Congratulations

"Void Piercing?" "Void Piercing!" "Void Piercing!?" As Yaoguang stepped out from that warped void—which looked as though it were folded in two—every single Void Piercing elder present was struck with shock and disbelief. The true disciples, including top-ten figures like Yan Huang, Lingxi, Liang Lin, and Zhang Qing, were even more terrified. Even lineage masters like Yuan Miaoyi and Xiang Zhenlong wore looks of incredulity. Reaching Void Piercing on the spot!? Just like that!? How could breaking through to the Void Piercing realm possibly be so simple!? For an ordinary cultivator to advance from a Deep Blue Golden Core to the Void Piercing realm, whether it was unleashing the full might of their Dharma Idol to split heaven and earth, or collapsing their Golden Core into a primal cavern to evolve a world of its own—which of those paths wasn't fraught with deadly peril!? Detonating the Dharma Idol's power to manifest a true spirit opening heaven was such that a single misstep would obliterate the divine mind, leaving behind a vegetative husk whose flesh survived while the soul died. Collapsing the Golden Core into a black hole to evolve a world was an even narrower brush with death. Without sufficient comprehension of spatial power, the very moment the Golden Core collapsed usually marked the cultivator's demise. Moreover, the process of fusing both—unleashing all of one's Dharma Idol power to open heaven and earth while simultaneously collapsing the Golden Core into a black hole to evolve a world—was arduous to the extreme. It required a flawless union between the divine mind and the power of the Golden Core. They had to be mutually compatible, mutually fulfilling. The slightest imperfection would result in failure. Those blessed with a little luck might transition into a Battle Immortal, maintaining the primal cavern's existence. Those less fortunate... The uncontrolled force of the collapsing Golden Core would devour everything. They would perish on the spot, reduced to ash and smoke. Under such circumstances, Yaoguang had breezed through the breakthrough into the Void Piercing realm in mere breaths. That effortless, natural ease completely overturned everyone's understanding of the Void Piercing realm. "How is that possible!?" "Void Piercing! Void Piercing! This is the Void Piercing realm!" "Attaining Void Piercing could actually be so easy!? How can that be! How on earth did he do it? How could he accomplish it so casually!?" In that moment, countless onlookers simply could not accept the scene before their eyes. Even some genuine Void Piercing cultivators felt on the verge of madness. It was too effortless! Too simple! Compared to the painstaking preparations, cautious trepidation, and near-fatal perils they had endured when breaking through to Void Piercing back in their day, this ease was as distant as heaven and earth. The sheer disparity drove them involuntarily to jealousy, driving them frantic! Yet Yaoguang clearly did not care about their reactions. Taking advantage of Venerable Golden Book's presence, he cupped his hands and said directly, "One who ascends to Void Piercing as a true disciple shall become a junior sect master." "Indeed. It is truly the Void Piercing realm." Venerable Golden Book nodded slightly. The moment those words fell, the incredulous, dumbfounded true disciples widened their eyes even further. No matter how reluctant they were to accept the truth, with Venerable Golden Book's authoritative decree endorsing Yaoguang, his Void Piercing status could no longer be doubted in the slightest. *Swish!* Venerable Golden Book paid no heed to anyone else's thoughts, nor did he care whether they believed Yaoguang had truly attained Void Piercing. With a wave of his hand, golden light once again unfurled before him. Navigating straight to the roster of true disciples, he extracted Yaoguang's name and imprint. Instantly... A vacancy opened in the eighty-eight-seat true disciple ranking that had just been filled. Seeing this, the true disciple who had been pushed off the end of the ranking broke into wild delight. Unfortunately, Venerable Golden Book did not spare him a single glance. Leaving the slot vacant, he simply turned to the next page and registered Yaoguang's name and imprint there. The smile on that disciple's face froze before it could even fully spread. "As a junior sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, you shall hold a subordinate volume of the Golden Book of the Great Dao, with the right to observe the sect's operations, the allocation of resources, and the deployment of personnel." As he spoke, a golden booklet materialized in Venerable Golden Book's hand and flew directly toward Yaoguang. Yaoguang reached out, caught the booklet, and refined it into his grotto-heaven. Observing sect operations, resource allocation, and personnel deployment. What did that entail? It meant oversight over the sect! Although it carried only the responsibility of supervision without direct executive authority, holding a subordinate volume of the Golden Book of the Great Dao meant that if anyone violated the sect's most fundamental ironclad laws and rules inscribed within the Golden Book, he possessed the power to report directly to it and request its judgment. Such power... Sect Master Zong Wenxian, Heaven Lineage Master Xiang Zhenlong, Immortal Lineage Master Yuan Miaoyi... All of their expressions shifted at once. No set of rules in this world was ever flawless. In running the sect, the higher-ups inevitably had to inject a few of their own ideas... Well, ostensibly to carry out innovative reforms in response to external shifts. Such reforms naturally overstepped boundaries in certain areas. In ordinary times, when a lineage master crossed the line a little or the deputy sect masters stepped slightly out of bounds, everyone simply shared a portion of the profits with the junior sect masters, turning a blind eye so that all parties remained satisfied. It was all for the sake of cultivating into immortals, so nobody looked down on it. Yet now, Yaoguang had entered the picture... And worse, he seemed to be a tough nut to crack... which spelled trouble. "Sect Master..." Yuan Miaoyi cautiously consulted him in a low voice. "While Venerable Golden Book is aware of many things, he also understands that governing such a massive sect is no easy task. As long as no one makes a fuss, Venerable Golden Book won't pursue matters deeply. After all, mortals have mortal ways of governance; an artifact spirit does not view problems the same way..." "Let us wait and see," Zong Wenxian replied. "We will observe his attitude first. However... regardless, now that another junior sect master has appeared, your lineages will still have to yield the appropriate share of profits." "Naturally." Though it pained Yuan Miaoyi, Xiang Zhenlong, and the others, they still agreed. Yielding profits... If it were one of their own, it wouldn't be so bad—the meat remained in the same pot. Yet Yaoguang was an utter outsider, belonging to none of their lineages. This was practically slicing flesh from their own bodies. However, a junior sect master wielded the authority to report directly to the Golden Book of the Great Dao. If they refused to yield benefits and he chose to flip the table, their existing circle would undergo a complete reshuffling, resulting in far greater losses. Having reached a tentative consensus, and under the discreet direction of several lineage masters, a Void Piercing elder soon offered a smiling congratulation: "Congratulations to True Disciple Yaoguang on becoming our Heavenly Dao Sect's junior sect master! With an outstanding talent like Junior Sect Master Yaoguang joining our ranks, our Heavenly Dao Sect will surely soar to even greater heights!" "Hahaha! Who dares say our Heavenly Dao Sect's younger generation lacks talent? Junior Sect Master Yaoguang's breakthrough is the finest slap in their faces! Junior Sect Master Yaoguang, you must visit our Tianque Peak often in the future!" "Our Heavenly Dao Sect has gained another Void Piercing cultivator—this is a grand occasion for the entire sect! I declare that for the coming year, all sect mission contribution rewards from the Immortal Lineage's External Affairs Peak shall increase by thirty percent! Let the whole sect celebrate together in honor of True Disciple Yaoguang attaining Void Piercing!" One Void Piercing elder after another spoke up, promptly offering their congratulations to Yaoguang. With these elders taking the lead, the true disciples also recovered from the dizzying, unbelievable turn of events. Although Yaoguang's feat of attaining Void Piercing on the spot felt surreal no matter how one looked at it, the fact stood right before them. Yaoguang had skipped straight from true disciple to junior sect master; they had no choice but to believe it. At once, Lingxi, Zhang Qing, and those with more accommodating attitudes took up the chant: "Congratulations to True Disciple Yaoguang on reaching Void Piercing! May you roam freely between heaven and earth, enjoying boundless longevity!" The true disciples' declarations naturally spurred the inner disciples into shouting as well. "Congratulations to True Disciple Yaoguang on reaching Void Piercing! Boundless longevity!" For a time, tens of thousands of inner disciples throughout the area echoed the cry in endless waves. Whether they harbored jealousy toward Yaoguang, were utterly dumbfounded, or had previously entertained thoughts of replacing him, they all had to muster smiles—genuine or feigned—to offer their congratulations. The surroundings of the entire Heavenly Dao Sword Platform dissolved into a sea of cheers. Divine minds and sound waves rippled outward, threatening to reverberate across nearly half the Heavenly Dao Sect. As the former foremost true disciple... No! As the one who had just been restored to the throne of foremost true disciple, Yan Huang listened to the surrounding clamor and the elders' well-wishes—some sincere, some hollow—yet remained completely silent. Especially when he sensed the faint disappointment in the eyes of his master, Sect Master Zong Wenxian, his heart sank completely to the bottom. *Void Piercing! Void Piercing!* Looking at the figure on the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform enveloped in boundless glory, an unprecedented longing surged within this true disciple's heart. Void Piercing! He... Yan Huang would definitely take that step as well! He would attain Void Piercing! Furthermore, he would rise to junior sect master and truly enter the ruling echelon of the Heavenly Dao Sect. That day would not be far off! Fifty years! No, thirty years! He would achieve it within thirty years! When that time came... He would surely challenge Yaoguang to another battle and prove to the world who the true Eldest Senior Brother of the Heavenly Dao Sect was. Who the undisputed foremost figure of the Heavenly Dao Sect's younger generation truly was. "Our Heavenly Dao Sect has gained another junior sect master of limitless potential. This is a blessing for our sect," at this moment, Sect Master Zong Wenxian's voice echoed through the air. Only a true disciple who attained Void Piercing before three hundred years of age could become a junior sect master, and only a junior sect master who reached Void Refining within a thousand years could become a deputy sect master. Past three hundred years of age, a true disciple automatically stepped down to become a sect deacon; even if they managed to attain Void Piercing later on, they could only serve as an ordinary elder. This showed just how difficult it was to become a junior sect master. And the privileges one enjoyed upon attaining that status... Were substantial indeed. As the sect master spoke, the raucous atmosphere gradually subsided. Everyone's eyes turned toward Zong Wenxian, while some cast covert glances at Yaoguang. They knew that what followed was the true highlight for this new junior sect master. "Every junior sect master is a pillar of our sect, a future titan of the realm. Naturally, our Heavenly Dao Sect will spare no effort in supporting his growth," Zong Wenxian's divine mind resonated across the sky. "In the name of the Heavenly Dao Sect's Sect Master, I grant Junior Sect Master Yaoguang a peak imbued with a twelfth-tier formation, along with its full complement of personnel; I confer upon him the post of Hall Master within the Battle Lineage, granting command over an elite hall; I grant him the Refined Gold Mountain Range as direct territory, entitled to fifty percent of its yields; and I grant him jurisdiction over three districts of Heavenly Dao South City, along with one hundred and eight merchant shops within those districts." As these words were spoken, countless members of the Immortal Lineage, Heaven Lineage, Battle Lineage, and Dao Lineage felt a pang of heartache. "May Junior Sect Master Yaoguang reach Void Refining early, shoulder the responsibility of developing the sect, and contribute to the Heavenly Dao Sect's growing prosperity." "My thanks to the Sect Master." Yaoguang cupped his hands, smiling as he accepted all these boons.