"Is it resolved just like this?"
"It seems that Wei Tu's strength is much higher than we expected."
Inside the Divine Master's Mansion, the Nascent Soul elders looked at each other in disbelief after Ji Zhang's defeat and escape.
Although, with their power, defeating Ji Zhang, the Fake Nascent Soul Old Ancestor, wasn't too difficult, the key issue was—how many years has Wei Tu been in the Nascent Soul realm?
In just a few years, an ordinary new Nascent Soul cultivator could barely stabilize their newly attained Nascent Soul realm, let alone fully transform their strength to reach the true Nascent Soul level.
However, what they didn't know was that the spiritual item Wei Tu used to break through the Qi Ling Tribulation was not just any ordinary spiritual object, but rather a "Spirit-Communing Object".
A Spirit-Communing Object not only allows a cultivator to pass through the Qi Ling Tribulation smoothly but also, with its abundant spirituality, helps Nascent Soul cultivators more easily grasp and solidify their Nascent Soul Spirit Body... thus overcoming the "weak period" in the initial years of entering the Nascent Soul realm.
As for his combat techniques...
There was no need to mention more.
The dragon essence used in Wei Tu's formation of the Koi Dragon Yin Blade wasn't ordinary either. It was the precious item stored in the Stone Demon Tower, called "Tianjiao Dragon Centipede".
The Tianjiao Dragon Centipede was as rare as the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix of the Mirror Water Pavilion, both being true spirit descendants.
Its essence, though not as miraculous as the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix in helping cultivators break through the Nascent Soul realm, was of such a high grade that it made Wei Tu's Koi Dragon Yin Blade a Nascent Soul technique from the moment it was born.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to easily counter Fu Linglong's "Buddha's Heart" when it first appeared during the battle between Wei Tu and Fu Linglong.
Now that Wei Tu had reached the Nascent Soul realm, naturally, the power of his Koi Dragon Yin Blade had escalated, reaching the level of Nascent Soul divine abilities.
"With such techniques, even though Wei Tu's strength is not yet on par with us old Nascent Soul cultivators, he is no longer someone who can be easily bullied."
The cultivators couldn't help but feel emotional.
They understood that today's battle marked Wei Tu truly establishing himself in the Nascent Soul realm.
Though young, his strength was no weaker than theirs.
In fact… he might even be stronger!
After all, they didn't know if the two divine abilities Wei Tu used against Ji Zhang were the only ones he had.
What was even more terrifying was that Wei Tu was still so young.
This meant that within a few hundred years, his combat techniques and divine abilities might surpass theirs.
"He's definitely someone who cannot be easily offended!"
At that moment, Hong Jing and the other Nascent Soul elders visiting, as well as the three Divine Master of the Ying Ding Tribe, suddenly had a thought arise in their minds.
This thought was also shared by the three Divine Master.
At this moment, they felt a new sense of awe for Wei Tu besides the earlier equality they felt toward him.
As the saying goes, "Don't bully the young."
After this battle, Wei Tu had become the most unassailable young Nascent Soul cultivator in the Ying Ding Tribe and even within the borders of Kang Kingdom.
"Come! Let us all drink and toast to Fellow Daoist Wei, who has secured victory with a single strike against the intruder."
Hong Jing was the first to send a friendly signal, her lips slightly pursed, raising a wine cup and speaking to the cultivators.
"Indeed! Indeed!"
"Fellow Daoist Wei's divine might has already repelled a Fake Nascent Soul. This greatly enhances our reputation."
Other cultivators raised their cups and echoed the sentiment.
In no time, the private banquet resumed its earlier lively atmosphere, even more harmonious than before.
At the same time.
At Earth Sword Mountain, in the main hall for discussions.
A silver-haired old man and a short, chubby dwarf sat calmly on the high platform, looking down at the Golden Core cultivators of Earth Sword Mountain.
"Grandmaster Mo, Ancestor Yu Tong, our sect just recently made peace with Ancient Sword Mountain, and if we offend the Ying Ding Tribe now, we might be caught between enemies..."
"Attending the Nascent Soul Ceremony will not cause us any major losses. On the contrary, it will help us build a good relationship with the largest tribe in the prairie."
At this time, Ye Shouyi, the Sword Master of Earth Sword Mountain, with a bitter smile, bowed respectfully to the two elders on the high platform and spoke with a worried expression.
This was not the first time he had tried to convince them.
Ever since the invitation from Ying Ding Tribe had arrived at Earth Sword Mountain two years ago, he had been advising the two elders to set aside their grievances for the time being and not to make their relationship so stiff—even if it meant pretending to be polite.
However, both elders were stubborn. Not only did they refuse his advice and insisted on not going to congratulate the Ying Ding Tribe, but they also stopped their juniors, preventing them from leaving the hall and forbidding them to go outside.
Thinking of this, Ye Shouyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that he had certainly not misjudged their nicknames.
The silver-haired elder on the platform, surnamed Mo, was his great grandmaster. But outside, he was also known as the "Old Ghost Mo".
The other short, chubby dwarf, despite having a more elegant name of "Yu Tongzi", was also called "Old Monster Yu Tong".
One was an old ghost, the other an old monster!
These were not easy people to deal with.
"Yes, Grandmaster Mo, Grandmaster Yu Tong."
"Our sect just needs to attend the Nascent Soul Ceremony; there won't be any significant loss."
"Besides, this issue was originally the fault of Junior Brother Yao and Junior Sister Guan. If not for their ingratitude, would today's situation have gotten this bad?"
Tang Kejing, Gu Jiyang, and Song Wu also took the opportunity to speak up.
Ever since returning to the sect, the three of them had not forgotten how Wei Tu had ruthlessly dealt with Yao Chong Shan and his wife.
They didn't want to follow in their footsteps.
"Silence!"
Hearing this, the Old Ghost Mo's expression darkened slightly, and he immediately spoke, coldly rebuking them.
He said, "Although Yao Chongshan and Guan Yingzhi made mistakes, they are disciples of our sect, and it is not for Wei Tu to impose the death penalty... As for the discussion of their guilt, it must not be mentioned within the sect again in the future."
"If it is brought up again, do not blame me for showing no mercy."
Old Ghost Mo spoke coldly.
With these words, as Old Ghost Mo's gaze swept across the room, the Golden Core True Lords of Earth Sword Mountain felt a sharp, painful sting, as though pricked by needles.
Sword Intent Transformed into Rays!
Upon seeing this, the cultivators of Earth Sword Mountain instantly recalled these four words in their minds.
Sword Intent Transformed into Rays was an extremely high level of swordsmanship. Once a cultivator reached this stage, every thought and intention of theirs would transform into a sword ray, capable of attacking others.
It was incredibly formidable.
"With this level, no wonder Grandmaster Mo dares to not show respect to the Ying Ding Tribe," the cultivators thought.
According to ancient texts, cultivators who reached the Sword Intent Transformed into Rays stage usually had combat abilities far surpassing their own cultivation level.
Based on this, their Sect Leader Mo's combat strength would naturally surpass that of the three Divine Master of the Ying Ding Tribe.
With such strength, it was no wonder Old Ghost Mo would not bow to the Ying Ding Tribe and endure humiliation.
"Grandmaster Mo refuses to be humiliated, but the ones truly troubled are us Golden Core cultivators."
The cultivators couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In general, when two sects are at odds, the Nascent Soul elders do not personally engage in battle. Instead, they send their Golden Core True Lords to engage in both open and covert struggles.
Like the previous conflict between Earth Sword Mountain and Ancient Sword Mountain.
From start to finish, neither Old Ghost Mo nor Yu Tongzi had fought against the Nascent Soul elder of Ancient Sword Mountain.
The cultivators who fell, aside from the lower-ranked disciples, were mostly the Golden Core elders.
Of course, the Golden Core cultivators of Earth Sword Mountain also understood that the greatest beneficiaries in sect conflicts were often not the Nascent Soul elders, but the Golden Core True Lords who needed more resources to cultivate.
After all, the resources they fought for didn't benefit the Nascent Soul elders much.
"Shou Yi, do you understand why, after so many years, you have not found the chance to break through to Nascent Soul?"
Old Ghost Mo raised his eyes to glance at Ye Shouyi, paused for a moment, then spoke solemnly.
"Yes... disciple has been too focused on gains and losses."
Ye Shouyi felt aware and directly acknowledged the reason he hadn't broken through to Nascent Soul after all these years.
At his cultivation level, he certainly understood his own character flaws. But knowing was easy, changing was much more difficult.
In addition, there was also some inaccuracy in this statement.
—Character flaws were not necessarily the reason for not breaking through to Nascent Soul.
After all, if there had been enough opportunities for Nascent Soul, he could have succeeded without relying on Earth Sword Mountain's "Sword Cultivation Secret Art" to specialize in one sword and break through the Nascent Soul three trials fearlessly.
However, in front of the two elders, Ye Shouyi had no choice but to say it this way.
"I'm glad you understand this."
Upon hearing this, Old Ghost Mo nodded slightly, showing a look of satisfaction.
Upon hearing this, Ye Shouyi and the others immediately understood—it was a warning from their great ancestor, telling them to abandon the idea of reconciling old grudges and attending the Ying Ding Tribe's Nascent Soul Ceremony.
However—
At that moment, suddenly a talisman flew through the sky and landed in the hands of Yu Tongzi, who was sitting on the high platform.
A few breaths later, Yu Tongzi's expression changed slightly, and he looked toward Old Ghost Mo, whispering something to him.
"What? Before even leaving the estate, he defeated a Fake Nascent Soul cultivator with a single strike?"
Old Ghost Mo said in astonishment.
At first, just like Hong Jing and the others, he believed Wei Tu only possessed the Nascent Soul realm and lacked true strength in it. That was why they had looked down on him during the Nascent Soul Ceremony.
To be blunt:
Once he died, who cared about the floods that followed?
By the time Wei Tu would be ready to break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi, given their ages, would probably have long become a pile of yellow earth buried underground.
At that point, what would it matter to care about Wei Tu's thoughts?
Thus, there was no need to degrade himself and allow Earth Sword Mountain to attend the Nascent Soul Ceremony.
But now—
The situation seemed to have changed drastically.
Not only had Wei Tu recently broken through his realm, but he had also solidified it quickly. His combat strength in the Nascent Soul realm was already comparable to that of any typical Nascent Soul cultivator.
He was highly likely to surpass many Nascent Soul cultivators in a few hundred years, possibly even outstripping Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi.
After all, Wei Tu was like a rising star, while they, as old Nascent Soul cultivators, could hardly expect to make much progress over the next few hundred years.
Wei Tu's surpassing them was only a matter of time.
And this time would likely fall within their lifetimes.
At that point, would Wei Tu, who had a grudge with them, still be as easy to talk to as he was today?
"Prepare the gifts, go to Ying Ding Tribe!"
After thinking for a moment, Old Ghost Mo gave the order to the Golden Core cultivators in the hall.
Previously, he had been stubborn because he knew that Wei Tu would not be able to threaten him in the future.
In his heart, the face of a Nascent Soul elder was more important than the lives of the Golden Core cultivators in the sect.
So, there was no need to degrade himself.
But now, things were different.
In his lifetime, Wei Tu could indeed pose a threat to him. Therefore, the loss of face was not a big deal at this moment.
"What? Prepare the gifts to go to Ying Ding Tribe?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Shouyi and the others looked astonished, wondering if they had heard wrong.
After all, this decision was in stark contrast to Old Ghost Mo's previous attitude.