Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1508 - 800: Treatment (Part 2)

"Master, getting your strength back is the top priority—it won't bother me one bit!" Li Shiming answered, flashing a grin.

"Excellent!" Grandmaster Hu tucked the jade bottle away.

"Master, what's the latest with the Ten Thousand Beast Sect? How did things spiral to this mess?" Li Shiming at last voiced the issue weighing heaviest on his mind.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect's state now teetered on the brink of total depletion, pushed back right to their mountain gates by the rival trio of sects.

From the looks of the cultivators hailing from those three sects, every escape route from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's mountain gate stood firmly sealed off.

Were it not for the grotto heaven's protective veil over the area, foes would have already breached within a thousand miles of the gates.

"Since Luanyang Palace suddenly pulled back the Great Cultivator posted at the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect ramped up their ties with the other three sects. When our intel finally arrived, those three had already struck a deal with Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect to boot us off the Dongqi Continent entirely!" Grandmaster Hu explained with a heavy tone.

Through Grandmaster Hu's thorough account, Li Shiming pieced together the events unfolding over the decades he'd been gone.

Some of the blame fell on Li Shiming himself, as the Ten Thousand Beast Sect faced fierce backlash from Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect.

He also discovered the reason behind Luanyang Palace's withdrawal of Great Cultivators: they got shifted to Hell Cave Heaven for a critical assignment, and that's when Luanyang Palace made their exit.

Once Luanyang Palace vanished, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect found itself without the shield of a mighty power, while Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect learned from old defeats and, upon re-entering Dongqi Continent, ditched broad assaults, zeroing in just on the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.

Holding more than a quarter of Dongqi Continent's resources, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect represented a massive prize, particularly the Great Cultivator assets that lured the continent's top powers.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect boasted the strongest Great Cultivators, and though the four sects seemed to dwell in harmony on the surface, deep frictions had long brewed among them.

Stirred by Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect, and swayed by dire warnings plus enormous gains, the pact formed to wipe out the Ten Thousand Beast Sect together.

In the days that followed, a Ten Thousand Beast Sect Great Cultivator fell in an ambush far from home, and resource sites fell one by one into enemy hands.

During the outbreak of all-out war, Grandmaster Hu fended off three Great Cultivators in a fierce clash, yet ended up with grave wounds himself.

As the lopsided fight dragged on, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect—backed into a corner by three sects and two colossal forces—had no choice but to fall back behind the mountain gates, depending on the cave heaven's spatial walls for a desperate stand.

Such a strategy couldn't hold forever; squeezed inside the mountain gate, gathering fresh resources became impossible, leaving them to burn through stockpiles without end.

On top of that, with no influx of novice cultivators, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect saw its ranks stagnate, breaking the vital chain of successor training.

Conflicts like this often stretch beyond a century, and if a hundred years slipped by, the trapped Ten Thousand Beast Sect cultivators would crumble from resource shortages alone, even absent any foe assaults.

"Master, which three Great Cultivators struck you down?" Li Shiming inquired with a serious expression.

"You're rushing things too much; you've only just come back to the sect—start by claiming the Great Cultivator legacy we hold. I can't guide you any more, but the Ten Thousand Beast Sect carries a legacy spanning thousands of years!" Grandmaster Hu sidestepped the question, giving Li Shiming's shoulder a gentle tap as he spoke.

Li Shiming gave a nod; though Grandmaster Hu held back, he knew methods to uncover the truth.

He chose not to interrupt Grandmaster Hu's recovery further, since restoring battle prowess demanded focused cultivation.

Master Ding and Li Shiming departed from Grandmaster Hu's cave dwelling side by side; Li Shiming headed to his personal abode, where he settled Great Cultivator Luo Pei inside.

Rest was the last thing on his mind, after ample downtime during the journey.

Li Shiming made his way to the Book Collection Pavilion, heading straight for the section reserved for Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The Book Collection Pavilion stood empty of other cultivators, as the dire circumstances kept most Nascent Soul experts tied to defense assignments.

Stepping inside, Li Shiming sensed a Great Cultivator's Divine Sense sweeping over him.

"Are you Junior Brother Hu's student, Li Shizhen?" A voice, frail with extreme age, echoed forth.

"Yes, that's me—Li Shizhen!" Li Shiming bowed deeply in response.

"Junior Brother Hu already informed me; head up to the top floor!" The ancient voice instructed.

Li Shiming climbed the steps, proceeding to the uppermost level.

Thanks to the fresh details on his Identity Jade Disc, he now held Great Cultivator status in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, granting top-tier access, so no barriers in the Book Collection Pavilion blocked his path.

At the top floor, he encountered a Great Cultivator with flowing white hair and beard, seated in meditative pose on a prayer mat; spotting him, the wrinkled ancient face broke into a warm smile, and he indicated the facing prayer mat, inviting Li Shiming to take a seat.

Li Shiming settled onto the prayer mat across from him, watching as the senior Great Cultivator produced a tray of Spirit Fruits and set it midway between them.

"Li Shizhen, I've clung to life this long because of your aid. Call me Zhang Dansheng, just a weary old cultivator nearing his final days!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng uttered deliberately, his gaze distant with fond memories.

The name clicked for Li Shiming, revealing the identity of this venerable Great Cultivator.

He stood as the eldest Great Cultivator in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect; years ago, he'd accepted two 'Life Spirit Fruits' from Luanyang Palace and passed them along to Master Hu.

Back then, Grandmaster Hu had spoken of delivering those two 'Life Spirit Fruits' to Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng—the very figure now before him.

"I wouldn't call it help; that was all Master's doing!" Li Shiming demurred, dismissing the notion with a wave.

"You picked a terrible time to return; us elders were set to throw our lives into the fray, forcing the foes to taste the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's fury. With your gifts, you could soar even higher!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng let out a soft sigh as he commented.

Evidently, Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng planned a final stand against the invaders; for cultivators of his advanced years, that might be their sole path.

"Still, your return brings hope; last time you departed without claiming much of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's legacy. I'll hand down the sect's heritage to you now—so even if the Ten Thousand Beast Sect falls, you might one day bring it back from the ashes!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng went on.

Having weathered countless trials, he grasped the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's perilous position all too well, realizing their current might couldn't overcome the crisis.

Li Shiming's arrival wouldn't tip the scales of the war in any major way.

In truth, Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng's outlook stayed bound by Dongqi Continent's limits, blind to the devastating might a peak prodigy like Li Shiming could unleash—capable of crushing Middle Stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivators—once ascending to full Great Cultivator rank.

He also remained ignorant of the awesome might in Li Shiming's 'Heavenly Human Technique' cultivation method.

A method that demands the Five Elements Divine Technique for its start, viable only from Nascent Soul Middle Stage onward, underscoring its rare and elite nature.

"Don't worry, I've got full faith in sorting out the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's crisis this round!" Li Shiming declared firmly, aiming to ease Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng's concerns.

He could tell Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng's vitality had withered to the core, a decay beyond reversal—not something the Innate Wood Divine Technique could mend.

In Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng's state, barely twenty years of life remained at best; diving into combat might shave even that short span away.

"Take the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's heritage first. Unless you grasp every piece of our legacy, I won't allow you to step out of here!" Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng pressed on adamantly, skeptical of Li Shiming's bold claim.

Li Shiming held his tongue against Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng, eager himself to explore the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's storied legacy.

With a sweep of his hand, Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng summoned a hundred Jade Scrolls glowing in golden and purple hues, floating right before Li Shiming.

"This marks the beginning; commit them all to memory!" He directed, pointing toward the cluster of Jade Scrolls.