The Passage of Time

To cultivators of the Void Cavern realm endowed with lifespans of ten thousand years, the passage of thirty years stirred very little emotion. Converted into the temporal perspective of an ordinary mortal, it felt like little more than a month or two. To any friend or relative, attending a promotion banquet just a month or two ago could hardly be considered ancient history. Unless one shared an exceptionally close bond, going without seeing someone for a year or two was entirely normal. And for a Void Cavern cultivator, that year or two was equivalent to two or three centuries. Following his grand succession ceremony, Yaoguang and the entire Heavenly Dao Sect settled down completely. That quiet spell lasted for a full thirty years. Of course, though they caused no major stir throughout these three decades, rumors and legends about him on Beihai Star never waned. In particular, when the Dao Lord Candidate List was updated twenty years ago, it directly replaced Demon Sovereign Kongxuan of the demon race with him, placing Yaoguang at second rank. This sent his renown soaring to unprecedented heights. Countless cultivators came to view him as their role model, taking pride in aspiring toward what he had achieved. Under such circumstances, the Heavenly Dao Sect's prestige on Beihai Star rose with the tide. Especially with the influence of two powerhouses on the Dao Lord Candidate List—Yaoguang and True Monarch Jinghong—along with the addition of that mysterious Artifact Saint who was soon to forge a pinnacle Dao artifact for Dao Lord Penglai, the Heavenly Dao Sect's standing among the Ten Immortal Sects had climbed to a position second only to the Sanqing Sacred Hall. Yet the clamor of the outside world had no bearing on Yaoguang. At that moment, drawn away by business, he was walking out of Heaven Abandoned Valley, accompanied by Tang Fenghua. "Before I knew it, someone from the Nine Cauldrons Sect's new generation is already preparing to break through to the Void Cavern realm," Yaoguang murmured, feeling a touch nostalgic. Tang Fenghua smiled from his side and said, "The talent of our Nine Cauldrons Sect cultivators may not match that of the Heavenly Dao Sect's true disciples, but thanks to you, Sect Master Yaoguang, directing nearly all the proceeds from those factories in the Southern Domain to our Nine Cauldrons Sect to manage as we see fit, we've had hundreds of millions of Pure Yang Great Pills poured into us each year. Even those with the poorest talent would have reached this stage by now." He then added, "Moreover, we cultivate the Mystic Origin Creation Technique that you bestowed upon us, Sect Master. It has become our Nine Cauldrons Sect's paramount core technique, a notch more profound than even the true legacy arts of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Relying on this technique has been enough to bridge the gap in talent between our core members on Nine Cauldrons Peak and the true disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect." "The Mystic Origin Creation Technique..." Hearing Tang Fenghua mention it, Yaoguang felt a ripple in his mind. The Mystic Origin Creation Technique came from the Creation Group. That faction, according to Yaoguang's speculations, likely originated from the Immortal Realm. In other words, there was a high probability that this manual belonged to an Immortal Realm heritage. Such a cultivation method was balanced, upright, and peaceful, possessing astounding compatibility and stability. Though one could hardly call its cultivation speed swift, every single step taken was exceptionally solid. It was true from Core Formation to the Skyfire realm, from Constant Light to the Crimson Golden Core, and equally true from the Incandescent White Golden Core to the Deep Blue Golden Core. Advancing step by step, the entire journey carried almost no risk. Furthermore, as young talents of the Nine Cauldrons Sect like Su Yaoxue, Lin Xia, Leng Jun, Shen Qinglian, and Xu Nianhua cultivated this technique to the threshold of the Void Cavern realm, they were astonished to discover that when taking the next step to establish a cavern-heaven, their success rate appeared to remain significantly higher than with other methods. Presently, Su Yaoxue, having been practically buoyed upward by boundless resources, was the first to achieve complete perfection in the Deep Blue Golden Core. Intending to assault the Void Cavern realm, she hoped to request Yaoguang to protect her Dao. Toward this nominal "sister," Yaoguang was naturally willing to look after her. "After thirty years of settling her foundation, Perfected Person Yaoxue has thoroughly consolidated her realm. Her assurance in breaking through to the Void Cavern realm this time is immense," Tang Fenghua explained as he led the way. "Once she succeeds, she will be the very first Void Cavern True Monarch to arise from our Nine Cauldrons Sect aside from Elder Li and Elder Wan. It will mark a brand-new milestone in the development of our Nine Cauldrons Sect, and we all hope you can bear witness to this historic moment, Sect Master." "The group of people I brought along—has there been any trouble from them?" Yaoguang inquired. "Has anyone used their connections to bully or tyrannize others within the Nine Cauldrons Sect?" "None at all," Tang Fenghua replied swiftly. "Perfected Person Yaoyu and Perfected Person Yaoxue, one gentle and the other firm, have instructed them exceptionally well. In many matters, they lead by personal example, earning the admiration of countless disciples. It is precisely because of their fairness and impartiality that a wholesome atmosphere has endured throughout the Nine Cauldrons Sect. In nearly a century since arriving on Beihai Star, not a single disciple has been seen throwing their weight around or acting arrogantly." Yaoguang nodded. He had not paid much mind to Su Yaoxue, Su Yaoshuang, or Su Yaoqin, but he still met with Su Yaoyu from time to time. Due to her temperament, even though she was now essentially the chief steward managing the Nine Cauldrons Sect's expenditures, she still maintained a meticulous, earnest attitude toward life and duty. With Su Yaoyu watching over them, that group would not easily fall into depravity. Of course, if anyone among them truly became blinded by greed or lost all sense of right and wrong like several of Dao Lord Penglai's disciples, Yaoguang would not hesitate to expel them directly from the Nine Cauldrons Sect, and even cast them out of the Heavenly Dao Sect. The two traveled via light evasion. Before reaching Nine Cauldrons Peak, Yaoguang sensed something and glanced in a certain direction. "What is happening over there? It looks quite lively." "Over there?" Tang Fenghua recalled briefly and soon replied, "That is the Heavenly Dao Sect's quinquennial true disciple assessment. Leading inner disciples challenge the true disciples, and lower-ranked true disciples also push for higher standings to secure more cultivation resources from the sect." "Oh?" Hearing Tang Fenghua's words, Yaoguang could not help recalling the scene when he first arrived at the Heavenly Dao Sect. Those experiences felt like yesterday. "The Heavenly Dao Sect's disciple assessment system... needs some adjustments," he remarked. "The present Heavenly Dao Sect is no longer lacking the meager resources allocated to those below." "I will record your words at once and relay them to Lineage Chief Chu," Tang Fenghua said immediately. "No rush. Let us go take a look." With that, Yaoguang first restrained his aura to avoid alarming the presiding elders, then transformed into a stream of light and flew toward the disciple assessment grounds. At this moment, the elder responsible for overseeing the assessment turned out to be an acquaintance of Yaoguang: Lingxi, an illustrious figure among the true disciples decades ago, now serving as an elder of the Heaven Lineage. Unlike other elders who merely drifted through their days, Lingxi was quite diligent, maintaining order across the grounds. Whenever a disciple fell into peril during the trials, she would intervene in time to save their life. Yaoguang cast his gaze over the arena. The one launching a bid for the true disciple rank was an inner disciple who had condensed a Deep Blue Golden Core. And his opponent had likewise formed a Deep Blue Golden Core. Yaoguang looked across the dozens of true disciples watching from a distance and felt a touch surprised. "Are there really no true disciples left with an Incandescent White Golden Core in the Heavenly Dao Sect?" "Forget Incandescent White Golden Cores—even a Deep Blue Golden Core might not secure a true disciple seat," Tang Fenghua said with a smile. "Thanks to your illustrious renown, Sect Master, the number of geniuses from all over the world seeking to join our Heavenly Dao Sect in recent years has increased more than tenfold! Among the eighty-eight true disciples, only the finest of the Deep Blue Golden Core cultivators are qualified to hold their ground. Every single one of the top thirty inner disciples possesses a Deep Blue Golden Core cultivation!" Yaoguang listened, then took another look at the top inner disciple challenging for a seat. "His strength is indeed not bad. Back in the day, he could probably have made the top forty among the true disciples." In his estimation, this challenger's prowess was not much inferior to Xuan Shuang, the first Heavenly Dao Sect true disciple who had died by his hand. And back then, that true disciple had been ranked thirty-fourth among the eighty-eight. "It is all thanks to your grace, Sect Master. Had you not crushed the Shadow Moon Sect and the Light God race one after another, forging the Heavenly Dao Sect's supreme glory, and then generated immense wealth for the sect through the sales of warships and flying swords, how could talents from across Beihai Star be clamoring to join the Heavenly Dao Sect one after another?" Tang Fenghua said. Yaoguang chuckled softly and said nothing. Noticing that Yaoguang was not only observing the inner disciple but also studying the eighty-eight true disciples, Tang Fenghua could not help asking curiously, "Does the Sect Master intend to choose someone from the true disciples to take as a personal disciple? If word of this spreads, all the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect will surely erupt with excitement." "A disciple..." Yaoguang shook his head. He had never taken a single disciple under his wing. Coupled with his status as Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, taking a disciple now would make that person his eldest disciple, more than enough to draw countless eyes and profound deference. However, he had no intention of wasting time and energy on a Golden Core disciple. In some time, he planned to assault the Dao Integration realm. A disciple of a Dao Integration cultivator... Should at least start at the Void Cavern realm, shouldn't they? Before reaching Void Cavern, one's lifespan was merely a thousand years... Though anyone taken under his tutelage who was not yet at Void Cavern would have an exceedingly high chance of breaking through in the future, one could never be entirely certain. Jiang Tianzun was the prime example. "No need for a disciple." Yaoguang turned to leave the scene, casually asking as he walked, "Who holds first rank among the true disciples now? I recall it used to be Yan Huang. Is it still him?" "Yan Huang... successfully broke through to the Void Cavern realm fourteen years ago and is now a Void Cavern elder. The current number one true disciple is a genius who joined our sect twenty-five years ago. In just twenty-five years, he surged from obscurity straight to the very top." Tang Fenghua provided the overview. Yaoguang had only asked on a whim and showed no intention of looking deeper into it. Overseeing the assessment grounds, Lingxi seemed to sense something at that moment and glanced in the direction of Yaoguang's departure, a trace of confusion in her eyes. Yet compared to Jin Yuliu, she was undeniably far more conscientious. Though she felt a fleeting curiosity and familiarity toward the two disappearing silhouettes, duty bound her in place, and she did not leave her post. ... On the other side, Yaoguang had already arrived at Nine Cauldrons Peak. Because Su Yaoxue's breakthrough to Void Cavern would signify the first member of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's new generation to step into that domain, quite a crowd from the Nine Cauldrons Sect had gathered. Both Li Hanqiu and Li Qingshan, senior leaders of the sect, were present at the scene. The moment Yaoguang arrived, everyone's gaze immediately fell upon him. Without needing Li Hanqiu to speak, they all cupped their hands and called out in unison, "Greetings, Sect Master!" Yaoguang raised an airy hand toward the crowd. "No need for ceremony." "Sect Master." Li Hanqiu, Li Qingshan, Lou Yuyu, and the others stepped forward, their expressions heavy with emotion. "To think that our Nine Cauldrons Sect could achieve such glory on Beihai Star." "It will only get better from here," Yaoguang replied with a smile. Then, his gaze met Su Yaoyu's slightly anxious eyes, and he smiled reassuringly. "Rest easy. Nothing will go wrong." After comforting her, he turned his attention toward Su Yaoxue. "How about it? Do you have confidence?" "I will certainly achieve the Void Cavern realm," Su Yaoxue answered with absolute conviction. "Good. If you achieve Void Cavern, I will personally preside over your Void Cavern celebration," Yaoguang encouraged, clapping his hands together. "Alright, begin. Go and become the first among the younger generation of the Nine Cauldrons Sect."