Born with immortal seed

Chapter 354 Nascent Soul Ceremony
"The art of divination, if one were to delve deeper into its study, would lead to the Great Dao of Destiny... Even the immortals of the upper realm would not dare to call it a minor path."

Bai Zichen watched Wang Huacun's departing figure, the green copper coin in his hand as cool as ice.

Unexpectedly, this item not only stores inherited information but also enhances the application of the Copper Coin Divination.

A cultivator like Wang Huacun spent his entire life practicing divination with copper coins, only to end up calling himself a minor practitioner.

It may not be due to a lack of knowledge, but more likely it's a helpless self-deprecation.

Even the most ignorant person, if they had ever dealt with sects like the Heavenly Mystery Sect and the Divine Calculation Sect that lead to the Core Formation stage, would surely know that delving into divination and fortune-telling techniques inevitably leads to encountering the true meaning of the Great Dao.

However, 99% of cultivators can only use divination and fortune-telling techniques as a tool.

Just like Wang Huacun, he has been practicing the Copper Coin Divination since the first day of Foundation Establishment, but he is still far from touching the true meaning of the Great Dao of Destiny.

"I already have the Way of Time waiting for me to climb, and I can't handle another Great Dao of Destiny of similar level... Even Nascent Soul cultivators have never heard of being able to cultivate two top-level Great Daos simultaneously."

Bai Zichen carefully put away the green copper coin, deciding to use it merely as a tool for his practice for the time being.

The path of destiny is unfathomable and undefinable; it is normal to spend hundreds of years immersed in it.

A cultivator at the Core Formation stage, with a lifespan of five hundred years, cannot withstand such use.

……

Inside and outside the mountain gate, lanterns and decorations had long been put up, creating an ethereal and magical atmosphere.

There are no fewer than a thousand lush and verdant spiritual trees, some hundreds of feet tall, which have been transplanted from the entrance of the mountain gate all the way to both sides of the cloud platform at the summit.

The entire road was covered with a long carpet made of the most precious silk, stretching for an unknown distance.

Depending on the guests' level, there are three types of cushions: the jade cushions under the cloud platform, the ink stone cushions on the mountain peaks, and the spiritual herb cushions at the foot of the mountain.

The disciples of the Qingfeng Sect were all wearing brand-new robes that had been made in the past few months. With joyful expressions, they warmly led the guests to their seats.

Inge had only been a disciple for a few years, and as an outer disciple, he should have stayed on the periphery awaiting orders.

One of the deacons saw that he was clever and hardworking, so he was selected to enter the inner circle and was responsible for guiding the important figures to their designated seats.

"So many Core Formation cultivators!"

Yingge was born into a family of cultivators in Hejian County and grew up under the jurisdiction of the Qingfeng Sect.

Their sense of belonging to the sect is much stronger than that of the previous generation of cultivators.

After his spiritual root was discovered, he took the initiative to join the Qingfeng Sect. After the sect was established, he was assigned to the main mountain.

As a native cultivator of Hejian County, he had only heard about the Black Mountain Range from the adults' accounts, and this was his first time visiting it after joining the sect.

Not long after joining the sect, he encountered the sect's first name change since its founding, and was promoted from a Core Formation sect to a Nascent Soul sect.

Young disciples like him, filled with hope and aspirations and passionate about their sect, make up the vast majority of the current population.

"Master Zhu of the Danxia Sect has arrived!"

"Master Guo of the Shennong Sect has arrived!"

"The Hermit of Jinyang has arrived!"

……

As the names of the Core Formation Realm cultivators were announced, bells and drums sounded, and musicians struck the chime bells in a grand and magnificent manner.

"There are three seats ahead of me. Besides the representative from the Five Elements Sect, are there two other important figures coming?"

After Zhu Zhenren landed, he glanced at the seating arrangement below the cloud platform and discovered the secret.

The seats of the Five Elements Sect and the Danxia Sect are located on the left and right sides, respectively, with only an inch difference between their prayer mats, so they can be considered to be of the same level.

But the remaining two prayer cushions, high above, are located on the left and right sides of the cloud platform.

Moreover, the material is not ordinary spirit jade, but contains strands of gold and purple aura.

This arrangement indicates that these two guests are qualitatively different from other Core Formation cultivators; they can only be Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

"Two Nascent Soul True Monarchs have actually come to attend. Could it be the sect leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

As Master Zhu was pondering this in secret, a loud and clear voice called out from outside the mountain gate.

"The Ice Soul Sect, True Monarch Suihan has arrived!"

A magnificent carriage flew to the front of the Cloud Platform, and a male and a female cultivator landed on it. They were none other than True Lord Suihan and Fairy Lianyu.

Having eliminated the hidden dangers within his body with the help of the essence of Wutu, Suihan Zhenjun no longer had that terrifying face. However, due to the backlash of his lifespan, he lost the opportunity to reshape his physical body after transforming into a Nascent Soul, and had to continue to maintain the image of an old man on the verge of death.

The once renowned Fairy of Love and Desire was now dressed in a dignified and virtuous manner, quietly standing behind her.

"I apologize for not being able to greet you properly since Lord Suihan has come in person."

When a Nascent Soul True Monarch arrives, ordinary greeters are not qualified, so Wei Dao personally steps forward to receive him.

“My seat is on the right. Who is the one who respects me? I remember that among the Nascent Soul sects, you only invited the Ice Soul Sect, right?”

In the cultivation world, the left is considered the most honorable position.

When the True Lord of Cold Weather saw the location of the prayer mat, his expression turned somewhat unfriendly.

The jade futon of the True Lord of Cold Weather was not only on the right, but also one inch back from the futon on the left.

"I've taken this spot, do you have any objections?"

A wisp of sword light descended from the cloud platform and landed directly on the futon, clearly indicating that it had arrived at the scene long ago.

When Suihan Zhenjun looked at the other person, he gasped.

"True Monarch Tang Fei of the Heavenly River Sword Sect has arrived!"

A belated greeting confirmed the old man's identity.

This unassuming old man is none other than Tang Fei, the legendary number one swordsman in the Northern Region, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"So it's Senior Tang. I pay my respects to the True Lord in the cold of winter."

Suihan Zhenjun immediately fell silent and sat down, not daring to say anything more.

'Truly amazing, how could someone with such a low level of swordsmanship manage to reverse the Nascent Soul stage...'

Tang Fei arrived in Black Mountain yesterday and has been in secret talks with Ge Cang, Bai Zichen and others ever since, mainly to satisfy his own curiosity.

As the strongest sword cultivator in the Northern Region, he has always been concerned about the junior from the Qingfeng Sect who took his fourth-tier flying sword.

He suppressed his cultivation to the late stage of Core Formation, and sparred with Bai Zichen solely based on his swordsmanship.

With equal cultivation levels and both using fourth-tier flying swords, Tang Fei gained an absolute advantage in the first ten moves due to his swordsmanship, which allowed him to overcome all other techniques with a single sword strike.

If it weren't for Bai Zichen's exquisite swordsmanship, which often involved unconventional and unpredictable sword techniques, he would have been defeated long ago.

However, after ten moves, Tang Fei, who had only maintained the true essence level of the late Core Formation stage, was strangely hung up and beaten.

Bai Zichen wielded a fourth-tier flying sword without any issues of insufficient true energy or difficulty maintaining the sword's light.

On the contrary, Tang Fei, who was in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, could no longer maintain the Tai Xuan White-Headed Sword due to the restriction on his cultivation level, and could only take the initiative to sheathe his sword.

"His swordsmanship has only reached the point of refining swords into threads. Not to mention the differentiation of sword light, even breaking through all laws with a single sword is still a long way off... I wonder what method he used to control a fourth-tier flying sword as if it were an extension of his arm, without any effort at all."

Tang Fei sat on the futon, where Ge Cang had already arrived on the cloud platform and was beginning to share some of his insights on the Nascent Soul stage.

The strength Bai Zichen displayed in his sword duel with him was so great that it was simply a pipe dream to think he could kill Nine Lotus True Monarch with a single sword strike.

They definitely have some hidden trump cards, but it's not suitable to activate them during a sword-fighting practice.

This Nascent Soul Ceremony lasted for three whole days.

In addition to Ge Cang Zhenjun's brief sharing of the Nascent Soul stage, Bai Zichen also took the stage to explain sword techniques.

Later on, even Core Formation cultivators from outside the Qingfeng Sect came up on stage to teach their skills.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely over the three days.

Whether they are Core Formation cultivators or ordinary disciples, everyone gains something from the Nascent Soul Ceremony.

After seeing off each guest, those who ultimately became vassals of the Qingfeng Sect were kept on for a little longer after careful consideration.

"The Burial Valley seems to be sealed differently. When I came here, I took a walk around and found that the demonic energy was even more concentrated than before... The ancient demon has reappeared in the world. There must be a Nascent Soul True Monarch manipulating things behind the scenes. However, he is well hidden and I have not discovered any clues. Your Qingfeng Sect is not far away, so you should be prepared."

There were only three people in the secret room, and Tang Fei sighed deeply.

Once the ancient demon is freed, it will immediately return to the Nascent Soul stage, which will be a catastrophe for the entire human realm.

The northern region, bearing the brunt of the disaster, will once again witness the apocalyptic scene of ancient times when demons descended upon the world, leaving millions of acres of land scorched and corpses piled up like swamps.

"Ten years from now, I will have my final battle with Xiang Ji of the Killing Sword Sect... If you have the time, you are welcome to come and watch."

Tang Fei then turned to Bai Zichen and said with a carefree expression.

"Senior, do you wish to duel with Xiang Ji again? I will certainly be there to witness the unparalleled swordsmanship of the two True Lords."

Bai Zichen was startled and quickly agreed, naturally not wanting to miss such an unprecedented battle.

Both are top-tier sword cultivators who have been famous for hundreds of years. The Killing Sword Sect uses killing to kill and comprehends the true meaning of slaughter. It can be said that every disciple of the Killing Sword Sect is a potential demon who kills indiscriminately.

As the most outstanding disciple of the Killing Sword Sect in nearly three thousand years, Xiang Ji was hailed as having talent and aptitude comparable to the sect's Nascent Soul Ancestor from ten thousand years ago. He also pioneered the forging of the Killing Demon Sword.

While generally possessing immense power, demonic swords are also highly prone to going out of control, ultimately leading to the use of swords to subdue people.

The Killing Demon Sword uses its own hand bones as material and its swordsmanship level as its growth sustenance. It does not rely solely on killing to grow, which allows it to be firmly controlled by Xiang Ji.

As for Tang Fei, Bai Zichen could sense the difference in their swordsmanship levels just from their previous sword duel.

Tang Fei has reached the pinnacle of the sword-forging-into-silk realm, truly demonstrating what it means to break through all laws with a single sword strike.

The same sword thread could pierce Bai Zichen's Moonlight Sword Thread in a few crisscrosses, and no matter how much he used his full range of techniques, he could only delay him for a moment.

Witnessing such a pinnacle sword competition will greatly benefit one's own swordsmanship development.

……

After the Nascent Soul Ceremony, the Qingfeng Sect did not use the prestige of the Nascent Soul True Monarch to expand its territory.

Besides establishing relationships with several vassal sects, the greatest effort was focused on developing the Flaming Mountain.

As a fourth-order spiritual vein, the Flaming Mountain is far more difficult to develop than any third-order spiritual vein the sect has ever built. Flames fly all over the mountain, and even a little bit of them will melt stone and turn it into gold.

Foundation Establishment cultivators must be extremely careful up there and constantly activate their defensive magical artifacts.

The large number of Qi Refining disciples could only stay at the foot of the mountain, doing some auxiliary work, so the overall progress naturally could not be made.

“Junior Sister Zhou, is there any way to regulate the flames on the mountain using the Heavenly Blazing Fire Formation? Otherwise, even if a palace is built with fire-repelling materials, few disciples will be able to stay on the Flaming Mountain for long.”

Bai Zichen looked helplessly at the dozens of Foundation Establishment disciples scattered throughout Flaming Mountain. This small number of people was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, unable to make the slightest noise.

It's uncertain when a completely new temple will be established.

(End of this chapter)