The ceremony of the sect leader handover followed a rather elaborate protocol, but in essence, it boiled down to the former Sect Leader, Master Hai Wu, passing the Sect Artifact to the current Sect Leader, Master Hai Ling.

Many sects possessed such artifacts.

For instance, the Sect Artifact of the Wudang Immortal Sect was the True Martial Immortal Sword, rumored to be the very sword worn by the founding ancestor of Wudang, making it incredibly precious. The Kunlun Immortal Sect's artifact was the Primordial Kunlun Seal, a magical treasure from ages past, though now treasured primarily as a token of leadership. The Huashan Immortal Sect's artifact was a Sword Qi Tablet—inscribed with a sword on one side and qi on the other. This wasn't from the founder, but forged by the second-generation patriarch from extraterrestrial dark iron, originally intended to symbolize the unity of sword and qi. Somehow, it became the Huashan Sect's symbol of authority. As for the second patriarch's original intentions, no one cared to inquire now; the three sword sects were locked in a state of outright hostility, even more severe than four thousand years prior.

The Wuling Immortal Sect's sect leader artifact consisted of two items: the Peach Blossom Token and the Fang Juexiao Immortal Sword.

These sect artifacts were, in their day, formidable relics—some were true immortal swords, others were ancient seals.

However, by the time they reached the present, they were relegated to being mere symbols of office, rarely used in actual combat. They would only be brought out when a sect faced an unprecedented crisis, a world-altering threat.

Generally, these sect artifacts contained immeasurable, almost unknowable power.

This particular handover ceremony, stripped down to its core, was all about the exchange of the Sect Artifact. Former Master Hai Wu appeared genuinely gravely injured, his face ashen.

The current Master Hai Ji shared a likeness with Hai Wu, but possessed a much more heroic and vigorous bearing.

Both the Peach Blossom Token and the Fang Juexiao Immortal Sword were formally handed over.

The most crucial part of the handover ceremony was now complete. Despite the lingering formalities, Lu Yuan was clearly the type of person who never paid attention to the minutiae of ceremonies; he was fighting off sleep, and the craving for alcohol was almost overwhelming. Unfortunately, such a solemn handover ceremony permitted no sneak sips from a wine gourd.

Solemn, indeed.

Lu Yuan suspected the nerves in his face were about to seize up entirely.

Three hours later, the Sect Leader Handover Ceremony finally concluded.

The handover concluded. The successor to the Wuling Immortal Sect leadership was naturally the heroic Master Hai Ling. Master Hai Ling appeared to be around forty, radiating considerable charisma. He was presently seated in a side hall of the Peach Blossom Palace, surrounded by guests he had specifically invited.

Representatives from the Five Great Immortal Sects, as well as the leading figures from the mid-tier righteous immortal sects, such as the Sword Immortals, were largely present.

The absence of Miss Zhong from the Formless Sword Sect was unsurprising, given her connection to the Great Qin Kingdom—she was, after all, a foreigner. However, among the gathered representatives, the sole notable absence was that of the Wudang Immortal Sect, which was rather interesting.

These renowned Sword Immortals had brought a few core, personal disciples with them—everyone brought their top apprentices to observe the proceedings. While these current core disciples were certainly inexperienced, everyone starts green; most skills are honed over time, discounting the rare few who ascend without needing cultivation.

Lu Yuan was tagging along behind Fang Ru. Although Fang Ru trained Lu Yuan ruthlessly, he also genuinely cared for him, explaining cultivation methods in meticulous detail. Gentleman, gentleman. Alright, Lu Yuan admitted, Fang Ru was good to him, but he found his gentlemanly demeanor stiflingly oppressive.

Returning to the present main topic, within the side hall:

Master Hai Ling spoke in a deep voice, "The reason I have invited everyone here today is to share news of a certain treasure."

A treasure! The word instantly galvanized everyone present.

Master Hai Ling continued, "I wonder if any of you have heard of Old Man Wusheng."

Of course, everyone knew of Old Man Wusheng. He had been active in the cultivation circles of the Great Jin Kingdom about four thousand years ago. Wusheng was an extraordinary figure, a true anomaly. No one knew his origins, his sect, or where he emerged from. Yet, upon his debut, his cultivation base was already incredibly profound. Rumor had it he could rapidly mimic the ultimate techniques of others and use those very skills against them.

Old Man Wusheng was known for his reclusive nature and was one of the most talked-about figures four millennia ago. It was said he once fought the second-generation patriarch of the Huashan Immortal Sect. Though he was ultimately defeated, the battle lasted over a thousand exchanges, solidifying his status among the very top experts in the Great Jin Kingdom.

Legend claimed that Wusheng even managed to simulate the tenth transformation of the Cloud Dragon Ten Changes—the Cloud Dragon Transformation—during that fight. But after all this, Old Man Wusheng vanished. Some tales held that he left behind the Wusheng Relic Palace, where his treasures were hidden. Some said it contained various elixirs, others claimed countless spirit beasts, still others spoke of infinite secret manuals, or perhaps Wusheng’s own ultimate techniques.

In any case, theories abounded, but since his disappearance, despite all the rumors, no one had ever seen the supposed Wusheng Relic Palace, and its very existence remained doubtful.

However, not long ago, some disciples of the Wuling Immortal Sect stumbled upon the Wusheng Relic Palace during a chance exploration within the Wuling Mountains. This should have been a monumental opportunity. But somehow, the nearby Wudang Immortal Sect learned of its location. Wudang immediately demanded that Wuling surrender the Relic Palace, promising a small share of the eventual profits in return.

Wudang's strength was comparable to Huashan’s, and crucially, they lacked internal strife. Such a colossal entity made it difficult for Wuling to refuse outright.

Yet, both Master Hai Wu and Master Hai Ling were notoriously stubborn men.

Subsequently, as the leadership transition was imminent, they decided to leverage the handover ceremony to gather cultivators from the major sects, expose the situation, and essentially declare they were done playing ball. If Wuling wasn't going to claim it, Wudang wouldn't easily get it either—and so, this entire affair unfolded.

The discovery of the Wusheng Relic Palace sent shockwaves through the Great Jin cultivation world. Wusheng’s fame back then was immense; even after millennia, his name commanded recognition. Suddenly, everyone converged on the Wuling Mountains, and the Elder Council immediately convened an emergency session.

The Wusheng Relic Palace had not yet been explored. The consensus was that the Five Great Immortal Sects and the mid-tier righteous sects would jointly deliberate on how to proceed.

Of the ten mid-tier immortal sects, three were considered truly sinister: the Blood Sword Gate, the Seven Killings Star Sea, and the Profound Nether Sect. The remaining seven were righteous sects. Thus, the discussion involved the Five Great Sects and these seven mid-tier sects under the auspices of the Elder Council, debating the terms of joint exploration.

Five top-tier and seven mid-tier sects—twelve in total.

They argued endlessly. One faction wanted dominance; another sought control.

It was impossible; resources in the cultivation world were scarce. Faced with the sudden appearance of the Wusheng Relic Palace and the unknown volume of its hidden wealth, excitement turned to avarice. Everyone wanted exclusive access, but such a thing was nearly impossible to secure. The Elder Council sessions devolved into continuous, noisy disputes.

Finally, a resolution was reached.

"Resolve disputes through joint development."

That phrase sounded official, but the reality was simple: all twelve sects would explore it together. As for profit sharing, the solution was even more direct: preliminary tests confirmed that only cultivators below the Longevity Stage could enter; those at or above the Longevity Stage were fundamentally barred.

Therefore, the five top-tier sects and seven mid-tier sects would each dispatch their own internal personnel to venture into the Wusheng Relic Palace. Whatever benefits each sect gained within its own capacity would be theirs alone. With that, the argument reached its limit.

Conversely, the Wuling Immortal Sect suddenly became the epicenter of activity. Cultivators flocked there. Previously, participation in the Five Peaks Grand Competition—where Huashan true disciples vied for spots in the Fifth Hall of the Five Immortals Alliance—was exclusive. Now, entry into the Wusheng Relic Palace was open to any cultivator from the five top-tier and seven mid-tier sects, regardless of their cultivation level.

Many Qi Refining stage cultivators showed up. They knew their power was negligible, but everyone harbored a sliver of hope—perhaps they might stumble upon a massive windfall inside the Relic Palace? Such things were unpredictable.

Though those with low cultivation and high luck were one in a thousand, everyone hoped to be that fortunate outlier.

And even more Body Tempering cultivators arrived.

The Wuling Mountains were likely hosting several thousand cultivators, perhaps even approaching ten thousand—an astonishing number. Lu Yuan was startled himself. While the Great Jin Kingdom had a massive mortal population, cultivators were relatively few. He hadn't expected such a crowd to gather when a real event occurred.

Of course, Lu Yuan had heard that the highest-ranking arrivals were mostly individuals who had reached the ninth stage of Body Tempering and undergone rebirth. There were almost no experts at the tenth stage, the Great Perfection of Body Tempering. Those who reached the tenth stage were generally preoccupied with transcending to the Longevity Stage.

The bottleneck between the tenth stage of Body Tempering and the Longevity Stage was less about resources and more about luck, epiphany, and understanding. Experts at the tenth stage rarely bothered concerning themselves with the Wusheng Relic Palace.

Without reaching Longevity, one died after five hundred years.

Reaching Longevity granted an additional fifteen hundred years of lifespan, making that threshold infinitely more critical.

Naturally, quite a few cultivators at the ninth stage of Body Tempering were also present.

What a bustling scene on Wuling Mountain!