Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 339: An Earth Immortal Descends

Become the second Sword Immortal Dong Yang? The black-robed figure sighed inwardly. How could it be that easy?

How many tens of thousands of years did it take for the Redmoon Immortal Continent to produce a single Sword Immortal Dong Yang?

In his estimation, Wu Yuan's talent was not bad, but it paled in comparison to that of Sword Immortal Dong Yang. Yet, he refrained from voicing his doubts, fully aware of the weight Zhuo Haiyue bore on her shoulders.

As the leader of Zhuo Haiyue's guard team, he only possessed the authority to make suggestions, but not decisions.

"Since Your Highness has thought it through, I shall proceed as such," he said in a deep voice. "I will send Li Xia’s details to the Inspection Bureau of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect and utilize our connection with Earth Immortal Qing Feng to maneuver within the sect."

"Very well," Zhuo Haiyue responded with a slight nod.

Though she had not revealed the full extent of her talent, the small fraction she had shown so far already propelled her into the top three elites of the Zhuo Family's younger generation.

The other major background she possessed also elevated her status significantly, allowing her to forge alliances far and wide.

Within a few brief decades, she had forged connections with numerous sects and factions. While a majority were just superficial friendships, they could still prove helpful in times of need.

...

Within an opulent, top-of-the-line pavilion in Zhuo Star City.

A refined middle-aged man garbed in purple robes entered the hall with a genial smile. "Daoist Yu, it has been quite some time," he greeted.

He was Qing Feng, a Divided Soul Earth Immortal of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect. He had cultivated for only a few thousand years, yet his fame spanned the entire immortal continent. He was even viewed as a potential Tribulation High Immortal in the making.

"Daoist Qing Feng, please, take a seat," the black-robed figure gestured with a welcoming smile.

As they settled in, the black-robed figure swiftly outlined his intentions.

"Recommending someone into the sect, is this someone Her Highness has high hopes for?" Qing Feng was slightly surprised. "Given Her Highness’ influence, securing admission for someone should not pose much of a challenge."

The power held by Zhuo Haiyue was not lost on Qingfeng, despite her seemingly low cultivation phase as an Amethyst Cradle. Even as a Divided Soul Earth Immortal, he knew better than to cross her.

"It’s not as simple as that. If it were merely an ordinary outer or inner disciple, I would not dare trouble you, Daoist Qing Feng,” the black-robed figure chuckled. “Her Highness aspires to endorse this disciple for hereditary disciple status."

"Hereditary disciple?" Earth Immortal Qing Feng was slightly taken aback. Then he slowly shook his head. "Hereditary disciples hold a pivotal position within any sect. Currently, our Dragon Star Immortal Sect has fewer than 1000 hereditary disciples, each of whom must be jointly approved by the veteran elders and custodian elders."

"The decision is not mine to make," Qing Feng stated frankly, acknowledging his limitations.

"Daoist Qing Feng, there’s no need for such concern, we have no intentions of making things difficult for you. Her Highness Haiyue does not practice coercion," the figure in black robes said with a faint smile. "Let’s have a look at the details of the candidate first, shall we?"

"Agreed," Earth Immortal Qing Feng replied, nodding.

With a fluid movement, the figure handed over a virtual immortal slip to Earth Immortal Qing Feng, who wasted no time reading through its contents with his Soul Force.

As he read the descriptions and watched the battle recordings, astonishment flickered in Earth Immortal Qing Feng's eyes.

"A third-degree immortal root, completed level 40 of the one-star tower before the age of 50, and formerly a loose cultivator?"

As a Divided Soul powerhouse, he understood the significance of these three details. This was indeed an unpolished jade! Since he could rise to such a level without guidance or training, one could only imagine the heights he could reach with proper mentorship within a sect. Even without mentioning anything else, a third-degree immortal root alone meant he already far surpassed the majority of cultivators.

Setting down the virtual immortal slip, Earth Immortal Qing Feng couldn’t help but voice his doubts. "Daoist Yu, I hope you are not deceiving me. His name is Li Xia? Such potential, while not on par with Her Highness Haiyue, is still top-tier. Even if he is unable to enter the Moonsilver World, it should be a piece of cake for him to join any sect as a core disciple, right?"

He was rather puzzled. With Li Xia's talent and Zhuo Haiyue's support, he could secure a place as a hereditary disciple of the sect. Why go to him?

"The information on Li Xia is genuine. As I said, I wouldn't make it difficult for you." the black-robed figure assured him with a smile. "However, he hopes to study under Sword Immortal Dong Yang."

"Sword Immortal Dong Yang?" Earth Immortal Qing Feng's surprise was evident.

However, he quickly understood their intentions and furrowed his brow. "There may be a chance."

"However, you must understand that news of Sword Immortal Dong Yang's upcoming Ninth Tribulation has long spread," Earth Immortal Qing Feng informed the black-robed figure. "Hence, many aspire to be his disciple, and the sect has seen its fair share of talented sword cultivator disciples over the years."

“Mm.” The black-robed figure nodded in understanding.

He was naturally well aware of the situation. Powerhouses who were members of sects adhered to certain rules and obligations, unlike loose cultivators. Before facing their Tribulations, they often left behind inheritances or took on disciples who would go on to become their successors.

If a sword immortal like Dong Yang who could rival Archimmortals was on the lookout for a new disciple, how could it not garner attention? One could say that this matter had piqued the interest of all large factions on the immortal continent. Many influential families had sent their members to the Dragon Star Immortal Sect with this particular goal in mind.

"I can promise Her Highness that once Li Xia joins the sect, I will immediately put forth my recommendation," declared Earth Immortal Qing Feng. "This way, the abbot, elders, and even Ancestor Dong Yang can acquaint themselves with Li Xia’s profile at the earliest opportunity."

"However," Qing Feng continued, "the ultimate decision of who Ancestor Dong Yang will choose as his successor, and when that decision will be made, is beyond my control."

"Haha, both Her Highness and Li Xia deeply appreciate your efforts," chuckled the figure in black robes.

Sometimes, all it took for a budding genius to shine was a single opportunity.

Earth Immortal Qing Feng was actually just a safety net arranged by Zhuo Haiyue for Wu Yuan, providing an alternative path to joining the sect in order to prevent the worst-case scenario.

Without this intervention, Wu Yuan might go unnoticed by Sword Immortal Dong Yang no matter how prodigious his talent, and thus never be considered as a potential successor.

...

Three days after meeting Zhuo Haiyue.

Wu Yuan sat in lotus position within the meditation chamber of the Zhuo Family's residence in Rising Dragon City. There, he silently practiced the Dark Earth Sword Array.

Disperse! Wu Yuan commanded, and earthy-yellow flying swords swirled around him like rivulets of water, each one emitting a brilliant light. Though they were controlled solely by his Soul Force and not infused with essentia, these swords held remarkable power.

Assemble! Wu Yuan focused, and nine flying swords with particularly strong auras began to merge. Layers of cryptic patterns glowed, linking the swords and forming an illusory divine sword that extended ten zhangs in length – The Sword Within Reach.

My lifebound flying swords may only be sixth-grade spirit weapons, but they possess the power of fourth-grade spirit weapons. If used as the core of the Thousand Swords Array, it would be far easier to sustain, ensuring it's combat power won't dip after just one strike.

If they could be further upgraded, the Hundred Swords Array with these swords as the core could rival the Thousand Swords Array I deployed in the one-star tower.

Lifebound flying swords were like an extension of the arm. The effect of employing them as the core of an array was worlds apart compared to using ordinary sword artifacts.

Regrettably, after spending months in Fengchuan City and investing nearly 10,000 catties of ethercrystal in treasures and materials, the swords have only progressed to sixth-grade spirit weapons. Wu Yuan shook his head.

Given his current cultivation level, Wu Yuan could potentially upgrade them to fourth-grade spirit weapons as long as he acquired more resources. Then, when he released the nine swords together, their strength would be equivalent to second-grade spirit flying swords. Their power would gain a significant boost!

I’ve yet to upgrade my flying swords, but progress has been made on other fronts. Wu Yuan’s mind was calm.

A swirling aura of earthy yellow qi streams began to envelop him. The qi was incredibly dense, almost tangible, with a weight that seemed capable of bending the fabric of space itself.

The eighth level of the Domain stage is proving to be a formidable step up from the seventh. Wu Yuan noted, sensing the shift in his power.

Indeed! Wu Yuan had been spending the past few days meditating on his battles in the one-star tower along with his body refiner self. This eventually led him to a breakthrough, propelling him to the eighth level of the Domain stage.

Advancing further will bring me to the ninth level of the Domain stage. Then, I’ll redeem my reward from the one-star tower and experience a True Intent perception simulation.

Wu Yuan was looking forward to that day.

Suddenly, an urgent message interrupted his thoughts. "Master Li Xia, come quickly. An Earth Immortal from the Dragon Star Immortal Sect has arrived," the message from Zhuo Yuansheng was relayed to Wu Yuan through the courtyard array.

The whole courtyard house was protected by an invisible array. Even Zhuo Haiyue couldn't spy on Wu Yuan directly, she could only send a message through the array first and wait for Wu Yuan to exit the house.

Of course, in case of an emergency, the Zhuo Family was also capable of forcefully disabling the array, but they wouldn't normally do so.

It’s only been a few days, yet the Dragon Star Immortal Sect has already sent a representative? Wu Yuan opened his eyes, surprise flickering in his gaze.

An Earth Immortal? It seemed they were taking him very seriously!

Without hesitation, Wu Yuan emerged from his meditation chamber and took to the sky above the courtyard, following the direction indicated in Zhuo Yuansheng's message.

Wu Yuan swiftly reached the entrance of the main hall, where Zhuo Qiuhong, wearing white robes, hurried to greet him. "Childe Li Xia, you’re here.”

"What’s the current situation?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"The Dragon Star Immortal Sect has reviewed your profile and extended an invitation to you," Zhuo Qiuhong replied. "An Earth Immortal from the sect in charge of recruiting new disciples is here to assess your potential. Upon a satisfactory evaluation, you will become a true hereditary disciple of the sect."

Wu Yuan's eyes sparkled with excitement. The moment he had been eagerly awaiting had finally arrived.

"Her Highness is not around. It isn’t appropriate for her to communicate directly with the cultivators of Dragon Star Immortal Sect," Zhuo Qiuhong continued. "However, she has informed us that she will monitor the situation here closely. If needed, you can seek assistance from her directly in the immortal realm."

Wu Yuan nodded. He had to acknowledge that Zhuo Haiyue had considered everything thoroughly.

"In addition," Zhuo Qiuhong added, "Her Highness mentioned that the Earth Immortal overseeing the assessment has also brought along other freshly recruited disciples. All of them possess exceptional talent. To achieve your objective, Childe, you must strive to be the most dazzling among them."

The most dazzling among them? Wu Yuan pondered for a moment.

Seeing that Wu Yuan understood, Zhuo Qiuhong refrained from further explanation. In truth, he didn't understand what Wu Yuan's objective was. He was merely repeating Zhuo Haiyue’s words.

With that, Wu Yuan flew into the main hall, surveying the scene before him as he landed.

An elderly man in purple robes, emanating a powerful aura, occupied the host seat, carefully attended to by Zhuo Yuansheng.

Beside him were over ten individuals of varying aura strengths. Two of them exuded a formidable aura akin to Zhuo Yuansheng's, likely Void Refiner cultivators as well. Meanwhile, the rest appeared to be younger, possibly in the Golden Core or Qi Sea phases.

Wu Yuan instantly grasped the situation.

"Childe Li Xia," Zhuo Yuansheng lifted his head as Wu Yuan approached, announcing in a loud voice. "This is Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng from the Dragon Star Immortal Sect."

"Li Xia, your reputation precedes you. Your soul is indeed as powerful as they say." The elderly man clad in purple robes spoke with a kindly smile, his eyes fixed on Wu Yuan like a blazing torch. His friendly demeanor exuded a warmth that made him easily likable.

The other individuals in the hall, particularly the group of ten young immortal cultivators, couldn't help but cast curious glances towards Wu Yuan.

Throughout their journey here, they had heard many tales of his remarkable achievements. He was a prodigy that Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng couldn’t stop singing praises about. However, as they observed him now, they found Wu Yuan to be unremarkable, his vital aura appearing rather average.

"Li Xia pays his respects to Senior Xiang Sheng," Wu Yuan greeted with a bow.

The purple-robed elderly man exuded a frighteningly powerful vital aura unlike any Wu Yuan had encountered before. It radiated from him, as intense as the sun itself. Only the black-robed figure guarding Zhuo Haiyue evoked a similar sensation.

"Li Xia, there is no need for such formalities," the elderly man smiled. "The sect elders assembly has decided that you will be granted the status of hereditary disciple in the Dragon Star Immortal Sect as long as you pass my assessment."

"What?"

"Hereditary disciple?"

"A direct hereditary disciple!" The expressions of the young immortal cultivators transformed. They thought their abilities were exceptional, yet they were merely inner disciples upon entering the sect.