Cultivating immortality begins with discerning the secrets of heaven.

For the rest of the time, Lin Yun stayed put and did not go anywhere, patiently waiting for the Ascension Ceremony to arrive.

The news of his stone-cutting naturally reached the ears of other cultivators in the Lin family, and many of his peers felt extremely envious.

They suddenly received six hundred spirit stones, which was a windfall for these Qi Refining stage cultivators.

In response, Lin Hairong offered some advice, advising Lin Yun to focus on his cultivation and not to become addicted to gambling on stones.

Lin Yun readily agreed, claiming that he had only entered the gambling stone market on a whim.

However, the buzz surrounding his sale at the jade gambling market was quickly overshadowed by the Juxian Pavilion auction.

Because in this auction, the three final items were more amazing than the last.

A Foundation Establishment Pill fetched a high price of nine thousand spirit stones!

The one who acquired it was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, who was said to be a cultivator from a thousand-year-old aristocratic family.

Moreover, the remaining two items are both high-grade ancient magical artifacts with considerable power.

And a drop of essence blood from a near-third-tier demonic beast!

Unfortunately, none of the Lin family members received an invitation to participate in this auction, so they didn't even have the right to watch the excitement.

  

Lin Yun also understood that with his limited resources, even if he entered the auction, he would probably only make a small splash.

The three days of waiting passed in the blink of an eye, and the much-anticipated Ascension Ceremony was finally about to begin!

"Let's go. You disciples who are going to fight in the arena, do not be reckless. If you are not able to win, admit defeat in time, so as not to hurt yourselves."

Lin Hairong couldn't help but speak up, as he didn't really have a high opinion of these younger members of his family.

Because in the past few days, all sorts of news related to the Ascension Conference have been flying around, including some rogue cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining who came to participate at the maximum age limit.

There were at least a thousand cultivators who came to join in the fun.

Among these people, some came from other prominent families, some were naturally gifted, and others had already received some opportunities.

Some people had already secretly become disciples of a certain Taiyuan Sect elder. The reason they still came to participate in this Ascension Conference was to compete for a place in the top ten and get a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"It's a mixed bag," Lin Hairong sighed.

The Ascension Ceremony was held in a spacious square in the city. An arena had already been set up there, and it was overseen and presided over by the Foundation Establishment elders of the Taiyuan Sect.

On each of the stone pillars, a figure with an obscure aura sat cross-legged.

There were beautiful women dressed in peach-colored palace attire, young men in blue robes, and old men with a frail and aged appearance; they were all Foundation Establishment Elders from various peaks of the Taiyuan Sect.

Behind these Foundation Establishment elders stood dozens of young cultivators, all of whom were family members recommended by various cultivation families in the Southern Region.

Lin Mo and Lin Xuan from the Lin family were among this crowd. After the Ascension Ceremony, they would follow these elders to join the Taiyuan Sect, and could already be considered as prospective disciples of the upper sect.

"A single ascension ceremony can directly determine the future path of one's cultivation," Lin Yun sighed.

"Let's go. The place where you two are being tested isn't the main arena; that's where the weapon-refining test is being conducted."

Lin Hairong handed over the other family members to Lin Zhongchuan and another elder from the Zhongmai lineage, while he himself led Lin Yun and Lin Yang to the stage for the weapon-refining assessment.

The weapon-refining assessment was held on the side of the square, where there were also many spectators, including cultivators from other cultivation families who came to see if they could recruit some rogue cultivators skilled in weapon refining.

"Brother Hai Rong, it's been many years, and you're still as healthy as ever." A voice came from the stands.

Lin Hairong was startled and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a fat middle-aged man wearing a purple coat waving at him.

"Brother Zheng Lin? It's been a long time indeed. You're still as dashing as ever." Lin Hairong replied with a smile, then patted Lin Yun on the shoulder, gesturing for the two of them to go and participate in the assessment.

Xiong Zhenglin took up two seats by himself. He patted the empty seat next to him, gesturing for Lin Hairong to sit down.

"What do you mean by still looking as good as ever? I've been working myself to death with clan affairs these past few years, I've almost lost all my weight."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hairong's lips twitched involuntarily.

"It seems that Brother Zhenglin has taken on an important position in the Xiong family. This is truly a cause for celebration."

Xiong Zhenglin waved his hand, then lowered his voice and said, "There's going to be trouble at Duanyun Ridge. The Foundation Establishment ancestor of the Liu family at Baihe Mountain doesn't have much time left. He'll be dying in the next couple of years."

"The Liu family has no successor and is gradually declining in the upper sect. They may face the disaster of extermination."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hairong's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged as he asked, "What do you mean by that, Brother Zheng Lin?"

Xiong Zhenglin patted his round belly and chuckled, saying, "Xiangnanling is right next to Duanyunling, doesn't your Lin family have any designs on it?"

"The Liu family is doomed. Why not join in and get a share of the spoils?"

Lin Hairong shook his head and said, "This matter is of great importance. I am not qualified to make decisions for the family and cannot make any promises here."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhenglin said no more, waving his hand and saying, "Then go back and tell your family about this. Think it over carefully. The Xiong family's doors are always open for you."

Even the usually cautious Lin Hairong could only manage a couple of dry laughs without replying.

Before long, a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator descended from the sky in front of the stands.

Duanmu Ming, the Grand Elder of the Hundred Refinements Peak of the Taiyuan Sect!

This person was dressed in a robe woven with dark gold threads, and his aura was extremely powerful. As soon as he arrived, he suppressed the noisy atmosphere of the entire place.

"I am the elder in charge of this weapon-refining assessment. I will only say this once, so listen carefully!"

Duanmu Ming stood atop a stone pillar, his booming voice reverberating across the ground.

With the spiritual pressure of the late Foundation Establishment stage, many cultivators with shallow magical power turned pale and felt chest tightness and shortness of breath.

"The content of this weapon-refining assessment is very simple; the topic is 'breaking the ice'!"

As he spoke, Duanmu Ming snapped his fingers.

boom!

In an instant, the world was filled with an extremely cold atmosphere, and even the ground was covered with a layer of white frost.

All the cultivators clearly felt a chill stimulating their skin!

An iceberg stood behind Elder Duanmu, a sight that sent chills down the spines of many cultivators.

One of the cultivators who recognized the item couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"How is this possible? Such a massive, thousand-year-old ice mountain, a top-grade ice material that is said to never melt even after a thousand years!"

Duanmu Ming's gaze swept over all the cultivators participating in the weapon-refining assessment below, and he announced the rules for the upcoming assessment.

"First, forge a magical artifact within the time limit, and use the artifact you forge on the spot to attack this thousand-year-old ice wall. The top ten who leave the deepest marks will pass the artifact forging test!"

"Secondly, you can prepare your own spiritual materials for crafting magical artifacts, but you must use at least one of the spiritual materials I provide!"

"Third, the refining time is five days. If you exceed five days, even if you successfully refine a top-grade magic weapon, it will be considered a failure of the assessment."

"Fourth, if the depth of the marks left is roughly the same, then the time it takes to forge the magical artifact will be the criterion for judgment. Whoever forges it faster will pass the test!"

"Fifth, when using a magical artifact to attack an ice wall, one must suppress one's magical power to the level of the early stage of Qi Refining, and must not use any external means to enhance it."

...