Chapter 323

Chapter 323: Heavenly Prodigies of Each Faction

“Elders, please take your seats. Examining the rise and fall of the sect can help prevent minor issues from escalating, ensuring the Haotu Sect remains strong and prosperous.” The sect leader’s wife casually gestured, finishing her courtesies, and then spoke in a calm and steady tone, “Yuhui is now also a member of the Haotu Sect, so I naturally want the sect to grow stronger. Since all of you brought your proud disciples, it is fitting that Zhi Cheng and Nuo Er, who just advanced in Condense Essence, stand before the Jin Tian Treasure Mirror and take a measurement!”

The elders below quickly flattered, “I see! No wonder Zhi Cheng and Nuo Er felt extraordinary when they entered. However, they must have treasures concealing their auras. Because the lady mentions it, we finally notice the signs. Hahaha! Achieving the Condense Essence stage at such a young age is indeed commendable!”

“Congratulations to the lady! Zhi Cheng and Nuo Er shine so brightly; they truly deserve the title of young sect leaders.”

“The main lineage is the uncrowned king, leading the hundred lineages. There’s no need to measure. The lady is humble; Zhi Cheng and Nuo Er will surely take the Haotu Sect to greater heights!”

Li Hui genuinely admired these old fellows; their cultivation was impressively high, capable of shaking the land with a stomp. They knew how to flatter, laughing warmly and endearingly. As for how sincere they were, only they knew.

The young man and young girl standing behind the sect leader’s seat slowly stepped forward, confidently walking toward the sundial standing in the center of the ritual altar.

Achieving the Condense Essence stage at such a young age must have required an extraordinary amount of spiritual material and talent. They were undoubtedly the chosen ones, and the main lineage of the Haotu Sect was by no means ordinary!

As soon as the two stood still, light radiated from the sundial, causing a dragon’s roar to resonate as golden light surged upward. One could faintly see countless rays of colorful light, surrounded by falling blossoms, treasures scattered everywhere, along with spiritual fields, blessed lands, secret realms, and more, creating a dazzling spectacle that was hard to take in all at once.

Suddenly, all the phenomena merged together, forming a five zhang high golden light above the young man’s head.

At that moment, the sundial’s light illuminated the young girl, and a loud “Boom” echoed as phoenix feathers soared upwards, an endless red glow shining like the sun, brightening the sky in an indescribable spectacle.

In an instant, the phenomena above the girl’s head expanded then contracted, merging into an eight zhang high golden light that intertwined with the young man’s light, whose roaring sound reverberated as lights pulled in from all directions, forming a hundred zhang long light pulse.

“Did they break through? The main lineage’s fortunes are flourishing! It seems both young leaders possess great fortune; after advancing in Condense Essence, they grew an additional thirteen zhang in fortune, effortlessly breaking through the hundred zhang limit.”

“Hahaha, this means our Haotu Sect will thrive!”

“Yes! It seems the previous two tremors in the sect were indeed good omens!”

Li Hui rolled his eyes, thinking, “What good omen? That was caused by this sect leader! Just wait! There are still sixteen secret realms left; it’s easy to find good omens!”

Suddenly, one of the elders at the front chuckled, “What more could one want from children like this? Since we want the younger generation to shine, Xuan Er, please step forward and help us validate from the Thick Earth lineage.”

A young woman in a dark shirt stepped forward.

She was in her teens, her appearance ordinary and unadorned. However, upon closer inspection, a faint glow flickered above her brows, indicating she was about to open her spiritual channel—quite remarkable!

According to normal understanding, one must reach the Late Condense Essence stage to nourish their spirit.

Looking at Xuan Er, a heavy aura radiated outward, revealing that she had seemingly advanced in Condense Essence not long ago and already reached such a level—truly unthinkable.

What kind of good fortune did she have? She opened her spiritual channel at the Initial Condense Essence stage! Li Hui sought to master the Spirit-Refining Formation, hoping to achieve such a state. Little did he know, he would encounter a living example just a few days later. She reached the finish line, while he was just beginning, still exploring little by little.

The unadorned girl stood in front of the sundial as light shined upon her. Immediately, brilliant yellow, milky white, and crimson light erupted, forming a miraculous phenomenon. First, endless lotus leaves reached for the sky, reflecting the bright red of blooming lotus flowers. Suddenly, the light flickered, and a vast stretch of fertile land, lake scenery, and mountain beauty emerged…

“Look! The golden light rises like a pillar, reaching nine zhang, surpassing Chen Zhi Cheng and Chen Nuo Er!” The disciples from Bo Wang, De Wang, and Yang Wang Peaks were greatly shocked. This girl had previously gone unnoticed, but she had made an astounding entrance, causing a loud uproar on Cheng Tian Peak as the true disciple named Xuan Er drew in her family’s light pulse, which extended to eighty-eight zhang.

“Hiss…” The elders collectively gasped, raising their eyes to look at the sect leader’s wife and then at Li Maocai’s position, acutely aware that the Thick Earth lineage came prepared, seizing the opportunity to vie for the nine chief positions!

Li Hui was stunned but quickly comprehended, silently cursing, “Those old fellows are cunning! Letting Xuan Er take the stage, not only suppressing the two newcomers from the sect leader’s lineage but also plotting against the Mirror Lake faction—it’s no wonder they jumped out so eagerly.”

The sect leader’s wife showed no signs of displeasure; on the contrary, she praised, “Excellent! I heard the Thick Earth lineage recently took in a wonderful disciple named Lin Xuan Er. Today’s first sighting has brought me great joy. Talent emerges in every generation; seeing our next generation of Haotu disciples so outstanding brings me immense comfort!”

Regardless of any internal thoughts, this sect leader’s wife appeared to possess extraordinary composure.

Chen Zhi Cheng returned to the sect leader’s seat, standing proudly and casting a disdainful glance at Lin Xuan Er. He then transmitted to Li Hui, “Kid, you seem rather relaxed, probably unaware of what fate awaits next. If any lineage in the Haotu Sect fails to reach thirty-three zhang, they will be immediately demoted.”

“That’s not a high standard!” Li Hui muttered quietly.

“You ignorant child, the Mirror Lake faction has a thin population, relying solely on Li Maocai to hold it up. Let’s see how you achieve thirty-three zhang today.” The young man scoffed, while his sister, Chen Nuo Er, shot him a glare, and he immediately fell silent.

Li Hui thought to himself, “The Master’s aura is faint. I must manage this vast estate without letting the Mirror Lake faction die out on my watch; today, I must break through to thirty-three zhang. To be safe, it looks like I need to slightly reveal the facets of the treasure cabinet to harness some fortune!”

As he pondered on this, another elder spoke, “The Thick Earth lineage’s impressive disciple is promising. Our Vessel Bearing lineage cannot allow them to take the lead; Liang Tian, go up and help prove it for our lineage.”

“Yes!” A young man stepped out from behind the elder’s seat. Unlike Lin Xuan Er, he ranked eighteenth among the true disciples and had quite a reputation. Don’t be fooled by his low ranking; he had achieved that score only after just entering the Initial Condense Essence stage.

Xu Liangtian, a personal disciple of the Vessel Bearing lineage, looked handsome and tall, fitting the dreams of all female cultivators. The only drawback was that his shoulders were slightly broad, suggesting he possessed great strength or specialized skills, which somewhat diminished his overall appearance and emitted a ruggedness. Of course, some female disciples were fond of that, which was a matter of personal preference.

The Vessel Bearing lineage and the Thick Earth lineage had a complicated relationship. The two lineage heads were once close brothers, but for some unknown reason, they suddenly parted ways. One brother entered the Vessel Bearing lineage, often causing trouble for the other.

Their rivalry was once quite lively, as the lineage heads were husband and wife, entangled in love and hate for nearly a thousand years. Others were already used to this dynamic. Therefore, with the entrance of the Thick Earth lineage, the Vessel Bearing lineage had no choice but to follow suit.