"This kid seems a little unconvinced!"
Beside Elder Hong Tian, an old man with equally white hair and beard spoke.
As his words fell, another middle-aged man chimed in, "His cultivation talent is excellent, he's decisive in battle and meticulous in thought. To achieve this at such a young age, a three-realm cultivation should be guaranteed in the future."
The two elders, both at the peak of the three-realm and core inheritors of the Nine Profound Sect, were full of admiration and satisfaction.
It was no wonder they were pleased. At fifteen years old, he had already reached the second realm, possessed several magical treasures and excellent-grade spirit artifacts, killed six demonic cultivators from the Yin Yang Sect in a single engagement, and then chose to face potential danger alone.
Finally, he selected a battlefield, set up numerous contingencies, revealed his strength step by step, and single-handedly killed three cultivators at the early stage of the second realm and one at the middle stage.
All of this, if placed within the Nine Profound Sect, would be enough to rank him in the top ten of inner disciples, even on par with the top two or three.
How could they not be satisfied?
"However, this kid seems a little displeased, and a bit resentful?"
The old man narrowed his eyes, and a wave of spiritual pressure was released.
Under the spiritual pressure of a peak three-realm cultivator, Ji Yuan's complexion, which had just regained some of its ruddy hue, turned even paler.
He stubbornly straightened his back, refusing to bend under the pressure, and his normally calm eyes flashed with a sharp light.
But before he could do anything, the spiritual pressure quietly receded, as swift as it had appeared, vanishing completely in an instant.
"Old Hong, this kid is yours to handle. We'll go and clean up some of the vermin who've infiltrated the vicinity of the sect."
The old man chuckled and then left with the middle-aged man, transforming into two streaks of light that shot into the sky.
After the two departed, Elder Hong Tian's expression softened. He walked a few steps to Ji Yuan and, without any pretense, sat down cross-legged on the ground.
"Resentment in your heart?"
He glanced at the young Daoist in front of him and suddenly grinned, "It's only natural. If I were you, I'd be filled with rage right now."
Ji Yuan sighed softly. From the moment he decided to leave the mountain gate, he had suspected that this was all orchestrated by the Nine Profound Sect, intended to temper his cultivation.
And when Hong Tian and the others appeared, along with their words just now, it had undoubtedly confirmed his suspicions.
Otherwise, with the Nine Profound Sect's power, how could anyone have infiltrated the vicinity of the sect without their knowledge?
He just couldn't quite understand; was he truly that important?
He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was an indispensable asset to the Nine Profound Sect.
"If you wish to prevent the sect's destiny from being shaken, you could have simply had me hand over the Xuan Tian lineage's inheritance and given it to a peak three-realm elder to preside over Xuan Tian Peak." Ji Yuan mused and then spoke.
Once the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture was in hand and an elder resided at Xuan Tian Peak, they would undoubtedly receive the blessings of the Xuan Tian lineage's destiny. Combined with the abundant resources of the Nine Profound Sect, it was highly probable that another Golden Core cultivator would emerge.
In this way, at the sect establishment ceremony thirty years later, it would be difficult for anyone to seize the opportunity to destabilize the hard-won destiny of the Nine Profound Sect.
"That is indeed a method, but the Sect Master still hopes that you will preside over Xuan Tian Peak." Elder Hong Tian said with a solemn expression.
This answer made Ji Yuan pause in surprise, unable to fathom the meaning behind it.
He was merely a cultivator at the early stage of the second realm. Even with decent talent, he couldn't be so important that the Sect Master would be willing to wager the sect's future on him.
"Destiny is not as simple as you think," Elder Hong Tian said, shaking his head as he slowly began to explain.
In fact, from the moment Ji Yuan arrived at the Nine Profound Sect and offered his Xuan Tian lineage's destiny, it seemed as though this destiny was lost. However, in reality, a deeper connection had been forged.
Under these circumstances, for the Nine Profound Sect to perfectly integrate this destiny and ascend to the status of a major sect, it required Ji Yuan to preside over the Xuan Tian lineage.
Certainly, there was a method: a peak three-realm elder could switch allegiances, cultivate the Xuan Tian lineage's techniques, preside over Xuan Tian Peak, and thus gain the blessings of destiny.
With this, coupled with the substantial resource infusion from the Nine Profound Sect, there was a high probability of forming a Golden Core within thirty years to cope with the sect establishment ceremony.
However, doing so would mean that while the Xuan Tian lineage's destiny would appear to be merged with the Nine Profound Sect's, it would be a superficial union. Although there was still a significant chance of ascending to major sect status, under clever manipulation, even if successful, it could be exploited. The Xuan Tian lineage's destiny could be separated, directly reverting them to their original state.
"So you hope that I can form a Golden Core within thirty years, achieving this nearly impossible feat." Ji Yuan said with a wry smile, finally understanding the cause and effect of the matter.
At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonder and unpredictability of destiny, finding its patterns difficult to discern.
"We also hope that you can truly develop a sense of belonging to the Nine Profound Sect. It would be even better if you could consider this place your home," Elder Hong Tian said candidly.
Ji Yuan shrugged in response, "But if destiny wasn't so crucial, you wouldn't be willing to hand over Xuan Tian Peak to me."
His returning of the destiny was indeed crucial for the Nine Profound Sect, even affecting their ability to ascend to major sect status and the cultivation paths of all their disciples and elders.
However, he had to admit, if he were in their shoes, he wouldn't readily cede a tenth of the sect's authority to an outsider.
That was right. Although the Xuan Tian Temple had once been a core lineage of the Nine Profound Sect centuries ago, it had been separated for such a long time that its later disciples were like strangers.
"We would have, still. The Sect Master told me that if there were no other constraints, he would have given you the opportunity to preside over Xuan Tian Peak." Elder Hong Tian shook his head.
In the Nine Profound Sect's original plan, if a descendant of the Xuan Tian Temple returned their destiny, they would fulfill their promise, though the process would undoubtedly differ.
At that time, the Nine Profound Sect would dispatch several elders and a large number of disciples to thoroughly establish Xuan Tian Peak.
Furthermore, if a disciple of the Xuan Tian Temple could reach the Golden Core realm within their lifetime and wholeheartedly pledge allegiance to the sect, they could naturally and smoothly preside over Xuan Tian Peak.
However, plans could not keep pace with changes. When the Xuan Tian lineage's destiny merged with the Nine Profound Sect's destiny, the Sect Master suddenly realized that to achieve complete integration, it was imperative for the Xuan Tian lineage to wholeheartedly pledge allegiance before the sect's ascension.
As for producing a Golden Core cultivator within thirty years, it was solely to counter the upcoming sect establishment ceremony.
Without Golden Core cultivation, facing the accusations and challenges from various sects and factions would make it difficult to preserve the Xuan Tian lineage's destiny, potentially leading to suppression or even complete dispersal.
At that point, not only would the Nine Profound Sect lose the opportunity to ascend to major sect status, but the Xuan Tian lineage would also face continuous disasters, and its inheritance could even be severed.
"So, my pledging allegiance is your primary objective." Ji Yuan pondered, "As long as I commit to the Nine Profound Sect, even if I fail to achieve Golden Core within thirty years, you will have a powerful cultivator temporarily reside at Xuan Tian Peak to handle the sect establishment ceremony."
"Once it's stable and the Nine Profound Sect has successfully ascended, and after I achieve Golden Core, you will return the control of the Xuan Tian lineage."
He paused, then looked at the old man with a smile, "Correct?"
Elder Hong Tian gave a wry smile, unsure how to respond, as the other party had articulated his inner thoughts with perfect accuracy.
According to the instructions from the Nine Profound Sect's Sect Master, these matters were not to be disclosed to Ji Yuan for the time being, lest he become complacent with a sense of security and neglect his cultivation.
However, from Elder Hong Tian's perspective, there was no harm in revealing everything. In his opinion, Ji Yuan was not the type of person who would slack off once he had assurance.
Even if he knew all this, he believed the young Daoist would only cultivate harder and would not slacken or neglect his practice.
"Originally, our appearance was merely to comfort you, so that you wouldn't harbor resentment and would know that the Nine Profound Sect was secretly protecting you." Elder Hong Tian sighed helplessly, "Who would have thought that after just a few words, you would have deduced everything."
With his words, Ji Yuan's previous conjecture was confirmed.
However, as Elder Hong Tian had anticipated, upon confirming his deductions, Ji Yuan did not show any signs of relief. Instead, his expression was grave.
"Within thirty years, I will exhaust all means to accomplish this nearly impossible task." He said solemnly after a long silence.
Just as Ji Yuan had told Li Junxian and Zheng Wanrong, he had a reason to do it, and a reason not to disappoint.
Regardless of the Nine Profound Sect's original intentions, it mattered little to him. The reason he would go all out to achieve this near-impossible feat was simply to not let down his master for all that he had done.
However, Elder Hong Tian was not privy to these details and merely nodded with gratification, "I will relay these words to the Sect Master truthfully."
"Let's go. Weren't you going to the market town? I'll give you a ride." He rose from the ground, a slight tremor of spiritual power from his body shaking off the fallen leaves and debris.
Ji Yuan did not refuse. After the fierce battle, he was physically and mentally exhausted, and his severe injuries had not yet healed.
The next moment, Elder Hong Tian placed a hand on his shoulder, and the two shot up into the sky. Within a dozen breaths, they had reached an altitude of tens of feet.
As they landed on the back of a waiting flying beast and flew towards the market town several dozen miles away, Ji Yuan suddenly asked, "This should count as me passing your first trial, right?"
He gazed at the land below, his eyes filled with contemplation.
"How did you know this was a trial?" Elder Hong Tian was surprised by the question.
Ji Yuan said nothing, merely offering a smile.
It was not difficult to infer. The Nine Profound Sect's allowing outsiders to ambush him outside the sect gates, besides tempering his cultivation, was likely intended as a test.
And the appearance of Elder Hong Tian and the others undoubtedly signified that he had passed the trial. Otherwise, they would have let him walk to the market town on his own.
"By the way, Elder, how many trials did you set up in total?" Ji Yuan asked with a hint of worry, as if he had thought of something.
This time, it was Elder Hong Tian's turn to smile without answering, offering no response.