217: Chapter 217 Evening Ashes

The crater was about a hundred miles in diameter, with crimson magma churning inside; the intense heat caused the air within the crater to ripple.

A massive black stone palace sat in the center of the magma. The palace lacked any special decorations, possessing only a sense of solemnity and killing intent. Senior Sister Tao Tao brought Lin Qing to land on the steps outside the palace.

"Although Revered Master spends most of Her time in closed-door Cultivation, She is still very caring towards us Disciples, so do not be too nervous."

Although Senior Sister Tao Tao had been in a bad mood recently, since she had already brought Lin Qing over, she slowly settled into her role as Senior Sister.

The palace was vast. Senior Sister Tao Tao led Lin Qing through it, eventually arriving outside a stone door.

"Revered Master, this Disciple has brought the new Junior Brother to pay his respects."

As Senior Sister Tao Tao's voice fell, the stone door slowly slid open to both sides with a creaking sound, and a wave of heat immediately rushed out from the room.

The room was not large, about fifty zhang square. The floor was almost entirely occupied by red magma, with a figure sitting cross-legged in the center.

She wore a smoke-gray sleeveless long dress, the hem of which dipped into the magma, causing an amber-colored luster to ripple out. Her face was delicate and petite, her skin fair, and her dark hair was coiled high, secured by a black jade hairpin.

Lin Qing and Senior Sister Tao Tao stood at the doorway of the room without entering.

"Greetings, Revered Master."

Lin Qing bowed in greeting along with Senior Sister Tao Tao. The woman above the magma had bright, spirited eyes and was currently sizing up Lin Qing standing at the door. Her crisp and pleasant voice rang out.

"Level 8 Early Stage. What is your name, and how old are you?"

"Disciple Xie Chen, one hundred and five years old."

"Mm, your talent is passable. From now on, you shall join my sect to Cultivate; you will be ranked sixth."

Lin Qing cupped his hands in acknowledgement once more. Then, the woman shifted her gaze to Senior Sister Tao Tao and said:

"Senior Sister Tao Tao, your Grand-Masters Aunt came out of closed-door Cultivation a few days ago. Go and arrange a banquet; set the time for this evening."

"Yes, this Disciple will go and arrange it immediately."

Senior Sister Tao Tao's voice revealed joy, and her previously somewhat melancholy mood was greatly diluted.

"Mm, go."

Senior Sister Tao Tao led Lin Qing to bow and withdraw, after which she took Lin Qing around the palace again.

Since he had already entered the sect, he had to play the role of a Disciple well, so Lin Qing took the initiative to start a conversation with Senior Sister Tao Tao.

"Senior Sister, you seem very happy to hear that Grand-Masters Aunt has come out of closed-door Cultivation?"

"Of course. Grand-Masters Aunt is a powerful expert at the Level 11 Peak. The last time she appeared was fifty years ago."

When saying this, the radiance in Senior Sister Tao Tao's eyes became even brighter. This was a very normal reaction; many low-level Cultivators never have the chance to see such high-level experts in their entire lives. Even with Senior Sister Tao Tao's status, she had not seen her many times.

"Moreover, Grand-Masters Aunt is very beautiful and a very good person. The last time I saw her, she even guided my Cultivation and bestowed a Magic Treasure upon me."

"Junior Brother, you are lucky to encounter such an Opportunity just after joining the sect."

The two chatted as they walked, and eventually, Senior Sister Tao Tao brought Lin Qing in front of another stone door.

"This is your room. If you do not like it, you can also go to the mountains outside and build your own Immortal Cave."

There was also a ring of mountains around the crater; that was what Senior Sister Tao Tao was referring to, but Lin Qing had no intention of building his own Immortal Cave.

"You should take a look around yourself first. I am going to prepare the banquet, and I will explain other things to you tomorrow."

After Senior Sister Tao Tao gave Lin Qing two jade tablets, she turned and left. One jade tablet was the key to this stone room, and the other was Senior Sister Tao Tao's sound transmission token.

The stone room door opened by sliding to both sides as before, and Lin Qing stepped inside.

The room was large, much bigger than Senior Sister Tao Tao's Revered Master's room, about one hundred zhang square. At the same time, the room was very empty. Apart from the various Formation patterns inscribed on the surrounding walls, there was only a meditation cushion placed in the very center.

The meditation cushion was not bad; it was a Level 8 Magic Treasure that had the effect of clearing the mind and calming the spirit. As for the surrounding Formations, they were standard ones like the Spirit Gathering Array and Divine Thought shielding arrays.

There was a banquet to attend in the evening, so he could not go directly into closed-door Cultivation, but Lin Qing still took this time to practice his Level 9 Cultivation Technique a few times.

The Realm is the core of Cultivation. He needed to bring his Level 9 Cultivation Technique to Perfection as soon as possible, allowing them to begin operating automatically.

In the Scripture Pavilion of the Kunxu Immortal Sect, he had also obtained many stone tablets. These stone tablets could allow him to comprehend basic wills such as Sword Intent and Saber Intent.

However, there was no rush for this. After the Cultivation Technique reached Perfection, these combat abilities and the collection of Formation Materials could be carried out simultaneously.

Time quickly reached the evening. Following Senior Sister Tao Tao's directions, Lin Qing arrived at a great hall within the palace, where more than twenty people had already gathered.

Although Senior Sister Tao Tao's Revered Master had only taken in a few Disciples, her Revered Master also had several Senior Brothers, and they each had some Disciples, so there were over twenty people attending this banquet.

After Lin Qing stepped into the great hall, many people noticed this unfamiliar face and cast scrutinizing gazes at him.

"Junior Sister Jin Wan, I heard that you have taken in another Disciple?"

The one who spoke was a bare-chested man with long red hair. Jin Wan was indeed Senior Sister Tao Tao's Revered Master. The red-haired man had clearly noticed Lin Qing entering, which prompted his question.

His intention was merely to let Lin Qing introduce himself and show his face in front of the people of their lineage, which was a kind gesture.

Jin Wan looked at Lin Qing and nodded, pointing to the few people who were clearly of the elder generation, and said:

"These are all your Senior Martial Uncles."

Clearly, Jin Wan was the youngest among the Senior Brothers and Sisters. Lin Qing took the Opportunity to bow in greeting.

"Disciple Xie Chen, greets all Senior Martial Uncles."

Afterwards, he also cupped his hands in greeting to the other Disciples in the hall.

"Greetings, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters."

His attitude was respectful and his speech was proper, leaving no room for anyone to find fault, as if he were truly a newly joined Junior Brother.

"Junior Brother Xie, come over here."

After Lin Qing finished his self-introduction, Senior Sister Tao Tao hurriedly beckoned to him, signaling him to sit at the empty table beside her.

As soon as Lin Qing sat down, he saw the few elders stand up. He also hurriedly stood up, and the other Disciples had the same reaction.

Lin Qing followed the elders' gazes and discovered that, at some point, a red figure had appeared beside the main seat at the top of the great hall.

The moment he saw that figure, the hairs on Lin Qing's body stood on end instantly; that was Ultra Instinct giving him a warning.

This feeling was one that Lin Qing had not even experienced when facing those five Level 11 experts outside the Secret Realm; he had only felt this way when he first met Old Turtle.

In other words, this woman in the red dress was — a Divine Venerable!

"Greetings, Revered Master (Grand-Masters Aunt)."

The woman in the red dress had a smile on her face, and then she nodded.

"Mm, all sit."

Afterward, she also sat down on the main seat, swept her gaze across the entire hall, and finally rested it on Lin Qing.

"Who are you?"