I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The punch delivered on the platform not only defeated Zhao Wuji, but also shattered the Seventh Peak's unshakeable prestige in the lineage of true disciples for the past twenty years.

The moment the elder announced the result, Zhao Wuji's name faded from the True Inheritance Stele, and the two characters "Qin Yuan" in his place struck the hearts of every onlooker like a heavy hammer.

The elder of the Seventh Peak, his face ashen, swept up the unconscious Zhao Wuji with a flick of his sleeve and vanished in a streak of light.

According to the sect's rules, a disciple who loses his qualification as a true disciple must move out of the sacred mountain where the true disciples belong within three days—the luxurious cave dwelling where Zhao Wuji had enjoyed himself for five years, which now has a new owner.

Amidst the complex gazes of the crowd, Qin Yuan stepped down from the Dao Discussion Platform without lingering, heading straight towards Zhao Wuji's mountain peak.

The residence of the true disciples is located among the thirty-six secondary peaks surrounding the main peak.

Each mountain peak is traversed by a mid-grade spiritual vein, with a spiritual energy concentration ten times that of the outer sect and five times that of the inner sect.

The "Crimson Flame Peak" occupied by Zhao Wuji ranks low among the thirty-six peaks, but even so, when Qin Yuan stepped onto the mountain path, he could still clearly feel the spiritual energy in the air so dense that it was almost impossible to dissolve.

"A good place," he said softly.

At the summit, a palace-style building complex covering dozens of acres comes into view.

With its flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, white jade flooring, and gold-lacquered pillars, its extravagance far exceeded Qin Yuan's imagination.

A spiritual spring flows in front of the hall, and there are patches of medicinal herbs behind it. There is even a garden specifically for raising spiritual beasts.

Several maids dressed in thin gauze knelt tremblingly outside the palace gate. Upon seeing Qin Yuan arrive, they hurriedly kowtowed.

"This servant greets Qin Zhenchuan."

Qin Yuan glanced at them; they were all female cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, with beautiful appearances, clearly gathered by Zhao Wuji to serve him.

"Get up," he said calmly. "Were you originally Zhao Wuji's maids?"

The head maid in a red dress whispered, "Yes...we were all selected by Master Zhao from various peaks. Now that Master Qin has taken over Crimson Flame Peak, we are willing to continue serving him."

The maids behind her also looked up, their eyes filled with hope—serving on the mountain peak of a true disciple not only meant receiving a fixed amount of spirit crystals every month, but also the opportunity to cultivate using the rich spiritual energy of the place, a job that many female cultivators, both outer and inner disciples, dreamed of.

Qin Yuan shook his head: "No need. You all pack your things and go home."

The maids were stunned.

"The true lineage of Qin..." the maid in the red dress still wanted to try.

"Three hours," Qin Yuan interrupted her. "After three hours, I don't want to see you again."

His tone was calm, yet left no room for argument.

The maids turned pale, knowing there was no room for negotiation, and could only bow and retreat to pack their valuables.

Qin Yuan entered the main hall. The interior was extremely luxurious, with tables and chairs made of spirit jade, screens carved from sandalwood, and various calligraphy, paintings, and antiques hanging on the walls. In one corner, there was even a small spirit-gathering array that collected the spiritual energy of the entire mountain.

He walked to the center of the formation, sat down cross-legged, and released his divine sense, instantly covering the entire mountain peak.

Everything within a thousand-foot radius was within their perception. Besides the maids who were packing their luggage, there were also several handy disciples on the mountain who were responsible for tending the herb garden and raising spirit beasts. At this moment, they were all gathered in a small courtyard on the mountainside, discussing their new master's temperament in hushed tones.

Qin Yuan withdrew his divine sense, pondered for a moment, and then got up and left Crimson Flame Peak.

Half an hour later, he returned to the fifth peak.

Outside Tingzhu Garden, Zhou De, Zhao Tiezhu, and several other inner disciples who had been following Qin Yuan in the secret realm were gathered together cultivating. Upon seeing Qin Yuan return, they all stood up in delight.

"Senior Brother Qin! No, now we should call him True Disciple Qin!" Zhao Tiezhu grinned. "Senior Brother's punch was so powerful! That guy Zhao Wuji, who always thinks he's all that, has finally met his match!"

Zhou De also smiled and said, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Qin, on your advancement to the True Disciple level."

Qin Yuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "I now have a place to stay on Crimson Flame Peak, where the spiritual energy is abundant and suitable for cultivation. If you are willing, you can come with me there."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed!

The peak of true disciples! A place they wouldn't even dare to dream of normally!

"Yes! Of course I'm willing!" Zhao Tiezhu was the first to jump up.

Zhou Ming nodded vigorously: "It is our blessing to be able to follow Senior Brother Qin."

The others also expressed their opinions.

Qin Yuan then looked into the distance—Lin Qing'er was standing under an old locust tree, looking at him with a complicated expression.

"Qing'er," he said, walking over. "Come here too."

Lin Qing'er bit her lip: "Brother Qin Yuan, I... I'm just an inner disciple. Will going to the True Inheritance Peak...?"

"It's alright," Qin Yuan said. "If I say it's okay, then it's okay."

Lin Qing'er's eyes were slightly red, and she nodded emphatically.

Soon, the group finished packing and followed Qin Yuan to Crimson Flame Peak.

As they stepped onto the mountain path and felt the rich spiritual energy that enveloped them, everyone was captivated.

"This...this concentration of spiritual energy is three times stronger than in my secluded cultivation room!" Zhou Ming exclaimed in shock.

Zhao Tiezhu took a deep breath, his face full of enjoyment: "One day of cultivation here is equivalent to ten days outside! No, twenty days!"

Lin Qing'er also opened her eyes wide, feeling the wonderful sensation of spiritual energy actively drilling into her pores—is this the treatment of a true disciple?

Qin Yuan arranged for everyone to stay in several courtyards halfway up the mountain. These courtyards were originally the residences of Zhao Wuji's followers and maids, but now they were vacant and were perfect for accommodating Zhou De and the others.

"From now on, you will cultivate here," Qin Yuan said. "Zhou De, you will be in charge of managing affairs in the mountains. If you need any resources, you can apply to me."

Zhou De respectfully agreed.

After settling everyone in, Qin Yuan returned to the main hall atop the mountain. Standing on the platform in front of the hall, he looked down at the misty mountains below, and further away at the peaks belonging to the other true disciples.

The lineage of true disciples consists of thirty individuals, corresponding to thirty of the thirty-six peaks. The higher the ranking, the better the quality of the spiritual veins on the peak they occupy, and the richer the spiritual energy.

Qin Yuan is currently ranked twenty-seventh, and the quality of the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak can only be considered average.

"Top five..." he muttered to himself.

Elder Xu's words echoed in his ears: "In the Hundred Sects Grand Competition, each sect only has five spots. If you want to secure one, you must rank in the top five of the True Disciple sequence."

Top five.

According to Elder Xu, the weakest of those five was at the late Golden Core stage, and the strongest had even touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage. With Qin Yuan's current early Golden Core stage cultivation, he was indeed far from reaching that level.

"No rush." ​​A determined glint flashed in his eyes. "First, consolidate your realm, then try to break through."