6kv Chapter 680: A Single Step to the Heavens
Chapter 680: A Single Step to the Heavens
"Master Ethan, your tranquil nature is deeply admirable, but let us be entirely pragmatic," the Vice Sect Leader said, a knowing, highly cooperative smile spreading across his weathered face. "The Central Sect Headquarters will not allow a grand talent such as yours to be stifled by mundane bureaucracy. Effective the moment you arrive, you will not be registered as a disciple or a subordinate. The High Council will bypass all standard training protocols and formally ascend you straight to the rank of full Sect Elder! Someone wielding your divine authority over life and death has zero logistical need to play the role of a common apprentice."
He leaned forward, his deep voice carrying an binding guarantee.
"Furthermore, regarding your clinical space, we will not relegate you to a cramped pavilion in the crowded capital district," the Vice Sect Leader continued, waving his hand with immense administrative grandeur. "I personally grant you an entire, independent mountain peak within the central territory for your exclusive use. You may fortify it, staff it, and govern its resources exactly as you see fit."
The old fox’s eyes then narrowed into tight, razor-sharp slits as he brought out his ultimate political token.
"And you have my personal, unyielding vow: I will aggressively keep the capital Alchemical Pavilion at bay," whispered the Vice Sect Leader.
He had already thoroughly reviewed the intelligence briefings regarding the aggressive clashes between Ethan and the local alchemical refiners on this frontier peak. He was fully aware that the Alchemical Pavilion’s main headquarters would view the Immortal Doctor’s arrival as a catastrophic threat to their corporate monopoly. The Vice Sect Leader had zero intention of letting those arrogant potion-makers sabotage his prize.
"I know exactly how those medicine-refining bastards operate, and I will personally freeze any administrative or physical aggression they attempt to launch against your lineage," the old man concluded with cold finality. "Your peak will answer exclusively to the supreme leadership. Do we have an agreement, Elder Ethan?"
The silence that instantly blanketed the plaza was heavy, suffocating, and loaded with a collective, sheer disbelief.
To the hundreds of onlookers, elite inner disciples, and veteran refiners standing in the dense queue, the words echoing from the Vice Sect Leader’s lips felt like a massive, physical blow to their sanity. Was achieving the legendary status of a full Sect Elder truly this effortless?
Thousands of exceptionally talented cultivators spent their entire bloody lifespans fighting tooth and nail through brutal regional tournaments, risking their lives in deadly frontier campaigns just to be recognized as elite disciples, all while desperately dreaming of achieving eternal glory within the inner capital line. Yet this towering rogue practitioner, who had arrived at the border just six brief months ago, was being elevated straight to the rank of a full Sect Elder without ever stepping foot inside a capital examination room. To be granted an entire independent mountain peak and the personal, unyielding protection of the supreme leadership was the exact equivalent of ascending to the high heavens in a single, unhindered step.
Among the crowd, the psychological shock hit Ethan’s inner circle with a unique, devastating intensity.
Mary stood near the mahogany threshold, her breathing shallow as she stared at the massive back of her son-in-law. Her mind was overwhelmed by the sheer velocity of his political ascent. She had known Ethan was an anomaly—a man whose medical genius and raw physical presence could bend local laws—but watching the Vice Sect Leader of the entire mountain empire practically beg him to accept a sovereign territory within the capital line was a reality that defied her wildest expectations.
Beside her, Mary’s face had turned pale, her hands trembling violently beneath her fine silk sleeves as a turbulent storm of conflicting emotions violently tore through her heart.
This exact, legendary achievement—becoming a recognized elder within the Central Sect Headquarters—had been the ultimate, lifelong dream of her late husband. He had sacrificed everything, bleeding out his potential on the battlefield trying to secure just a fraction of the recognition that Ethan was currently turning down with a casual sigh.
As she looked at the towering, crimson-robed master who had claimed both her body and her daughter’s devotion, a sudden, sharp maternal calculation sparked within her eyes. Mary was no fool; she knew that once Ethan migrated to the capital peak, the geopolitical influence of their household would skyrocket.
Roy... Mary thought, her heart tightly constricting as her mind instantly focused on her son, who was currently struggling to survive the brutal, low-tier competition as a mere outer disciple on a dangerous training peak.
If Ethan was truly being granted an entire sovereign mountain with administrative autonomy, he would possess the supreme authority to appoint his own personal guard, his own disciples, and his own operational vanguard. She needed to find the perfect, most intimate moment tonight to use her charms and ensure that Ethan pulled Roy out of the meat-grinder of the outer sectors, elevating him straight into the luxurious, protected sanctuary of his new capital empire.
Mary softly stepped through the stunned onlookers, closing the distance to Louisa until her shoulder brushed against her daughter’s arm. Leaning in close, she watched Ethan finalize the historic negotiations with a low whisper.
"Louisa, look at him... he is a king in the making," whispered Mary, her voice trembling slightly with an intense maternal urgency. "You must help me find the perfect opportunity to bring up your brother Roy. He cannot remain a common outer disciple while Ethan commands an entire mountain peak."
Louisa didn’t even turn her head, her beautiful eyes remaining locked onto her husband’s majestic, crimson-robed figure, a subtle, confident smile playing on her lips.
"Do not worry, Mother," Louisa replied in an equally quiet, razor-sharp whisper. "That is exactly what I was already thinking."
-------------------
From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
------
Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.