My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 347: Chapter 171: Six Meridians

He stepped back, and the others followed suit.

Soon, they had all completed the action and reformed their ranks.

At this moment, dozens of Inner Sect Stewards, who had been waiting quietly at the side dressed in Crimson Flame Cloud Pattern Robes, stepped forward holding Jade Plates.

Upon the Jade Plates, dark gold Metal Tokens were neatly arranged. The front was embossed with the Celestial Spirit Thunder Badge, while the back was smooth as a mirror, with a faint shimmer of light flowing across it.

”This is the ’Celestial Spirit Inner Sect Token.’ It serves as your proof of identity, a key for the Sect’s Arrays, and a device to record your contributions... Bind it with a drop of your blood, and it will be useless if others try to take it.”

An Inner Sect Steward came before Qin Fang, presenting the plate with the Token.

Qin Fang let out a light breath and took the Token.

It was warm and heavy to the touch.

He did as instructed and squeezed out another drop of blood. The next moment, his name instantly appeared on the back of the Token. The light flashed and then faded, returning the Token to its simple, unadorned state.

’...Another extraordinary object, beyond my comprehension!’

The others also received their Tokens one by one.

The magical change made them unable to resist discussing it in low voices.

”Silence.”

Senior Brother Luo frowned.

The crowd immediately fell silent.

”Follow me.”

Senior Brother Luo led everyone toward the Origin Martial Stele and the Copper Tripod. He bowed solemnly and began to speak.

”Today, thirty-six disciples of the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect’s thirty-seventh generation have gained entry to the path of Martial Arts and are granted admittance to this hall.”

”We solemnly announce this before the Origin Martial Stele, for the heroic spirits of all past sages to bear witness.”

”We, the younger generation, stand here today only through the grace of our predecessors who blazed the trail, and by the virtue of the Sect’s legacy, passed down like a torch.”

”The path of Martial Arts is boundless, the road ahead vast and uncertain. Today, with blood and soul as our pact and sincerity as our guide, we inscribe our names in the Martial Arts Records and place our breath in the Soul Cauldron. From this day forward, our bodies belong to Heavenly Gang, our souls bound to Wuji.”

”We hereby swear to uphold the Sect’s rules, tempering our character and conduct; to advance bravely and diligently, never faltering on our path; to respect our teachers and protect our peers; to defend the Sect’s honor, unwavering even in death. With the blades in our hands, we shall expand the frontiers of Martial Arts; with the ambition in our hearts, we shall bring glory to our Sect. Should we violate this oath, may our Soul Fire reject us, and may the path of Martial Arts find us intolerable.”

”We humbly pray to the sages of the past, whose spirits are ever near. Bless us, your successors, with a smooth path and an unending legacy.”

”...This concludes our declaration.”

...

Senior Brother Luo led Qin Fang and the others in three bows. After the third bow, a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred!

First, the Inner Sect Tokens in everyone’s hands suddenly grew hot, as if a warm current was surging into their palms.

Immediately after, on the surface of the wordless, primordial stone stele, thirty-six faint streaks of light flared up like Starfire. Ethereal images of each person’s name flashed in sequence before sinking deep into the body of the stele.

This magical scene made Qin Fang’s pupils contract slightly.

At the same time, along with the warm current entering his body, a faint yet clear stream of information flowed into his mind!

The information was perfectly organized. With his powerful Divine Sense, Qin Fang absorbed and understood it in an instant.

It was the Inner Sect Disciple Regulations, as well as essential knowledge like a basic map of the Sect and information on the contribution system!

’This is...’

’How did they do that?’

Qin Fang was in a daze.

’...He had encountered more extraordinary things today than in all his previous days combined!’

It also made him understand with perfect clarity...

’...that his journey on the path of the Extraordinary had only just begun!’

...

When all the phenomena subsided, Senior Brother Luo said calmly, ”The ceremony is complete. Exit the hall for now.”

He led Qin Fang and the others out of the great hall.

He glanced around. Many of the figures who had been standing silently nearby were now gone, but a good number had remained and were now approaching them.

As the last person walked out, the great doors of the Heavenly Gang Hall automatically rumbled shut, leaving not even the slightest gap.

Only then did Senior Brother Luo calmly say, ”You are now all recorded in the Martial Arts Records, official Inner Sect Disciples of the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect. However, the Sect is as vast as the mountains and rivers, with its own valleys and ravines.”

”The Sect’s operations are generally divided into four pillars. The ’Tempering Martial Hall’ is in charge of passing down legacies, teaching, and testing Cultivation Techniques. The ’Battle Hall Department’ handles external conquests, defense, and eliminating traitors. The ’Divine Craft Pavilion’ forges Armored Puppets and Arrayed Artifacts. The ’Hundred Herbs Courtyard’ cultivates Spirit Medicines and Treasure Materials, and is responsible for Refining Elixir Powder.”

”These four pillars are the cornerstones of the Sect. Each has its own duties, supporting the Sect’s continuous operation. In the future, most of your contributions will be made by taking on tasks from these halls and pavilions in exchange for resources.”

He paused briefly, letting everyone digest this basic information before continuing in a neutral tone.

”These four pillars are functional divisions, not lineages of Martial Arts inheritance.”

”Our Sect’s Martial Arts Records are as vast as the clouds. There are six great ultimate inheritances. Because their styles are so vastly different, they are extremely difficult to practice concurrently, and thus are divided into the Six Meridians... Once you begin your training, you will understand why. For now, I will give you a brief introduction.”

”These Six Meridians are ’Nine Hell,’ ’Wuhui,’ ’Jinghong,’ ’Luzhan,’ ’Guiyuan,’ and ’Celestial Martial.’”

”’Nine Hell’ refines strength, forging an unsurpassed physique to attain the Dao through power.”

”’Wuhui’ refines the sword. Once drawn, the sword never returns. It uses sharpness as its Breaking Technique.”

”’Jinghong’ refines speed. Unrestrained by any technique, it uses skill to overcome power.”

”’Luzhan’ cultivates slaughter. It fuels war with war and stops killing with killing.”

”’Guiyuan’ refines qi. Its power is endless and can defend against and break all techniques.”

”’Celestial Martial’ practices Refining Intent. The will is its edge, the mind its blade.”

”These Six Meridians not only represent the six ultimate inheritances but also stand for the six ultimate paths and philosophies of the Sect’s Martial Arts.”

”Inner Sect Disciples generally choose one to cultivate based on their temperament, innate talent, and strengths. You may also choose a lineage to join based on your own preferences.”

After saying this, Senior Brother Luo glanced at the group that had walked over, said no more, and stated plainly, ”Once you join one of these Six Meridians, you cannot go back on your choice. All of you, choose carefully.”

With that, he turned and drifted away gracefully.

Qin Fang was still processing his words.

Then he heard the discussions around him: ”Of course I’m choosing ’Nine Hell’! Nine Hell focuses on Body Refining, and their combat power is the strongest! The key is... Within the Sect, the ’Nine Hell’ faction is also the most powerful!”

”’Nine Hell’ is strong, but it’s not a good fit for me... I plan to join ’Wuhui.’ The Wuhui Lineage is also quite powerful Within the Sect.”

”I’m planning to join ’Jinghong’... The Jinghong faction is very strong too... but the key is that ’Jinghong’ is just so cool!”

”But... ’Luzhan’ is actually pretty good too. Although I’ve heard their lineage is a bit... crazy? But their combat strength is genuinely fierce, and they get a lot of resources allocated to them.”

”I think ’Guiyuan’ is more suitable for me. I have no desire for all that fighting and killing. I just want a long, peaceful life and to progress steadily. Besides, the Guiyuan Lineage is famous for being protective of its own, and the atmosphere is good.”

Everyone chattered at once, discussing animatedly.

Most of the discussion centered around the five lineages: ”Nine Hell,” ”Wuhui,” ”Jinghong,” ”Luzhan,” and ”Guiyuan.” Their words showed they were considering each lineage’s strengths, resources, power Within the Sect, and even its atmosphere...

After all, they were all from Divine Families, so it was normal for them to be knowledgeable about the Sect’s situation.

But Qin Fang’s brow was furrowed in confusion...

’...People are aspiring to join five of the lineages, so why... why is no one mentioning ’Celestial Martial’?’

’He remembered that his senior sister... seemed to have joined the ’Celestial Martial’ lineage, right?’

Just as he was pondering this, a gentle voice spoke up.

”You must be the top scorer of this Martial Arts Examination... Qin Fang, correct?”

Qin Fang snapped back to reality and looked up instinctively.

It was the Sect Elders who had been observing earlier. They were walking over.

(I’m a bit conflicted. I want to write with more detail, but I’m afraid of padding it out. But if I don’t, it feels like something is missing... After thinking about it, I’ve decided to just write in more detail... ahem, anyway, the daily update volume is high enough, so please forgive me if it seems a bit ’padded’. Don’t worry, there’s still another Chapter. Huoguo is still writing... I’ll definitely get the fourth Chapter out before bed.)