Chapter 40: Chapter 37: The Destruction of the Song Residence (Parts One and Two Combined)
In Chu Zheng's eyes, the Phantom Spirit Sect, the Night Light Pavilion—they were all the same.
The Immortal Sects view commoners as ants, and he was a person, a commoner, not an Immortal.
The death of Song Lingqing, as well as the response of the Phantom Spirit Sect, made Chu Zheng instantly understand a lot of things.
The Night Light Pavilion had never made a move, scheming around the Song Family, probably because their real intention was not the wine but to slay the Song Lingqing, the Hidden Dragon.
Now that the Hidden Dragon had not yet emerged from the abyss but had already drowned in the deep sea, there was naturally no need to spend any more effort on the Song Family.
As for Jiang Cunhu and Fu Quanliang, it didn't matter who lived or died at this moment; it was all meaningless.
While Chu Zheng was deep in thought, Fu Quanliang beside him had already become lost in a daze.
To destroy the Phantom Spirit Sect...
These few words seemed to ignite the blood in his bones for a moment.
Why must he die?! Is his life worthless?!
Fu Quanliang's breathing grew heavy; what he could not do, did not mean Chu Zheng couldn't either.
Someday, perhaps he would also have the chance, just like today, to personally shatter the dog heads of those taskmasters!
"Fu Quanliang... Fu Quanliang!"
Chu Zheng called out twice, but seeing no response, he extended his hand and patted Fu Quanliang's face:
"Hey, wake up."
"Hm?"
Fu Quanliang snapped out of the illusions in his mind, glanced at Chu Zheng, and gradually calmed down.
Chu Zheng now, to kill a cultivator in the Spirit Spring Realm, had to rely on a sneak attack. With what could he overthrow the Phantom Spirit Sect? It might just mean dragging him to death as well.
Fu Quanliang had come to realize that Chu Zheng's thought process was somewhat different from ordinary people.
Either way, he was not a normal person.
"Is there a way for me to enter the Phantom Spirit Sect?"
This was the most pressing issue for Chu Zheng right now.
"When you attacked, I didn't feel any fluctuations of mana. Do you possess an Immortal Bone?"
Fu Quanliang hesitated a bit; he really couldn't figure out Chu Zheng's angle.
Chu Zheng immediately shook his head. If he had an Immortal Bone, he naturally would try to take a different path.
"Without an Immortal Bone, you definitely can't become an inner disciple."
After pondering for a moment, Fu Quanliang nodded and said:
"If you can hide your power well and avoid the pre-entry inspection, and then display the combat power of a Great Grandmaster from the common world, you could indeed join the Phantom Spirit Sect as an odd-jobber."
The Nourishing Power Realm, frankly, is on par with a Great Grandmaster, if not slightly inferior.
A Great Grandmaster of the common world, such odd-jobbers are usually very welcome by the Sects; after all, they do not consume cultivation resources. A few ordinary elixirs and daily meals are enough to keep them going.
Some Great Grandmasters who cultivate their bodies with external skills can even accomplish things that disciples in the Nourishing Power Realm cannot, making it a greatly profitable arrangement.
However, an odd-jobber is, after all, just an odd-jobber, not a disciple. Their status is worlds apart from the Outer Sect Disciples; without someone looking out for them, they are inevitably given all sorts of dirty and tiring tasks.
Great Grandmasters, revered in the common world as Pillars of the State, enjoy limitless glory and freedom.
Very few Great Grandmasters would be willing to lead such a life in an Immortal Sect, so this type of odd-jobber is not common, fewer even than the Outer Sect Disciples.
As for nurturing Great Grandmasters, the Immortal Sect would not do such a thing, as it would be a waste of effort. Firstly, martial arts also require talent, and secondly, it could easily lead to chaos.
The strength of most young Outer Sect Disciples ranges from the Nourishing Power Realm to the Spirit Spring Realm, with the majority in the Nourishing Power Realm; in a real fight, they may not be a match for a Great Grandmaster.
When Great Grandmasters become numerous, and the powers are equivalent, with such a huge gap in status, clashes are inevitable.
Immortal Seedlings are hard to find, and once a large-scale blood conflict occurs, it represents a loss for the Immortal Sect.
Even a Lower Quality Immortal Bone is worth much more than ten Great Grandmasters; it's not worth taking such a risk.
"What exactly does this entrance examination check for?"
Hiding power was not difficult for Chu Zheng; temporarily moving the Yuan Qi in his dantian into his body was easy for him.
The only thing to be cautious about was this pre-entry inspection.
"Immortal Bone, cultivation level, just these two things. The Sect previously had a Spirit Formation; you can't bring anything in with you. You enter bare and are given the clothes of an odd-jobber after passing through the Spirit Formation."
"Every time you go in and out of the Sect Gate, is it like this?" Chu Zheng asked, finding it a bit too stringent.
Fu Quanliang shook his head: "Of course not, this is only for odd-jobbers. For the disciples going out, there's another, more complicated process."
The Immortal Path has many wondrous methods. Every entry and exit by a disciple is a potential risk. Upon returning, an Elder personally identifies them to prevent body-snatching, shape-shifting, or evil heretics hiding inside secret treasures and returning with the disciples to the Sect.
Over the ages, countless Immortal Sects have been destroyed by internal strife.
Long-standing Immortal Sects will have methods left by ancestors as their foundation, but while many of these foundations can defend against external enemies, they do not stop traitors within.
Upon thinking this, Fu Quanliang couldn't help but feel a bit excited. If he could truly bring Chu Zheng into the Phantom Spirit Sect, it would be the equivalent of planting a time bomb, and perhaps one day it could really blow the Phantom Spirit Sect sky high.
After weighing his options for a moment, Chu Zheng made a decision, "Then we set off tomorrow."
Since he had received the news, it was naturally better to set off as soon as possible.
The Night Light Pavilion may not care about a Jiang Cunhu, but it was possible that some well-connected fellows might come looking for him.
...
...
Suddenly it was midday.
After receiving news from the Phantom Spirit Sect, Song Tonghai had not shown himself.
Knowing that Chu Zheng planned to leave the next day, Song Lingxue came forward and dispersed everyone in the Song Residence.
In a blink, the entire Song Residence was left with but a few people, eerily empty.
In the afternoon, Chu Zheng took a trip outside, circling around Luofeng City.