Over the next two days, the number of disciples moving about within the sect increased significantly.
Countless Qinglan disciples who were training outside, on deacon missions, or exploring secret realms received the sect's urgent recall order. They dropped everything they were doing and rushed back to the mountain gate without stop.
Along the mountain paths, travel-worn disciples with clothes stained by wind and frost could be seen everywhere. Everyone was in a hurry, their faces filled with confusion and anxiety.
“I was still hunting demon beasts in the mountain forests when I suddenly received a jade talisman transmission from the sect, ordering me to return immediately within three days if there was nothing urgent.”
“Did something major happen to the sect? Could a war be starting?”
“Me too! I was searching for opportunities in a secret realm, and just as I was about to find some precious materials, I was forced to turn back halfway by the recall order.”
“This is simply too unusual!”
“I've been in the sect for many years, but I've never seen such a large-scale recall of all disciples outside. Even deacons who have been stationed outside for several years were urged to return.”
Discussions rose and fell from all directions, creating an endless clamor.
Everyone felt anxious, guessing that the sect had been attacked, a war between orthodox and unorthodox factions had broken out, or a new secret realm had appeared to cause such a massive commotion.
The returning disciples were extremely tense. Harboring bellyfuls of doubts, they gathered at the mountain gate square, waiting for the sect to announce the reason.
But the moment they learned the reason, the entire martial arts grounds erupted in towering dissatisfaction, and complaints arose everywhere.
“After all that trouble, it was only for one person's investiture ceremony?”
“I risked my life to travel thousands of miles, gave up a secret realm opportunity, and interrupted my bitter cultivation, just to come back and watch someone be ordained as a True Disciple?”
“Historically, when the nine True Disciples were ordained, did they ever need to trouble the entire sect's disciples to return from thousands of miles away? This is making far too big a deal out of nothing!”
Many disciples showed resentment, their hearts filled with grievance and unwillingness, feeling that the sect was playing favorites.
At this moment, the disciples who had stayed behind in the sect and witnessed the new disciple tournament with their own eyes stepped forward to recount everything that had happened on the arena.
They spoke of how Ye Ling, with only a Houtian cultivation, had actually mastered a half-step Sword Force, and how she had relied on her extremely solid sword path foundation to directly defeat Leng Xuerou, who was already in the Xiantian Realm and had touched upon the grand Sword Force...
After hearing these heaven-defying achievements one by one, the complaints across the entire venue ground to a screeching halt.
Everyone was dumbfounded, no longer harboring even a hint of criticism.
An ordinary True Disciple was naturally not worthy of alarming the entire sect, but Ye Ling was a peerless genius rarely seen in the Qinglan Sword Sect for hundreds of years.
Only someone with such outstanding talent and peerless strength among her peers would have the ability to shoulder the heavy burdens of the sect in the future, leading the Qinglan Sword Sect to greater heights.
The crowd came to terms with it one after another, quietly waiting for the investiture ceremony of the Tenth True Disciple.
...
As night gently fell, moonlight spilled over the quiet bamboo forest halfway up the Sect Master Peak.
Tomorrow was the official day of the ceremony. Ye Ling was currently alone in her quiet bamboo courtyard, regulating her breathing.
Suddenly, a few soft knocks came from outside the courtyard gate.
A trace of doubt arose in Ye Ling's heart. Who would come to find her at such a late hour?
Suppressing her thoughts, she stood up and pushed open the gate.
The moment the gate opened, a familiar figure quickly stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
Ye Ling was slightly stunned for a moment, but she quickly relaxed her body and mind. Without the slightest resistance, she quietly let herself be held in the embrace.
A low, restrained choke, thick with endless longing, echoed by her ear.
“Ling'er... My Ling'er.”
The person who arrived was indeed her mother, Wu Wanmei.
Her voice trembled slightly as she whispered in Ye Ling's ear, carrying the weight of her daily thoughts and worries from the past half a year.
“It has only been half a year since we last saw each other, but for me, each day felt like a year. It feels like a lifetime has passed.”
“With nothing to do at home, my heart and thoughts were constantly on you, worrying about you every single moment.”
Standing to the side with his hands behind his back, Ye Qingxuan looked on with warm eyes and a gentle smile, quietly watching his wife and daughter reunite after their long separation.
His eyes were filled with gratification and affection.
The Ye family head and the Ye family's Xiantian ancestor, who had traveled with them, had been arranged to rest and settle in the guest courtyards upon arriving at the sect.
However, Ye Ling's parents missed their daughter so much that they could no longer suppress their yearning. Unwilling to wait until tomorrow's ceremony to see her, they had asked the guiding disciple of the sect to lead them to the bamboo courtyard in the dead of night, just to see Ye Ling a bit sooner.
Once the mother and daughter calmed their emotions slightly, Ye Ling led her parents into the bamboo house to take their seats.
She casually took out the spiritual tea she had previously used to entertain Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe.
Deftly lighting the fire to boil water, she poured and brewed the tea.
In an instant, two cups of clear, translucent tea were ready. Wisps of spiritual qi rose up, filling the small bamboo house with a gentle mist.
A refreshing tea fragrance wafted over. With just a single sniff, one would feel their meridians relax and their mind clear.
Ye Qingxuan and Wu Wanmei exchanged a glance. Looking at the spiritual tea before them, which was thick with spiritual qi and clearly extraordinary, a trace of hesitation arose in their eyes.
Coming from a secular family, they had rarely seen such pure spiritual items in their lives. Knowing that this tea must be extremely precious, they did not dare to drink it casually for a moment.
Noticing their expressions, Ye Ling smiled softly and said,
“Father, Mother, please go ahead and drink. I still have plenty here.”
“This is the sect's spiritual tea that the Sect Master specially gifted to me. I have an abundant supply, so there is no need to feel it is a waste.”
Hearing that it was a personal gift from the Sect Master and that she had plenty left, the couple's concerns completely vanished, and they secretly let out a sigh of relief.
To receive such care and preferential treatment from the Sect Master was enough to prove that their daughter was living a peaceful and prosperous life in the Qinglan Sword Sect, highly valued by her superiors.
Warmth welled up in their hearts. The two of them raised their cups together and slowly drank the tea.
As the spiritual tea entered their throats, it was warm and gentle. A majestic and pure spiritual qi instantly flowed down their throats into their limbs and bones, immediately washing through their meridians and nourishing their physical bodies.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Qingxuan and Wu Wanmei's expressions shifted simultaneously. They immediately sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and concentrated, dedicating themselves to absorbing the abundant spiritual qi bursting from the tea.
The couple's talent was ordinary, and their cultivation had been stuck at the Houtian Ninth Layer for many years.
However, their foundations had long been polished to perfection, and they only lacked a single opportunity to break through to the next realm.
It was only due to the scarcity of resources in the secular world that they had never been able to break through, remaining trapped at their bottleneck for a long time without any progress.
At this moment, the Sect Master's spiritual tea was rich and pure, providing just the right amount of energy to perfectly make up for the last bit of foundation they had lacked for years.
The majestic spiritual qi continuously washed through their meridians and condensed their qi seas. The bottlenecks that had been blocked for years loosened and shattered in response.
In just about half the time it took to burn an incense stick, two weak fluctuations of cultivation aura rose from the bamboo house one after another.
Ye Ling's father and mother both took advantage of the momentum to break through, stepping into the Houtian Tenth Layer.
By the time they finished their cultivation and opened their eyes, all the fatigue from their journey and the sluggishness accumulated over years of stagnant cultivation had completely vanished.
Their previously weary faces were completely swept away, replaced by radiant, glowing complexions. Their blood and qi were abundant, and their overall spirit was entirely refreshed.
The couple smiled at each other, feeling both secure and delighted. They felt that this trip to the sect was immensely rewarding, and the worry and anxiety they had harbored for Ye Ling in their hearts were completely laid to rest.
Late into the night, Ye Ling repeatedly urged them to stay, insisting that her parents rest in the bamboo courtyard.
However, her parents gently declined.
Wu Wanmei shook her head slightly and explained softly,
“We have been out for too long. The Clan Head and the Ancestor are still waiting in the guest courtyard. If they don't see us return soon, they will surely worry.”
“Besides, tomorrow is the grand day of your investiture as a True Disciple. You will certainly be very busy with many matters. We don't want to stay here and disturb you.”
No matter how hard Ye Ling tried to persuade them, the two remained firm in their stance.
They only wanted to quietly watch their daughter ascend to glory, unwilling to become a burden to her.
Helpless, Ye Ling could only watch as her parents' figures disappeared into the night shadows of the bamboo forest.
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