Chapter 344: Revised: 343 Duan Xingchen

Words : 1866 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 344: Revised: Chapter 343 Duan Xingchen Bai Ziyue looked over toward the source of the voice and responded with surprise, “Senior Brother Ding?” The person who appeared before him was Ding Mao, a fellow disciple from the Sunrise Daoist Sect. Before he had joined the Sunrise Daoist Sect, he had met Ding Mao, and together they had participated in the hunt against the soon-to-be spiritual Cat Demon, forming a certain camaraderie. “You have reached Enlightenment?” Ding Mao walked over enthusiastically, suddenly noticing the change in Bai Ziyue’s aura. He was immediately startled and awkwardly changed his words, “Bai... Junior Martial Uncle Bai...” “Luckily, I broke through.” Bai Ziyue smiled slightly, noticing his discomfort, and said, “Let’s address each other as Fellow Daoists.” “Alright, alright...” Ding Mao nodded repeatedly, though he was a bit surprised and had many doubts. He did not casually inquire, but instead said, “I had long known of Fellow Daoist’s remarkable power, yet I hadn’t expected you to break through to the Enlightenment Realm so soon. This time, did Fellow Daoist come here summoned by Junior Martial Uncle Duan?” “Junior Martial Uncle Duan? No, I wasn’t.” Bai Ziyue hesitated slightly, surprised. “Then perhaps I misunderstood.” Ding Mao smiled awkwardly and continued, “Junior Martial Uncle Duan is the Sect Leader’s true disciple, with immense talent and power. He is one of the strong contenders for the next Sect Leader of our Sunrise Daoist Sect. Even if you didn’t intentionally come for him, if you have nothing else to do, you might as well pay him a visit. If you can gain Junior Martial Uncle Duan’s appreciation, it would greatly benefit your development within the Sunrise Daoist Sect.” Saying this, Ding Mao looked at Bai Ziyue with anticipation. He had a little plan in his heart. If he visited alone, given his identity at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, he might receive some hospitality but never real attention. But if accompanied by Bai Ziyue, who had already reached the Early-stage Enlightenment Realm, the level of attention would be entirely different. He might even gain great benefits as a result. The smile on his face grew even warmer. “Alright then.” Bai Ziyue’s eyes flashed as he discerned Ding Mao’s thoughts but did not refuse. “That would be great.” Ding Mao showed a trace of joy in his eyes, becoming increasingly enthusiastic towards Bai Ziyue, saying, “I’ve been to the Celestial Essence Market several times before. Though not fully familiar, I know it relatively well. I’ll first take you to our Sunrise Daoist Sect’s school to settle down, and then we can visit Senior Brother Duan. Afterward, I’ll show you around. This Celestial Essence Market has many fine things, sure to broaden your horizons.” Bai Ziyue nodded, not saying much more, and followed Ding Mao into the market. Along the way, the streets were lined with shops, and in the bustling crowd, martial artists were naturally more prominent, though at minimum, all had cultivated Inner Strength; External Forging and Internal Cultivation martial artists were rather rare. Additionally, the place was filled with Immortal Cultivators, clad in Daoist robes, with an inexplicable self-confidence on their faces. Only when encountering cultivators like Bai Ziyue, whose strength far surpassed theirs, did they show a look of reverence. Suddenly, Bai Ziyue raised an eyebrow and looked towards a shop in the distance. This shop wasn’t in the top ten of the market, yet it was quite large, occupying a vast area and even featuring a backyard. However, standing at the shop entrance were two burly men with bare chests. Both were martial artists of a First-class Expert level, tall and fierce-looking, with intimidating appearances, causing a natural sense of awe at the shop’s entrance. Thus, despite the excellent location, it was still deserted, without many cultivators stepping inside. “Golden Bamboo Sword Workshop!” Bai Ziyue looked up at the shop’s name. “It’s quite a pity, this Golden Bamboo Sword Workshop.” Seeing the confused expression on Bai Ziyue’s face, Ding Mao quickly spoke up. “Why do you say that?” Bai Ziyue asked. “This Golden Bamboo Sword Workshop is an enterprise of the Huang Immortal Cultivation Clan. But ever since Grandma Huang, the mainstay of the clan at Late-stage Enlightenment Realm, perished five years ago, and with no new Enlightenment Realm Immortal Master to take over the family, it has been gradually devoured by others. Over the years, the Huang Family has been reduced to only the Golden Bamboo Forest in the Huang Family Manor and this Golden Bamboo Sword Workshop. Clearly, the person behind it does not intend to give up this enterprise. They’ve already begun open coercion, so it won’t be long before this enterprise changes hands.” Ding Mao said with a touch of sentiment. *In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, the law of the jungle is truly evident at this moment.* “Oh?” Bai Ziyue nodded thoughtfully and didn’t say much more. Soon, he followed Ding Mao to one of the Sunrise Daoist Sect’s properties, the Sunrise Daoist School. Using their identity tokens, they settled in smoothly. “Junior Martial Uncle Duan is a leading figure among the young disciples, having broken through from the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation to the Enlightenment Realm at the age of twenty-seven. He then smoothly progressed to the Mid-stage Enlightenment Realm by the age of thirty-five. Now, five years have passed, and no one knows exactly to what extent he has advanced.” “By the way, Fellow Daoist Bai, I see you look quite young. May I ask how old you are now?” Senior Brother Ding Mao beckoned Bai Ziyue to join him in meeting Duan Xingchen, and then seemed to remember something as he asked. “Me? Twenty, I suppose.” Bai Ziyue thought for a moment and chose to withhold some truth. However, even so, Ding Mao’s face showed extreme shock, his steps suddenly halted, and he exclaimed in surprise, “Twenty?” *He suddenly felt a sense of absurdity in his heart. Could Bai Ziyue’s talent be even more astonishing than that of Junior Martial Uncle Duan Xingchen himself?* “In terms of talent, I’m certainly no match for Senior Brother Duan. It’s just luck and a fortunate encounter, nothing more.” Bai Ziyue spoke humbly, thinking about his Attribute Panel. If not for the Attribute Panel, given his talent, in terms of Martial Arts, he would likely still be at the level of External Forging and Internal Cultivation, unable even to cultivate Inner Strength. As for the Immortal Technique Realm, he estimated that he would probably only reach the Third Layer of Qi Refinement Stage, which was considered decent in Qinghe Town, but now that his vision had expanded, he felt quite weak. *There was even a possibility that he might have perished prematurely...* He couldn’t help but feel a bit fortunate. “Yes... yes.” Ding Mao echoed with a strained voice, “In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, though talent is important, opportunity is even more crucial. How many people toil for ten years, yet achieve less than others with a single stroke of luck? However, rapidly gaining strength like this is certainly not as solid as others who cultivate step by step.” “Bai... Junior Martial Uncle Bai...” Ding Mao found himself unable to continue speaking, even his form of address changed from Fellow Daoist to Junior Martial Uncle. “What’s the matter?” Bai Ziyue, his mind elsewhere, hadn’t really listened closely to his words, so he couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked. “Though Junior Martial Uncle Bai’s realm has reached the Enlightenment Realm, I imagine your strength may be slightly weaker than the average Enlightenment Realm cultivator. Just the right opportunity to seek guidance from Junior Martial Uncle Duan. Junior Martial Uncle Duan is not only exceptionally talented but also possesses formidable strength as the leading figure among the younger generation of our Sunrise Daoist Sect. The weapon he possesses is a set of Flying Swords, eighteen in total, each reaching the level of Low-grade Spiritual Artifact, and when combined, their power is scarcely weaker than a Top-grade Spiritual Artifact. He also dominates with a matching Sword Array Technique, once claiming victories even against Late-stage Enlightenment Realm cultivators.” Ding Mao spoke with determination, and the louder he became, the better he hid his previous gaffe. Bai Ziyue nodded calmly, gaining a measure of understanding of Duan Xingchen’s capabilities. “Haha, which junior brother is boasting like this, making me feel somewhat embarrassed?” It was precisely at this moment that a cheerful laugh was heard, shortly followed by the opening of a door not far away, from which emerged a youthful-looking cultivator in a purple Daoist robe. Behind him were two Enlightenment Realm cultivators, one old and one young. The old one appeared to be on the verge of dying, emitting an aura of decrepitude, yet his Immortal Technique Realm had already reached the Late-stage Enlightenment Realm. As for the slightly younger cultivator, his Immortal Technique Realm was at the Early-stage Enlightenment Realm, his presence carrying a sharpness, showing a distinct air of nonconformity. “It’s him!” Bai Ziyue gazed at this speaker, a hint of realization flashing in his eyes. *He had seen this person before.* When he initially exchanged various Magic and Dharma Treasures from the Internal Affairs Hall, he coincidentally encountered three Enlightenment Realm Immortal Masters returning to the sect, and the only uninjured one among them was precisely this individual. If he guessed correctly, this was Senior Brother Ding’s constant topic, Junior Martial Uncle Duan Xingchen. “Junior Martial Uncle Duan, Elder Li, Junior Martial Uncle Shao.” Just at this moment, Ding Mao’s body shuddered, and he quickly stepped forward respectfully to greet them. Duan Xingchen nodded slightly, then looked towards Bai Ziyue and said, “Fellow Daoist looks quite unfamiliar. Could you be a disciple of our Sunrise Daoist Sect? May I ask your name?” “I am Bai Ziyue, newly joined the Sunrise Daoist Sect, not long ago. It’s an honor to meet Senior Brother Duan, Elder Li, and Senior Brother Shao.” Bai Ziyue performed a Daoist salute as he spoke. “Ah, I see. This time, your presence to aid us is truly a pleasant surprise. I, Xingchen, express my gratitude here.” Duan Xingchen thought for a moment and indeed hadn’t heard of Bai Ziyue before, but he still expressed his enthusiasm as he spoke. “Actually, I am here merely by coincidence. I happened to encounter Senior Brother Ding on the way, which is why I’m here. But I don’t know what assistance Senior Brother Duan is referring to.” Bai Ziyue spoke with slight caution. “By the sound of it, you don’t wish to help? Do you think that Senior Brother Duan is here to plead with you?” At this point, the Shao-named Immortal Master at the Early-stage Enlightenment Realm behind him spoke angrily. “That’s not the case at all, if it’s within my capacity, I’d be willing to help. However, if the task were too dangerous, I must ask for forgiveness for my inability.” Bai Ziyue remained unperturbed, speaking calmly.

Chapter 344: Revised: 343 Duan Xingchen

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