96: Observing the ceremony

On Feiyue Peak Summit, Mo Xuan flew out and conversed with Zhou Kaiding.

Zhou Leren and Zhou Leyi stood not far away, looking towards the two.

Zhou Leyi's face was filled with excitement, occasionally glancing at Zhou Leren, then looking at Mo Xuan.

He felt a pang of envy, thinking how good it would have been if he had been born two years earlier. That way, Old Ancestor would have taken him out to play, not Zhou Leren.

As he thought, a hint of bitterness arose; Zhou Leren was not only close to Old Ancestor but also had his own large snake, while he had nothing but a small Stone Rock Rat that didn't look very intelligent.

Stone Rock Rat: Hmm? Are you being polite?

After conversing for a while, Zhou Kaiding cupped his hands at Mo Xuan.

Seeing this, Zhou Leren and Zhou Leyi also quickly stepped forward and respectfully saluted Mo Xuan.

Mo Xuan nodded, then a mysterious light/aura flashed, and he returned to the giant tree.

Zhou Kaiding no longer hesitated. With a turn of his right hand, a foot-long cyan object appeared. He infused it with magical power, and with a thought, he tossed it. The cyan object expanded with the wind, transforming into a several-zhang long spirit boat enveloped in cyan light.

"Let's go."

Zhou Kaiding said to the two, and with a slight flick of his sleeve, the three vanished from their original spot and appeared on the spirit boat.

This was a green wind boat customized for travel. Although its speed was not as fast as Zhou Kaiding's own, and it was expensive, it offered ease.

Over the past year, Zhou Kaiding had inquired among his Fellow Daoists and confirmed that, as Ji Changyue had said, other Foundation Establishment Stage forces had also been invited.

And the invited families all possessed considerable strength.

Thus, Zhou Kaiding finally made up his mind to go.

This invitation to Heavenly Star Sect represented the Zhou Family's prestige. With many Fellow Daoists present, he naturally couldn't travel in a dusty, hurried manner as in the past, which was why he specifically customized this green wind boat.

He heard that Xuanqing Sect even had large flying boats capable of accommodating many Cultivators, which this small green wind boat could not compare to.

Zhou Kaiding poured his magical power into the spirit boat beneath his feet. The spirit boat transformed into a cyan light, passing through the Jade Moon Peak mountain protecting grand array, and flew towards the distance.

As for family matters, they had already been handed over to Zhou Licheng, so Zhou Kaiding didn't need to worry. Moreover, with Mo Xuan overseeing things, there was even less concern about safety.

After some time, Zhou Kaiding took out Spirit Stones, absorbed spiritual energy, and converted it into his own magical power to replenish his consumption.

Tianxing Mountain.

A cyan stream of light streaked across, flying towards the depths of Tianxing Mountain.

Before long, the stream of light gradually slowed, stopping before an area covered in thick fog.

Three figures appeared. Zhou Leren and Zhou Leyi sat cross-legged, while Zhou Kaiding stood with his hands behind his back. His Divine Sense extended, and the spirit boat turned, descending downwards.

Throughout the journey, with Zhou Kaiding's personal guidance, Zhou Leren and the other benefited greatly.

Zhou Kaiding formed a hand seal, and the spirit boat shrunk, flying into his Storage Pouch at his waist.

The three slowly landed on the ground.

Zhou Kaiding did not conceal his aura. Therefore, as the three landed, several Heavenly Star Sect Disciples, dressed in cyan robes, quickly rushed forward and respectfully saluted Zhou Kaiding, saying:

"Greetings, Senior!"

Zhou Kaiding waved his hand and said gently:

"No need for such formality."

"May I ask Senior's esteemed surname?" After thanking him, the leading Disciple of the Heavenly Star Sect respectfully asked.

"Qingyuan, Zhou Family."

"Senior Zhou, please follow me. Our Elder is waiting."

The leading Disciple finished speaking, then stepped aside, his attitude respectful.

Zhou Kaiding readily agreed, nodded, and walked forward.

Zhou Leren and Zhou Leyi, after bowing and thanking the Disciples, then followed behind Zhou Kaiding.

At Heavenly Star Sect's main peak, Myriad Manifestations Hall, Zhou Kaiding and the two others, following the Heavenly Star Sect Disciple, had not yet entered the hall when they saw a Cultivator with an immortal demeanor, holding a whisk, waiting at the hall's entrance.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, it's been a while since we last met."

Seeing Zhou Kaiding and the two others, Ji Changyue smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting to Zhou Kaiding.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, it's been a while since we last met."

Zhou Kaiding returned the greeting.

"Greetings, Senior Ji."

Behind him, after Zhou Kaiding returned the greeting, Zhou Leren and the other quickly stepped forward and saluted Ji Changyue.

Ji Changyue nodded, then gestured with his right hand, helping the two up.

"Please."

Zhou Kaiding and the two others followed Ji Changyue inside. In the hall, more than a dozen Cultivators were already seated, all of them Foundation Establishment Stage Great Cultivators from Huichuan Prefecture, with one or two young Cultivators seated beside them.

Upon seeing Zhou Kaiding enter, they all nodded in greeting. Everyone present had some degree of interaction with each other, so they were not strangers or completely unknown to one another.

Among them was a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator from the He Family of Donglin Town, whom Zhou Kaiding had met before. He also nodded in acknowledgment to Zhou Kaiding.

There were no conflicts between the two families, so Zhou Kaiding returned the greeting.

The three followed Ji Changyue's guidance to a Dao platform. On the platform were spiritual fruits, spiritual wine, spiritual tea, and other food, in rich variety, with several cushions beside it.

Once Zhou Kaiding was seated, Zhou Leren and Zhou Leyi also sat cross-legged on either side. Then, a Disciple attending in the hall stepped forward and removed the extra cushions.

After settling Zhou Kaiding and the two others, Ji Changyue came to the upper part of the main hall and sat shoulder to shoulder with three other Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators dressed in different attire.

Four of Heavenly Star Sect's seven Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators were already here. Adding the others who came to observe, there were now more than ten Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators in the Myriad Manifestations Hall.

It was Zhou Leyi's first time seeing so many Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators. He couldn't help but breathe rapidly, his mind tense. Zhou Leren, on the other hand, was much better.

When Zhou Kaiding entered, the hall was briefly quiet. As Zhou Kaiding sat down, everyone began to converse again.

Zhou Kaiding, being new, although mostly familiar with everyone and having heard of their names, did not rush to speak but listened quietly.

Zhou Leren had inherited Mo Xuan's true Legacy. The conversations among Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators were not for Juniors like them to interrupt. While the other young Cultivators sat upright, listening intently, he picked up the spiritual fruits and other food from the Dao platform and began to eat. However, his movements were extremely subtle, so no one noticed him.

Only Zhou Leyi on the other side watched dumbfounded, his heart stirring. He smacked his lips, also wanting to be like Zhou Leren, but his body wouldn't obey, so he could only watch the fruits on the Dao platform gradually decrease.

Before long, a Heavenly Star Sect Disciple quietly came forward to replenish the fruits. Zhou Leren softly thanked him and continued eating.

The atmosphere in the hall gradually became lively, and Zhou Kaiding also joined in.

A myriad of people have a myriad of thoughts.

Cultivation was also like this. The Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators in the hall expressed their opinions, taking this opportunity to voice all their usual thoughts, feelings, and confusions.

However, they did not delve into the specific cultivation methods and Legacies of each family.

As the four peak masters of Heavenly Star Sect were the hosts, they naturally had to lead by example, so they spoke frequently. Moreover, Heavenly Star Sect's Legacy was impressive, and everyone gained something.

They all felt that this trip was beneficial.

Zhou Leyi couldn't be like Zhou Leren. He could only be like the other young Cultivators in the hall; although he listened with rapt attention, he also felt bewildered at times.

Each person's Comprehension Ability differed, and how much they could comprehend depended entirely on themselves.

Zhou Leren, however, was not as careless as Zhou Leyi thought. Although he didn't listen to everything, he didn't miss a single insight or feeling that benefited him.

As a result, he might have been the most benefited Junior in the hall, as in addition to listening to the insights of the various Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, he also ate a lot of delicious spiritual fruits and fine wines he hadn't tasted before.

During this time, several attending Disciples had already rotated, but all of them had a deep impression of Zhou Leren.

Several days later, the Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators in the hall ceased their discussions.

The others still yearned for more, including the attending Heavenly Star Sect Disciples.

This attendant task was something each Disciple had used their means to obtain, all for the opportunity to listen to the Foundation Establishment Cultivators discuss the Dao at such close proximity.

The four Heavenly Star Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators above rose. Ji Changyue stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying:

"Fellow Daoists, please move to observe the ceremony."