The process of the grand opening ceremony is not complicated. It starts with Sect Leader Mei Jinqiu extolling the achievements that the Eternal Immortal Sect has accomplished in the past decade for the Little South Continent. This ranges from leading cultivators forward to protecting the common people, training excellent disciples internally, exporting a large batch of cultivation talents, and exterminating demons to stabilize fertile lands externally.

The Twelve Immortal Peaks then offer tributes, detailing the contributions made in the past ten years.

Beginning with the Eternal Immortal Peak where the sect leader resides, followed by Immortal Performance Peak, Fate Peak, then the Fulu Peak and Treasure Peak handling internal affairs, Nourishing Spirit Peak, then the four peaks dedicated to alchemy, arrays, talismans, and artifacts: Hundred Fragrance Peak, Dragon and Snake Peak, Five Elements Peak, and Celestial Craft Peak. Finally, it ends with Peace Peak, which is responsible for external relations.

Each Immortal Peak takes turns offering tributes, recounting their achievements over the past decade in front of the guests, with performances to accompany their presentations.

The performances are largely akin to a show of strength, fully displaying the abilities of the disciples from each peak.

There are grand formations, synchronized sword control performances, talisman arts practice... all are impressive in scale, highly effective in presentation, and brimming with powerful strength. These undoubtedly showcase the hard power, a level that can only be demonstrated by a sect with a thousand-year heritage.

Occasionally, smaller sects may produce one or two geniuses. However, the overall strength of a sect is never determined by the top individuals but by the average level of its disciples.

As one of the foremost sects in the Little South Continent, Eternal Immortal Sect fully displayed during this grand ceremony what it means to have the poise of a millennium-old sect.

Even just the performances are so magnificent, let alone a real battle?

Fate Peak Master Qi Ming commented under his breath,

"Anyone who witnesses such a scene would reconsider whether they qualify to challenge the Eternal Immortal Sect."

Mei Jinqiu was about to speak when he noticed a faint smile on the Great Li Dynasty's Crown Prince Ye Yixian's face, sitting among the guest seats.

"Not a friendly visitor."

Sure enough, after the tribute from Peace Peak concluded and the presiding elder announced the next agenda, Ye Yixian burst into laughter and said,

"Though I'm not a native of the Little South Continent, I've long heard of the Eternal Immortal Sect's great reputation. Word has it that the sect is situated within the Profound One Spirit Marsh, boasts the Twelve Immortal Peaks, and possesses fertile lands extending for miles. But as I see it, haven't there only been eleven peaks offering tributes? Where is the twelfth peak?"

The Twelfth Peak... Enlightenment Peak!

Those knowledgeable about the Eternal Immortal Sect know that Enlightenment Peak was once one of the sect's three main peaks, its reputation even surpassing that of the Eternal Immortal Peak where the sect leader resides. However, since the demon killing turmoil, it rapidly declined and has not been mentioned in the cultivation realm of the Little South Continent for quite some time.

All eyes turned to Ye Yixian.

This Ye Yixian, being a crown prince, was extraordinarily distinguished, with a golden petal mark on his brow and eyes bright and full of spirit, as if containing the celestial Milky Way. His lips bore a hint of vermilion, yet were not gaudy, but rather exuded noble charm.

Master Yi Zhishui of Luofu Mountain chuckled and said,

"As the Crown Prince hails from afar, perhaps you haven't heard of the recent events. Thirty years ago, a demon killing turmoil erupted in the Profound One Spirit Marsh. A sixth-order demon beast suffered the 'Demon Killing Tribulation' and fled here. The heavenly tribulation was merciless, nearly obliterating all living beings within the marsh. It was the master of Enlightenment Peak, Yushan Daoist, the only Divine Split Realm expert in the Spirit Marsh, who diverted the demon beast, thereby averting the disaster."

He sighed and continued,

"Yet, Yushan Daoist's divine soul suffered severe trauma, his cultivation deteriorated significantly, which, for some unknown reason, affected the fortune of Enlightenment Peak, leading to its decline along with it. Now, it has fewer than ten disciples, and its past glory is hard to recover."

Immortal Performance Peak Master Lin Xing immediately furrowed his brow in rebuttal,

"Mountain Master Yi, the fortune of our Eternal Immortal Sect is flourishing; how can there be any setback? I advise you to speak cautiously and not follow reckless rumors."

Yi Zhishui chuckled and said,

"I certainly don't understand the subject of fortune as well as Elder Lin Xing does."

Crown Prince Ye Yixian smiled and remarked,

"Generally speaking, a setback in fortune cannot be observed with the naked eye. By the time it becomes visible, it is often irreversible. Dean Li Changke of Luye Academy should be quite familiar with this concept, I presume."

Li Changke, with the simple demeanor of a scholar, like a humble schoolteacher from the countryside, replied calmly,

"The concept of fortune is profoundly mysterious. It often operates like a single thread pulling the whole body. The Twelve Immortal Peaks, being part of the Eternal Immortal Sect, are deeply interconnected in fate and fortune. If one peak suffers, without careful management, it could affect the whole."

Mei Jinqiu, seeing the guests starting to discuss fortune, immediately realized that they were attempting to quickly push the Eternal Immortal Sect into decline using 'fortune' as the pretext.

He suddenly perceived not honored guests, but rather hungry wolves waiting to pounce once the prey is exhausted.

Lin Xing cast a worried glance at him.

Mei Jinqiu swiftly made up his mind,

"'Fortune' has always been an internal matter of a faction. We appreciate the concern of everyone for our sect's affairs, but the management of it is entirely up to us and not anyone else. Today is a celebration, a joyous occasion, so I invite everyone to relax and enjoy this day."

After saying this, he instructed the presiding elder to move on to the next segment, where disciples would compete.

This was a customary part of the ceremony, so each faction brought their most prized disciples. To spar with the talented disciples of the Eternal Immortal Sect was considered far more beneficial than endless solitary practice.

Usually, disciple sparring occurs between contemporaries, disciples of similar ages.

The disciples brought by various major factions ranged widely in age, from teenagers to those in their thirties. However, the Eternal Immortal Sect had no shortage of talent, and their excellent disciples in stages one to five essentially covered all age groups.

Mei Jinqiu placed great importance on this disciple sparring, as the young disciples represent the sect's future. A strong generation of disciples leads to a strong sect, while weak disciples lead to a weak sect. A gap in talent is the last thing any faction wants to see.

Thus, the talented disciples from each peak were essentially all present.

"Xu Lengshi, disciple of the Green Blade Sect, seeking guidance..."

Mei Jinqiu gave him a glance, immediately recognizing that his cultivation was at the Fifth-Layer Golden Core, and then instructed a disciple,

"Lv Zheng, spar with him."

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

Lv Zheng, a fourth-term student of Immortal Performance Peak, had a cultivation level of Seventh-Layer Golden Core, which meant he could easily handle Xu Lengshi of the Fifth-Layer Golden Core.

The two immediately began testing their moves.

After two exploratory moves, they proceeded to officially spar.

As the host, the Eternal Immortal Sect naturally had to demonstrate the demeanor of a strong host, with Lv Zheng holding back slightly during the spar with Xu Lengshi, allowing him to display his own capabilities as much as possible.

After a few rounds, Xu Lengshi began to fall behind, starting to breathe heavily.

Lv Zheng remained composed, as if taking a leisurely stroll. Just as he was about to express his courtesy and end the match, Xu Lengshi suddenly unleashed a great momentum. His whole body surged with fierce immortal energy, like an uncontrollable hose, wildly pouring out. A slender blade emitting a cold gleam buzzed,

"Look at my blade!"

This stroke instantly sliced through the air between them. The blade energy, like a ferocious tiger, roared towards Lv Zheng.

Lv Zheng suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. He wanted to dodge but realized he was entirely locked by the blade energy, no matter how he tried to evade, he would undoubtedly be struck. He could only resist it head-on!

Transforming immortal energy into Gang Qi to protect himself!

Mei Jinqiu, witnessing this, felt a chill through his spine.

Something was wrong; this Xu Lengshi was not at the Fifth-Layer Golden Core but the Eighth Layer!

An Eighth-Layer Golden Core launching a sudden assault on an unprepared Seventh-Layer Golden Core has an outcome that is entirely predictable.

"Ah!"

Lv Zheng's Protective Gang Qi broke, and with a cry of pain, he fell to the ground, his aura completely diminished.

Xu Lengshi bowed,

"Thank you for your guidance."

At that moment, his spirit was extraordinarily vibrant, starkly different from before, with an invisible "momentum" vaguely circling around him.

Mei Jinqiu, experienced and knowledgeable, immediately recognized that it was fortune.

Had he taken a part of Lv Zheng's fortune?

But, how could this be? How could the Green Blade Sect possess such divine techniques?!

Could it be... He glanced toward the other side, directly meeting Ye Yixian's eyes. The latter gave an innocent and sunny smile, yet his eyes seemed to house a dragon, roaming and lingering.

Dragon Qi! The Dragon Qi of a nation!

With Dragon Qi present, all fortunes at the scene would fall into chaos, and all clashes would morph into struggles for fortune.

Mei Jinqiu's mind buzzed.

This grand opening ceremony was a battle for fortune!

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