Chapter 108: Advancement to Core Disciple

At the center of Skeleton Mountain, Lu Yang sat cross-legged in silent meditation, holding the Myriad Souls Banner, surrounded by a cluster of ten thousand ghosts, with the aura of the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation completely unrestrained.

Immediately, a beam of brilliant light shone into the Hall of Yanmo.

The light coalesced into a human form, and Daoist Yinshan stepped out, wearing an expression of astonishment, his gaze fixed squarely on Lu Yang while secretly calculating karmic ties.

However, he froze on the spot.

Because this time, Lu Yang did not deliberately obscure his karma; instead, he actively released most of it, which greatly shocked True Person Yinshan.

"Are you... Lu Yang?"

In his calculations, Lu Yang had joined the sect for only a little over ten years, yet his cultivation base had already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation; if this much was understandable, then achieving a Great Divine Art at such a young age was sheer fantasy, absolutely impossible for an ordinary grassroots disciple to attain!

After a moment of silence, True Person Yinshan reached the exact same conclusion as in his previous life:

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, which True Person of our Holy Sect have you reincarnated from?"

Lu Yang: "..."

Before Lu Yang could respond, Patriarch Tingyou materialized behind him, sneering, "What True Person of the Holy Sect? This is a successor of our Witch-Ghost Path!"

"The Witch-Ghost Path?"

Hearing this, True Person Yinshan was startled again; he looked at Patriarch Tingyou and calculated for a moment longer before showing surprise: "Tingyou? The last sect master of the Witch-Ghost Path?"

"I am the sixth generation, not the last!" Patriarch Tingyou spoke again, clearly dissatisfied with the title 'last,' and said coldly, "Our Witch-Ghost Path has continued for a thousand years without its lineage ever being broken; Lu Yang is my Witch-Ghost successor, merely taking temporary refuge under the Chusheng Sect!"

"Oh?"

True Person Yinshan paused upon hearing this, then a look of realization appeared in his eyes; if that were the case, Lu Yang's rapid progress became understandable.

Joining a master with existing skills was only natural.

Thinking of this, True Person Yinshan glanced again at the Dharma Protector Goddess Su Nu behind Lu Yang; she was the true reason he had not attacked the moment he appeared.

'An external incarnation, with a Foundation Establishment cultivation base?'

True Person Yinshan gained some insight, mistaking Su Nu for the hidden strength of the Witch-Ghost Path; in that case, it was no wonder Lu Yang had cultivated a Great Divine Art at such a young age.

After all, the difficulty of cultivating a Great Divine Art was limited to the Qi Condensation realm; for a Foundation Establishment True Person, it was not so difficult, so it was normal for Lu Yang to achieve it young. The only doubt was where this Great Divine Art came from, yet when True Person Yinshan calculated to the end, the trail led back to himself.

"Are you one of my people from the Sanhe Society?"

Seeing the change in True Person Yinshan's expression, Lu Yang remained calm and composed.

Of all his Great Divine Arts, only one allowed others to trace his karma: the "Twelve Celestial Gods' Secret Demonic Calamity Light," which he had learned only in this life.

And this Great Divine Art was a benefit of joining the Sanhe Society.

Therefore, no matter how one calculated it, his roots were pure and black; moreover, he had signed the Sanhe Society's contract, so strictly speaking, he was one of True Person Yinshan's own people.

As for other Great Divine Arts with unclear origins, once he advanced to Core Disciple status and gained standing, revealing them would no longer arouse suspicion.

For this reason, he must ascend to Core Disciple status as quickly as possible!

Generally, to become a Core Disciple of the Holy Sect, one must have a Foundation Establishment True Person backing them, signifying that you have gained the Holy Sect's trust.

In this world, what matters is power and background.

Without background, you are just a nobody, destined to be cannon fodder.

Therefore, Lu Yang must demonstrate his value and secure a powerful patron for himself, and the title "Successor of the Witch-Ghost Path" was an excellent tiger skin to borrow.

"Replying to Senior, yes, exactly."

Lu Yang bowed respectfully and said, "It was Senior Sister Feixia who visited to invite me to join; I concealed this previously, please do not blame me, Senior."

"So that's how it is..."

True Person Yinshan looked at Lu Yang with a strange expression: "You could have continued hiding; why reveal yourself voluntarily? Do you intend to revive the Witch-Ghost Path?"

He did not doubt Lu Yang's identity; after all, Patriarch Tingyou's karmic ties were clear—he was the last sect master of the Witch-Ghost Path. Since even he voluntarily acknowledged Lu Yang as the "Successor of the Witch-Ghost Path," how could it be false? It was impossible for a mere Qi Condensation cultivator like Lu Yang to deceive Patriarch Tingyou, wasn't it?

"Senior misunderstands."

Lu Yang shook his head decisively: "I am a disciple of the Holy Sect; although I have inherited the Witch-Ghost Path's legacy, my heart belongs to the Holy Sect, and I have absolutely no intention of establishing a separate sect."

"In fact, I wish to offer the entire legacy of the Witch-Ghost Path to the Holy Sect."

"... h?"

Hearing this, True Person Yinshan looked toward Patriarch Tingyou; seeing him show no reaction whatsoever, he grew even more curious, unaware that Lu Yang had already briefed him beforehand.

After a thousand years, Patriarch Tingyou had long since recognized reality.

The key point was the sect's survival and whether the lineage continued; as long as the lineage remained, taking refuge under a larger sect and paying some price was only natural.

"Interesting..."

True Person Yinshan finally realized what was happening and looked at Lu Yang with a half-smile: "You intend to use the Witch-Ghost Path's legacy as your stepping stone for promotion?"

"Is that not allowed?" Lu Yang countered.

"Hahaha! It is allowed, of course it is allowed!"

The next second, True Person Yinshan let out a loud laugh, all previous doubts vanished, looking at Lu Yang with full appreciation: "Truly a disciple of our Holy Sect!"

Under the Holy Sect's rule, they do not look at merit, reincarnation, or origins; they only look at your value!

If the value is high enough, never mind being a successor of the Witch-Ghost Path; even if you were a successor of the Yushu Sword Pavilion, they would still accept you; the Holy Sect never cares!

Thinking of this, True Person Yinshan understood Lu Yang's request: "You want the position of a Core Disciple?"

Lu Yang cupped his hands: "True Person sees clearly."

"I will take care of this matter."

True Person Yinshan smiled: "You are offering the Witch-Ghost Path's legacy to the Holy Sect; this is a great merit. I can recommend you upward and secure a Core Disciple quota for you."

At this moment, the way True Person Yinshan looked at Lu Yang had changed; if before he viewed him as a stranger, now that he knew Lu Yang had joined the Sanhe Society and signed a legal contract, he regarded Lu Yang as his own junior, believing him to be talent worthy of vigorous cultivation.

'Just right; Senior Brother Master Chongguang and I have agreed to go to that region in eighty years.'

Although True Person Yinshan favored Luo Wuya, breaking through to Foundation Establishment was a nine deaths, one life gamble, and no one knew the outcome, so he also wanted to find some backup candidates.

Moreover, strictly speaking, Lu Yang clearly had more hope than Luo Wuya.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Seeing this, Lu Yang also revealed a smile, cupped his hands in thanks, and simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief in his heart; with this, he would have some standing within the Holy Sect.

Of course, this standing was currently like a castle in the air.

After all, his status as a Core Disciple was an空降 appointment, having the name but not the substance; to truly gain the Holy Sect's trust, he would inevitably have to undergo a long assessment period.

'But it doesn't matter.'

'After all, what I lack least is time!'

Holy Sect, center of the Cloud Sea Reaching the Sky.

This place was named "Holy Fire Cliff," the secluded cultivation ground for the Sect Master and various True Monarchs; the only True Person permitted entry was the current Acting Sect Master.

True Person Master Chongguang.

At this moment, this heroic and spirited True Person, filled with soaring ambition, waited solemnly before a meditation room, silently calculating the days in his heart.

'It is almost time...'

不知 how long passed before True Person Master Chongguang finally raised his head; almost simultaneously, a soft sound came from the meditation room before him, and a graceful figure pushed the door open and walked out.

"Greetings to True Monarch Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue!"

Without another word, True Person Master Chongguang immediately bowed low, until a gentle voice arrived: "Rise, there is no need for excessive courtesy; how has your cultivation been recently, Master Chongguang?"

"Slight progress."

True Person Master Chongguang remained bowed and said solemnly, "Some days ago, I successfully cultivated the final 【Gangyan Furnace】; my Dao path is complete, lacking only the climb to heaven to take my seat."

"【Gangyan Furnace】 is cultivated?"

Hearing this, True Monarch Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue immediately showed joy: "This Earth Fiend position belongs to 【Dahuangluo】; in that case, your Dao path has gathered 【E'feng】, 【Zhixu】, 【Zhanmeng】, and 【Dahuangluo】, completing the four medicines. It seems the position of 【Fu Fu Deng Huo】 is within easy reach."

"When do you plan to take your seat?"

"More time is needed." True Person Master Chongguang shook his head: "Hong Yun is not dead, and he still has a True Monarch backing him; rashly taking the seat may fail to succeed."

"Therefore, I plan to go to 'that region'."

"Oh?" True Monarch Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue paused upon hearing this, then nodded: "With your cultivation base, although you can barely go, you will still need several assistants."

"I already have candidates." True Person Master Chongguang nodded.

Hearing this, True Monarch Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue did not ask further and nodded: "I have always been at ease when you handle matters. However, my reason for closing cultivation this time is for the Battle for the Dao."

"Battle for the Dao? So soon?" True Person Master Chongguang was startled.

True Monarch Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue shook her head: "The great millennial calamity is approaching, and the heavenly stars are out of order; this is only logical. Go inform the Holy Sect and gather the Core Disciples."

"... es!"

True Person Master Chongguang nodded, but a trace of worry appeared on his face.

If it were ten-plus years ago, he would not have worried, because at that time True Person Yinshan had not yet broken through to Foundation Establishment and was sufficient to suppress Qi Condensation disciples from all other Dao lineages.

However, nowadays, True Person Yinshan had already established his Foundation.

Although besides True Person Yinshan, there were some brilliant figures among the Core Disciples, most of them needed to be stationed in various places across Jiangbei and could not move lightly.

Among the Core Disciples who could be mobilized, one sufficiently brilliant existence capable of settling the outcome was missing.

It seemed other Dao lineages had also spotted this point, which was why they restarted the Battle for the Dao in such a short time, aiming to suppress the Holy Sect's prestige.

"It seems that this time, the Holy Sect will likely suffer some losses..."

Thinking of this, True Person Master Chongguang could not help but sigh.

(End of Chapter)