Chapter 3809: A Strong Peak

Lin Mu quietly observed everyone around him while maintaining the expression of a simple and curious villager.

Outwardly, Little Bull appeared fascinated by the food, the loud conversations, and the relaxed atmosphere of the Wild Peak. Internally however, Lin Mu was carefully studying every single person present.

It was a habit he had developed long ago. No matter where he went, understanding the strength of those around him was always important, especially now. This was the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect. One of the greatest powers of the Eastern Immortal Court.

A place where even a slight mistake could expose him.

While his cultivation was hidden behind Xukong’s Abyssal Horizon Veil Seal, his senses were still sharp enough to perceive vitality and physical strength. Body cultivators possessed a different kind of presence compared to Qi cultivators. Their vitality was tangible. Their blood flowed like rivers. Their muscles carried frightening force.

And everyone in this hall possessed that quality.

The more Lin Mu observed, the more surprised he became. The weakest disciple present was already equivalent to a Third Tribulation Stage Immortal. That alone was enough to make many sects tremble.

Back in the Rust Sky World, a Third Tribulation Stage Immortal could at least become a junior elder of a major sect. Here?

They were merely ordinary disciples sitting around a dining table and arguing over who had eaten the most beast meat during training. Lin Mu watched a broad shouldered disciple laugh while tearing apart an entire roasted beast leg with his bare hands.

The vitality radiating from the man clearly placed him at a level equal to Third Tribulation Stage. Yet nobody paid him any special attention. That alone showed how absurd the standards of the Wild Peak were.

As for the strongest individuals present, those positions naturally belonged to High Elder Shatter Peak and High Elder Palm Saber. Even while they sat casually at the table eating, the pressure they exuded was immense.

Lin Mu estimated that both were equivalent to Sixth Tribulation Stage Immortals, at minimum. But that was merely his rough estimate based upon vitality fluctuations. The actual result could easily be higher.

Body cultivators were notoriously difficult to assess.

Unlike Qi cultivators who leaked traces of their cultivation naturally, body cultivators could conceal much of their strength within their flesh and blood. Furthermore, Lin Mu could tell both elders were heavily restraining themselves.

If they released their vitality fully, even accidentally, ordinary disciples might suffer injuries just from standing nearby. The giant table itself might collapse, the building around them might crack and the mountain might tremble.

Thus both men maintained an almost unnatural level of control.

It reminded Lin Mu of Grand Elder Huo.

Truly powerful experts always learned how to suppress themselves. Otherwise they could not even exist among weaker people.

’There is definitely more hidden beneath the surface.’ Lin Mu thought.

He then compared them to the High Elders he had seen previously within the Administrative Division. Those elders had mostly seemed equivalent to Fifth Tribulation Stage Immortals. At the time, Lin Mu had assumed that was the standard.

Now he realized things were not so simple.

Apparently the ranking of elders within the sect followed different criteria. In many organizations, position depended upon the cultivation realm. Others used contribution, some focused on seniority, some valued talent and others valued influence.

The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect appeared to use a mixture of all these factors. Though within the Wild Peak, strength seemed to carry far greater importance than titles.

The Junior Elders present appeared comparable to Fourth Tribulation Stage Immortals and the regular Elders seemed to stand at the Fifth Tribulation Stage. Yet even that assessment quickly became complicated.

Several disciples sitting nearby possessed vitality that rivaled some of the Junior Elders. Lin Mu discreetly observed one man whose arms were thicker than tree trunks. The disciple looked barely over thirty years old appearance wise, but was probably at least three thousand years old.

Yet his vitality fluctuations clearly rivaled a Fourth Tribulation Stage Immortal, and he wore ordinary disciple robes. There was no elder insignia, no special badge, nothing.

Lin Mu glanced toward another woman sitting nearby. She appeared much younger, perhaps in her twenties. Yet her vitality was equally frightening and she too wore ordinary disciple robes.

’Interesting.’ Lin Mu thought. ’They have the strength but not the position.’

That immediately led him toward several possibilities.

Perhaps becoming an elder required seniority. Perhaps Elder positions were limited. Perhaps one needed administrative experience. Or perhaps the disciples themselves simply refused promotion.

Considering everything he had seen so far, the last option seemed surprisingly likely. This was the Wild Peak after all. A place where structure appeared to be more of a suggestion than a rule.

As Lin Mu continued observing everyone present, he came to a startling realization. This single hall contained enough powerful immortals to suppress an entire mid sized sect. And this was merely one gathering hall.

One building and one group of people having dinner.

The realization reinforced just how terrifying the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect truly was. The outside world only saw the title. One of the top three sects of the Eastern Immortal Court.

Yet titles rarely conveyed reality and the reality was sitting in front of him. Reality was a dining hall full of monsters. Reality was disciples casually wrestling each other while possessing enough strength to destroy mountains.

Reality was elders laughing over food while carrying enough power to flatten cities. And most of all this was merely the Wild Peak. Lin Mu doubted he had even seen a fraction of their true strength.

Little Bull tilted his head innocently.

"Is this everyone?" he asked while chewing on a piece of roasted meat.

Several disciples laughed and one almost choked on his food.

High Elder Shatter Peak looked at him before letting out a loud snort.

"Everyone?" the giant elder repeated. "Boy, this isn’t even close."

Little Bull blinked as the elder pointed around the hall. "You think this is all of us?"

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