The ten-colored rosy clouds dyed the sky for a thousand miles, and it only gradually subsided after lasting for more than half a day.
However, even though the strange phenomenon had subsided, the excitement in the hearts of the disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect had not diminished in the slightest.
At this moment, Ji Yuan stood at the summit of a mountain peak one hundred and fifty zhang high, his gaze towards the sky filled with worry.
Even though the Xuan Tian Temple had returned and its destiny was merged into the Nine Xuan Sect, he did not feel any joy. Instead, he felt as if a mountain was weighing on his shoulders.
An indescribable heaviness pressed down on him silently.
"Master... are you not happy?"
Behind him, Zhao Yuebai asked in confusion.
Even Zhang Zhiya, seeing his disciple with a worried expression, could not help but ask, "Have you encountered any difficulties?"
Hearing this, Ji Yuan turned around, his face full of distress, and said, "More than just difficulties... it's like the sky is about to fall!"
He gave a bitter smile, his heart filled with mixed emotions, no longer knowing how to describe his current feelings.
He had originally thought that after the Xuan Tian Temple returned to the Nine Xuan Sect, they would be granted a传承 mountain peak, where he could cultivate peacefully with his master, senior brothers, and disciples.
With the Nine Xuan Sect's annual share, they would no longer have to worry about the resources needed for cultivation.
They only needed to endure for a period of time, and after reaching the third realm, they could open a peak and recruit outer disciples, developing step by step.
Who knew that a single sentence from the sect leader would not only render his plans futile but also make the coming days difficult.
Ji Yuan sighed and narrated the entire incident in detail, but the more he spoke, the deeper the gloom on his face became.
According to the sect leader, only if they successfully opened a peak in thirty years would the Nine Xuan Sect acknowledge the identity and proper status of the Xuan Tian lineage.
Before that, they would only have the right to use Xuan Tian Peak temporarily but would not receive corresponding resource support. Even if they wanted to enjoy the benefits within the Nine Xuan Sect, they would have to pay a corresponding price.
"Is opening a peak... very difficult?"
Zhao Yuebai's small face was filled with confusion.
More than just difficult!
Ji Yuan sighed heavily, "According to the rules of the Nine Xuan Sect, to open a peak, at least one Golden Core Great Cultivator must be in charge to possess such a qualification."
This meant that among them, someone must successfully form a Golden Core within thirty years to be able to open a peak and gain the recognition of the various branches of the Nine Xuan Sect.
Only then could they obtain their corresponding identity and status, as well as the share allocated to the Xuan Tian lineage, and so on.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed. They suspected that the Nine Xuan Sect did not intend to fulfill their original promise and was deliberately setting up a challenge to target the Xuan Tian lineage.
If not, why would they set a thirty-year deadline?
How many cultivators in the third realm had spent their entire lifespan of three hundred years without being able to take that step!
Ji Yuan's expression was also grim. If it were about reaching the third realm, he would still have some confidence. Even without the Nine Xuan Sect's resource supply, it might not be impossible for him to achieve it through his own efforts.
But to form a Golden Core within thirty years was almost an impossible task!
However, the thought of giving up and taking his master and others away from the Nine Xuan Sect was something he could never do.
The destiny of Xuan Tian Temple had already merged with the destiny of the Nine Xuan Sect. As a mere second-realm cultivator, he alone could not separate it.
Even if he could, the people of the Nine Xuan Sect would not allow him to do so, making the destiny that had finally been restored incomplete again.
"Let's try. If we fail, it's just a matter of enduring some cold glances and ridicule."
He sighed, his expression somewhat resigned.
But as he said, even if no one could form a Golden Core within thirty years and complete the opening ceremony of Xuan Tian Peak, they would not suffer any further losses.
If they failed, they would only lose some destiny and not receive what the Nine Xuan Sect had promised. But if they could achieve this impossible feat, various benefits would follow.
Moreover, besides facing it head-on, Ji Yuan seemed to have no better options.
"Prepare yourselves. Starting tomorrow, everyone will cultivate with all their might!"
Ji Yuan looked into the distance, his gaze fixed on the nine towering peaks, and then slowly said in a deep voice.
Behind him, except for the old Daoist Zhang Zhiya, everyone else nodded with solemn expressions.
"But Master, where do we live tonight?"
Zhao Yuebai suddenly asked.
Hearing this, several people subconsciously turned to look at the overgrown ruins, momentarily speechless.
Without anyone to maintain it, naturally, no houses could survive for hundreds of years without collapsing.
That night, Ji Yuan and the others lit two bonfires and slept soundly beside the ruins.
Fortunately, the Nine Xuan Sect was an immortal sect, and the mountain gate was spring-like throughout the year. Even in the dead of night, it was not too cold. Otherwise, Zhang Zhiya, who had no cultivation, would have suffered.
The night passed without incident. Before the sun rose the next day, Liao Qiming and the other three were woken up by Ji Yuan.
They were originally guards of the Zhao family. Apart from Liao Qiming, who had luckily entered the early stage of the body-refining realm, the other three had some martial arts skills, which were only passable compared to cultivators.
He took out several bottles of pills for the four to take, and then had them begin clearing the ruins on the mountain peak.
Fortunately, the ancestor of Xuan Tian Temple had not built too many houses in this area. With the strength of the four, it should take about ten days to clear them all.
"Master! What do we need to do?"
Zhao Yuebai, who was awakened by the commotion, came before Ji Yuan with Guo Tao.
Without thinking, he threw out a few porcelain bottles and then said to his senior brother, "I've read the Dragon Elephant Technique. It's a technique that favors stillness over movement before reaching great accomplishment. So, for the coming days, Senior Brother, you will cultivate at the foot of the mountain during the day and return to the peak at night."
The porcelain bottles contained the pills that Guo Tao needed for cultivation. They had a strong effect of consolidating the foundation and strengthening the vital energy, enough to support a day's cultivation.
Hearing this, Guo Tao nodded silently. Since he began cultivating the Dragon Elephant Technique, he had become increasingly taciturn, rarely speaking unless absolutely necessary.
After Guo Tao turned and descended the mountain, Ji Yuan turned to his disciple. For Zhao Yuebai, apart from giving him a pile of pills, he had no further instructions, only telling him to cultivate diligently there.
"Master, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you for a while."
He bowed deeply to the old Daoist, his words filled with guilt.
If not for his choice, Zhang Zhiya would not have traveled thousands of miles to this place with everyone.
Now that the thirty-year deadline for opening a peak was upon them, Ji Yuan would not be able to accompany his master daily for at least half a year.
In this regard, Zhang Zhiya was already prepared. He told Ji Yuan to focus on his own matters and not to worry about anything else.
After speaking, he began to wander around the peak, appearing quite leisurely.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan silently put away his guilt. The most important thing now was to restore the operation of Xuan Tian Peak and establish a firm foothold within the Nine Xuan Sect.
Only then could he try to accomplish that seemingly impossible task within the next thirty years.
At the same time, he set himself a task: within ten years, he must refine a pill that could significantly extend the lifespan of mortals for his master, who had little time left.
Even if possible, he hoped to try to help Zhang Zhiya enter the path of cultivation to further extend his lifespan.
Having made up his mind, Ji Yuan did not immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he turned and walked down the long stone steps leading to the foot of the mountain.
He did not stop along the way. After greeting his senior brother, he quickened his pace to the foot of the mountain, briefly identified the direction, and then left Xuan Tian Peak.
After leaving the Nine-Story Heavenly Tower on Yunxia Peak yesterday, Elder Hong Tian had given him a jade slip and an identity jade token.
The former contained a map of the Nine Xuan Sect, which could be displayed by infusing it with spiritual power. The latter represented a special identity that allowed him to move freely within the sect.
Of course, some forbidden areas were naturally inaccessible.
Following the map in the jade slip, Ji Yuan spent more than an hour before reaching Yunxia Peak. After a brief observation, he ascended along the mountain path.
As the core of the Nine Xuan Sect, Yunxia Peak had outer disciples living and cultivating at the foot and surrounding areas. The mountainside was where the sect's scripture pavilion, treasure pavilion, and other important places were located.
Ji Yuan ascended to the mountainside and, following the map, arrived at a pavilion with a plaque bearing the words 'Qiankun Pavilion' above its entrance.
This was the place where disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect accepted missions inside and outside the sect. A large number of disciples entered and exited daily, making it one of the liveliest places.
Now that the morning had passed, many disciples were already entering and exiting Qiankun Pavilion, either alone or in small groups.
After a brief observation, he stepped through the main entrance of Qiankun Pavilion. Inside, countless jade tablets hung on pillars.
Some disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect gathered around the thirty-six pillars, lightly tapping with their identity jade tokens to obtain the content of the jade tablets hanging on the pillars.
If they decided to accept a mission, they would only need to tap their identity jade token again to have the jade tablet on the pillar fly to them.
Over the next three hours, he browsed through most of the missions here, accepted five tokens, and then hurried away from Qiankun Pavilion.
However, Ji Yuan did not return directly to Xuan Tian Peak. Instead, he turned towards another important area of the Nine Xuan Sect, a place called the Treasure Pavilion.
As the name suggests, this was a place where many treasures were stored, including not only various magic artifacts and treasures but also countless pills, talismans, and even numerous rare spiritual materials.
The Treasure Pavilion was three to four times larger than Qiankun Pavilion and had only three floors. Outer and inner disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect were only permitted to enter the first floor.
In this Treasure Pavilion, there was nothing they did not have, except what you could not imagine. Of course, to obtain items of desire, in addition to gold, silver, spiritual stones, and spiritual coins, a considerable amount of merit points was also required.
As for the so-called merit points, they could only be obtained after contributing to the sect. The amount of merit points obtained would be determined by the importance and significance of the contribution.
After browsing in this place for half an hour, Ji Yuan left without acquiring anything and headed towards his final destination.
Soon, he appeared outside a courtyard.
This courtyard, in addition to dozens of houses, also had large tracts of land. However, instead of agricultural crops, it was planted with numerous precious spiritual herbs.
At the entrance of the courtyard, a plaque with the words 'Wan Xing' deeply attracted Ji Yuan's attention.
According to the jade slip, this was where all the alchemists of the Nine Xuan Sect were gathered. The name 'Wan Xing' (Ten Thousand Stars) was to describe the vast quantity of pills here, as numerous as the stars.
Even without stepping inside, one could smell the medicinal fragrance and pill essence wafting in the air.
Ji Yuan took a deep breath and then quickly walked in. Following the disciples who were entering and exiting, he arrived outside a large hall.