A new day dawned at the Infinite Dao Sect, marking the fifth day since the disciples were recruited.

Cang Song awoke from his meditation and looked at his hands, feeling a slight tremor.

“Seventh level of Qi Refinement… I broke through!”

His trembling voice echoed in the cave, and his eyes shone with excitement.

“Fifty years! It’s been fifty years since I started cultivating. I was stuck at the sixth level of Qi Refinement for over twelve years… it might have taken me another five before I could break through! But in just five days in the sect, I reached the final stage of Qi Refinement!”

He clenched his aged fists, feeling an overwhelming joy.

At seventy years old, he looked like a happy child, nearly jumping with euphoria.

As someone with a high-quality root, he cultivated four times faster than someone with a low-quality root. However, since he had a five-element spiritual root, his cultivation was twenty-five times slower than that of a single-element root.

In the end, this meant he cultivated 6.25 times slower than someone with a low-quality single-element root.

For someone with this type of root, taking sixty to seventy years to reach this level was normal—considering a cultivation path without major obstacles such as severe injuries or long periods of stagnation.

Cang Song, it seemed, had had a stable journey until now.

“This technique is unbelievable. A hundred times stronger than any single-element technique… But the most amazing thing is that it allows a five-element root to cultivate almost at the same speed as a single-element root!”

He murmured to himself, trembling at the sheer power of this sect.

Aotian, in truth, had no idea that his synthesized techniques were a hundred times more effective than the standard techniques available on the market. But if he thought about it for a moment, he would realize it.

The Refiner-Tier spell he synthesized could easily be used as a powerful Founder-Tier spell, highlighting the terrifying quality of the techniques he created.

What Cang Song hadn’t mentioned was that despite receiving the technique four days ago, he had only actually cultivated with it for a little over a day.

The rest of the time had been spent thoroughly analyzing, rechecking, and verifying the technique over and over, searching for any possible flaws. Only after much hesitation did he finally decide to test it—only to be completely shocked by how absurdly powerful it was.

After more than an hour, he had finally stabilized his dantian. But he still needed to adapt to his new cultivation level to fully stabilize his progress.

However, this left him restless.

‘I can’t go out to fight monsters; it’s too dangerous. I also can’t challenge disciples, or I might make enemies… What should I do? Training alone in the cave is fine, but it’s very inefficient. I don’t want to waste cultivation time… I’m too old; every second counts…’

He bit his nails, dismissing one option after another.

Then, an idea struck him.

‘Ask the elder… maybe?’

He hesitated.

In truth, Cang Song had always been an extremely cautious man. Throughout his entire life, he could count on one hand the number of times he had fought someone—and all had been involuntary.

If he weren’t aging and realizing that his vitality was no longer enough to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, he never would have taken such a huge risk as joining a sudden Golden Core Sect that appeared out of nowhere.

But for the first time in his life, he had gambled on a risky move.

‘The things I do for longevity…’

He thought bitterly as he stood up.

‘I’ve already done something as reckless as joining an unknown sect. To be honest, I would normally flee immediately upon learning that the lord of the mountain I live on died suddenly… 99% of the time, that means trouble for the entire mountain.’

Shaking his head, he left his cave mansion.

‘I can’t hesitate as much as I did when I was younger. My vitality is running out… I need to be a little—just a little— more reckless and courageous if I want to keep moving forward.’

With determination, he stepped out of the cave, his gaze resolute.

But as he exited, he encountered a young disciple passing by.

‘Third level of Qi Refinement.’

He quickly analyzed the boy and, without hesitation, bowed, cupping his fists respectfully.

“This Junior Brother greets Senior Brother! Senior Brother, I have something to report to Elder Zhao, so I’ll be on my way first.”

Cang Song spoke respectfully, turned, and left hurriedly, not wasting a second.

Meanwhile, the young disciple stood there, stunned, watching the elderly man—who was clearly older and at a higher cultivation level than him—walk away after calling him Senior Brother.

…

Cang Song sighed in relief after making his escape.

‘Rule number one of survival: Even babies on the road are your seniors. They might be hidden experts. Never underestimate anyone.’

He pondered seriously.

Quickening his pace toward the courtyard where Elder Zhao might be found, he saw two guards at the entrance.

The guards were surprised to see someone approaching, but upon noticing the noble robes of the old man, they understood that he was a disciple of the sect—which they were currently employed by.

Before they could greet him, Cang Song acted first.

Cupping his fists and bowing, he asked respectfully:

“Seniors, I would like to see Elder Zhao. Would that be possible at this moment?”

He remained bowed, waiting patiently for a response.

The guards exchanged glances, both confused and slightly nervous.

And then, an unspoken conversation took place between them.

‘Why the hell is a disciple from a Golden Core Sect being so respectful to guards like us?’

One of them gave a perplexed look to his companion.

‘Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Maybe he’s just a highly educated man. But we can’t let him stay bowed like that!’

One of the guards was the first to react.

“Please, Your Excellency, there is no need to bow to guards like us. Stand up, please. Elder Zhao has already instructed us to bring any disciple who seeks him directly to him.”

The guard quickly helped Cang Song stand, speaking with respect.

‘So accessible? This Elder Zhao seems like a good elder… or he’s pretending to be.’

Cang Song pondered, remaining cautious.

However, on the outside, he maintained a serious and respectful expression as he followed one of the guards toward Elder Zhao.

…

In a spacious hall, Elder Zhao was seated at his desk, his expression troubled, fingers interlocked before him.

Cang Song became alarmed upon seeing that expression and immediately assumed the worst.

‘Could it be that the sect is in trouble?!’

Elder Zhao—or rather, Aotian—noticing a disciple’s arrival, snapped out of his distracted thoughts about Rihai.

Despite having multiple avatars, whenever one of his minds was unoccupied, concerns about Rihai inevitably surfaced.

This time, Aotian was genuinely worried, which even affected his avatars.

However, he quickly composed himself and nodded to the disciple.

“Sit down.”

He pointed to the chair in front of him and asked simply:

“Did you have any problems with your cultivation?”

His gaze settled on the seventy-year-old disciple with white hair and a beard. The Founder-Tier robes, provided by the sect, gave him an immortal aura, making him unrecognizable compared to the ragged old man he had been when recruited.

“Elder, has there been any recent trouble in the sect?”

Cang Song couldn’t contain his concern. The elder’s somber expression still sent chills down his spine.

“Huh? Why do you ask…?”

Zhao furrowed his brows at the unexpected question, but after recalling his bitter thoughts from moments before, he understood the old disciple’s concern.

Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he explained:

“You misunderstood. It’s just personal matters, nothing related to the sect. Why have you come here?”

Cang Song realized he shouldn’t insist on the matter and, slightly relieved by the seemingly sincere response, focused on the reason for his visit.

“Elder, I recently broke through to a new level, but I haven’t fully adapted to my strength yet. I don’t want to leave the sect to train, so I thought perhaps you might have a better solution.”

He stood up and bowed in respect.

“There’s no need for that, just sit down. We can talk normally.”

Zhao didn’t seem impressed and waved his hand indifferently, signaling for him to sit.

‘Elder Zhao seems less approachable than last time. His personal problems must not be simple.’

Cang Song analyzed the situation, but didn’t show anything outwardly and simply sat down.

“Why didn’t you ask other disciples for a sparring match?”

Zhao asked directly, intrigued.

Cang Song stroked his white beard, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Well, I feared it might create rivalries or bother them, so I thought the elder might have a better solution.”

He smiled, a bit awkwardly.

Zhao stared at him, dumbfounded by such cowardice. However, considering that everyone had their own quirks, he didn’t press the matter.

“A simple solution would be to go to the mission hall, exchange some items for contribution points, and create a mission requesting sparring, detailing your needs. This way, no one would feel ‘offended’ by your request, and everyone wins.”

The suggestion made Cang Song’s eyes light up, but also brought a hint of disappointment.

‘I thought the sect might have some special resource for this…’

But before he could voice his disappointment, Zhao, as if reading his thoughts, continued:

“Actually, the sect does have artifacts, buildings, and other resources that could assist in this stage. However, since we are currently in an itinerant state of training, those resources are being held by the sect leader, and it will take some time before they can be made available.”

‘Itinerant? Training? So the sect isn’t fleeing, but traveling by choice?! Could that really be true?!’

Zhao’s words contained valuable information. Cang Song wanted to believe it, as it would be good news, but his cautious nature prevented him from fully accepting it.

Before he could reflect further, Zhao stood up, clearly not wanting to dwell on the topic.

“Come with me. Normally, this isn’t an elder’s duty, but since you’re here, I’ll help you with a sparring session to stabilize your cultivation.”

Without waiting for a response, he started walking.

Cang Song was startled by this and hesitated.

He wasn’t comfortable fighting an elder. He still didn’t fully trust the sect and couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Zhao’s intentions.

However, seeing him walk ahead without looking back, he sighed and followed reluctantly.

When they arrived at an open courtyard, Zhao stopped and turned to face Cang Song, placing his hands behind his back.

“Disciple, what is your name?”

He asked seriously.

“The disciple’s surname is Cang, and given name is Song. Disciple Cang Song greets the elder!”

He introduced himself and bowed politely.

But he couldn’t help but scold himself internally upon realizing that, due to his anxiety over the elder’s heavy expression, he had forgotten to greet him earlier.

‘I’ve been too anxious about everything since joining this sect. I need to adjust my mindset quickly. I can’t afford to make mistakes and inadvertently bring trouble upon myself.’

He thought, frustrated and irritated with himself.

On the outside, however, he maintained a serious and respectful face as he greeted the elder.

“Very well, you may rise.”

Elder Zhao nodded, allowing him to stand.

Although Aotian wasn’t used to seeing people bow all the time, he didn’t intend to change his disciples’ mindset.

That would make his sect seem uncultured, disrespectful, and disorderly, which wouldn’t be a good reputation for a righteous sect.

Then, Elder Zhao said something that shocked Cang Song.

“I will use only the strength of the second level of Qi Refinement. You may attack with everything you have.”

He said indifferently, with one hand behind his back and the other extended forward, making the universal “come at me” gesture.

The wind slightly ruffled his crimson elder robes, giving him an aura of immortality and invincibility.

“Then, I will attack, elder…”

He said, and though he felt somewhat underestimated, Cang Song wouldn’t disrespect the elder by questioning or refusing.

Stopping his hesitation, he moved in quickly, closing the distance between them.

However, he held back, fearing that hurting the arrogant elder might cause trouble for himself.

But Elder Zhao wasn’t playing around.

Seeing the approaching opponent, he acted instantly.

Before Cang Song could even understand what had happened, the world spun—and in the next instant, his face was buried in the ground.

Elder Zhao released his head and stepped back smoothly.

“For someone apparently so cautious, you were quite reckless just now.”

The elder smirked, watching as Cang Song got up, his white hair and beard now slightly brown from the dust.

With a small pulse of spiritual energy, Cang Song shook off the dirt and returned to normal.

But his heart was anything but normal.

He didn’t even understand how he had ended up on the ground—he only knew that at no point had the elder displayed any spiritual fluctuations above the second level.

It was only then that Cang Song finally woke up.

‘What am I thinking?! This sect isn’t normal—it’s a damn Golden Core Sect! How could an elder be so foolish as to not understand his own strength?! What the hell was I thinking?!’

He scolded himself, wondering what had happened to his usual caution.

“Very well, come again, but this time, with everything you’ve got.”

Elder Zhao wasted no time and called him forward again.

This time, with a serious expression, Cang Song gave it his all.

…

Later that same day, he limped out of Elder Zhao’s pavilion with a bruised and battered face.

His cultivation had stabilized, but he walked away with fear in his heart as he glanced back at the pavilion.

‘Damn it… I will never accept a sparring match with an elder of this sect again. Even though my skills improved greatly, and I stabilized my cultivation quickly…’

‘…It’s not worth it!’

He thought, teary-eyed, before limping back to his residence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep