Jiuyang Sect seemed harmonious, but Jiang Ming knew there were undercurrents of tension under the surface.
For example, Chuyang Peak and Gu Hai were no strangers to impeachments. The others wanted to remove him from his post of First Seat. If it were not for the support from Jiaoyang Peak, Chuyang Peak's persistence, and the Sect Master's help, Gu Hai would have been removed from his post a long time ago.
At this time, all the other First Seats were trying to recruit Linglong to their sides.
All of a sudden, the eleventh floor lit up, causing everyone to gasp in shock. When they recovered from the shock, their eyes shone brightly. This was especially true for Hao Chen, the First Seat of Shaoyang Peak. He was the youngest First Seat, and when he cleared the 11th floor of the Tower of Trials back then, he had experienced an explosive growth. His cultivation base had skipped the Purple Mansion Realm and the Dao Seed Realm, directly rising to the Nascent Soul Realm. With that, he was on equal footing with the Sect Master. There were even rumors swirling around that he was, in fact, stronger than the Sect Master in terms of combat strength.
Now that there was another remarkable disciple like Hao Chen, everyone naturally wished they could recruit her to their sides.
On the other hand, Jiang Ming was not sure how many people in Jiuyang Sect were in the Nascent Soul realm. In any case, he was shocked by Linglong's strength as well. He thought to himself happily, 'Linglong is really amazing! Not considering myself, she's definitely the most powerful disciple of our generation. In fact, she's likely second best in the entire history of the sect!'
Jiang Ming felt happy, proud, and satisfied as Linglong's Senior Brother. As he looked at the Tower of Trials, he wondered if she would successfully clear the twelfth floor.
Swoosh!
The Human Path Records appeared and flipped to Zi Linglong's page.
Name: Zi Linglong
Gender: Female
Cultivation base: Golden Core Realm.
Background: Disciple of the Jiuyang Sect's Chuyang Peak.
Relationship: 95.
Status: She has awakened the phoenix bloodline, chased Linghu Yin away, cultivated intensively, and destroyed the cultivation bases of Jia Guang and Linghu Yin. Currently, she's challenging the Tower of Trials. She has made it past the first floor, the second floor… the eleventh floor.
Zi Linglong was still at the Golden Core Realm, and she had yet to enter the extreme state. Jiang Ming was rather shocked by this. 'Is the phoenix bloodline so powerful? She can even challenge cultivators with higher cultivation bases.'
Their relationship value remained unchanged, and her status included what was happening now.
At this moment, without any warning, a row of words suddenly appeared under her status: Used the phoenix bloodline's spells to pass the twelfth floor of the Tower of Trials.
…
12th floor of the Tower of Trials.
Zi Linglong frowned slightly as she stood before the stone doors. She knew she needed the strength of a Fourth Extreme Golden Core cultivation at least to make it past this floor. Apart from that, she needed a powerful spell as well.
She knew many powerful spells, much more than what Jiuyang Sect knew. However, the spells she could use were limited since she could not use spells that were not from Chuyang Peak. It was imperative she kept her knowledge a secret.
"Should I use my Sambodha? No, that'll attract too much attention and give everyone a heart attack…" Zi Linglong shook her head.
She had powerful spells. She had more than the Jiuyang Sect had collectively. However, she could not use any other spells aside from those that Chuyang Peak had. That was a power only wielded by Dao Seed cultivators. Some peerless geniuses could manage it, but she would not be able to avoid suspicion if she used it due to her age.
Her mastery of spells could be explained away by her mind-blowing talent, high comprehension skills, and her phoenix bloodline. However, if she used Sambodha, the others would definitely be unable to accept it. If she were in her 20s, she could get away with using some of her skills. As it was now, it was still too early for her to reveal her skills.
"I'll use some of the phoenix bloodline power, then." Zi Linglong made up her mind before she opened the door and entered the twelfth floor of the Tower of Trials.
In just a blink of an eye, a bright red light flashed as a wave of terrifying energy swept out.
Buzz!
The Tower of Trials trembled slightly. It was as though it was having trouble withstanding the terrifying energy.
Streaks of red light escaped the Tower of Trials and shone outside. They resonated with the fire element and the force of nature before forming the silhouette of a fire phoenix.
What seemed like the faint cry of a phoenix rang in the air as well.
The First Seats were in shock and disbelief.
'A Vision Phoenix! Did she use her phoenix bloodline power? Although she's in the tower, it manifested outside.' Yue Cheng's eyes burned with greed as he instinctively clenched his hands. 'This isn't possible if all she had was a small trace of the phoenix bloodline. Based on the power of the phoenix she possesses, even if she's not the daughter of the phoenix, she has to be a direct descendant of the phoenix. She's likely the offspring of a human and a phoenix who fell to the realms of men. If this is true…'
Yue Cheng felt his mouth go dry the more he thought about this matter.
Meanwhile, Gu Hai was shaken as well. He looked at the stunned Gu Hai and said, "Old Gu, does she have any family members left?"
Gu Hai shook his head when he regained his senses. "I was roaming the lands back then when I found her asleep at the foot of a mountain. When she woke up, the only thing she remembered was her name. I brought her with me and spent ten days visiting various villages, towns, cities, but we couldn't find her family. In the end, I brought her back to the mountain with me."
She activated it inside the tower, but it's manifesting outside!" Zhiyang Peak's First Seat, Yue Cheng, was initially shocked, then a fervent desire filled his eyes. He was even clenching his fists without meaning to. "This can't be achieved if all she had was a sliver of the phoenix bloodline in her body. This means that the phoenix power within her… Even if she's not the phoenix's daughter, she has to be a descendant of the phoenix. The offspring of a human and a phoenix which fell into the realms of men. If this is true…"
"How strange," the Sect Master muttered to himself. Then, he continued to say with a grim tone, "I thought she merely possessed a trace of the phoenix bloodline. However, I'm clearly wrong since she's able to create a Vision outside of the tower. From today, I'll keep her safe by my side and carefully guide her."
Gu Hai could only smile bitterly upon hearing these words. He knew this was the best choice. When word of this spread, many parties would try to get their hands on Linglong. Chuyang Peak was in a state of decline, and Zuo Han's death proved that the sect was not as safe as it used to be. In the end, he only nodded helplessly in response to Yan Yan's words.
On the other hand, Jiang Ming was speechless and helpless when he heard this exchange. Was his junior sister going to be taken away?
At this time, the twelfth floor of the Tower of Trials lit up. Following that, a small figure shrouded by fire appeared at the top of the tower.
Zi Linglong had been transported to the top of the Tower of Trials after clearing all the floors. A smile could be seen on her face at this moment as she withdrew her energy.
"Amazing," Jiang Ming murmured as he gave her two thumbs-up.
When Zi Linglong flew down the tower and landed on the ground, she found herself surrounded by Gu Hai and the other First Seats. All the First Seats were smiling at her.
"That's nice." Jiang Ming smiled faintly. When he looked around himself, he discovered the disciples in the surroundings were looking at Zi Linglong enviously as well. After all, everyone knew now that she was Jiuyang Sect's new star.
At this time, Momo walked over and said, amazed, "I didn't know Linglong was so powerful! She's only ten. I remember I used to carry her in my arms when she was younger. I can't believe she's grown so strong."
Chunyang Peak's Zhang Junbao walked over as well. He was an outstanding and elegant person. A hint of disbelief could be seen on his face as he said, "I've been cultivating in seclusion over the past three years and have just emerged from it. It's really shocking to see the girl who used to pester me for snacks conquer the Tower of Trials! This is mind-blowing!"
"Senior Brother Zhang!" Jiang Ming greeted Zhang Junbao and cupped his fists together.
Zhang Yunbao used to be a frequent visitor of Chuyang Peak. He had said he liked how quiet the Peak was. Back then, he would bring snacks for Linglong whenever he visited. He had also snuck some wine over to share with Jiang Ming. When Gu Hai found out about it, he was given an earful. He was one of the few friends Jiang Ming had in Jiuyang Sect.