Urban Immortal Cultivation Supreme

"Sect Master Huo, you've finally arrived. Huo Ling, girl, it's been a long time." A voice that shook one's soul reached Zhu Bufan's ears. Though the voice made one feel their soul trembling, it did not carry the slightest malice. Instead, it made Zhu Bufan feel the excitement of being looked upon by a great figure.

"Sect Master Wei, I didn't expect you to be waiting here for this old man; it is indeed a big surprise." Upon hearing the voice, Elder Huo looked towards the source of the sound with a hearty laugh, and at that moment, a figure in white emerged from the courtyard.

The man who emerged seemed to be in his thirties or forties based on his appearance, but his eyes, conveying worldly wisdom, were like those of a man in his seventies or eighties. His slightly graying hair was meticulously tied up, with eyebrows like sword-strike eagles, a straight and towering nose, and pursed lips, giving him an aura of extraordinary dignity. His beard, mixed with black and white hairs, fluttered gently in the wind, giving him an air of an ethereal sage.

The man wore an exceedingly plain white robe with a light yellow belt around his waist, adding a touch of color to the otherwise plain clothing. Yet, despite his simple attire, everyone who saw the man could sense an imposing authority emanating from him, one not common to ordinary people. This man was the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Sect Leader of the entire Heavenly Sword Sect, Wei Tianxian!

"Sect Master Huo, you jest. The Ming and Dark Sects have always been equals. There is no difference between your status and mine. There's no need for surprise," Wei Tianxian said with a smile, shaking his head. His indifferent words sent a shiver through Zhu Bufan's heart as he struggled to understand why he felt so stirred just by following Wei's tone.

"Idiot, this guy must have cultivated something like the Soul Capturing Sound Martial Art, which is why you're affected by his voice." No sooner had Zhu Bufan formed the question in his mind than Emperor Yan's voice provided an answer, always promptly and knowledgeable, giving Zhu Bufan the impression of carrying a divine and demonic encyclopedia with him.

"Ha ha, though we're said to be equals, the true power of the Heavenly Sword Sect lies with the Ming Sect. Therefore, it's not unjust for this old man to be a step below you. Anyway, this old man doesn't care for such empty titles. So, you must be waiting here for me for something more than just a simple greeting, right?" Elder Huo replied with a hearty laugh, looking at Wei Tianxian.

"Sect Master Huo, it seems in your eyes, I, the Sect Master of the Ming Sect, am quite cunning," Wei Tianxian replied with a wry smile, shaking his head helplessly and sighing.

"Ha ha, how could I not know what kind of person you are, old man? Although you may be a bit despicable, you're not a bad fellow! So, quit with the act!" Dispensing with the niceties, Elder Huo quickly returned to his roguish ways, his speech imbued with a thick rogue's air, making it clear the Sect Masters of both the Light and Dark Sects had distinctive personalities.

"Sect Master Huo, I truly came just to greet you this time and was curious as to why you, usually indifferent to the sect congress, would make a special trip to request two positions from me this time. Now that I have seen Huo Ling, I finally understand." Elder Huo's rascally words did not anger Wei Tianxian, who was well aware of Elder Huo's character and was not the type to get mad.

"Humph! Naturally!" Elder Huo couldn't hide his pride upon hearing Wei Tianxian praise Huo Ling. When Wei's gaze fell on Zhu Bufan, Zhu immediately felt as though all his secrets were seen through by those eyes that seemed to know everything.

"How odd, although I sense that your cultivation is weaker than Huo Ling's girl, the impression you give me is that you're even more formidable than her. You must be hiding some secrets, right? And the little demon fox on your shoulder is extremely rare." Wei Tianxian said with a smile, stroking his beard while addressing Zhu Bufan. Zhu Bufan almost felt an urge to reveal all his secrets to Wei Tianxian, but fortunately, at that moment, Elder Huo stepped in front of Zhu Bufan, blocking Wei's inquisitive gaze with a stomp.

"Hehe, Sect Master Wei, it's not your place to interrogate my disciple, is it?" Blocking Wei Tianxian's gaze, Elder Huo revealed a hint of a smile. Wei Tianxian, unfazed by the interruption, merely shook his head again and said: "Sect Master Huo, you're too sensitive. Even if I were to say something, I would not purposefully go after a junior."

Wei Tianxian's words were all true. When he asked Zhu Bufan, he was merely inquiring innocently, and it was only because of Zhu Bufan's inability to withstand the influence of Wei Tianxian's voice, enhanced by his cultivation of Soul Capturing Sound Martial Arts, that he felt affected, so it can only be said that Zhu Bufan's cultivation was not enough.

"Hehe, whether you deliberately do it or not doesn't matter. It's all about those two positions. You should have them ready, right Sect Master Wei? Don't tell me you can't provide them," knowing that Wei Tianxian had no intention of targeting Zhu Bufan, Elder Huo did not press the matter. He laughed, reaching out his hand towards Wei Tianxian.

"You really are..." Seeing Elder Huo act shamelessly, Wei Tianxian finally could not maintain his detached composure and chuckled. Two beams of golden light shot towards Elder Huo.

'Clang clang!'

Elder Huo waved his hands and immediately caught the two golden beams. Upon inspection, he held two palm-sized brass copper plates in his hands, each engraved with the character 'Xuan' on the front, and the back read 'Jia Yi Ba Shang' and 'Jia Er Wu Shang'. Seeing the finely made copper plates, Elder Huo finally smiled slightly.

"These are two positions for the Dark Rank level competition; I'm handing them over to you, Sect Master Huo. With that, I'll take my leave now and see you in three days." After giving the copper plates to Elder Huo, Wei Tianxian gave a salute and took a light step forward. The next moment, he was already miles away.

"Oh, and Sect Master Huo, may I ask one more question? Will you be attending the ancestral worship ceremony the day before the sect congress?" From afar, Wei Tianxian's voice echoed in the sky above the small courtyard.

"What do you think?" Upon hearing Wei Tianxian's words, Elder Huo just chuckled darkly.

"Got it. In that case, the disciples of the Dark Sect will arrive after the grand assembly of the sect officially begins in three days. No need for them to attend the ancestral rituals and the rest before that. This could be considered a privilege of the Dark Sect, I suppose." After a sigh, the voice finally faded away.

"Teacher, what was that about?" Seeing Wei Tianxian leave, Zhu Bufan finally asked Elder Huo. At this moment, Elder Huo flicked two copper plates to both Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling.

"These are the tokens for participating in the Dark Rank assembly. Take them."

"The Dark Rank assembly?" Holding the copper plates with the numbers two and five, Zhu Bufan immediately asked in confusion.

"The grand assembly of the sect is divided into 'Heavenly Earth Xuanhuang' four rank levels. The Yellow Rank is the lowest level, providing an opportunity for the younger disciples to spar and exchange ideas. Anyone can step forward to compete, and winning or losing isn't important; it's mainly a chance for exchange and to look down upon the disciples from the external and Ming Sects."

"As for the Dark Rank, it is an assembly where the elite among the younger disciples compete. This is the true competition for selecting the younger generation. Of course, in the Dark Rank level competition, all disciples give it their all. Although it's not a life or death fight, serious injuries are not uncommon. Only those recognized by the sect mentors and whose strength and cultivation reach a certain level can participate in the Dark Rank competitions."

"And as for the Earth Rank, it's like the rank for elite disciples like Huo Ling from the Heavenly Sword Sect to compete. The Heaven Rank, of course, is where people like us, the great Elders, the masters of each peak, spar with each other. The Sect Master of the Ming Sect came here probably just to confirm whether you have the qualifications to participate in the Dark Rank competition. There's no need to mention Huo Ling; fortunately, Zhu Bufan, you did not embarrass your teacher!"

"Oh my goodness~" After hearing Elder Huo's explanation, Zhu Bufan almost fainted. Such blatant favoritism really made him feel like vomiting blood!

"By the way, Teacher, your interaction with Sect Master Wei just now didn't seem very harmonious." To preempt Elder Huo from spouting more strange statements, Zhu Bufan hurriedly voiced his doubts.

"Hehe, even though the Ming Sect controls all of the external and Ming Sects of the Heavenly Sword Sect, my Dark Sect still remains out of his control. In terms of status, although as the Sect Master of the Dark Sect I have no right to interfere with the affairs of the external and Ming Sects, I still stand on equal footing with him. Most importantly, as Sect Master of the Dark Sect, as long as I have the support of the four great Elders, I have the right to remove the qualification of the Ming Sect Master. So, when you add up these points, how could we possibly get along?"

After Elder Huo finished speaking, Zhu Bufan finally understood the origin of that strange atmosphere between Elder Huo and Wei Tianxian. Just imagine, as an Emperor who oversees a vast territory, next door there is someone who doesn't manage the land but still stands shoulder to shoulder with you in status, a 'King of Equal Rank'. What kind of taste would that leave in your mouth as the Emperor?

Of course, that's not the main point. The crux of the matter is that this 'King of Equal Rank' also has the legitimate right to dethrone you in conjunction with others, a right that cannot be ignored by the Emperor!

"The Dark Sect at its inception wasn't actually part of the Heavenly Sword Sect, but a separate sect that was comparable in power to the original Heavenly Sword Sect, which was then still known as the Heavenly Sword School."

"It was only later that this sect merged into the Heavenly Sword School due to some reasons. The combined strength of these two already powerful schools received a substantial boost, and the Heavenly Sword School, after the merger, gained the power to upgrade from a 'School' to a 'Sect', thus renaming itself the Heavenly Sword Sect."

Hearing the secret origins of the Dark Sect for the first time, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling stared at Elder Huo without blinking, afraid of missing even a single word.

"Although the schools merged and became a sect, the school that was incorporated carried a sinister air. The members of the school practiced a variety of different and mixed Martial Arts Heart Methods; it was vastly diverse. There were also many old enemies within the two schools, and skirmishes were not uncommon."

"Later, the founding patriarch of the Heavenly Sword Sect decisively reorganized this merged school into what is now the Dark Sect. Originally, the Dark Sect specialized in clandestine actions such as assassination, which was pleasing to those from the original school. Moreover, to prevent the Ming Sect from suppressing the Dark Sect, the founding patriarch granted the Dark Sect extremely generous treatment and a vast amount of autonomy, and thus the Dark Sect has grown to today's scale. You could say, the conflict between the Dark Sect and the Ming Sect has existed since ancient times."

"Who would've thought the Dark Sect came to be in such a way~" After listening to Elder Huo's narration, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling finally understood how special the Heavenly Sword Sect's Dark Sect truly was.

"All right, rest up well. The grand assembly of the sect is in three days. If you dare to embarrass me, your teacher will definitely not spare you!" After briefly explaining about the Dark Sect, Elder Huo finally said.