Paying no attention to the chatter of the disciples, Wang Xiong entered the third floor. The third floor was significantly smaller than the second floor and there were fewer people as well.
At least unlike the first floor, which only had a few servants cleaning things, there were still more people here. The only difference was that the people here were the elders of the sect.
The Nascent soul realm cultivation bases could be felt clearly as well. A couple of them that were sitting near the staircase heard the footsteps and looked towards it.
"Ah, so it's Chief Disciple Wang Xiong." One of the elders said.
"Greetings, elders." Wang Xiong gave a customary greeting.
Right now the elders were split into multiple camps but the biggest ones were none other than the one below the Patriarch which Wang Xiong belonged to as well and the second one being the camp which had the elders of the disciplinary Hall.
While they had made it seem that the camp was disbanded, the elders had simply changed their alliances on the surface and joined other camps. Wang Xiong and the patriarch knew very well that these people could not be trusted yet.
There was a chance that they would still conspire in the hiding and take advantage when they had dropped their guard. Wang Xiong already had a reminder in the form of the spy who had been killed.
The letter in the box that he carried and even the box itself were more than enough to serve as a warning for him. He would definitely not trust these elders that showed a kind front, knowing just what kind a person was hidden underneath.
'If it were not for the elders allowing it, would the core disciples Niu San ever act so freely?' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
He did a simply cordial greeting and headed to the shelf he wanted to go to. It didn't take him long to find the information he desired. The other elders that were on the floor also noticed him and they greeted him if he came close to them as well.
Though the ones that were in the distance didn't bother to do the same and kept doing whatever they were doing. Wang Xiong preferred this too and was rather favorable towards the neutral camp as well.
'At least they don't need to put up a fake front…' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
He then focused back on the task at hand and opened the book that recorded the information about the herbs.
"Here it is… Vitrine Gourd." Wang Xiong muttered.
The information written about the gourd was similar to what he had read on the floor below, but the difference was that it also mentioned the place from where the Vitrine gourd's could be procured.
"The main producer of Vitrine Gourds is… North Mist Herb Pavilions?" Wang Xiong read finding it to be a bit familiar.
'Where have I heard this name before?' Wang Xiong wondered.
He put the book back and tried to look for the second ingredient that he wanted to learn about, the Demesne Blood Cobra Venom. Wang Xiong knew that this belonged to the beast section and went there.
After about half an hour he found the book he wanted there as well.
"Huh? What the hell?" Upon reading the information, Wang Xiong was shocked.
——
Demesne Blood Cobra is one of the dangerous beasts that were exterminated over five hundred years ago. Since their venom was used greatly by many unorthodox sects and also assassins, they were a big hazard.
Their venom was something that had no other use other than being harmful and thus it was considered a proper beast for extinction. These beasts lived chiefly in the Green Dappled Woods in large nests.
Three hundred and ninety four such nests were destroyed back then. Any such beasts that are still in existence have either been bred illegally or privately by different cultivators.
——
Having read the information, Wang Xiong didn't know what to make of it. It was evident that the beast in questioned didn't even exist for a long time in the wild.
'Perhaps there may still be a few, but finding them does not seem like an option the normal person would take. Selling them on the market would also be impossible, as an outlawed beast or toxin like this would not be allowed by the different alchemy guilds either.
Which means… this definitely came from a private owner.' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
Though once thing that caught his eye was that both the ingredients, the Vitrine Gourd and the Demesne Blood cobra, were found in the north.
"The chances of this being someone from the north make the most sense now… though who would even support the elders here? What do they really want with the sect?" Wang Xiong muttered to himself.
Wang Xiong spent some more time searching for information on the powers that could potentially afford this. The Befuddling Mind flower was relatively easy to get even if it was expensive and the Vitrine Gourd was similar to that.
The only thing differentiating was the Demesne Blood Cobra venom.
'Hmm… if the source of the venom could be found, it should give us the possible suspects.' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
He soon found more information on it and realized that there was a link between the powers of the north. There were three powers that had the potential to have the ingredients needed to make the Agitation jade.
The three powers that he learned of were the Huanshan Sect, and two clans, the Lian clan, and the Ji clan. Of the three potential suspects, the Huanshan sect was a mid tier sect that had only recently reached its rank.
Till about six years ago, they were merely a low tier sect and didn't really have a history that long either. They have existed for less than a hundred years. But the two clans that he saw were nothing simple.
——
Learning that two of the top three clans in the Long continent might be the suspects behind this, Wang Xiong was stunned. Even if they really weren't behind this, Wang Xiong was reminded of the power that these clans held.
"Hmm… I can exclude the Huanshan sect from this. They are far too weak to attempt this and the elders of our sect are already strong enough to be the sect master of that sect. They can't afford that many resources either." Wang Xiong muttered to himself.
Finally, his mind went to the two clans. The Ji clan was the second ranked clan in the entire long continent and their power was well known. Their members were in several sects and some were even owned by the Ji clan covertly.
The Ji clan kept their influence hidden most of the time, but the sects and kingdoms could feel their might when it was truly needed. The Lian clan on the other hand, was more open and was a business clan.
They had ownerships of various guilds, shops, herb farms, and even many mines. They were well known for pursuing profits and it wouldn't be wrong to call them a merchant clan, either.
But it was not that they were weak either, there was a reason why they were third ranked clan in the long continent. They were said to have plenty of cultivators among their ranks and they were rather large in number too, having tens if not hundreds of descendants.
This was one of the differences between the Ji clan and the Lian clan. In terms of clan members, the Ji clan pursued quality, nurturing a handful of members to reach the apex. While the Lian clan pursued quantity, looking to overwhelm the competition with numbers.
Both were valid options, but it was still the Ji clan that was at the top despite this all. Wang Xiong was at an impasse here as he was unable to guess which of these clans could be potentially behind this.
~Sigh~
"I need to think over this more and gather more information I suppose.." Wang Xiong muttered to himself.
He left the building, and a couple of elders noticed his expression when he was just about to leave. Once he was gone, the elders spoke among's themselves.
"What do you think, Elder Gen? Why is the 'chef disciple' so lost?"
"What can it be? He came here and had that expression while leaving. It's obvious that he was unable to find what he wanted to." Elder Gen spoke.
"Oh? I wonder what is it that he was looking for such that it can't be found in our library. We even update it with the new information when it arrives." The second elder replied.
Hearing this, Elder Gen raised his brows.
"And why do you have such interest in what Chief disciple does, Elder Hai?" Elder Gen questioned.
Elder Hai looked around in response to this question and ensured that there was no one else around.
"Don't you know? There is a certain reward going around about things related to the new chief disciple?" Elder Hai answered.
Elder Gen furrowed his brows upon hearing this and replied, "don't tell me you are in their camp too… Elder Hai."
"No, no, no! I don't mean in that manner. You must know that Wang Xiong became the chief disciple in a rather domineering manner. Many disciples and even other elders want to know how he accomplished this.
Plus, there are also disciples that wish to find ways to please the chief disciple to raise their own positions. After all, it is quite likely that he would become the sect patriarch if things really go as they are right now." Elder Hai explained hurriedly, fearing that his words might be taken the wrong way.
"Hmm… you should be careful Elder Hai… besides we both are junior elders. These are matters related to the disciples and senior elders. We should not be concerned with it. Instead if would be better fie you just focus on your own cultivation and teaching instead." Elder Gen said in a stern voice.
"I understand Elder Gen," Elder Hai said.
"As long as you know…" Elder Gen said before taking his leave as well.
What he didn't see was that elder Hai's eyes narrowed and he looked at him with a gaze of enmity.
"Another one to be taken off the list…" Elder Hai muttered to himself.
He then took out a communication jade slip for and held it in his hand for a few seconds before putting it away. What messages were sent and to whom it was sent was a mystery.
***
Wang Xiong was on his way back to his residence, which was one of the courtyards on the main peaks of the sect, when he saw a few disciples coming towards him. He narrowed his eyes but recognized them to be familiar.
"Greetings, Senior Brother." They all greeted.
These were the inner court disciples and were acquainted with Wang Xiong. They had cheered on when Wang Xiong had won last time too, as they too were oppressed by Niu San and his companion.
"Greetings, juniors. How are you here today?" He asked, feeling curious.
The area he was in was rather in the secluded part of the peak and few people came here. The only ones who did were either those that were coming for him or ones that were going to meet the elders.
These disciples didn't seem to be the ones that would have the authority to meet the elders directly, thus Wang Xiong thought that they must be here for him. Still… not to assume it he asked the question.
The disciples looked at each other for a second before looking at Wang Xiong with a serious look.
"Senior, we bring you some news." One of the disciples that was in the lead spoke.
"Oh? What kind of news?" Wang Xiong questioned.
"It's related to the discipline hall… they are looking for information related to you and recruiting people." Hearing this, Wang Xiong narrowed his eyes.
Paying no attention to the chatter of the disciples, Wang Xiong entered the third floor. The third floor was significantly smaller than the second floor and there were fewer people as well.
At least unlike the first floor, which only had a few servants cleaning things, there were still more people here. The only difference was that the people here were the elders of the sect.
The Nascent soul realm cultivation bases could be felt clearly as well. A couple of them that were sitting near the staircase heard the footsteps and looked towards it.
"Ah, so it's Chief Disciple Wang Xiong." One of the elders said.
"Greetings, elders." Wang Xiong gave a customary greeting.
Right now the elders were split into multiple camps but the biggest ones were none other than the one below the Patriarch which Wang Xiong belonged to as well and the second one being the camp which had the elders of the disciplinary Hall.
While they had made it seem that the camp was disbanded, the elders had simply changed their alliances on the surface and joined other camps. Wang Xiong and the patriarch knew very well that these people could not be trusted yet.
There was a chance that they would still conspire in the hiding and take advantage when they had dropped their guard. Wang Xiong already had a reminder in the form of the spy who had been killed.
The letter in the box that he carried and even the box itself were more than enough to serve as a warning for him. He would definitely not trust these elders that showed a kind front, knowing just what kind a person was hidden underneath.
'If it were not for the elders allowing it, would the core disciples Niu San ever act so freely?' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
He did a simply cordial greeting and headed to the shelf he wanted to go to. It didn't take him long to find the information he desired. The other elders that were on the floor also noticed him and they greeted him if he came close to them as well.
Though the ones that were in the distance didn't bother to do the same and kept doing whatever they were doing. Wang Xiong preferred this too and was rather favorable towards the neutral camp as well.
'At least they don't need to put up a fake front…' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
He then focused back on the task at hand and opened the book that recorded the information about the herbs.
"Here it is… Vitrine Gourd." Wang Xiong muttered.
The information written about the gourd was similar to what he had read on the floor below, but the difference was that it also mentioned the place from where the Vitrine gourd's could be procured.
"The main producer of Vitrine Gourds is… North Mist Herb Pavilions?" Wang Xiong read finding it to be a bit familiar.
'Where have I heard this name before?' Wang Xiong wondered.
He put the book back and tried to look for the second ingredient that he wanted to learn about, the Demesne Blood Cobra Venom. Wang Xiong knew that this belonged to the beast section and went there.
After about half an hour he found the book he wanted there as well.
"Huh? What the hell?" Upon reading the information, Wang Xiong was shocked.
——
Demesne Blood Cobra is one of the dangerous beasts that were exterminated over five hundred years ago. Since their venom was used greatly by many unorthodox sects and also assassins, they were a big hazard.
Their venom was something that had no other use other than being harmful and thus it was considered a proper beast for extinction. These beasts lived chiefly in the Green Dappled Woods in large nests.
Three hundred and ninety four such nests were destroyed back then. Any such beasts that are still in existence have either been bred illegally or privately by different cultivators.
——
Having read the information, Wang Xiong didn't know what to make of it. It was evident that the beast in questioned didn't even exist for a long time in the wild.
'Perhaps there may still be a few, but finding them does not seem like an option the normal person would take. Selling them on the market would also be impossible, as an outlawed beast or toxin like this would not be allowed by the different alchemy guilds either.
Which means… this definitely came from a private owner.' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
Though once thing that caught his eye was that both the ingredients, the Vitrine Gourd and the Demesne Blood cobra, were found in the north.
"The chances of this being someone from the north make the most sense now… though who would even support the elders here? What do they really want with the sect?" Wang Xiong muttered to himself.
Wang Xiong spent some more time searching for information on the powers that could potentially afford this. The Befuddling Mind flower was relatively easy to get even if it was expensive and the Vitrine Gourd was similar to that.
The only thing differentiating was the Demesne Blood Cobra venom.
'Hmm… if the source of the venom could be found, it should give us the possible suspects.' Wang Xiong thought to himself.
He soon found more information on it and realized that there was a link between the powers of the north. There were three powers that had the potential to have the ingredients needed to make the Agitation jade.
The three powers that he learned of were the Huanshan Sect, and two clans, the Lian clan, and the Ji clan. Of the three potential suspects, the Huanshan sect was a mid tier sect that had only recently reached its rank.
Till about six years ago, they were merely a low tier sect and didn't really have a history that long either. They have existed for less than a hundred years. But the two clans that he saw were nothing simple.
——
Learning that two of the top three clans in the Long continent might be the suspects behind this, Wang Xiong was stunned. Even if they really weren't behind this, Wang Xiong was reminded of the power that these clans held.
"Hmm… I can exclude the Huanshan sect from this. They are far too weak to attempt this and the elders of our sect are already strong enough to be the sect master of that sect. They can't afford that many resources either." Wang Xiong muttered to himself.
Finally, his mind went to the two clans. The Ji clan was the second ranked clan in the entire long continent and their power was well known. Their members were in several sects and some were even owned by the Ji clan covertly.
The Ji clan kept their influence hidden most of the time, but the sects and kingdoms could feel their might when it was truly needed. The Lian clan on the other hand, was more open and was a business clan.
They had ownerships of various guilds, shops, herb farms, and even many mines. They were well known for pursuing profits and it wouldn't be wrong to call them a merchant clan, either.
But it was not that they were weak either, there was a reason why they were third ranked clan in the long continent. They were said to have plenty of cultivators among their ranks and they were rather large in number too, having tens if not hundreds of descendants.
This was one of the differences between the Ji clan and the Lian clan. In terms of clan members, the Ji clan pursued quality, nurturing a handful of members to reach the apex. While the Lian clan pursued quantity, looking to overwhelm the competition with numbers.
Both were valid options, but it was still the Ji clan that was at the top despite this all. Wang Xiong was at an impasse here as he was unable to guess which of these clans could be potentially behind this.
~Sigh~
"I need to think over this more and gather more information I suppose.." Wang Xiong muttered to himself.
He left the building, and a couple of elders noticed his expression when he was just about to leave. Once he was gone, the elders spoke among's themselves.
"What do you think, Elder Gen? Why is the 'chef disciple' so lost?"
"What can it be? He came here and had that expression while leaving. It's obvious that he was unable to find what he wanted to." Elder Gen spoke.
"Oh? I wonder what is it that he was looking for such that it can't be found in our library. We even update it with the new information when it arrives." The second elder replied.
Hearing this, Elder Gen raised his brows.
"And why do you have such interest in what Chief disciple does, Elder Hai?" Elder Gen questioned.
Elder Hai looked around in response to this question and ensured that there was no one else around.
"Don't you know? There is a certain reward going around about things related to the new chief disciple?" Elder Hai answered.
Elder Gen furrowed his brows upon hearing this and replied, "don't tell me you are in their camp too… Elder Hai."
"No, no, no! I don't mean in that manner. You must know that Wang Xiong became the chief disciple in a rather domineering manner. Many disciples and even other elders want to know how he accomplished this.
Plus, there are also disciples that wish to find ways to please the chief disciple to raise their own positions. After all, it is quite likely that he would become the sect patriarch if things really go as they are right now." Elder Hai explained hurriedly, fearing that his words might be taken the wrong way.
"Hmm… you should be careful Elder Hai… besides we both are junior elders. These are matters related to the disciples and senior elders. We should not be concerned with it. Instead if would be better fie you just focus on your own cultivation and teaching instead." Elder Gen said in a stern voice.
"I understand Elder Gen," Elder Hai said.
"As long as you know…" Elder Gen said before taking his leave as well.
What he didn't see was that elder Hai's eyes narrowed and he looked at him with a gaze of enmity.
"Another one to be taken off the list…" Elder Hai muttered to himself.
He then took out a communication jade slip for and held it in his hand for a few seconds before putting it away. What messages were sent and to whom it was sent was a mystery.
***
Wang Xiong was on his way back to his residence, which was one of the courtyards on the main peaks of the sect, when he saw a few disciples coming towards him. He narrowed his eyes but recognized them to be familiar.
"Greetings, Senior Brother." They all greeted.
These were the inner court disciples and were acquainted with Wang Xiong. They had cheered on when Wang Xiong had won last time too, as they too were oppressed by Niu San and his companion.
"Greetings, juniors. How are you here today?" He asked, feeling curious.
The area he was in was rather in the secluded part of the peak and few people came here. The only ones who did were either those that were coming for him or ones that were going to meet the elders.
These disciples didn't seem to be the ones that would have the authority to meet the elders directly, thus Wang Xiong thought that they must be here for him. Still… not to assume it he asked the question.
The disciples looked at each other for a second before looking at Wang Xiong with a serious look.
"Senior, we bring you some news." One of the disciples that was in the lead spoke.
"Oh? What kind of news?" Wang Xiong questioned.
"It's related to the discipline hall… they are looking for information related to you and recruiting people." Hearing this, Wang Xiong narrowed his eyes.
