Yuan nodded his head. The Ashes, Rising Flames, Young Phoenixes, and True Phoenixes what an interesting system the sect had constructed. It resembled the growth of a Phoenix, a demonic beast known only in legends across the lower plane.
First, the phoenix begins as nothing but a pile of ashes and weak flames. Then, after a long period of time and then it begin to change, the flames gradually forms the shape of a bird. Eventually, it bursts into life, becoming a flaming bird also known as a phoenix.The phoenix after it matures is then called a True Phoenix that had risen from its ashes and became one of the most powerfull beings
Although the process sounded simple when explained like this, Yuan knew the reality was far more complex. After all, it was said that a phoenix could resurrect itself from its own ashes upon death, undergoing a cycle of destruction and rebirth.
But beyond the poetic symbolism, Yuan couldn't help but wonder about something else.
What happened to those who failed? The inner sect disciples who were defeated and stripped of their ranks,what became of them?
It was a crucial question. After all, for every person who rose in the rankings, there had to be someone else who fell.
Yuan's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "What happens to the ones who fall in rank? Those who are defeated by lower ranked disciples trying to climb higher?"
Ming Ze thought for a moment before answering. "What happens to those who fall? Well, once they lose their rank, they're removed from the entire ranking system altogether. They become ordinary inner sect disciples. Most of them try to regain their rank, but only a few succeed."
"So, they're simply discarded?" Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Ming Ze nodded. "But there's still a path for them. If they prove themselves again, they can be accepted as core disciples of the branch sects. That's the sect's way of giving them a second chance. Not everyone can reach the level of a True Phoenix or even a Young Phoenix,but those who show persistence and talent still have value."
Yuan's expression remained neutral, but his thoughts churned.
The sect had designed a system where only the strongest could rise, while the weak were cast aside. But even those discarded were given a lifeline, redirected to branch sects where their efforts could still be put to use.
"Interesting," Yuan replied. It seemed this ranking system didn't originate from the branch sect itself, but rather from the main sect.
Although the branch sect would be granted many resources for producing new core disciples, the sect head would be a fool if he didn't want his branch to grow stronger,with more elders or powerful core sect disciples.
Considering this, Yuan looked at Ming Ze again and asked another question. However, Ming Ze could only offer a negative reply, admitting he didn't know much about the main sect's operations or how the branch sect truly fit into the system.
But he did mention something else that caught Yuan's attention.
"Although I don't know much about the main sect or how the branch sect operates, I do know that all the Young Phoenixes can take the main sect mission to become core disciples of the main sect like usual. So, nothing has really changed in that regard."
Yuan nodded in understanding and pondered the information for a moment. "This just means that all the Young Phoenixes are like the regular geniuses who have a chance to become main core sect disciples. And the True Phoenixes... they're the ones who are almost guaranteed to become core disciples and serve as some kind of elite among the core disciples there."
But those were only his thoughts. Yuan couldn't make any definitive conclusions,he had never been to the main sect himself. And he had no plans to go there anytime soon.
Although the main sect might hold secrets related to the Basilisk's Spiritual Sword, he couldn't risk it. Not yet. Not until he reached the Body Ascension Stage.
Yuan looked into Ming Ze's eyes and asked him about the others.The answers he received were both surprising and intriguing.
The first thing Ming Ze mentioned was the Silver Snakes group. Several of their members had become Rising Flames, with Emilia currently holding the highest rank among them.
Amalia, who had battled Emilia during the sect tournament, was now ranked first among all the Ashes. That revelation genuinely surprised Yuan.
Not only that, but Felix had also become a Rising Flame. Although he was near the bottom of the rankings, he was still recognized as one. His reputation had grown, and he was now known as the Elegant Swordsman.
Daoist Water Lake, who had also participated in the tournament against Yuan, had risen to the status of a Rising Flame as well. In fact, nearly half of the competitors from that tournament had become Rising Flames.
As for the rest, their fates were divided. Amalia held the top spot among the Ashes, while Ming Ze himself was also ranked within the top ten. Beyond them, a few others had made it into the top 30.
But overall, only about seven from their group held decent ranks. The rest were either languishing at the bottom of the Ashes... or already dead.
This information surprised Yuan. He had expected far fewer of his peers to have made significant progress within the sect's new ranking system.
Instead, many had surpassed his expectations, which deepened a particular fear in his mind,one that someone, or some group, was manipulating them from the shadows.
However, out of everyone from the tournament, only Krieger and Alex had made truly significant moves.
Alex, in particular, had become a point of interest. According to Ming Ze, Alex was currently ranked 12th among the Rising Flames. Despite his progress, he was still locked in a silent war against the core sect disciple Feng.
But the real battle wasn't between Alex and Feng. It was between the elder supporting Feng and the grand elder backing Alex.
Ming Ze admitted he didn't know much about that conflict. From what he had heard, all information related to their struggle was kept highly confidential,top secret, even.
And because of that, Ming Ze hadn't dared to investigate further. As he put it, "I don't want to poke at the lair of an old dragon."
Yuan nodded at Ming Ze's decision to avoid poking too deeply into the affairs of more powerful figures. He figured he would probably do the same if he were in Ming Ze's position.
But the same couldn't be said about Krieger.
According to Ming Ze, although Krieger wasn't as prominent as Alex, he had still managed to secure the 29th rank among the Rising Flames.
With his young age and considerable talent, many considered him a prodigy who had the potential to one day become a True Phoenix,if he continued to grow.
That revelation genuinely shocked Yuan.
After all, Krieger was exceptionally talented in Aura. So why hadn't he already surpassed the other Rising Flames? By all accounts, Krieger's talent should allow him to easily defeat peak Meridian Awakening Stage cultivators and even challenge those at the Bone Forging Stage.
"Is he laying low?" Yuan wondered aloud.
It was the only explanation that made sense to him. Yuan couldn't believe Krieger was truly that weak. Even if Krieger relied solely on his Aura without any advanced techniques like Yuan's Azure Snake, his talent alone should have allowed him to rise much higher.
But that was all Ming Ze knew about the people from their group who had joined the sect together. Yuan couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment at not uncovering more secrets about them.
But what could he do?
He didn't have a truly powerful intelligence network,just the information Ming Ze gathered using his status and connections. And even then, Ming Ze's influence was still relatively low.
He had only just started establishing himself among the core disciples and the halls. Most of his connections were loose and superficial,built on mutual benefits rather than genuine loyalty or friendship. Those who associated with Ming Ze were primarily doing so out of respect for his master, the elder who had taken notice of him.
That was the only real reason Ming Ze had managed to form connections with so many people.
Yuan let out a quiet sigh.
There was nothing he could do except let Ming Ze continue to grow. Investing in others was not an option,not yet, at least. He simply didn't have the time or resources to do so.
His cultivation path toward the Meridian Awakening Stage was already proving to be much longer and more challenging than he had initially expected.
For now, all he could do was focus his efforts and resources on Ming Ze.
He would give it everything he had.
Yuan smiled at Ming Ze. "So, are there any other interesting things that happened? What about Kuang Hao,any new updates?"
Ming Ze raised an eyebrow and began to think before shaking his head. "Sorry Boss, there's no new news about Kuang Hao. It's become some kind of taboo topic within the sect. Nobody talks about that incident anymore."
Ming Ze sighed, but then something seemed to occur to him, sparking Yuan's interest.
"But other than Kuang Hao… something did happen involving Julian. The one you told me not to ask more about. He did something no one expected."
Yuan's curiosity sharpened. After all, he suspected Julian was secretly supported by the First Grand Elder. He leaned forward, listening to Ming Ze's report with full attention.
"Julian rose through the Ashes and Rising Flames ranks incredibly fast. People even started calling him the Young Couchant Dragon because of how quickly he advanced through the Blood Purification Stage. After only one year, he became the first-ranked Rising Flame and he did it as a high-layered Blood Purification Stage cultivator."
Ming Ze's expression grew increasingly amazed as he spoke. His tone became excited and almost awed. "But that's not the most shocking part. When Julian reached the Peak Layer of the Blood Purification Stage, he challenged one of the lowest ranked Young Phoenixes a Meridian Awakening Stage cultivator. It stunned the entire inner sect. Everyone thought he would lose…"
He paused, his face filled with admiration as if recalling the event with vivid clarity.
"But he won. He actually won the battle and became the lowest ranked Young Phoenix all while still being only at the Peak Layer of the Blood Purification Stage."
Ming Ze's excitement only grew, his voice trembling like a child recounting a hero's tale. "And because of that feat, the inner sect disciples gave him a new title: Trampling Dragon. They say it's because he trampled over all expectations of the sect and even defeated a Meridian Awakening Stage Young Phoenix!"
Seeing the gleam of pure admiration in Ming Ze's eyes, Yuan could only chuckle. Once again, it became clear to him that Ming Ze was still just a child at heart,filled with enthusiasm and hero worship, not the schemer Yuan was becoming.
Yuan nodded with amusement. "That is indeed very interesting."
But beneath his calm exterior, Yuan's suspicions only grew stronger. Julian's fast rise was far too sudden and a little unnatural. It was even more evidence that he was likely being secretly supported by the First Grand Elder than just risen without any backing.