Chapter 63: The Cloud Sword Palace Summit Plan

"Good! Good! Good!"

"As expected of my disciple, simply too formidable."

Xiao Rang regulated his breathing, walked up to Lin Heng, and praised him loudly.

This was his disciple!

To have cultivated such an unprecedented and peerless disciple meant his name would be forever etched in history.

Not just him, but his master, and indeed their entire Cloud Sword Sect would henceforth be immortalized in history.

Whenever anyone mentioned a genius, they could never bypass Lin Heng, who achieved the Grand Master realm at the age of seven!

"The Young Sect Master is blessed with peerless natural talent, possessing such terrifying might at such a tender age. Truly, he is a banished sword immortal descended to the mortal realm."

"For many years to come, the tides of change across the vast lands of Lanzhou will all be driven by the hands of the Young Sect Master."

"What an honor to share in this glory, what an honor."

The other senior elders also gathered around, showering Lin Heng with praises.

In the aftermath of the battle, everyone foresaw a brilliant future, and their spirits soared to unprecedented heights.

"The Young Sect Master is truly a fortunate star; even a casual sparring match leads to the discovery of a gold mine."

"I once led a team to conduct a rough survey of this area, but we found nothing at all. Who would have thought a gold mine was hidden right here?"

At that moment, the Minister of Finance Elder Wei Xuan spoke with an excited tone, drawing everyone's attention.

Hearing this, Lin Heng looked over.

He saw that in the center of the desolate valley, the cliffs and the ground had been split open due to the fierce battle just now.

Amidst the crisscrossing fissures, resembling a spider's web, a surge of vital energy had penetrated a thousand meters deep into the earth, scattering a fine mist of gold dust.

Roughly estimated, there was a sizable gold mine buried deep underground, with extremely low extraction and smelting difficulty, worth at least tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of silver taels.

Such a massive income was by no means a small sum, even for the Cloud Sword Sect.

"You flatter me."

Lin Heng replied with modest humility, though he understood the truth in his heart.

This was most likely the effect of his high fortune stat of 29 points at work; otherwise, a well-hidden gold mine wouldn't have been blasted open by such a coincidence.

"Elder Wei, take some men and handle the matters concerning this gold mine."

Xiao Rang gave his instructions.

Afterward, he led the group back to the Cloud Sword Sect to discuss major affairs.

Under normal circumstances, the appearance of a gold mine worth tens or hundreds of millions of silver taels would certainly command Xiao Rang's utmost attention.

Yet at this moment, compared to the colossal benefit of the Cloud Sword Sect ascending to become the number one martial arts holy land under heaven, a single gold mine seemed utterly insignificant.

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Within the main hall of the Cloud Sword Sect, the group returned.

Dismissing the idle attendants, Xiao Rang cast his gaze across the assembled senior executives of the Cloud Sword Sect.

Finally, his gaze rested upon Lin Heng's face, and he began to rally support: "Heng'er, moving forward, I intend to develop our Cloud Sword Sect into the foremost martial arts holy land in the world."

"If we succeed, not only us, but you too, Heng'er, will reap countless benefits. You will obtain cultivation resources several times greater than what you have now, allowing you to break through to the Heaven and Earth realm far more swiftly."

"However, to successfully achieve this goal, aside from the strenuous efforts of everyone within the sect, we will also need your assistance."

Lin Heng did not hesitate, nodding as he said, "Whatever Master requires me to do, just give the order."

Just as Xiao Rang had said, the Cloud Sword Sect becoming the supreme power under heaven would benefit everyone.

He had already experienced this in his first simulation, where his family background could reach 25 points, providing immense aid in his ascent to a Heaven and Earth realm expert.

Yet back then, he was already fifteen years old.

This time, it was advanced by a full eight years—this was the transformation brought by sheer strength.

"Next, as your master, I will mobilize the full influence of the Cloud Sword Sect to hunt down heterodox and demonic factions across the lands of Lanzhou, such as the Pavilion of Departing Hatred, the Divine Physician Sect, and the Wuji Alliance, forcing them to unite."

"Then, our sect's experts will cut off their escape routes, leaving you, Heng'er, to step forth and display invincible might to annihilate them all. Finally, riding the momentum of this overwhelming victory, we shall proceed to the Starry Valley and Frost City, compelling them to submit as vassals and hand over the majority of their annual revenues to us."

"From that day onward, my Cloud Sword Sect shall ascend the peak and become the premier martial arts holy land under heaven."

Xiao Rang laid out his grand strategy.

First, beating the grass to startle the snake, causing the various demonic factions to gather.

Next, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, using the lives of those heretics to build a stage, showcasing Lin Heng's formidable muscle to achieve the goal of startling the tiger in the mountain.

The strategy was not overly complex—a straightforward open plot—while also leaving leeway for the Starry Valley and Frost City, which were fellow righteous martial arts holy lands.

They would not be completely exterminated; instead, in the future, they would be slowly weakened using the method of boiling a frog in warm water, displaying the magnanimity of a great righteous sect.

All of this was built upon Lin Heng's terrifying strength and his long prospective lifespan.

Ultimately, Starry Valley and Frost City would wither and fade away, or perhaps vanish entirely.

Meanwhile, the Cloud Sword Sect would feed upon the two factions, gradually and truly becoming the number one martial arts holy land—a status so secure it wouldn't even require Lin Heng's personal suppression to maintain.

"Very well."

Hearing this, Lin Heng nodded in agreement.

This plan suited Xiao Rang's righteous and open character.

However, deep down, Lin Heng held a trace of disdain regarding Xiao Rang's leniency toward Starry Valley and Frost City.

Because the higher-ups of those two sects possessed the standard mentality of desperate gamblers; once driven into a corner, they would certainly refuse to accept their fate tamely.

They would desperately seek a final struggle rather than feeling any gratitude for Xiao Rang's mercy.

During the first simulation, the moment Lin Heng attained the Grand Master realm, the higher-ups of those two sects immediately joined forces with all their might to launch a surprise attack on the Cloud Sword Sect's mountain gate—that was a prime example.

Nevertheless, since Xiao Rang had devised this plan, Lin Heng gave his consent.

At the very least, the opportunity had been given; they weren't being driven to immediate total annihilation by having their mountain gates stormed and their entire clans slaughtered.

If Starry Valley and Frost City still chose to court death, then he could hardly be blamed for showing no mercy.

Following that, Xiao Rang and the various elders began discussing the intricate details of the entire operational plan.

How the operation would commence, how to handle the aftermath, how to deal with potential emergencies, how to respond if the two factions surrendered, and how to act if they refused.

Through the discussion, the plan grew comprehensive and flawless, after which Xiao Rang began assigning specific responsibilities to everyone based on the circumstances.

Lin Heng merely listened quietly, offering no opinions.

Although the entire plan was vast and complex, his own role was remarkably simple:

Cultivate, grow stronger, and then strike when the time came.

With the meeting concluded, the entire Cloud Sword Sect began bustling with activity for the sake of the "Ascension Plan."

Lin Heng's life returned to peace. Aside from daily pill consumption, meditation, Qi refining, and accumulating inner breath, he spent his remaining time eliminating pests to soothe his urge for slaughter.

Under such conditions, Lin Heng's cultivation steadily advanced, quickly reaching the twenty-seventh tier of the Grand Master realm. Naturally crossing the boundary, his inner breath accumulation surged to a level comparable to the first tier of a senior Grand Master.

At this moment, another portion of the potential dormant within Lin Heng's Azure Wood Spiritual Body was unlocked and released.

This granted a significant boost to both his physical resilience and his brain's computational power.

"My inner breath has not undergone a qualitative transformation. It seems I must cultivate all the way to the one thousand eight hundredth tier of the Grand Master realm, break through to Grand Master, and then undergo thirty-six tiers of cultivation and accumulation of supreme foundations before I can finally step into the Heaven and Earth realm. By then, the moment I break through, I will be vastly stronger than in my previous life."

Sensing the changes within his body, Lin Heng found the answer to a previous question.

This realization did not perturb him; it was merely a matter of following the established steps of meditation and Qi refining, spending the time required to accumulate power. Continuing like this would naturally lead him to the one thousand eight hundredth tier of the Grand Master realm.

Moreover, having reached his current level of cultivation, Lin Heng discovered that he was now capable of comprehending the Sword Emperor's intent residing within his sea of consciousness.

Previously, regarding that Sword Emperor's intent in his mind, his comprehension was sufficient, and he could understand it.

Yet because his physical hardware conditions were substandard and his mental capacity insufficient, he had been trapped in the awkward predicament of feeling dizzy after merely glancing at the Sword Emperor's sword intent.

Now, as Lin Heng's essence, Qi, and spirit had all ascended, his hardware met the required standard, allowing him to begin attempting to harness it for his own use.

If he could achieve this, he would be able to attempt unlocking the inheritance of the Pure Yang Sword Saint.

At that time, perhaps the door to an entirely new world would open before him!