Qian Weigang and Sun Pengcheng left, leaving only Wang Guofeng and Zhang Yuhe in the room.
Zhang Yuhe looked up at the sky and spoke calmly.
"I'm going back to the sect."
Upon hearing this, Wang Guofeng asked with excitement, "Senior, have you broken through to the Void Refining Realm?"
Nothing significant had happened in Yunzhong Prefecture recently, so there was only one reason Zhang Yuhe would be returning to Daosheng Sect: he had made a breakthrough and was going back to be promoted to elder.
Zhang Yuhe nodded slightly.
Having already reached the Void Refining Realm, he no longer needed to serve as the garrison commander of Yunzhong. Now, he only needed to return to the sect to report, and he would soon be promoted to an elder.
Unlike the inner disciples, the elders of Daosheng Sect do not have specific official duties; they can remain in the sect to practice or travel freely. The sect imposes nearly no restrictions on the elders, allowing them to do as they please—as long as they don't rebel. Unless a particularly major issue arises, the elders are rarely called upon for action.
At this point, Wang Guofeng was both excited and a little melancholy. He hesitantly asked, "Senior, may I still follow you and assist you?"
Wang Guofeng knew that since Zhang Yuhe was no longer the garrison commander of Yunzhong Prefecture, his temporary appointment as an inspector would come to an end. Over the past ten years, being an inspector had granted him numerous conveniences, including successfully reaching the Golden Elixir Great Perfection and amassing a large amount of cultivation resources. With these resources, his cultivation path would be smoother.
However, Wang Guofeng understood that the road to immortality was long, and only by staying close to Zhang Yuhe could he continue to progress. It didn't matter whether he held the position of inspector—what mattered was staying by Zhang Yuhe's side, even if it meant doing menial tasks.
Zhang Yuhe glanced at Wang Guofeng, understanding his thoughts but not minding. He indeed needed someone to help him with various tasks. As his cultivation level increased, many of the resources he needed could no longer be found in the player's trading market. While there were speculators in the market, they couldn't resell high-end goods. Since Wang Guofeng was eager to stay, Zhang Yuhe saw it as a good opportunity for him to assist.
"Come with me to Daosheng Sect first," Zhang Yuhe said. "We'll figure out what to do next."
With that, Zhang Yuhe rolled up his sleeves and flew toward the teleportation array, with Wang Guofeng following closely behind.
In the main hall of Daosheng Sect, Li Tian's cold eyes gleamed with excitement. Compared to ten years ago, his aura was now much stronger.
He had already reached the Void Refining Realm.
Li Tian walked quickly into the hall, where Lu Mingfang sat quietly in a chair. Upon seeing Li Tian, Lu Mingfang looked up and felt the powerful aura of the Void Refining Realm emanating from him.
"You've made a breakthrough?" Lu Mingfang asked, slightly surprised. "As expected of a Fire Spirit Body—your cultivation speed is unmatched."
It had taken less than a thousand years for Li Tian to reach the Void Refining Realm. Few had ever achieved such rapid advancement in Daosheng Sect's history.
Lu Mingfang stood up and smiled broadly. "Very good. From now on, we have one more elder in the sect."
"Come with me," he added. "I'll take you to meet the Sect Master."
As the deacon elder, Lu Mingfang was in charge of overseeing both inner and outer disciples. To promote someone to elder, the Sect Master's approval was necessary. Elders were pillars of Daosheng Sect, and they needed to be treated with the utmost respect.
However, just as they were about to leave the hall, Lu Mingfang's expression shifted. His hand reached for a jade token, and with a flick of his finger, a voice came from the token.
"Reporting to Elder Lu, I have fortunately broken through to the Void Refining Realm and am returning to the sect. Please arrange for someone to take over the affairs of Yunzhong Prefecture."
Lu Mingfang and Li Tian froze.
"One hundred years... It took him only one hundred years to break through to the Void Refining Realm?" Lu Mingfang muttered, unable to hide his shock. "What kind of abnormal talent does this kid have?"
In just over a century, Zhang Yuhe had progressed from a novice Qi practitioner to the Void Refining Realm. Such a rapid cultivation speed was beyond belief.
"Could he be the reincarnation of a true immortal?" Lu Mingfang wondered aloud, still processing the information.
Li Tian, who had been silently observing, was also stunned. Originally, he thought that reaching the Void Refining Realm would finally rid him of the embarrassment of being overshadowed by his junior fellow disciple. But now, it seemed his younger peer had surpassed him once again.
For someone as proud as Li Tian, this was a bitter pill to swallow. After returning to the sect last time, he had locked himself in seclusion to improve his cultivation. Yet, despite his best efforts, Zhang Yuhe's breakthrough had outshone his own.
"This guy is really out to slap me in the face," Li Tian silently grumbled, though he quickly recovered his composure.
At least, Zhang Yuhe's advancement meant that they would all be elders in the sect, and there would be no rank distinctions among them.
"Well, when I think about it this way, it doesn't seem so bad," Li Tian mused, trying to comfort himself.
Lu Mingfang, unaware of Li Tian's inner turmoil, cast a spell, took a deep breath, and spoke into the jade token.
"Since you've broken through to the Void Refining Realm, return to the sect first. I will arrange for someone to guard Yunzhong Prefecture."
After leaving Zhongzhou City, Zhang Yuhe stood on the flying boat, hearing Lu Mingfang's voice coming from the jade token. He thought for a moment and then asked, "Elder Lu, I wish to bring someone into the sect. Is this possible?"
Zhang Yuhe had brought Wang Guofeng with him. As Wang Guofeng was not a disciple of Daosheng Sect, he couldn't enter the mountain gate directly. While the elders of Daosheng Sect could recruit followers, he wasn't sure of the procedure.
"Place them at the reception desk outside the mountain gate first," Lu Mingfang replied. "Once you meet the Sect Master and are officially promoted to elder, you can bring them in."
Zhang Yuhe stored the jade token and turned to Wang Guofeng. "Let's go to the reception first. Once I take care of the formalities, I'll bring you into the sect."
Wang Guofeng, overwhelmed with excitement, barely contained himself. While entering Daosheng Sect was important, what mattered more to him was Zhang Yuhe's regard for him. Now that Zhang Yuhe had agreed to bring him in, Wang Guofeng felt a great sense of relief.
Finally, he had firmly secured his place by Zhang Yuhe's side.