Chapter 142: What Prodigy? I Am a Great Power! (Part 1

It is time to return to the sect.

I wonder if those senior brothers and sisters will be able to handle the fact that after one trip out, I have become a fellow Daoist of the same cultivation realm as our Master.

I cannot be blamed for being too diligent; I can only say that you all are not working hard enough.

What? You say I rely on the legacy of the Ancestor?

Hmph! That is also a part of one's strength!

Lv Gong returned to the sect, but was stopped by a disciple at the gate.

"This fellow Daoist, may I ask what business you have at our Tianyu Immortal Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Runping could not help but reveal a smile. This young disciple must have only joined the sect a few decades ago, so it was no surprise he did not recognize him, a former celebrity. He said:

"I am Lv Gong, the fifth True Disciple of Elder Xue Yunzi of Lingyu Peak. This is my Identity Token."

He did not make things difficult for the other party, but instead amiably took out his token for him to inspect.

After the young disciple confirmed it was indeed a True Disciple token, he hurriedly apologized and said:

"I have not been here long and have never met you, Senior Brother. Please forgive my offense."

Lu Runping said with a smile:

"Do not blame yourself. I have not returned for over a hundred years; I do not know if anyone still remembers me."

The disciple, however, suddenly remembered something and said in surprise:

"Could you be that Senior Brother Lv who entered the Baisheng Mijing?"

Now it was Lu Runping's turn to be surprised, and he asked in return:

"Oh? You actually know of me?"

The disciple, filled with a hint of admiration amidst his pleasant surprise, said:

"It really is you! You successfully cleared the Baisheng Mijing; that is too amazing! I only heard that Senior Brother entered the Baisheng Mijing to gain the strength to sweep away the demons of the world, and even caused Xiangxiang Xian Zi of the Wanling Immortal Sect and Yun Zheng of the Luoyun Immortal Sect to become jealous, saying that if you could successfully emerge from the secret realm, they would both become your Dao companions!"

The smile on Lu Runping's face stiffened, and a sense of bewilderment appeared in his expression.

He knew the first half; that was the excuse he had found to reasonably disappear for a period of time in order to enter the secret realm.

But what was the meaning of the second half? How did he inexplicably end up with two Dao companions!?

I, Lu Runping, have lived an upright life and have never flirted with women. Where on earth did this rumor come from? And it is a rumor that has been circulating for over a hundred years.

Are cultivators really this bored?

Entering the sect, Lu Runping went straight to Lingyu Peak. The first thing to do upon returning to the sect was, of course, to pay a visit to his Master.

Sensing someone approaching, Xue Yunzi, who was in the middle of cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes, then revealed an expression of joy, mixed with a look of disbelief.

"Disciple Lv Gong, pays respects to Master!"

Looking at the young disciple before him, Xue Yunzi almost thought his senses were failing him. He did not answer for a long while, just looking at him for a moment, and then suddenly let out a breath.

"I originally thought that Dugu Xiuzhu of the Lingxiao Sword Sect, who obtained a hundred victories in three hundred and seventy years and broke through from the secret realm, was already a supreme prodigy. I did not expect you to give me such a big surprise.

You actually only used one hundred and five years!

Also, what is your current level of cultivation?"

Having just tried hard to observe him, as a Master in the Dao Integration Realm, he was actually unable to see through the cultivation of his little disciple, who was once only at the early Nascent Soul Realm. This made him feel a bit ashamed, but at the same time, it aroused immense curiosity.

Lu Runping replied calmly:

"Over these years, this disciple has cultivated diligently and made some small progress, just barely stepping into the Dao Integration Realm."

"At your age, being able to reach the Spirit Severing Realm is already considered a prodigy, do not—"

Xue Yunzi subconsciously assumed Lu Runping said he had just barely stepped into the Spirit Severing Realm. After all, entering the Spirit Severing Realm before the age of five hundred could be called a prodigy; this was already an extremely outstanding group of people.

But as these words slipped out, he suddenly realized halfway through that he did not seem to have heard "Spirit Severing Realm." He looked at Lu Runping with a numb expression and confirmed again:

"You just said you stepped into the Dao Integration Realm?"

Lu Runping still wore a gentle smile, revealing the aura of the early Dao Integration Realm, and even deliberately released his Ice Cold True Intent, giving the impression that he had just broken through and could not yet control his own aura.

"Yes, that secret realm was of great help to me. With the aid of the final reward for clearing it, I was able to break through to the Dao Integration Realm."

Xue Yunzi was somewhat dazed. He could not help but recall the age at which he broke through to the Dao Integration Realm: one thousand four hundred and eighty-six years old. And his little disciple was just under two hundred years old, right?

When he was two hundred years old, he had not even reached the Nascent Soul Realm!

The gap between people is sometimes just that obvious. He did not expect that after living for more than three thousand years, he would still have such a realization.

He suddenly laughed out loud again.

"Haha! Good, extremely good! My disciple Lv Gong has the potential of a terrestrial immortal!"

As he spoke, he stood up, walked straight over to grab Lu Runping's arm, and while pulling him outside, said:

"Let's go! I will take you to see the Sect Master first to obtain the qualifications of a Dao Integration Realm Elder, so that you can enjoy the resource support of the Dao Integration Realm sooner!"

Xue Yunzi was not without a sense of showing off.

When he first took in Lu Runping, he was extremely satisfied, especially when he broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm in a short time and gained the reputation of a future prodigy.

Later, bringing back Spirit Fruit from the Sheng Tian Secret Realm also allowed him, as a Master, to bask in the glory and also be in the spotlight.

After that, Lu Runping gained the reputation of being the number one person in eliminating demons, vaguely becoming the light of the righteous path.

As his Master, Xue Yunzi could not avoid being envied by other Elders every time the sect held a meeting, saying he had a good disciple who was capable and had good character, worthy of great responsibility.

All of this made him feel very comfortable.

He thought this was already the limit, but he did not expect Lu Runping to suddenly decide to enter the Hundred Victories Secret Realm, and now he had actually completed the hundred victories so quickly, and even stepped into the Dao Integration Realm in one go!

Is my disciple a prodigy? No, he is a Great Power! The Dao Integration Realm can be called a Great Power!

Although Lu Runping could not empathize with Xue Yunzi's excited feelings, judging by his trembling hands, this old man must be very excited, so he naturally would not dampen his spirits and followed him to the sect's main hall.

At this time, Sect Master Nong Yunqian was discussing matters with several managing Elders. Suddenly seeing Xue Yunzi barge in, he did not get angry and asked with a smile:

"Elder Xue, is there some urgent matter?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Lu Runping beside him, and he revealed an expression of surprise and uncertainty.

He was not unfamiliar with Lv Gong, the avatar of Lu Runping, but the clearly evident Harmony Integration realm aura on the other party made him a bit afraid to identify him.

Could it be an ancestor of Lv Gong?

Xue Yunzi laughed heartily:

"I brought my disciple here to register his status and claim his benefits!"

This was said with such boldness, as if he were begging for food with righteous confidence.

Several Elders around them wore curious expressions, but then they heard Lu Runping next to them bowing to Nong Yunqian and the others one by one, while saying:

"Lingyu Peak True Disciple Lv Gong, greets the Sect Master and all the Elders!"

"Pfft—what!?"

Elder Zhenyi, who was sitting on the right drinking tea, spat it out upon hearing this; he had clearly sensed the genuine Harmony Integration realm cultivation aura on Lu Runping, the Self-Dao combined with spiritual power fluctuations—there was no mistake.

How could such a person be a True Disciple?

And, it was Lv Gong!

All the Elders of the Tianyu Immortal Sect knew of Lv Gong's reputation; after all, the matter of the Spirit Fruit had involved the demonic chaos and caused quite a stir, so no one was a stranger to this name.

Nong Yunqian also remembered clearly and asked in surprise:

"So you mean you have come out of the Baisheng Mijing? I recall it has only been a little over a hundred years since the day you entered, right?"

Lu Runping nodded and said:

"It has been a full one hundred and five years. This disciple spent a hundred years in bitter cultivation inside, never forgetting the goal for which I entered, and now I finally have a modicum of strength to eliminate demons and defend the Dao."

Hearing his lament, the crowd did not feel he had experienced any bitter cultivation; instead, they thought, what is a hundred years? How could someone reach this level of cultivation in just a hundred years?

He even used the words "a full," shouldn't he have used "a mere" one hundred years?

Elder Zhenyi, wiping his mouth, exclaimed:

"Back in the day, Dugu Xiuzhu achieved a hundred victories in three hundred and seventy years, and upon emerging, he topped the Earth Ranking of the Heaven Ranking, making the Lingxiao Sword Sect peerless in prestige for a time.

This Lv Gong achieved a hundred victories in a hundred years and has now become a Harmony Integration realm cultivator, enough to enter the ranks of the Heaven Ranking; our Tianyu Immortal Sect is going to become famous now!"

The Heaven Ranking is divided into two parts: one is the Earth Ranking; those who enter the Spirit Severing realm before the age of five hundred can enter the Earth Ranking, and according to cultivation potential, professionals evaluate and assign a ranking.

Above the Earth Ranking is the Heaven Ranking; those who enter the Harmony Integration realm before the age of one thousand can enter the Heaven Ranking. This ranking is determined by strength, and one leaves the list after two thousand years of age.

Entering the Heaven Ranking actually has a benefit: one can rely on their ranking to receive a portion of resources from the Tianji Dao Sect.

No matter what sect one belongs to, one can go to the Tianji Dao Sect to receive them.

After Xue Yunzi heard them offer a few words of praise, he urged again:

"Sect Master, hurry and arrange new status and qualifications for this disciple of mine. A Harmony Integration realm cultivator can be called an Elder and be granted a mountain peak; for such an outstanding disciple, you must give him a good place."

Nong Yunqian laughed and said:

"If he is called an Elder, he will leave the status of True Disciple. You are losing this disciple, yet you are still so anxious."

Upon hearing this, Xue Yunzi looked at Lu Runping and said with great gratification:

"I know Lv Gong's character best. Even without this master-disciple bond, he would not fail to respect me. Furthermore, I have already accepted his benefits and have not yet repaid that karma, so now I will certainly not hinder him from stepping into a higher position because of this."

Lu Runping did not say anything about wanting to stay at Lingyu Peak to continue being Xue Yunzi's True Disciple; since Xue Yunzi brought him here, it was to allow him to obtain Elder status and subsequently obtain the corresponding resources.

If he really said that, it would instead be failing his good intentions.

However, he still said this:

"This disciple will always respect his Master!"

An Elder known as 'Fairy Qing Yang' spoke up with emotion:

"When he first entered the sect, it was heard that his character was pure and kind, and later he made eliminating demons and defending the Dao his own responsibility. Now he has risked his life again, entering the Baisheng Mijing, and after experiencing life and death, he has obtained such cultivation; he is truly worthy of being a leader of the righteous path!"

Nong Yunqian stood up and said:

"Good, since that is the case, then in three days, we will hold the Elder conferment ceremony. Lv Gong, you first obtained the Spirit Fruit Dao Seed, then realized the Cold Ice True Intent, and now, at only two hundred years old, you have entered the Harmony Integration realm. If your future cultivation does not falter, you will inevitably become a Land Immortal. The Tianyu Immortal Sect will need your protection."

"Elder Lv, this is your Elder Token!"