Seven days passed, and Chu Yang had basically familiarized himself with the five hundred worlds recorded in the "Book of Planar Anchors."
"Time flies by so fast. In the blink of an eye, these three trials are coming to an end again. Damn it, I have to choose gifts again."
"In that immortal cultivation world, it's been over four years. I hope those three hundred fellows will come back."
The marks he had placed on them had already disappeared from four.
This meant that four of them had died in that world.
Although it was regrettable, Chu Yang felt that it was already quite good.
In such a world, it was impossible to gain opportunities and improve one's strength without contention. Contention would inevitably lead to casualties. Even within sects that prohibited internal strife, there were always ways to kill you.
However, the reality was more severe than Chu Yang had imagined.
The Sect Master of the Five Elements Immortal Sect failed in his seclusion to break through to the Mahayana realm and ultimately perished.
The entire Five Elements Immortal Sect had only one peak Soul Transformation realm expert, three at the early stage of Soul Transformation, and only one at the middle stage of Soul Transformation.
At the Soul Transformation realm, one's strength was already terrifying. Except for monstrous prodigies who could kill across several minor realms, most cultivators were overwhelmed by those with a higher cultivation level.
There were no eternal partners between powers; only interests were eternal.
Countless sects were coveting the Five Elements Immortal Sect, viewing it as a prize. The ability to absorb such a sect was a dream come true for many sects of similar strength.
With the loss of a peak Soul Transformation realm expert, coupled with the death of the Sect Master, the situation of the Five Elements Immortal Sect was currently dire.
The peak masters of several main peaks had already been found to have colluded with hostile forces, attempting to seize the position of Sect Master.
There were frequent frictions between the major main peaks, and the entire Five Elements Immortal Sect was in dire straits.
He Guangxin had now put on the attire of a Five Elements Immortal Sect disciple and had grown his hair long.
Four years ago, when Yi Chenzi brought him to the Five Elements Immortal Sect, it was full of vitality. Now, only four years later, it was showing signs of decline.
When Yi Chenzi brought them up, all three hundred of them, their aptitudes were assessed, and it was discovered that most of them were of upper-tier quality.
They were once considered the future hope of the Five Elements Immortal Sect.
With the sect's current strength, they were not qualified to possess disciples with heaven-blessed potential. Such geniuses needed to be concealed to avoid calamity.
And as long as the Sect Master reached the Mahayana realm, they would be qualified to recruit disciples with heaven-blessed potential like the super sects.
Unfortunately, it failed, and what was more critical was that he not only failed but also perished.
The three hundred people were divided among eighteen main peaks. He Guangxin, being a sword cultivator, naturally joined the Sword Control Peak with Yi Chenzi.
Originally, Yi Chenzi intended to absorb all these people into his Sword Control Peak, but these fellows were truly bizarre. They were only drawn to a certain type of cultivation technique. Forcing them to become sword cultivators would greatly reduce their talent.
Furthermore, the cultivation techniques they practiced were also peculiar and could not be taught; they were completely integrated with their bodies, forming bodily memories.
"Senior Brother He, should we run? I heard that the Corpse Gu Sect and the Void Heaven Sect are planning to join forces and attack our sect!" a disciple whispered cautiously to He Guangxin.
He Guangxin frowned. To be honest, although Elder Brother Xian had told him not to develop too much attachment to the people of this world, humans were not made of stone; how could they be without feelings?
He had been accepted as a direct disciple by Yi Chenzi, who had spared no effort in cultivating him over the past four years.
Cultivation techniques, elixirs, sword arts... almost all opportunities had been poured into him.
As former soldiers of the Xia Kingdom, they had developed very diligent habits. They also kept Elder Brother Xian's reminder firmly in mind, prioritizing the improvement of their strength.
Who didn't like hardworking people? Those who were talented and willing to work hard were even more rare and precious.
When female disciples confessed their feelings to He Guangxin, he even uttered the famous saying: "Women will only affect my sword-drawing speed."
Yi Chenzi was full of admiration at the time: "With such a Dao heart, why worry about not achieving immortality!"
Although he was only at the early stage of Golden Core, He Guangxin was already the leader among the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages.
Listening to the words of this junior disciple, He Guangxin frowned and said, "I don't like to hear this. If you want to run, you run by yourself. Don't instigate other disciples. Considering it's out of concern for my safety, I won't report you to Master."
The disciple's expression changed slightly. After bowing to He Guangxin, he hurriedly slipped away.
Betraying a sect was a capital offense, and their cultivation would be abolished.
Yi Chenzi also walked out from beside He Guangxin: "This old man has spent his entire life in this sect. Seeing the sect become like this is truly... alas..."
Only then did He Guangxin realize that Yi Chenzi had come up behind him at some point.
"Master, that junior disciple just now..."
"It's nothing. It's only natural. However, I also want to ask you a question: if the sect is truly in a life-or-death situation, are you willing to sacrifice your life for the sect?"
He Guangxin fell silent for a moment. Rationally speaking, he should find an opportunity to protect himself.
However, looking at the old man, he felt he could not disappoint him.
Yi Chenzi treated him like a grandfather treated his grandson.
Recently, due to the internal strife within the sect, Yi Chenzi had visibly aged considerably.
"I am willing, but not for the sect, but for Master!"
Yi Chenzi was stunned for a moment, looked at this disciple he greatly favored, and laughed heartily.
"Actually, I know you people are special. I've investigated, and you don't belong to any particular place; it's as if you appeared out of thin air. And what's interesting is that you only care about whether you can improve your strength and have a low sense of belonging to the sect..."
He Guangxin's expression changed slightly: "Master, I..."
"Alright, no need to say more. For someone like you, who has no sense of belonging to the sect, to say such a thing, it seems I've done a pretty good job as a Master!"
"Master is the best Master in the world!"
"Haha! I like hearing that. However, our Sword Control Peak actually has a one-time teleportation array. About a week from now, you can take your friends and leave..."
He Guangxin's expression changed: "Master, has the sect really reached this point?"
"Be good, don't ask what you shouldn't ask..."
"Master, I'll stay to protect you!"
"You have your own mission, and I understand. So, you don't need to feel guilty. I appreciate your hard work and ambition. If the sect is destroyed, I hope that if you achieve high positions in the future, you won't forget that this sect once nurtured you, and you won't forget who your enemies are, okay?"
He Guangxin's eyes turned red: "Master! It hasn't reached such a critical point yet..."