Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 35: Master Ming Yan Steps Forward

Xiao Chen almost had to laugh. He never thought the Sect’s Grand Elder could make such an incompetent decision.

’Isn’t it just because I’m an ordinary disciple with no background? He still has the gall to act all high and mighty. So damn shameless.’

Still, the man’s words—his willingness to harm the innocent—gave Xiao Chen a stark reminder of just how cruel the world of cultivation could be. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Most of the time, a single thought from a powerful figure could determine the fate of those beneath them.

But Xiao Chen remained perfectly calm. He was fully capable of proving that his Cultivation breakthrough was both reasonable and well-founded.

Recently, he had happened to acquire several Spiritual Objects that aided cultivation: Purple Peach Blossoms, Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid, water from the Bone Tempering Spring, and Qi Gathering Pills.

Any one of these items could explain his rapid breakthrough.

This included the *Qi Nourishing and Breathing Technique* he had chosen from the very beginning. The sole purpose of this Cultivation Technique was to lower the difficulty of breakthroughs, helping disciples with ordinary aptitude advance more easily.

Although Xiao Chen had actually enjoyed a tenfold boost from the Cultivation Technique, something like that was impossible to quantify.

Who could prove he didn’t simply have a higher aptitude for it and thus achieved better results?

As he finished explaining these five different reasons one by one, a murmur of discussion rose among the elders present.

"That’s right. The main purpose of our Sect’s *Qi Nourishing and Breathing Technique* is to help disciples with poor Spiritual Roots by reducing the obstacles to breaking through."

"Purple Peach Blossoms help a Cultivator solidify their foundation, which in turn speeds up their Cultivation."

"I remember from his file that Xiao Chen has an inferior-grade Wood Spirit Root. The Refinement of Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid would help improve his cultivation efficiency."

"That kid from the Su Family... to think they’d be willing to part with the Bone Tempering Spring as a favor. What good judgment, and how generous!"

"After returning from the trial, he consumed two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills in total. That’s equivalent to an extra five months of cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining. When you factor that in, the timeline becomes much more reasonable."

This last point immediately sparked another round of discussion.

That patriarch from long ago, the one with the Fire Element Celestial Spirit Root, may have taken ten months, but he did so without the aid of any Elixirs or Spiritual Objects.

Xiao Chen might have appeared to take only seven months, but he relied on numerous Spiritual Objects. Factoring those in, his progress still wasn’t as fast as someone with a Celestial Spirit Root.

Put that way, everyone suddenly found the situation much more plausible.

Only Jiang Shiyou remained unconvinced. "It’s not enough! Any other disciple, even one with a Dual Spirit Root, could never be this fast, even with the same Spiritual Objects!"

’He was actually right. Without the Augment, these Spiritual Objects alone would never have been enough for such speed.’

But by this point, it just sounded to everyone else like Elder Jiang was stubbornly refusing to back down.

Elder Qi of Bishui Peak couldn’t help but chime in, "Jiang, Xiao Chen has already provided several logical and well-supported reasons. Why must you insist on making things so difficult for him?"

The moment she spoke, her cool, clear voice and striking appearance captured everyone’s attention.

The other elders of the Neutral Faction, who had remained silent until now, hadn’t planned on speaking. But seeing Elder Qi take a stand, they too began to voice their support.

They all agreed that with the help of Spiritual Objects, his progress wasn’t incomprehensible, and there was no need to dwell on the matter.

But Jiang Shiyou refused to yield. "Don’t be fooled by this kid’s clever words. While it might be difficult to gather all these items, it’s not impossible to replicate."

"For the Sect’s security, we should lock Xiao Chen up first and find other disciples to test this method. Once the testing is complete seven months from now, it won’t be too late to make a decision."

Elder Chen shot back, "That’s utter nonsense! You want to imprison my disciple for seven months without a shred of evidence? Why not just lock him up for seven years? Or seventy?"

"Do the Sect’s rules mean nothing? Or has the Law Enforcement Hall become your personal fiefdom, Jiang Shiyou?"

Elder Qi also raised a challenge. "Every disciple’s Cultivation is different. It’s tied to their individual talent, comprehension, and even their state of mind."

"A test with a single disciple would be inaccurate. And if you test many disciples, who’s going to provide the resources?"

Another elder immediately jumped in. "Testing is easy enough, but who will provide the resources? And who will be the test subjects? Is the Sect supposed to foot the bill to help disciples of the Jiang Family achieve a breakthrough?"

Jiang Shiyou shot a resentful glance at Elder Qi.

As one of the newer of the Five Great Clans, the Jiang Family’s foundation wasn’t deep enough to influence a member of the Neutral Faction like Elder Qi.

Now that she had repeatedly spoken out in support of Xiao Chen, even rallying others to his cause, Jiang Shiyou found himself at a distinct disadvantage.

’If I had known it would come to this, I never would have waded into this mess,’ Jiang Shiyou thought.

But as the conflict intensified, it was no longer about him alone. It had transformed into a public power struggle between the Jiang Family and the Chen Family.

The matter had already alerted the twelve divisions of the Outer Sect, the entire Law Enforcement Hall, and all the prominent elders.

From the moment the investigation began, the affair had spiraled. Now, every eye in the Li Huo Sect, from top to bottom, was fixed on the outcome.

If he backed down now, it wouldn’t just be his own pride on the line; the prestige of the entire Jiang Family would suffer.

If word of this spread, outsiders would think the Chen Family had triumphed over the Jiang Family.

At this point, Jiang Shiyou felt he was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off.

Elder Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He truly hadn’t expected Jiang Shiyou to be this stubborn, turning a minor issue into such a complex affair by refusing to yield an inch.

Fortunately, with Elder Qi’s help, the tide had clearly turned.

Seeing this, the Grand Elder prepared to intervene and mediate to end the conflict.

He looked toward Jiang Shiyou. "Since..."

"I’m invoking the special ordinance!" Jiang Shiyou cut the Grand Elder off, his teeth clenched.

"The Law Enforcement Hall’s special ordinance allows for the special detention of any disciple deemed a significant potential threat to the Sect. I am now invoking that ordinance to detain Xiao Chen for investigation."

"I will publicly announce the results of my investigation in the main hall of the Sect in seven days at the latest."

Now the other elders were truly baffled. Xiao Chen’s background was remarkably simple. What was there to investigate?

They didn’t know, however, that Jiang Shiyou had already made up his mind.

’Once I have Xiao Chen locked away,’ he schemed, ’it won’t matter if he’s guilty or not. He *will* be a spy from a rival Sect.’

His years in the Law Enforcement Hall hadn’t been spent in vain; when it came to framing the innocent, he was quite an expert.

"There’s no need for such trouble. I’ll examine him myself."

A deep, resonant voice suddenly echoed in everyone’s ears.

They turned to see a majestic, middle-aged man slowly approaching. He wore a formal cap and a wide, round-collared robe.

Xiao Chen’s gaze instantly sharpened, fixing on the space beneath the man’s Ruyi Cloud Head Shoes.

’Walking on air!’

Simply walking on air wasn’t that difficult, but this man covered hundreds of yards with each effortless stride. In just three breaths, he had crossed several miles from a distant cloud to arrive right before them.

’There’s only one explanation... the man is a Golden Core True Man!’

The Grand Elder immediately bowed. "Greetings, Master Ming Yan."

The other elders and disciples followed his lead, bowing in respect. "Greetings, Master Ming Yan!"

Master Ming Yan made a slight lifting gesture with his right hand, and everyone present was instantly raised back to their feet by a surge of Spiritual Power.

The Grand Elder immediately answered, "Reporting to you, Master, this disciple is Xiao Chen."

Instantly, all eyes turned back to Xiao Chen.

Who would have thought that a once-obscure Outer Disciple with nothing more than an inferior-grade Spiritual Root could ultimately command the personal attention of a Golden Core True Man.

Hearing this, Xiao Chen took a shallow breath and bowed once more. "Disciple Xiao Chen greets you, Master."