Once the solemn formalities were over, the atmosphere in the main hall instantly relaxed.
The Peak Masters, who were usually majestic and stern, put aside their airs and warmly surrounded Ye Ling to chat and laugh, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Wen Ningshuang, the Peak Master of Spirit Medicine Peak, slowly walked over to Ye Ling's side. With a gentle expression, she smiled and spoke.
“Little Ye Ling, we were so focused on discussing business just now that I haven't even prepared a welcoming gift for your entry into the sect.”
She raised her hand to take out a white jade pill bottle and handed it to Ye Ling.
Ye Ling received it with both hands, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
Wen Ningshuang explained softly, “This is a peak-grade Spirit-Nourishing Pill, which is most suitable for your current Houtian Eleventh Layer cultivation.
“The medicinal properties of this pill are pure and gentle, with almost zero medicinal toxins. You can absorb it with peace of mind. It's perfect for rapidly accumulating cultivation and solidifying your foundation.”
She paused, then carefully advised, “The Houtian Realm is merely for laying the foundation. The Xiantian Realm is the true starting point of the martial path.
“Use this pill to accelerate your cultivation and break through to the Xiantian Realm as soon as possible.
“Once you enter the Xiantian Realm, I will prepare even more suitable top-tier pills for you.”
Clutching the warm jade bottle, a wave of warmth flowed through Ye Ling's heart. She bowed respectfully and thanked her.
“Thank you for your generosity, Peak Master Wen.”
Ji Rongyue, the Peak Master of Artifact-Refining Peak, stepped forward. His gaze fell upon the sword hanging at Ye Ling's waist, and he spoke bluntly.
“I see that your personal sword is only a Yellow-grade mid-tier magic tool. Cultivators in the Houtian Realm can only control Yellow-grade magic tools. Even if I were to give you a high-grade spiritual sword right now, you wouldn't be able to activate it, making it nothing more than a decoration.”
With a wide wave of his hand, he said in a hearty tone, “Why don't you tell me in detail what style, patterns, length, and weight you prefer? I will personally forge a custom longsword tailored for you, suitable for the Xiantian Realm.
“Once you successfully break through to the Xiantian Realm, I will hand the finished product over to you.”
Ye Ling's eyes lit up, and she immediately detailed her preferred longsword's shape, the patterns on the blade, the feel of the hilt, the color scheme of the scabbard, and various other details.
Ji Rongyue listened attentively, nodding repeatedly to indicate he had memorized everything, before stepping aside. Ye Ling expressed her sincere gratitude.
“Thank you for your trouble, Peak Master Ji.”
Next, Bai Lingyi, the Peak Master of Beast-Taming Peak, stepped forward quickly and spoke with enthusiasm.
“Ye Ling, do you have any beast in mind? Our Beast-Taming Peak raises a complete variety of demon beasts. If you fancy any of them, I will allocate it to you immediately.”
Ye Ling pondered for a moment. Right now, her mind was entirely set on charging toward the Xiantian Realm, and she had no plans to raise a demon beast. She cupped her hands in apology.
“I am truly sorry. At this stage, I plan to focus solely on hard cultivation to break through to the Xiantian Realm as soon as possible. I don't plan to contract a spirit beast for now.
“If I have any thoughts in the future, I will definitely be the first to visit and trouble you.”
Bai Lingyi laughed freely. “It's fine. Whenever you need one, you can come find me anytime.”
With that, she stepped aside.
The remaining Peak Masters gave it some thought. Ye Ling was still in the Houtian Realm.
High-grade magic tools, peak-grade secret medicines, and profound cultivation methods could not be used for now. Gifting items that were too valuable would actually be a waste of resources.
Thus, everyone reached a consensus. Each of them would gift her one thousand low-grade spirit stones as a welcoming gift for her daily cultivation and to purchase basic resources.
In the cultivation world, spirit stones were the hard currency. One spirit stone was roughly equivalent to one hundred taels of gold, and even then, they were often unavailable even if one had the money.
Wen Ningshuang, who had just gifted the pill, and Ji Rongyue, who had promised the custom sword, also took out their storage bags and each added one thousand low-grade spirit stones, handing them to Ye Ling together.
Ji Rongyue also took out an ancient-looking leather storage bag and handed it over.
“Take this item as well. The storage bags used by ordinary disciples only have a few cubic meters of space, which can't hold many cultivation materials.
“In the future, your spirit stones, pills, and martial arts manuals will only increase. It's inevitable that a standard bag won't be enough.”
Ye Ling reached out to receive it, her fingertips immediately sensing the extraordinary quality of this magic tool. Ji Rongyue continued, “This is a high-grade storage bag with a full one hundred cubic meters of space inside. You can store a massive amount of spiritual materials, weapons, and pill bottles, and retrieve them as you wish.”
Ye Ling quickly thanked him and put it away, neatly storing the spirit stones and pills into this large-capacity storage bag.
Everyone looked at her with warm expressions and spoke sincerely, comforting her gently.
“You don't need to feel any mental burden. This amount of low-grade spirit stones is already of little use to us.
“Just accept them with peace of mind, cultivate diligently, and break through to the Xiantian Realm soon. That will be the best way to not let down everyone's good intentions.”
Once all the Peak Masters had finished giving their gifts, Leng Zhiwei, who was seated at the head of the hall, looked at the young girl before her with a faint smile. She raised her hand, took out a storage bag, and handed it down gently.
“I will also gift you two thousand low-grade spirit stones.”
As the Sect Master of the Qinglan Sword Sect, her gift was even more generous than those of the Peak Masters.
Seeing this, the Peak Masters could not help but chuckle inwardly. As expected of Leng Zhiwei, she even had to outdo them in this.
Afterward, the eleven Deputy Peak Masters present also stepped forward one after another, each with a warm smile, offering their welcoming gifts to Ye Ling in turn.
Each Deputy Peak Master gifted five hundred low-grade spirit stones. With eleven of them combined, it totaled five thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones.
One thousand from each of the eleven Peak Masters made eleven thousand. The Sect Master gifted an additional two thousand.
In the end, Ye Ling's total harvest was eighteen thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones.
One had to know that the disciple salary hierarchy of the Qinglan Sword Sect was extremely strict. An outer sect disciple's monthly salary was only ten low-grade spirit stones.
An inner sect disciple received fifty per month, and the personal disciples of each peak received no more than a hundred.
Even for the sect's True Disciples, their monthly allowance was only five hundred spirit stones.
Yet today, in just a brief moment, Ye Ling had received a whopping eighteen thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones.
This wealth was an astronomical sum that ordinary martial artists could hardly accumulate in a lifetime.
...
From her seat of honor, Leng Zhiwei's gaze was clear and cold as she slowly scanned the room, instructing solemnly.
“All core matters of today's meeting have been finalized.
“Peak Masters, keep in mind that Ye Ling may travel freely among the twelve peaks and cultivate the core inheritance of each peak without hindrance.
“After you return, you must pass down this privilege level by level, ensuring that the elders, deacons, and disciples of each peak are fully informed. There must be no obstruction or evasion.”
Hearing this, the Peak Masters present bowed in unison, their voices resonant and orderly.
“We obey your command!”
After confirming that everyone had fully noted the rules, Leng Zhiwei withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the green-clad girl standing in the hall.
The majesty in her tone faded, replaced by a touch of solemn expectation.
“Ye Ling, for the next six months, you must discard all distracting thoughts, devote yourself entirely to secluded cultivation, and prepare for the new disciple tournament in six months.”
She pointed out Ye Ling's key issue in a single sentence.
“Your family's cultivation method is of a low grade and has a narrow path. It can no longer keep up with your talent and limits your cultivation ceiling.
“After today's meeting is adjourned, you will accompany me alone to the Forbidden Library Ground to receive the ultimate guardian cultivation method of our Qinglan Sword Sect.
“During these six months, you must completely abandon your family's cultivation method and fully transition to the sect's orthodox ultimate technique.
“Time is pressing, and this concerns your future martial foundation, so you must go all out.”
As her voice fell, she raised her hand and gave a faint wave.
“There is nothing else. Everyone is dismissed.”
The Peak Masters and Deputy Peak Masters bowed in salute one after another, bidding farewell to the Sect Master and Ye Ling.
Everyone had Ye Ling's exclusive privileges and various regulations on their minds and dared not delay.
They quickly left the hall, rushing back to their respective peaks to issue orders level by level and organize their affairs.
Within moments, the magnificent hall became empty.
Only Ye Ling stood alone in the center of the hall, her posture upright and calm, quietly waiting for Leng Zhiwei's subsequent arrangements.
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