Sage of Humanity

Within the Mirage Realm, Lu Ye was surrounded by the spirit light of two weapon-controlled Spiritual Artifacts, holding the Boulder Mountain Saber and killing his way through, as one after another, a Level 7 Insect Race member fell to the ground.

In his spare time learning from Madam Yun about the Path of Spirit Runes, Lu Ye had found another Spiritual Artifact suitable for weapon control from Hua Ci.

He was currently controlling two Spiritual Artifacts, both of which had similar designs and comparable power.

Although he did not have the monstrous talent of Li Baxian on the Weapon Control Path, he was definitely not inferior.

As a spirit runes master, his control over his own spirit force far exceeded that of other cultivators at the same level.

Additionally, thanks to the Talent Tree, his spirit force was extremely pure, so if Lu Ye wished, he could probably control up to three or even four Spiritual Artifacts!

But controlling weapons was extremely mentally taxing, which is why the majority of Spirit Stream Realm cultivators could only control one weapon—because they could not divide their attention to control a second one. Forcing the issue would only result in reducing the power of their controlled weapons, so it was better to focus on mastering one.

At this stage, Lu Ye felt that controlling two Spiritual Artifacts was enough; any more would likely be a burden on him.

The two Spiritual Artifacts soared and fluttered, making it difficult for Level 7 Insect Race members to get close. Even if they managed to break through the weapons' blockade and charge at Lu Ye, they were only delivering themselves to death.

Moments later, the spirit light of the controlled weapons returned, and neatly lying around him were the corpses of nine Insect Race members...

He had broken through the ninth barrier!

The corpses suddenly vanished, and a dense surge in front of him indicated that something was about to charge out.

Here it comes!

Lu Ye looked up with anticipation.

When he was at Spirit Stream Level 6, he had fought his way through the nine barriers of the Insect Race, and then a cultivator had charged out of the mist. But after that, he went on to ascend to Level 7, and upon entering the Mirage Realm again, he began fighting the Insect Race once more.

Fighting the Insect Race also honed his combat skills, but it was not as effective as battling other cultivators.

Therefore, Lu Ye had always wanted to get through the nine barriers of the Insect Race to see if another cultivator would emerge. Previously, there wasn't a significant increase in strength, so he didn't waste his efforts and merit on it.

Now that he was capable of controlling two Spiritual Artifacts, his strength had increased and fighting the Insect Race was indeed much smoother.

Amidst the rolling fog, a figure burst out, holding a long spear surrounded by spirit light and thrusting it straight at Lu Ye's face.

Lu Ye was delighted. It seemed that, just as he had guessed, if he could kill all the Insect Race members in one go, what awaited him would be other cultivators.

Of course, it wasn't a living person, but rather the mysterious nature of the Mirage Realm. He could not even see clearly what the cultivator looked like, nor could he determine their gender because the dense mist enveloped their entire being.

An incense stick's time later, inside the training room, Lu Ye suddenly opened his eyes, his face a shade paler.

Raising his hand, he rubbed his head. The Mirage Realm was a great place. The only downside was that every time he died and came out, his head felt as if it had been poked by a needle, causing unbearable pain.

Just now, in the Mirage Realm, he had repeatedly slain several cultivators. The manner of the cultivators' appearance was different from the Insect Race; the Insect Race came in increasing numbers, from one to nine, without a change in their cultivation.

The cultivators, however, gradually increased in cultivation, with only one at a time.

But those cultivators, shrouded in dense fog, whose faces and even genders were indistinct, fought as if they were real people. They would activate their Weapon Control Techniques, employing extremely exquisite skills.

Their cultivation rose from Level 7 to Level 8, and then to Level 9...

Since Lu Ye fought continuous battles without a moment's rest, and stronger enemies emerged from the fog as soon as one died, he couldn't last very long, even with all his might. He was defeated by the first Level 9 cultivator with a flying sword.

Yet Lu Ye was not the least bit disheartened; instead, he found it very worthwhile!

The sensation of death within the Mirage Realm was very realistic. Such training could help him become familiar with the fighting styles of cultivators from various schools, and thus, he would be better prepared when facing enemies on the battlefield in the future.

He checked his battlefield marking.

Name: Lu Ye.

Status: Righteous Blood Sect Disciple.

Cultivation: 135 orifices.

Location: Spirit Stream battlefield.

Merit: 2,950.

For cultivators, unlocking 108 orifices means reaching Level 7, and 144 orifices mean Level 8.

Almost a month had passed since the Insect Plague, and even though Lu Ye now had to learn the Path of Spirit Runes from Madam Yun during the day and only cultivated at night, he benefitted from the rich Spiritual Energy at the garrison, and he was not lacking in Spirit Stones and elixir pills. Hua Ci had found a great many Spirit Stones and elixir pills from those storage sacks.

The cultivators who died in the Chess Sea hadn't brought many other things, but they did carry a lot of Spirit Stones and elixir pills, which now all benefited Hua Ci; Lu Ye simply had to take them from her.

In such a favorable cultivation environment, coupled with abundant supplies and the Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Runes and Bestial Gluttony Feast, even though Lu Ye intentionally slowed down his cultivation progress, his spiritual orifice count had reached 135.

He was getting closer to the Level 8 cultivation, which also meant that his time at the garrison was drawing near.

The Spirit Stream battlefield has few explicit rules but abides by unspoken customs. Desperate to rout each other, cultivators from both camps still act within these understood boundaries.

For example, if they capture a healing cultivator from the opposing camp, they generally spare their life, waiting for the other side to pay a ransom to redeem them.

For example, the outer circle of the battlefield is usually reserved for cultivators at Level 7 or below, except under certain necessary circumstances.

This is also why the governors stationed in the outer circle are mostly at Level 7. Is it that the sects don't have cultivators above Level 7? Of course, they do! But they aren't at the sect headquarters.

Once cultivators reach around Level 7, they generally head toward the inner circle. One reason is that those with higher cultivation gain no merit for killing those with lower cultivation in the outer circle and may even lose merit—more loss than gain.

The second reason is that the closer one gets to the center, the richer the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making cultivation naturally simpler.

A Level 7 in the outer circle might not achieve in one year what could be achieved in the inner circle in half a year. If they go to the Core Circle, the results are even better; of course, it's much more dangerous too.

Once you embark on the path of cultivation, one battles against fellow man and nature's challenges. Who doesn't want to climb higher? Every cultivator will find ways to improve their cultivation. Under the grand waves of conflict between the two camps, those who don't advance are unable to control their own fate.

Lu Ye had been planning to move to the inner circle long ago, but since the Righteous Blood Sect was newly established, as the governor, he couldn't just leave.

Although he didn't manage affairs on a daily basis, his presence in the headquarters alone was enough to stabilize people's morale.

Now that the headquarters was stable, with Hua Ci in charge, that should suffice. Although she had also advanced to Level 7 and could not sit in for too long, she could hold the fort for the time being. There would always be disciples who could take up the mantle later, Guk Yang and He Xiying were promising candidates and could be given an opportunity to become official disciples.

Kong Niu was qualified in terms of cultivation, but his disposition was far too simple. You could ask him to kill enemies and set fires, but managing headquarters was absolutely out of the question.

Of course, there was also another reason pushing Lu Ye to enter the inner circle, which related to the future prospects of the Righteous Blood Sect disciples.

"Almost at Level 8 already, huh?" Shui Yuan looked at Lu Ye with mixed emotions across the dining table. When their little junior brother had returned to the sect, he was only at Level 5, and that was merely a few months ago. Now he was almost at Level 8; his cultivation speed was a bit too fast.

"Indeed, it's about time to head toward the inner circle. When do you plan to leave?"

"In about half a month. I want to learn more about the Path of Spirit Runes from Madam Yun." Speaking of Madam Yun, Lu Ye remembered the incident. "I heard from Yiyi that last time Madam Yun came and beat up the sect master? What happened?"

He had learned about it afterward as he was at Bright Heart Peak deciphering the Array laid out by Madam Yun and hadn't noticed the commotion outside.

"The love-hate saga of the older generation is like that, just let it be. It's been like this for so many years," Shui Yuan said.

Lu Ye thus didn't inquire further.

Shui Yuan said, "Right now our sect only has one Alliance Sect, and that's Cangming Mountain, which has recently been promoted to 6th grade. They are right in the inner circle. You can go to Cangming Mountain; I'll send them a message first."

Disciples from the big sects often have close interactions, creating quite an exchange-student atmosphere.

"No need to bother, I am not going merely to temper myself, but I also have a rather immature idea."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"Just as you mentioned, Second Senior Sister, our sect currently only has Cangming Mountain as an Alliance Sect. I've looked into it, and the Cangming Mountain headquarters is quite far from the Righteous Blood Sect's. In the future, when disciples from our sect reach Level 7 in their cultivation, it won't be practical for them all to go to Cangming Mountain given the distance.

For those Level 7 cultivators who can't make the journey, we should choose some inner circle sects that are nearer."

Shui Yuan nodded in agreement, "You're right."

"I've heard that governors can form Alliance Pacts, right?"

"Yes, but if it's the governors who form the pact, its effects are limited to the battlefield."

If the sect master personally steps in, the effects of the Alliance Pact wouldn't be limited to the battlefield but would include the Nine Provinces and other aspects as well.

"That's enough! My plan is not to relinquish my role as governor for the time being. Firstly, I'll enter the inner circle and find some sects to form Alliance Pacts with their governors. That way, there will be more options for our disciples in the future."

"That could work. But little junior brother, do you have any connections?"

"I certainly do have connections."

During his time in the Chess Sea, he had become acquainted with many governors from sects, including those from the inner and Core Circles.

"You can decide on these matters yourself. As the governor, you have the freedom to proceed as you wish," Shui Yuan said.

"I'll go and ask the sect master for permission," Lu Ye said as he stood up, then suddenly remembered something else. "Oh right, what's with Fourth Senior Brother's spiritual orifice?"

He'd always known that his Fourth Senior Brother was very strong, but he recently heard some rumors about Li Baxian.

Shui Yuan sighed, "He shone too brightly and, given his origins from the Righteous Blood Sect, he was targeted by those at Ten Thousand Demons Ridge back in the day."

"His spiritual orifice was damaged, and there's no way to repair it?"

"There is an elixir pill within the Heaven's Augury treasure vault that can repair it, but it costs an exorbitant amount of merit."

Lu Ye nodded and went towards the sect master's chamber.

After obtaining the sect master's approval, Lu Ye felt more resolute in his decision.