It turns out, they were the main characters.

"But if I remember correctly, Senior Sister has been at the fifth level of the Void Returning Realm for almost ten years, right? At your current age, you should be careful," Yan Ruyu reminded her, seemingly unintentionally.

"Don't wait until you die at the fifth level of the Void Returning Realm without ever breaking through." Although her smile was gentle, her words were extremely sarcastic.

It's no wonder, as Yan Ruyu and the Dao Peak Chief were originally fellow disciples. The two had never gotten along. Later, the first Dao Peak Chief passed away and passed the position to the current Dao Peak Chief, and Yan Ruyu left Dao Peak as a result.

The Liangyi Sect is incredibly large, and its members rarely see each other on ordinary days. However, since they have met this time, some minor friction is inevitable.

However, Yan Ruyu's words just now struck a nerve with many people present.

These people would be renowned figures in any fantasy world, but they are not so rare on this high platform.

Moreover, many people have been stuck in their respective bottleneck periods for a long time.

It's not that I'm lazy and haven't been cultivating, but rather that the path of cultivation becomes increasingly difficult as you progress, especially when facing bottlenecks.

Yan Ruyu's area-of-effect attack was so powerful that even the higher-ups of the Liangyi Sect felt a bit uncomfortable.

"It's rare for the sect leader to emerge from seclusion, and there are so many disciples watching from below. You should all stop this now," the second elder said, reluctantly stopping the two.

The two finally quieted down after the Second Elder's reprimand.

Shang Yanfei glanced casually at the chiefs and elders beside her.

Are so many people stuck in a bottleneck phase...?

She seemed to have thought of something, and casually glanced at the crowd below the stage.

To be precise, it was Mu Zhi'an among the crowd.

If these people knew about the other cauldron within Mu Zhian's body... Mu Zhian would probably be mentioned again in the recent discussion about "inner disciples".

It doesn't matter if there are male cultivators, but there are quite a few female cultivators among those present.

While it's not a good idea to target a junior, most people would be tempted if it could help them break through their limitations.

At the same time, all the disciples below the stage looked up at the woman on the high platform.

Even though her clothes and appearance were quite simple, her aura alone was enough to attract people's attention.

Mu Zhian also gazed at the woman on the stage, her hair flowing freely, her beauty unparalleled.

Although it wasn't very clear from the audience, the woman's blurry figure was enough to spark endless imagination.

"This woman is destined to be with me..." Mu Zhian thought to himself.

Just as he thought of this, Shang Yanfei on the stage suddenly seemed to sense something and glanced over, intentionally or unintentionally.

Then, in the next instant, their eyes seemed to meet.

A faint smile unconsciously curved the corners of Shang Yanfei's lips as she looked at him, a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Mu Zhian's mind went blank for a moment, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.

Holy crap, it feels like my underwear has been seen through...?

Mu Zhian immediately looked away, lowered his head, and maintained a "respectful" attitude.

That really is a great white shark... I can't afford to keep such a terrifying creature in my fishpond for the time being.

"What's wrong?" Wei Mengrou clearly noticed her young master's unusual behavior and immediately asked via telepathy.

Mu Zhian shook his head gently: "It's nothing, I guess I didn't sleep well last night and I'm a little tired now."

Wei Mengrou immediately gave him a sidelong glance and said indifferently, "Who told you to be with Miss Bai the night before..."

She didn't continue speaking, but her eyes were filled with disdain as she looked at Mu Zhian.

Mu Zhian didn't care about this at all. He glanced at Bai Ruoxi, who had a graceful figure, standing not far away among a group of sect disciples.

Then her gaze fell on Ye Qian, who was behind Bai Ruoxi and looked pure and charming in a light blue dress.

Ye Qian usually stays by Ye Lingxuan's side, but a few days ago, after Ye Lingxuan entered the Spirit Dragon's Cave Heaven, she seemed to have received some kind of inheritance. Judging from this, it is clear that the inheritance is not yet over.

I'll ask Linglong when I get back...

He's been craving Lingxuan's rouge for days.

Thinking of this, Mu Zhian was about to look away.

At that moment, his peripheral vision suddenly fell on the young man wearing a four-clawed python robe not far ahead.

The Third Prince, Ninglong.

He was smiling and talking quietly with a woman in a black dress, his eyes seemingly filled with a hint of infatuation.

The woman in the black dress was Huang Manting.

The Third Prince really shifted his focus quickly. He had his eye on Ling Xuan before, but now he's attracted to the young lady of the Morning Light Merchant Guild.

That's true, Huang Manting does have a certain charm that attracts men.

If it weren't for Bai Ruoxi, Huang Manting would have been the most beautiful woman in Tianxuan City before.

It's just a pity that although this Miss Huang has a pair of rather fair and delicate feet, her breasts are not as big as Bai Ruoxi's... This is a major flaw.

Moreover, judging from Huang Manting's smiling face now, it's obvious that she's hiding her sadistic personality.

The poor third prince was completely manipulated by her, yet he remained oblivious, still believing he was about to win over Huang Manting.

Little did he know, he had already fallen into the trap of a wicked woman.

Seemingly noticing Mu Zhian's gaze, Huang Manting looked up and gave him a sweet smile.

The Third Prince, however, remained completely unaware of this, maintaining his gentle smile as if he believed he had won the beauty's heart and elicited a sweet smile from her.

"Young Master Mu, this person is so annoying. He's been bothering me for the past two days. It's not like I deliberately seduced him," Huang Manting transmitted her voice.

Why are you telling me this? Do I even know you? Mu Zhian transmitted his voice, "This is the third prince of the Great Qian Dynasty. If Miss Huang seizes this opportunity, she might become the crown princess in the future."

"Wasn't the crown prince of the Great Qian Dynasty already decided? At the very least, there's the eldest princess to succeed him. It's not his turn." Huang Manting said dismissively.

The current crown prince of the Great Qian Dynasty is the son of the empress. Besides the crown prince, the eldest princess is also quite capable. If she were not a girl, the position of crown prince might have been hers.

Mu Zhian was naturally aware of these matters, so he simply smiled, looked up at the high platform, and found that the peerless sect leader had already risen from his throne and was walking gracefully toward the altar in the distance.

Ancestor worship is said to be a ritual performed only at the opening ceremony of the Liangyi Sect.

However, the ancestor worshipped in the Two Elements Ancestor Worship is not the ancestor who founded the sect, but "the Dao".

Legend has it that there was once a powerful being who reached the Immortal Ascension stage, and he resonated with the Heavenly Dao, thus ushering in the era of cultivation.

If one had to name a specific immortal, that one who reached the Ascension stage would be the first "cultivator" in the cultivation world.

Looking at Shang Yanfei, who was dressed in a plain robe and whose beautiful hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, leaving only a beautiful silhouette, Mu Zhian couldn't help but sigh inwardly: This sect leader is truly a great beauty.

However, this kind of being was too difficult to conquer, so Mu Zhian temporarily put aside these thoughts and, like the other disciples, watched the woman walk onto the altar.

"Won't the inner disciples be decided after the ancestral worship ceremony? Are you confident?" A maid's voice suddenly came from beside me.

Mu Zhian shook his head gently and smiled, "Even if I'm not sure, I will do my best so that I can be with Sister Mengrou in the future."

Wei Mengrou gave a cold laugh: "Do you really think anyone will choose me as an inner disciple?"

In the cultivation world, "luck" is highly valued. Wei Mengrou's luck is so bad that most people would probably think twice if they knew about it.

"Didn't the dragon's luck have any effect on Sister Mengrou before?" Mu Zhian asked.

"Hmm," Wei Mengrou said calmly.

Then, after a moment's hesitation, she whispered, "I'm sorry, I've wasted a lifeline of fortune."

The inheritance of the spirit dragon's fortune would be something countless people would fight tooth and nail for, yet she obtained a portion of it but wasted it. No wonder even someone as aloof as Wei Mengrou felt a pang of guilt.

"Do we really need to be so polite between us, Sister Mengrou?" Mu Zhian shook his head and smiled, fully demonstrating the self-cultivation of a warm-hearted man.

"Besides, you're at the fifth level of the Spirit Refinement Realm. With such talent, there are probably many people who would want to take you as their disciple," Mu Zhian added.

At this age, if Wei Mengrou hadn't been hampered by bad luck and lacked some fortuitous encounters, her cultivation level might have been even higher at the fifth level of the Spirit Refinement realm.

If the leaders of these sects want to prepare for the upcoming sect competition, they certainly wouldn't let go of such a promising talent as Wei Mengrou.

“If you don’t become an inner disciple, then according to the agreement I made with Madam, I won’t become an inner disciple either,” Wei Mengrou said calmly.

"You'd rather give up your spot as an inner disciple than not follow me... Sister Mengrou, you really do have a crush on me, don't you?" Mu Zhian teased.

Wei Mengrou glanced at him coldly, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Mu Zhian continued to transmit his voice, "I am a special recruit... Although I cannot be sure that I will be selected as an inner disciple, I should still be able to manipulate things."

Mu Zhian's talent in array formations, which he displayed at Canghai Peak, was bound to attract the attention of the 'proctors'.

Even without that, the mere fact that he is a "natural furnace" is enough to attract these high-ranking officials.

However, Mu Zhian was reluctant to reveal his identity unless absolutely necessary.

Although he lives off his girlfriend, he only wants to live off his senior sister.

As for the others... they're too old, not suitable.

Although all the female elders on the stage seemed quite beautiful, and the beauty of Pavilion Master Yan was especially outstanding, she was exactly my type... Mu Zhian felt a bit emotional.

Indeed, in the world of cultivation, one cannot judge a woman solely by her age.

If all else fails, I'll just have to live off a woman; I won't lose anything anyway... Mu Zhian subtly withdrew his gaze.

"Child, come here..."

At that moment, a voice like that of a ghost suddenly came to his ears, and under the clear sky, a chilling feeling washed over him.

Mu Zhian stiffened for a moment, then subconsciously turned his head to scan his surroundings, trying to find the source of the sound, but found that he could not discern the direction of the sound at all.

"Child, come over here..." The weak and aged voice floated into Mu Zhian's ears once again.

Almost instantly, countless goosebumps rose on Mu Zhian's body.

"What's wrong?" Wei Mengrou had obviously noticed Mu Zhian's unusual behavior and couldn't help but ask.

"Didn't you hear anything?" Mu Zhian asked in a low voice.

Wei Mengrou frowned slightly and asked, "What do you mean?"

It seems that only I heard this voice... or rather, someone is communicating with me telepathically?

Who is it?

Those elders or chief deities on the platform?

No, they are not related to me, and this is the sect's opening ceremony. How could they possibly ask me to go to the high platform to find them now?