To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Wendao Peak, Chenxing Pavilion.

On the white jade altar, Master Xuanji's voice sounded even older as he asked in a deep voice, "The struggle for the throne is imminent; are you ready?"

"Reporting to Master, this disciple is ready." Gu Fan paused for a moment, then continued, "This disciple enlightened another acupoint yesterday, and the magic tools and talismans are all ready."

"Excellent!" Master Xuanji stroked his beard and laughed, "Then I'll be waiting to see you ascend to the position of true disciple."

Gu Fan asked in surprise, "Is Master also going to attend the ceremony?"

Master Xuanji flicked his whisk and said, "I am the head of Wendao Peak. The competition for the position of true disciple is a major event for the sect, so I naturally have to attend the ceremony."

"Not only me, but also the sect leader and all the Golden Core elders will be there."

"The competition for the position of true disciple is not entirely determined by the disciples' fighting skills. Rather, it is decided by all the Golden Core elders through a joint discussion. Those who are not strong enough, lack comprehension, or have an unwavering Dao heart will absolutely not be able to take advantage of the situation."

Gu Fan hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly, "Does Master know... what are the rules for vying for the position of true disciple?"

"You still want to find out information in advance?" Xuanji Zhenren glanced at Gu Fan sideways.

Gu Fan chuckled: "Isn't this just to be better prepared, so as not to embarrass Master later?"

Master Xuanji snorted lightly: "I don't need you to fight for my reputation."

After saying this, Gu Fan didn't press the matter further, cupped his hands in farewell, and left.

Having prepared for many years, he was still confident in himself; what he had just mentioned was merely casual remark.

Just as he was about to step down from the white jade altar, he suddenly heard Master Xuanji whisper behind him, "When you get back, think more about the current situation in the Qionghua Realm."

Gu Fan was slightly taken aback, then turned around, bowed respectfully, and said, "This disciple understands."

Inside the Qing Shi Palace, Gu Fan sat cross-legged on a futon, pondering what Master Xuanji had said.

The biggest difference between true disciples and inner disciples, besides the allocation of cultivation resources, is that true disciples have decision-making power over sect affairs. Only major matters need to be reported to the sect leader and the Golden Core Elder; all other matters can be discussed and decided by the seven true disciples.

In other words, only those who become true disciples are considered the masters of the sect; the rest are merely working for the sect.

"Thinking about it this way, Master was probably hinting at the management of the sect," Gu Fan thought silently.

The more I thought about it after the idea came to me, the more reasonable it seemed.

The decisions of true disciples have a great impact on the sect, so they cannot be decided entirely based on combat strength.

Once the decision was made, Gu Fan became energetic and began to ponder information related to the Lingxiao Sect.

......

Sunrise and sunset, another year of withering and flourishing of plants.

A year has passed, and the struggle for the right to the throne has quietly begun.

Gu Fan rode the Void Shuttle into the air, carrying Chang Yuan and the gourd towards Jade Void Peak.

When we arrived, Yuxu Peak was already packed with people.

Gu Fan flew straight to the Jade Void Peak Square, where the disciples vying for positions were located.

The inner disciples who were unable to participate, along with many outer disciples, could only watch from afar, discussing who might be promoted to true disciples.

"Junior brother, you must win!"

Before Gu Fan landed, he heard a familiar shout. He turned his head and saw Meng Wei's smiling face. He couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

Long Ying, standing next to Meng Wei, was startled by his shouting and reached out to pinch his waist.

Meng Wei's face contorted in pain as he begged for mercy, which made Gu Fan secretly laugh.

As soon as Gu Fan landed on the square, Chen Suzhen greeted him with a smile, "Junior Brother is here."

"Greetings, Senior Brother," Gu Fan replied with a cupped hand.

Turning his head, he saw that there were nearly thirty inner disciples participating in the competition, including Lin Qian'er, Xu Changsheng and others. Most of them were sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed, resting.

A moment later, a rumbling earthquake was heard.

Seven high platforms rose up in the square in front of Jade Void Peak, shimmering with the light of an array, suspended in the air.

At the same time, seven streaks of light broke through the air and landed on a high platform, which were the seven true disciples.

The arrival of the true master instantly silenced the noisy atmosphere.

With the sound of a bell, a cloud of auspiciousness drifted down from Jade Void Peak, cascading down like a shower of jewels and radiating countless rays of light.

Above the auspicious clouds, the sect leader, Qi Zongyuan, sat upright on a jade carriage, with more than ten Golden Core elders seated on his left and right sides, and dozens of disciples bowing and serving behind him. "Understanding All Laws, Attaining Immortality" is currently causing a reading frenzy on Cola Novels. Haven't you read it yet? He seemed like an immortal descending to earth.

Xuanji Zhenren was on Qi Zongyuan's left, expressionless and composed.

"Welcome, Master!"

"Welcome, esteemed elders!"

The disciples present all stood up and bowed in unison.

Qi Zongyuan's gaze swept over the crowd, his expression dignified without anger, and his words were like thunder: "The struggle for the position of True Disciple in the Jiazi year is a major event in the transition between the old and the new in our sect. In recent years, the Qionghua world has been in turmoil. All of you True Disciples have worked together for the prosperity of our sect and deserve to be rewarded."

After he finished speaking, a disciple behind Qi Zongyuan stepped forward, holding a jade tray with seven bright red fruits on it.

"This is a Fire Crystal Fruit presented by the Spirit Transformation Sect. Each of you shall receive one."

"Thank you for the generous gift, Master." The seven disciples were overjoyed.

Gu Fan and the others looked on with envy.

Fire Crystal Fruit is no ordinary spiritual medicine. It needs to be watered with spiritual spring water every day and carefully tended. It takes sixty years to mature and no more than ten fruits will be produced. Foundation Establishment cultivators can save several years of hard cultivation by consuming it.

It's a pity that each person can only consume one; otherwise, these seven Fire Crystal Fruits would be enough to nourish a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Besides, Gu Fan keenly noticed that Qi Zongyuan used the word "offer" rather than "transaction".

"It seems the Spirit Transformation Sect is in a terrible situation," Gu Fan thought, squinting his eyes.

Otherwise, the Spirit Transformation Sect wouldn't bother using such rare spiritual fruits to curry favor with the Spirit Cloud Sect.

On the other side, the seven true disciples accepted the Fire Crystal Fruit, and then three figures leaped down from the high platform, put away their command arrows, knelt on the ground, and shouted:

"Disciples Tang Ling, Xie Chongfeng, and Ge Xuantong hereby humbly abdicate in favor of more capable individuals, hoping that the younger generation will carry on our aspirations and safeguard the sect's enduring legacy!"

Qi Zongyuan nodded slightly, a smile appearing on his face, and said, "Good. I hope you will all cultivate diligently and achieve the Core Formation stage as soon as possible!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Below the high platform, the inner and outer disciples watched quietly.

Since there is a struggle for the position, someone must naturally step down.

After abdicating, not only will the resources for cultivation be reduced, but the blessed lands of true disciples will also be taken back. Only the purple jade ring of identity can be retained, thereby obtaining a small number of privileges.

All three of them were over 180 years old and had not yet formed their core. No matter how unwilling they were, they could only resign from their positions as true disciples. What they were doing now was just a step in the process.

Qi Zongyuan waved his sleeve and retrieved the command arrows from the three men's hands. The three men bowed and then withdrew.

Then, Liu Shentong, who was standing to Qi Zongyuan's right, floated down and threw a square stone platform onto the square.

The stone platform is about two zhang long and wide, and about one zhang high. Its shape is simple and natural, and its spiritual light gathers and does not dissipate.

"They're here!" Gu Fan's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the battle for the throne was about to begin.

Liu Shentong stood before the stone platform and proclaimed loudly, "The first trial in the struggle for the position of true disciple is the trial of the heart!"

"Disciples vying for the position will ascend the Questioning Platform in turn to answer questions, which will then be discussed and evaluated by the Sect Leader and all the elders."

After speaking, Liu Shentong looked at the disciple standing at the front, who was none other than Xu Changsheng.

"Let's start with you," Liu Shentong said with a smile.

"Your disciple obeys."

Xu Changsheng stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and then stepped onto the Questioning Platform.

The next instant, the Questioning Platform suddenly emitted a radiant light, forming a closed barrier that completely sealed off the situation inside.

Gu Fan cautiously tried to probe with his divine sense, but his divine sense seemed to be electrocuted when it touched the barrier and could not advance any further, so he had no choice but to wait patiently.

A moment later, the barrier opened, and Xu Changsheng slowly walked down from the Questioning Platform, his gaze unfocused as if he were pondering something.

With all the Golden Core cultivators in front, no one dared to even use their divine sense to communicate, let alone ask any questions.

Liu Shentong then pointed to the next person, and Gu Fan smiled when he saw it.

That person was Li Fengyi.

Li Fengyi appeared fearless, but her tightly clenched fists betrayed her inner anxiety.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Li Fengyi stepped down from the Questioning Platform.

Just then, Qi Zongyuan on Qingyun spoke up: "Li Fengyi is out."

Upon hearing this, Li Fengyi was struck dumb, lowered her head like a wilted eggplant, and bowed, saying, "Disciple obeys."

Gu Fan watched Li Fengyi leave in a daze, not yet wondering what kind of blow she had suffered on the Questioning Platform, when he saw Liu Shentong pointing at him.

"now you!"

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