"That Daoist Huang Yi is merely a fifth-generation disciple of the Lingyun Sect. So young, not much older than myself, yet he can already ride artifacts and soar through the air. I wonder when Xue'er will achieve such mastery—"

Huang Yi, ahead of them, immediately curved his lips upward, revealing a hint of smug satisfaction. Zong Shou, however, couldn't help but let out a choked laugh, a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Seeing Chu Xue looking at him with confusion, and finding the face of the 'Daoist Huang Yi' ahead exceptionally irritating, Zong Shou decided to explain quietly.

"Xue'er, you are simply amazed by the unfamiliar. What is this 'riding artifacts and soaring'? This magical implement is just slightly uncommon!"

He stamped his foot, sending out a burst of Gang force that blew away the surrounding mist. Indeed, beneath them, densely packed runes were drawn upon the surface they stood on.

Chu Xue glanced down once and immediately realized this spiritual array was clearly the work of a master craftsman. Moreover, it seemed all its other functions had been stripped away, leaving it solely for flight. Its control was also extremely inflexible, seemingly allowing only vertical movement and short-range evasion.

For a magical implement so utterly useless, let alone a powerhouse at the Artifact Riding () level, even a minor Spirit Channeling () level cultivator could manipulate it.

Her face flushed slightly, and then Chu Xue burst into a small laugh. Huang Yi ahead also looked a bit embarrassed. However, this man's skin was evidently thick enough; in just a blink, he recovered his composure, only sparing Zong Shou a look of mild surprise.

Zong Shou had intended to throw a few more barbs, but then he thought, why bother haggling with this junior from the Cloud Ling Sect? Finally, he gave a soft 'heh' and said no more.

Spiritual Master cultivation was broadly divided into nine realms, which could generally be grouped into three major stages, corresponding to the martial artist's Heaven, Earth, and Human cycles.

The realms of Spirit Settling (), Soul Gazing (), and Spirit Nurturing () constituted the Spirit Channeling stage, allowing the use and creation of talismans and some very weak Daoist techniques.

The stages of Spirit Egress (), Night Wandering (), and Yang Return () were the Artifact Riding stage Chu Xue had mentioned, enabling the control and creation of magical artifacts. During a period of low spiritual energy, those at the Artifact Riding level were essentially the pinnacle of spiritual cultivation.

The final three realms—Sun Roaming (), Body Sculpting (), and True Form ()—belonged to the Spirit Control () stage. Practitioners could freely command the spirits of the four directions, casting Daoist techniques without needing incantations or hand seals. Every movement held immense power.

In his previous life, these disciples of the Lingyun Sect were fond of using these specialized magical implements to masquerade as Artifact Riding cultivators, mostly for show.

But once the truth spread among the players, these devices were only useful for intimidating newcomers and system characters.

Reaching an altitude of about ten thousand zhang, Huang Yi displayed a hand seal and uttered the word 'Induce' (Yin). The 'cloud' then descended forward.

The terrain here was exceedingly flat—a platform jutting out from the mountainside, encompassing a space of ten thousand zhang. Directly in front of them stood a massive Daoist Palace.

Outside the palace gates stood dozens of Daoists, along with a row of children standing rigidly solemn.

Huang Yi descended before the palace entrance and immediately offered a deep bow to an elder Daoist dressed in silver robes: "Ancestor Martial Uncle Lin, Wei Ran of the Qian Tian Mountain Demon King Sect wishes for his son to join our sect as a disciple. With the Lingyun Vermilion Token, this disciple dared not obstruct!"

The elder Daoist's eyes were half-open, half-closed. Only after Huang Yi finished speaking did he glance sideways. Yin Yang, understanding the situation, promptly held up the token. The elder's gaze flickered, then he nodded slightly and simply flicked his sleeve: "I see. Go directly to find the Chief Elder. However, that old fellow Ling Weizi is not currently in the Yue Ling Pavilion. He has likely gone to the Spirit Nurturing Dao Palace—"

Huang Yi bowed deeply once more before proceeding inside. Zong Shou followed at a leisurely pace, but just as he stepped across the threshold, a cold snort came from the group of children. "The Zong Clan of Qian Tian Mountain, how great can they be? What I despise most are those who rely entirely on the shelter of their predecessors!"

Zong Shou blinked and looked into the crowd. This sight instantly made his heart clench slightly.

In addition to the annual Grand Selection for opening the mountain, the Lingyun Sect also maintained dedicated personnel to search for talent across the Cloud Realm, selecting the finest gems to bring directly into the mountains as Inner Disciples.

These young children, none older than fourteen, must be the geniuses the Lingyun Sect had gathered from various regions.

He hadn't paid much attention before, but upon close observation now, he immediately recognized over a dozen figures who would become renowned throughout the Cloud Realm in later years. Three or five of them had even crossed paths with him in the Shen Huang game as NPCs, though these were virtual constructs based on classic records by the developers, not the individuals themselves. The gazes directed at him held a slight air of disdain.

However, the one who had just voiced the cynical remark remained unseen in the crowd.

The surrounding Daoists merely smiled, as if they hadn't heard, paying no mind. Huang Yi was the same, walking straight ahead. Only Su Chu Xue looked somewhat indignant.

Zong Shou suppressed a smile. The style of the Lingyun Sect disciples had always been thus: looking down on the weak, worshipping strength above all. Considering themselves an elite sect, they looked down on everyone from the East Lin Cloud Continent. The competitive atmosphere within the sect was also extremely intense. In his past life, this was the very aspect of the Lingyun Sect that Zong Shou most despised.

In this life, seeing it reflected upon himself made it even more irritating.

The palace gate opened onto a vast drill ground, occupying nearly half the area of the Daoist Palace.

As the four of them passed over, Zong Shou deliberately glanced left and right at the stone platforms erected a hundred zhang behind the main gate. He had seen these two places countless times; they were deeply familiar.

Legend held that the platform on the left was the Talisman Platform, upon which no one could draw the inscribed talismans. The one on the right was the Sword Enlightenment Platform, featuring a sword formation that no one could break.

At least before the era of the Divine Emperors, this was indeed true to the legends. Even those Celestial-level powerhouses found them insurmountable, which once caused all martial cultivators and spiritual masters across the East Lin Cloud Continent a deep sense of shame and humiliation.

Faintly visible, the left platform held twelve towering stone steles. On the right stood eighteen silent puppets.

Zong Shou's lips curled into a cold sneer, and he withdrew his gaze without lingering.

Passing through this drill ground, they encountered a complex of ancient-style halls ahead, rendered supremely opulent with vermilion cloud lacquer and golden glazed tiles.

Just as the four stepped into the second main hall, a middle-aged man, also clad in silver-white robes, emerged from within.

Seeing the four, the man's eyes flashed momentarily before his expression hardened slightly. He turned to Huang Yi and asked, "What is the origin of these three? Why are they here?"

Huang Yi, sensing nothing amiss, simply repeated his earlier explanation: "This disciple greets Martial Uncle Liang Miaolian. These three are guests from Qian Tian Mountain. The Demon King Sect of Qian Tian Mountain wishes for their son to join our sect as a disciple. Bearing the Lingyun Vermilion Token, this disciple led them in!"

"The Demon King of Qian Tian Mountain? Is that Zong Wei Ran, who was recently rumored to have perished?"

Daoist Liang Miaolian didn't hesitate. With a grand sweep of his hand, a beam of blue light shot out, snatching the Lingyun Vermilion Token from Yin Yang's grip, forcing it from his hand to fly over. Liang Miaolian held the token, glanced at it dismissively, and let out a cold laugh. "So it was gifted by my Senior Brother Yun. Truly generous. But is holding this token enough to gain entry to my Lingyun Sect? I, Liang Miaolian, humbly manage the Eastern Hall of Jiying. If I truly allow a mere cripple with a dual-vein physique to enter our gates, what face would I have left?"

Hearing the final few sentences, Yin Yang knew things had gone awry; his expression instantly became ugly. Su Chu Xue fluttered in panic, looking up at Liang Miaolian with a bewildered gaze.

Huang Yi also faltered slightly, hesitating: "Martial Uncle, is this appropriate? The Lingyun Vermilion Token is a regulation set by the Ancestor Master ten thousand years ago. This is a High-Grade Gold Token. By rights, regardless of the request, as long as it is not too excessive, it must be granted. Merely accepting one person to join our sect—there are precedents for this in the past—"