Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 273 This isn't snatching disciples, it's snatching up sects to destroy them.
"Thank you for the compliment, senior!"

Lin Chen politely expressed his gratitude.

"Young friend, don't think that you're a minor genius in the Yan Dynasty, which is just a small region. I'm just trying to discourage you."

The last sect leader of the Qingtian Sect guessed what Lin Chen was thinking from his expression and said with a smile, "The vastness of the Yan Dynasty's territory is beyond your imagination. Just one region is equivalent to dozens of your islands."

islands?

Lin Chen's pupils contracted; this was the first time he had heard a description of the Nine Kingdoms.

So, are the nine kingdoms located on one island?

"Senior, could you tell me about the situation in my country and the outside world?"

"If you are willing to participate in the second test, I can tell you."

Lin Chen: ...

He didn't know why this senior insisted that he take the test a second time.

"Let me tell you the truth. Although I am dead, I still have descendants in the dynasty. My Qingtian Sect is not considered a major sect in the Yan Dynasty, so it is difficult to recruit truly talented disciples. We can only choose to explore those undiscovered islands. If you pass the second test, you will be qualified to join the Qingtian Sect. Since I have made a contribution to the discovery, the sect will also reward my descendants."

This time, Lin Chen understood. This senior was seeking benefits for future generations, which can be considered a compassionate act of an ancestor.

"Since you think highly of me, I am willing to give it a try."

Upon hearing Lin Chen's answer, the last sect master of the Qingtian Sect smiled and said, "That's great. Ask me any questions you may have, and I will answer them for you."

"May I ask, senior, martial arts have flourished in the Nine Kingdoms for two thousand years. According to the regulations of the Yan Dynasty, no one should interfere within a thousand years. However, two thousand years have passed and no experts from the Yan Dynasty have come. Why is that?"

"Because of the annihilation storm."

"Annihilation Storm?"

"The sea area where your island is located is in the eastern region of the Yan Dynasty. There are annihilation storms in the sea area. The further in you go, the stronger the storm's energy becomes. However, the time when annihilation storms exist is not fixed. Sometimes they appear once every thirty to fifty years, sometimes once every hundred years... and some even span a thousand years."

"I see." Lin Chen suddenly realized that the reason why the people from the Yan Dynasty did not come again was because the Annihilation Storm happened to occur.

"Senior, is this annihilation storm very strong?"

"At least I have never heard of anyone who could pass through the Annihilation Storm. Perhaps the Yan Dynasty has experts of that level, but they wouldn't come specifically for a particular island."

The words of the last sect leader of the Qingtian Sect made Lin Chen thoughtful, and he understood the meaning behind the sect leader's words.

The Annihilation Storm is terrifying, but the Yan Dynasty is not without powerful individuals who can traverse it; it's just that for such powerful individuals, there's no need to.

Even if there were truly powerful individuals of that level, they wouldn't be interested in the martial artists on an island; at most, they would just be passing by.

"Senior, if the people of the Yan Dynasty come to the island, what changes will they bring to the island?"

Lin Chen asked the question that concerned him most: the Yan Dynasty had always been a sword hanging over the heads of the nine kingdoms.

"You want to ask whether the arrival of warriors from the Yan Dynasty will affect the division of the island into kingdoms, right?"

The last sect leader of the Qingtian Sect smiled and said, "The arrival of the Yan Dynasty will inevitably change the landscape of the major powers on the island. It depends on which power it is. What I know is that the first batch of forces from the Yan Dynasty to come here consisted of five families, but several more batches came later. These forces will definitely be looking for families or even countries that cultivate their martial arts traditions."

"As for what impact it will have on you, I can't guess for sure. But if you have your own faction, joining my Qingtian Sect is a way to break the deadlock. With the protection of the sect, no matter what kind of force comes, they will give our sect some face."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I understand now."

Lin Chen nodded, then continued to ask, "May I ask, senior, what about the demon race and the monster race?"

The martial arts of the Nine Kingdoms originated from the Yan Dynasty. If the demon race and the monster race existed before the arrival of the martial arts sects of the Yan Dynasty, then the human race of the Nine Kingdoms should have ceased to exist long ago.

"The demon race exists in various places, as for the monster race..."

The last sect leader of the Qingtian Sect had a profound expression: "I don't know the origin of the demon race either. I only know that wherever there are humans, there will be demons. Even in the Yanhuang Dynasty, the demon race is a great calamity."

"Young friend, this wisp of my soul cannot last too long. You shall begin the second round of testing."

"it is good."

Lin Chen nodded, and the last sect leader of the Qingtian Sect raised his sleeves. This time, three beams of light descended from above, three beams of light of different colors, and converged on Lin Chen.

The moment the tri-colored beam of light enveloped Lin Chen, the scene before him suddenly distorted, transforming into a blood-red battlefield. Countless translucent figures floated among the severed limbs and broken blades, each face identical to Lin Chen's, uttering seductive whispers.

"What kind of test is this?"

As these transparent phantoms, identical to himself, suddenly lunged at him menacingly, Lin Chen's mind trembled violently. These phantoms, like the thunder, were directly attacking his soul.

Each time these phantoms attacked, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his head.

Although the impact of these phantoms on his mind was far less than that of thunder, the sheer number of them was overwhelming. They were densely packed and surged toward him from all directions.

It was as if ten thousand ghosts had attacked, yet he was utterly helpless against these phantoms.

After a hundred breaths, Lin Chen had lost count of how many times he had been stabbed, and he began to feel dizzy and disoriented.

However, at that very moment, the Gate of the Spirit Platform opened automatically, and a golden light shone out, accompanied by the shadow of an ice-blue dragon.

In an instant, Lin Chen regained consciousness and examined his inner mind, only to discover a strange scene.

Under the golden light, countless red dots could be seen rushing towards his spiritual platform, but the icy blue dragon shadow acted like a guardian deity, frantically circling before the platform, absorbing and devouring all the red dots in its path. In the end, the icy blue dragon shadow was enveloped in a layer of red fluorescence.

Lin Chen didn't know how many red phantoms passed through his body; he was numb until the dragon shadow suddenly stopped. Only then did he look around and realize that the phantoms around him had completely disappeared, leaving the surroundings empty.

On the spirit platform, no more red dots appeared. The dragon shadow suddenly flipped over, and a red flame spewed from its mouth toward Lin Chen's golden figure.

The moment the flames touched his soul, Lin Chen let out a heart-wrenching roar.
The flames did not burn flesh and blood, but directly scorched the very essence of the soul.

The little golden figure trembled violently in the flames, like gold thrown into a furnace.

The excruciating pain contorted Lin Chen's features like a demon, the veins on his forehead bulging like writhing earthworms, and he was completely unaware that his fingernails were digging deep into his palms.

Just as Lin Chen sensed that his golden figure was about to be burned and shattered, a green waterfall cascaded down from his spiritual platform, and the crimson flames instantly turned into a deep blue. The cracks on the golden figure healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the newly formed golden light was several times more solid than before, flowing slowly on the surface of the body like liquid metal.

The moment the flames dissipated, the golden figure suddenly opened its eyes, causing Lin Chen's dantian to surge, and his vast blood and qi automatically condensed into a vortex that surrounded its body.

"panel!"

Lin Chen immediately called out the control panel, a vague guess forming in his mind.

[Host: Lin Chen]

[Realm Level: Great Perfection of the Internal Organ Refinement Realm]

[Nine Revolutions to Refine the Organs: 7/9]

[Spirit Rank: Third Tier]

……

Sure enough, his spirit rank level increased by another level.

Before Lin Chen could even finish looking at the panel, a sigh filled with "resentment" rang in his ears.

"Young friend, that's not fair of you."

Lin Chen looked up and found himself back in the same place, where the last sect leader of the Qingtian Sect was looking at him with a resentful gaze.

"Senior, what do you mean by this?"

"You have Canglan energy in your soul, so you are qualified to enter the Canglan Sect. Why didn't you say so just now?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen scratched his head and said, "Senior, I think your sect is better and more suitable for me. I am only qualified to participate in the Canglan Sect's disciple assessment, but I don't necessarily have to choose the Canglan Sect."

"You... young friend, why make such a joke?"

The last sect leader of the Qingtian Sect sighed softly: "Young friend, you must have obtained the Canglan Token. You should know that once you have the Canglan Token's approval, you can only choose to join the Canglan Sect, unless the Canglan Sect is willing to give up on you."

"This junior is indeed aware of this rule, but when the time comes, your senior should be able to communicate with the Canglan Sect and everything should be fine."

Lin Chen wore an innocent expression, but the last sect master of the Qingtian Sect snorted: "Young friend, to tell you the truth, if you weren't the owner of the Canglan Token, I would want to slap you to death right now."

"?"

"Canglan Sect is a major sect in the region, while my Qingtian Sect is only a second-rate sect in the region. What do we have to compete with Canglan Sect for disciples?"

Are they competing with the Canglan Sect for disciples?
That's not stealing disciples, that's vying to have your sect destroyed.

"This junior truly knows nothing of these things."

Lin Chen had a look of shame on his face. He had a preconceived notion that the True Monarch of the Canglan Sect had left behind a legacy waiting for a destined person, and that the Sect Master of the Qingtian Sect was doing the same. This made him subconsciously think that the Qingtian Sect and the Canglan Sect were of equal strength.

"Since this matter has already occurred, I will not pursue it further. If you have the opportunity to visit the Yan Dynasty in the future, I hope you will go to Thousand Forging City in the Heavenly Mystery Domain and check for me whether the Zhu family still exists. My name is Zhu Cangshan."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's expression turned serious: "If I am able to go to the Yan Dynasty, I will definitely visit Thousand Forging City."

Lin Chen understood what this senior meant. Since he could no longer get the sect to reward his descendants through him, he wanted to establish a connection with him.

It seems that the Canglan Sect is even more powerful than I imagined.

Only if the Canglan Sect is powerful enough, and I am qualified to participate in the Canglan Sect's entrance examination, will this senior think I have potential.

"You cannot take the sect-guiding token of my Qingtian Sect, but I will give you another great gift. Take out the square seal in your possession."

Square seal?

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, and the next moment he took out the Martial Dao Seal from his pocket.

Since he broke through to the Internal Organ Refining Realm, he really hasn't paid any attention to the Martial Dao Seal anymore.

Wudao Mountain has three steps, but it takes 10 minutes to climb the second step, and he doesn't have enough minutes yet.

"The method of forging this item originated from my Qingtian Sect. It must have been revealed by a disciple when my Qingtian Sect was disbanded. However, the person who forged it was not strong enough and did not complete the forging. Today, I will complete the forging for you."

"Thank you, senior."

Lin Chen happily agreed, he hadn't expected that the Martial Dao Seal was actually made using the secret techniques of the Qingtian Sect.

(End of this chapter)