I have a martial arts panel.

Chapter 280 The Crisis of the Origin Sect

A month later.

Fengling Prefecture.

Inside a sect in the suburbs.

In the dimly lit room, only a single candle flame flickered.

Inside the room were two men, both with somewhat solemn expressions.

"Sect Master, are we really going to the county-wide sect conference this time?"

At this moment, one of the men spoke up and asked.

If Xu Ning were here, he would recognize that this man is Teng Yunkong of the Yuansheng Sect in Wansheng Prefecture.

Xu Ning, Teng Yunkong, and Gu Man once sailed together on the endless sea.

"go."

The man whom Teng Yunkong called the sect leader uttered a single word with difficulty.

The man had mottled black and white hair, and his eyes were full of vicissitudes.

He is Xin Andao, the sect leader of the Yuansheng Sect in Wansheng Prefecture, a master of the second level of the Dao Realm.

"However, I feel that this county-wide sect conference is very disadvantageous to us..."

Teng Yunkong looked troubled.

"That's definitely disadvantageous."

Xin An said, "There's just no other way. If we don't go this time, they'll definitely find a pretext to say we're not united with the sects in the prefecture. That would give them a reason to target us. Our Yuansheng Sect is an informal sect. If we're attacked by all sides, we'll face the risk of annihilation."

"Crisis of annihilation...?"

Hearing this, Teng Yunkong felt a chill run down his spine.

"These people are so greedy!"

Teng Yunkong suddenly said with some annoyance.

Several years ago, the disciples of the Yuansheng Sect accidentally discovered a mining area near the sect.

Beneath this mining area lies a deposit of blue-veined ferrous ore.

Azure-patterned Cold Iron is an extremely valuable material that can be used to forge Daoist weapons.

In the martial arts resource market, the demand for this Azure-Veined Cold Iron is still quite large.

Upon the initial discovery of this blue-patterned cold iron ore, the sect leader and elders of the Yuansheng Sect were overjoyed.

They knew very well that for a sect like theirs with little foundation, if they wanted to grow quickly, they either needed to find a powerful backer, have a top genius emerge within the sect, or control some high-value resources.

And this opportunity has truly been presented to them.

However, after the initial excitement subsided, the sect leader and elders of the Yuansheng Sect realized a very serious problem.

While it's true that they discovered Azure-Patterned Cold Iron near the sect, if this news gets out, other sects in the vicinity will definitely start watching them.

The Yuansheng Sect is not a formal sect with a sect token, so it would not be difficult for other sects to plunder them.

Therefore, the Yuansheng Sect acted with extreme caution and discretion during the mining of Qingwen Han Iron Ore.

Even so, the secret of the Azure Frost Iron Ore was exposed after less than three months of secret mining.

For a time, the Yuansheng Sect became a tempting target, and many sects in the county, regardless of whether they possessed sect tokens, were eyeing it covetously.

At this critical juncture, Xin Andao found a way to overcome the crisis.

When Xin Andao first arrived in Wansheng Prefecture, he became acquainted with a disciple of a formal sect.

Later, that disciple grew up to become an elder of the sect.

Xin An Dao took advantage of that person's connections and temporarily protected the safety of the Yuan Sheng Sect by giving up part of the mining rights of the Qingwen Han Iron Mine.

Even so, the Yuansheng Sect still has to bear the pressure from all sides.

Compared to the previous predicament of the sect, this result is already quite good.

After Xin Andao had made all the arrangements, he thought he could continue mining the Qingwen Han Iron Mine.

However, more than a year ago, the official sect elder who had helped Xin Andao get on the road died in an accident, leaving the Yuansheng Sect without protection once again.

The various sects within the county, whose greed had been suppressed, suddenly harbored malicious intentions towards the Yuansheng Sect.

Especially recently, Xin Andao discovered that the major sects in the county had secretly joined forces to prepare to strike a heavy blow against the Yuansheng Sect, then seize the Qingwen Han Iron Mine and divide it up.

During this county-wide sect conference, some sects wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to put pressure on the Yuansheng Sect.

This is why Xin Andao and Teng Yunkong both felt immense pressure when they were talking.

"Sect Master, if they really exert pressure at the sect assembly, how should we handle it?"

Teng Yunkong was filled with worry.

"If it really comes to that..."

Xin Andao paused for a moment: "Then the only option is to cut off my arm to survive."

"Abandon the Azure-Veined Cold Iron Ore?"

Teng Yunkong looked pained.

He knew very well that this was the only chance for the Yuan Sheng Sect to rise to power.

If this Azure-Patterned Cold Iron Ore can be mined for several more decades, they will have the opportunity to elevate the status of their entire sect.

However, if they give up the Azure Frost Iron Mine, they cannot be sure when the sect will have another chance to rise again, or even if such an opportunity will ever come again.

"There's no better way..."

Xin Andao was also somewhat helpless.

"Let's go back."

Xin An said, "You organize the disciples who will participate in the sect conference. We'll just prepare for this sect conference as usual."

"understood."

Teng Yunkong looked somewhat dejected and walked out of the room in a low mood.

"Original Sect..."

Xin Andao was also extremely exhausted.

……

Several days have passed.

Fengling Prefecture, Zuiyue County, Yuxiang County.

This is the center of Zuiyue County.

"Wansheng Prefecture is indeed Wansheng Prefecture. You can see Void Realm Martial Masters everywhere you go, and you can also occasionally see Dao Realm Grandmasters."

It was He Mingye who spoke.

Now, Xu Ning, He Mingye, and Si Ying have all arrived at the location of the Yuansheng Sect.

They passed through Yuxiang County and arrived at the outskirts of the city, where the Yuansheng Sect was located.

"yes……"

Si Ying also marveled at the prosperity of Wansheng Prefecture: "Moreover, what is most surprising is that martial arts masters and ordinary people can coexist. Within the city, because of the existence of the imperial laws, everyone's status is equal, and no one has to worry about their survival being threatened because of a disparity in martial arts strength."

Xu Ning walked between the two without interrupting.

When Xu Ning first arrived in Wansheng Prefecture, his behavior was the same as the other two.

"Um?"

As Xu Ning walked along the street, he noticed that a constant stream of martial arts practitioners dressed in uniform were heading east towards Yuxiang County.

These people's identities are quite obvious; they are clearly from a sect.

Previously, Xu Ning had already discovered that more than one sect's team was heading east.

"It seems that a sect gathering is being held in Yuxiang County."

Xu Ning said.

"A sect gathering?"

After Xu Ning finished speaking, He Mingye and Si Ying's eyes lit up.

"I wonder if we could go and take a look?"

He Mingye and Si Ying had only been in Wansheng Prefecture for a short time, and they were extremely curious about the sects there.

Currently, apart from the Yanlu Sect behind Xu Ning, they have not yet encountered any other sects.

"Let's find a place to rest first."

Seeing this, Xu Ning said, "While you're at it, ask around and find out what kind of sect's activities are taking place here."

"it is good."

He Mingye and Si Ying readily agreed.

They all wanted to take this opportunity to experience the local customs and culture of Wansheng Prefecture.

Xu Ning led the two into a luxurious restaurant.

They ordered dishes made with precious ingredients, which would help He Mingye and Si Ying consolidate their current cultivation levels.

After serving the dishes, Xu Ning called the waiter over.

He tossed two Pure Origin Pills to the waiter, whose eyes lit up.

"Is there some kind of sect gathering in Yuxiang County?"

Xu Ning asked directly.

The waiter was very enthusiastic: "Yes, sir. Today in Yuxiang County, the Zuiyue County Sect Joint Conference is being held. Most of the sects, large and small, within the county will be participating."

"May outsiders go in and watch?"

Xu Ning asked again.

"That's possible..."

The waiter said, "This is only for outsiders to watch. Each person needs to pay one hundred Pure Origin Pills."

"One hundred Pure Origin Pills..."

Xu Ning nodded.

One hundred Pure Origin Pills are not many; even He Mingye and Si Ying could easily take them out.

"There's a sect near Yuxiang County called the Yuansheng Sect. They should also be participating in this sect conference, right?"

At this moment, He Mingye asked the waiter again.

"Natural participation."

The waiter responded.

He then lowered his voice and said, "It is said that one of the reasons for holding this sect conference is to put pressure on the Yuansheng Sect."

"Oh?"

As soon as the waiter finished speaking, Xu Ning and the other two frowned.

The waiter's meaning was quite clear: the Yuansheng Sect was currently facing difficulties.

"Why put pressure on them?"

Si Ying pressed for an answer.

"For resources..."

Perhaps because he is exposed to a lot of information every day, Xiao Er knows quite a bit about the Yuansheng Sect.

Then, he explained the current predicament of the Yuansheng Sect to the three of them.

"So that's how it is..."

After hearing what the waiter said, the three of them suddenly understood.

"You can go now."

Xu Ning then gave the waiter two more Pure Origin Pills.

This made the waiter unable to contain his smile.

Four Pure Origin Pills—this was his harvest over the course of half a year.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

The waiter left happily.

"It seems Sect Master Feng Xiu was right."

He Mingye said, "The Yuansheng Sect of Wansheng Prefecture is truly in trouble."

"Junior Brother Xu, is there anything we can do to help them with this?"

Si Ying looked at Xu Ning.

Although they joined the Yanlu Sect and their status was below Xu Ning's, they still addressed each other by their previous titles.

"Let's wait and see."

Xu Ning did not give an immediate affirmative answer.

However, deep down, Xu Ning felt that with his own strength, he should be able to resolve this matter.

This Drunken Moon County is not a powerful county. The top experts in the county are probably only at the fifth level of the Dao Realm. With his combat strength, which is comparable to the peak of the sixth level of the Dao Realm, no one can be his opponent.

Logically speaking, Xu Ning would definitely help the Yuansheng Sect.

However, they are currently in Fengling Prefecture, where they have no power to rely on.

Even if he wanted to help the Yuansheng Sect, he could only rely on Xu Ning's own strength.

"Let's eat first."

Xu Ning said, "After the meal, let's go take a look at the venue for the sect conference."

"it is good."

He Mingye and Si Ying nodded in agreement.

After enjoying their meal, the three left the restaurant and headed east towards Yuxiang County.

(End of this chapter)