[First Disciple: Ji Fuyao!
Cultivation Realm: One-star Profound Saint!
Cultivation Technique: Heaven-Burning Art!
Supreme Treasures: Dao of Fire Principle, Emperor Weapon Heaven-Rending!
Comprehension: Path of Spirit Fire Great Perfection!]
Lu Xuan nodded, thoroughly satisfied. Just imagine, in less than half a year, Ji Fuyao had ascended from Grand Profound King to Profound Saint! What kind of speed was that?! Back during the Inner Sect Trial, geniuses like Fang Yan, Liu Xuan, and Luo Lingkong were only just stepping into the Profound Venerate realm. And now, Ji Fuyao had integrated and refined the Dao of Fire Principle, boosting her cultivation speed severalfold!
A thrill ran through Lu Xuan. With just two disciples, he was already getting so much feedback just by lying flat. Three disciples, four disciples… he'd practically ascend to heaven! Unfortunately, the System hadn't triggered the quest for a third disciple yet.
"System," Lu Xuan inquired, "when can I take on a third disciple?"
"Still some time," the System replied.
Lu Xuan nodded.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside Lu Xuan's cave dwelling.
"Master! Master!" Ye Chen cried out excitedly from the entrance.
"Come in," Lu Xuan said.
Ye Chen strode into the cave dwelling, his face alight with excitement. "Master, I succeeded! I succeeded!"
Yao Yan emerged from the jade pendant on Ye Chen's chest. "Peak Master Lu, I'm pleased to report that Ye Chen has successfully refined a first-grade Earth-tier Return Origin Pill."
With that, Ye Chen pulled a Return Origin Pill from his Storage Ring. Lu Xuan took it, examining it closely. Three pill halos! A faint warmth emanated from the pill, carrying a subtle medicinal fragrance. Clearly, Ye Chen had rushed over to share the good news the moment he'd succeeded. The Return Origin Pill, when consumed, could settle one's cultivation foundation and stabilize their realm. A three-pill halo Return Origin Pill was already considered top-grade!
Lu Xuan nodded approvingly. "Not bad at all!"
Ye Chen rubbed his nose. "Master, your alchemy theories are so far ahead, I feel like my thoughts are galloping like wild horses across the sky now. I look at alchemy, and it's no longer just alchemy."
Lu Xuan smiled faintly. "The Pill Refining Exchange Conference is in two days. Keep up the good work!"
Ye Chen clenched his fists. "Master, don't you worry. I won't disappoint you."
Soon, Ye Chen returned to his own cave dwelling, resuming his research.
Meanwhile, within the Grand Dao Sect, numerous Overlord-level Powers had already arrived. The void tore open, space twisted. A terrifying, peerless aura rippled from the depths of the void, making the very firmament seem to churn. In the sky, divine radiance surged, glittering like stars. A massive, palace-shaped flying spiritual artifact pushed aside endless clouds, revealing itself. Dao patterns were intricately carved upon its surface, featuring two powerful, ancient characters: "Yao Family!" The Yao Family had arrived!
Pill Peak Peak Master Gu Yuefang immediately ascended into the air, clapping his hands with a hearty laugh. "Fellow Daoist Yao Baili, it's been a long time!"
From the palace, a grey-robed elder stroked his beard and chuckled. "Hahahaha! Fellow Daoist Gu Yuefang, you're looking well!"
The next moment, Dan Xiangzi, a Heaven-tier Alchemist from the Pill Fragrance Sect, also rose into the sky, smiling as he clasped his hands towards Yao Baili. "Indeed! Indeed! A hundred years, Baili, it's been too long."
Yao Baili nodded, in excellent spirits. "You're right, Fellow Daoist Dan Xiangzi! Time flies like an arrow, like a white steed flashing past a crevice. In the blink of an eye, a century has passed!"
Just as the three were deep in conversation, the sky trembled once more. "Boom!" Space twisted. From a rift, a massive, ancient spiritual shuttle slowly materialized. Upon the shuttle, a black-robed middle-aged man gazed down haughtily at the Grand Dao Sect's domain. A colossal banner fluttered in the void winds from the shuttle, emblazoned with four characters: "Cangmu Academy!" The spiritual shuttle erupted with dazzling divine light, illuminating the entire void.
Yao Baili smiled faintly. "It's Fellow Daoist Cang Li!"
Cang Li, standing on the spiritual shuttle, nodded to everyone present before addressing Gu Yuefang. "Traversing the void for so long has left me rather weary."
Hearing this, Dan Xiangzi and the others exchanged glances. Fellow Daoist Cang Li was rather eccentric, disliking social interaction, preferring solitude and maintaining a distant demeanor. Gu Yuefang clapped his hands, and a Profound Saint from Pill Peak immediately appeared, bowing respectfully to Cang Li. "Senior Cang Li, please follow me. We have already made arrangements for you and Cangmu Academy's prodigies."
Cang Li nodded, promptly put away his spiritual shuttle, and departed with the Pill Peak Profound Saint. Watching Cang Li's retreating figure, Dan Xiangzi and Yao Baili's faces twitched. "Sigh, Fellow Daoist Cang Li is always like this. This is a grand gathering for Heaven-tier Alchemists, and his demeanor can sometimes be quite a buzzkill."
They recalled previous Pill Refining Exchange Conferences. Cang Li would only listen to their Dao discussions, absorbing their alchemy theories, but never sharing his own. While they were all Heaven-tier Alchemists, they knew each other well enough. Yet, over a century, everyone was bound to glean some new insights. But Cang Li's actions reeked of being headstrong, hoarding his own knowledge!
Gu Yuefang cleared his throat, "Ahem, ahem…" As the host of this Pill Refining Exchange Conference, it wasn't appropriate for him to openly criticize Cang Li. However, Dan Xiangzi and Yao Baili began to air their grievances.
"Cang Li is a harsh character," Dan Xiangzi whispered. "They say he's incredibly strict with his disciples, even driving several prodigies to madness from the pressure!"
Yao Baili's face twitched. "Ah, in Yunzhou, Cangmu Academy is the undisputed Overlord-level Power, and Cang Li is a renowned alchemist there. Countless people seek his pills, so who dares to speak ill of him?"
Dan Xiangzi nodded. "I just hope this time, during the Dao discussions, Fellow Daoist Cang Li will actually share some genuine insights! He can't keep free-riding on our alchemy epiphanies!"
Yao Baili readily agreed.
Just then, "Boom!" The void tore open again, space twisted, and a terrifying fluctuation spread across the sky. The next instant, a colossal spiritual boat pierced through the void, emerging from a spatial rift. Ancient, obscure Dao patterns intertwined across its hull like streaks of lightning. "Supreme Profound Sect!"
Seeing this, Dan Xiangzi smiled faintly. "Pill Saint Yunyang has arrived!"
Pill Saint Yunyang, clad in grey robes, stood with his hands behind his back atop the spiritual boat, smiling as he looked at Gu Yuefang and the others. "Fellow Daoists, long time no see." With that, he descended with Nangong Baixue and his entourage, landing before them.
Nangong Baixue, in an elegant light-colored dress, her exquisite face delicate and youthful, curiously surveyed her surroundings. She desperately wanted to know where Azure Mystery Peak was. Not because she wished to see Ye Chen, but because she wanted to be as far away from it as possible. Otherwise, she'd feel defiled just breathing the same air as him under the same sky.
At this moment, Pill Peak Peak Master Gu Yuefang recalled the Sect Master's instructions: "It's best not to let Lu Xuan and Ye Chen make an appearance." The Sect Master had already filled Gu Yuefang in on the matters concerning Ye Chen and Nangong Baixue. Gu Yuefang had also communicated with Pill Saint Yunyang, confirming Nangong Baixue's attendance. Looking at the Supreme Profound Sect's only female disciple, Gu Yuefang knew this was undoubtedly Nangong Baixue. Her beauty was exquisite, her figure voluptuous – truly a peerless woman! Gu Yuefang shook his head faintly, a sigh rising in his heart as he thought of Ye Chen. The annulment was a done deal; Nangong Baixue had gone to the Ye Family to break off the engagement, irrevocably severing ties between the Ye and Nangong families. Nangong Baixue and Ye Chen were now like two parallel paths, forever strangers.
A moment later, Gu Yuefang suppressed his thoughts and offered a slight smile. "Fellow Daoist Yunyang, Fellow Daoist Dan Xiangzi, Fellow Daoist Yao Baili, I will arrange your accommodations now. The Pill Refining Exchange Conference is still two days away, so you can take some time to adjust. If you have any requests, please don't hesitate to voice them."
As his voice fell, Dan Xiangzi and the others replied casually, "No special requests, Fellow Daoist Gu Yuefang, just arrange it as you see fit."
But then, Nangong Baixue muttered under her breath, "I hope the Supreme Profound Sect's lodging is far from Azure Mystery Peak."
Though Nangong Baixue's voice was soft, what kind of powerhouses were these Heaven-tier Alchemists? The weakest among them was still a Saint King realm cultivator. Nangong Baixue's words naturally reached everyone's ears. Azure Mystery Peak! The mention of Azure Mystery Peak immediately brought Lu Xuan to mind. After all, Lu Xuan was practically a legendary oddity within the Grand Dao Sect! A Qi Refining realm waste becoming the Peak Master of Azure Mystery Peak, and staying in that position for seven years – it was utterly preposterous in the eyes of the Southern Wilds' Overlord-level Powers.
However, they could also understand the Grand Dao Sect's leniency. After all, Lu Xuan's master, Azure Mystery Saint, had suffered severe injuries while executing a Grand Dao Sect mission and had tragically perished in battle! Thus, the Grand Dao Sect was quite forgiving towards Lu Xuan.
Yao Baili asked with a touch of curiosity, "Oh, by the way, I recall that according to the Grand Dao Sect's rules, if one fails to recruit a disciple within seven years, they are expelled. Has Lu Xuan managed to recruit any disciples?"
Hearing this, Gu Yuefang's face twitched. Oh, for heaven's sake. Lu Xuan again. This Nangong Baixue really knew how to touch a sore spot!
Gu Yuefang vaguely responded, "Ahem, ahem… The Sect Master decided to grant Lu Xuan some special privileges. He can remain in the Grand Dao Sect even if he doesn't recruit any disciples." He made no mention of Ji Fuyao or Ye Chen. If these powerful figures learned that Lu Xuan had actually taken on two peerless geniuses, wouldn't they just laugh the Grand Dao Sect into oblivion? After all, the fact that Lu Xuan had acquired two heaven-defying prodigies still bothered many of the Grand Dao Sect's Peak Masters to this day.
Upon hearing this, Yao Baili and the others nodded. True. Although Lu Xuan's cultivation aptitude was abysmal, and he was lazy as all get-out, he was still the Azure Mystery Saint's only disciple. They could only turn a blind eye.
Just then, Nangong Baixue once again muttered, "Didn't Lu Xuan take in Ye Chen from the Ye Family of Qingcheng, Qingzhou?" As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone's gaze snapped to Gu Yuefang. "What the actual hell?" they seemed to collectively think. Lu Xuan actually took a disciple?! What could a Qi Refining realm cultivator possibly teach? Was there really someone headstrong enough to become Lu Xuan's disciple?!
Beside her, Pill Saint Yunyang coughed frantically, subtly signaling that Nangong Baixue was talking too much. Nangong Baixue's face flushed slightly. She had done it on purpose.
Dan Xiangzi and the others looked at Gu Yuefang with an air of curiosity. "Fellow Daoist Gu Yuefang, could you elaborate?" Lu Xuan, after all, was quite infamous in the Southern Wilds. Every time there was a genius trial or a secret realm opened, the various Overlord-level Powers gathered and would inevitably joke about Lu Xuan. And now, Lu Xuan had actually taken a disciple? This was truly unprecedented!