Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 725 Fulfillment
All three were taken aback upon hearing this. Jin Luoheng asked in surprise, "When did you get a Daoist partner?"

Chen Yuan looked apologetic: "This disciple did not intend to deceive Master, but I was unable to make a decision, which is why I did not mention it..."

He briefly explained Jing Shuhan's identity, but did not go into detail about how the two met.

Jin Luoheng laughed and said, "So you are Fairy Ningbi's disciple. Since you two are in love, I naturally have no objection."

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master."

Zhuge Qi and Bai Yanji offered their congratulations. Jin Luoheng pondered for a moment and asked, "Does Jing Shuhan know that you were born in Donghua Continent?"

Chen Yuan shook his head: "I will tell you about this after the Dual Cultivation Ceremony."

"Master, rest assured, Shu Han will never do anything detrimental to our sect, and the ancient teleportation array will not be known to the Heavenly Mystery Sect."

Jin Luoheng said, "I am not worried about this matter. The ancient teleportation array cannot be abandoned forever."

"Once our sect has fully digested the inheritance of the Yuling Sect, we will eventually send disciples to the Nine Immortal Continent for training, which will inevitably become known to others."

"But now that you are a great cultivator and have married your Daoist partner, you only hold a dual cultivation ceremony on Tianji Island. Where does that leave our sect?"

"Why not hold the Dual Cultivation Ceremony in the Lingyun Mountains and invite cultivators from all sects to announce to the world that you are now a Great Cultivator? That would kill two birds with one stone, what do you think?"

Zhuge Qi's expression brightened: "What the sect leader said is absolutely right. Senior Brother Chen's Grand Cultivator Ceremony has been delayed for more than 30 years and cannot be delayed any longer."

"The sooner we hold the grand ceremony, the sooner our sect can be promoted to a large sect."

Bai Yanji nodded repeatedly, showing his agreement: "Now the strength of our sect is increasing day by day, and the morale of our disciples is also rising higher and higher, resulting in more and more friction with the four great Xuan Sects and the five great demonic sects."

"Fortunately, due to Senior Brother Chen's reputation, the various factions dared not target their own factions too much, so they have not suffered any losses."

"But a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is ultimately different from a Grand Cultivator. After Senior Brother Chen holds the grand ceremony, our sect will be able to solidify its title as the fifth great Xuan Sect and will no longer fear the four great Xuan Sects."

Jin Luoheng had secretly informed the two about the inheritance of the Yuling Sect. As the strength of the Lingyun Sect increased day by day, the three were no longer satisfied with their current situation and all longed to become the Supreme Elders of a large sect.

Meeting the expectant gazes of the three, Chen Yuan shook his head: "I also want to hold the ceremony as soon as possible, but now is not the time."

"As long as I hold the grand ceremony, our sect will become the fifth major Xuan Sect, and we will inevitably expand on a large scale, which will bring suppression from the four major Xuan Sects and the five major Demon Sects."

"The struggle with surrounding factions will also intensify further."

"But I am now unable to leave Jiuxianzhou, so the ceremony will have to be postponed again."

Jin Luoheng frowned: "You are already a great cultivator, and you have good relations with the Tai Ming Sect, Shao Xuan Sect, and Xuan Yin Sect. You are capable of dominating the cultivation world. Who could possibly force you to stay in the Nine Immortal Continent?"

Zhuge Qi and Bai Yanji also looked puzzled, but neither of them asked.

Chen Yuan sighed softly: "Master, do you know why I have befriended the three major sects?"

He briefly recounted how he had valued the four Nascent Soul cultivators he had acquired, and how they were required to achieve Nascent Soul status within a hundred years, enter the spatial passage, and smuggle themselves into the Spirit Realm. He also revealed the secret technique of the Demon Essence Pill.

However, he concealed the true spirit blood within his body and his encounters within the secret realm of the Spirit Control Sect, without explaining why the four valued him.

Even so, when the three learned of the existence of the spatial passage, and heard that Chen Yuan had won the favor of four Nascent Soul cultivators, who gave him spiritual herbs and demon cores as gifts, and that he had even killed a Nascent Soul demon cultivator and wiped out the demon race in the Southern Continent in order to seize the demon cores, they were all shocked.

After Chen Yuan finished speaking, the three of them remained stunned and silent.

After a long silence, Zhuge Qi finally spoke: "So, Senior Brother Chen can only stay in the mortal realm for a maximum of seventy years before he has to enter the spatial passage. Wouldn't that mean our sect would be..."

Bai Yanji's expression shifted uncertainly as he murmured, "It's all about timing and fate. Our sect's rise to prominence was just beginning, and we were only waiting for Senior Brother Chen to hold the grand ceremony so that we could dominate the world. Who knew..."

He shook his head and remained silent.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became extremely somber, and both of them looked extremely grim.

Zhuge Qi suddenly became serious: "It is too much to ask of someone to reach the Nascent Soul stage in a hundred years. And that spatial passage is so dangerous. Senior Brother Chen, with your late Nascent Soul cultivation, is more likely to be in grave danger if you enter it."

"Currently, only Lu Wangquan knows the location of the ancient teleportation array; the other three are still unaware."

"After the Dual Cultivation Ceremony ends, Senior Brother Chen will find an opportunity to take Fellow Daoist Jing back to Donghua Continent and destroy the teleportation array, thus avoiding this calamity."

Bai Yanji nodded emphatically: "What the sect leader said is absolutely right. The two continents have been separated for tens of thousands of years. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator cannot cross the boundless sea to cause trouble for Senior Brother Chen."

The two perked up again and looked at Chen Yuan, hoping he would agree.

But Jin Luoheng shook his head: "That's not a good idea. The opportunity to ascend is rare; how can we miss it?"

Zhuge Qi's expression changed slightly: "Sect Leader..."

Jin Luoheng waved his hand and looked at Chen Yuan: "How confident are you in achieving the Nascent Soul stage?"

Chen Yuan lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Thirty percent, or perhaps forty percent."

Achieving the Nascent Soul stage is extremely difficult. Although he is a body cultivator and has refined the blood of the True Spirit, making his bottlenecks much simpler than others, and he also has the Five Elements Spiritual Body Secret Technique to help him, his success rate is still less than 50%.

But even a 30% chance of success surprised the three of them.

Jin Luoheng said decisively, "Transforming into a Nascent Soul is extremely difficult; thirty percent is already quite a lot."

"You have four Nascent Soul cultivators supporting you in your breakthrough to Nascent Soul, and there's also a spatial passage to the Spirit Realm. This is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity that you absolutely cannot miss."

"After the Dual Cultivation Ceremony concludes, you will remain in the Nine Immortal Continent and focus on cultivation."

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master..."

Jin Luoheng said solemnly, "Our sect owes its current status entirely to your efforts."

"It was you who made the sect, made me, and made Senior Brother Zhuge, Junior Brother Bai, and the three thousand disciples of the sect successful."

"The sect can no longer be an obstacle on your path to ascension. Later, I will have Junior Brother Wu fetch the inventory of the treasure vault. Take whatever you fancy."

"Unfortunately, the three of us have used up a lot of spiritual herbs in our cultivation over the years."

"There are only five thousand-year-old spiritual herbs left in the herb garden. I will have them all picked and delivered to you later."

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Master, you've gone to a lot of trouble, but with four Nascent Soul cultivators supporting my cultivation, a few thousand-year-old spiritual herbs won't be of much use. It's better to leave them in the sect."

No matter what Jin Luoheng thinks, he will not change his mind.

But Jin Luoheng's attitude still moved him quite a bit.

Jin Luoheng nodded, then turned to look at Zhuge Qi and Bai Yanji, his expression solemn, and said, "Chen Yuan cannot stay in Donghua Continent for long; he will ascend to the Spirit Realm in a few decades."

"His achievement of becoming a great cultivator must not be revealed, lest it attract the hostility of various sects."

"From now on, our sect must also keep a low profile and not make enemies on all sides as we have done before."

"It's not too late to show our strength once we've fully digested the inheritance of the Yuling Sect and caught up with the four great Xuan Sects."

Zhuge Qi said solemnly, "Since Senior Brother Chen is 30% confident, it is worth a try. I will keep my mouth shut."

Bai Yanji sighed softly: "I was originally worried that a hundred years was too short, but Senior Brother Chen has a long lifespan, so there is no need to rush."

"But such a good opportunity is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Senior Brother Chen should do his best to seize it. There is no need for Senior Brother to worry about the affairs of the sect."

Jin Luoheng's expression softened slightly: "Our sect has inherited the legacy of the Yuling Sect. If we accumulate for another two or three hundred years, solidify our foundation, and then unleash our full potential, we will eventually become the fifth great Xuan Sect."

The two nodded in agreement, and the resentment in their eyes finally disappeared.

Jin Luoheng then turned to Chen Yuan: "When shall we proceed to the Nine Immortal Continent?"

Chen Yuan replied, "The Dual Cultivation Ceremony is scheduled to be held in about twenty days. I plan to return to Nine Immortal Continent in seven days."

Jin Luoheng smiled and said, "There is still enough time. Could you spare three days to give a lecture to the disciples of your sect? This will also serve as a warning to other sects."

Chen Yuan immediately agreed and then exchanged cultivation insights with the three of them. To be precise, he answered the questions they had encountered in their cultivation. Three hours later, he returned to his cave.

The next day, Jin Luoheng issued a decree from the sect leader, stating that the Supreme Elder had emerged from seclusion and would be giving a three-day sermon on Lingyun Peak.

Aside from a number of very old, hopeless disciples and stewards who were assigned to miscellaneous tasks, those who were required to remain in various locations to stand guard were excluded.

All other disciples could return to the Lingyun Mountains to listen to Chen Yuan's sermon. Jin Luoheng also arranged for several Core Formation elders to use flying boats and spirit beasts to bring the lower-level disciples from the other five mountain gates back to their respective gates, so that they would not miss Chen Yuan's sermon.

Upon learning of this, the disciples of the Lingyun Sect all sprang into action.

Apart from the disciples who were traveling or carrying out sect missions, everyone put aside their own affairs and even interrupted their seclusion to rush to the Lingyun Mountains.

Chen Yuan's sermon was a rare opportunity.

Those who listened to the lecture benefited greatly. Hundreds of people successfully broke through to higher realms after the lecture, and four elders whose cultivation had stagnated for decades were able to break through their bottlenecks.

Three days later, the disciples of the Lingyun Sect gathered at the top of Lingyun Peak, on the Bluestone Square.

The mountain wind was biting, and the more than two thousand cultivators remained silent, their sleeves fluttering in the wind.

Chen Yuan sat upright on the high platform, recounting his cultivation experiences along the way. His voice was calm, yet it clearly reached the ears of every Lingyun Sect cultivator.

Everyone listened with rapt attention. Even the spies from other sects planted in the Lingyun Sect forgot their identities, their hearts filled only with a thirst for the path of cultivation and the joy of sudden enlightenment.

Most of the more than two thousand cultivators had heard Chen Yuan preach thirty years ago.

At least half of the cultivators had heard Chen Yuan preach more than seventy years ago and had memorized every word he said.

To everyone's surprise, Chen Yuan's sermon this time was more profound than the previous two, yet also more simple and easy to understand.

What they didn't know was that with each sermon, Chen Yuan's cultivation level improved, and his understanding of the path of cultivation deepened.

Now that he is a great cultivator, he is giving lectures to all the low-level disciples of the Lingyun Sect, which is unprecedented in history.

In the eyes of Nascent Soul cultivators, Core Formation cultivators are nothing but ants, let alone Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators, who are even less worthy of their attention.

Even those who intend to mentor younger generations will only preach to their own disciples, and at most take care of the more talented younger disciples in the sect.

Chen Yuan, however, repeatedly preached to all the disciples of the sect, and even those who had just entered the Qi Refining stage could attend his lectures, truly embodying the principle of teaching without discrimination.

Based on these few sermons alone, although Chen Yuan never shows his face, his prestige among the Lingyun Sect cultivators is higher than that of Jin Luoheng and the other two, and he is highly respected.

Seeing how effective Chen Yuan's sermons were, Jin Luoheng established a rule after Chen Yuan left the sect: every ten years, he, Zhuge Qi, and Bai Yanji would take turns lecturing to all the disciples of the sect for three days.

However, the three of them had far less insight into the path of cultivation than Chen Yuan, and their lectures were far less effective. Although they were also highly respected by the Lingyun Sect disciples, they were still not as good as Chen Yuan.

When Nascent Soul cultivators from other sects heard about this, they scoffed and none of them followed suit.

Nascent Soul cultivators already face immense challenges in their cultivation; how could they possibly waste time on lower-level disciples?

Moreover, the cultivation world values ​​the inheritance of cultivation techniques most, adhering to the principle that "the technique should not be passed on to more than six ears."

How can a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator preach the path of cultivation in public?
Only during the Nascent Soul Ceremony would they make an exception and grant special favors, but even then, they would not allow lower-ranking disciples to attend the lectures, unlike Chen Yuan.

Decades later, the Lingyun Sect's unique Nascent Soul teachings spread throughout the cultivation world of Donghua Continent, drawing envy from disciples of various sects and becoming well-known among independent cultivators.

Because of Jin Luoheng, the Lingyun Sect attaches great importance to the Ascension Ceremony. Every ten years, it releases one hundred places to allow rogue cultivators to join the sect, while prohibiting members of cultivation families from participating.

Many independent cultivators, confident in their own abilities, travel from afar to participate in the Ascension Conference, hoping to join the Lingyun Sect and have the opportunity to listen to Nascent Soul cultivators preach.

Of course, many of these were spies sent by other sects, but the Lingyun Sect accepted them all.

Any rogue cultivator who wins the Ascension Tournament and passes the test of the Heart-Questioning Array can join a sect and be treated the same as other disciples recruited into the sect.

Jin Luoheng understood that with the methods of the major sects, especially the four great Xuan Sects and the five great demonic sects, they would be unable to stop them from planting their own seeds if they wanted to.

It would be a loss to turn away independent cultivators because of this.

Jin Luoheng himself was a rogue cultivator, and Chen Yuan also joined a sect through the Ascension Conference. He knew best the potential of rogue cultivators.

Independent cultivators often lack talent, but if they can cultivate to the tenth level of Qi Refining without relying on sects or families and win in the Ascension Tournament, they either have a strong will or good fortune, and they all have their merits.

Given sufficient cultivation resources, their path to enlightenment may not necessarily be worse than that of other cultivators of the same level with exceptional talent.

Those with an extremely firm Dao heart can go even further, no less than cultivators with earth or heaven spiritual roots.

Even though some rogue cultivators have exhausted their potential, their strength is still considerable. As miscellaneous disciples, they can make significant contributions to the sect.

Many Lingyun Sect disciples who came from independent cultivation backgrounds also benefited greatly from Chen Yuan's sermon.

Three days later, Chen Yuan finished his sermon. Five Foundation Establishment disciples who were originally independent cultivators broke through their bottlenecks and hurriedly returned to their caves to stabilize their cultivation levels.

The other disciples also scattered, hurriedly returning to their cave dwellings and temporary residences to carefully contemplate every word of cultivation experience that Chen Yuan had shared.

Li Qingshan sat below the high platform. He was often taught by Chen Yuan, but when he heard Chen Yuan start by talking about the cultivation method of the first level of Qi Refining, he had many new insights as he looked back on his own cultivation path.

He stood up, and with a flash of light, flew towards the cave dwelling that Jin Luoheng had arranged for him.

But just as he flew out of Lingyun Peak, he suddenly stopped and turned to fly south.

Li Qingshan passed through numerous Lingyun Sect disciples and arrived at a small mountain peak about a hundred feet high, where he descended in a flash of light.

He glanced around, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

This was Li Qingshan's first time visiting this low mountain, but he had heard Sun Congyao mention that this peak was called Yunyin Peak, the location of his master's cave after he established his foundation.

Later, when his master achieved Nascent Soul cultivation, he returned to the Lingyun Sect, and chose the same place as his cave dwelling.

Before Li Qingshan arrived at the mountaintop cave, the stone door was already open. He stepped inside and entered the stone hall.

Chen Yuan sat in the main seat, and Li Qingshan clasped his hands in a bow: "What are your instructions, Master?"

When he left Lingyun Peak, he received a telepathic message from Chen Yuan, asking him to meet at Yunyin Peak. He dared not delay and rushed over immediately.

Chen Yuan slowly spoke: "After my dual cultivation ceremony ends, you, your grandmaster, and your two uncles will return to the mountain gate and stay in Donghua Continent to cultivate. Sixty years later, you will return to Jiuxian Continent."

Li Qingshan looked helpless: "Disciple obeys."

Chen Yuan had already mentioned this matter; he was prepared for it.

But he was somewhat unwilling and asked, "May I tell Liu Ye about this?"

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "Of course, as long as Donghua Continent is hidden."

Li Qingshan respectfully replied, "This disciple understands, but if Liu Ye asks for the reason, how should this disciple explain it to her?"

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Just say that your master has a great feud with Ye Guihong, the leader of the Jiuli Sect, and is worried that you will be retaliated against by the Jiuli Sect, so he had no choice but to make you go into hiding."

"Sixty years later, you will be able to walk in the world of cultivation again."

Li Qingshan was stunned. He didn't understand why he needed to avoid the Jiuli Sect now so that he wouldn't have to worry about their revenge sixty years later.

But he wasn't foolish enough to pry, so he instead asked what was on his mind: "If I could persuade Liu Ye to come to Donghua Continent to cultivate with me, would Master agree?"

He raised his head, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan looked at Li Qingshan with a half-smile and said, "It seems that the relationship between you and Liu Ye is deeper than I imagined."

Li Qingshan blushed and lowered his head again.

Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Are you sure Liu Ye won't spread the news about the ancient teleportation array?"

Li Qingshan nodded emphatically: "This disciple guarantees that Liu Ye and I are mutually in love, and she would never do such a thing!"

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Then I will allow you to give it a try. If you can persuade Liu Ye, I will propose marriage to Fellow Daoist Ning Bi."

Li Qingshan was overjoyed and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you so much, Master, for your kindness!"

Chen Yuan's smile faded: "Although I am not in Donghua Continent, I have had your grandmaster supervise your cultivation."

"If you dare to indulge in the pleasures of love and neglect your cultivation, I will punish you severely when I return."

Li Qingshan's expression turned solemn: "Master, rest assured, your disciple will never slack off for a single day!"

(End of this chapter)