"That's Wes Corbin. Heard he's got some feud going with an inner sect disciple, locked in some kind of grudge match to the death. No wonder he's not scared to cross an inner disciple — turns out he's actually this strong. He's got to be a shoo-in for the inner sect this time.""If you don't sing, it's over. But if you knock it out of the park — is this the outer sect's dark horse, Wes Corbin?"Below, Silas watched Wes, head held high, chest puffed out, basking in the crowd's praise, and could only rub his forehead in a moment of helpless embarrassment.Cautious and low-key, my ass.He'd deliberately brought his corpse bell along — this was his first time watching such a high-profile match, and he certainly hadn't expected Wes's opening bout to be this shamelessly showy.Silas glanced further out and spotted a scowling young man in the stands, his expression thoroughly sour.He couldn't help but sigh at the whole scene.Late that night.At the entrance to the overpass, two seventh-floo

"Alright." Wes nodded. It seemed his plan had failed — he'd simply have to handle this the hard way.A few more days passed, and the Great Outer Sect Competition finally drew to a close.Wes took first place by an overwhelming margin and was promoted to the inner sect.He also announced that the sword technique he'd used had been formally entered into the Scripture Hall, redeemable by any outer disciple with sufficient contribution points.For a while, the Sword Dao Revelation became something of a sensation throughout the outer sect.Plenty of well-off disciples rushed to trade for it, praising the technique lavishly, openly calling it far stronger than anything else practicable within the outer sect.Sky Burial Mountain.Silas and Wes were both thoroughly drunk. Wes, loosened by a few bowls of wine, spoke happily."Junior Brother, I was just some low-ranking scholar. Never would've imagined I'd actually make it into the inner sect one day — and this fast, too.""Who can truly predic

He'd also grown fairly close with Wes, who'd occasionally reward him with a few spirit stones whenever he was in a particularly good mood."Sure." Silas didn't refuse this time — he was curious to see the Immortal Ascension Conference for himself."Then Colton, you'll be guarding Skypillar Mountain alone tomorrow. Don't mess anything up." Wes ordered.As for Paige — well, what would a proper young lady know about corpse collecting, anyway? Fellow villager or not, she deserved a bit of consideration. Better to just bring her along as a pretty decoration for the day.Colton looked disappointed but could only nod, resigned. "I'll follow Senior Brother's instructions."Early the next morning, Wes and Silas set out to watch the acceptance ceremony.The final day of the apprentice acceptance ceremony was, in truth, when the major figures from every peak came to scout for promising talent.Catch the eye of the right elder, and getting accepted as a personal disciple meant an instant leap in

In a remarkably short span, Silas also witnessed quite the reformation — the once-shameless philanderer reining himself in entirely.Ever since getting together with Paige, Wes never once stayed out overnight again.That said, the creaking of a bed frame remained a persistent nighttime soundtrack. Silas found himself nearly derailed by it more than once, though he managed to keep his focus.Half a month later, with no romantic entanglements of his own to distract him, Silas broke through once more, reaching the third floor of Foundation Establishment!Hmph!Silas clenched his fist lightly, and ripples spread outward around him, the sheer force already visibly disturbing the surrounding air."I could take on anyone at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!" He glowed with satisfaction, savoring the immense power now coursing through him.Suppressing that dangerously swelling confidence, Silas stepped out onto the balcony.Paige was calling for him. "Senior Brother Silas, come have

The next day, word of the campaign's outcome reached the Sky Burial Sect.The entire leadership of the Cloudsea Sect had been wiped out, and three thousand of their surviving disciples — spanning Foundation Establishment and Qi training alike — had been absorbed into the Sky Burial Sect.The Cloudsea Sect Master had fought himself to death, utterly spent.Among Zenith Peak's own Golden Core Lords, three had died — two of them at the hands of Duskfiend Sect elders.The Sky Burial and Duskfiend Sects had then clashed directly, and with the Young Suzerain furious and unwilling to back down, another full-scale battle nearly erupted on the spot.In the aftermath, one more Golden Core Lord fell to a Duskfiend elder, two more Sky Burial Golden Core cultivators were left gravely wounded, and the remaining disciples on both sides suffered nearly a thousand casualties each, between dead and injured.That afternoon, airships loaded with corpses sailed back toward Skypillar Mountain, bodies pract