Originally, many in the Ji Fang Alliances thought that Pei Xuanjing and his team needed to wait a little longer. However, judging from his invitation, it seemed that the other party was unwilling to procrastinate, willing even to share some of their potential profits to expedite their plan.
"No matter what the Taoist School's goal is, if we can intervene, it will undoubtedly be a great opportunity," Xue Wuheng decided.
People in the Demonic Cult are the most pragmatic. They re-merged to ensure they could seize enough benefits in the upcoming Great World era to strengthen themselves.
If they couldn't achieve this, even if he was the strongest in the Demonic Cult, he wouldn't feel secure maintaining his position as the cult leader.
You have to remember, after the revival of Heaven and Earth, there are many Spiritual Medicine that had been extinct. Some of these spiritual medicines greatly benefit Spirit Realm practitioners.
The vast areas outside the border are home to many valuable items. If they could gain enough benefits for the Demonic Cult during the forthcoming invasion of the Great Ming beyond the Great Wall, it would not only yield substantial rewards for him, but it would also earn him the devotion of his subordinates. By then, his leadership would naturally be followed, and his prestige would soar.
"I cannot miss this alliance meeting!" Xue Wuheng thought. "However, I must first get that old guy to cooperate. Otherwise, with my power alone, I'm afraid I won't be able to gain much advantage against the other parties."
Thinking of that old guy, Xue Wuheng felt disgusted.
Originally, after the merging of the various sects in the Demonic Cult, he rightfully became the sect leader. Using the rebellious elder from the Blood Demon Sect to establish his authority, he even took this opportunity to settle his grudges with Pei Xuanjing.
It seemed like he had gained a lot from these events.
However, he never expected that the old man from the Blood Demon Sect, who was about to die from old age, would somehow break into the Spirit Realm.
Initially, the Demonic Cult only had him, a Spirit Realm practitioner. Now there was another one, and he was from the Blood Demon Sect, which was in conflict with him. This made Xue Wuheng feel extremely annoyed and upset.
While Xue Wuheng was annoyed, the Buddhism School also received Pei Xuanjing's invitation. As for this invite, the Buddhism School naturally chose to accept it.
They knew that this alliance meeting wasn't simple. The Buddhism School must attend, because the Taoist School is already powerful. Now with Pei Xuanjing, the world's number one, their momentum is even more significant. If they continue to remain silent, they will no longer be able to keep up with the Taoist School.
The same was true for the Aristocratic Alliance. These long-standing aristocratic families had the closest ties with both the Jianghu and the imperial court. Numerous family members held official positions at court, so they were well aware of the Great Ming court's plans.
This time, they would not want to miss out on this opportunity. After all, they have three Spirit Realm practitioners, making this their time of rising power.
This time, Pei Xuanjing didn't just invite people from the Ji Fang Alliances. Some slightly weaker forces also received invitation cards.
As the news of this invitation spread through Jianghu, it even formed a trend that resonated all over the world, attracting countless people's attention.
After all, even though Pei Xuanjing, as the world's number one, invited so many people, he couldn't possibly write a personal invitation to each one. There were very few forces and individuals who were worth his time.
Therefore, these varying standards of invitation had become a measure of each force's standing in people's eyes.
Forces and individuals who received personal invitations from Pei Xuanjing were undoubtedly the top forces and individuals in Jianghu. The second-tier ones could only receive ordinary invitations.
Of course, what dissatisfied many forces and individuals more than receiving ordinary invitations was that they thought they were qualified to receive invitations but didn't.
Without much effort, Pei Xuanjing managed to categorize these forces into three classes.
In the face of such categorization, some agreed, some disagreed, but no one dared to question the judgment of the man currently recognized as the world's number one.
Even those forces that were upset about this could only complain inwardly, not daring to express their discontent outwardly.
After all, it had only been a few years since Pei Xuanjing swept through the world, and although he hadn't appeared in recent years, no one dared to underestimate him.
The deterrent power of the world's number one person was indeed terrifying!
Whether it was the Demonic Cult, the Buddhism School, the Aristocratic Alliance, or any significant powers that spanned provinces, none of them rejected Pei Xuanjing's invitation after receiving it.
Even some newly arising forces that considered themselves to be powerful decided to participate in this meeting, despite not receiving an invitation.
After all, no one is a fool. Just by looking at Pei Xuanjing's invite, it was clear that renowned forces and individuals from all over the world would gather at Shenxiao Mountain, and even the Great Ming imperial court would send representatives.
So, although Pei Xuanjing has not really revealed the true purpose of the Shenxiao alliance, unless they're a fool, those individuals who did not receive an invitation would not want to miss out.
On Shenxiao Mountain, Pei Xuanjing stood alone atop a peak, looking out over its continuous ridges and the vast canopy of the sky. Dressed in green, the mountain breeze caused his robes to flutter, and his determination surged in his heart:
"With this, all the heroes of the world are within my grasp!"
This Shenxiao conference would be the first step in his plan. Once his plan was implemented, all forces in the Great Ming, whether they liked it or not, would be bound to his chariot and become part of his plan.
Although he's giving out a considerable amount of benefits now, if seen in the long term, he's saved an untold amount of time. Thus, whether it's a loss or a profit is still unknown.
Zhang Jie appeared on the mountain peak. Seeing the man before him, his eyes were filled with fanatical admiration!
As one of the four powerful men who Pei Xuanjing had initially won over, if Zhang Jie initially had some complaints about swearing allegiance to Pei Xuanjing, he was now utterly loyal to Pei Xuanjing. In his view, swearing fealty back then was the luckiest choice he ever made in his life.
If I hadn't sworn allegiance to the sect leader back then, or if the sect leader hadn't wanted to take us in, would we have what we have today?
This was a question that Zhang Jie and others had asked themselves heartfeltly more than once.
The answer was definite: without the earlier submission, there would be no glory today.
The former Lord of Shenxiao Gate might have been powerful, but compared to Pei Xuanjing, he was as a firefly facing the noonday sun.
No, the Lord of Shenxiao Gate was not even worthy of being compared to the sect leader. Comparing these two people was an insult to the sect leader.
What kind of days did they live under the leadership of the Lord of Shenxiao Gate back then?
Lingering on in utter misery, constantly hiding, fearing they would attract the pursuit of the Great Ming imperial court. They didn't have a single peaceful day, and they didn't have the dignity a master should have.
Sometimes, only by losing something can one truly understand the beauty of possession.
During the time they served under the Lord of the Shenxiao Gate, Zhang Jie and his peers had no status at all. Even though they were First-grade strong martial artists, they dared not reveal their identity as heirs of the Shenxiao Sect, and were forced to live in the shadows.
But after they had sworn allegiance to the Lord, they no longer needed to hide in fear. They regained their dignity and glory, and no one could belittle them anymore.
When they introduced themselves as members of the Shenxiao Sect in their dealings with others, they were met with envy, jealousy, fear, and reverence.
This was the first time Zhang Jie had tasted the dignity of being a strong martial artist. He was almost lost in its allure, unwilling to wake up from what felt like a dream.
Having regained his dignity and glory, Zhang Jie was clear on what he needed to do. He was not willing to return to the days of hiding and running. He vowed to protect everything he had gained under the Lord's command, even at the cost of his life.
"Master! The deputy master has returned," Zhang announced respectfully from behind Pei Xuanjing.
The deputy master in question was Pang Hong. After his breakthrough from the Blessed Land of the Forbidden Place, Pang Hong surpassed all of his peers within the Shenxiao Sect. Being the only direct disciple of Pei Xuanjing, his position was irreplaceable.
After confirming that his skills were flawless, Pei Xuanjing established Pang Hong as his successor. Now, most of the affairs of the Shenxiao Sect were handled by Pang Hong.
This time, Pang Hong had been tasked by Pei Xuanjing to deliver the invitation to Xue Wuheng and ask for the agreed compensation in return.
As Pei Xuanjing's successor, Pang Hong was bound to have dealings with many profound Spirit Realm masters, so this was a test for him.
"Let's go, head to the Jade Clear Hall," said Pei Xuanjing.
The Jade Clear Hall, also known as Shenxiao Jade Clear Hall, served as the main hall of the Shenxiao Sect at present.
After Pei Xuanjing and the Great Ming court reached an agreement in Tiandu, the ownership of Shenxiao Mountain naturally fell back to the Shenxiao Sect. Even when the Shenxiao Sect was viewed as rebels by the Great Ming court, no one dared question Pei Xuanjing's authority over the mountain because of his reputation.
Immediately after, Yu Zhenzi had ordered the old ruins on the mountains be cleared away and Shenxiao Sect's courtyards and halls be established anew.
When Emperor Jiajing declared Pei Xuanjing as his teacher, he personally ordered the Ministry of Works to have top craftsmen design, and people construct palaces to honor Pei Xuanjing.
The Shenxiao Mountain was now dotted with palaces, pavilions, terraces, and towers, rivaling the architecture of the True Martial Sect.
"Disciple pays respects to Master," Pang Hong respectfully greeted Pei Xuanjing who had just entered the Shenxiao Main Hall.
Seeing Pang Hong's wearied appearance, Pei Xuanjing smiled, "You've worked hard on this trip."
"It's my duty, Master. No hardship," Pang Hong shook his head.
He pointed to several crates, saying, "These are all sorted by Master Xue as per your requirements, Master. In addition to martial studies skills, they also contain Thousand-Refinement Divine Weapons and a variety of precious spiritual medicines."
"Well done!" Pei Xuanjing nodded, "After those skills are sent to the Scripture Pavilion, save a part of the spiritual medicines and distribute the rest amongst our disciples."
"Thank you, Master," Zhang Jie and the others quickly thanked him.
"It's nothing. You deserve it since you've worked hard these past few years," Pei Xuanjing waved it off.
What he cared about was the values those martial studies skills could contribute to his spiritual wisdom. The spiritual medicines were far less significant to him.
The various spiritual medicines didn't matter much to Pei Xuanjing. Ever since he collaborated with the emperor, he had received countless spiritual medicines. Yet, as he advanced in his realm, common spiritual medicines had very little effect on him. Even if Xue Wuheng hoarded precious spiritual medicines, it was better to distribute them to his followers to increase their abilities.
He asked Pang Hong, "What did Xue Wuheng say when he received the invitation?"
Pang Hong answered, "Master Xue sends his regards to you, Master, and says that he will definitely arrive on time. He also mentioned an agreement between him and you about the Seven Kills Sword."
"Oh?" Pei Xuanjing smiled, "It seems the legacy of the Seven Kills Sword Master has a successor."
Seeing the confused faces of Pang Hong and the others, Pei Xuanjing disclosed the agreement he had made with Xue Wuheng previously.
"Having reached the Spirit Realm, if I were to draw my weapon now, it would be a case of the mighty bullying the weak," He chuckled at Pang Hong, "Since Xue Wuheng is prepared to retrieve the Seven Kills Sword, you can fight on my behalf this time."
"Disciple will not let you down, Master!" Pang Hong answered resolutely.
Pei Xuanjing waved his hand and laughed, "There's no need to be so certain. The Seven Kills Sword is pretty good, but it's useless to me. This time, let's see how capable the successor is. If he's any good, we can return the sword to him."
With Pei Xuanjing's power, he had never been too concerned about the Seven Kills Sword, especially now. He was actually quite interested in the successor who had won the approval of such a pure swordsman like the Seven Kills Sword Master. If the successor was really capable, why not give the sword back?
Plus, it suggested that Xue Wuheng wasn't as successful as everyone thought. The Blood Demon Sect Elder must have caused him quite a bit of trouble.
One should know that besides the Seven Kills Sword, the Blood God Blade, a Ten Thousand-Forged Divine Weapon once owned by the Demon Cult Blood Demon, was also in Pei Xuanjing's hands. To the Seven Kills Sword Sect and the Blood Demon Sect both, these weapons were irreplaceable treasures.
The fact that they only mentioned the Seven Kills Sword and not the Blood God Blade clearly revealed their intentions.
Setting aside these thoughts, Pei Xuanjing said to Pang Hong, "For the time being, I need to review these martial arts skills. In the meantime, I'll need you to entertain our guests on my behalf."
"Yes!" Pang Hong answered.
The world's number one, Great Ming's current national teacher, and Lord of Shenxiao Gate, Long Life Son, has invited all major forces to convene on Shenxiao Mountain on the ninth day of the ninth month to discuss pressing matters.
This event has currently caught the attention of the entire martial world, and even the imperial court of Great Ming. Even people from outside the border and overseas masters have heard about it.
As the designated day draws closer, a countless number of people are moving toward Shenxiao Mountain, eager to catch a glimpse of the world's top martial artist and curious to find out who will be attending this meeting.
A distance of one hundred miles is not far for most martial artists. Even for an average martial artist, they could make the journey on a fast horse in a single day.
The martial world never lacked busybodies, so even though the event was still half a month away, the towns within a hundred miles of Shenxiao Mountain were brimming with martial artists from all over the place.
True Martial Sect's Daoist Qingxu, the Former Celestial Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain, Bai Xiaosheng, Northern Chan Sect's Two Great Monks, No Dharma, and No Appearance from the School of Buddhism, The Demonic Cult Leader, Xue Wuheng, the Elder, Blood Slaughter Sovereign, the elder representatives of three powerful families: the Wangs of Taiyuan, the Cuis of Qinghe, and the Lis of Longxi, Maitreya Sect Leader Zhao Baiyang, Tie Qianshan from the Tie Sect, Prince Zhu Yousong of Xiang, Zi Tianxiong, the owner of Heavenly King's Pavilion, all fourteen Spirit Realm strongmen have arrived together.
Those who can participate in the conference on Pei Xuanjing's backyard mountain today are all strong men of the Spirit Realm. If you haven't stepped into the Spirit Realm, regardless of your status, you don't qualify.
Even the master of the Chunyang Sect from the Taoist Alliance, Daoist Xuanming of Baiyun Temple, cannot participate in this conference because he has not broken through the Spirit Realm yet.
Presently, there are fourteen people, including Pei Xuanjing, are fifteen in all. These Spirit Realm strongmen can almost be considered all the visible strongmen throughout the realm of Great Ming.
"You have all traveled from afar, forgive me for not greeting you earlier, I hope you'll be understanding,"
Pei Xuanjing greeted the crowd.
"No need to be so formal, Taoist friend!"
"There's no need for such words, Master…"
"There's no need for such formalities, Master of the Nation."
"Pei, no need to be so formal."
The reactions naturally followed when Pei Xuanjing, the world's first man, started speaking.
From these people's responses, one could notice the varying degrees of their relationships with Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing chuckled, flicked his robe and pointed behind him, saying, "Please have a seat!"
After speaking, he sat down in the main position without any courtesy, and no one in the scene was disrespectful to this swiftly decisive move.
Furthermore, the moment he sat down, an underlying aura sparkles on the seat carved from white Han jade appeared. It connected with his aura and sent out an indistinctly mysterious fluctuation.
This chair is not ordinary!
The ones present were all extraordinary people, and they understood that it was not an ordinary chair. Perhaps this was a test from the National Master.
The group exchanged glances, even the Taoist Qingxu and other alliance members were taken aback.
Yes, this was a test from Pei Xuanjing.
Using the talisman method he had learned in the World of Myriad Manifestations, he left glyphs on each chair.
As Pei Xuanjing sat down, everyone looked at each other, and the Old Celestial Master of the Taoist School laughed, "If no one else is going to make the first move, then allow me."
Everyone agreed. The Old Celestial Master was a revered figure, ranked second in the Supreme list of the Jianghu world, and had been famous for over two hundred years. He was a senior to all present and his choice to be the second to be seated was not questioned.
"Please, Celestial Master!"
The Old Celestial Master smiled and took a step towards the chair.
The moment he approached, he felt the extraordinary atmosphere of the chair. Numerous glyphs were carved on the chair creating a qi field blanketing the chair, attracting countless Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.
The Celestial Master slowly released Primordial Qi from his body and let it fall onto the chair; the moment he got near, he felt the qi field resisting his approach.
The Celestial Master flicked his five fingers, and few Primordial Qis fell onto the chair. As the chair sparkled, he sat in unison, and the chair's qi field immediately integrated with him.
"Hm?"
Surprised by the profundity of the Qi field, the Celestial Master looked at Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing was silent with a smile, and the Celestial Master did not waste any time, closing his eyes and circulating the method in his body.
Seeing the Celestial Master like this, the other thirteen people looked curiously at Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing laughed, "You all travel from afar; I have prepared a small gift for you all on this chair."
"Hahaha, if Pei is like this, then I won't be polite." Zhao Baiyang laughed heartily and stepped forward to one of the chairs.
He unusually trusted Pei Xuanjing. With Pei Xuanjing's strength, there was no way he would trick him. Looking at the Old Celestial Master, he naturally didn't refuse.
"If Zhao follows, then I, Snow, cannot fall behind." Xue Wuheng too smiled and occupied a chair.
The rest of the people no longer hesitated and moved one after another.
The moment they approached the chair, they also felt the chair's profundity. None of them were surprised and each displayed their skills.
"These people indeed had a profound foundation, even though they had just recently stepped into the Spirit Realm. They are much stronger than the typical Heavenly Rank in the World of Myriad Manifestations," Pei Xuanjing contemplated in his heart.
The method he set on this chair was both a test and a gift. If they could break through the qi field and sit down, naturally, they could enlighten some insights he left behind.
Of course, this gift seems simple, but it is not.
Understanding from the qi field requires resolving with a clever method. If it were resolved merely with brute force, even though the method would succeed, it would dissipate the qi field and they wouldn't be able to comprehend his insights.
The Qi field that he left behind was based on a Heavenly Rank strength from the World of Myriad Manifestations. This was a fundamental evaluation unit.
At present, these fourteen people are each employing their methods, but none of them chose to brute force their way. It was evident that their strength in the Spirit Realm was superior to many of the regular strongmen of World of Myriad Manifestations.
"But it is also understandable. It has been only a few years since Heaven and Earth revived. How can these few years produce people who broke through the Spirit Realm without having anything special?" Pei Xuanjing felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
After a while, everyone opened their eyes and thanked Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing signaled not to worry and paused for a moment before he started, "Although I have been with the outside world for almost two decades, this is the first time I have sat with you."
At this point, he couldn't help but exchange glances with Bai Xiaosheng and a few others because the seating arrangement for the fifteen of them today was quite interesting.
The Taoist Clergies like the Old Celestial Master chose positions adjacent to Pei Xuanjing, and Zhu Yousong, representing the Great Ming imperial court, was next to Daoist Qingxu. On his other side were the three powerful representatives of the Noble Families Union.
The duo from Demonic Sect, Xue Wuheng, were close to the Noble Families Union, and on his other side were Zhao Baiyang and Tie Qianshan. With Zi Tianxiong of Heavenly King's Pavilion, they conveniently separated the two great masters of Buddhism.
This arrangement vaguely indicated the subtle factions of these powers in the world.
The Taoist School and the Great Ming imperial court were naturally intimate and, therefore, proximate. The Noble Families Union has deep connections with the Great Ming imperial court and was close too.
The Demonic Sect of Xue Wuheng, Zhao Baiyang, Tie Qianshan, and Zi Tianxiong were neither close nor distant, which seemed to indicate some connections.
The Buddhism School seemed a little isolated this time. As per the seating arrangements, they were in the most awkward situation.
Pei Xuanjing continued, "I should have invited you all earlier, unfortunately, I had a little gain and closed off my self until recently. I am inviting you all to Shenxiao Mountain today to discuss the Dao and talk about world affairs!"