Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Master Qianqiu picked up his teacup; the tea had gone cold. He took a sip.

"The status of a core disciple of a sect is generally accepted by everyone, but the sect simply doesn't officially acknowledge it. There must be a reason why the sect does this."

He put down the teacup and gently circled his finger along the rim.

"If a cultivator's great power is concentrated within himself, and he is still bound by the etiquette, hierarchy, morality, and systems of the mortal world, then what is the point of cultivating immortality?"

"Why don't we all sit in a row and ascend to immortality according to our ranking?"

Lin Zhao didn't know what to say, even in a world like this from her previous life.

This set of teacher-student etiquette and the hierarchy of seniority are also things engraved in the deepest level of cognition.

Some people value these things even more than their own lives.

It's unbelievable that a sect, a world similar to the ancient cultivation world, has such rules.

He really learned something new today.

It was quiet for a while.

Lin Zhao tentatively spoke.

"In the history of the sect, were there ever periods when the hierarchy of elders and juniors was particularly strict?"

Master Qianqiu revealed a satisfied smile.

His disciple not only possesses exceptional talent in cultivation but also has a keen intuition for understanding problems, sometimes grasping their core essence directly.

These things may not be used in normal times, but sometimes they can help him avoid many detours and reach his goal directly.

He didn't go into details, only saying that there was a Nascent Soul Celestial Lord in the sect's history whose ascension to the throne was not entirely legitimate.

Unable to obtain more fifth-tier treasures, in order to ascend to the Spirit Realm, they forcibly converted and synthesized fifth-tier Nascent Soul resources with low-tier resources, thus maximizing the exploitation of the sect's disciples.

The hierarchy of age and status became his tools, which he exploited for over a thousand years.

"Anyway, the ending wasn't good," Master Qianqiu said casually. "I heard that he took expired pills and inexplicably went into a qi deviation."

Lin Zhao's lips twitched; he was speechless.

A Nascent Soul Celestial Lord... expired pills? How are these two terms connected?

He heard the term "expired pills" in the sect.

Back in the ten-year course at the Hall of Inquiry, the sect added an extra lesson to compensate for the excessive remarks made by the instructor of the Dragon Slaying course.

It tells the story of a senior disciple of the sect who, in his pursuit of the Nascent Soul stage, went astray and cultivated a heinous and evil demonic art.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the cause of his qi deviation was the consumption of a pill that had been stored for too long and whose medicinal properties had mutated.

Now this "expired pill"

Even a Nascent Soul Celestial Lord couldn't withstand it?

He still remembers the meaningful look in the eyes of the instructor from the Enforcement Hall.

Come to think of it, Master Qianqiu is also from the Enforcement Hall, no wonder he knows these things!

For some reason, Lin Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.

At least he knew that even Nascent Soul cultivators from sects weren't without their concerns.

The sect has a history of 70,000 years and has certain internal checks and balances to prevent high-ranking Nascent Soul cultivators from doing whatever they want.

Otherwise—expired pills, for example.

If one can invite a Celestial Lord of the Transformation Realm to taste it, one can naturally invite others to taste it as well.

In the distance, Nianwei's voice came from across several tables—"Gufeng! You say you can drink a lot, but try dissipating your magic power before you drink."

The sound of Master Gufeng slamming his fist on the table followed immediately.

Lin Zhao smiled.

Master Qianqiu also revealed a slight smile.

The banquet began to end, and people left one after another. Beams of light rose from the platform, one after another, piercing the night.

As Xu Chuan left, he patted Lin Zhao on the shoulder. Almost everyone at the banquet had heard what Master Qianqiu had said.

Cultivators naturally possess keen hearing, especially since True Immortal Qianqiu hadn't placed any soundproofing restrictions—

Or perhaps, he did it on purpose.

These words were originally intended to be sent out directly.

Xu Chuan didn't say anything, patted him on the shoulder, and then followed his grandfather away.

Yan Chiheng and Gu Feng Zhenren flew away arm in arm, their laughter still audible from a great distance.

Fang Yue walked alone, his inspiration was quick, and he disappeared into the sea of ​​clouds in a few breaths.

As Senior Sister Nianwei left, she waved to Lin Zhao and smiled. Zhi Bai and Ming Jing simply nodded slightly and flew away.

The platform fell silent instantly.

The branches and leaves of the jade tree with blue veins swayed gently in the night breeze. The breeze carried a coolness and dispersed the lingering smells of wine and tea from the banquet.

Master Qianqiu held the teacup, the tea of ​​which had long since gone cold. He didn't change it, just held it as is.

"Tell me, why I'm making sure everyone hears this today."

Lin Zhao paused for a moment and said, "First of all, the information I've shared today isn't exactly a secret. Core Formation cultivators who have been in the sect for a while already know it, but Foundation Establishment disciples don't have access to it."

A night breeze blew by, and he paused, his voice lowering even further. "Secondly, it's also to dispel the sect's Nascent Soul cultivators' attempts to spy on me once again."

If pushed too far, I'll even abandon my master—once this gets out, unless the sect's Nascent Soul cultivators are truly determined to turn against me completely, they probably won't bother me anymore.

Master Qianqiu neither nodded nor shook his head.

Lin Zhao continued, "There's a third point. This is for our Grandmaster, Wuya Zhenjun, to see, to force him to make a statement. Master doesn't want to completely fall out with our Grandmaster yet."

Master Qianqiu revealed a satisfied smile.

"There's nothing more I can teach you," he said calmly. "Today, the main thing is to convey your attitude to your grandmaster."

Master Qianqiu put the teacup aside. "After all, True Lord Wuya is your grandmaster. There are still many people in the sect who respect etiquette, seniority, and hierarchy. It would be best to resolve this without turning against him. Disagreement is the last resort."

Lin Zhao did not respond.

Master Qianqiu leaned back in his chair.

"Furthermore, our lineage has a total of three Nascent Soul True Monarchs within the sect."

Besides Wuya Zhenjun, there are also Feixue Zhenjun and Tianfeng Zhenjun, both of whom are quite good people.

"A month later, the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs of this lineage will gather. I'll take you to meet them. With the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of this lineage behind you, your future cultivation path will be smoother."

Lin Zhao became interested.

He was away from home for many years, so he didn't really know the specific details of the Wuya lineage.

Master Qianqiu poured himself another cup of tea and said, "The leader of the Wuyai lineage is naturally True Monarch Wuyai, who is at the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. This lineage has been passed down for five generations, nearly ten thousand years, with each generation being at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

In his early years, Wuya Zhenjun was a decent person with a wide circle of friends, but as his lifespan approached two thousand years, his behavior became increasingly rigid and harsh.

He put down the cup and gently circled his finger around the rim. "Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators generally only have a lifespan of two thousand years."

Although sects have various methods to prolong life for Nascent Soul cultivators, only late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators can generally live to the three-thousand-year limit.

Your grandmaster's lifespan is estimated to be around 2,500 years. His remaining lifespan is neither too long nor too short, which makes his behavior increasingly eccentric.

Lin Zhao didn't speak, but his gaze darkened slightly.

Lifespan in the cultivation world is an eternal, unsolvable problem. No one can remain indifferent. Faced with death, many people undergo drastic personality changes, even...