Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Liu Xing returned to his cave abode from Su Yingying's visit, feeling rather glum. Su Yingying had gone into seclusion since he'd left. Neither he nor Su Yingying had any confidence in their chances of achieving Dan Jin this time. But time waited for no one, and there was no time for further delay. Su Yingying might appear delicate, but her heart for the Dao was unwavering. This time, she was determined to succeed or die. He was deeply worried, but there was nothing he could do. The rules of Heaven, damn Heaven!

Sect Notice: A ceremony to change the leadership of all sect leaders will be held in one month!

The sect instantly became bustling with activity. All the scattered officials, except those who were in crucial military positions and could not be separated, rushed back to the sect. Disciples currently in retreat, except those in the final stage of retreat, also began to wrap up their training and prepare to emerge. This was especially important for mid-level managers in the Jindan stage, as the change of leadership would have a significant impact on their distribution of benefits.

At the same time, everyone was speculating about who would ultimately take the top position among the three current candidates for the position: Lu En, Wu Qi, and Zhuo Xiong. And who would the newly elected candidates be? Rumors and all sorts of wild speculations arose, with some even offering gambling games. The situation was truly chaotic. However, as with every new leadership transition, the Elders would not interfere forcefully, nor would they get involved in gambling matches between low-ranking disciples.

"Senior Brother Lu, you should be the new leader this time." The fellow Jindan Daoists in Lu En's team seemed to be more anxious than him, and they all came to ask.

"My fellow junior brothers, please be patient. The Elders' Council will make its own decision. We just need to wait patiently for notification." Lu En was calm and composed, without revealing a single word.

"Brother Wu, are you the new leader this time?" The fellow Jindan Daoists in Wu Qi's team also came to ask about the candidate for the leader they followed.

"I don't know either. The Elders' Council hasn't informed me yet. My performance is good, so there should be some hope." Wu Qi was a little uncertain.

"Brother Zhuo, is there no hope at all for you to become the headmaster this time?" The fellow Jindan Daoists in Zhuo Xiong's team all sighed.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you fellow brothers. Ever since that big leak, the sect has suffered huge losses. Although we tried our best to make up for it and recover some of the losses later, it is still far behind the contributions of Lu En and Wu Qi. There is almost no hope this time." Zhuo Xiong felt a little embarrassed in front of his teammates who followed him closely.

"It's God's will. Brother Zhuo, there's no need to blame yourself. Not being chosen as the sect leader is no big deal. We still have to focus on our own cultivation." Another fellow Jindan Daoist immediately smoothed things over for him.

"Yes, Brother Zhuo, we have all tried our best, and we'll just leave the outcome to fate. However, do you know who the candidates for the next leader are? We can make some preparations in advance, and we must be cautious about choosing sides this time." Zhuo Xiong's team knew that they had no hope of becoming the leader, so they began to discuss the next candidates and their sides. However, the Elders' Council did not reveal any information, so no one except the parties involved would know the relevant information, so they could only guess on their own.

A month passed quickly.

Early in the morning, the Central Square was packed with people and flags were flying everywhere.

Hundreds of seats were temporarily arranged in front of the central stage, prepared for seniors in the Jindan stage and distinguished guests from other sects, but the Yuanying ancestors would not attend this ceremony.

Behind them were thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and further back were tens of thousands of Qi Refining cultivators. They were all densely packed, some sitting on the ground, some soaring into the air, some standing nearby, squeezing into whatever space was available.

Every sect leader's transition ceremony was a bustling event. The seldom-seen Jindan masters were all present. These masters were their role models, and to be noticed and receive advice from a Jindan master was a great honor. Therefore, everyone was enthusiastic and excited.

The time is almost up, and the seniors who have reached the Jindan stage have already arrived one after another, and the seats below are all full.

"Greetings, fellow disciples. I am Hou Youyuan. Thank you all for your strong support during my decades in office!" Sect Leader Hou appeared on the high platform. His deep voice instantly penetrated and focused everyone's attention on the platform. His magical powers were so strong that everyone was astonished.

"Next, I will step down from the position of the leader. I wish Qianji Sect a long and prosperous future!" Leader Hou bowed deeply to everyone, and the people in the audience also bowed in return. They all remained quiet and listened attentively.

"Now, please welcome the new leader to the stage!" Hou Youyuan rarely said too much nonsense. After a simple opening, he immediately introduced the newcomer.

The mystery was finally being solved, and the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples watched with wide eyes. The Jindan seniors had all known in the last few days that Lu En was the new leader, so they were actually quiet now. Although Wu Qi's group was still a little unwilling, no one was foolish enough to challenge the Elders' Council's decision.

Lu En stood up from his seat and appeared on the platform in an instant. It seemed that his skills were not inferior to those of Sect Leader Hou.

"I am Lu En, taking over the position of the headmaster. I would like to ask all the disciples to help me. I would like to thank you all here!" Lu En bowed after taking the stage.

"Congratulations to Master Lu on ascending the throne of the master!" Tens of thousands of people below the stage sang in unison. The sound was so loud that it startled the birds and beasts in the woods of Qianji Sect and made them fly away in panic.

"Now, please invite my assistants and the three new candidates for the leader to come on stage." After introducing himself, Lu En introduced the new candidates for the leader without much nonsense.

In the seating area, a senior brother and a senior sister stood up. Both of them were at the peak of the late Jindan stage and flew towards the platform. Liu Xing stood up a little later than the other two, but he was not slow. He arrived first and appeared at the bottom of the platform almost at the same time as the other two.

"A candidate in the early Jindan stage, seemingly having just broken through. What's going on?" The Jindan masters in the seating area were stunned. They were completely unfamiliar with Liu Xing, a newcomer, and immediately began whispering questions to one another. The guests in the VIP seats watched the excitement with aloof eyes. The Foundation Establishment Qi Condensation disciples, unable to discern the situation due to their lack of cultivation, naturally remained silent.

"Liu Xing is the closed disciple of Great Elder Su Xingchen; Zhong Yueqiu is the top disciple of Elder Shangguan Nan from the Puppet Department; Pei Xiu is the top disciple of Elder Zou Cheng from the Divination Department. Congratulations to them for becoming the candidates for the head of our sect. Let's welcome them with applause." Lu En also introduced the identities of the three people in a concise manner.

The audience erupted in applause. After hearing about Liu Xing's identity, nearly everyone in the audience was stunned. Friends offered their blessings, others expressed envy, and intelligence agents hurriedly relayed the news to their hosts. The atmosphere was filled with a variety of emotions.

Liu Xing knew in his heart that from this moment on, he would be at the center of the storm and there would be no possibility of peace.