Free Web NovelChapter 241: Soaring Ascent
The moment these words were spoken, the meeting room, which had just been filled with laughter and chatter, fell silent almost instantly.
The best in the world... Many silently repeated the phrase in their hearts and contemplated what those words truly represented.
They all knew that in recent years, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had advanced rapidly across every field. In many aspects, it had already reached world-leading standards, standing among the very top. However, none of it could compare to the sheer impact of being the best in the world.
Back when the Nine Cauldrons Sect had existed only for a little over eighty years, everything had been in ruins. They had lagged behind everyone else in every field.
Back then, being the best in the world was something they had not even dared to dream of. And yet now something that should not have appeared even in their dreams had abruptly become the truth for the Nine Cauldrons Sect, a sect that had existed for just over a century.
"The best in the world..." Huang Tianhao murmured the words under his breath. An unprecedented mix of emotions surged within him.
Unease, apprehension, fear, pride, honor... All these feelings churned within him. In the end, the unease, the apprehension, and the fear gradually faded away. What remained was a sense of pride and honor that could not be fully described.
"The best in the world!" He repeated the words again, then let out a long breath.
It was as though he had released all the injustice, humiliation, fear, and confusion that the Nine Cauldrons Sect had endured over the past century.
At this moment, he finally understood the true meaning of holding one’s head high in triumph. This was it!
"Good! Good! This is truly wonderful!" Huang Tianhao could not help but begin applauding energetically.
As he took the lead, the others snapped out of their daze.
"Thirty-three elite battle institutes, and among the best in the world?! If I remember correctly, the Immortal Alliance only has forty elite battle institutes, and less than half of them are truly at that level! Even the Infinite Star Palace only has forty-six, with just over thirty reaching that level! W-We’re about to surpass both the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace?!"
"A hundred years! After a full century, is it finally our Nine Cauldrons Sect’s turn to step onto the stage of the Great Cangwu World?!"
"Good! To witness the rise of the Nine Cauldrons Sect at this moment, I can die without regrets!"
Voices and laughter rose once more, overlapping in excitement. Thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall. Everyone clapped with all their strength, celebrating the sect’s miraculous achievement. This applause was not only for Li Qingshan, Yaoguang, or Li Hanqiu. It was for everyone present. And even more so, for every individual who had struggled and fought for the rise of the Nine Cauldrons Sect.
Only after a long while did the applause begin to subside. Yet the smiles on everyone’s faces could not be concealed.
"Our battle institutes' strength is now almost on par with those of the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace. At the very least, there’s no longer any significant gap. What we lack now are Sky Patrol Warships, as those are the only ones capable of transporting forces and carrying out campaigns to annihilate entire sects!"
"The Immortal Alliance has eighteen Sky Patrol Warships, and the Infinite Star Palace has as many as twenty-six. We’ve built a few over the years, but our numbers are still lacking... We still have ground to make up."
"I’m wide awake now. Just wait for the sect master to continue. He’ll definitely give you a surprise, even when it comes to warships."
Amid the discussions, Li Qingshan moved on to introduce the details of the Sky Patrol Warship research and production.
The Nine Cauldrons Sect’s first warship, which they had purchased at great expense from the Thousand-Beast Sect, had long since been retired from service and reassigned for educational use.
Even the Setting Sun and Golden Body warships were only briefly mentioned. The real focus was on the fully self-developed Longxiang Sky Patrol Warship.
"The Longxiang is a third-generation Sky Patrol Warship, but its combat capability is not particularly strong; at best, it is comparable to the standard warships of the Infinite Star Palace. However, through its construction, we accumulated extensive experience in building Sky Patrol Warships..." Li Qingshan’s voice echoed through the room.
But this explanation left many lower-level domain lords, branch sect masters, and elders completely bewildered.
Did you hear what you just said? What do you mean its combat capability isn’t strong? What do you mean it’s only comparable to the Infinite Star Palace’s standard warships? Are you trying to be god?!
However, when Li Qingshan began introducing the four subsequent warships—the Jizhou, the Qingzhou, the Yangzhou, and the Xuzhou—everyone suddenly realized he had been completely serious.
His earlier evaluation had indeed been fair. Compared to these four warships, which stood at the peak among third-generation warships and could almost be considered quasi-fourth-generation, the Longxiang truly seemed ordinary.
When the data for the Shenzhou and the recently completed Zhongzhou were presented, the domain lords, sect masters, and elders began to feel as though they were dreaming.
"I’m seriously starting to wonder if I’m dreaming! I remember that twenty years ago, we couldn’t even build a Sky Patrol Warship on our own. And now, in just twenty years, we’ve leaped past first-, second-, and third-generation ships and gained the ability to construct fourth-generation warships?!"
"If it's a dream, I hope I can sleep a bit longer! This dream is insane... Fourth-generation warships! Even the Infinite Star Palace’s Hacker and Sect Guardian warships only claim to be fourth-generation. And many people doubt they reach that level, considering that their array systems are barely different from third-generation ships, only their materials are more advanced."
"So we now have two third-generation warships, four quasi-fourth-generation warships, and two true fourth-generation warships?! Let me process this... A fourth-generation warship can take on three third-generation warships head-on, and if it takes advantage of its mobility and endurance, it can hold off ten. If we keep that in mind, then our fleet composition..."
As the high-ranking members of the Nine Cauldrons Sect analyzed the true combat power of these warships, their hearts began to tremble.
Especially Lou Yuyu of the Warfare Hall and Jiang Zhouyue of the Garrison Hall... Their eyes widened simultaneously, overwhelmed by joy.
The goal of surpassing the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace was already halfway achieved.
Relying on this fleet, though small in number yet composed entirely of elites, they had already become completely unafraid of the Immortal Alliance’s Sky Patrol fleet. They were confident they could defeat them in battle!
After all, the Immortal Alliance was different from the Infinite Star Palace. It was a coalition formed by the eight great families and numerous smaller families, far less united than outsiders imagined.
As long as the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s Zhongzhou and Shenzhou warships charged into the Immortal Alliance’s fleet and immediately crushed and sank several of their warships with overwhelming force, the remaining enemies would inevitably scatter to preserve their own family strength and foundations.
This was precisely why the Immortal Alliance, despite being stronger than the Thousand-Beast Sect, had never been able to truly suppress it.
"Two third-generation warships, four quasi-fourth-generation warships, and two fourth-generation warships... A total of ten! Has the sect grown this powerful without us even knowing?"
"Are these figures real? Has our Nine Cauldrons Sect truly reached this level of strength?"
"Thirty-three of the strongest elite battle institutes in the world, ten of the most advanced Sky Patrol Warships, including two fourth-generation warships that only the Infinite Star Palace possesses... This level of strength... is terrifying! Is this really the power of our Nine Cauldrons Sect?"
It was too powerful. So powerful that many domain lords, branch sect masters, and elders, who had not fully understood the sect’s true strength, felt as though it was unreal and unbelievable.
Li Hanqiu and Li Qingshan observed everyone’s reactions and found them completely understandable. After all, over the past twenty years, especially in the last decade, with Yaoguang’s full support, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had developed at an astonishing pace. To describe it as a soaring ascent was no exaggeration.
However, when they saw that even core figures like Lou Yuyu and Jiang Zhouyue, who should have theoretically been the most familiar with the sect’s growth, were equally shaken, the two of them realized something.
The gap was simply too great, so great that many people had yet to process the transformation. Even the core members were like this, let alone the upper, middle, and lower ranks, or ordinary disciples.
This was proof of how well the Nine Cauldrons Sect had kept its secrets. That, and the fact that only twenty years had passed, which wasn't long at all. Who could have imagined that the difference between the Nine Cauldrons Sect of twenty years ago and today would be this vast?
If someone had told them twenty years ago that, two decades later, the Nine Cauldrons Sect would possess thirty-three elite battle institutes and ten Sky Patrol Warships, all able to stand among the best in the world, they would have laughed at them. They would've considered that nothing but a delusion.
And yet, it was reality. The Nine Cauldrons Sect had truly achieved it.
"I think it’s necessary to hold a military parade." Li Qingshan suddenly transmitted his voice through psychic consciousness to Li Hanqiu and Yaoguang, proposing his suggestion. "At present, the major sects probably understand us better than even our middle-level cultivators do. Even if we continue trying to keep a low profile, we may not be able to hide it anymore. Not to mention, now that the Infinite Star Palace has withdrawn from the Black Feather Sect, they will certainly find a way to deal with us."
Li Hanqiu pondered for a moment and glanced at Yaoguang.
Yaoguang replied, "You two can decide."
Seeing this, Li Hanqiu considered the situation briefly before saying, "Then let’s hold a grand military parade... and treat it as making up for the ceremony we didn't hold for the centennial of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's founding."
The core leaders quickly reached a consensus. However, further detailed discussions were clearly not suitable at this moment. After all, Li Qingshan was still standing on the stage.
