Chapter 41: The Astonishment of the Sect’s Elders

As expected of a boss—just a minor leader alone had given Wu Tian thirty thousand experience points, leaving him only tens of thousands of points away from leveling up to Martial Spirit Level One. Not only that, but it seemed two fine pieces of equipment had dropped as well: a Superior Earth-Grade Wind-Chasing Boots and a Medium Earth-Grade Featherlight Cloak. Earth-Grade equipment was rarely seen on the market; even within clans and sects, only elite disciples and above were qualified to possess them. For Wu Tian to obtain two pieces at once was truly remarkable.

After acquiring the equipment, Wu Tian immediately checked their attributes.

Wind-Chasing Boots (Superior Earth-Grade): Suitable for assassins and warriors, increases base agility by ten percent and hit rate by ten percent. Comes with the skill "Riding the Wind," which triples speed for half a minute with a cooldown of one hour.

Featherlight Cloak (Medium Earth-Grade): Suitable for assassins and warriors, reduces burden by ten percent and increases speed by five percent. Comes with the skill "Night Concealment," which, at night, hides the wearer’s presence from anyone below Martial Spirit Level Eight.

These certainly lived up to their Earth-Grade status—not only did they boost attributes, they even came with skills. Until now, Wu Tian had only possessed the mysterious Black Dragon Blade. These two pieces arrived at just the right time, greatly enhancing his combat power, so he immediately put them on.

Outwardly, there was no visible change after donning the gear, but Wu Tian could clearly feel his body had grown much lighter, especially his speed, which had climbed to a new level.

“Boss, boss! You’re incredible—you took out a Martial Spirit Level One assassin in a single strike, I worship you!” At this moment, Niu Wuji rushed over, shouting in excitement.

“He said he was a Martial Spirit Level One and you just believed him? You’re too naive,” Wu Tian remarked, curling his lip.

“Uh... I thought...” Niu Wuji was briefly stunned. “Regardless of what level they were, boss, you’re truly amazing. Even if I didn’t know their cultivation, I could guess they were at least Fifth Level Martial Masters. Yet you finished them with a single blow—your cultivation must be above Sixth Level Martial Master. Boss, you stand out among the younger generation of Qitian Sect!”

“No! I don’t want to just stand out,” Wu Tian shook his head.

“Alright, pretend I never said it...”

“If I’m going to do it, I’ll be number one. What’s so great about just standing out?” Wu Tian added after a beat.

“That’s the boss I know! I knew you wouldn’t settle for second best—you’re my idol for life! From now on—”

“Enough, cut the chatter. We’ve already wasted enough time. If we delay any longer, the other disciples will be on the far side of the Hengduan Mountains!”

...

Meanwhile, deep within the forest, two pairs of eyes watched Wu Tian’s retreating figure in shock.

“Senior brother, this disciple is too formidable! Out of four assassins, three were Fifth Level Martial Masters, and the last, their leader, even reached Martial Spirit Level One—yet all were slain by this one disciple. Is he really from the Qitian Sect branch? I doubt even the main sect has disciples this strong!” The younger of the pair spoke to his companion.

The other took out a slip of paper, studied it, and frowned. “The records say he’s indeed a disciple from the Qitian Sect’s Pingyang branch. His master died from cultivation deviation, and as for him... a year and a half ago, a mysterious assailant shattered his dantian, leaving him crippled. Yet, for some reason, his power returned a few months ago, and now he seems even stronger than before.”

“Senior brother, normally, a shattered dantian means the end of one’s cultivation. Could it be someone powerful is secretly aiding him?”

“We’re only tasked with covertly monitoring the disciples during the clan competition. There’s no need for speculation. Immediately report this to our master and the branch sect leader—leave nothing out, understood?”

“Yes, senior brother, I’ll report right away!”

With that, the junior disciple sped down the mountain and returned to Qitian Sect. Upon arrival, several key figures and judges from headquarters were already in discussion.

“Master Ye, Master, I have an urgent matter to report!” the disciple announced.

His master, a stunning woman whose age could not be guessed—appearing as young as eighteen yet as poised as thirty—looked at him, her beauty beyond description.

“What’s so urgent that you needed to come down the mountain to report it?” she asked with a slight frown.

“Indeed. You two are responsible for monitoring the competition’s disciples—has something gone wrong?” Master Ye inquired.

“There is indeed a problem. We were tracking a disciple named Wu Tian. On his way across the Hengduan Mountains, he was ambushed by assassins from the Shura Gate!” the disciple reported.

Hearing this, everyone present turned pale, and in the corner, He Jiang’s eyes flashed with a hint of satisfaction.

“What did you say? Ambushed by Shura Gate? Has something happened to this Wu Tian? Master Ye, as branch leader, what could Wu Tian have done to provoke the Shura Gate?” the woman asked in astonishment.

Reflecting, the sect leader replied, “Of all the participants in this sect competition, only one is named Wu Tian. He is the disciple of my junior brother Huang Fei. Our branch has sixteen halls, and only Huang’s accepted a single disciple, Wu Tian. Unfortunately, a year and a half ago, Junior Huang suffered a fatal cultivation mishap, and his disciple’s dantian was shattered by a mysterious figure. Back then, Wu Tian was our top prodigy, but alas...”

The woman frowned, sensing something amiss just from Master Ye’s words. “If his dantian was shattered, how could he have provoked Shura Gate assassins? And if he’s crippled, why allow him to participate in the sect competition?”

“According to sect rules, each of the sixteen halls must have a disciple participate. Huang’s hall has only Wu Tian. Furthermore, Wu Tian himself insisted on entering. But who would have thought he’d be targeted by Shura Gate? I cannot make sense of it either,” Master Ye said, shaking his head.

In the corner, He Jiang could not help but smirk. Why did Wu Tian provoke Shura Gate? Because he dared cross me! Hmph, now that brat has finally met his end!

The woman turned back to the reporting disciple. “Wu Tian was attacked by Shura Gate. You should have aided him. Why did you come down to report instead?”

“Master, there was no need for our intervention. Wu Tian slew all four Shura Gate assassins by himself. Three were Fifth Level Martial Masters, and their leader took some elixir to reach Martial Spirit Level One, but even so, Wu Tian killed him! My senior brother and I felt this matter was grave enough to report immediately!”

“What? Wu Tian killed an assassin at Martial Spirit Level One?” Everyone present was stunned—including He Jiang in the corner, who had leapt to his feet in shock.