Chương 960: Chapter 958: The Factions in Attendance

The two weeks passed in a blur of intense focus and frustrating failures. Li Yu spent the first week and a half entirely dedicated to the Boundless Source Scripture. He endured the agonizing pain and successfully reshaped his physical vessel. He reinforced the walls of his core to complete the first step. It was a brutal process but it prepared his foundation for the violent splits that would come later.

He knew the second step would require much more time and preparation so he set the technique aside and shifted his focus to his arsenal. He took Silent Bastion to Master Tie and asked the hulking weapons master to evaluate the massive rusted slab. Master Tie inspected it closely but he could not identify all of the materials used to forge it. Li Yu asked if it would be a good idea to break it down and use it to craft more flying swords.

He wanted to expand his weapon count and he was more than willing to pay for the expensive process. Master Tie thought it was a great idea and estimated he could probably make around seventeen swords by mixing in some of his own premium materials. They took the slab to the grand forge and began to heat it and quickly realized there was a big issue. The sword did not heat up at all and it remained completely cool to the touch. This deeply confused Master Tie.

The large man grabbed his heaviest forging hammer and struck the rusted blade with all of his might. The hammer bounced off and did not leave a single dent. Li Yu then took out Pale Extinction to test its durability. Master Tie was stunned by the terrifying aura of the bone sword like everyone else was. Li Yu struck Silent Bastion with Pale Extinction as hard as he could but the rusted surface did not even suffer a minor scratch. The sword looked like it was on its last legs but it was instead incredibly tough.

It was seemingly indestructible. Master Tie did not know what to do but he eventually got an idea. He brought Li Yu to another master smith named Master Huo Zhu. This man possessed a powerful natural flame that he had harvested from the heart of an ancient volcano. They explained the situation and Master Huo Zhu confidently unleashed his volcanic fire upon the sword. The intense flames burned for an hour but the sword only grew slightly warm in the direct area of the fire.

Master Huo Zhu was absolutely stunned by the result. He told them they clearly needed a much stronger flame if they wanted to melt it down. Li Yu thanked them both for their time and accepted that the attempt had failed. He tried to pay them for their efforts but they firmly rejected his money. Instead, he ended up giving them several jugs of rare wine and other drinks he had collected during his journey. With the idea to melt down the sword completely gone, Li Yu accepted reality.

He planned to use Silent Bastion as a massive smashing weapon alongside his other swords. It would also serve as a shield that he could hide behind. He spent the remainder of his time trying to comprehend the Celestial Star Sword Formation. He technically had five swords now. He possessed Firmament's End, Gilded Calamity, Whispering Frost, Pale Extinction and the rusted slab. However, the formation was incredibly complex and he did not make any meaningful progress on it.

His two weeks of preparation finally came to an end when his eight guards arrived at the courtyard to collect him to the Zhan Clan. Upon arriving back at the clan, the six shadow guards then went back to taking on tasks to acquire resources and doing missions for the Zhan Clan. They bowed to Li Yu and vanished into the shadows to return to their duties. The two Core Wardens remained by his side and would join with the elders per their arranged agreement.

Haelan and Jhyra hid their auras and acted as his silent protectors as they traveled to the Zhan Clan staging grounds. Li Yu arrived at the massive stone courtyards and saw a large group of cultivators preparing to depart. There were eighty members in the delegation. A young man with a physique carved from dense muscle stepped forward to greet him, it was Zhan Chen.

"Welcome, cousin." Zhan Chen smiled warmly and offered a respectful warrior greeting.

"It is good to finally go on an adventure with you."

"Thank you." Li Yu replied with a smile.

"I am looking forward to it." A young woman in dark armor stood nearby and watched their interaction with careful eyes. This was Zhan Ling. She was attending the event to watch and observe, exactly like Li Yu. In fact, most of the eighty members in the group were only there for the experience. There were only ten official fighters selected to represent the Zhan Clan in the matches. Five powerful elders stood at the front of the formation to oversee the entire delegation.

Haelan and Jhyra quietly mixed into the ranks of the elders.

"Let us depart." Zhan Chen announced to the courtyard. The group boarded a warship and the formations roared to life. They breached the void and began their journey toward the martial tournament. Zhan Chen explained the complex political landscape they were about to enter.

"We are heading to The Vajra Peaks." Zhan Chen explained as he stood on the open deck with Li Yu.

"It is a massive mountain range steeped in ancient buildings. The entire region is filled with sweeping curved roofs, giant bronze bells and mist covered valleys. It is a very traditional place."

"Who rules the region?" Li Yu asked as he leaned against the wooden railing.

"The hosts of the tournament are religious monks under the same name as the peak." Zhan Ling answered as she walked over to join them.

"They are much like the Heavenly Sword Sect that you just told us you visited but their obsession lies elsewhere. They possess rigid beliefs that the physical body is the greatest vessel and weapon in existence. They believe that only the path of body refinement and physical tempering is the true Dao." Zhan Chen nodded in agreement.

"They are a highly inclusive faction in one regard. They accept a mix of humans, beasts and even demons into their ranks but most of the other species take on a human form. The monks do not care about your race or your origin though. All are accepted into their temples as long as they are fully committed to the pure path of the body. They despise cultivators who rely more on Qi techniques or external artifacts." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"Why do they host this tournament?" Li Yu asked.

"For two reasons." Zhan Chen held up two fingers.

"The first is for the brutal tempering of the junior generation. They believe that true physical limits can only be broken in life or death combat. The second reason is the cultivation rewards. The monks control vast reserves of rare physical resources but they need other resources as well. The prize pool is contributed from each faction going and they distribute these rewards to the victors to encourage the overall growth of body refinement across the realms."

The breathtaking landscape of The Vajra Peaks finally came into view. Massive green mountains pierced the sky and ancient temples clung to the steep cliffs. Giant courtyards were carved directly into the stone and they were filled with thousands of cultivators. The Zhan Clan ship descended toward a designated landing zone and as they approached the grounds, Li Yu noticed several distinct camps flying different banners.

"The monks are not the only major power that have come." Zhan Ling stated as she pointed toward a large camp filled with chaotic energy.

"That is the Chimera Sect. They also focus on body refinement but they go against everything the host monks believe in. The monks believe in natural purity. The Chimera Sect believes in artificial evolution." Li Yu looked closely at the cultivators in that camp. Many of them had grotesque and terrifying physical features.

"They splice their bodies with foreign things." Zhan Chen explained with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Some of their human members replace their arms with the limbs of powerful beasts. Others graft demonic parts onto their spines to increase their physical limits. The monks view them as a filthy corruption of the vessel you are born with. They are fiercely at odds with one another and this tournament is often used as a proxy war for their hatred." Li Yu nodded slowly as he took in the information. He could understand how two factions with such opposing philosophies could share a deep blood feud.

"There is a third major group that stands out from the rest." Zhan Chen gestured toward a camp filled with disciplined warriors holding heavy polearms.

"That is the Piercing Heavens Pavilion. They are different from the first two factions and are closer to the Zhan Clan. They do not fight with their bare hands. They use glaives and long spears as their main weapons. Furthermore, they are a mixed faction. They blend heavy body refinement with traditional Qi arts to maximize the destructive momentum of their strikes." The warship finally landed on the stone platform and the Zhan Clan delegation disembarked.

They walked through the massive crowds and headed toward their assigned pavilion. Along the way, Zhan Chen pointed out four other smaller factions that were setting up their camps. They were considered minor factions in comparison to the big three and the Zhan Clan but they were still incredibly strong in their own right.

"Pay attention to these groups." Zhan Chen warned as he looked at the ten official Zhan fighters walking behind them.

"They are highly specialized and they can easily kill you if you underestimate their unique paths. While this tournament is meant as training and the fighting will stop before fatal injuries, death can and has occurred in the past." He pointed to a group of men and women whose skin possessed a permanent metallic sheen.

"That is the Titan Body Sect." Zhan Chen explained.

"They focus especially on defense. They temper their skin and their bones by absorbing the essence of rare metals. They stand in extreme elemental environments to forge their bodies into literal living artifacts. Their key junior is a massive fighter named Tie Shan. Do not try to match his endurance. He relies on exhausting his opponents as they break their hands against his defenses." They continued walking and passed a camp filled with lean and hyper aggressive fighters.

A thick scent of copper and blood hung heavily in the air around them.

"The Blood Forge Valley." Zhan Ling said quietly as she observed them.

"They do not care about external muscle mass or hardened skin. They focus entirely on internal vitality and blood manipulation. They consume highly toxic blood pills and endure extreme pressure to vastly expand their internal meridian networks."

"They are berserkers." Zhan Chen added with a serious tone.

"Their key junior is named Xue Tu. He is known for intentionally taking damage in the arena. The pain triggers a blood burning state that grants him regeneration and explosive bursts of speed. You must defeat him in a single strike or he will simply outlast you." Li Yu filed the information away in his mind even though he wasn't fighting. The diversity of the physical paths was truly fascinating.

He had always relied on raw force and heavy weapons but these factions had elevated body refinement into an intricate science. They walked past a third minor camp. The cultivators here were stretching their limbs in ways that made Li Yu's own joints ache just from watching. They contorted their bodies into impossible angles and their hands dripped with a faint green mist.

"The Coiled Viper Guild." Zhan Chen pointed out.

"They represent extreme physical flexibility and joint manipulation. They routinely break and restructure their own bones through agonizing techniques so they can strike from blind spots. They do not rely on brute strength at all. They coat their hands in corrosive poison Qi that rots an opponent's defenses upon contact. Their top fighter is She Qing. She will bypass your armor and directly target your vital weak spots. You must maintain your distance from her."

Finally, they reached the pavilion assigned to the Zhan Clan. It sat directly across from the fourth minor faction. The cultivators in this camp wore flowing blue robes and they wielded heavy blunt gauntlets on their hands.

"The Crushing Wave Pavilion." Zhan Chen said as he led the delegation into their quarters.

"They are a terrifying group to face in close quarters. They fuse Water Qi with kinetic force. They focus entirely on the application of blunt force."

"Water Qi?" Li Yu asked with a hint of confusion.

"I thought water was meant for flowing defense and redirection."

"Not the way they use it." Zhan Ling corrected him.

"They train to unleash dense shockwaves of Water Qi through their punches. The water element transfers the kinetic energy perfectly through solid objects. If they punch your chest plate, the armor might not break but the shockwave will ripple straight through the metal and shatter your internal organs directly. Their key junior is Hai Zhen. Do not let him land a solid blow on you under any circumstances."

The entire delegation settled into their courtyard as the massive bronze bells of The Vajra Peaks rang out across the misty valleys. The explanations provided by the heir and his sister painted a very clear picture of the coming violence. The tournament was a gathering of monsters, zealots and mutants. Li Yu found a quiet corner of the pavilion and sat down to organize his thoughts. He was incredibly grateful that he was only here to observe and learn.

He watched the ten official Zhan Clan fighters preparing their armor and steadying their breathing. They were about to step into an arena filled with horrific splicing, blood burning berserkers and organ shattering shockwaves. The martial tournament was designed for tempering but it was very clear that many of these people would at least be injured during the tournament. Li Yu also noticed that he got along with the Zhan Clan members much easier.

Not only were they friendlier towards him, he felt that their thoughts matched closer to his own. It was also due to the heir being so nice to him from the start, it made the atmosphere much more pleasant and drew Li Yu into the group without much effort.