C645 Little Clouds Sect

Three centuries ago on the Heavenly Source Continent, the art of lightning cultivation was dominated by two sects: the Great Clouds Sect and the Lesser Clouds Sect.

These two sects were, in essence, one family, having been established by a pair of mentor and disciple brothers.

At that time, both the Great Clouds Sect and the Lesser Clouds Sect boasted formidable strength, each anchored by an Unrestrained Stage cultivator, securing them top rankings among the lower sects of the continent.

During that era, the Ancient Desolate Sect stood unchallenged as the foremost of the lower sects, with the Clouds Sects ranking within the top five.

Meanwhile, the Spirit Void Sect, which now holds prominence, had a much lower standing in those days.

Sects like the Taiyuan Sect, Cold Yin Sect, and Cloud Water Sect were considered third-tier, failing to make the cut as a recognized lower sect.

Fast forward three hundred years, and the Great Clouds Sect has evolved into today's Thunder Sect, maintaining its profound legacy and impressive power.

In contrast, the Lesser Clouds Sect has waned, relegated to the status of a third-tier sect.

Xie Binn, once a prodigious talent of the Lesser Clouds Sect, had a keen interest in the Dao of alchemy alongside his lightning cultivation. He sought out the Medicine God Sect for wisdom on the alchemical path.

Xie Binn aimed to harness his alchemical prowess to bolster his lightning cultivation, seeking a path to ascend to the Unrestrained Stage.

At that time, Yu Yuan had yet to become the Medicine God or the head of the Medicine God Sect.

Seeing potential in Xie Binn's unique approach, Yu Yuan shared some alchemical techniques and imparted knowledge of medicinal theory.

Thus, the gifted cultivator from the Lesser Clouds Sect became his nominal disciple.

Publicly, Xie Binn declared himself as such, but privately, they referred to each other as friends.

"How do you prove you're his direct disciple?" Xie Binn demanded.

With a whoosh, Yu Yuan produced the "Flowing Flames" pill furnace from his Mustard Seed Bracelet and set it upon the stone floor. "Does this pill furnace verify my identity?"

"Flowing Flames!"

Xie Binn's excitement surged. He stepped forward, gripping Yu Yuan's shoulders, "How did you come by his alchemical legacy? What do you know? Has he left any other messages?"

At that moment, Xie Bin was perceived by Yu Yuan as merely being at the Yin God Stage.

This completely defied his expectations.

Hearing that the head of the Little Clouds Sect was named Xie Bin, he had thought it was a coincidence of names and hadn't dared to assume it was the same person. He had come to check, never expecting it to actually be him.

"First, answer my question," Yu Yuan said, steadying his emotions and regaining his composure. "You shouldn't be in this state."

"What's there to talk about?"

Xie Bin gave a wry smile. "A century ago, our Little Clouds Sect's Yang God expert was ambushed by the Asura Clan on a star in the outer realms. That battle spelled the end for us. Our sect master's soul was obliterated on the spot, my Yang God shattered, and two of my Yang God Stage companions perished alongside me."

He recounted the past with a calm detachment.

"Deep in the Outland Star River, such battles are common. Countless sects like ours have been silenced overnight."

"As a result of that conflict, the Little Clouds Sect's strength plummeted. A hundred years on, only a single Yang God remains to hold the fort."

"With my Yang God in pieces, my true form regressed to the Yin God Stage. The destruction of the Yang God extinguished my Heavenly Soul. Missing one of the three souls, my chances of ascending back to the Yang God Stage were dashed."

"Relying on my keen insight, I volunteered to come to Luan Bird City to recruit young disciples, hoping to find a promising talent to rejuvenate the Little Clouds Sect."

Xie Bin's voice carried a melancholic tone as he laid bare the root cause of the Little Clouds Sect's decline to Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan listened, filled with a mix of sorrow and respect.

He understood that Xie Bin was correct; many sects like the Little Clouds Sect had disappeared without a trace after devastating battles.

That the Little Clouds Sect had managed to preserve its teachings was a feat in itself.

"Didn't the Thunder Sect offer you any support?" Yu Yuan inquired, puzzled. "The Great Clouds Sect still ranks among the lower sects of the Heavenly Source Continent, and your sects share the same foundational teachings."

"The Thunder Sect?" Xie Bin scoffed. "Oh, they were eager to 'take care' of us, but their idea of care was quite different from what we had in mind."

"What's the meaning of this?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"They're demanding we surrender our sect's most sacred treasure, our Blessed and Heavenly Lands, and become a mere extension of the Thunder Sect," Xie Binn said, his face etched with indignation. "The previous sect master spent his entire life contending with the Great Thunder Sect. His deepest desire was for our Small Thunder Sect to outshine the Great Thunder Sect in the lower sect rankings."

"To forsake the name of the Small Thunder Sect and dissolve into the Thunder Sect is a betrayal of the sect master's dying wishes!"

"No matter how destitute or diminished we become, we will never succumb to the Thunder Sect!" Xie Binn declared with resolute conviction.

Boom!

A dull thud echoed from outside in the courtyard, followed by a brusque voice bellowing, "Old Xie, get out here!"

With a grim expression, Xie Binn instructed, "Stay inside. I'll handle this."

Yu Yuan's strategically placed banners effectively concealed the interior's aura and sounds, but the voices from outside the formation remained audible.

Upon realizing an intruder had entered, Yu Yuan swiftly stowed the pill furnace and gathered the banners into his Mustard Seed Bracelet.

"Don't come out," Xie Binn reiterated, then with a scowl, he stepped out into the courtyard.

There, the lame old man who had received three spirit jades from Yu Yuan lay weakly at the threshold, his chest's Qi and blood shimmering with a faint icy glow.

A cultivator clad in the distinctive attire of the Cold Yin Sect, tall and gaunt like a bamboo pole and in the late stages of the Yin God Stage, stood arrogantly in the courtyard, his goatee accentuating his haughty demeanor.

From the rooms around the courtyard, people began to emerge—men and women, young and old—though none possessed high levels of cultivation, merely at the Penetrating or Profound Break Stages.

"There she is!"

The man's eyes sparkled as he spotted a shy girl in a green dress stepping out of a small room. With a swift gesture, he reached out and effortlessly pulled her toward him through the air.

"She initially visited the Cold Yin Sect, but I wasn't there and failed to recognize her potential," he said with a smirk, addressing Xie Binn. "Old Xie, I've found the girl. Taking her back to the Cold Yin Sect should settle matters."

After speaking, she disregarded the fury of the Clouds Sect disciples present and, with the girl in the green dress in tow, turned and walked away. The crippled old man was left without so much as a glance from her.

Outside, a few individuals tasked with recruiting talented practitioners watched his arrival and departure with interest.

"Alas, the Cold Yin Sect is still a lower sect, after all."

"Had it not been for that disaster a century ago, would Zhao Jingzhi dare to be so brazen?"

"Without that catastrophe, would our Dao House share the same street as the Clouds Sect?"

It was only after Zhao Jingzhi of the Cold Yin Sect had taken the girl in the green dress that the onlookers felt safe to voice their opinions. For those from third-rate sects, the Cold Yin Sect, despite being just one tier above in the hierarchy of the seven lower sects, held a status worlds apart from theirs. These were individuals they wouldn't dare provoke or speak ill of.

"Grandpa Xie?"

Several young Clouds Sect cultivators gazed at Xie Binn with hopeful yet hesitant eyes.

Xie Binn, struggling to contain his rage, took deep breaths to steady himself before speaking. "Being chosen by the Cold Yin Sect might just be her good fortune."

With a heavy sigh, he added, "The Clouds Sect as it stands today would only squander her potential for cultivation."

He had scrutinized the girl and recognized her exceptional talent, well-suited for both the lightning techniques and the extreme cold arts of the Cold Yin Sect. He believed that with the sect's careful cultivation, she could reach the heights of a Yang God. Another Yang God would significantly bolster the strength of the Clouds Sect.

But now...

"Cold Yin Sect, Zhao Jingzhi."

Inside the house, Yu Yuan shook his head, his thoughts kept to himself.

"Sorry for the spectacle," Xie Binn said as he re-entered the room, his smile tinged with bitterness. "I've grown accustomed to such things. Our Clouds Sect's current state, lacking an Unrestrained Stage cultivator, no longer places us among the lower sects. I've stayed here in the hopes of discovering a rare talent like Chen Qingyan or Lau Ying."

At this point in the conversation, he let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "I'm aware that the chances are incredibly slim, almost to the point of impossibility."

"But who knows? Miracles might just happen."

...