Translator: AnubisTL
In about seven days, he identified a small island in the sea territory just off the sect's mountain gate and designated it as the site for the teleportation array.
He then spent over ten more days selecting a location for the second array along the Heavenly River Vein.
Next, he compiled a list of base materials needed for both arrays. Most of these were already in the Lingyun Sect's collection, but a few were missing. Fortunately, the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild, with its vast resources, sold the sect all the required materials.
Under Old Man Tianxing's peerless formation art expertise, rows of formation flags were planted to stabilize the terrain, and the two teleportation arrays were completed.
"Truly impressive, Fellow Daoist Tianxing! Your mastery of formation art is likely the finest in this realm," Li Qing remarked, gazing at the massive teleportation array forming off the coast of the sect.
This teleportation array was no ordinary asset, even for an immortal dao faction. Especially such a bidirectional array, its maintenance and operation would consume vast amounts of spirit stones.
Even the affluent Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild had not established teleportation arrays in its branches across the various great domains of the Human Realm.
Fortunately, the Lingyun Sect possessed considerable wealth, making the maintenance of these two arrays a manageable task.
Afterward, Old Man Tianxing imparted the methods for daily maintenance of the teleportation arrays to the sect's formation masters and departed with a flourish.
With the completion of the teleportation arrays, the Lingyun Sect, now possessing two mountain gates, deepened its influence in the Azure Ridge Domain.
Fortunately, under the strict guidance of the sect's higher-ups, the Lingyun Sect avoided oppressing the lower-level cultivators. It consistently upheld the principle of harmony, managing the sect with a focus on peaceful coexistence.
Under this atmosphere, the Azure Ridge Domain's cultivation world flourished, giving the impression of entering a Great Era of Cultivation.
Every cultivator took pride in joining the Lingyun Sect.
The ascension conference, held every five years, offered them their greatest opportunity to do so.
Thus, three more years slipped by.
Eight years had passed since the four great powers of the divine transformation stage—Wan Shengtian and his companions—ascended to the heavens.
Li Qing remained steadfast in his efforts to break through his divine transformation stage bottleneck, day after day, year after year.
During this time, the Lingyun Sect held another ascension conference.
This particular conference drew extraordinary attention, even startling Li Qing, who was in seclusion.
The reason was simple: they had recruited a disciple with an unprecedentedly rare aptitude!
"What? A heavenly spirit root and a Savage Bone Battle Physique in one person?" Li Qing was momentarily stunned by the news.
The heavenly spirit root needed no further explanation. It was the most coveted spirit root aptitude in the lower realm, allowing cultivators with such aptitude to reach the core formation realm without hindrance, provided no unforeseen circumstances arose.
This type of spirit root aptitude was exceptionally rare. In the many years since Li Qing founded the Lingyun Sect, this was the first time a heavenly spirit root disciple had emerged.
As for the Savage Bone Battle Physique, it was a formidable constitution. The bone and blood within such individuals were extraordinary, making their fleshly bodies terrifyingly robust even without cultivation of body refinement techniques. They could even overpower demon beasts of the same level.
When combined with body refinement techniques, their physical prowess would become even more terrifying. Ancient texts recorded that cultivators with this constitution, upon reaching mastery, could even shatter the heavens with a single strike, breaking through the void with their bare bodies.
The simultaneous emergence of these two rare aptitudes in a single cultivator could truly be described as a once-in-ten-thousand-year phenomenon.
Li Qing recalled the Exquisite True Lord from the past, who also possessed a heavenly spirit root and an Exquisite Treasure Physique, her talents unparalleled in the world.
He hadn't expected the Lingyun Sect's ascension conference to recruit a disciple with such extraordinary aptitude.
"Ancestor Limitless, Shi Zuming claims he wants to become your personal disciple and apprentice under you," Xu Xia said with a wry smile.
Hearing this, Li Qing was momentarily taken aback, then responded with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "I have no intention of taking on a disciple. The sect has so many supreme elders and ancestors—didn't any of them take an interest in him?"
Sect Leader Xu Xia clasped his hands in helplessness. "It's not that they didn't. As soon as news of his aptitude spread, Martial Uncle Wu Chong immediately expressed his desire to take him as a disciple, even personally welcoming him at the ascension conference."
"But Shi Zuming publicly refused Martial Uncle Wu's kind offer, declaring that if he couldn't become your personal disciple, he'd rather not join the Lingyun Sect at all."
At this, Li Qing's brow furrowed.
It wasn't that he cared about the sect losing such a promising talent. He simply found Shi Zuming's arrogance excessive, publicly rejecting Martial Uncle Wu and showing him no respect.
"Hmph, then let him seek another sect. The Lingyun Sect has no room for such an arrogant genius," Li Qing said coldly.
Xu Xia hesitated, "Ancestor Limitless, Shi Zuming's talent is indeed extraordinary. While his temperament may be somewhat arrogant, shouldn't you reconsider?"
Li Qing shook his head coldly. "Heavenly spirit root plus a transcendent physique? What is there to reconsider? I've personally slain enemies with such abilities before."
"Tell him I have no intention of taking disciples. If he refuses to join the Lingyun Sect because of this, let him leave."
Given the finality of his words, Xu Xia sensed Li Qing's anger and knew further persuasion would be futile.
With a respectful bow, Xu Xia took his leave.
A few days later, Shi Zuming, the prodigy with peerless talent, actually left the Lingyun Sect.
Before departing, he declared that his future path to the dao was limitless and that the sect had cast aside its future pillar!
However, he was not without sense, and didn't threaten the sect with future retribution.
Thus, the Lingyun Sect didn't hinder his departure and let him leave unimpeded.
In truth, Shi Zuming's talent warranted such bold words.
With a heavenly spirit root and the Savage Bone Battle Physique, if the sect had invested resources to cultivate him to the nascent soul realm, he would undoubtedly have become another great cultivator to dominate the world.
The incident caused a widespread stir, even rippling through the cultivation worlds of other great domains. No one had expected the Lingyun Sect to act so decisively, letting go of a disciple with such extraordinary talent.
Some felt the Lingyun Sect had made a mistake, potentially creating a future threat to their sect. Others argued that Shi Zuming's arrogant nature made it understandable why Limitless True Monarch refused to accept him as a disciple.
In the end, Shi Zuming left the Azure Ridge Domain, his whereabouts becoming unknown.
(End of the Chapter)
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