"If the two Taoist brothers speculate in this way, it is not an exaggeration to make a reasonable guess."

"However, returning to the ranking issue, for our Baiqiao Academy, there are only a few seniors who have practiced for hundreds of years, so we are bound to be ranked at the bottom this time."

"As for the dispute with your two major factions, I would like to express my humility and not to get involved."

“However, since Fellow Daoist Jin from the Ancient Sword Sect is here in person, I’m afraid he will be interested in challenging Fellow Daoist Chen’s magical powers.”

"Otherwise, how could we be willing to give up the glory of the first sect of Xi Country to others?"

The old man named Feng on the other side said with a smile.

"The two Taoist friends already knew about this, but did not reveal anything in the invitation letter."

"It seems a little unreasonable."

Senior Brother Cheng frowned slightly, but before he could express his opinion, Lu Luo's expression suddenly changed and his tone became as cold as ice.

"Please do not misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Lu. The above are just our speculations."

"Fellow Daoist Jin did not explicitly say that he must compete with Fellow Daoist Chen."

"For us at Baiqiao Academy, this gathering is mainly centered around cooperation and exchange among the three sects."

"After all, the last time we had a gathering and exchange was over a hundred years ago."

"Nowadays, new faces are emerging one after another, including Fellow Daoist Chen and Fellow Daoist Ming Xin from the Ancient Sword Sect."

"It will surely be beneficial for you all to get to know each other."

Senior Brother Feng waved his hand and responded without any anger.

After hearing this explanation, Lu Luo's expression softened slightly.

Chen Yun remained calm throughout, showing only a faint and calm smile from beginning to end.

This performance made the two elders of Baiqiaoyuan, who had been paying close attention to Chen Yun, feel even deeper awe for him.

After hearing the explanation, Senior Brother Cheng quickly returned to normal and was about to ask Palace Master Feng questions regarding the matters of the Ancient Sword Sect.

Suddenly, a red light came from outside the door. It was transformed from a sound transmission talisman. It floated in, spun quickly, and then stopped in the hand of the old man named Feng.

In an instant, everyone in the hall looked towards the red light.

The old man surnamed Feng just glanced at the sound transmission note quickly and immediately stood up and left his seat.

"It's such a coincidence. The three Daoists please wait here for a while. The Daoists from the Ancient Sword Sect have arrived right after us. I need to go and greet them. Junior Brother Ding, please take care of the three of you."

The old man said this with a hint of apology, then hurried out of the hall.

Senior Brother Cheng and Lu Luo exchanged glances with serious expressions.

Chen Yun remained calm, as if everything was under control.

He vaguely remembered that Lu Luo once mentioned that, except for the Fire Dragon Boy, the other elders of the Ancient Sword Sect did not have a harmonious relationship with the Luoyun Sect.

Not long after, footsteps were heard at the entrance of the hall. An old man named Feng led three monks into the hall, two of whom were men and one was a woman.

Walking in front was a burly old man with silver hair.

Despite his advanced age, his face is ruddy, his skin is smooth and delicate, his eyes are bright, and he exudes a ferocious aura like a wild beast.

What is even more striking is that his arms are abnormally strong, almost half the size of an ordinary person's arms.

Behind the old man followed a middle-aged monk of ordinary appearance and a dignified and elegant young woman.

When Chen Yun glanced over, he instantly spotted the older man with sparkling eyes, and was almost certain that it was the cultivator named Old Monster Jin.

After all, among the three people present, he was the only one who had reached the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, and it seemed that he was about to break through to the peak of this realm.

After the old man with bulging veins on his head stepped into the hall, he didn't say any polite words, but glanced directly at Senior Brother Cheng and the others, and finally locked his eyes on Chen Yun.

His complexion changed slightly.

"You must be Fellow Daoist Chen! I have heard of your great name a long time ago."

"However, as far as I know, you were originally a cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage. Why have you already been promoted to the middle stage?"

"Could it be that your cultivation progress has advanced by leaps and bounds, and you were able to achieve such a leap in a short period of time?"

The curly-haired old man spoke slowly with a hint of doubt on his face.

"It turns out to be Brother Jin. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. Chen has indeed just been promoted to the middle stage recently."

Chen Yun stood up, bowed respectfully, and answered calmly.

Hearing Chen Yun's words, the old man's heart sank.

"I just finished my training and heard many miraculous stories about you."

“While these rumors may be slightly exaggerated, they are not far from the actual situation.”

The curly-haired old man was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and spoke slowly.

"Chen Yun raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile."

"However, before I could say anything more, Senior Brother Cheng next to me suddenly burst into laughter and stood up.

"Fellow Daoist Jin, why did you keep staring at Junior Brother Chen as soon as you got here?"

"Please sit down together, and let us old friends have a good chat."

The old man surnamed Cheng spoke with particular enthusiasm.

"Brother Cheng, don't mind. Jin has no intention of ignoring you."

"It's just that on the way here, I heard all the legends about you, Junior Brother Chen, so I can't help but feel a little curious."

Old Monster Jin laughed and responded with a fake smile.

"Really? Now that you have seen Junior Brother Chen with your own eyes, are you disappointed, Brother Jin?"

The old man surnamed Cheng asked with a smile.

"Haha! Of course I'm not disappointed. On the contrary, it has exceeded my expectations. With the addition of Fellow Daoist Chen, I believe that Luoyun Sect will definitely reach a higher level in the future."

"However, I heard that Brother Chen was not a direct disciple of your sect, but a disciple of the Yellow Maple Valley!"

Old Monster Jin squinted his eyes, glanced at the old man surnamed Cheng, and said with a sneer.

"Although Junior Brother Chen had some connection with the Yellow Maple Valley in the past, what does that have to do with it?"

"Now he is an elder of our Luoyun Sect, and that is enough."

The old man surnamed Cheng responded calmly.

When Old Monster Jin heard this, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes. Just as he was about to continue to refute, the old man surnamed Feng suddenly interrupted and said:

"My fellow Taoists, please hold off on this conversation. Our hospital has recently introduced a new spiritual fruit with an excellent taste. You may want to taste it first."

After saying this, the man immediately waved his hands, and a group of young women who had been waiting at the door for a long time came in with trays in their hands. On those trays were neatly arranged a row of light red oval spiritual fruits.

Seeing this scene, Old Monster Jin, the old man surnamed Cheng and others naturally could not refuse the host's kindness and sat down one after another.

"I see. Why can't we see Fellow Daoist Huolong at this gathering?"

"And judging from the lady, she must be Taoist friend Ming Xin from your sect, right?"

"I have heard that the magic weapon used by Fellow Daoist Ming Xin is extremely rare. It is made by refining and forging yellow wood that is ten thousand years old, and he is practicing the high-level wood-based technique 'Hundred Flowers Spring Technique'."

The old man surnamed Ding looked at the young woman from the Ancient Sword Sect and asked with a smile on his face.

"Indeed, the junior is Mingxin."

"I heard that someone in the market on Tanyun Mountain was selling young eggs of the 'Fire Beast'. Senior Brother Huolong was quite interested in it, so he has been out for a long time and has not returned yet."

“Although Ming Xin has entered the Nascent Soul stage for several decades, she rarely comes into contact with the outside world. Therefore, it is a great honor for her to meet fellow Taoists this time. I hope you will give me some advice.”

This woman, dressed as a young lady, is not stunningly beautiful, but she has elegant manners and extraordinary temperament. She exudes a faint floral scent that is refreshing.

Chen Yun clearly noticed that after she finished speaking, her bright eyes moved and her gaze stayed on him, as if she had a strong interest in him.

Chen Yun frowned slightly, but soon returned to normal.

After tasting the fruits, the elders from the three major sects began to have in-depth exchanges.

Chen Yun allowed the silver-haired old man, Lu Luo and others to chat secretly, and he just sat quietly by the side and listened.

Occasionally when the topic involved him, he would just smile and remain silent.

Despite this, due to Chen Yun's outstanding reputation, these seniors from Baiqiaoyuan and Gujianmen still paid close attention to his words and deeds, trying to explore some secrets from them.

Just as the guests in the hall were chatting, a red light flashed at the entrance of the hall.

The light gradually faded, and a middle-aged monk in a purple robe appeared there.

The middle-aged man was of sturdy build, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a majestic aura. It was obvious that he had held an important position for many years.

As soon as he appeared, the old man surnamed Feng and the old man surnamed Ding immediately stood up to greet him.

"Brother Liehuo, fellow Taoists from Luoyun Sect and Ancient Sword Sect have all arrived. Have arrangements for the ceremony been made?"

"Well, everything is ready. All you Taoist friends need to do is go and watch the ceremony."

The middle-aged monk responded casually, while glancing at the monks in the hall.

At this time, other monks also stood up to salute him. After all, he was the great elder of Baiqiao Academy, so they naturally did not dare to neglect him.

"Brother Liehuo, I haven't seen you for a long time. I believe your 'Heavenly Fire Art' must have improved a lot."

"After the ceremony, how about we have a discussion?"

Old Monster Jin seemed to have a good relationship with this person and made the proposal generously.

"Hmph! That's all. Even though my Skyfire Art is quite powerful, I am one level lower than you. Wouldn't it be humiliating to fight you? You should find someone else."

The old monster Liehuo rolled his eyes and spoke with disdain.

At this time, Senior Brother Cheng also introduced Chen Yun to Liehuo Old Monster. Liehuo Old Monster was amazed at Chen Yun's ability to quickly advance to the middle stage of strength, and his attitude towards Chen Yun became particularly respectful.

Then, without much greeting, the great elder of Baiqiao Academy directly invited everyone to watch the ceremony of recognizing the master.

Naturally, the rest of the people had no objection. Wearing robes, the group left the cave and came to the top of the platform they had seen before.

At this moment, the surrounding sky and mountain walls were empty, and right in front of the huge building, hundreds of disciples in the Foundation Establishment stage were lined up in several teams, waiting in an orderly manner.

At the front of the team stood more than a dozen Jindan stage cultivators, standing shoulder to shoulder with serious expressions.

About ten feet in front of the group of monks, there was a uniquely shaped furnace.

This tripod has a diameter of more than ten feet and is shaped like a short square. Its surface is carved with mysterious flame-shaped patterns that cover the entire body of the tripod.

What is even more peculiar is that even though there is nothing around the tripod at this moment, it still has a bright red luster.

Once you step within ten feet of it, you can feel a scorching heat coming towards you.

However, all this did not attract the attention of the many monks present. Their eyes were focused on a young man who was about ten feet away from the cauldron.

The man seemed to be quite young. He was kneeling on the ground with a golden cushion on his body, mumbling something silently.

Because he was looking down at the ground, he couldn't see its true appearance.

A moment later, Chen Yun and others arrived in front of the team composed of many monks.

After a brief commotion, the dozen or so disciples quickly gathered around and saluted respectfully.

"I would like to greet all the seniors and uncles on behalf of us. Junior Brother Yu has been bathing and worshipping for about half an hour. After a short wait, we can start the furnace and perform the ceremony."

After the ceremony, an elder named Fu walked out from the group of Jindan cultivators and respectfully reported to Chen Yun and others.

"Understood, you can leave first."

The old monster Liehuo nodded slightly, then led Chen Yun and others to stand in front of the cultivators, and watched intently at the young immortal who was worshiping in front of them.

"Fellow Daoist Xiangyang, is this the outstanding disciple who successfully formed a pill in less than a hundred years?"

"His talent is indeed extraordinary. If he could obtain the Qiankun Pagoda as his life-long magic weapon, he would be able to cultivate it carefully."

"I'm afraid that in another two or three hundred years, your academy will give birth to another Yuanying-stage genius."

The curly-haired old man carefully observed the disciple for a moment, then suddenly spoke slowly.

"Haha, whether one can successfully advance to the Nascent Soul stage is determined by fate, not just by good aptitude."

"It's just that relatively speaking, disciples with excellent spiritual roots have a greater chance of being promoted to the Nascent Soul stage in the future."

The old monster Liehuo shook his head slightly, seeming that he did not completely agree with this.

The old man with curly hair responded with a smile, but did not continue to discuss the topic in depth. The other monks also remained silent, and no one joined in the conversation.

The disciples who were watching from behind saw that not only the founder of their sect was there, but also so many Yuanying stage masters. They became even more cautious, and even their breathing became extremely careful.

In a flash, there was no other sound on the platform except the disciple's low groaning.

Chen Yun listened for a while and found that it was just a simple article worshiping heaven and earth, chanted repeatedly, without any special meaning.

He couldn't help but wonder, could it be that these old monsters wanted to take this opportunity to train the disciple's willpower, or were there really such strange rules in the Baiqiao Academy's master recognition ceremony?

According to these old monsters' concept of calculating cultivation time in years, a short half hour naturally passed like a flash.

When Chen Yun estimated that the time was about to end, the huge hot cauldron that was originally parked steadily in front of him suddenly began to vibrate slightly on its lid.

Then a clear and pleasant cry came out from the cauldron, and a bright light suddenly shone.

The temperature around the giant tripod also rose suddenly in a short period of time, and a circle of reddish heat visible to the naked eye quickly spread in all directions. (End of this chapter)