The flying boat soon arrived outside the gates of Daosheng Sect.
After placing Wang Guofeng at the reception desk, Zhang Yuhe transformed into a stream of light and swiftly flew deeper into the sect.
After a short while, he arrived outside a hall: Fengming Palace. This was where Lu Mingfang handled sect affairs.
Zhang Yuhe entered the hall and saw not only Lu Mingfang but also Li Tian.
"Disciple Zhang Yuhe greets Elder Lu," Zhang Yuhe said respectfully.
"Hey, Senior Brother is here too!" he added, bowing to Lu Mingfang and greeting Li Tian enthusiastically.
At that moment, he noticed that Li Tian had broken through to the Void Refining Realm. As far as Zhang Yuhe knew, Li Tian had only been practicing for a little over nine hundred years.
Reaching the Void Refining Realm in just over nine hundred years—this was truly impressive. Li Tian was, after all, the eldest senior brother of Daosheng Sect, and his talent was beyond the ordinary.
"Big Brother, you've made a breakthrough? Congratulations!" Zhang Yuhe said, smiling.
Li Tian managed a forced smile in response. "It was just luck. I can't compare to Junior Brother Zhang."
"Junior Brother, it only took you a hundred years to reach the Void Refining Realm. This is unprecedented. I'm afraid there won't be anyone like you in the future."
"You're too kind, Senior Brother. I'm just a little more hardworking than others."
Li Tian was left speechless.
"Is this even human?" he thought. "Are you the only one who works hard? Do others sleep all day long?"
In Daosheng Sect, countless disciples worked diligently, but only one in ten thousand could eventually reach the Void Refining Realm.
Not to mention, Zhang Yuhe had accomplished this feat in just a hundred years. Talent, Li Tian realized, was the true key to cultivation.
People without talent could only go so far, no matter how hard they tried. The idea of defying fate was just self-deception.
Li Tian had always been proud of his own talent. With his rare Fire Spirit Body, he was regarded as a potential ascendant, someone who could one day reach the Immortal Realm and reconnect with sects in the upper realms.
But now, seeing Zhang Yuhe's progress, Li Tian felt that the talent he once prided himself on was nothing compared to Zhang Yuhe's. There was no competition.
Lu Mingfang stood quietly nearby, sensing the aura of the Void Refining Realm emanating from Zhang Yuhe. He remained silent, unsure of what to say.
At first, he had thought Zhang Yuhe was just another lucky disciple who happened to pick up a token. He hadn't paid much attention to him, merely following sect rules and accepting him into the inner sect.
But now, just over a hundred years later, this "lucky disciple" had broken through to the Void Refining Realm.
Lu Mingfang thought back to his own journey. How long had it taken him to reach that realm? Five thousand years? Six thousand? The comparison left him feeling bitter.
People feared comparisons. When you compared yourself to someone extraordinarily gifted, it was impossible not to feel uncomfortable.
At this moment, both Lu Mingfang and Li Tian shared that same discomfort.
"Alright, let's meet the Sect Master," Lu Mingfang finally said, interrupting the conversation. He then transformed into a stream of light and flew deeper into the sect.
Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian quickly followed.
After a short while, they arrived at the foot of a towering mountain, its peak lost in the clouds. The mountain was shrouded in mist, and occasionally, buildings could be seen looming at the summit.
A winding stone path led from the foot of the mountain, disappearing into the distance. At the entrance of the path stood a tall stone tablet inscribed with three elegant characters: Daosheng Peak.
"Let's go. The Sect Master is waiting in the Patriarch's Hall," Lu Mingfang said, waving his sleeve as he ascended the stone steps.
Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian followed closely behind.
Soon, they reached the end of the path, where a magnificent building stood atop the mountain. On the plaque at its entrance were the three characters: Ancestor Hall.
The trio entered the Patriarch's Hall, where a middle-aged man in white stood at the center, his expression solemn.
The man had a dull aura, and Zhang Yuhe could not sense his cultivation level.
Upon seeing the man, both Lu Mingfang and Li Tian bowed respectfully.
"Meet the Sect Master," they both said.
Zhang Yuhe quickly followed suit, bowing and adding, "Disciple Zhang Yuhe greets the Sect Master."
He had only heard of Feng Xiaotian, the leader of Daosheng Sect, and this was his first time meeting him in person.
Rumor had it that Feng Xiaotian had been gifted from a young age. Upon joining Daosheng Sect, he rose to fame quickly—taking three hundred years to reach the Spirit Realm, eight hundred to reach Void Refining, and less than twenty thousand years to reach the Mahayana Realm.
In terms of strength, Feng Xiaotian surpassed Li Tian.
Not only that, Feng Xiaotian was one of only two Mahayana cultivators in Daosheng Sect. The other had not been seen for thousands of years.
The path to immortality was long and arduous, and cultivating a Mahayana monk was no easy feat. Yet, thanks to the long lifespan of Mahayana cultivators—nearly 100,000 years—Daosheng Sect had managed to maintain its tradition of producing such powerful figures.
Feng Xiaotian turned to face them. Upon seeing Zhang Yuhe, he smiled.
"Your name is Zhang Yuhe, correct? Very nice."
"Refining Void in a hundred years... This is not only unprecedented in Yufantian, but based on the classics left by our ancestors, even in the Immortal Realm, few can match such talent."
"Keep practicing diligently. With your talent, you will surely surpass us and ascend to the Immortal Realm in time. I hope that one day you will lead Daosheng Sect to glory in the Immortal World and let us benefit from your success."
Zhang Yuhe quickly responded. "Thank you for your encouragement, Sect Master. I will keep it in mind and practice diligently without relaxing for even a moment."
"Very good. Both of you, follow me to pay respects to the ancestors."
Feng Xiaotian waved his sleeve and led them to the main hall of the Ancestor's Temple.
In the center of the hall stood a statue of an immortal in green robes, carrying a long sword on his back. The immortal was standing on auspicious clouds, his green robe fluttering in the wind. It was immediately clear that this was an extraordinary figure.
Feng Xiaotian bowed deeply to the statue, then turned to speak to Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian.
"This is the founder of Daosheng Sect, Patriarch Lu Yunfei, a Golden Immortal from the Immortal Realm."
"Come, pay respects to the ancestors."
Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian quickly approached the statue, bowing respectfully.
The ancestor-worship ceremony was much simpler than Zhang Yuhe had anticipated. They simply bowed to the statue before leaving the hall. There was no complicated procedure.
Standing outside, Feng Xiaotian said to the two of them, "Hand me your jade identity cards."
They quickly complied, handing over their jade tokens.
Feng Xiaotian took the tokens, raised his hand, and carved symbols in the air. After a moment, he handed them back.
"Done. From now on, you are both elders of Daosheng Sect. Remember the sect's teachings and ensure the stability of Yufantian."
"Yes, Sect Master," Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian responded in unison.
Feng Xiaotian turned to Lu Mingfang.
"Announce the promotion of these two elders to the world. The rest is for you to handle."
"Yes, Sect Master."
With that, Feng Xiaotian vanished in an instant, leaving the three of them standing in the hall.