle, he would have a high chance of defeating any Soul Douluo-level opponent.

Dugu Bo stroked his chin and said, "In the elder battles, aside from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Sky Sword Sect, I have no issues. Of course, if we face these two sects in the sect leader battle, we also won't have much of a chance."

"What worries me is…"

Huyan Zhen of the Elephant Armor Sect and Tuoba Xi of the Sacred Dragon Sect had been peak Soul Douluo-level experts for decades.

For this re-selection conference, these two might focus all their sect's resources on breaking through to become Title Douluo.

If they succeeded, they would pose a significant threat that Ning Tianchen would struggle to handle.

After some thought, Ning Tianchen said, "If I can't break through to the Soul Douluo stage before the conference, I won't attend. If any other sect leaders break through to Title Douluo, I can leave Spirit City and avoid the battle!"

Given his age, retreating in the face of much older and more experienced experts wouldn't be seen as cowardly.

Bai He frowned suspiciously, "Sect Leader, I don't recall any precedent for this in past re-selection conferences."

Ning Tianchen smiled, "Elder Bai He, the rules don't explicitly prohibit this, nor do they forbid it."

Everyone suddenly understood.

Indeed, following Ning Tianchen's plan was a reasonable choice.

Fighting against older-generation experts would allow him to rapidly increase his strength.

This trip would be an excellent opportunity for Ning Tianchen to train.

Seeing no objections, Ning Tianchen continued, "Besides Honorary Elder Dugu, who else would like to go?"

"I'll be the first!" Zhao Wuji patted his chest confidently.

During the re-selection conference, all participating sects would be protected by the Spirit Hall.

If anyone attacked a participating sect during this time, it would be considered a declaration of war against the Spirit Hall.

Thus, Zhao Wuji, the acting head of the Security Department, leaving the sect wouldn't be an issue.

This was also why Ning Tianchen had previously said that the number of participating sects would definitely be large.

For most small sects, in the current unpredictable state of the continent, attending the conference would allow them to witness the prowess of top experts while ensuring their sect's absolute safety—a win-win situation.

"Sect Leader, I'll go too."

Yang Wudi and Huo Lie spoke almost simultaneously.

Seeing this, the others shrugged and didn't compete with them.

The strength of Huo Lie and Yang Wudi was among the most outstanding among the elders. It was only fitting for them to represent the sect in the elder battles.

Although Zhao Wuji's strength was slightly weaker, he was merely a substitute, which didn't matter much.

Each elder had their own tasks to handle, and for the steady expansion of the sect, the remaining elders decided not to join the conference unnecessarily.

With the personnel finalized and Ning Tianchen having set the direction for the sect's development over the next period, he quickly headed to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to undergo closed-door cultivation.

Ning Rongrong did not join him in seclusion but stayed behind in the sect to coordinate work between the various departments.

The recently matured batch of medicinal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had already been harvested, and new herbs had been planted.

This place was a natural haven for plants; even without maintenance, the herbs wouldn't wither.

It would take at least half a year for the next batch of herbs to mature, so the disciples of the Medicine Department wouldn't come to take over this area anytime soon. Thus, Ning Tianchen could cultivate here undisturbed.

---

Feng Xiaotian and the others weren't idle.

Chen Huayu's task had been handed over to Zhao Wuji, while the others hadn't been assigned any duties.

After the sect meeting concluded, they headed toward Hurricane Gorge.

At first glance, Hurricane Gorge appeared to be an ordinary canyon, but upon entering its vicinity, one could feel gusts of eerie wind.

If viewed from above, there was nothing unusual about the canyon.

These eerie winds seemed to appear out of nowhere, preventing anyone from venturing deeper to uncover its secrets.

In front of the canyon,

Feng Xiaotian raised his arm, signaling everyone to stop.

The temptation to seek out deities was too great, so before entering Hurricane Gorge, Feng Xiaotian had to dispel everyone's illusions.

"Up to now, no one from my Wind family has ever reached the deepest part of Hurricane Gorge."

"We don't know whether it holds danger or opportunity. So, don't get your hopes up too high."

Keep in mind that the first-generation patriarch of the Wind family was a level ninety-three Title Douluo.

Even a wind-attribute Title Douluo couldn't reach the deepest part of the gorge—so naturally, with their current group's strength, they wouldn't be able to either.

As everyone was lost in thought, Feng Xiaotian suddenly pushed Oscar aside with a palm strike.

"Be careful!"

Before Oscar could ask why, a large boulder flew past where he had just been standing, landing heavily not far behind and creating a sizable crater.

Oscar patted his chest and exhaled deeply. "If I'd been hit by that, I'd have been scattered all over the place!"

Feng Xiaotian said gravely, "Hurricane Gorge is an extremely dangerous place for training."

After the soul master competition, he had come here with Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang for extended training.

Through the wind pressure here, Feng Xiaotian's strength had rapidly improved, but the place was often accompanied by unpredictable dangers.

The deeper one went, the stronger the wind speed became.

The canyon was surrounded by rock walls, and after prolonged exposure to the wind, parts of the walls inevitably crumbled.

At such high wind speeds, even a small stone could be fatal if it hit someone.

Not to mention, large boulders were often blown out from deep within the canyon. Under the intense wind pressure, it was almost impossible to avoid them.

Chen Huayu gasped. "Isn't this place too dangerous?"

Feng Xiaotian added, "Not entirely. The inner space of the canyon is vast, and humans are small targets, so most stones won't hit anyone. Of course, if you're unlucky and lose focus, it could be fatal."

"I need to remind you: it's not just stones that can be blown around—it can be anything, including humans!"

"After entering, you must proceed according to your abilities. Forcing your way deeper might drain your stamina and soul power completely. If you're blown away by the hurricane winds, you might be hurled out of the canyon, ending up like that boulder we just saw."

With that, he took a few steps forward into the range of the hurricane winds.

Stopping, he turned his head and added, "Decide carefully before entering."

If a deity existed within Hurricane Gorge, it was bound to be related to wind.

Among the group, Feng Xiaotian was the only wind-attribute soul master. If a deity truly existed, he was the most likely candidate to inherit its divine position.

Therefore, he had no reason to back down.

"Damn it, there's nothing to be afraid of," Oscar gritted his teeth and followed closely behind.

Chen Huayu also stepped forward.

For Yu Die and her sister, who were butterfly-type soul masters with large wings, the strong winds weren't exactly friendly.

To venture further under the wind pressure, they would undoubtedly need to activate their spirit souls. However, their butterfly wings were large, and in such windy conditions, they risked being blown away.

After some thought, they still decided to enter.

This was a place for training. Without effective practice, their strength would quickly fall behind others.

Upon entering the range of the hurricane, at first, it was just a gentle breeze against their faces.

After taking a few steps, they could clearly feel the wind speed increasing exponentially, with the whistling of the wind growing louder in their ears.

After twenty steps, the wind pressure became noticeably intense.

For ordinary people, reaching this point was already the limit. Any slight relaxation of the body could result in being blown away.

"Don't rush forward too quickly. Proceed steadily," Feng Xiaotian reminded them as he turned his head back from the front.

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