My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 349: Chapter 173: Bad News

She walked over, her expression full of pleasant surprise. But as she drew near, she stopped short. Awe and awkwardness flashed in her eyes as she swallowed nervously, bowing respectfully to the surrounding elders. ”Greetings, Elders...”

The elders said nothing, their eyes all on her.

She quickly turned her head to Qin Fang, her eyes filled with delight as she said, ”Su Nian, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Celestial Martial Lineage!”

Qin Fang’s expression was a little strange...

The other lineages had all sent Elders.

’So why did the Celestial Martial lineage... only send an Inner Sect Disciple?’

While he was still wondering, Su Nian lowered her voice and said, ”Junior Brother, I wanted to find you much earlier, but... after the Elders from the various lineages within the Sect learned of your situation, they made a pact not to let any lineage contact you before the Martial Arts Examination. That’s why I was delayed... But, do you remember Yun Guanyu, the one who permitted you to enter the city that day? Senior Brother Yun is our lineage’s Deputy Hall Master!”

This Su Nian was the very same person who had tried to snap Yun Guanyu’s fishing rod that day.

Hearing this, a glint flashed in Qin Fang’s eyes... Of course he remembered Yun Guanyu.

In fact, he was still carrying the Temporary Passage Token the man had given him.

The three words ”Celestial Martial Hall” were clearly written on it.

”Junior Brother Qin, will you join our Celestial Martial Lineage?”

As Qin Fang was still thinking, Su Nian asked in a low, hopeful voice.

Before Qin Fang could say a word, another voice cut in.

”Qin Fang, you must think this through carefully. Yun Guanyu letting you into the city was merely him doing his duty. Anyone from any lineage on watch would have done the same... It’s not some great favor.”

”The Celestial Martial Lineage is one of the Six Meridians... but their cultivation path specializes in Divine Sense.”

The speaker was Elder Fan Zhengchu. He frowned slightly, his tone grave. ”Their cultivation process is extremely perilous. The slightest misstep can result in a damaged Divine Sense, cutting off your path in Martial Arts. In more serious cases, you could suffer mental collapse, be plagued by Heart Demons, and devolve into a raving madman... or even have your soul utterly scattered.”

He paused, glanced at the anxious expression on Su Nian’s face, but continued anyway.

”Injuries to the Divine Sense, unlike physical ones, are incredibly difficult to heal. Furthermore, their heritage is incomplete. Their core Contemplation Method and Will Refining Skill have many obscure and contradictory points, making the process of Breaking Through even more treacherous!”

”Throughout the generations, there has been no shortage of exceptionally talented individuals who, in forcing a breakthrough, have fallen into eternal darkness... Because of this, the lineage is withering. They are short on resources and have few members, making every step within the Sect a struggle.”

”Four years ago, a Dao Body joined the Celestial Martial Lineage. But then her master, who was prone to fits of madness, took her away to some unknown place. It’s been a year with no news, and whether she is alive or dead remains unknown...”

”Qin Fang, your Talent is rare and your future is bright. The choice of a lineage is a matter of life and death for your path. You must be exceedingly careful.”

Fan Zhengchu said, his expression solemn.

But Qin Fang’s expression changed, shocked by the words he’d just heard.

He couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, ”The Dao Body... was taken away by her master?”

Fan Zhengchu seemed surprised that Qin Fang’s focus was on the Dao Body. After a moment of stunned silence, he let out a soft sigh.

The other Elders also had varied expressions, but all of them showed a hint of regret.

”Sigh, this is a secret of our Heavenly Gang... but you are all Inner Sect Disciples now, so it’s not exactly a confidential matter. I’ll tell you about it, but do not spread it further.”

”When Wu Xueci joined the Sect back then, she became the top disciple of her generation on account of her Dao Body... She drew even more attention than you are now.”

”When she first entered, the Hall Masters of every lineage were all stirred.”

”Even the Sect Leader himself appeared, wanting to take her as his True Inheritance disciple...”

”But a Supreme Elder from the Celestial Martial Lineage, who had been in seclusion for many years, suddenly emerged. No one knows what she said to the Sect Leader, but in the end, the Sect Leader gave up on taking a disciple and allowed the Dao Body to be transferred to the Supreme Elder’s tutelage... joining the Celestial Martial Lineage.”

”But just a year ago, the Dao Body finally broke through the Divine Gate and advanced to the True Essence realm. Right before she was scheduled to enter the Heavenly Gang Secret Realm as per the rules... her master suddenly had a fit of madness and abducted her.”

”That Supreme Elder, despite her madness, was astonishingly powerful. Even when the Sect Leader personally intervened, he failed to stop her from taking the Dao Body...”

”The Sect Leader pursued them for over a month but ultimately couldn’t catch up... Since then, the whereabouts of both that Supreme Elder and the Dao Body have been unknown...”

Fan Zhengchu sighed softly as he spoke, ”It all happened so suddenly. The Hall Master of the Celestial Martial Hall also tried to intercept her, but was severely wounded by a single glance. To this day, he remains bedridden, his fate uncertain... The Celestial Martial Hall was already struggling with few members, and this catastrophe left them unable to recover...”

Qin Fang listened, dumbfounded.

Fan Zhengchu paused before continuing, ”Therefore, the path of the Celestial Martial Lineage is truly arduous. That Supreme Elder was a figure from a thousand years ago. If even a person of her stature can fall into madness and mental chaos while cultivating the Celestial Martial heritage, you can see how dangerous it is... With the precedent of the Dao Body, I really can’t bear to see another genius like you go astray...”

While Fan Zhengchu was speaking, the young woman named Su Nian’s expression shifted constantly. In the end, she could only bite her lip, unable to say a word.

But when she heard the phrase ’go astray,’ she finally couldn’t hold back any longer and argued in a low voice, ”The Celestial Martial path... is not... a wrong path...”

Fan Zhengchu just glanced at her and shook his head, not deigning to argue with her.

”So, Qin Fang, think it over. The Divine Sense cultivated by the Celestial Martial Lineage is indeed more miraculous than that of an Ordinary Martial Artist... It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they are invincible against those at the same level.”

”But this lineage is too difficult to cultivate and far too dangerous... Every time you attempt Breaking Through, it is a calamity. And it only gets harder and harder...”

Fan Zhengchu’s words sent Qin Fang’s mind into turmoil.

But the most crucial point was...

’...Senior Sister was actually taken away by her insane master?’

’No wonder Master’s message that day received no reply!’