Chapter 9: Reunion with Ouyang Xingyue

  "Boss, I have a question that I just can't figure out. Why did it feel like the places where those inner sect disciples lived weren't very far from us back then?" Zhao Dabao asked.

  "Exactly, Master Lingfeng, I went to collect discarded materials on that mountain not far from Qixing Mountain, why are we going so far now?" Sun Ming asked with a puzzled face.

  "You went to deliver food or collect discarded materials, the places you went to were all places where the sect trained new recruits to test their character. Why did you go less and less later on? It's because more and more inner disciples who passed the assessment came here. Does Sun Ming know why he wasn't bullied by Ouyang Xingyue later on? Because she passed the character cultivation assessment earlier, so she left earlier too, that's why it felt easier for you later on." said Ling Feng.

  "Oh, I see. So it seems that even inner disciples aren't so easy to deal with after all. Do we still need to conduct that mental state assessment?" Sun Mingdao said.

  "Of course not, you can enter from the outer gate to the inner gate, which means your heart is very calm." Ling Feng said.

  "Not bad, the Lingzong sect's seemingly lax and slack door system has such benefits. If my Yu Xū had such a system back then, there wouldn't have been failures like Shen Gongbao." Cloud Middle Child said.

  "Master, who is Shen Gongbao, a scourge of the Jade Void Palace?" Sun Ming asked in his heart.

  "It can be said that he was your senior, but later he coveted wealth and glory, brought disaster to the world, and was finally buried in the North Sea by your ancestor. You must not follow his path. Although it is said that heaven and earth are unkind, treating the common people as grass dogs, and sages are unkind, treating all things as grass dogs. However, bringing blessings to the world and all living beings is our duty as cultivators." Cloud Ancestor Dao.

  "Got it, Master. I will remember." said Sun Mingdao.

  "Alright, everyone can go down now." Ling Feng said.

  "Wow, so beautiful! Boss, take a look, it's a crane, it must be delicious!" Zhao Dabao said with a naive face. But this sentence made the guy sitting on the crane showing off furious, his face turned green.

  "What's with this fatty's tone? Is he tired of living?" said the green-faced man.

  "Sorry about that, I just thought this crane looked quite plump and appetizing." Zhao Dabao said.

  "You" The green-faced man was about to take action immediately.

  "Ling He, stop it. These are just a few junior brothers who have just entered the inner gate. It's only Sun Ming, Zhao Da Bao, and this is Ouyang Ming Yue. You several quickly pay respects to your senior brother." said Ling Feng.

  "I've seen Master's older brother," Sun Ming said with great reluctance.

  "En," said the green-faced man with a stinky fart, looking at the three of them.

  "Next time I see my senior brother, my crane will boast that it understands, if it gets startled, it won't be good, you know." After finishing speaking, he rode on the white crane and showed off again.

  "Lingfeng brother, why is it so empty here? There's only that white crane and that green-faced man?" Sun Ming asked.

  "Today is the day when the Inner Gate's big comparison officially begins, everyone has gone to participate in the competition. I'll arrange your matters later, Lingyuan and I are also going." said Lingfeng.

  Everyone walked in front of a large hall, Ling Feng said.

  "This is the venue for this grand competition. In a moment, I will report to Elder Tianyi and then he will bestow upon you your Dao numbers. After that, there will be Shifu coming to choose their disciples. Stand here first and take a look around. Good luck finding a good master." With that, Lingfeng and Linyuan turned and left.

  This is a quadrangular building, with an open space in the middle, where there is a large stone slab paved with bluestone, and at this moment the slab is filled with people wearing the uniform of the Qiling Sect. Each person has a set of materials placed in front of them. An elderly man who appears to be a senior member of the sect hovers in mid-air before the crowd.

  "Today is the day of our sect's once-in-twenty-years grand competition, each time with a different topic, but all with the same purpose. Before announcing the first round of examination questions, I want to say a few words." The old man said.

  "Our Qī Líng Zōng may be one of the top sects in the Xiū Zhēn Jiè, but we don't take pride in that. We continue to cultivate new blood for our sect, and as the newest generation of Qī Líng Zōng, you should strive to practice diligently and make our sect even more glorious."

  "Nowadays, the Immortal Realm is fraught with danger, and the war fire between the Orthodox Cultivators and the Demonic Cultivators has reignited in recent years. As a sect that provides many treasures for the Orthodox Cultivators, our Instrument Spirit Sect has become a thorn in the side of the Demonic Cultivators, who seek to eliminate us. In the past two years, we have continuously received news of the murder of our disciples sent to other planets. Therefore, the Council of Elders has unanimously decided that while refining instruments, we will also learn offensive spells and combat techniques to prevent future emergencies. The top three winners of this competition will be granted the right to choose a cultivation method in the Wuji Pavilion."

  As soon as the old man's words fell, the originally quiet square immediately became a hubbub of voices.

  "Wuji Pavilion, that's where our sect has always stored its skills. It's said to be the top skills of various major sects in the Xiantian realm. Picking a skill from Wuji Pavilion is just...". The Lingzi generation disciples couldn't help but smack their lips in satisfaction.

  "It seems that this time, the Cultivation Realm has really encountered a great crisis. Disciples below the Yuan Ying period were not allowed to come into contact with aggressive techniques in order to focus on cultivating their equipment." said Ling Zi Bei's disciple.

  "Be quiet for a moment." The old man said.

  "Today, three more disciples have joined our Qiling Sect. They were formerly outer sect disciples: Sun Ming, Zhao Dabao, and Ouyang Mingyue. Since they entered the inner sect today, although it's just the beginning, our Qiling Sect has always treated all disciples equally. Next, I will bestow upon you your Daoist names. The seniors behind me, including those of the Xuanzi generation and above, will choose one of you three as their disciple, and then you can decide whether or not to participate in this grand competition." said the elder.

  "So this old man is actually Tianyi's elder, looks like he has a good temper." Zhao Dabao said.

  "Ouyang Mingyue gave you the Taoist name Lingyue, Zhao Dabao gave you the Taoist name Lingbao, and Sun Ming gave you the Taoist name Lingming." said Tianyi Old Dao.

  "Thank you, elder," the three said in unison.

  "Outer sect disciples, are these just a few Foundation Building stage fledglings?" asked Lingzi's junior fellow disciple.

  "Let them participate in the Grand Competition? How humiliating, it's unclear how long the foundation-stage spiritual fire can be released for. Participating in the Grand Competition, I really don't understand what Elder Tianyi is thinking." said Inner Disciple Yi.

  "It seems these disciples all look down on us." Sun Ming said in a low voice.

  "Yes, after all, these people think they are extremely talented, and are a cut above us latecomers!" Lingbao said with an unusually gloomy expression. In contrast, Lingyue still looked the same as before, her face expressionless, as if none of this had anything to do with her. After a moment, a slightly plump middle-aged Taoist came up to Lingbao and spoke to Tianyi, the elder.

  "Tianyi Elder. Now that I've taken a liking to Lingbao's disciple, consider him as one of our sect from now on."

  "Xuanxin, you lazy person, how come after all these years of not accepting any disciples, you've changed your mind?" Tian asked.

  "It's quite boring to practice alone, one has to find someone to talk to, right? The days are getting longer." said Xuanshen.

  "Lingbao, quickly pay respects to Master." Tianyi said with a smile.

  "Master, your disciple Lingbao has arrived."

  After a while, Ouyang Mingyue was also taken in by a Taoist nun named Xuanxin, leaving Sunming alone on the square.

  "Why hasn't this person been taken as a disciple by any senior?" Lingzi's junior brother Jia Dao.

  "Who would have known? Is it because he's not as handsome as me?" Ling Zi's younger brother, Zǐ Yǐ, said self-absorbedly.

  "Hey, isn't this Sun Ming who wanted to fight me back then? Right, I should be calling him Ling Ming now. How did he still end up in the inner circle with no one wanting him?" Sun Ming didn't even need to look to know that the owner of this voice was Ouyang Xingyue, the one who had humiliated him so much in the past.

  Sun Ming looked up and saw that Ouyang Xingyue was still as beautiful as ever. Although she was a bit harsh and arrogant, it couldn't be denied that she was indeed very beautiful. The Qilingshan Sect did not discourage its disciples from finding their Dao partners, on the contrary, they encouraged it. As long as one reached the Yuan Ying stage, they could find their own Dao partner. Especially since there were few female alchemists in the sect, someone like Ouyang Xingyue with high innate talent and beauty was highly sought after by many people.

  "Is this Xingyue the same outer disciple who dared to fight you without knowing his own strength back then?" Lingyu said. This Lingyu was also a genius with ten-star heavenly gift and Huoyuan power, just like Ouyang Xingyue when they first entered the inner sect together.

  "It's him, Ling Yu brother, I didn't expect his talent to also enter the inner door." said Ling Xing.

  "Well, I didn't expect a piece of trash with only one star of Fire Element to enter the inner gate. Looks like heaven has opened its eyes." Ling Yu said, winking at Ling Xing.

  Seeing this, Sun Ming knew that these two people were in cahoots and had come to uncover his secrets. Thinking of this, Sun Ming couldn't help but get furious, his left hand reaching for the Su Mei ring on his right hand, wanting to summon the Fan Tian Seal.

  "Endure a bit more, how will you explain it when you bring out the Heaven-Defying Seal at this time." Yun Zhongzi's voice echoed in Sun Ming's mind.

  "Yes, taking out the Fan Tian Seal can indeed let out this breath, but killing these two exceptionally talented disciples is one thing, if the seniors of the sect ask about the origin of the Fan Tian Seal and the Su Mei Ring, how will I explain it?" Sun Ming thought to this point and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

  "Disciple, these two have humiliated you so much, this grudge must be avenged, but not now. You should strike them in terms of cultivation, strike them in terms of alchemy, and let them fail thoroughly in their own most proud domain. Do you understand? As the saying goes, 'A gentleman takes revenge ten years later, it's not too late.' As a cultivator, you have plenty of time." Cloud Ancestor said.

  "I understand, Master," Sun Ming said. "I was too rash."

  Sun Ming looked at Ling Xing and Ling Yu's sly smiles, looking at the surrounding disciples pointing and laughing at him. He no longer showed any expression, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

  "This child has a good and profound heart, but unfortunately, his innate talent is not high. Otherwise, he will definitely become a great instrument in the future." Tianyi said quietly.

  "Who says no one wants to take him as a disciple? You don't want to, that's because you lack vision. A talent like his can enter the inner sect from the outer sect, do you know how much determination that takes? And yet, such a determined disciple has no one to take him in, what a waste! Sun Ming, do you still remember me? Back then I was your junior uncle, now I'm going to be your master, ahahahaha! How about it, are you willing?" Xuan Kong said with a smile all over his face.

  "Of course, Master." Sun Ming's address of "Master" was heartfelt. If it weren't for Xuan Kong's words that year and the spiritual elixir he had given him, there wouldn't be the current Sun Ming.

  “