Chapter 344: Arrangements

“Inner Disciple?” Dongbo Xueying’s heart stirred.

Xi Wei looked at him, a slight smile on her lips. “The Holy Master takes disciples of three ranks: Guardian Disciples, Inner Disciples, and Direct Disciples. The Direct Disciples hold the highest status, followed by the Inner Disciples, with Guardian Disciples being the lowest. Even though the Holy Master lived an extremely long life, he only accepted three Direct Disciples in total. The requirements for Direct Disciples are extremely strict—either one must be an extraordinary being possessing the First-Rank True Intent, or one must master the First-Rank Divine Heart within ten thousand years. If one meets either of these two criteria, the Holy Master would personally seek them out to take them as a disciple.”

Dongbo Xueying muttered silently to himself.

First-Rank True Intent extraordinary beings? That was absurdly difficult.

Mastering the First-Rank Divine Heart within ten thousand years was relatively easier. After all, one could first condense a Second-Rank Divine Heart, then later break through to the First-Rank. Most beings with First-Rank True Intent could condense the First-Rank Divine Heart within three thousand years.

“One of the three Direct Disciples taken by the Holy Master possessed the First-Rank True Intent,” Xi Wei continued. “Another mastered the First-Rank Divine Heart within ten thousand years. And the third… was someone the Holy Master cherished greatly, so he made an exception and accepted them as a Direct Disciple. Now that the Holy Master has passed away, naturally, there can be no more exceptions. Therefore, to become a Direct Disciple of the Holy Master is quite simple—you only need to either master the First-Rank True Intent or the First-Rank Divine Heart within ten thousand years.”

Dongbo Xueying helplessly replied, “If I could master the First-Rank True Intent, the calamity upon the Xia Clan would probably have already been resolved.”

Xi Wei paused, then understood that Dongbo Xueying’s greatest concern was indeed the calamity upon the Xia Clan.

“That’s right,” Xi Wei nodded. “If you could master the First-Rank True Intent, your strength would surpass your current level by far. You would be able to directly defeat the armies of the Demon God and the Great Devil God, and destroy that stable spatial passage in an instant. Even more, if word of this were to leak out, there would certainly be powerful beings from the Divine Realm who would seek you out as a disciple. The Demon God and the Great Devil God wouldn’t even be worth mentioning. However, it’s best not to reveal your mastery of the First-Rank True Intent, for no matter whom you choose as your master, once your possession of the First-Rank True Intent is exposed, you will be seen as a thorn in the enemy’s side and they will do everything in their power to eliminate you.”

“Extraordinary beings with the First-Rank True Intent are rare and formidable, yet many of them were eliminated early in their cultivation,” Xi Wei sighed. “Therefore, in history, those extraordinary beings with the First-Rank True Intent are usually very cautious, only revealing their existence gradually after becoming World Gods.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

The First-Rank True Intent…

He desired it as well, but judging from the information he had gathered, how difficult would it be to break through? Such things could not be forced; he could only let nature take its course while doing his utmost in cultivation. Overthinking would only affect his inner peace.

“I won’t dare to hope for becoming a Direct Disciple,” Dongbo Xueying asked. “Then how can I become an Inner Disciple?”

“Follow me,” Hong Shi spoke up.

…

It was a long stone staircase, step by step, leading all the way to the summit of a distant mountain.

“Look,” Hong Shi, Xi Wei, and Dongbo Xueying all came to the side of the staircase, and Hong Shi pointed into the distance. “This is the Path of the Heart—it tests one’s inner self. It is far more difficult than the trial of the fifth leaf of the Skyward Vine. After becoming gods, disciples of Hong Shi Mountain all come here to walk the Path of the Heart. It is divided into three sections.”

“An extraordinary being only needs to pass the first section to meet the threshold for becoming an Inner Disciple.”

Dongbo Xueying gazed at the Path of the Heart, deep in thought. It seemed the great beings of the Divine Realm placed great importance on a cultivator’s ‘inner self.’

…

A nine-storied tower.

Soon, Hong Shi and Xi Wei led Dongbo Xueying to the foot of this tower.

“This is the ‘Tower of Ascending Clouds,'” Hong Shi pointed at the towering structure before them. “When an extraordinary being enters, it is an extraordinary-level battle. When a god enters, it is a god-level battle! If you can pass the sixth floor, you will meet the threshold for becoming an Inner Disciple.”

“To become an Inner Disciple, one must pass both the Path of the Heart and the Tower of Ascending Clouds,” Hong Shi explained. “You must pass the first section of the Path of the Heart and the sixth floor of the Tower of Ascending Clouds. Once you accomplish both, you will naturally become an Inner Disciple. These were the conditions set by the Holy Master himself—no one can change them.”

“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

The Path of the Heart and the Tower of Ascending Clouds, huh?

“It’s still very difficult—you’re still far from meeting the requirements,” Hong Shi shook his head. “You’ll understand when you try. You still need to cultivate diligently and strive to become an Inner Disciple before the war breaks out.”

“Hmm,” Dongbo Xueying nodded. He had already become a Guardian Disciple, which had given the Xia Clan a glimmer of hope, but he still needed to grow even stronger!

Hong Shi gently pointed at the void, where countless dense words condensed.

Dongbo Xueying looked up and couldn’t help but show delight.

“If you’re still a Guardian Disciple when the war breaks out, follow this plan,” Hong Shi said. “First, exchange one hundred thousand divine crystals, then use those crystals to acquire various treasures.”

“Eh?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “Three thousand divine crystals from the ten thousand will be used to purchase a large number of divine corpses?”

“To cultivate your Bloodvine Flower,” Hong Shi explained.

“The Bloodvine Flower is a plant lifeform, with a massive body and extremely strong vitality—it’s an ideal weapon for war! Absorbing the power of heaven and earth is too slow, while absorbing divine crystals is too extravagant. Divine corpses are the best option. Divine corpses contain immense energy and are much cheaper than divine crystals. Three thousand divine crystals worth of divine corpses will be more than enough, allowing the Bloodvine Flower to grow to the late stage of godhood! I estimate it will reach mid-stage godhood within ten years and late-stage godhood within thirty. Even at mid-stage godhood, the Bloodvine Flower will differ from ordinary gods—it will have a massive body, with countless vines spanning thousands of miles. Killing it will be even harder than slaying a late-stage god.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded. Plant lifeforms indeed had extraordinary vitality.

“You must quickly send the Bloodvine Flower to the Xia Clan’s world,” Hong Shi said. “Since it is not a native lifeform of the Xia Clan’s world, it can only ascend to godhood there without being rejected.”

“But once it’s sent there and ascends to godhood, won’t the various factions discover its existence?” Dongbo Xueying frowned.

“Let them discover it,” Xi Wei smirked. “If the Demon God and the Great Devil God hesitate and decide to delay the war for ten thousand years, Dongbo, you’ll have enough time to cultivate. If you cultivate within Hong Shi Mountain, you might even have already fused with the World Heart of the Xia Clan’s world.”

Dongbo Xueying frowned. “From what you’ve said earlier, the Demon God and the Great Devil God seem very confident. I doubt they would delay the war just because a new god has appeared.”

“They might not delay the war, but they will certainly try to uncover the Xia Clan’s true strength and learn whether you are alive or dead,” Xi Wei said. “As long as you remain within Hong Shi Mountain and don’t leave, it will be extremely difficult for them to investigate you! Unless they use the Temple of Time and Space, but even the Temple of Time and Space cannot infiltrate Hong Shi Mountain. They would have to investigate through the Bloodvine Flower, which is also very difficult for the Temple of Time and Space… So if they really want to purchase intelligence through the Temple of Time and Space, the price will be exorbitant—likely costing millions of divine crystals or more. If they refuse to pay, they will remain in the dark about your true strength, which will be even more advantageous for you.”

Dongbo Xueying couldn’t help but slightly nod.

“If I never return to the Xia Clan’s world,” Dongbo Xueying couldn’t help but ask, “how can I communicate with the Xia Clan?”

“Hong Shi Mountain is essentially an independent world, very close to the Xia Clan’s world,” Hong Shi explained. “Therefore, you can communicate through transmission treasures. It won’t cost much—only one hundred divine crystals! I will reinforce it with some materials from Hong Shi Mountain, which can block all rule-based detection. Unless a powerful being from the Divine Realm personally intervenes, the Temple of Time and Space won’t be able to infiltrate these transmission treasures.”

Dongbo Xueying immediately thought of an item—a bag left behind by the Black Wind Ancestor—which could block all rule-based detection.

“You may send messages and communicate with the Xia Clan whenever you wish,” Hong Shi declared. “But neither you nor even your Dou Qi clones are permitted to return. Even if the Temple of Time and Space employs temporal reversal to probe the past, they shall find no trace of your departure from Hong Shi Mountain! To verify your survival or demise, they must rely solely upon the Bloodvine Flower. Yet once the Bloodvine Flower ascends to divinity, controlling and scrutinizing a divine-tier plant lifeform shall become nigh impossible. The Demon God and the Great Devil God would have to pay a cosmic price for even the slightest shred of intelligence.”

Dongbo Xueying carefully considered and found no flaws in the plan.

That very day, Dongbo Xueying made all the necessary arrangements.

“Master,” the Bloodvine Flower transformed into a red-skinned little girl, covered in green leaves and red flowers.

“Bloodvine, be careful on your journey. First, go to Snowstone Castle in Yishui City of my homeland, and find Jing Qiu,” Dongbo Xueying instructed.

“Yes,” the Bloodvine Flower obediently replied.

“Alright, go now, little one. Once you reach the Xia Clan’s world, grow well,” Hong Shi said with a wave of his hand. Beside him, Xi Wei’s eyes held a complex emotion—she was envious. After all, she hadn’t left Hong Shi Mountain for a long time, nor could she.

Whoosh—the Bloodvine Flower vanished, leaving Hong Shi Mountain and entering the Xia Clan’s world outside.

…

In the Xia Clan’s world, within Snowstone Castle in Yishui City, Qinghe County, Anyang Province, Yu Jing Qiu resided there. She was certain that once her husband returned, he would come to Snowstone Castle first.

“It’s been over four years.”

Yu Jing Qiu leaned on the railing, gazing at the snow-covered Snowstone Mountains, her heart heavy. According to intelligence reports, even if he had entered the Skyward Vine, three or more years should have been enough.

Four years had passed without his return, and Yu Jing Qiu’s anxiety and unease only deepened. She refused to believe it and was unwilling to accept the terrible possibility.

“He will return. He must return,” Yu Jing Qiu whispered to herself.