"Little Junior Brother, while experiential training can be highly profitable, it is what it is—a place where life and death can be decided in an instant. If you don't kill him, he will find an opportunity to take your life. The strong prey on the weak; it's as simple as that." As Li Yan stood in shock, Wen Xinliang's voice slowly reached him.
After hearing this, Li Yan slowly came to his senses and nodded, but he still asked, "Fifth Senior Brother, if we act like this, aren't we afraid of being constantly targeted by other sects?"
"Hmph, targeted? Little Junior Brother, you need to understand one thing: the moment you step out of the Sect, you are already in an environment where you can be attacked by others. It's just that such things happen less frequently the closer you are to the Sect. Within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there are cultivators from all over. Although the Hundred Thousand Mountains belong to the Malevolent Spirit Sect, first-rate, second-rate, and even unranked minor sect cultivators from the local area or from the territories governed by the other three major sects are everywhere. It's just like 'The Ashen Veil' managed by the Ten-Pace Courtyard in the east, 'The Azure Sea of Countless Sands' ruled by the Supreme Mystery Teachings in the south, or the 'Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda' of the Pure Land Sect in the north. Disciples from any sect can go there for training, and that includes us. However, there are some core areas that are off-limits. For example, the core restricted zone in the Hundred Thousand Mountains has been sealed by a restrictive formation set up by our Sect's Nascent Soul Old Monsters; only disciples of the Malevolent Spirit Sect may enter.
"Within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, incidents of the four great sects killing each other's cultivators happen every day. But as long as you kill cleanly, leave no survivors, and eliminate all evidence, it's an implicitly accepted practice by all sects.
"Furthermore, for Foundation Establishment cultivators like us, even if there is evidence that we were killed by the other party, the Sect usually won't intervene. After all, to the four great sects, the Foundation Establishment realm is just a low-level cultivator, only slightly higher than an entry-level disciple.
"Besides, when it comes to cultivators outside the four great sects, don't think that just because you're from the Malevolent Spirit Sect you can rest easy unless you run into someone from the Ten-Pace Courtyard, the Supreme Mystery Teachings, or the Pure Land Sect. If you think that way, you're not far from death. Out there, you have to be doubly careful even if you meet cultivators from a sect under the Malevolent Spirit Sect's jurisdiction. One moment they might be respectful to you, but the next they might turn around and strike you down.
"The reason is that a cultivator from the Malevolent Spirit Sect is bound to be wealthy, possessing far more resources than cultivators from these minor sects. At the same time, many of these minor sects or cultivation families under our jurisdiction are actually spies for the Ten-Pace Courtyard, the Supreme Mystery Teachings, and the Pure Land Sect. If they get the chance, why would they let us go? By the same token, we also have spies within their spheres of influence. This is an open secret. As long as these spies don't pose a threat to the Sect itself, everyone just turns a blind eye. Otherwise, if you wipe out one family, they'll just rope in another. You can never kill them all."
After saying so much in one breath, Wen Xinliang fell silent, then gave Li Yan a look filled with deep meaning.
Li Yan had been listening quietly. After hearing everything, his mind turned, and he already understood Wen Xinliang's intentions. Seeing his fifth senior brother looking at him, Li Yan took a deep breath and then gave Wen Xinliang a deep, earnest bow. This bow of his startled Lin Daqiao, who was standing beside them. But Lin Daqiao was also a quick-witted person; with a moment's thought, he also understood and stood aside, watching the two with a grin.
Seeing Li Yan bow to him, Wen Xinliang set aside his usual roguish demeanor and his frivolous expression, accepting the gesture of respect. Although Li Yan's master or other senior brothers and sisters would surely give him instructions when he went out for training in the future, the fact that he had said these things today after leaving the Sect established a certain rapport. If they weren't fellow disciples, who would care what happened to you outside?
After listening to Wen Xinliang, Li Yan understood that his fifth senior brother had seen through his earlier thoughts—that he had viewed this training as a great opportunity to collect resources. Had he persisted in that mindset, he wouldn't have been far from death. And so, Wen Xinliang had Lin Daqiao take out the Storage Pouches and speak of the ruthlessness and slaughter of the cultivation world. A single moment of carelessness on his part, and he would end up just like the original owners of the pouches on Lin Daqiao's belt. All high returns are accompanied by high risks. He had only seen the success of Lin Daqiao and the others today; perhaps one day, all of this would become a mere memory, their hard-earned gains becoming a prize for someone else.
At the same time, he gleaned several other meanings from Wen Xinliang's words, which he figured Wen Xinliang had deliberately revealed to him. First, the other three major sects also had training grounds similar to the Malevolent Spirit Sect's Hundred Thousand Mountains, and they were presumably just as dangerous, filled with life-and-death uncertainty. Second, the core areas of these training grounds were extremely hidden places, used for the cultivation or training of their own sect's core disciples, and cultivators from outside the sect were not allowed to set foot in them. Wen Xinliang did not elaborate further, likely because it involved some of the Sect's secrets that were inconvenient to speak of directly. Third, when encountering an enemy outside, either don't strike, or strike to kill, leaving no trace behind. Fourth, even in the western part of the Desolate Moon Continent , which was under the Malevolent Spirit Sect's jurisdiction, he must be careful everywhere. On the surface, everyone here was respectful to the Malevolent Spirit Sect, but probably no one besides the top echelon of the Sect knew who truly belonged to them and who were spies planted by others. If he were to venture in alone, he would probably disappear without a trace.
The things Wen Xinliang told him were not as simple as mere training matters; he had pointed out many things Li Yan had never known. In the future, when Li Yan was out on his own, every one of these sentences could save his life countless times. Being as intelligent as he was, Li Yan naturally understood the gravity of it all and expressed his deep gratitude with a formal bow.
After understanding the bloody nature of the training, the rich rewards of Lin Daqiao and the others also seemed less significant in Li Yan's heart. It was all earned by risking their lives. If measured in terms of life, this bit of gain was truly nothing.
Seeing that Li Yan's expression had recovered and the excited glint in his eyes had vanished, Wen Xinliang nodded. Some of what he had just said was common knowledge, while other parts were lessons he had paid for with his life. Despite the reminders from Li Wuyi and the others, with his roguish and slick personality back then, how could he have fully listened? After experiencing several near-death situations, some things had been deeply engraved into his very bones. For this little junior brother to show such an unfeigned calm in his eyes after hearing it for the first time, Wen Xinliang felt somewhat relieved.
Wen Xinliang knew that when Lin Daqiao had just reached Foundation Establishment and went out with Gong Chenying , Gong Chenying had said similar things to him. Lin Daqiao hadn't taken the words to heart either. Although Gong Chenying was always looking out for him, Lin Daqiao had still nearly died at the hands of a cultivator from a minor sect on one occasion. That sect was one under the Malevolent Spirit Sect's jurisdiction. Upon seeing Gong Chenying's four-person team, they had been respectful and humble from a great distance, even looking as if they were about to yield the path. However, Gong Chenying and the other two Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators, who often ventured out, saw the problem at a glance. There were seven cultivators in that small sect's group. Although their attitude was reverent, their hands were casually yet unnaturally hanging near the Storage Pouches at their waists, and a glint of coldness flashed through the smiles in their eyes. Lin Daqiao was completely oblivious to all this, still immersed in the high spirits of being treated with reverence. Just as they were about twenty zhang away from the seven, the group suddenly launched a torrential assault. Lin Daqiao was instantly kicked behind Gong Chenying, and the spot where he had just been standing was blasted into a deep pit, seven chi deep. Although Gong Chenying and the others later annihilated all seven of their opponents, Lin Daqiao was badly frightened. From that day on, he no longer felt that Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators were so invincible.
Seeing that Li Yan understood, Wen Xinliang didn't dwell on the matter any longer. After flying for another half an incense stick's worth of time, Li Yan's expression grew vigilant as he saw the number of cultivators on both sides gradually increasing. His reaction made Wen Xinliang and Lin Daqiao exchange a glance and smile. In truth, they were already approaching the trading city. According to the city's rules, fighting was not allowed within a hundred-li radius. Otherwise, the Golden Core cultivators overseeing the city would intervene, or even kill the offenders directly. They had already entered this zone. However, neither of them pointed this out. It wasn't a bad thing for Li Yan to be more vigilant. After these cultivators appeared, they still maintained a great distance from one another.
Watching the continuous stream of cultivators appearing around him, Li Yan asked, "Senior Brother, the direction these cultivators are heading is mostly the same. Could they all be going to the trading city?"
"You're right about that. All these cultivators are heading to the trading city to trade." This time, it was Lin Daqiao who spoke.
Li Yan nodded upon hearing this, which was consistent with his judgment. Just then, Lin Daqiao's voice came again, but its content left Li Yan stunned.
"Oh, right, Little Junior Brother, you've been in the Sect all this time. Do you know the outcome of your last trip to the Secret Realm ? I heard that the cultivators from the Ten-Pace Courtyard and the other two sects who were detained were returned to their respective sects a month ago. Do you know about this?" Lin Daqiao's network within the Sect was extensive, a fact Li Yan was aware of, but he hadn't expected him to be so well-informed. Since entering seclusion, he hadn't contacted his other senior brothers or sisters and was completely ignorant of this news. Although he had met with Zhao Min a while ago, they hadn't discussed these matters. Yet Lin Daqiao had learned this news after only returning last night.
"Oh? The demonic cultivators from the Secret Realm let them go just like that? They must have paid a considerable price." Having participated in the Secret Realm trial, Li Yan was quite curious about the final outcome.
"I heard that the three sects each paid nearly a thousand fourth-rank, elementary-grade medicinal pills and ten thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones before the matter was settled. As for our sect, although we didn't have any of their people as hostages, for some reason, the three sects also gave us a batch of Spirit Stones and artifact-refining materials. Although the amount wasn't said to be very large, they actually gave reparations. That's rather strange." As Lin Daqiao spoke of this, a strange expression appeared on his face as well.
Li Yan also found it a little strange. The Malevolent Spirit Sect had been jointly ambushed by the three sects, but generally speaking, not only had they not suffered a loss, they had actually reaped the greatest rewards in the end. Even if the Malevolent Spirit Sect had reason to demand compensation from the three sects, and the three sects were in the wrong, they still had the advantage of a joint alliance. For the Malevolent Spirit Sect to face three sects alone would still put them at a disadvantage. If the three sects agreed on the surface but kept delaying payment, the Malevolent Spirit Sect would be helpless. Thus, for such an outcome to occur was indeed surprising. Moreover, the things demanded by the demonic cultivators of the Secret Realm seemed like a lot, but compared to the hundreds of their dead and the losses incurred, it wasn't something that could be resolved with just these items. It seemed as though all parties wanted to bring this matter to a swift end.
"I also heard about this from a disciple of Lord Lao Peak . It seems to be related to the Devil's Cliff Crevice . Otherwise, the Secret Realm wouldn't have agreed to settle the matter so easily. Our Sect's ancestor used the Devil's Cliff Crevice as leverage to demand some compensation, and the three sects had no choice but to agree in the end," Wen Xinliang said nonchalantly from the side.