Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Yuan Shuheng sat down, looking somewhat reserved. He still couldn't quite accept that his junior brother Chen, who had been at a similar level to him two hundred years ago, had suddenly become an elder of the sect and a good friend of his father, and that he had to respectfully bow to him.

This should be the norm in the cultivation world. The vast majority of cultivators have experienced this transformation, where their peers, who were once of similar or even lower cultivation levels, have surpassed them and taken the lead.

But Yuan Shuheng was exceptionally talented and had a father at the Integration Realm to look after him, so his cultivation path was always smooth sailing and his progress was extremely fast. He was always the one who left others behind, and he was never the one who was left behind.

This was the first time he had encountered something like this, and his seemingly resilient Dao heart showed a rare slight fluctuation.

In a slightly somber and awkward atmosphere, Yuan Shuheng explained his purpose.

Two days ago, the spiritual energy storm in the blessed land finally subsided. After he had recuperated for a while, he came out of seclusion and learned that the fire array had been broken and Chen Yuan had appeared. He was shocked and immediately rushed back to the Spirit Realm. Elder Yuan asked him to come and pay his respects to Chen Yuan.

After a conversation, Yuan Shuheng seemed to have calmed down. He congratulated Chen Yuan on advancing to the Void Refinement stage and assuming the position of elder, and then got up to take his leave.

Chen Yuan did not try to stop him. He knew that Yuan Shuheng needed time to accept this change, so he summoned Elder Song and sent him out of the cave.

Cultivators may seem carefree, but in reality, they are bound by a whole host of etiquette and rules, even more complicated and strict than ordinary people.

After all, there is no difference in the essence of mortals; anyone can die with a single blow. In the eyes of high-level cultivators, low-level cultivators are nothing but ants. Any slight disrespect will result in punishment or even death.

As an elder, Chen Yuan could not overstep the bounds of etiquette and personally saw Yuan Shuheng off.

He sat on the stone chair, watching Yuan Shuheng's figure disappear into the passage, sighed softly, slowly got up, and returned to the cultivation room.

Another half month passed, and the one-month deadline arrived. A golden transmission talisman descended from the sky, passed through the formation, and went straight into Chen Yuan's cave. It left a long trail of golden light in the air, hanging down like a tassel.

After a while, the stone door of the cave slowly opened, and Chen Yuan walked out slowly. He was dressed in white, with a tall and straight figure, elegant and refined, and otherworldly.

He rode his escape light and headed straight for the center of Tongtian Island. He arrived at a mountain peak not far from Tianyuan Palace and landed his escape light there.

The top of this mountain is flat and open, with a white jade platform about ten zhang high. It is square, simple and ancient, and majestic. At this moment, it shines with dazzling light, which can be clearly seen from a hundred miles away.

The sky was high and the sun hung high, casting countless golden rays that fell upon the many cultivators around the high platform, gilding them with a golden edge.

Looking around, at least a thousand cultivators were gathered on the mountaintop, arranged in distinct layers, facing the high platform, solemn and quiet.

Upon seeing Chen Yuan arrive, the six men at the head stepped forward to greet him.

Elder Yuan, Elder Su, and Elder Mei were all present, along with three others whose auras were concealed, making it impossible to discern their cultivation levels. However, their identities were readily apparent as they walked alongside these three elders.

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and spoke first: "I, Chen, have been appointed as an elder, but I am ashamed to have troubled my six senior brothers to wait here."

Elder Yuan smiled and returned the greeting: "Junior Brother Chen, there's no need to be so polite. Our sect has gained a new elder, which greatly increases our strength. This is a great joy, and we naturally have to be here to congratulate you."

"Furthermore, this is also stipulated by the sect rules. As members of the sect, how dare we not come?"

"I heard that Master has appointed Junior Brother Chen to serve as an elder, so I wanted to see Junior Brother Chen's demeanor. Today, I have seen him, and he is indeed extraordinary and elegant." A person next to him said with a smile, his eyes constantly looking at Chen Yuan, his face full of admiration.

This man was dressed in a light yellow long robe, unassuming and not showing off. He looked to be no more than thirty or forty years old, with a gentle expression and a smile on his lips, giving people a sense of friendliness.

Chen Yuan bowed to him again: "I have long admired Senior Brother Ling's reputation. Senior Brother is in charge of the Treasure Pavilion and has countless treasures at his disposal. I hope Senior Brother will take good care of me in the future."

This is Elder Ling Jiuque of Yanheng Peak, one of the two personal disciples of Master Fu. He controls 30% of the market in Donghua City and most of the spirit mines and lands of Taixuan Sect, and is very famous in the entire Xuanling Domain.

"Hehe, easy, easy. As long as Junior Brother Chen can produce Immortal Spirit Stones, you can choose whatever you want from the Treasure Pavilion." Ling Jiuque smiled, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze, but his words were firm and unyielding.

Chen Yuan was not fooled by Ling Jiuque's harmless appearance. Ling Jiuque's reputation in the Xuanling Domain was not only because he controlled a vast amount of spirit stones and treasures, but also because of his ruthless and vicious ways.

Elder Yuan once mentioned that more than two thousand years ago, when Ling Jiuque had just advanced to the Integration stage and become an elder, True Person Fu took back the Treasure Pavilion, which was originally jointly managed by the various peaks, and most of the spiritual land and minerals in the sect, and handed them over to Ling Jiuque for management.

The remaining small portion belongs to each peak, and even Master Fu cannot directly interfere.

This was an astonishing fortune. Ling Jiuque, a cultivator who had just entered the Integration stage, instantly became one of the most powerful cultivators in the Xuanling Domain.

Although cultivators do not eat grains, their need for money is no less than that of ordinary people, and may even be greater, except that they have replaced gold and silver with spirit stones.

As the saying goes, wealth, companions, methods, and environment are all essential. Without cultivation resources, no matter how good one's aptitude or how powerful one's techniques are, one can never hope to attain immortality.

Originally, the Treasure Pavilion and those spiritual lands and mines were jointly managed by the various peaks, but now they have all fallen into Ling Jiuque's hands. Although the tributes they deserved have not been reduced in the slightest, they no longer have the opportunity to manipulate things, and no one will be willing to accept that.

However, Ling Jiuque was Master Fu's personal disciple, and his control of the Treasure Pavilion was also Master Fu's decree. No matter how dissatisfied the other elders were, they could only accept it.

Among them was Elder Li, who originally had a great influence in the Treasure Pavilion. However, his disciples were either transferred to quiet and insignificant positions or sent to guard remote spirit mines by Ling Jiuque in just a few years, and he instantly lost power.

This was intolerable to Elder Li. He dared not directly disobey Master Fu's orders, but secretly he joined forces with a medium-sized sect to provide them with information and compete with the markets controlled by Duobao Pavilion in Donghua City.

He and Ling Jiuque were even more at odds within the sect, like fire and water.

The Tai Xuan Sect was originally established by Master Fu in just ten thousand years by recruiting many independent cultivators.

Lower-ranking disciples have been accepted into the sect since childhood and have a strong sense of belonging to the sect.

However, the Integration Elders and many Void Refinement Protectors already possessed cultivation levels and even their own lineages. They were naturally very respectful in front of Master Fu, but they were not so easy to talk to their fellow disciples, and often clashed over interests.

Master Fu did not strongly stop this, and even set up the Heavenly Ranking to encourage his disciples to fight each other, tacitly approving of this matter.

Faced with Elder Li's challenge, Ling Jiuque was unexpectedly weak, yielding at every turn and not daring to confront him directly. Master Fu also showed no intention of supporting his disciple.

In a short time, Elder Li's momentum surged, and he became increasingly reckless in his actions. He began to reintegrate his people into the Treasure Pavilion and quickly regained his influence over the Donghua City market.

Even the other elders believed that Elder Li had won this round. He was one of only two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in the Tai Xuan Sect and held a very high position in the sect.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to monopolize the majority of the shares when all the peaks jointly managed the Treasure Pavilion, and still have it accepted by the other peaks.

With such a huge gap in strength between the two, and Master Fu refusing to support his personal disciple, it seemed impossible for Ling Jiuque to turn the tide, and he had even given up on himself.

But just when Elder Li's arrogance was at its peak, Master Fu suddenly summoned the elders of each peak for a meeting.

Ling Jiuque presented evidence of Elder Li's collusion with the outer sect, complete with witnesses and physical evidence, including light and sound recordings directly captured by an extremely precious recording stone. Ling Jiuque then listed the past crimes of Elder Li's disciples, such as embezzling cultivation resources and using their power to sell low-grade spiritual materials and herbs for personal gain, presenting irrefutable evidence.

It turns out that he was only making a show of weakness to lull Elder Li into a false sense of security, while secretly gathering evidence against him.

With irrefutable evidence, Elder Li was dumbfounded. Master Fu then arrested all those who had violated the sect rules and dealt with them according to the law.

Elder Li, due to his different status, was not punished in public. He was only summoned to the Myriad Stars Hall by True Person Fu and left after an hour. He then led his disciples to conquer the Lesser Thousand Worlds, spending most of his time away from home and rarely returning to the sect.

After this incident, Ling Jiuque regained control of Duobaoge, and his prestige soared.

Under his leadership, branches of the Treasure Pavilion spread throughout every market town in the Xuanling Domain, and even extended its influence beyond the Xuanling Domain. In major cities of medium-sized sects or above in the Star Ruins Continent, there were Treasure Pavilions.

Meanwhile, the medium-sized sect that had secretly allied with Elder Li had its shops greatly weakened by Ling Jiuque's suppression and was forced to surrender and beg for mercy.

Ling Jiuque's reputation spread far and wide; everyone knew of his ruthless ways, and with Master Fu backing him up, no one dared to underestimate him anymore.

Chen Yuan and Ling Jiuque exchanged a few pleasantries. Elder Su remained standing to the side with a cold expression. Elder Mei nodded slightly but did not speak, clearly out of consideration for Elder Su's presence.

A silent man in black robes suddenly spoke up: "I hope that Junior Brother Chen will not let down Master's trust, abide by the sect rules, and do his best to serve the sect."

This man was only about twenty years old. He was handsome, with a cold expression and sharp eyes. His fair skin appeared even paler against the backdrop of his black clothes, and his voice was as cold as ice.

Chen Yuan's smile vanished, and he said solemnly, "I will certainly keep Senior Brother Bai's teachings in mind."

This is Bai Zangzhou, another disciple of Master Fu, who is in charge of the Cleansing Heart Hall. All those who violate the sect rules are dealt with by this hall.

It was he who, under the orders of Master Fu, arrested all the disciples under Elder Li who violated the sect rules. According to the sect rules, they were either subjected to soul extraction and soul refining, or to the punishment of having their bodies scraped by spiritual energy, or to be sentenced to a hundred years of hard labor, and were severely punished without exception.

The Cleansing Heart Hall is the most sinister hall in the Tai Xuan Sect, and Bai Zangzhou is also the elder most feared by the disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect.

He was upright and incorruptible, never showing favoritism or leniency. He lived a secluded life, rarely leaving Tongtian Island for cultivation.

After saying this, Bai Zangzhou fell silent, his expression indifferent, as if nothing could arouse his interest except for those who violated the sect rules.

After Chen Yuan and the last elder exchanged greetings, the radiance emanating from the white jade platform suddenly became even brighter, vying with the brilliance of the sun in the sky.

Ling Jiuque's expression turned solemn: "Master is about to descend, Junior Brother Chen, please come up on stage."

Chen Yuan dared not delay, and with a flicker of his body, he gracefully arrived on the white jade platform.

The six elders retreated into the crowd, while the other disciples from various peaks who came to witness the ceremony straightened their bodies, looked up at the white jade platform, and showed anticipation.

Chen Yuan glanced around and saw Han Xuan and Jiang Wangchen standing with the other Void Refinement Protectors, as well as Yuan Shuheng and a dozen or so disciples from the Three Peaks who had fought against the demon race together in the Xuanli Realm. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Han Xuan smiled slightly, Jiang Wangchen nodded in response, and Yuan Shuheng lowered his head slightly to avoid Chen Yuan's gaze.

The disciples' eyes all showed excitement, but they couldn't speak, so they could only nod in response.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Chen Yuan, dressed in green, with gentle eyes, standing there alone, like a wisp of wind that might dissipate at any moment.

Chen Yuan was the first to react, and bowed deeply: "Chen Yuan greets the Sect Leader!"

"Greetings, Sect Leader!"

The cultivators below the stage bowed in unison, their shouts creating a deafening roar that startled the white cranes into flight.

Master Fu said calmly, "Today, our sect's cultivator Chen Yuanjin has been appointed as an elder and established his own peak, named Lingyun. I have specially summoned you all to witness this ceremony. I hope you will take Elder Chen as your role model, cultivate diligently, and not slack off."

"We will obey the directive of our sect leader!"

Another roar erupted, but those cultivators who were seeing Chen Yuan for the first time today had many speculations about this suddenly appearing elder.

Master Fu only referred to "cultivators of this sect" instead of "protectors of this sect," and did not specify which peak Elder Chen came from.

Who exactly is this Elder Chen? Did he just fall from the sky?
Their speculations and doubts could only be left for future investigation. Master Fu encouraged Chen Yuan a few more times and bestowed upon him one hundred low-grade immortal spirit stones on the spot. Then his figure vanished, and Chen Yuan disappeared along with him.

This is the ceremony for the promotion of elders in the Tai Xuan Sect. It is extremely simple, yet extremely solemn.

It's simple because there are no red tapes and the time is very short, less than 15 minutes.

The grand occasion was due to Master Fu's personal presence and the arrival of a Mahayana cultivator, which was an unparalleled honor, surpassing any ritual of worshipping heaven, earth, or priests.

However, the fact that Master Fu took Chen Yuan with him this time surprised everyone.

Only after the six elders took to the air and departed did the disciples from each peak dare to leave, whispering among themselves about the origins of this Elder Chen.

The white jade platform slowly dimmed, its brilliance fading, awaiting the next grand ceremony.

……

Chen Yuan's vision flashed, and when he came to his senses, he had already arrived at that void in the Myriad Stars Palace, bathed in the starlight.

Master Fu sat cross-legged, his figure ethereal, seemingly not far in front of Chen Yuan, yet also seemingly in the infinite distance.

"Have you thought this through? What treasure do you want?"

Although he had already made up his mind, Chen Yuan still felt a little hesitant when the time came.

His eyes flickered for a moment before he finally made up his mind. He slowly raised his hands, clasped them together, and bowed respectfully, saying, "I have thought it through. I humbly request the Sect Leader to bestow upon me that Ferocious Tiger Demon Core!"

Master Fu frowned: "What treasure are you going to offer in exchange?"

Chen Yuan took a deep breath and said, word by word, "I am willing to exchange a world-destroying warship for this demon core. I hope the sect leader will grant my request!" (End of this chapter)