Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 60

Volume 7 Chapter 60: Niu Wenxing’s Impression (Part 3)

"What do you think it is?"

Xu Qingfan suddenly laughed and asked back.

"I am not very gifted, and I should not say these words, but over the years, I have regarded myself as a part of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. For the long-term benefit of our Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, I must speak up. Take the six great Holy Lands, for example. When the world is at peace, they only have about thirty Condensed Core Stage cultivators. However, when chaos arises, they suddenly increase tenfold in strength. That is just the visible power; how much hidden power do they have? Why do so many appear all of a sudden? It is because, in normal times, they only focus on developing exceptionally gifted disciples, raising them to become masters. To put it nicely, it is targeted training; to put it bluntly, they are just finding a few prominent individuals to uphold the reputation of the Holy Land, while the disciples with slightly lesser talents receive little help and are left to grow on their own. Yet, each of the six great Holy Lands possesses countless spiritual veins, spirit stone mines, and top-notch medicinal mountains, reaping numerous treasures every year. They only train a few elite disciples; what do they do with the rest?"

"I am listening to you."

Xu Qingfan’s eyes were calm, but the appreciation he hid grew more intense as he spoke.

"That is because the six great Holy Lands have accumulated various elixirs and magical tools. If they were given to the disciples at that time, it would surely lead to an immediate surge of masters in the sect. However, the masters they cultivate live at most for a thousand or eighteen hundred years; they can only ensure temporary prosperity for the sect. But what happens when those masters die? What should the sect do then? In peaceful times, what is the use of having so many masters? Elixirs and magical tools can be used at any time and can be preserved for thousands of years. The six great Holy Lands thought about this. They usually only train one or two prominent masters but have accumulated a large number of elixirs and magical tools, as well as numerous cultivators who have reached a bottleneck in their cultivation. When the time for battle comes, with the help of these accumulated resources over thousands of years, all Lingji Stage cultivators can become Condensed Core Stage masters, Fake Golden Core Stage cultivators can quickly become Real Golden Core Stage masters, and Real Golden Core Stage masters can rapidly advance to Golden Core Stage masters. The power of their magical tools increases significantly. Human Level becomes Earth Level, and Earth Level becomes Heavenly Level. At critical moments, the sect’s strength can grow tenfold or even dozens of times. While it is said that masters emerge in chaotic times, if you think about it, you will realize that every master comes from a prestigious background. The great Holy Lands have endured for thousands of years, and I believe it is because of this."

Upon hearing Xiao Yuan’s words, surprise finally showed on Xu Qingfan’s face. This idea was something Xu Qingfan had only vaguely sensed before but had not been clear about, mainly because he had previously been the Deacon Elder of Jiuhua, managing the Jiuhua Secret Library and knowing very well how rich Jiuhua’s thousands of years of accumulation were. At that time, Xu Qingfan only managed the outermost three layers of the Secret Warehouse but knew that the resources within could allow even the slightly talented disciples of Jiuhua to become Condensed Core Stage masters. He had not thought deeply about the reason but felt that the Holy Land should have such an abundance of resources.

It was truly remarkable that this Xiao Yuan, an ordinary cultivator, could see things so clearly.

Upon reflection, after Jiuhua sealed its mountain for seventy years, did it really rush to reopen because all the spirit stones had been consumed? Or was it that Zhang Hualing knew a disaster could not be avoided, so he decided to emerge early to gain enough benefits and status within the Righteous Alliance?

Furthermore, when Zhang Xusheng attacked Jiuhua, Jiuhua suffered significant losses, yet Zhang Hualing managed to train a large number of Condensed Core Stage disciples within a mere ten years after the mountain sealing. Jiuhua’s strength did not diminish but rather increased. After Jiuhua emerged, the other sects were indeed astonished that Jiuhua’s younger generation had produced so many experts, but while the other Five Holy Lands were surprised, it seemed they only wondered why Jiuhua had acted so early rather than questioning how Jiuhua could easily cultivate so many young masters.

Both Qingxu and Jiuhua had suffered great losses before the catastrophe. When the other sects thought that two of the six great Holy Lands would be replaced, the other Four Holy Lands insisted on maintaining the reputation of Jiuhua and Qingxu Holy Lands. At that time, Xu Qingfan thought the six great Holy Lands flourished and suffered together. Now it seems that the other Four Holy Lands knew those so-called big sects could not shake Jiuhua and Qingxu’s status, so they simply did a favor.

Looking back, Eight Wilderness Hall, Liuhe Gate, and Xingyin Sect once held great power, even above the six great Holy Lands. However, the six great Holy Lands paid them no attention, perhaps because those sects, despite having many skilled experts, could only flourish for a time and lacked the thousands of years of history that the Holy Lands had.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan suddenly understood and sighed quietly. The six great Holy Lands have endured for so long, truly being wise and careful. The sects that had previously provoked the Holy Lands, claiming to be equal to them, now seemed somewhat foolish, like a child challenging a clever old fox. While they sought to gain a name for a Holy Land and bravely led the charge, they did not realize that in the eyes of the six great Holy Lands, these sects held no status at all and were as fleeting as a flower that blooms for only a moment.

Liuhe Gate, Eight Wilderness Hall, and Xingyin Sect, once mighty sects that could rival the six great Holy Lands, had already suffered great losses at the start of the disaster and had fallen to the level of lesser sects. Some had even been eliminated from the cultivation world, while the six great Holy Lands, as Xiao Yuan said, had endured for a hundred years without losing power and had instead seen an increase in skilled experts.

The great disaster is an opportunity for evil forces to replace the righteous human beings, but it also serves as a chance for the Holy Lands to integrate their power and strengthen themselves.

Sighing quietly, Xu Qingfan said, "Please continue."

Xiao Yuan’s face was serious as he continued, "Island Master, our Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands are rich with rare treasures, and the East Sea around us is filled with natural spirit stone mines and medicinal gardens. This gives us an advantage in development, unlike the years of patience and accumulation that ordinary sects must endure to become Holy Lands. So as long as we focus on our growth, I believe that in two or three hundred years, Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands can become the seventh great Holy Land, equal to the six great Holy Lands. Although the Human Alliance is currently at a disadvantage in the Shenzhou Continent, it is still self-sufficient. The chaos will last at least six or seven hundred years, giving us more time to develop peacefully. However, Island Master, you have been too eager for quick success over the years. In just ten years, more than half of the countless treasures that Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands has accumulated over thousands of years have been consumed, all in the pursuit of cultivating more Condensed Core Stage cultivators. The attempt to exploit resources from the East Sea has also led to the depletion of the resources in the surrounding thousands of miles. If this continues, when Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands runs out of resources and the surrounding area is barren, how can we continue to develop? I ask you to think deeply about this, Island Master."

As he spoke, Xiao Yuan bowed deeply to Xu Qingfan.

After a moment of silence, Xu Qingfan suddenly said, "Xiao Yuan, after everything is over, come see me at Yuheng Island."

"Yes."

Xiao Yuan smiled, thinking that Xu Qingfan had listened to his advice again, and he bowed.

Xu Qingfan nodded, said no more, and walked away with Niu Wenxing and Xu Hui.

When Xiao Yuan and the others vanished from sight, Xu Qingfan turned to Niu Wenxing and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about, sir?"

Niu Wenxing said with admiration, "The Island Master truly has amazing talents under him. That Tianzuo Camp cultivator is very powerful, with mysterious skills and cooperative techniques that few can match. And that cultivator named Xiao Yuan has great insight…"

However, before Niu Wenxing could finish, Xu Qingfan interrupted him, saying, "Do you really think so, sir?"

Under Xu Qingfan’s deep gaze, Niu Wenxing felt a sudden tightness in his heart and couldn’t help but speak the truth, "Xiao Yuan is quite knowledgeable, but sadly his vision is limited. He doesn’t truly understand the situation, and he doesn’t realize how the Island Master is so eager for quick results that he’s forced into it. In the future, he may be assigned to handle matters, but he can’t lead effectively."

Xu Qingfan sighed and said, "Yes, most cultivators still do not see the real situation in the cultivation world. They think the six Holy Lands are gaining strength, and the cultivation world’s power is growing. There are ten times or even dozens of times more Condensed Core Stage cultivators than a hundred years ago. The Shura Clan was sealed long ago, and now there are only fifty left, which is not a great concern. Even though humans are currently confined to Yongzhou State, some still believe victory will eventually belong to humanity. They think it’s just a matter of gathering strength. Even if the final victory doesn’t belong to humans, the fighting in the Shenzhou Continent will last for hundreds of years, which gives me enough time to build my strength beyond the East Sea. I believe Xiao Yuan thinks the same way."

Xu Qingfan paused and continued, "But little does he know, will the six Holy Lands truly use all their accumulated resources unless it’s a matter of life and death? After the catastrophe, how will they maintain their status? This catastrophe is different from before; the previous ones were merely a redistribution of benefits among the sects. Now… we have reached a critical moment for the survival of humanity. They still see this as an ordinary calamity, yet I know that if I don’t act quickly, I might not even have the chance to act in the future."

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, a glimmer of admiration sparkled in Niu Wenxing’s eyes. Even if the Human Alliance cannot win, staying trapped in Yongzhou State may allow them to survive for hundreds or even thousands of years, which has become the common belief among all cultivators. He didn’t expect Xu Qingfan to keenly notice the crisis hidden within. It seems Xu Qingfan has carefully considered when to return to the Shenzhou Continent, which raised Niu Wenxing’s opinion of him even further—powerful, patient, and skilled at observing the situation.

Just at that moment, Xu Qingfan suddenly turned around, looked intensely at Niu Wenxing, and sincerely said, "Sir, as you can see, although I have many talented people in my Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, we lack a few leaders who can control the situation. However, vision is something that can be cultivated, you know…"

This was already a very clear invitation, but Niu Wenxing seemed completely unaware. He pointed to the few small islands that were faintly visible on the horizon and asked with a smile, "These must be your senior’s Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, right?"

Seeing that Niu Wenxing was avoiding the topic, Xu Qingfan’s eyes flickered, but he also smiled and said, "Yes, we have arrived."