The flying boat quickly arrived outside the Dao Saint Sect's mountain gate.
After settling Wang Guofeng at the reception area, Zhang Yuhe transformed into a streak of light and swiftly flew towards the deeper parts of the Sect.
In a short while, he arrived outside a grand hall.
Phoenix Cry Hall.
This was where Lu Mingfang handled affairs.
Zhang Yuhe entered the hall and found that, besides Lu Mingfang, Li Tian was also inside.
"Disciple Zhang Yuhe greets Elder Lu."
"Oh, Senior Brother is here too."
Zhang Yuhe respectfully cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Mingfang, then warmly greeted Li Tian.
At this moment, he was startled to realize that Li Tian had actually already broken through to the Void Refining Realm.
As far as he knew, Li Tian had only Cultivated for over nine hundred years up to now.
To Cultivate to the Void Refining Realm in just over nine hundred years, he truly lived up to his reputation as the Dao Saint Sect's Senior Brother.
This talent was not something ordinary people could compare to.
"Senior Brother, you've broken through? Congratulations, congratulations."
In response to Zhang Yuhe's congratulations, Li Tian forced a slight smile onto his stern face.
"It was just a stroke of luck, incomparable to Junior Brother Zhang."
"Junior Brother only took a hundred years to Cultivate to the Void Refining Realm; truly unprecedented, and likely never to be surpassed."
"Senior Brother, you're too kind. I just happened to be a bit more diligent than others."
Li Tian was speechless.
Was that even a human thing to say?
Only you are diligent?
Are others sleeping all day long?
Within the Dao Saint Sect, diligent Disciples were as numerous as ox hair, yet less than one in ten thousand could ultimately Cultivate to the Void Refining Realm.
Not to mention, only taking a hundred years to Cultivate to the Void Refining Realm.
The Dao of Cultivation fundamentally relied on innate talent.
Those with insufficient talent, no matter how diligent, could not go too far.
The so-called Heaven-Defying act was merely self-hypnosis for the mediocre.
Originally, Li Tian was extremely confident in his own talent.
He possessed the Fire Spirit Body, rarely seen in ten thousand years, and the entire Dao Saint Sect regarded him as a candidate for Ascension.
They hoped that one day, he could Ascend to the Immortal Realm and re-establish contact with the Upper Realm Sect.
However, looking at the current Zhang Yuhe.
Li Tian felt that his once-proud talent was like a younger brother in front of Zhang Yuhe.
Completely incomparable.
…
Lu Mingfang stood by, sensing the Void Refining Realm Aura emanating from Zhang Yuhe, remaining silently.
Regarding this Disciple, whom he had misjudged back then, he truly didn't know what to say.
He had initially thought this kid was just a lucky fellow who had accidentally picked up a token.
He hadn't paid much attention, merely admitting Zhang Yuhe into the inner Sect according to the Sect's rules.
But how could he have imagined that, after just a hundred years, this kid had actually broken through to the Void Refining Realm?
How much time did he himself take to break through to the Void Refining Realm?
Was it five thousand or six thousand years?
Thinking about this, Lu Mingfang felt a faint sadness.
People are afraid of comparison.
Once compared to someone exceptionally outstanding, it becomes very uncomfortable.
At this moment, Lu Mingfang and Li Tian in the hall felt exactly that way.
"Alright, let's go see the Sect Master first. Follow me."
Lu Mingfang spoke, interrupting their conversation, then transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the deeper parts of the Sect.
Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian quickly followed.
In a short while, they arrived at the foot of a towering, cloud-piercing peak.
The peak was shrouded in a mist, with occasional glimpses of buildings appearing faintly at the summit.
A stone staircase wound its way up from the foot of the mountain, its end out of sight.
At the entrance of the path stood a tall stone tablet.
The stone tablet was inscribed with the three characters "Dao Sheng Peak."
The handwriting was elegant and beautiful, as if countless Dao Rhythms were hidden within it.
"Let's go, the Sect Master is waiting in the Ancestor Hall."
Lu Mingfang waved his sleeve and quickly ascended the stone staircase towards the mountain peak.
Li Tian and Zhang Yuhe followed closely behind.
Soon, they reached the end of the path.
A magnificent building stood atop the mountain.
The plaque above the building's main gate bore the three characters "Ancestor Hall."
The three entered the Ancestor Hall, where a white-robed middle-aged man stood solemnly in the center of the main hall.
The white-robed middle-aged man's Aura was not apparent; Zhang Yuhe could not discern his Cultivation.
Upon seeing the white-robed middle-aged man, Lu Mingfang and Li Tian respectfully called out.
"Greetings, Sect Master."
Zhang Yuhe quickly followed suit, calling out.
"Disciple Zhang Yuhe greets the Sect Master."
Sect Leader Feng Xiaotian of the Dao Saint Sect; he had only heard his name before, this was the first time he had seen the Immortal Master.
It was rumored that Feng Xiaotian had extraordinary talent since childhood, and after entering the Dao Saint Sect, he soared to great heights.
He reached Soul Transformation in three hundred years, Void Refining in eight hundred years, and ascended to the Mahayana Realm in less than twenty thousand years.
Compared to the current Li Tian, he was even stronger.
Not only that, Feng Xiaotian was currently one of only two Mahayana Cultivators in the Dao Saint Sect.
Besides Feng Xiaotian, the Dao Saint Sect had another Mahayana Old Ancestor.
However, that Mahayana Old Ancestor had not appeared for several millennia.
Let alone ordinary Sect Disciples, even most Sect Elders had only heard his name, and few had seen the Immortal Master.
The path of Cultivation became increasingly difficult with each step.
Although the Dao Saint Sect dominated the entire Yu Fan Heaven, it was still extremely difficult to nurture a Mahayana Cultivator.
Fortunately, Mahayana Cultivators had a long Lifespan; if disaster-free, they could live for nearly one hundred thousand years.
Such a long period was sufficient for the Dao Saint Sect to produce a second Mahayana Cultivator.
Therefore, since its establishment, the Dao Saint Sect's Mahayana Legacy had never been broken.
…
Feng Xiaotian turned to look at the three of them, and when he saw Zhang Yuhe, he smiled and said.
"You are Zhang Yuhe? Very good."
"Void Refining in a hundred years, not to mention in Yu Fan Heaven, even according to the ancient texts left by the Ancestral Master, there aren't many such individuals even in the Immortal Realm."
"Cultivate diligently. With your talent, in due time, you will surely lead us in Ascension to the Immortal Realm."
"I hope that one day, you can lead the Dao Saint Sect to glory in the Immortal Realm, allowing us to bask in your light."
Hearing Feng Xiaotian's words, Zhang Yuhe quickly responded.
"Thank you, Sect Master, for your encouragement. This Disciple will certainly bear it in mind and Cultivate diligently, not daring to relax for a moment."
"Very good. You two, follow me to pay respects to the Ancestral Master."
Feng Xiaotian waved his sleeve, leading them to the main hall of the Ancestor Hall.
A statue of a green-robed Immortal stood in the center of the main hall.
The Immortal had a long sword on his back, stood on auspicious clouds, and his green robes fluttered, indicating his extraordinary nature at first glance.
Feng Xiaotian respectfully bowed to the Immortal statue, then turned to Zhang Yuhe and said.
"This is the founding Ancestral Master of our Dao Saint Sect, and also the Golden Immortal Ancestral Master of the Immortal Realm Dao Saint Sect, Ancestor Lu Yunfei."
"You two, come and pay respects to the Ancestral Master."
Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian quickly walked to the statue and respectfully bowed.
The ceremony of paying respects to the Ancestral Master was much simpler than Zhang Yuhe had imagined.
They merely bowed to the statue, then exited the hall; there were no complicated procedures.
Standing outside the hall's entrance, Feng Xiaotian said to them.
"Bring me your identity jade tokens."
They quickly handed over their jade tokens.
Feng Xiaotian took the jade tokens and etched something in the air with his hand.
In a short while, he handed the jade tokens back.
"Alright, from now on, you two are Dao Saint Sect Elders. You must remember the Sect's teachings and uphold the stability of the Yu Fan Realm."
"Yes."
Zhang Yuhe and Li Tian responded in affirmation.
Feng Xiaotian then turned to Lu Mingfang and said.
"The Dao Saint Sect has two newly promoted Elders. Announce this to the world. The rest of the matters are entrusted to you."
"Yes."
After Feng Xiaotian finished speaking, his figure flashed and instantly disappeared.