Chapter 187: Sect Entry Grand Ceremony

Mountains have no years; several nights had already slipped away.

Had Jiuyou not layered several extra perception-shielding arrays over the cave dwelling's entrance, he might never have noticed someone had been standing outside his door for quite some time.

Zhou Chengshan paced back and forth before the stone door, his hands clasped behind his back. He had already knocked and swept the area with his Divine Sense, yet he couldn't detect his new junior brother's aura at all—it was as if the man had vanished into thin air. Stopping in his tracks, Zhou Chengshan ran his gaze over the crack in the door. Though his face remained impassive, his movements betrayed a touch more hesitation than before.

After waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his brow twitched. Golden mana silently gathered in his palm; his patience was clearly wearing thin.

Just then, the stone door rumbled open. Jiuyou appeared in the doorway, catching Zhou Chengshan with his hand raised and the golden mana in his palm yet to disperse.

Jiuyou's expression flickered, and he took a half-step back. "Senior Brother Zhou, what is the meaning of this?"

Zhou Chengshan froze for a moment. Realizing how his posture looked, he awkwardly pulled his hand back and coughed, forcing a somewhat unnatural smile. "Don't take offense, Junior Brother. I've been waiting here for quite some time. When you didn't respond and I couldn't sense your aura, I worried something had gone wrong during your seclusion. I grew anxious and acted a bit rashly." He clasped his hands behind his back again, his expression returning to its usual calm composure. "I hope you won't take it to heart."

"I see." Jiuyou gave a slight nod, seemingly accepting the explanation, and smoothly followed the thread. "After arriving at Ember Sword Peak a few days ago, I felt a sudden burst of inspiration and went into seclusion to meditate on it. My apologies for failing to respond in time and causing you to worry, Senior Brother."

Surprise flashed through Zhou Chengshan's eyes, quickly melting into genuine gratification. "It seems Martial Uncle Jinli truly did leave behind a legacy here. For you to gain such insights, Junior Brother, is your own good fortune." He didn't press for details, his tone shifting back naturally.

Jiuyou didn't elaborate either. He just nodded silently, tacitly confirming it.

Remembering his actual purpose, Zhou Chengshan shifted the topic. "Ah, I nearly forgot. The sect is currently preparing your sect entry ceremony. It should be held in about half a month. Disciples are already being recalled from all over; even those out gaining experience have received summons. Your joining is a major event for the Daoyang Sect."

His tone grew a bit more solemn. "Once the ceremony concludes, the Daoyang Sect will officially reopen its gates, accept new disciples, and gradually restore its former scale."

"I will leave the arrangements to you, Senior Brother. The simpler the better." Jiuyou cupped his fists, offering a casual invitation. "Since you're already here, why not come inside for a chat?"

Zhou Chengshan waved his hand, his tone warm but maintaining a polite distance. "Another day. I'm tied up with affairs right now. I'll impose on your hospitality after the ceremony is over."

His words were light, but they clearly indicated he had no intention of staying long.

The two stood there chatting for a while longer. They talked about cultivation insights, their personal experiences, the sect's future plans, and the general state of the outside world. The topics were neither too deep nor too shallow, perfectly maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Zhou Chengshan sent out a few probing remarks, and Jiuyou seamlessly tossed them back. He made sure not to seem dismissive, nor did he make himself appear overly eager. By the time Zhou Chengshan finally took his leave, the thin barrier between them seemed to have melted away considerably during this seemingly ordinary chat.

Whether Jiuyou actually cared about this approval or not, at least in the other man's eyes, he was likely already a qualified junior brother.

After Zhou Chengshan left, Jiuyou didn't immediately return to the underground divine restriction. He waited another full day, spreading his Divine Sense to confirm no one was spying on him in secret, before triggering the array disk again. Riding the stone platform, he slowly descended deep underground.

Over the following days, he repeatedly studied the sword scars, carefully feeling every trace of residual Sword Intent. The slashes lay quietly across the walls like an open book; the handwriting was perfectly legible, yet the meaning remained perpetually obscured by a thin sheet of paper.

He faintly felt he had touched upon something, but every time he reached out to grab it, it slipped away.

'Did I take too big of a step?' he began to wonder. Perhaps his foundation wasn't solid enough. He had never seriously practiced the sword before, nor did he have any background as a sword cultivator. Trying to instantly comprehend the Sword Intent left behind by a Nascent Soul Late Stage sword Grandmaster was far too hasty.

He set that thought aside for now and rummaged through his storage pouch, pulling out dozens of sword manuals. He had looted them from sword cultivators he had killed in the past. Most belonged to Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul cultivators. The margins were often filled with the previous owners' notes and insights. He flipped through them one by one, reading every word and occasionally pausing to ponder.

But as more than ten days passed, he finished reading the dozens of manuals, to the point where he could recite some backward and forward. Although his understanding of the sword path had improved, he still couldn't touch the threshold of "Sword Intent." That thin barrier remained. It was like a thin layer of ice over a winter lake—he could see the water beneath it, but he just couldn't break it.

Jiuyou wasn't discouraged, however.

The path of cultivation was never the work of just two or three days. If he tried to rush everything, his foundation would only grow unstable. He packed away the manuals and did not linger in the divine restriction any longer.

Emerging from his cave dwelling, he stood at the summit of Ember Sword Peak, looking down at the Daoyang Sect below.

The sect looked different today. The entire mountain gate bustled with a rare sense of busy preparation.

Ever since news of his entry spread, the Daoyang Sect had been preparing for this ceremony from top to bottom. Even several small and mid-sized factions in the surrounding area had begun sending gifts. Some even sent representatives in person, eager to see exactly who this "new Nascent Soul Late Stage" expert was.

The higher-ups of the Daoyang Sect clearly intended to use this opportunity to make the sect entry ceremony as grand as possible. It was partly to give him an official status, but also to use this grand ceremony to announce the Daoyang Sect's return to the world.

At this moment, towering pillars of spiritual light shot into the sky from dozens of snowy peaks simultaneously. They converged at a central point high above the sect, transforming into a snow-white curtain of light that draped downward, bathing the entire Daoyang Sect in a holy halo.

Spiritual lights of all colors danced and shifted across the sect. Low-level disciples bustled back and forth through them, their expressions a mix of solemnity and curiosity. Interestingly, most of those spiritual lights bypassed the direction of Ember Sword Peak, as if someone had given orders regarding it.

Outside the mountain gate, dozens of massive spiritual ships had already arrived. Banners fluttered in the wind, each representing a different faction. From time to time, new ships sailed in, with cultivators in various attires standing at the bows. Some brought attendants and gift boxes, clearly placing great importance on the Daoyang Sect's Grand Ceremony.

Occasionally, the auras of Nascent Soul cultivators swept between the spiritual ships, lightly brushing over the airspace above the sect in a polite display of probing.

Jiuyou stood alone at the summit. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the magnificent scene of interwoven spiritual ships and pillars of light, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Such a spectacle..." he murmured softly, his tone making it impossible to tell if he was marveling or feeling something else entirely. "They certainly think highly of me."

The wind blew from across the mountain ridge, lifting the hem of his robes and scattering the words before they could land. The bustling noise below continued unabated. Standing high above it all, he looked down like a spectator watching a play from the edge of the stage.