"Is this the Qingyuan Sect?"
A youth dressed in white, in the prime of his life and spirit, looked with surprise at the vast, ancient sect radiating a profound aura. His heart was filled with emotion. He had lived in the Qingtian Domain for decades, yet this was his first time at this place.
The sight of ancient trees standing tall and spiritual cranes soaring within the sect showed him for the first time what a true celestial sanctuary looked like.
This spirited youth was, of course, Qi Ping's Treant clone. Since he was joining the sect, Qi Ping didn't make himself look like the demonically-charged Bee Daoist. He had specially shaped this appearance when the Treant clone was first formed, so it bore no trace of his original self. This was the Treant clone's true face.
"Truly worthy of a great sect with a heritage spanning over ten thousand years. Such magnificent spirit and the scent of the ages cannot be formed overnight!"
"I hope I can smoothly join the Qingyuan Sect and learn their cultivation knowledge, especially regarding the breakthrough to the Golden Core stage..."
This was Qi Ping's purpose in coming here. Since contracting the Clear-Manifestation Green Snake and gaining the Eyes of Transcendence and Extraordinary Comprehension, stacked with the Three-Colored Deer's Tri-Color Spirit and his other soul talents, his progress in techniques and arrays had been unstoppable. In just fifteen years, he had comprehended nearly eighty percent of the massive amount of spells and knowledge he had gathered. He wouldn't say he was a master of all, but he could perform basically all of them.
He had practiced his Water and Fire techniques and spells to the state of Perfection!
Now, Qi Ping had not only raised his Water Intent, Fire Intent, and Water-Fire Harmony to a new height but had also created and mastered a Foundation Establishment technique called the Immortal Scripture of Water and Fire! The strength and foundation of this technique far exceeded the Gold-Flame Scripture he had previously practiced.
The reason he could achieve this much—aside from having a massive amount of techniques and knowledge for reference—was largely due to the snake's powerful talent! Qi Ping could only say the snake truly deserved its reputation as a beast that could steal the laws of heaven and earth. Its talent was terrifyingly strong; used well, it was a divine skill! Combined with the Dark Moon Soul Wood and his other soul-enhancing talents, he had achieved this miraculous result.
In terms of arrays, he had completed the extremely difficult fusion of six arrays! Although it was currently limited to Water and Fire arrays, their power should be enough to clash with an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
However, this was the limit of what Qi Ping could achieve on his own. In fifteen years, he had basically digested all the knowledge he had seized. It was difficult to glean anything more profound from it. Though the knowledge libraries of those families seemed vast, most of it was low-grade. The fact that he could reach this stage and derive the Immortal Scripture of Water and Fire was entirely due to his various talents.
To continue his journey, he had to obtain more precious knowledge. Specifically, knowledge regarding the Golden Core breakthrough. He currently lacked any specific details on the process, and his cultivation was gradually approaching the Circle of Foundation Establishment. He had to prepare now.
In the Qingtian Domain, the only channel for this was the Qingyuan Sect. Compared to them, the subordinate forces of the Celestial Alliance that Qi Ping had destroyed didn't even have the right to lick the sect's boots. The accumulation of tens of thousands of years at the Qingyuan Sect would surely cause Qi Ping's knowledge base to skyrocket!
He could buy a small portion of key Golden Core techniques and knowledge from the Mysterious Black Market, but with limited points, he could only get the foundation he needed by coming here. At his current level, he couldn't control his Treant clone to travel much further than this.
A vast foundation of knowledge was the only way to ensure he could advance bravely on the path of immortality and avoid becoming "human-shaped medicine." So, after fifteen years of digesting his gains and making every preparation, he controlled his Treant clone to set foot in the Qingyuan Sect.
His main body, meanwhile, remained in the Natural Sanctuary, researching Water-Fire spells and the power of Yin and Yang. He was also keeping an eye on the Small Stone Spirit, which was at a critical moment of transformation after devouring all the ores and spirit tools.
As his knowledge grew, he discovered that the Five Elements contained the power of Yin and Yang. If he could comprehend the Yin-Yang Intent, cast a Yin-Yang foundation, and form a Yin-Yang Core, he could eventually complete his Earth and Wood constitutions after reaching the Golden Core stage. Ultimately, he would achieve a body of the Yin-Yang Five Elements and walk the Path of the Yin-Yang Five Elements.
If he succeeded, his future path to immortality would be a smooth one! Whether this path was viable, however, he couldn't be certain. This was his other goal in coming here: to find the answers regarding Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Furthermore, he intended to spend his five million spirit stones to buy things of true value to his current cultivation.
"Daoist, may I ask why you have come to the Qingyuan Sect?"
As Qi Ping reached the sect's main gate, a Foundation Establishment disciple who had been practicing nearby stepped forward, past the Qi Refining guards. He bowed slightly and asked Qi Ping's purpose. There was no arrogance or condescension; instead, he was as welcoming as a spring breeze, showing the grace of a great celestial sect.
In fact, Qi Ping's impression of Qingyuan Sect disciples was mostly positive. When he was still a low-level bee farmer, many of the righteous deeds he saw were done by them. It was because of them that the Qingtian Domain remained so peaceful during times of stability.
"Greetings. I am Lin Ya. I have come here in hopes of joining your esteemed sect," Qi Ping returned the bow and stated his purpose.
"Joining the Qingyuan Sect?" The disciple showed a look of surprise. "It isn't currently the time for the sect to recruit disciples. To join now, the requirements are much higher. However..."
The disciple gave Qi Ping a quick glance and added, "Seeing as Daoist Ya is not old yet has already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, your talent must be extraordinary. If you can pass the tests, it isn't impossible. Please follow me!"
"Then I shall trouble you, Daoist. May I ask your name?"
"You may call me Han Li..."
The reason Han Li was so polite was that the sect had rules: if one encountered a disciple with potentially extraordinary talent wishing to join, they must be treated with courtesy.
Following Han Li, Qi Ping entered the mountain gate and arrived at a magnificent hall. The process was much smoother than he had imagined, without any difficult interrogation.
'The Qingyuan Sect's outward way of treating people is impeccable.'
The impression the sect gave him so far made Qi Ping nod inwardly. If he could join using his own aptitude, it would be for the best. Once he used the token given by the Silver-Masked Golden Core, he would essentially be exposing his identity as the Bee Daoist, which might bring unpredictable dangers or restrictions. Only as a normal disciple could he better learn and trade while slowly figuring out what kind of entity the Qingyuan Sect truly was.
Under the arrangements of Han Li, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciple, the tests began quickly. Qi Ping finally understood why there had been no interrogation. The entry test had two parts: an aptitude test and a Heart-Questioning Mirror test. One could only join if both their aptitude and their state of mind passed.
Soon, Han Li led Qi Ping to a crystal radiating a mysterious aura. Ancient records described this as an aptitude testing crystal, capable of measuring a person's cultivation and soul aptitude.
"Daoist Ya, you only need to place your hand on the crystal!"
"Very well!"
Qi Ping didn't hesitate. Since this was just a Treant clone, he could simply self-destruct if anything went wrong. He could always use the silver-masked man's token later.
As Qi Ping's palm touched the crystal, four shocking, intense lights erupted from it!