Desolate Ancient Martial God

The main house was lavishly decorated, its walls inlaid with countless night-light pearls that emitted a soft, radiant glow, brightening the hall as if it were daylight.

At the center of the hall, Yu Tianyuan, the white-haired Heavenly Secrets Hall Master, sat on the main seat, holding a scroll in his hand. Despite his calm demeanor, his every movement radiated majesty and authority.

“Uncle Yu!” Ye Ling called out cheerfully as she entered.

Yu Tianyuan looked up, a faint smile appearing on his face when he saw Ye Ling. “You troublemaker, what brings you to the main house today? Do you need Uncle’s help with something?”

“I don’t need your help this time. I brought you a genius,” Ye Ling said, pointing toward Xiao Yun.

“Genius?”

Yu Tianyuan frowned slightly, studying Xiao Yun carefully. For a moment, Xiao Yun’s face looked familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen him before. His brows furrowed deeper as his gaze landed on Xiao Yun’s damaged Qi Sea.

With Yu Tianyuan’s cultivation level, it was easy for him to see that Xiao Yun’s Qi Sea was only 30% intact. To say it kindly, Xiao Yun was barely a martial artist. To put it bluntly, he was no different from a cripple.

“Ye Ling, you shouldn’t joke about such matters,” Yu Tianyuan said, his tone holding a hint of reprimand.

“Uncle Yu, I’m not joking!” Ye Ling quickly defended. “Senior Brother Xiao Yun is a sword cultivator!”

Yu Tianyuan’s expression shifted slightly. “A sword cultivator?”

He looked at Xiao Yun with newfound interest.

Without a word, Xiao Yun allowed sword energy to surge around him. The sharp, chilling aura filled the room, causing even Yu Tianyuan’s eyes to widen slightly in surprise.

Sword cultivators were incredibly rare; one might not appear among a million martial artists. Such talent alone would have made Xiao Yun an exceptional figure—if not for his damaged Qi Sea.

A wave of regret passed through Yu Tianyuan’s eyes as he noticed Xiao Yun’s condition. If Xiao Yun’s Qi Sea had been intact, he could have been immediately promoted to the inner sect, or even as a core disciple, on the merit of his sword cultivation alone.

Ye Ling, however, pressed on. “Uncle Yu, Senior Brother Xiao’s talent is wasted in the outer sect. That’s why I brought him here. He deserves a better opportunity!”

Yu Tianyuan’s gaze softened as he considered her words. After a brief pause, he nodded. “You’re right. Talented disciples should not be buried in the outer sect. Don’t worry, Ye Ling. As the master of Heavenly Secrets Hall, I’ll make sure every promising disciple receives the support they deserve.”

He turned to Xiao Yun with a faint smile. “With your talent as a sword cultivator, it’s no issue for you to enter the inner sect. I will personally oversee your future cultivation.”

Although Xiao Yun’s damaged Qi Sea limited his potential, his identity as a sword cultivator still made him valuable. For Heavenly Secrets Hall, where competition among the eight outer sect halls was fierce, every additional inner sect disciple counted. This year, Heavenly Secrets Hall had managed to promote only nineteen inner sect disciples, ranking second to last among the eight halls. Xiao Yun’s addition would ease their standing somewhat.

Hearing Yu Tianyuan’s decision, Ye Ling couldn’t hide her excitement. She felt that her impulsive decision to bring Xiao Yun here was the best she had ever made. With Yu Tianyuan’s support, Xiao Yun’s path in the martial world would undoubtedly be much smoother.

“You two sit here for a while. I’ll make the arrangements for Xiao Yun’s promotion shortly,” Yu Tianyuan said before leaving the hall.

Once Yu Tianyuan was gone, Ye Ling grabbed Xiao Yun’s arm, her face beaming with excitement. “Senior Brother Xiao, Uncle Yu’s words mean everything. He’s recognized your talent! From now on, you’ll no longer be buried in the outer sect.”

“Junior Sister Ye, you’ve helped me so much. I don’t know how to thank you,” Xiao Yun said sincerely.

In the Heavenly Net Sect, having the support of someone powerful made a world of difference. Though Xiao Yun didn’t care much about such things, having Yu Tianyuan’s backing would save him a lot of time. The sooner he reclaimed his martial spirit seed, the greater its completeness would be. If too much time passed, not only would the martial spirit’s completeness drop, but there was also a risk of failure.

“Senior Brother Xiao, there’s no need to be so polite. We’ve known each other for so long. Just don’t forget about me when you join the inner sect or even become a core disciple,” Ye Ling said softly, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she bit her lower lip.

“Of course not,” Xiao Yun replied absentmindedly, though he didn’t notice Ye Ling’s shy expression. His mind had already shifted to the Soul Gathering Fruit he had exchanged earlier.

For others, the fruit with only 10% of its medicinal power might have little value, but for Xiao Yun, it was essential. It held the key to gathering his saber bones—the second stage of perfect foundation building.

Perfect foundation building consisted of three stages: forging the sword veins, gathering the sword bones, and finally condensing the sword soul. Only after completing all three stages could one truly claim to have established a perfect foundation.

In the inner Hall pavilion, Yu Tianyuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant lake. The surface shimmered under the sunlight, reflecting the dancing weeping willows on both sides as the wind gently rippled the water.

“Hall Master!” A figure in a green robe flew through the air, landing gracefully outside the pavilion before bowing respectfully to Yu Tianyuan.

“How is the investigation going?” Yu Tianyuan asked without turning his head.

“Xiao Yun is the legitimate son of the Xiao family from Yan State. He joined our Heavenly Secrets Hall three years ago, showing considerable talent and ranking fifth among this year’s disciples. Six days ago, he was promoted to the inner sect, and you, Hall Master, personally awarded him the inner sect disciple robe,” the old man in green reported.

“No wonder he looked familiar, yet I couldn’t recall where I’d seen him. It turns out I saw him six days ago,” Yu Tianyuan said, nodding in understanding. His expression hardened slightly as he asked, “Then why, after being promoted to the inner sect, did he return to Heavenly Secrets Hall?”

“He was abandoned,” the green-robed elder replied solemnly.

Yu Tianyuan sighed faintly. “As expected.”

In both the outer sect and inner sect, the competition was ruthless. Becoming an inner sect disciple was no guarantee of success or stability. In fact, the competition within the inner sect was far more brutal, and any signs of weakness often led to elimination.

Seeing Xiao Yun’s damaged Qi Sea, Yu Tianyuan had already surmised that Xiao Yun had been crippled.

“Hall Master, why did you suddenly take interest in investigating Xiao Yun? Is it because of Ling Yuji?” the green-robed elder asked cautiously.

Yu Tianyuan’s face darkened at the mention of that name. Ling Yuji was not just anyone—she was the favored disciple of the Sect Master himself and a rising star in the Heavenly Net Sect. Many believed she had a strong chance of becoming the next Sect Master. Even if she failed to ascend to that position, with her status, she could easily take on the role of Internal Affairs Elder.

Within the sect, numerous officials scrambled to build relationships with her. Even those who couldn’t get close chose to avoid offending her at all costs.

“How could Xiao Yun possibly be connected to Ling Yuji?” Yu Tianyuan asked, his tone sharp and deliberate.

“My investigation revealed that Xiao Yun was crippled by Ling Yuji’s people,” the elder answered in a low voice.

Yu Tianyuan frowned. “Does Ling Yuji bear some grudge against Xiao Yun? Or did he offend her in some way?”

“Neither,” the elder said, shaking his head. He glanced around cautiously before leaning in and lowering his voice. “According to my findings, Ling Yuji has been seizing martial spirit seeds from other cultivators to enhance her own martial spirit. Her seventh-grade Thunder Beast Martial Spirit was originally only sixth-grade. It reached its current level only after she devoured several martial spirit seeds.”

Yu Tianyuan’s expression darkened. Seizing martial spirit seeds was an absolute taboo. If such deeds were exposed, the consequences could shake the entire sect. For Ling Yuji to dare act so brazenly, there was no doubt she had powerful backing—perhaps someone orchestrating everything from the shadows.

Otherwise, how could she act so openly, despite the severity of such a crime?

“The Xiao family of Yan State… just a small family from a minor county,” Yu Tianyuan muttered, his tone carrying a mix of resignation and disdain. “No wonder Ling Yuji targeted him. Even if he were crippled and his martial spirit seed taken, no one would dare to speak up for him.”

Yu Tianyuan let out a long sigh, his gaze fixed on the rippling water.

If Xiao Yun had no connection to Ling Yuji, Yu Tianyuan might have been willing to invest in him. Even with his damaged Qi Sea, Xiao Yun’s status as a sword cultivator was incredibly rare. But now? Training Xiao Yun would mean going against Ling Yuji—essentially courting disaster.

A crippled sword cultivator, no matter how rare, was not worth offending Ling Yuji.

“Forget it,” Yu Tianyuan murmured to himself, shaking his head.