"Sect Master, the ten-year period has arrived. Please return to the mountain sect."
Half a day later, Zhang Zhenyan found Yang Hong, who was performing a planting ritual in a corner of the Li Huo Desert.
However, his words were out of context, leaving Yang Hong a bit confused.
"Ten-year period? What ten-year period?"
Yang Hong glared at Zhang Zhenyan with displeasure, and his aura as a sixth-tier Soul Splitting realm cultivator pressed down.
*Bang~*
Zhang Zhenyan, unsure why the Sect Master was suddenly angry, promptly knelt down as a show of respect.
"Sect… Sect Master, you said ten years ago that you would select the first batch of inner disciples this year. Today, this disciple is here to remind you that the ten-year period has arrived."
After speaking, Zhang Zhenyan quickly kowtowed to the ground, as the Sect Master's aura grew stronger.
Hearing this, Yang Hong also remembered this matter. He had become a bit sluggish in recent years due to farming.
"Oh~ You mean this. I know.
How about this, the fifteenth of August is less than half a month away. Let's have it on that day and hold a simple celebration as well."
"Sect Master, when you say simple, what standard are we using?"
Hearing Yang Hong mention simplicity, Zhang Zhenyan dared not agree lightly. Currently, the strongest sect in the Xi Mo region of the Zi Kun mountain range was none other than Qingfeng Mountain Villa.
He might want it simple, but his disciples would not dare to be simple.
"Hmm~ Let's hold it according to the celebration standards of a first-rank sect. Keep it simple."
"Ah~ Yes, this disciple will go back and prepare."
Yang Hong turned to continue planting the batch of Iron Thorn Grass. Zhang Zhenyan turned and left, a wry smile on his face.
*Qingfeng Mountain Villa, a first-rank sect, is perhaps a colossal joke in the current cultivation world.*
It was unclear which sect, or perhaps just some idiot's reckless action, had assigned them a first-rank sect rating when Zhu Yuyan submitted the application to the sect alliance for the establishment of the sect.
The reason given was that Qingfeng Mountain Villa was newly established and had not yet contributed to the cultivation world.
Hearing this, Zhu Yuyan couldn't help but laugh in anger.
Qingfeng Mountain Villa had no contribution?
Then, who provided the [Iron Thorn Grass seeds] that were now circulating wildly throughout the cultivation world?
Originally, the Iron Thorn Grass was a first-grade spiritual plant in nature. Qingfeng Mountain Villa had forcibly upgraded it to a fourth-grade spiritual plant. Only the fourth-grade Iron Thorn Fruit could quickly identify the eggs of the Li Huo Locust hidden underground.
Thanks to the selfishness and recklessness of cultivators, some idiots deliberately brought the Li Huo Locust out of the Yu Rou Plain, causing the Li Huo Locust to now spread across the entire Tian Yuan Continent, becoming a widespread disaster.
As the only known counter to the Li Huo Locust, the Iron Thorn Grass naturally became a hot commodity.
It seemed that simply because Qingfeng Mountain Villa was earning too much, it aroused the envy of some, which led to this first-rank sect rating.
The disciples of Qingfeng Mountain Villa had always been ashamed of this. Unexpectedly, Yang Hong had simply said, "Wait for them to beg us to be promoted," and happily accepted the rating.
Now, they were even going to hold a celebration according to the standards of a first-rank sect.
"Remember, we are only inviting first-rank sects to witness the ceremony."
Just as Zhang Zhenyan was about to fly away, Yang Hong's light voice was heard.
Hearing this, Zhang Zhenyan's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and his eyebrows danced wildly. The Sect Master clearly had a temper. This invitation was tantamount to slapping the faces of those higher-ranking sects!
Zhang Zhenyan, believing he had understood Yang Hong's intentions, shouted "Yes!" and flew away on his sword to make arrangements.
Time passed quickly, and the fifteenth of August arrived. Heaven smiled upon them, and the sky was clear and cloudless from early morning.
Of course, with the aid of spells, heaven would not dare not to smile.
*Dong dong dong…*
Nine deep and ancient bell tolls rang out from the peak of the ten-thousand-zhang-high Qingfeng Mountain, spreading far and wide, audible within ten thousand li.
This was the ninth-grade artifact, the [Soul Suppressing Bell], struck by a sixth-tier Soul Splitting realm cultivator.
*Dang dang dang~~ Di di di~~*
The sound of bells and suonas echoed from the foot of the mountain, and a joyous rendition of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" was played in this异世界. All the invited cultivators were awestruck by the magnificent music.
But this was not all.
*Chirp chirp~ Chirp chirp~*
As Jin Jia Lin, the seventh-tier Golden Winged Thunder Eagle, began to sing, a sky full of demonic birds joined in with their calls, following the melody of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix."
"Those are demonic beasts, fourth or fifth tier?"
"Perhaps sixth tier? So large!"
"Qingfeng Mountain Villa is so grand, raising so many demonic beasts as a first-rank sect!"
"Do you think we could buy one and keep it as our sect's spirit beast?"
A group of cultivators from lesser sects, having never witnessed such a spectacle, stared at the circling demonic birds overhead with astonishment and envy, murmuring amongst themselves.
Behind this group of lesser sect cultivators, some cultivators of fourth-tier and above looked at the peak of Qingfeng Mountain with shock.
"What artifact is that? It's so powerful! Just nine bell tolls, and my soul and Nascent Soul have stabilized a bit, more effective than ten years of my own secluded cultivation."
The group of great cultivators of seventh-tier and above at the very back had already sat down cross-legged to cultivate and meditate.
They heard the spiritual essence of creation within the melody of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" and immediately sat down to comprehend.
As the song concluded, Zhang Zhenyan, who had just been promoted to an outer disciple and was even an outer sect steward, flew into the air.
He looked at the great cultivators who had fallen into enlightenment with disdain and a mocking expression. Denying them the opportunity to fully comprehend, he channeled his spiritual power and shouted loudly.
"The time has come!
Open the gates, welcome the guests."
As his words fell, the mist at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, which had been obscuring the view, suddenly dispersed, revealing the faintly visible Qingfeng Mountain to everyone.
The mountain stood ten thousand zhang high, majestic and imposing, but only the lower 1080 zhang was visible. The higher peaks were hidden in the clouds and mist, indistinct and unclear.
If one tried to probe it with their divine sense, their sea of consciousness would be stung by the formations.
The lower 1080 zhang was divided into three layers. The uppermost 360 zhang was a vast complex of palaces surrounding the entire mountainside. The palaces were connected by mystical formations, and even without getting close, they exuded a sense of danger from afar.
This was the inner disciple area.
The middle section, also 360 zhang wide, was the outer disciple area. Rows of small buildings were arranged according to the four celestial phenomena formations, neat and orderly, also encircling the entire mountain.
The lowest 360 zhang was even simpler, with various stone, wood, and iron houses scattered about. While not messy, they lacked the order of formations.
Everyone could immediately tell that this was where the handyman disciples lived.
This sense of hierarchy and disparity could effectively stimulate the disciples' desire to cultivate and their sense of honor.
The visiting cultivators were all imagining Qingfeng Mountain Villa's "reasonable arrangements" and "advanced concepts."
They failed to notice that the high-ranking disciples of Qingfeng Mountain Villa were filled with bitterness. The promotion mechanism for Qingfeng Mountain Villa disciples was too erratic, entirely dependent on Yang Hong's mood.
Today, the 18,000 disciples of Qingfeng Mountain Villa were lined up on both sides of the stone steps leading directly up to the mountain gate.
However, their chaotic cultivation order left the guests bewildered.
In front, there was a True Person of the Soul Splitting realm, followed by a mere first-layer Qi Refining brat, and then perhaps a Golden Core cultivator.
This was too disorganized!
However, despite their inner bitterness, the disciples of Qingfeng Mountain Villa held their heads high and their chests out, their faces full of pride.
Although Yang Hong's disciple promotion mechanism was a scam, as long as one joined Qingfeng Mountain Villa, their cultivation speed was incredibly fast, and their techniques started at the Xuan-grade, making them stronger than ordinary seventh-grade sects.
"Stop. You were not on the invitation list, so you can only watch from here."
As the viewing crowd reached the steps separating the outer and inner sect areas, Zhong Chengfeng, a newly promoted seventh-tier Body Integration realm cultivator, stopped the high-ranking cultivators one by one.
"Bastard, do you know who I am? My coming to witness the ceremony is giving your Qingfeng Mountain Villa face.
Get out of the way!"
*Bang~* A figure flew out.