Chapter 105: Another Disciple of the Shackle Realm

To shut the door on a disciple of the Shackles Realm would be far too arrogant. Within the Returning Ruins Sect, only those in the Shackles Realm were considered truly powerful. Every faction showed them respect, treating them like deities—they did the least amount of work yet enjoyed the finest benefits.

Bai Feiyu shook his head and said, "I didn't establish an alliance for those things."

"I established it so that we could have a group of brothers who truly belong to us..."

At this, Yang Fan looked askance at Bai Feiyu. Wasn't it all the same? In the end, wasn't it just to build one's own faction and network of connections?

Bai Feiyu shook his head with a smile. "Do you really think I care about the position of Sect Master of the Returning Ruins Sect?"

As he spoke, Bai Feiyu looked at Yang Fan with utmost seriousness, bearing the air of someone who held the entire universe within his breast.

This demeanor made Yang Fan shudder slightly. He suddenly realized he had been wrong; he should not measure Bai Feiyu by ordinary standards.

In truth, with Bai Feiyu's current strength, his future achievements were bound to be limitless. In the future, he would surely become a titan of the world. How could someone like him set his sights on a mere sect?

Thinking of this, Yang Fan looked at Bai Feiyu and said, "If you truly want to establish an alliance, then as your brother, I will build it with you!"

"As for Shi Yuan, let's first find a way to make him a Shackles Realm disciple in name and in fact. That way, our alliance will have three Shackles Realm powerhouses. Even among all the alliances, we would be near the very top, which will instantly attract many people to join us."

"In the future, establishing an alliance will also bring benefits. The sect will allocate specific cultivation resources to the alliance as shared resources. This way, we can support our own people and foster more Shackles Realm powerhouses from among us."

As he spoke, Yang Fan began to map out a beautiful blueprint in his mind.

Honestly, with a Shackles Realm cultivation, establishing an alliance in a major sect like the Returning Ruins Sect was far better than being a sect master in a minor sect like the Cloud Ridge Sect.

Since the Returning Ruins Sect already had a ready pool of disciples, they only needed to recruit them. Once they had three Shackles Realm powerhouses guarding it, disciples would surely flock to them. In minor sects like the Cloud Ridge Sect, those at the Vast Qi Realm could already become core disciples or elders, and even then, their numbers were limited, having been nurtured at immense cost. But in the Returning Ruins Sect, Vast Qi Realm disciples could be recruited by the dozens with a single wave of the hand.

One could become an inner disciple at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm. Once they attained inner disciple status, relying on the sect's resources, anyone with even a modicum of talent could basically reach the Vast Qi Realm. The success rate was about one in three. By then, the sheer number of disciples they could easily attract would be massive. Even if a disciple was not currently in the Vast Qi Realm, they had the potential to reach it in the future.

Moreover, most of the cultivation resources were provided by the sect. Compared to a small sect like the Cloud Ridge Sect, which not only had to rely on major sects but also had to produce its own cultivation resources and manage the entire sect's operations, this kind of life was simply too wonderful. In the Returning Ruins Sect, excluding the factor of Shackles Realm powerhouses, the quantity and quality of disciples in any of the top ten alliances completely dwarfed those of minor sects.

"Alright, we will start handling this tomorrow. We need to wrap everything up in the coming days," Bai Feiyu said. "Also, among the Shackles Realm disciples, can you recruit some to join our alliance?"

As he spoke, Bai Feiyu already envisioned his future alliance rivaling the Eagle Alliance. Even if it could not match them, it must stand on equal footing, showing absolutely no fear in the face of the Eagle Alliance. It must never give off the impression of being a minor, insignificant alliance.

For no other reason than his own pride, Bai Feiyu would not allow the alliance he established to be looked down upon as third-rate.

"This... is extremely difficult. It's practically impossible," Yang Fan hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully.

Most Shackles Realm disciples who were not in an alliance simply did not want to join one, just like Yang Fan had been before.

In fact, even though Yang Fan had no intention of joining an alliance, after he broke through to the Shackles Realm, many leaders of major alliances had personally sought him out to invite him. Thus, any corner that could be pried loose had already been pried. Those Shackles Realm disciples would not easily join a new alliance.

Hearing this, Bai Feiyu felt a bit disappointed, though it was only to be expected.

Yang Fan continued, seeing Bai Feiyu's slight disappointment. "However, I can pay a few visits to my old friends in the Shackles Realm. It's not entirely hopeless. In the Returning Ruins Sect, I know practically everyone in the Shackles Realm, whether they are disciples or elders. Some of them will surely show me some face. At the very least, forming a brotherly alliance between their alliances and ours will be quite easy."

Unlike Bai Feiyu, Yang Fan had achieved the Shackles Realm through years of steady accumulation. Within the sect, there were only so many Shackles Realm disciples, and they all knew one another.

"Alright, then I will trouble you with this matter," Bai Feiyu nodded, seeing that the plan was set. "As for Shi Yuan, I don't really want to meet with him. Moreover, you must remain wary of him. If he could strike once, he could strike a second time. A connection with the Gate of Darkness is not so easily severed. Even if he truly wishes to draw a clear line between himself and the Gate of Darkness, it will not be that simple."

***

Two days later, a piece of news swept through the entire inner sect.

On this day, almost all the disciples learned that another Shackles Realm disciple had emerged within the inner sect.

This disciple was named Shi Yuan, and he had a very good relationship with Bai Feiyu. His breakthrough into the Shackles Realm this time was a natural result of many years of accumulation.

Shi Yuan's successful breakthrough to the Shackles Realm served as a spiritual boost for many inner disciples. Every now and then, when a disciple became a Shackles Realm powerhouse, it would trigger a period where many inner disciples would be fired up, striving once again toward their goals with renewed vigor.

After Shi Yuan became a Shackles Realm disciple, many powerhouses of the Shackles Realm came to congratulate him and build connections. After all, this was a tradition of the Shackles Realm. The sect's Shackles Realm combatants were few, so these disciples needed to know one another.

As for why the Shackles Realm disciples had not collectively sought to build connections with Bai Feiyu despite his immense strength, it was entirely because Bai Feiyu was an anomaly. In the entire history of the Returning Ruins Sect, he was the only such freak to have ever appeared.