Chapter 256: Unexpected Visitors
Inside the Dust Valley Sect hotel, disciples sat in clusters, their faces bright with pride, their laughter echoing like the ringing of bells.
Once again, they had proven themselves by dominating the supporting professions.
Now, their fame was no longer confined to whispers, it had spread across the capital, and even further beyond.
Strange rumors began to circulate among the many powerful forces, and while speculation abounded, one thing was certain: no one dared to question their talent and strength.
The first winning might have been dismissed as luck, but the second?
No one could deny it any longer.
That was not luck.
That was true ability.
On the fifth floor, the Dust Valley Sect Master and his wife sat across from three sect masters of the Southern Region.
At first, these three had aligned with Dust Valley only because of their ties to the Thousand Wealth Chamber.
But after witnessing the sheer brilliance of their disciples in two consecutive competitions, their attitudes had changed.
They were no longer maintaining courtesy out of convenience, they were genuinely won over.
With disciples excelling across all the major side professions, even a fool could see that the Dust Valley Sect had a boundless future.
"Sect Master, I heard your sect is one of the few ancient hidden sects?" The Wind Spirit Sect Master asked with a chuckle, half-curious, half-skeptical.
The Dust Valley Sect Master grinned, shaking his head with a swell of pride in his chest.
"That’s all just a lie. We are nothing but a small sect from the barren Western Region."
Hiss!
The three Southern Sect Masters drew in a sharp breath, their eyes widening in disbelief.
"How could such a sect come from the Western Region?" one of them muttered under his breath.
They exchanged subtle glances, each filled with confusion.
It was almost impossible to reconcile the idea that such monstrous talents had come from such a desolate land.
Watching their expressions, the Dust Valley Sect Master and his wife were unsurprised.
In truth, this was the very reaction they had expected. After all, with the talents their disciples had displayed, who would ever believe they hailed from a land known for barrenness and mediocrity?
And that disbelief only made their pride burn brighter.
For countless years, people had believed that only those born in rich lands filled with pure spiritual energy could reach the pinnacle of talent.
But the Dust Valley Sect had proven them wrong.
High spiritual energy did not dictate everything. Even barren soil could nurture unparalleled geniuses.
At last, the Frost Moon Sect Master leaned forward, still shaking his head in wonder.
"This is truly a surprise. If others were to hear of this, I doubt they would believe it."
Mo Jian’s mother calmly lifted her cup of spirit tea, taking a sip before replying,
"That is their choice. With the talent of our disciples, whether others believe us or not makes no difference."
"Right. Right," the three sect masters agreed quickly, nodding in unison.
They began to chat more warmly, their tone shifting as they sought to deepen ties with Dust Valley.
Now that they knew this "small sect" was not only a neighbor but also closely allied with the Thousand Wealth Chamber, they understood one thing clearly.
This was an opportunity they could not afford to miss.
...
Outside, a luxurious carriage rolled to a stop before the Dust Valley Sect’s hotel.
The night sky was dim, lantern light casting shadows across the streets. Yet even so, pedestrians could not resist turning their heads again and again, their gazes drawn to the opulent carriage.
This was no ordinary carriage.
Its very presence radiated authority, carrying the weight of a power capable of shaking mountains and rivers across the continent.
From within, an old man stepped out.
His beard was long and white, his gray robe plain and loose, without the faintest trace of spiritual aura.
To the untrained eye, he looked like an ordinary mortal.
But those who recognized him would tremble even at his shadow.
A moment later, a young man in his late twenties followed.
His eyes glimmered with sharpness and ambition as he glanced toward the hotel.
"Is this the place?" the old man asked calmly, not sparing his disciple even a glance.
"Yes, Master," the young man replied quickly.
Without another word, the two strode into the hotel.
Inside the lobby, Dust Valley disciples lounged in comfort, chatting animatedly and enjoying light meals.
The atmosphere was harmonious, filled with laughter.
The moment the two newcomers entered, however, all eyes turned toward them.
The old man’s presence, though restrained, carried a weight that made the disciples instinctively quiet.
"Can I see your Sect Master?" the old man asked, his tone even.
The disciples looked at one another in confusion.
Who were these people?
One of the two female attendants behind the counter stood and bowed respectfully.
"Sir, may I know your name so that I can announce your presence to the Sect Master?"
"W–What..." the young man, Fu Yong, started arrogantly.
But before he could continue, the old man cut him off.
"Artifact Refining Hall Master."
The entire hall fell silent.
"Hmm?!"
Fu Yong froze, his mouth hanging open in shock.
He knew how prideful his master was, yet here he was, introducing himself plainly to mere attendants.
Swallowing hard, he quickly lowered his head and said no more.
From the inner passage, Elder Luo Zhen hurried out.
The moment his eyes landed on the old master, he bowed deeply. "Please, Hall Master, follow me."
They had barely taken a few steps, however, when the entrance opened again and another group entered.
Turning his head, the Artifact Refining Hall Master paused, slightly surprised.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I could ask you the same," the Rune Hall Master replied with a chuckle.
After the second round of competition, he had grown deeply curious.
He had wanted to see for himself what set the Dust Valley Sect apart, what made their disciples so monstrously gifted.
To his shock, he had discovered that the Dust Valley disciples used reasoning and deduction techniques utterly different from traditional methods.
Where his sect taught disciples to memorize runes by rote, Dust Valley’s disciples deduced new runes from old ones.
For example, they had taken a simple fire rune and broken it down into three separate branches.
By altering only a few patterns, they had created a heat rune, a melt rune, and a hot rune.
Such ingenuity stunned him.
He could not suppress his curiosity and had come personally to meet the one responsible for raising such disciples.
Perhaps there were branches of runes even he had never known.
"Hahaha! So you noticed their uniqueness too, did you?" the Artifact Refining Hall Master said with a knowing smile.
"Yes," the Rune Hall Master admitted. "Why don’t we go together?"
"That is a good suggestion."
Looking at the two powerful masters, Elder Luo Zhen’s smile widened. Pride shone in his eyes as he turned and led the way toward the upper floor.