Author's note:
Sorry, everyone. I forgot to post. My schedule has been a bit messy these days.
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It had been about two years since Rihai joined the Infinite Dao Sect, and being a quiet yet extremely perceptive girl, it was obvious she had analyzed certain things in her heart, even if her husband didn't directly tell her.
Aside from all the theories she had — ones that couldn't be proven, such as her belief that her husband was the reincarnation of an immortal — she actually had nearly definitive evidence when she told her grandfather that the elder might be even older and more powerful than him.
And that evidence was none other than the terrifying inheritance the Infinite Dao Sect possessed.
An inheritance so frightening that it allowed cultivators, in merely two years, to go from having no cultivation to establishing Supreme Golden Cores — something that was usually extremely rare, not easy even for those with Divine Physiques to form.
So Rihai refused to believe that the sect's elders were ordinary; after all, it was impossible for them to be stuck at a level lower than that of her grandfather when wielding such an imposing inheritance.
Not once did the absurd idea enter her mind that the elders simply hadn't had time to cultivate because the inheritance had been created in the last two years. Such thinking wasn't reasonable, and no one in the sect thought that way either.
It was common curiosity among the disciples what level of cultivation the elders truly possessed, and the general consensus was that, without a doubt, they were utterly terrifying.
Of course, a consensus within the sect did not mean a consensus outside of it.
["Girl, what nonsense are you spouting?! Stronger and older than me, have you hit your head?!"]
Old Liu Taixuan transmitted back irritably, though his heart couldn't help but beat a little faster — after all, seconds earlier he had been shocked by the thought that someone might have deceived his senses by showing a cultivation realm lower than their true one.
But soon his stubborn heart refused to accept it. He had been the strongest, and had died due to lifespan exhaustion.
For someone to be stronger and older than him, they'd have to be at least a legendary Mahayana — which he refused to believe that man before him was.
["Great-grandfather, there are things I must not say to those outside the sect, but trust me, I am not joking when I say this. I hope you can, for my sake, be more patient now and understand better before antagonizing the Infinite Dao Sect."]
["Besides, the sect is very good and impeccable in every way, valuing justice greatly, and I've never seen any vileness in it so far. On the contrary, all the elders are very good to me and to others. I only ask that you endure a little, please — if not for anything else, then for the kindness they've shown me until now."]
Rihai quickly pleaded with her grandfather. He was her family and she didn't want to lose him, but she was also loyal to the sect and her husband, so she couldn't reveal too much.
All that remained was to beg him for patience.
She believed that once he saw more of the sect, he would change his opinion.
Liu Taixuan frowned upon hearing that.
Although he believed his granddaughter wouldn't actively lie to him, being merely a little girl who had just reached Nascent Soul, her judgment regarding higher realms was, at the very least, questionable.
Even so, in a moment of rationality, he decided to be patient and observe that strange sect more closely.
The entire conversation between him and his granddaughter happened very quickly, but still, several seconds had passed since Lie Zheng had asked his question, and without receiving a response, his eyes narrowed.
Fortunately, Old Liu finally turned to him.
"This old man has never lied about his identity, and of course, is not one of those animals who harm their own family for gain."
Liu Taixuan mocked, staring Lie Zheng directly in the eyes, releasing the strong pressure of someone who had once stood at the peak — a pressure that would slightly shake even other Tribulation Transcendents.
But, to his inner shock, Lie Zheng remained with his arms crossed, staring at him without showing anything.
This simple scene was enough to shake the old man.
'Something is wrong… very wrong with this sect!'
Liu Taixuan thought with a heavy heart, unconsciously recalling his granddaughter's words.
Aotian, watching from the side, sneered inwardly.
'Hmph! Trying to make me tremble with soul pressure. Ask my thousands of avatars sharing the impact first, or my experience directly inherited from a Mahayana through feedback before attempting that.'
Shaking his head discreetly, he controlled Lie Zheng to detect the old man's 'heart' fluctuations and quickly sensed that he was telling the truth — although some hidden emotions had appeared in the first part, suggesting that in the past he must have lied about his identity for some reason, but not related to the present.
It must have been during his younger days, pretending and hiding his identity to avoid trouble or something like that.
Of course, although Aotian didn't have a high opinion of the old man, he wouldn't reveal his dark past of…
"Well, aside from having faked his identity in the distant past, he hasn't lied, and is sincere toward the girl."
Lie Zheng suddenly said calmly, but his words froze the old man.
Well… actually, he would.
"Y-You're slandering me!"
Liu Taixuan choked slightly and looked at his great-granddaughter beside him, who watched amused as her great-grandfather's defenses crumbled, though she was also relieved by the elder's confirmation that her relative was good and sincere toward her.
Liu Taixuan's mind was a bit of a mess at that moment; too much information and too many theories had been thrown at him in the last few minutes, and now that man seemed capable of judging his words with such precision even without him giving any hint.
This was something he had never seen before in his life, leaving him momentarily unsure how to respond as Lie Zheng raised a brow.
"Hum…" Aotian audibly nodded in his main body at Elder Lie's reply. His gaze then passed over his wife, who looked at him pleadingly, and then toward the old man, as he thought and scratched his chin.
"Senile old man, as Rihai's direct relative and someone important to her, I will officially invite you to join the Infinite Dao Sect. As for the position… well, your strength is a bit too low to be an outer elder, and we're not in an extraordinary period like when we recruited Elder Jian Huiyin…"
Aotian seemed thoughtful, and old Liu, who had just woken up from his daze, stared at him while grinding his teeth. For some reason, that boy knew how to irritate him.
Not that he, known for being impulsive and irritable, was that hard to set off, but the boy seemed to know exactly which buttons to press.
Saying his strength was too low to be an outer elder was clearly mockery, and the brat didn't even really ask for his opinion, looking more like he was deciding than asking! Who said he wanted to join that sect?
At that moment, Ancestor Zhao Wenming, from the Heritage Pavilion, emerged once again from the void, smiling gently at everyone in the room.
"Young master, a precedent has already been set with the little girl Jian Huiyin, so why not do it again? It's always good for the sect to receive fresh blood, and as the great-grandfather of the young miss, it would indeed be negligent to give him too low of a position. Just accept him as an inner elder," he spoke directly.
Old Liu snorted upon hearing that, his eyes narrowing.
These people weren't even asking for his opinion. And on top of that, they wouldn't even place him in an ancestor position, or as a guest ancestor.
But he decided to observe for a few days before doing anything. His granddaughter's warning, even though he wanted to dismiss it, still echoed in his ears, leaving him curious about what she had seen there.
"Well, it makes sense." Aotian nodded thoughtfully, though in truth he was merely agreeing with his own words. His gaze turned to the old man. "Great-grandpa Flame-Head, you're an inner elder from now on. No need to thank me too much—just prostrate yourself eighteen times." He raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"..."
Rihai placed a hand on her forehead helplessly, already knowing what would come next, and blocked her ears with spiritual energy.
An instant later:
"YOU DAMN BRAT!! NOT EVEN IF I DIE A THOUSAND TIMES!!"
…
Amid the constant bickering of great-grandfather and great-grandson, which never seemed to stop, while Shen He was unconsciously ignored even by the master who forgot him in the middle of his rage, time slowly passed.
In the gigantic arena, tens of thousands of people were spread out in rows. They were all participants of the initial round of the tournament.
The starting time had arrived, and above the competitors, in the sky, a man with a gentle smile suddenly appeared.
His voice echoed throughout the stadium, drawing everyone's attention.
"Welcome to the first external competition of the Infinite Dao Sect."
"I am the sect's outer elder, Yang Shi, and I will be responsible for presiding over this ceremony."
When his voice fell, people in the stands began murmuring with awe and horror.
"He said he's an outer elder! But he's flying in the air on his own, something only Golden Cores can do! He must be the leader of the Infinite Dao Sect, playing at being a monster here."
One of the spectators sneered quietly. Although he feared the figure in the sky, feeling smarter than the others compensated for such emotions.
In the audience, which looked more like a sea of people, many reacted the same way, with scornful looks.
"Idiot…" But there were those who knew better. "Even the disciples of the Infinite Dao Sect are terrifyingly powerful. I've seen several flying on their own in the last few months. In that sect, Golden Core cultivators are as common as dogs and cats."
Many stared in disbelief at such comments, while others nodded seriously, with a hint of frenzy.
Those who knew the truth longed desperately to enter that sect, which for them was no different from stepping through the gates of the immortal realm.
Meanwhile, Liu Taixuan, in the VIP box, raised an eyebrow as he looked at the man, curious.
That elder had strange fluctuations, as if his cultivation had been rushed, something normally impossible for realms that high—after all, poorly executed cultivation meant falling during tribulation. But the strangest thing was that, despite the fluctuations, his cultivation still seemed relatively solid in a certain way.
The elders' fluctuations were so contradictory because they accelerated their cultivation unnecessarily, even though their control over spiritual energy and their understanding of the realm were sufficient. Added to this, their current qualifications were no different from those of a Sacred Physique.
Thus, it was as if an immortal reincarnator with overwhelming qualifications simply didn't care about their own foundation for the sake of cultivation speed. In the end, even if the foundation wasn't perfect, due to the individual being absurdly qualified, it also wasn't bad enough to fall during tribulation.
Still, the pressure of the 3rd level of Soul Formation from an outer elder was not something that could frighten Liu Taixuan.
After all, in the central continent, this kind of thing was basic among the stronger powers.
The elder's words continued resounding through the stadium.
"As everyone must know, the competition is divided into the Minor, Middle, and Major categories, representing the different ages of the participants."
With his announcement, murmurs echoed through the arena; with such a large crowd, it sounded almost like uproar.
"The first competition will be Artifact Refinement, in the Minor category."
"The rules are…"
"... Any attempt to circumvent the rules will be intercepted by the formation, and the right to participate in any sect event will be permanently revoked."
"The first trial will be…"
Thus, under Yang Shi's calm and friendly voice, the sect's competition began immediately.