Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 278 True Qingyan Sect Member

After being accepted by the Supreme Elders, Jin Shunyao learned the truth.

These elders, these 11 great cultivators, are the true members of the Qingyan Sect.

The sect's land spanning tens of thousands of miles, its sphere of influence extending hundreds of thousands of miles, its magnificent architectural complex, and its tens of thousands of disciples were essentially just a greenhouse for cultivating members of the Qingyan Sect.

Even if this sect's greenhouse, which seems incredibly important to outsiders, were completely destroyed by external enemies, it would not have a serious impact on the Qingyan Sect. At most, it would prevent the Qingyan Sect from recruiting new members for a thousand years.

A new member of the Qingyan Sect who has stabilized at the Void Refining stage, has no lifespan limit, and is mentally mature enough.

For true members of the Qingyan Sect, a thousand-year wait is nothing.

The Supreme Elder smiled and said, "Little Wuling, among us, you are not the fastest to advance in cultivation level, but you are the fastest to mature mentally. You are truly a genius."

"I was just starting to wonder if you were a celestial being reincarnated."

Elder Jueyue shook her head and said, "Your Excellency, please don't joke around. The banished immortals are all cold-hearted, and they would never be as saddened by the misfortunes of the sect's disciples as my disciple."

Another elder said, "Jueyue, you are wrong. The banished immortal is not cold-hearted. It's just that after he advanced to the Void Refinement stage and fully regained his senses, he no longer sees us as his own kind."

He paused, then said, "Just like how we treat ants on the ground, aren't we as hard-hearted as iron?"

After the elders finished exchanging pleasantries, the Supreme Elder spoke up, "Alright, you can discuss other matters privately later. Now, let us welcome the Five Spirits Fairy into our sect."

Led by the Supreme Elder, including Jin Shunyao's master, Fairy Jueyue, eleven powerful cultivators and great masters above the Refinement stage lined up and bowed to the bewildered Jin Shunyao.

They bowed deeply, cupping their hands, and said, "Welcome, Fellow Daoist Wuling, to our Qingyan Sect!"

Jin Shunyao dared not be presumptuous and returned the greeting with even greater respect, saying, "I am deeply grateful to have been granted permission by you fellow Daoists to join my sect."

At this moment, there is no distinction between seniors and juniors, masters and disciples. All cultivators are equal before the Great Dao and are addressed as peers.

After the ceremony, Jin Shunyao officially joined the Qingyan Sect, becoming the 12th true Qingyan Sect member.

After her initial joy subsided, she asked a question that had been weighing on her mind for centuries: "Fellow disciples, why is our sect called the Azure Rock Sect?"

Judging from its name, Qingyan Sect is clearly a sect whose cultivation methods are based on the central Earth element and the eastern Wood element, but in reality, Qingyan Sect is a hodgepodge.

From sword cultivation to the Five Elements Daoist arts, from thunder magic to body refinement, almost every kind of martial art, except for so-called Buddhist and demonic martial arts, is passed down in the sects.

Jin Shunyao couldn't understand why her sect was named after the Five Elements.

Upon hearing her question, all the elders laughed: "Excellent, excellent, as expected of someone from our Qingyan Sect! The first question is exactly the same as ours, exactly the same!"

"Isn't it the same? Everyone has been holding back for thousands of years, unable to clear their minds without asking the Supreme Elder."

The Supreme Elder chuckled awkwardly a few times, then pointed to his own nose and replied, "Qingyan is my Daoist name."

"When I first established the sect, I was lazy and used my own Daoist name directly. Later, I realized it was inappropriate, but it was too late to change it."

"But now, this mistake has become the final step in confirming the identities of my Qingyan Sect disciples."

Jin Shunyao hadn't expected that even after the ceremony was over, there would still be such an absurd test.

But on second thought, it seems to make a lot of sense.

Cultivators who have lived and cultivated in the Qingyan Sect for hundreds or even thousands of years have no complaints or resentment about their sect's unreliable and inappropriate name.

Once you actually reach the highest level, how can you resist asking a single question?

Are those seemingly indifferent cultivators naturally aloof and socially awkward? Or are they simply indifferent people who don't care about anything? Or are they spies with ulterior motives?

Although Jin Shunyao understood immediately, she still felt that this was really unreliable.

She almost swallowed the question because she was too embarrassed.

It would be such a shame to become a suspect simply because you're shy.

Seeing her disciple's lingering fear, Jueyue said unhappily, "Supreme, don't joke with children. This girl has always been stubborn. Look how frightened she is."

The Supreme Elder awkwardly touched his neck and apologized repeatedly to Jueyue and Wuling.

Then, the 12 great cultivators assigned their respective tasks based on how to deal with this great calamity. Two elders were assigned to a group to investigate the situation of the other six major sects.

Jin Shunyao naturally followed her master, Elder Jueyue, to check on the situation of Sanlun Temple in the south.

Grand cultivators in the Void Refinement stage can fly extremely fast, but the journey is still quite long. Jueyue then informed Jin Shunyao of the rights and obligations of a true member of the Qingyan Sect.

In general, Jin Shunyao has two powers.

First, she can see all her senior brothers at any time, whether she wants to ask them questions or ask them for help.

Of course, whether the senior brothers offer help voluntarily or whether they offer treasures or promises in exchange for help is a matter between the two individuals.

Secondly, Jin Shunyao can freely mobilize all the sect's resources, including the sect's treasury, magic treasures, and all disciples below the sect leader.

Jin Shunyao asked blankly, "Master, what does 'at will' mean?"

Jueyue smiled and replied, "It means exactly what it says: 'use it however you want.' As long as you don't cause the sect to lose half of its strength, the Supreme One won't stop you or ask you what you're going to do."

The Five Spirits Fairy laughed dryly, "Ha, ha, ha, what great power you really have!"

Jueyue grinned: "Very generous, huh?"

"When I first joined their sect, I was so shocked I stammered. But later I found out it was all a trick by my senior brothers!"

Jin Shunyao: "Huh?"

Jueyue grinned: "What? You're a Void Refinement stage cultivator already. Forget about those Qi Refining kids in the sect, what help can those Core Formation and Foundation Establishment kids possibly offer?"

"The problems I can solve with a snap of my fingers are things that tens of thousands of young guys in the sect couldn't do even if they worked themselves to death."

"So in the end, I had to solve all the problems by myself."

Jin Shunyao, the Five Spirits Fairy, darted around with her eyes darting about. She suddenly realized that this power was useless to others, but it would be of great use to her.

Jin Shunyao's rapid advancement to the Void Refinement stage was not only due to her exceptional talent, but also to the inspiration provided by Xia Zuo. With the help of the sect disciples' experiments, she perfected her own cultivation technique.

It is common knowledge among cultivators in the cultivation world that the Way of Heaven is impartial and just. Although it does not reward good or punish evil, it does reward diligence and merit.

What is rewarding diligence?

That is, to diligently cultivate and persist in meditation, accumulating magical power little by little, one will surely make progress every day until encountering a major realm barrier.

What is rewarding merit?

That is to comprehend the laws of the heavens, open up a completely new path of cultivation, and guide more beings to embark on the path of cultivation. As the pioneer of the new cultivation method, one will surely be able to forge ahead and stride over many obstacles.

Jin Shunyao was able to enter the Void Refinement stage at less than 500 years old, which her master and other elders did not find problematic, precisely because she "created" the "True Explanation of the Five Elements Battle".

With Xia Zuo able to share abundant inspiration from other worlds and with the knowledge reserves of the tribulation-crossing Xia Zuo for reference, Jin Shunyao was already developing new cultivation techniques very quickly.

If we could mobilize all the resources of the entire sect, we could naturally combine inspiration and knowledge with practice, and the development speed would be even faster.

Perhaps in just 2 or 300 years, she will be able to advance further, initially merging her nascent soul with her physical body, and ascending to the level of a powerful being in the Integration Stage.

After all, the cultivation method she is currently studying may seem to be the path of the dead and ghosts, but its core lies entirely in the soul, and it even points directly to the path of reincarnation.

Jin Shunyao was like a monkey sent to guard the peach orchard, struggling to hide her jubilant mood.

Listen to Master's words: the Supreme Elder and the other senior brothers are all very wicked. If they find out that I can enjoy great benefits all to myself, they might not allow me to mobilize the entire sect.

They had to endure it until the deed was done, and then their senior brothers would have no choice but to accept reality.

After taking a few deep breaths, Jin Shunyao asked, "Master, what responsibilities do I need to bear?"

Elder Jueyue replied, "The first is that when the sect faces a major crisis, one must contribute to the Qingyan Sect and not use seclusion as an excuse to shirk responsibility, such as what we are doing now."

Jin Shunyao nodded: "That's only natural."

Elder Jueyue continued, "Secondly, when other disciples encounter danger, we must lend a helping hand unless their lives are in danger."

Jin Shunyao nodded again: "This is what I should do."

After waiting for a long time without seeing a third one, she couldn't help but ask, "Is that all?"

Elder Jueyue smiled: "Of course not."

"What do you take these immortal high-level cultivators for, you little brat?"

"There are no rules in the world that can restrain a cultivator in the Void Refinement stage. Even if a Supreme Elder can defeat a Void Refinement cultivator, once he charges upwards, breaks through the gale and enters the boundless starry sky, who can capture a Void Refinement Grandmaster?"

"Actually, these two rules are something you can follow if you want, or not if you don't. No one can punish you; at most, people will just stop helping you."

Jin Shunyao found it hard to accept such a drastic change: "Is the real Qingyan Sect really this lax?"

"The true Qingyan Sect is this relaxed. In essence, we are just a group of cultivators who are willing to stick together and help each other, all centered around the Supreme Elder."

During the rest of the flight, the master and apprentice remained silent as Jin Shunyao quietly processed the information she had gathered that day.

Of course, her attention had already sunk into her own sea of ​​consciousness, where she saw Xia Zuo, who was trying to clear away the calamity energy.

At this moment, the dark clouds arising from negative emotions in his sea of ​​consciousness had dissipated, and much of the gray aura of tribulation had been swept away. Although it was still foggy and hazy, it was no longer the chaotic mess it had been before.

But Jin Shunyao was stunned by the scene before her.

Xia Zuo had told her before that her sea of ​​consciousness was polluted, but she didn't know that it was completely filled.

Jin Shunyao exclaimed in shock, "My sea of ​​consciousness has been corrupted to this extent?"

Combined with the thickness of the nascent soul being wrapped and the tightness of the spiritual platform being sealed, the Five Spirits Fairy was horrified to discover that she was the cultivator most deeply tainted by the tribulation energy.

The other cultivators, tainted by the calamity energy, were all mercilessly dealt with by her because they were irredeemably lost in the five aggregates. Why was she able to escape unscathed?

Of course, it's because Xia Zuo is currently trying to gather the calamity energy in her sea of ​​consciousness, and previously awakened the remnant soul of a senior cultivator who possessed intelligence.

She looked at Xia Zuo with deep gratitude and said sincerely, "Senior Xia Zuo, thank you so much for saving my life."

Xia Zuo replied nonchalantly, "No need to thank me. I now make your sea of ​​consciousness my home, and I even need your advancement and tribulation to be reborn. Protecting you is protecting myself."

Jin Shunyao said, "You can't say that. No matter what it was for, and no matter what you got in return, you saved my life."

"And you even saved my path, I am so very grateful to you."

Xia Zuo no longer declined and accepted the Five Spirit Fairy's greeting with equanimity before saying, "Since that's the case, after you resolve this calamity, you must diligently study the Ghost Path, as it is very important to me."

Jin Shunyao agreed without hesitation: "Senior, please rest assured, I am now a true member of the Qingyan Sect, and I can mobilize the sect's disciples and resources without limit."

"With so many disciples helping with the experiments, the research progress of the cultivation technique can be accelerated by at least ten times."

Xia Zuo paused in his act of collecting the calamity energy, then turned around and asked, "A true member of the Qingyan Sect, what's going on here? Tell me in detail."

After listening to Jin Shunyao's retelling, he couldn't help but sigh, "Qingyan Sect is truly a remarkable sect. This loose organizational structure, with its bonds formed through affection and mutual assistance, is indeed more suitable for high-level cultivators."

He recalled that Xia Zuo had stayed in the Heavenly Tribulation Sect for 3000 years. Because he could communicate with the upper realm at any time, and the sect's patriarchs would often descend to the lower realm, the sect had strict rules. He couldn't help but sigh.

It must have been tough on this guy, Xia Zuo.

Hearing Xia Zuo's praise of the Qingyan Sect, Jin Shunyao completely put her worries to rest.

The Five Spirits Fairy now trusts Xia Zuo far more than she trusts her own master and sect.

It's no wonder she developed such a distorted trust.

For the past 200 years, Xia Zuo has remained within Jin Shunyao's sea of ​​consciousness; her familiarity with him far surpasses that of Master Jueyue.

After all, Master Jueyue herself is very busy, and the two of them may not meet even once in decades.

Moreover, this calamity struck suddenly, and Jin Shunyao was caught off guard. If it weren't for Xia Zuo's help in restoring her sanity, she would have died a miserable death in the calamity.

Such a life-saving grace naturally increased her trust and goodwill towards Xia Zuo.

Instead, the sect she was once familiar with suddenly revealed the truth to her, becoming completely unfamiliar, to the point that Jin Shunyao could not fully trust it no matter what.

However, with Xia Zuo's praise, the fairy's doubts about the sect were completely dispelled.