Chapter 479: Professional Disciple System

The ghost-level soul pressure suddenly bore down, nearly crushing his wrist to the point of breaking.

Zhao Chun was a tough man, and not lacking in brains either. Though Western Peak Holy Sanctuary had lost to Rose, their foundation was undeniable. He truly didn’t believe Wang Feng would dare to publicly cripple his hand! Forget about this Ghost Level Class—he wouldn’t join even if invited. But this grievance had to be settled.

"Some ghost level! Some brotherhood!" He endured the pain, sweating profusely, and laughed loudly. "Wang Feng! Today, the 108 brother Holy Sanctuary disciples have gathered to show support for Rose’s Ghost Level Class, and this is how you treat your brothers? You ask me for an explanation? I demand a fair and just assessment!"

To stand his ground like this, even daring to question a ghost level expert on their own turf—this guy had guts. Many in the crowd shared his sentiments, either having been eliminated unfairly or hoping to stir chaos for their own gain. A few bold troublemakers egged him on from the safety of the crowd: "Damn right! Ghost level doesn’t make you invincible!"

"That Li Chunyang couldn’t even block a single move from Senior Zhao, yet his ranking is higher? Hah! What a joke!"

"Hmph! We came here out of brotherhood to support Rose, and instead of proper hospitality, they pull shady tricks to humiliate us with rankings. Brother Zhao calls out injustice, and this guy dares to bully him with his strength? This is bullshit!"

Zhao Chun’s face twisted in pain, but inwardly, he sneered. He hadn’t known how to complete the task assigned by the headmaster, but now that the crowd’s emotions were riled up, things had become much simpler.

With everyone now united in outrage—accusing Rose of cheating, luring them here only to exclude them, and even resorting to violence against fellow Holy Sanctuary disciples—tomorrow’s Holy Sanctuary's Light would spread these scandals everywhere. He’d like to see how Wang Feng would handle that.

"Wang Feng, Wang Feng, is Rose really this stupid, or do you think the rest of us are? Did you trick us into coming just to serve as stepping stones for your own people?" Zhao Chun laughed through the pain. "Do it! I dare you! If you’ve got the guts, cripple my hand today! If I so much as flinch, I’m not a—AHH!"

CRACK!

Before he could finish, a sharp, agonized scream tore from his throat, instantly silencing the murmurs around him.

His wrist, which Wang Feng had been gripping, was now completely broken. Zhao Chun’s face was drenched in sweat, his expression one of shock. Before he could even process it, a heavy slap came flying.

SMACK!

Old Wang sent Zhao Chun flying with a single brutal strike, sending him crashing to the ground, his body limp, only his ass still twitching.

Everyone was stunned.

What the actual hell?

Wang Feng calmly surveyed the crowd. "At Rose, you follow Rose’s rules. And what are Rose’s rules? I’m the Ghost Level Class captain—that makes me the rule. As for fairness? That’s for me to decide, not you. If anyone disagrees, beat me first. Remember, Rose isn’t a place for petty troublemakers. I’ve never been known for patience."

Wang Feng’s reputation wasn’t for nothing. His imposing aura, combined with his swift and ruthless action, cowed the entire hall. "Throw this man out. For slandering Rose, he and his family are barred from future selections. Since this is the first incident, I’ll make an exception and explain: this is the only warning. Rose’s selection uses the latest soul-seed testing runes, which are harder than fusion runes. If you don’t understand, keep your mouth shut. Run your mouth, and you’ll regret it—no exceptions. Remember: you can eat whatever you want, but words? Choose them carefully."

After this display, the crowd fell silent. Wang Feng had anticipated such a situation—swift and decisive action was necessary to deny opponents any opening. Reasoning with enemies was idiocy. End them.

The Holy Sanctuary disciples didn’t dare utter another word, but someone else stepped forward...

"Wang Feng! This ranking is absolutely rigged!"

The voice was deafening, brimming with fury. Everyone turned in shock—who’s still got the balls to speak up now? This guy had guts!

Mo Tong was fuming, pointing at the name "Mo Tong" ranked fifty-sixth on the list. "Fifty-sixth? What the hell? Me, fifty-sixth? Are you out of your mind?!"

"Correct. Based on overall scores."

"Bullshit! I scored three perfect rounds! I even blew up the crystal ball! Even if you don’t rank me first, I should at least be tied with Aota and the others! How the hell did I drop to fifty-sixth?!" Mo Tong was practically exploding with rage. Those earlier complaints were right—this assessment was rigged as hell! "And a ‘comprehensive score’ of seventy? Where the hell did that come from? Explain!"

The previously despondent Holy Sanctuary disciples suddenly perked up. Just when all seemed lost, hope emerged.

"You blew up the crystal ball. No record, no score. Problem?" Old Wang shot him a disdainful look. "Does being a Mahoraga mean rules don’t apply? Did you not hear what I just said? Hell, I should charge you for damages!"

"Bring it! What’s the price?!" Mo Tong couldn’t care less about money—his pride was at stake.

"165,000 Euros. Plus shipping and overtime fees for retesting. Call it 170,000 even. Hand it over." Old Wang held out his hand.

Mo Tong’s jaw dropped.

"Ahem... what was that?" Mo Tong suddenly grinned from ear to ear, cheerfully saying, "Actually, rankings aren't that important. Getting admitted is what matters, right? Let's go grab a drink!"

"Right, right! Drinks it is! To celebrate the founding of our first Ghost-level Class, all brothers from Rose, let's go!" Aota waved his hand grandly beside him. "Once you're here at Rose, we're all family. No princes or nobles here—just brothers of Rose!"

Suddenly, those who were eliminated didn’t feel so wronged anymore. Even Mo Tong of the Mahoraga, an old friend of Rose, was treated the same. What right did others have to act so proud?

………………

The Holy Sanctuary's Light gave it a major feature. Ice Spirit, Dragon Moon, Fire God Mountain, and even Gule were no longer news. The real bombshells were the Dark Demon Island and Xiao Bang personally joining!

What kind of place was the Dark Demon Island? It was a cultivation holy land recognized by the entire Alliance! Back then, how much effort had the League of Blades and Rose expended just to get the Dark Demon Island to agree to establish a branch there, training disciples for the League and allowing Temple disciples to study? The Dark Demon Island had always kept a low profile, never participating in the Heroic Tournament. Otherwise, in terms of cultivation environment and resources, it wouldn’t be much worse than the Holy City—even the Sky Dome Holy Sanctuary might not compare. Yet, such a holy land had sent their most elite disciples en masse to Rose’s Ghost-level Class?

This… this made the entire Alliance feel like they’d lost their minds! Were they crazy, or was the Dark Demon Island crazy? It made no sense!

And then there was Xiao Bang. Though Dragon Moon Temple had publicly supported Rose against the Eight Great Temples in the Holy Sanctuary's Light, that could be chalked up to political alignment or righteous advocacy. Even if the two Temples had grown closer because of it, developing some goodwill, it shouldn’t have reached this level…

The core disciples of Dragon Moon all joining the Ghost-level Class was one thing, but even Xiao Bang—a figure who was practically the soul of Dragon Moon Temple and the entire duchy—had gone? Fine, he went, but he even gave up his identity as a Dragon Moon disciple and directly became a Rose disciple? This…

Forget about pondering the deeper reasons. Even if you twisted everyone’s brains eight hundred times, you wouldn’t find a single plausible explanation!

What was going on? What were these people doing? It was utterly incomprehensible! Could Rose’s Ghost-level Class really be that attractive? Did Xiao Bang and the others already know the teaching content in advance?

This question, regarded as the biggest mystery in the Alliance, was expected to remain unanswered for a long time. Yet, the *Holy Light Sacred Path*, just two days after the Ghost-level Class’s founding, devoted two whole sections to revealing everything.

Old Wang hadn’t lied. Everything about the Ghost-level Class was publicly disclosed. All the schedules, study content, and even electives were distributed to every member that very night.

Training was divided into three parts: potions, the Soul Refining Array, and Ghost-level lectures…

The potions had a specific formula, reportedly Lei Long’s decade-long masterpiece tailored specifically for breaking through from Tiger Peak to Ghost-level—absolutely genuine and effective. Each Ghost-level Class member could receive one bottle per week, completely free. Of course, if anyone had money to burn and wanted extra, they could buy them at 10,000 Euro per bottle, no discounts. And according to Old Wang, these potions might eventually be sold Alliance-wide. As he put it, good things shouldn’t be hoarded!

The Soul Refining Array was now the subject of widespread discussion. According to all the Temple disciples who’d taken the test, the experience inside the array genuinely provided significant benefits for spiritual advancement. However, Rose itself only had a few fixed arrays at the moment. Rose stated that setting up these arrays was extremely difficult, requiring rare materials and the combined efforts of Lei Long and Principal Hawkland to ensure success. The elders had invested tremendous effort, and while they welcomed others to learn, they’d need to at least understand the process—and, well, it seemed all those capable in the League were already at Rose.

As for the Ghost-level lectures, these were comparatively simpler, similar to courses offered to advanced graduates in other Temples. Of course, the quality depended on the lecturers… Rose’s Ghost-level lectures featured personal testimonies from recent breakthrough disciples like Old Wang, Fan Tesi, Hei Wukai, and Winnie, as well as guidance from legendary figures like Lei Long, who had once stood at the pinnacle of the continent. This lineup was truly unmatched by any other Temple.

If anyone thought this was all the Ghost-level Class had to offer, they’d be sorely mistaken. Beyond this, the class also had a professional disciple system.

A Temple disciple who only knew how to fight was no true disciple! What did it mean to draw inferences from one example? What did it mean to be erudite? What did it mean to forge new paths? Rose had the answers.

Three Runic Disciplines, Five Smithing Tenets, Eight Alchemical Methods—the names alone were catchy. A glance at the densely packed explanations in the *Holy Light Sacred Path* made it clear Rose had substance.

Frankly, runes, potions, and forging had always been Rose’s strong suits over the years. Whenever the best rune academy in the Alliance was mentioned, it was always Rose. No matter how much Rose declined, this reputation never truly faded. And the accompanying forging and potion-making had always been above standard.

The outlines Lei Long had compiled this time were a meticulous selection of the most practical professional disciplines, promising both rapid progression and deep specialization—limitless potential for advancement!

Soul cultivation training and professional disciplines, advancing hand in hand…

The *Holy Light Sacred Path* was now following the story closely. The Holy City, meanwhile, was starting to feel things were spiraling out of control—mainly because Rose was moving too fast, defying all expectations! Normally, shouldn’t they have teased a few hints first, taking it slow? Instead, they’d opened with bombshell after bombshell…

Honestly, neither the Sky Dome nor the Holy City had anticipated things escalating this far. They’d stubbornly believed Rose was just a clown, playing some deceptive ploy. It was sheer arrogance blinding them.

And they’d severely underestimated the other Temples’ thirst for power. The Holy City and the Sky Dome had become too complacent, oblivious to their subordinates.

But Rose’s eight consecutive victories and the explosive popularity of the Ghost-level Class had instantly brought unprecedented attention.

What did people need most?

Hope.

And with a showman like Old Wang at the helm…

Now it's completely impossible to suppress. All the Holy Sanctuaries, even the entire League, are watching Rose. This place has gathered the most intense social spotlight in the history of all Holy Sanctuaries. The slightest movement could be interpreted in countless ways. Even the Luo family of the Holy City wouldn’t dare defy public opinion and stir up trouble at this moment.

Various reports, heated discussions, and endless topics—the League hasn’t been this lively in a long time. Talking about Rose has become the norm. Everyone wants to see how their Ghost Level Class will progress and whether they can stir up even more waves.

…………

Holy City.

Like Long Kang of the Nine Divines, the Holy Lord has also been absent from governance for several years. It’s not just Long Kang and the Holy Lord—the Grand Speaker of the Blade Council is another elusive figure, along with the Yaksha King of the Eight Tribes and the mermaid queen... Though none have officially taken action, they are all considered known Dragon-tier powerhouses. In recent years, the only one still diligently handling affairs is likely Indra of the Eight Tribes. The other five either wander the world, vanish without a trace, or seclude themselves in cultivation, contemplating the great dao. This seems to have become a "common ailment" across the Nine Heavens Continent in recent years.

Some cultists have seized on this to wildly promote various doomsday theories, claiming that these Dragon-tier figures have sensed some impending catastrophe on the continent, hence their unanimous choice to seclude themselves—preparing for the great upheaval to come.

Such rhetoric holds little sway on a large scale, but it thrives in certain small circles. Once they "capture" believers, they become the most fanatical followers. On the Nine Divines' side, the legendary Celestial Masters Sect has recently resurfaced, while in the Blade Council, the Dark Hall has gained significant influence, much to the Holy City’s frustration.

Currently, governance in the Holy City is mainly handled by the Council of Elders. It’s time for their weekly meeting. At the long red table symbolizing power, aside from the Holy Lord’s empty seat, over a dozen elders sit on either side. Apart from Saint Roy, most of these elders are white-bearded, their seemingly dim eyes occasionally flashing with sharpness. Yet the room full of white hair and wrinkled faces ultimately gives the impression of a table steeped in twilight.

"As of now, six governor-level officials of the Blade Council and fourteen deputy-level officials have been confirmed as victims, along with two small towns completely destroyed," someone pounded on the table and said. "These locations span the north and south of the Blade Council, all heavily guarded. Yet the Dark Hall uprooted them all within a month? What was once a minor nuisance has now become a dire threat to our Holy Sanctuary! If we don’t act, I fear the next targets of their assassinations will be us in the Parliament and the Council—or even the main cities of the Blade Council!"

Sitting across from Saint Roy was an old man with neatly combed white hair and beard, his white sorcerer's robes exuding nobility. A faint smile played on his lips as he glanced around—this was Gudel, headmaster of the Moon Worship Sect’s Holy Sanctuary and leader of the Moon Worship Sect. "The Dark Hall has indeed expanded rapidly over the past two years, treating our Holy Sanctuary and Parliament as nothing... Speak your minds freely."