“Thank you, Master.”
Ye Wushuang bowed deeply and respectfully.
This was the first time since crossing into this world that she had sincerely bowed to anyone.
After all, she had gotten a Heaven-tier cultivation technique for free. Showing a little respect was only proper.
Dao Yan, the Perfected One, nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. Go settle in at Heavenly Balance Peak. Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to your senior brothers and sisters.”
As Ye Wushuang turned to leave the square, the corner of her eye caught sight of Lin Langtian standing among the crowd.
Lin Langtian’s expression remained calm, but he could not shake the discomfort rising within him.
He felt that the Heavenstar Earthshatter Art should have belonged to him.
What was more, he seemed to share a fated master-disciple bond with Dao Yan, the Perfected One. Now, it appeared that he would most likely have to become a disciple of one of the other peak masters instead.
Liu Ruyan stood in a corner of the crowd, her lips pressed tightly together beneath her veil.
Ye Wushuang had actually become the sect master’s personal disciple—the final disciple accepted by the master. It seemed that every step the other girl took firmly kept her beneath her.
“It doesn’t matter…”
Liu Ruyan repeated silently to herself. “I have my own master, and I possess the bloodline of a Great Emperor. In the future, I won’t lose to her.”
Yet even Liu Ruyan could sense that she no longer sounded as certain as she once had.
The next morning, at the main hall of Heavenly Balance Peak.
When Ye Wushuang followed Dao Yan, the Perfected One, into the hall, seven figures were already waiting inside.
The seven disciples varied in age, but they stood in perfect formation, each one’s aura deep and restrained.
Ye Wushuang secretly swept her divine sense over them. She immediately drew in a sharp breath.
Even the weakest among them was at the Golden Core Realm’s pinnacle.
As for the strongest, Su Changyuan, his aura was as deep as an abyss, making it impossible to discern his exact cultivation.
Dao Yan, the Perfected One, took his seat at the head of the hall and waved his hand.
“Get acquainted with one another. Ye Wushuang is your junior sister and my final disciple.”
The hall fell silent for three breaths. Then Ye Wushuang felt several gazes that were far from friendly.
“Master, this disciple has a question.”
Su Changyuan, standing at the front, was the first to speak.
He had a burly build, a full beard, and eyes as sharp as an eagle’s.
“This junior sister entered the sect only yesterday, yet she has already been made your final disciple. Isn’t that… a little too hasty?”
“It isn’t hasty.”
Dao Yan, the Perfected One, spoke calmly. “When has my judgment of people ever been wrong?”
His eldest disciple, Su Changyuan, was at the pinnacle of the Purple Abode Realm, only half a step away from breaking through to the next realm.
He was the face of Taixu Peak and was publicly recognized as the foremost member of the younger generation in the Profound Heaven Sect.
Sitting to Su Changyuan’s right was a woman in red. She was beautiful and striking, with a tall, graceful figure and a faintly mocking smile that never left her lips.
The second senior sister, Shen Yueyao, was in the late stage of the Purple Abode Realm.
She excelled in illusions and poison arts. Mischievous by nature, she loved playing tricks on newly arrived junior brothers and sisters.
To Su Changyuan’s left sat a silent man dressed in black. His features were cold and stern, and his eyes were like two sheathed blades.
The third senior brother, Zhao Tieyi, was also in the late stage of the Purple Abode Realm.
He was renowned for his body-refining abilities and had cultivated an extremely domineering body-tempering technique. His physical body was comparable to a Heaven-tier magic artifact.
Following them were the fourth senior sister, Gu Qingyi, and the fifth senior brother, Fang Yue.
Both were at the pinnacle of the Golden Core Realm and possessed considerable strength.
But the person who truly caught Ye Wushuang’s attention was the one seated at the very end.
He was a young man who appeared to be just over twenty, dressed in a dark cyan daoist robe. His features were refined and his smile warm, giving him the air of a friendly older brother from next door.
Ye Wushuang glanced at the system panel above his head, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
[Name: Gu Changfeng]
[Realm: Early Purple Abode Realm]
[Fate: Top-tier]
[Life Script: Gu Changfeng is an important supporting character in the original novel, Spirit Domain Continent, and the sixth disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect’s master. He is sinister and calculating, and excels at biding his time. In the later stages, he betrays the Profound Heaven Sect and joins Lin Langtian, becoming the most capable strategist under the future Heavenly Demon Emperor. He devises several devastating attacks against the righteous alliance on Lin Langtian’s behalf. With countless lives on his hands, he is one of the most dangerous villains in the original novel.]
[Upcoming Opportunity: Five days from now, Gu Changfeng will travel to Shattered Star Cliff in the forbidden rear grounds of the Profound Heaven Sect to practice swordsmanship. By chance, he will discover a sealed Heaven-tier supreme-grade Breakthrough Pill lodged in a crack in the cliff face. After consuming it, his cultivation will break through to the mid-stage of the Purple Abode Realm, allowing him to become one of the outstanding members of his generation.]
Ye Wushuang’s expression did not change in the slightest, but she had already begun to regard Gu Changfeng with wary eyes.
Gu Changfeng might look perfectly respectable now, but in the future, he would betray the sect and join Lin Langtian.
“Junior sister.”
Gu Changfeng smiled faintly at Ye Wushuang, his tone gentle.
“Welcome to the sect. If there’s anything you don’t understand in the future, feel free to come to your sixth senior brother.”
Ye Wushuang returned his smile.
“Thank you, Sixth Senior Brother.”
The two of them smiled at each other, appearing perfectly cordial.
As for what they were each thinking inside, only the heavens knew.
The final disciple, the seventh senior sister Zhao Shuying, was a petite girl who looked eighteen or nineteen years old. She stared at Ye Wushuang with wide eyes, sizing her up from head to toe.
“Hmph. Master’s going to play favorites again.”
Zhao Shuying pouted and muttered under her breath.
Dao Yan, the Perfected One, coughed once, and Zhao Shuying immediately quieted down.
“All right. Now that you’ve met one another…”
Dao Yan, the Perfected One, looked toward Su Changyuan.
“Ye Wushuang has just joined the sect. As the eldest senior brother, you’ll be responsible for familiarizing her with the sect’s rules. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first.”
Su Changyuan cupped his fists.
“This disciple accepts your command.”
After Dao Yan, the Perfected One, rose and left, the atmosphere in the hall instantly changed.
Su Changyuan turned around and looked at Ye Wushuang. A hint of scrutiny appeared in his eyes.
“Junior sister, although Master has accepted you as his final disciple, Heavenly Balance Peak has its rules. Newly initiated disciples must demonstrate their abilities before their senior brothers and sisters.”
Ye Wushuang raised an eyebrow, an inexplicable anger rising in her heart.
“What exactly do I need to demonstrate?”
“Your comprehension.”
Su Changyuan took a black cultivation manual from his sleeve and held it out to Ye Wushuang.
“This is the body-refining technique, the Black Tortoise Iron Wall Art, which I obtained by chance in an ancient secret realm. It is a supreme-grade Earth-tier technique.”
His tone was calm.
“This technique draws upon the power of the ancient Black Tortoise as its foundation, and it is exceptionally difficult to cultivate. I have studied it for three years, yet to this day, I have only comprehended the introductory stage.”
Su Changyuan glanced at the other senior brothers and sisters. Each of them nodded slightly.
Clearly, they had discussed this in advance.
“If junior sister can comprehend the first level of this technique on the spot before all of us, then we will acknowledge your status as Master’s final disciple.”
Ye Wushuang looked at the scroll in her hands and blinked.
“That’s all?”
Su Changyuan’s brows drew together.
“Junior sister, don’t underestimate this technique. A supreme-grade Earth-tier body-refining technique is a rare treasure even throughout the entire Profound Heaven Sect. If you can comprehend its basics within a day, you will already be considered extraordinarily gifted.”
Ye Wushuang unrolled the scroll and quickly scanned through it.
The Black Tortoise Iron Wall Art was a supreme-grade Earth-tier body-refining technique divided into nine levels.
Once cultivated to mastery, it could grant the practitioner an indestructible physical body, making them impervious to blades and spears, as well as water and fire.
Once cultivated to perfection, it could awaken the power of the Black Tortoise bloodline and bestow unparalleled defensive might.
The technique was indeed impressive.
“System, how many Fortune Points will it take to upgrade this?” Ye Wushuang asked inwardly.
[Upgrading the Black Tortoise Iron Wall Art to perfection will require 5 Fortune Points. The host currently has: 10 Fortune Points.]
“Add the points. Take it straight to the maximum.”
Ye Wushuang did not hesitate.
[Attribute allocation successful! The Black Tortoise Iron Wall Art has reached perfection!]
A warm current of power surged through Ye Wushuang’s body. With the support of her Nine-Phoenix Flame Phoenix Physique, it merged flawlessly with the profound principles of the Black Tortoise Iron Wall Art.
A faint black radiance flashed across her skin, vanishing in an instant.
The entire process took only five breaths.
Ye Wushuang closed the scroll and raised her head.
“Senior Brother, I’ve finished comprehending it.”
The great hall fell utterly silent.
Several senior brothers and sisters stood frozen in place.
“What did you say?”
Su Changyuan thought he had misheard her. “You’ve already comprehended the first stage?”
“Perhaps.”
“Ye Wushuang, you’d better think carefully. Although you are Master’s final disciple, if you dare deceive us, we will report the truth to Master.”
