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Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Reunion After Ten Years

"The ceremony is complete!" suddenly exclaimed the guardian at the side.

"We pay our respects to the Sect Master," echoed the numerous disciples of the Kaiyang Sect in unison, offering their congratulations.

Xuan Xinzi slowly raised the Kaiyang Martial Spoon and turned to look at the crowd of Kaiyang Sect disciples before him.

Among them, the Nascent Soul stage cultivators were his senior brothers and sisters. Although they had been on the Divine Land for a while, they all originated from here. As for the Golden Core stage disciples, they were his nephews and nieces.

"Alright, Sect Master, please give us your instructions, and we\'ll begin the selection," the elder who handed the Kaiyang Martial Spoon to Xuan Xinzi said.

"Mm," Xuan Xinzi nodded. In this moment, the previous reverence vanished instantly. Although the elders were his seniors, he was now the Sect Master, the leader of the sect, naturally not bound by seniority.

"Nascent Soul stage senior brothers and sisters, please come over here. Golden Core stage disciples, stand by and await the elders\' selection," Xuan Xinzi addressed the crowd before him.

"Yes," the disciples of the Kaiyang Sect responded.

The Nascent Soul stage experts walked to stand behind the three elders, their eyes flashing with a hint of regret and helplessness.

Over five hundred Golden Core stage disciples straightened their posture. Some wore expressions of confusion, while others understood the situation. All of them focused their attention, especially the Kaiyang Sect\'s Second Senior Brother, Tian Sha.

Standing tall and erect, Tian Sha\'s figure stood gracefully in the breeze, his robes fluttering lightly. He was undoubtedly the most outstanding among the five hundred disciples, being the number one Golden Core stage disciple of the Kaiyang Sect.

Beside Tian Sha stood a man in white robes, holding a fan painted with mountains and rivers. Although folded now and held in his hand, he exuded an extraordinary air of confidence as he gazed at the three elders ahead. This man stood next to Tian Sha, indicating his formidable cultivation and high status among the second generation disciples. It was evident that he had just returned from the Divine Land.

Nan Ba Tian stood behind, also standing straight as he gazed at the three elders ahead, knowing what opportunities awaited him.

After surveying the over five hundred Golden Core stage disciples, Xuan Xinzi spoke, "The Kaiyang Sect is one of the seven allied sects of the Seven Stars Hall. There is an agreement between the Seven Stars Hall and the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty. Every three hundred years, each elder of each sect can recommend a Golden Core stage disciple to enter the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty and be granted a fifth-grade official position. They will receive the salary of spiritual stones from the Heavenly Dynasty and be blessed with the dynasty\'s fortune."

As soon as Xuan Xinzi finished speaking, the bewildered disciples let out exclamations of astonishment.

The Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty? Fifth-grade official position? Is this real? Fifth grade, that\'s fifth grade! Spiritual stones are just one aspect; the most important thing is the dynasty\'s fortune. The fortune gained from a fifth-grade official position is just slightly less than the fortune of the emperor\'s seat. Now, a fifth-grade position? Even if it\'s not the emperor\'s fortune, it\'s still countless fortunes. What a huge opportunity.

Almost all the disciples of the Kaiyang Sect stood up straight, showing expressions of longing. Although they were from the Kaiyang Sect, the sect did not object to disciples joining the dynasty. By joining the dynasty, they would still be disciples of the Kaiyang Sect; the two systems were not contradictory.

Xuan Xinzi stood aside, allowing the three elders to observe the disciples one by one.

Among the over five hundred disciples, all of them in the Golden Core stage, Tian Sha had the highest cultivation level, at the tenth stage of Golden Core, just a tiny step away from reaching the Nascent Soul stage. It was this tiny difference that allowed Tian Sha to catch this last train. Additionally, according to the previous practices of the elders\' selections, if multiple sects had selections simultaneously, in order to avoid embarrassment for the Kaiyang Sect, the elders would usually choose the most outstanding candidate. And now, he was the most outstanding.

The square fell into extreme silence, so quiet that it seemed as if everyone was waiting for a pin to drop.

All the Golden Core stage disciples looked at the three elders with hopeful eyes, hoping that the elders would choose them.

The male elder who had handed the Kaiyang Martial Spoon to Xuan Xinzi suddenly said, "Shui Wuhen!"

"Yes," the elegant man in white beside Tian Sha immediately stepped forward with a smile.

Shui Wuhen, the second senior brother of the Kaiyang Sect\'s second generation, had a cultivation level just below Tian Sha\'s. Moreover, because his father held an official position in the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, it was expected that he would be the first to be chosen this time. Even Tian Sha only furrowed his brows slightly in response; there wasn\'t much opposition.

There were still two more opportunities, and two more Golden Core stage disciples needed to be chosen.

At this moment, another male elder spoke up, and all eyes turned to him.

"Who is the son of Nan Wentian?" the elder asked directly. Nan Wentian\'s son? Obviously, this was about using connections.

Tian Sha frowned slightly, annoyed by the elder\'s favoritism, but there was nothing he could do. The elders made the choices, and others couldn\'t intervene or have a say.

At this moment, Nan Ba Tian walked out with a hint of confusion.

"Son of the late Nan Wentian, Nan Ba Tian," Nan Ba Tian said respectfully to the elder.

The elder looked at Nan Ba Tian, his previously stern expression suddenly softened a lot, as if he had a deep friendship with Nan Wentian. Even the other two elders looked at Nan Ba Tian with gentle expressions.

"Alright, prepare to accompany me to the Divine Land," the elder said.

"Thank you, Elder," Nan Ba Tian immediately replied, his eyes flashing with surprise and gratitude.

And so, the two pre-selected individuals were chosen, leaving one more spot.

All the disciples of the Kaiyang Sect looked at Elder Zi Xun. This was the last chance. Please, you must choose me.

Tian Sha also stared at the elder with a longing expression.

Elder Zi Xun furrowed her brows slightly, her eyes cold as she looked around at the disciples of the Kaiyang Sect. Finally, she glanced at Tian Sha. Indeed, Tian Sha was the best choice—

In the Kaiyang Sect\'s spiritual tide cave, the tide had receded, and Zhong Shan had also reached the first stage of the Golden Core. He felt extremely content. Walking with Hong Niu to the entrance of the cave where they had come from before, Zhong Shan observed the sealed cave entrance with a slight frown.

Raising his hand, Zhong Shan wielded his greatsword, Nightmare.

At this moment, Nightmare had reached the power of a second-grade magical treasure. After a year of tempering, it had become even more formidable.

Aiming at the cave wall, Zhong Shan\'s eyes turned cold as he infused his true essence into the sword. With a mighty swing, a huge sword beam accompanied Zhong Shan\'s strike, roaring towards the cave wall, with faint traces of lightning threads within the massive sword beam.

"Boom!"

With a loud noise, as the sword passed, the seal on the cave entrance was instantly shattered, and a large number of debris was blasted out by the force of the strike.

Dust filled the air, and the piercing sunlight once again shone in. It had been a year, a whole year, and this time of seclusion had lasted for a full year. But in the end, it was quite rewarding—the first stage of the Golden Core!

As for the Hidden Body Realm, Zhong Shan had even less reason to worry. He had also reached the first stage of the Golden Core. As for his cultivation technique, it came from the Tai Dan Sect. Although the Tai Dan Sect mainly focused on alchemy techniques, there were also instances in the past where people traded their cultivation techniques for pills. Therefore, the cultivation techniques were diverse, and Zhong Shan chose a technique called "Nine Abyss Devil Shadow."

With his physical body, Zhong Shan, accompanied by Hong Niu, slowly walked out of the dusty cave—

Elder Zi Xun scanned the Golden Core stage disciples of the Kaiyang Sect, and finally, her gaze fell on Tian Sha. Indeed, he was the one the Kaiyang Sect should choose.

Tian Sha, upon seeing Elder Zi Xun\'s gaze, felt a surge of excitement.

Just as Elder Zi Xun was about to speak—

"Boom!"

From beside the mountain valley, there suddenly came a loud noise, and a large amount of rubble blasted out from the mountainside, spraying into the sky, indicating a powerful impact from within.

Some of those who had been inside knew that the cave was a treasure of the Kaiyang Sect, a place of spiritual tides.

The interruption caused Tian Sha to furrow his brows, and the three elders all wore expressions of impatience. Everyone\'s attention shifted to the source of the disturbance.

Amidst the billowing dust, two figures slowly emerged.

The one in the lead was carrying a large sword, a burly figure that entered everyone\'s sight, while the other seemed somewhat timid, looking at the burly figure with a strange expression.

Seeing the two, Xuan Xinzi smiled slightly. Zhong Shan had broken through. He couldn\'t see through Zhong Shan\'s cultivation anymore. Breaking through to the Golden Core stage, senior brother, it\'s time for you to rest in peace in the Heavenly Spirit.

Tian Sha looked at Zhong Shan, his eyes narrowed, flashing with a hint of disgust. This disgust didn\'t come from Zhong Shan\'s cultivation level; after all, Zhong Shan had now reached the Golden Core stage. It came from past memories. Although Tian Ling\'er and Bei Qingsi had left Zhong Shan, the sense of defeat was deeply imprinted in Tian Sha\'s heart.

What was wrong with himself? He was the most outstanding one. This person, with his low cultivation and extremely poor aptitude, had a bleak future, yet he was favored by Tian Ling\'er and Bei Qingsi. Even their master had favored him more during his lifetime. Humph!

Both male elders frowned as they looked at the two figures, knowing why they had come out from inside. However, the sudden disturbance had caused both elders to show a trace of displeasure.

As for Elder Zi Xun, at this moment, she was completely stunned!