Many fights had begun and ended before Yuan took on his next opponent in the inner sect ranking tournament. Unlike his previous battle against the middle aged man, this time Yuan faced a young man.
Their duel lasted about ten minutes,an intense clash that appeared hard fought from an outsider's perspective.
Of course, Yuan made sure to act like it was the most difficult fight he'd ever faced.
In truth, his opponent was only a newly advanced early layered Blood Purification Stage cultivator. The young man ran out of spiritual blood before Yuan did, which allowed Yuan to claim victory.
After the fight ended, Yuan pretended to be completely exhausted, his breathing labored and his steps unsteady.
He made sure to stagger as he left The Palace of Duels and Battles, his gait slow and his breaths deep and strained.
He acted carefully,just in case someone was watching him or trying to see through his performance.
Better to be cautious than to arouse suspicion.
After walking for about twenty minutes, he finally arrived at his cultivation cave.
Yuan unsealed the entrance, stepped inside, and sealed the door behind him.
"Haaa…" Yuan let out a relieved sigh and muttered under his breath.
"Pretending to be exhausted is really annoying."
Shaking his head, Yuan sat down on his cultivation bed and assumed the lotus position.
Now that he was safely alone, he closed his eyes and began to cultivate.
After all, he needed to make the most of every moment he had. Efficiency was key.
Two days had passed since the monthly Inner Sect Ranking Tournament, and the results had finally been announced.
Yuan, who was cultivating within his cave, opened his black-azure eyes and stood up.
After unsealing the door, he stepped outside and resealed it behind him. With his cave now secure, he began making his way toward the third floor of the mountain peak.
He climbed the staircases, his footsteps steady and deliberate.
When he reached the third floor of the mountain peak, he found himself in an open area designated for inner sect disciples.
Around fifty disciples both male and female were gathered there, their conversations buzzing with excitement and speculation.
At the center of the clearing stood a smooth wall with a large sheet of paper hanging from it, covered with countless names and numbers.
"Oh, Amelia finally left the Ashes rankings and became a Rising Flame!" someone exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"Yes! Did you see her battle? It was truly a fierce fight,Amelia nearly lost!" another disciple responded, his eyes wide with excitement.
"It really was. If she hadn't risked using that last technique of hers, she would've lost the fight against that Rising Flame!"
Yuan overheard many conversations, but most of the disciples seemed focused on Amelia's achievement.
It appeared she had managed to break free from the Ashes and rise to the rank of a Rising Flame.
Ignoring the chattering crowd, Yuan calmly approached the smooth wall where the rankings of the Ashes were listed.
His eyes scanned the paper, searching for his name and his new rank.
As Yuan was clearly not among the higher ranked disciples, so he started his search from the bottom of the list. It took him a few minutes of scanning before he finally found his name and rank.
"Rank 365: Inner Sect Disciple Yuan – Wins: 2, Losses: 0."
"Rank 365? Not bad," Yuan muttered under his breath, satisfied with the result.
His rank was clearly on the lower end of the Ashes rankings, but considering he had only participated in one Level 1 Tournament, he was pleased with his placement.
Curious about the total number of disciples currently listed in the Ashes rankings, Yuan continued to examine the bottom of the board.
There were around 490 ranked disciples in total.
"That's quite a large number," Yuan thought, his brows furrowing.
When he first joined the Howling Wind Branch Sect, there were only 500 inner sect disciples. Now, 490 of them were listed within the Ashes rankings.
But what troubled him most was the implication of those numbers.
"How could so many new inner sect disciples have joined the Howling Wind Branch Sect in such a short time? What about the other sects and the five families?"
Yuan's thoughts churned as he tried to understand the sudden influx of disciples.
What made the Howling Wind Sect so special that it would begin growing at such a rapid pace? And why now, of all times?
His eyes glinted with a faint, deep azure as his mind continued to piece together the puzzle.
If the Howling Wind Sect was expanding its ranks so quickly, how could the other sects ignore this development? What were they doing in response?
The conclusion came to him like a sudden chill.
"A war is about to happen."
The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying. Yuan's eyes narrowed, his mind already racing with possibilities.
But this revelation only led to more questions.
Why was the sect pushing for such rapid growth now? And just how large would this war be?
"Haaa…" Yuan could only sigh at his thoughts as he walked back to his cultivation cave. He had seen all he needed to see and decided it was best to continue cultivating in silence.
Since he had completed two missions beforehand, he could now cultivate undisturbed for an entire month without concerning himself with the outside world.
But nearly halfway through his month of cultivation, Yuan suddenly broke out of his meditation.
A realization struck him,something he had completely pushed to the back of his mind amidst all the recent chaos.
The Colorless Mind Demon Binding Poison.
The poison was still lurking around his spirit!
While it was currently powerless against him, Yuan knew he couldn't ignore it forever.
He needed to deal with Emilia once and for all.
With that thought cemented in his mind, Yuan began to draw a rune to notify Ming Ze to meet him.
After confirming that Ming Ze had received his message, Yuan took a moment to stabilize his cultivation.
During this month, he had already broken through the 36% mark of the Blood Purification Stage.
He circulated his spiritual blood, ensuring everything flowed smoothly.
Once he felt confident in his control, he left his cultivation cave and made his way to one of Ming Ze's tea houses.
There, he booked a private room and ordered a simple black tea.
The room was situated near the edge of the tea house, ensuring that no one would accidentally see or overhear their conversation.
After waiting for about five minutes, Ming Ze finally arrived, holding the black tea in his hands.
With a cheerful smile on his face, he entered the room and placed the tea before Yuan. His demeanor was as friendly and eager as ever.
"Hello, Boss Yuan. How can I serve you?"
Yuan smiled at Ming Ze and spoke calmly, "Keep an eye on Emilia's next sect mission. When she takes one, notify me directly through the rune, use the special method. For everything else, use the usual approach."
Ming Ze nodded firmly and bowed, "Yes, Boss Yuan!"
Their meeting was brief and unplanned, held in the middle of the day.
Ming Ze had other tasks to attend to, so he quickly took his leave, leaving Yuan alone to enjoy his black tea in silence.
Although black tea wasn't his favorite, Ming Ze's skill made it taste far better than most. It carried a rich, earthy, smoky, and floral flavor.
However, the lack of high quality spiritual herbs meant it fell short of the refined taste that spiritual tea provided, something Yuan preferred far more.
Once he finished his tea, Yuan paid 10 merit points to the tea house and left.
He returned to his cultivation cave and resumed his training, immersing himself completely in cultivation.
The month passed, and his progress was decent,he had reached the 37% mark.
But achieving that result had required the use of many pills, which only served to frustrate him.
"Must I return to the robbery method again?" Yuan sighed at the thought. Though effective, it was a path that could attract far too much attention.
The time came for the next Level 1 Inner Sect Ranking Tournament, Yuan participated as usual, fighting against other inner sect disciples.
After the tournament, he returned to his cultivation cave, rested for two days, and then went to check the ranking wall.
Since he hadn't lost a single fight thus far, his rank continued to climb steadily.
After that, Yuan took on a few more missions.
For an entire month, he hunted demonic beasts relentlessly.
Then, as the Inner Sect Tournament approached once more, he participated, winning two battles, this time against someone a bit more well known.
He continued the same pattern.Resting, checking the ranking wall, taking sect missions, participating in the next Inner Sect Ranking Tournament, and repeating the cycle.
This routine continued for two more months until, finally, Ming Ze sent him the signal Yuan had been waiting for.
This time, when Yuan visited the tea house, Ming Ze didn't come to meet him in person.
Instead, he left a detailed note with all the information Yuan needed.
Reading the note, Yuan couldn't help but smile.
His grin widened, and a low chuckle escaped his lips.
"Finally, it's time to meet again, Emilia."