Chapter 174
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Chapter 174: Profoundly Beneficial
Ice Sealing a Thousand Miles!
Elder Seven’s sword technique was truly formidable—a group attack that froze all enemies within ten zhang. Deployed in actual combat, it could shift battle outcomes instantly.
Ye Yun stood with his sword, his initial excitement gradually settling.
“My thanks, Elder Seven!” Ye Yun bowed deeply with genuine respect.
Elder Seven’s cloudy eyes sharpened as he studied the youth. “Your talent’s remarkable. To grasp seventy percent of Ice Sealing a Thousand Miles after one demonstration… This technique suits you.”
“I’m deeply grateful for your guidance,” Ye Yun said, joy evident.
“You’ve earned the inner disciple assessment through the trial. With your current cultivation, becoming an inner disciple is certain. But titles mean little—elite disciples, true inheritors—all fade before true strength. This world…” The elder gazed into the distance, voice trailing off.
“Jin’s but a speck under the Great Qin Empire, which itself bows to the Jiaoyue Dynasty. The wider world must be vast indeed,” Ye Yun nodded, echoing the elder’s meaning.
Elder Seven raised an eyebrow. “Surprising knowledge. Jin’s royals buried such truths for centuries, yet you uncovered them?”
“Merely overheard fragments. I scarcely believed it myself,” Ye Yun deflected, avoiding mention of Yu Minghong.
“Truth remains—Jin’s insignificant. Great Qin commands dozens like us. Our Heavenly Sword Sect? Top-tier here, yet not top five hundred there.” The elder sighed.
Ye Yun blinked. “Such disparity?”
“At Tian Zhu’s outer sect, peak Qi refining seems grand. Become inner disciple? At Shadowless Peak, it’s commonplace. Only Foundation Establishment matters. Yet our sect’s higher-ups? All late-stage Foundation Establishment. Some retired elders might’ve reached Golden Core.”
“We have Golden Core experts?” Ye Yun leaned forward.
“Naturally! But Golden Core’s pedestrian in Great Qin. Only by shattering the pill to form Nascent Soul earns respect there.” Elder Seven’s eyes gleamed.
Before Ye Yun could speak, the elder continued: “Standing here, you see Tian Zhu Peak. Summit Shadowless? Whole peak unfolds. Height determines vision. Each realm ascended reveals cultivation’s endless road—every stage just another beginning.”
Ye Yun stood transfixed. Since obtaining the Heart of Immortals and Demons, he’d sensed worlds beyond imagination. Now the elder’s words crystallized it—no matter how high he climbed, the path stretched infinitely onward.
The road to heaven knows no end!
Elder Seven’s wisdom burned away Ye Yun’s mental fog, anchoring his resolve. However far he progressed, it would always be the starting line.
Cultivation’s journey had no terminus!
“Your guidance is carved in my heart, Elder!” Ye Yun bowed to the ground.
“Go. Visit this old man whenever.” Elder Seven waved him off with a smile.
Departing the spirit fields, Ye Yun nodded at guard disciples, steps light down the mountain.
Power mattered, yes—but realms were its foundation. A barrel’s size determined its water capacity. Though Elder Seven’s advice seemed abstract, it would steady Ye Yun’s cultivation pace, replacing haste with grounded progress.
Time fled like startled horses. The inner disciple assessment arrived.
Thirty qualifiers gathered at the Martial Hall—a place outer disciples like Ye Yun had only seen from the exterior plaza.
“Inner sect elders will conduct today’s trials. Grand Elder and I merely oversee order.” Elder Lan surveyed the group.
Murmurs rippled. Inner elders never presided before. Excitement flared—impressing them could fast-track discipleships.
“Compose yourselves. Elder Mu approaches.” Elder Lan’s tone lacked usual sternness; these youths might soon outrank him.
Silence fell.
“Where’s the youthful fervor?” A gravelly voice echoed as white-robed Elder Mu emerged, flanked by two disciples.
Ye Yun’s breath hitched.
The trailing disciple was Murong Wuhen—brother of the sect’s once-in-a-millennium genius. Months prior, he’d taken the outer disciple trial alongside Ye Yun.
“Junior Ye Yun! We meet again.” Murong Wuhen’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Senior Wuhen.” Ye Yun inclined his head evenly.
Elder Mu glanced between them. “You’re acquainted?”
“The outer sect prodigy I mentioned.” Murong Wuhen’s tone dripped honey. “Reached first-level Qi refining since we last met. Survived the great tomb trial. Even met Peak Master Su Hao of Shadowless.”
Elder Mu’s appraisal intensified.
“Oh, and he refused Peak Master Su’s discipleship,” Murong Wuhen added casually.
Gasps erupted. Elder Lan’s jaw slackened.
Ye Yun kept his voice steady. “Ancient history, Senior. Shouldn’t delay the assessment.”
Murong Wuhen’s intelligence network chilled Ye Yun—yet now, such games felt petty. Inner discipleship? Merely a stepping stone.
The true mountains lay beyond.
