Chapter 195 - 119: Truly Becoming a Celestial Pride

But an Inner Sect Celestial Pride was different.

An Inner Sect Celestial Pride was someone who, with astonishing talent and combat power, had forced their way through the Celestial Pride Trial before even becoming a True Inheritor.

In the entire history of the Guiyuan Sect, there had only been three such people.

Those three all went on to become Sect Leaders of the Guiyuan Sect, becoming Revitalization Ancestor Masters who led the Sect to its most glorious and prosperous eras.

"And now, our Guiyuan Sect is about to welcome its fourth Inner Sect Celestial Pride. Tell me, is this not a great fortune for our Sect?"

The moment Meng Shouzhen said this, the Ten Great Martial Vein Masters and the numerous Elders all stared with wide eyes.

An Inner Sect Celestial Pride!

It was actually an Inner Sect Celestial Pride!

If Meng Shouzhen hadn’t brought it up, they would have almost forgotten that a Celestial Pride could also be an Inner Sect Disciple, without having to wait until they were promoted to a True Inheritor.

However, Inner Sect Celestial Prides were exceedingly rare.

In the history of the Guiyuan Sect, there had never been a generation without a Sect’s Celestial Pride, but they had almost always become Celestial Prides only after becoming True Inheritors.

But an Inner Sect Celestial Pride was different.

They had to complete the Celestial Pride Trial.

And the Celestial Pride Trial was far too difficult for an Inner Sect Disciple.

In fact, Yu Hualong had also applied for the Celestial Pride Trial.

But he, too, had failed during the Combat Power Assessment.

Back in the day, Yu Hualong had been proud and arrogant, wanting to challenge the Celestial Pride Trial as an Inner Sect Disciple.

He had barely passed the cultivation speed assessment.

But in the Combat Power Assessment, he faced a Gang Force Martial Artist and, after fighting bitterly for dozens of rounds, was ultimately defeated.

That failure left Yu Hualong dejected for a long time.

But it was also that failure that made him recognize his own shortcomings, allowing him to accumulate his strength over time and eventually become a true Sect’s Celestial Pride.

But Zhang Su was different.

Zhang Su was already renowned for his tyrannical combat power.

He had even slain a Pill Force expert while at the Huajin realm.

Such a feat was unprecedented.

Even the harshest Elders knew that while the gap between the Gang Force and Pill Force realms was large, it was nothing compared to the gap between the Huajin and Pill Force realms.

The Combat Power Assessment, the second part of the Celestial Pride Trial, probably wouldn’t be much of a problem for Zhang Su.

At this moment, Zhao Qianfeng was so excited his whole body trembled.

He couldn’t believe it, not even in his wildest dreams.

’Zhang Su... is actually going to become a Sect’s Celestial Pride?’

And an extremely special Inner Sect Celestial Pride, at that—one of only a handful in the Guiyuan Sect’s history!

What an incredible honor this was!

Zhao Qianfeng recalled how, in his youth, he had also fantasized about becoming a Sect’s Celestial Pride.

But reality was cruel.

Though his aptitude wasn’t bad, he was still a far cry from a Sect’s Celestial Pride. No matter how hard he tried, he could never keep up with a Celestial Pride’s pace.

Later, after his leg was crippled, he became even more resigned to his fate.

He spent his days in the Instructor Pavilion, organizing Secret Manuals day after day, living a life as tranquil as still water.

He thought his life would continue on like this forever.

But Zhang Su’s appearance changed everything.

Zhang Su was his disciple.

A disciple’s glory is his master’s glory.

"Hahaha, Old Cripple, congratulations! I never thought that in your old age, you’d actually manage to take on an Inner Sect Celestial Pride."

Wang Dakui clapped Zhao Qianfeng on the shoulder.

He was also overjoyed.

Although Zhang Su wasn’t his disciple, he had looked after him quite a bit.

After the trip to Hengshan County, he had long since come to see Zhang Su as half a disciple.

Wang Dakui and Zhao Qianfeng were the best of friends.

Both were considered marginal figures in the Sect—one was the cripple from the Instructor Pavilion, the other a hot-tempered old man from Little Stone Peak. Neither was particularly well-liked.

But things were different now.

Zhao Qianfeng had taken on a Celestial Pride as a disciple, and even Wang Dakui felt his own face shine with reflected glory.

"I’ve never had much skill in my life, just good luck."

Zhao Qianfeng smiled and shook his head.

"Good luck? That’s because Zhang Su himself is skilled. Try it with someone else and see what happens!"

Wang Dakui said dismissively.

"Besides, back then, Zhang Su was just a disciple from the Guardian Sequence. Many people looked down on him, thinking he had no potential. In the end, it was you who took him as a disciple. What does that prove? It proves you have good judgment and good fortune!"

Wang Dakui’s words made Zhao Qianfeng’s old face flush red, but inwardly, he was bursting with delight.

Most of the Ten Great Martial Vein Masters were filled with regret.

They hadn’t just missed out on some genius.

They had clearly missed out on a Celestial Pride.

And one of the few Inner Sect Celestial Prides in the history of the Guiyuan Sect, no less.

Instantly, gazes fell upon Qu Zhengliu, the Master of Bamboo Sword Peak.

It was Qu Zhengliu who had rejected Zhang Su back then.

He had originally thought that as a Dharma Protector Disciple, his potential was already spent and not worth mentioning.

He never expected Zhang Su to later shine so brilliantly.

And now, he was on the verge of becoming an Inner Sect Celestial Pride!

What an incredible honor!

If Zhang Su had joined Bamboo Sword Peak back then, all of this glory would have belonged to Bamboo Sword Peak today.

Unfortunately, there were no ’what ifs’.

Qu Zhengliu knew very well that this matter would likely become a stain on his reputation for the rest of his life.

He had personally rejected an Inner Sect Celestial Pride!

The more dazzling Zhang Su became, the more he would be ridiculed.

Even Bamboo Sword Peak would become a laughingstock.

’Perhaps I should consider retiring. Then I can focus all my energy on breaking through to the Innate realm. There’s still a sliver of hope...’

A thought surfaced in Qu Zhengliu’s mind.

He had been in charge of Bamboo Sword Peak for so many years, and he was truly tired.

Tuoba Cangshu of Thousand Mechanism Peak also had very complicated feelings.

He had poured his heart and soul into bringing Thousand Mechanism Peak to its current standing.

But his goal was to have Thousand Mechanism Peak stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Five Great Martial Veins.

This, however, was incredibly difficult.

To this day, the Guiyuan Sect still only had its Five Great Martial Veins. Thousand Mechanism Peak could only claim to be the sixth great Martial Vein, but few people acknowledged it.

In truth, the gap between Thousand Mechanism Peak and the Five Great Martial Veins was not that large.

It was just a little short. If Thousand Mechanism Peak could also produce a Sect’s Celestial Pride, then it could definitely stand on equal footing with the Five Great Martial Veins.