It was night!
Dark clouds loomed, and the air was damp.
Hunting camp.
The night patrol soldiers paced back and forth.
To guard against enemy sneak attacks.
Inside the main tent.
After Jin Mian and Qian Renxue changed into their night-traveling clothes,
they blew out the candles in the tent.
Then, they quietly left the camp.
Flying rapidly toward the south.
Since the camp was not too far from the mountain range where the Clear Sky Sect was located,
under their full-speed flight,
it took just over half an hour to arrive at the area of the Clear Sky Sect.
What met their eyes was a small village.
It was surrounded by undulating mountain peaks.
However, unlike other villages,
most of the villagers here were Soul Masters.
Not to mention, even late at night, they weren't sleeping.
Each of them held a torch.
Observing their surroundings with great vigilance.
Hiding behind a rock, Qian Renxue whispered, "It's truly strange. Even in the villages very close to Heaven Dou City, most of the people are commoners, with only a few Soul Masters."
"Yet this small village is not only in a remote location but also built deep in a mountain valley."
"But the number of Soul Masters inside is actually so high!"
One must know.
On the current Douluo Continent,
as long as someone awakens a Martial Soul that isn't particularly useless
and possesses innate spirit power, even if it's only rank one,
once they obtain their first ring,
they generally wouldn't stay in a small village.
Instead, they would choose to go to big cities to seek opportunities.
Yet in this village, not only are there many Soul Masters, but their strength is also decent.
Jin Mian took a glance.
He explained, "There is only one explanation for this situation: these people are also from the Clear Sky Sect!"
These words left Qian Renxue a bit puzzled.
After all, the Clear Sky Sect was once the dignified world's number one Tool Spirit Sect.
No matter how fallen they were,
they shouldn't have been reduced to a small village.
Jin Mian continued, "However, although these people are from the Clear Sky Sect, I suspect they aren't direct disciples, but rather collateral branches."
"The real Clear Sky Sect should be on the mountain behind their village."
"This small mountain village, besides hiding the Sect's location, is likely an outpost used to investigate the identities of outsiders."
"Once they find something suspicious about a visitor's identity, they will immediately notify those on the mountain."
Qian Renxue nodded slightly, a trace of realization flashing in her eyes. "I see. So, what should we do next? Kill them all and force our way in, or sneak in unnoticed?"
Jin Mian thought for a moment.
Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Coming here this time,
he was only here to complete the temporary sign-in task released by the system.
He didn't want to make too big a scene.
But the surroundings were all high mountains; although there were treacherous paths to enter the Clear Sky Sect directly,
the people of the Clear Sky Sect weren't fools either.
They likely had already strengthened their guard at those treacherous locations.
Thus, this small village was the only entrance to the Clear Sky Sect.
Jin Mian used his mental force to sense the situation in the village.
He found that the strongest Soul Master in the village was only around rank forty.
After thinking it over carefully,
Jin Mian said, "Use silent combat to knock them all unconscious, then head up the mountain."
Qian Renxue had no objections to this.
Once they decided,
the two immediately went into action.
Despite the large number of Soul Masters in the village,
their strength wasn't much.
They were fine for dealing with ordinary scouts sent to investigate.
But before two Spirit Douluo powerhouses like Jin Mian and Qian Renxue,
they were completely outmatched.
In a short while,
as Jin Mian knocked the last small squad to the ground,
the two quickly set off toward the Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate.
The Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate was located on a steep peak.
The mountain face was smooth as a mirror, making it difficult for ordinary people to climb.
But Jin Mian and Qian Renxue could fly.
There was no need to consider climbing at all. Just as they were about to reach the top,
Jin Mian gathered power in his right fist and struck out.
A powerful gust from his fist whistled out.
A Clear Sky Sect disciple responsible for guarding the mountain gate at night
sensed that something seemed to be flying up rapidly from below.
Out of curiosity, he looked down the mountain.
Unexpectedly,
a gust of wind from a fist struck; before he could react, he was knocked to the ground.
Jin Mian and Qian Renxue arrived silently at the Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate.
Looking at the so-called mountain gate of the Clear Sky Sect before them,
Qian Renxue couldn't help but ask, "Is this really the Clear Sky Sect?"
Because the first impression the Clear Sky Sect gave her
could be described with one word: Broken!
Two words: Very broken!!
Three words: A beggar's nest!!!
Because that so-called mountain gate was actually just built from a few thick but somewhat old wooden pillars.
At the very top lay a weathered wooden plaque.
The three characters for 'Clear Sky Sect' carved on it had long since been eroded by time, making them somewhat illegible.
Weeds grew in abundance all around.
A scene of complete dilapidation.
This was the Clear Sky Sect, once the world's number one Tool Spirit Sect?
It was clearly the world's number one broken Sect!
Jin Mian also found it hard to believe.
After all, in his previous life, when he watched the animation,
the Clear Sky Sect's condition was still alright.
At least it wasn't this broken.
One could only say that the animation's filter effects were far too heavy.
Fortunately, the system's voice responded to his doubt.
[Ding! Host detected at the Clear Sky Sect! Sign-in successful!]
[Reward: One million-year Soul Ring (Golden Tortoise)!]
"Oh!"
"A million-year Soul Ring!"
"And the Spirit Beast is even a Golden Tortoise!!!"
Jin Mian was truly astonished by this reward in his heart!
A million-year Soul Ring!
Among all the Spirit Beasts on the Douluo Continent so far, those who have truly reached the million-year level...
...there is only that big fleshy worm who relied on eating Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Pith and sleeping—the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm!
As for the Deep Sea Demon Whale King,
this guy's actual cultivation is only nine hundred and ninety thousand years.
Don't look at it as just a one-year difference.
But a one-year difference is still a difference.
Even if the Deep Sea Demon Whale King has the strength of a million-year Spirit Beast, he is still technically a hundred-thousand-year level Spirit Beast.
There are also the Beast God Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena.
No matter how much the former is praised, his cultivation is only over eight hundred thousand years.
While the latter is essentially a god, her cultivation plummeted only because of the suppression of laws and the injuries left by the Asura God.
In other words,
the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm is currently the only million-year Spirit Beast on the Douluo Continent!
But this time, the system didn't just reward a million-year Soul Ring,
and the corresponding Spirit Beast is even a Golden Tortoise!
This is an auspicious turtle beast among Spirit Beasts!
It is like an "emperor" among turtle-type Spirit Beasts.
It possesses dual attributes of water and earth.
Its support abilities are extremely strong.
In The Unrivaled Tang Sect, Xu Sanshi evolved his Martial Soul into the Golden Black Tortoise because he obtained a hundred-thousand-year Golden Tortoise as a Spirit Soul.
This caused his Martial Soul to evolve into the Golden Black Tortoise.
Not to mention this million-year Golden Tortoise Soul Ring.
Just as Jin Mian was laughing foolishly,
Qian Renxue, who was beside him, quickly warned, "Xiao Mian, stop laughing foolishly; someone's coming."
Jin Mian snapped back to his senses
and saw a group of Clear Sky Sect disciples holding torches surrounding them.
An old man was also standing on the mountain gate...
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