Direct Disciple!
Hearing the words of Greedy Sleeper, Fang Wang secretly let out a sigh of relief. Although he seemed strong and ended the battle decisively, the Spiritual Power within his body had already been depleted by eighty percent. He was only pretending to be calm and unaffected.
Those cultivators who had not yet passed out looked at Fang Wang with various expressions, all with mixed feelings in their hearts. They couldn't believe that someone could actually fight fifty-one people alone, especially considering the small gap in their realms and the fact that all of them came from cultivator clans.
"Fang Wang? Why have I never heard of him before?"
"The Fang Family is truly remarkable, but I wonder which branch of the Fang Family he is from."
"Too strong. To become a direct disciple as soon as he joins, I'm thoroughly convinced. I couldn't even block a single one of his moves."
"His flames could have burned us to death, he was deliberately holding back."
Almost everyone was convinced by their defeat, realizing the terror of Solaris Spiritual Power only after fighting Fang Wang.
They even felt as though they were not fighting a Qi Cultivation Realm cultivator, but a Soul Sculpting Realm expert!
Gu Li looked at the tall and straight figure of Fang Wang and for the first time felt very mediocre. No wonder her father sent her to the Great Abyss Gate. If she had stayed in the family all this time, she would have really thought herself to be an unmatched genius in the world.
Just then, a figure descended from the sky, like an immortal descending from the heavens. He was dressed in the Great Abyss Gate's Dao robe, elegant and poised, with white temples that only highlighted his ethereal demeanor. His facial features seemed only to be in his thirties.
Greedy Sleeper turned his head and smiled, saying, "Junior brother, it's him, take him up."
He then looked at Fang Wang and introduced, "This is Inheritance Elder Zhao Chuanqian. Follow him to receive your reward as a direct disciple."
Fang Wang hurriedly paid his respects to Zhao Chuanqian, who had an indifferent expression and merely nodded slightly. Suddenly he swung his sleeve, a breeze faced forward, directly sweeping Fang Wang away, and the two turned into a rainbow light disappearing between the mountains.
This scene filled all the new disciples with envy, and Zhou Xue watched, with the corners of her mouth turning upwards, also in high spirits.
"In the future, he will definitely become a prominent figure in the Grand Qi Cultivation Realm, and within the Great Abyss Gate. After a hundred years, no, in at most fifty years, you all will take pride in having joined during the same period as him."
Greedy Sleeper stroked his beard and chuckled, his tone full of contemplation.
"Alright, next we will determine the five Sword Disciples."
Greedy Sleeper's tone shifted, his gaze stern as he looked at the cultivators.
...
Fang Wang rode a Flying Sword, standing behind Zhao Chuanqian, the Flying Sword beneath his feet was thirty feet long, its Sword Blade shimmering with strands of silver light, dazzlingly beautiful.
Looking down from above at the Great Abyss Gate, he saw a vast city amid the peaks, with Tai Yuan Sect Disciples coming and going, various flying Magic Artifacts and mounts catching his eye.
Zhao Chuanqian was solemn and reticent, making Fang Wang feel it was inappropriate to engage in conversation directly and instead, he just enjoyed the scenery along the way.
The Great Abyss Gate was vast, so much larger than Southern Hills City, and Zhao Chuanqian was headed towards the tallest mountain peak. The majesty of the towering peak only became truly apparent as they drew near.
Soon, the two of them soared up the mountain on their swords and landed in front of a palace.
Fang Wang looked up and saw this grand and majestic palace named Shiyuan Hall, with two fierce-looking mythical beast statues standing at its entrance.
Behind him was a stone stairway made of hundreds of white jade steps, leading to a spacious platform spanning two or three miles, where three disciples were cleaning.
"Follow me."
Zhao Chuanqian spoke and then stepped into the Shiyuan Hall, with Fang Wang closely following behind.
Walking into Shiyuan Hall, Fang Wang looked around at the vast and bright interior. It was his first impression; there were no weapons displayed, nor any flashy decorations.
Fang Wang's gaze was caught by a figure in front, an elder in white robes with white hair, coiled under a jade crown, not particularly tall, but with a back emanating a comforting and stable aura, as if ready to face all the calamities of the world with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Sect Leader senior brother, he has arrived."
Zhao Chuanqian halted and said, and at the mention of the Sect Leader, Fang Wang couldn't help but feel nervous.
The Sect Leader turned around, and with that motion, arranged his sleeves. His face did not look as old as his back suggested, although not young, it matched the image of a crane-haired youth.
Fang Wang saw the Sect Leader's gaze and quickly bent down to bow with cupped fists.
Zhou Xue had previously mentioned that the Sect Leader of the Great Abyss Gate, Guang Qiuxian, was highly skilled, regarded as one of the top five in terms of personal strength among the Nine Great Sects, with no clear ranking among the top five.
"I have seen your performance with my own eyes, not bad. I think highly of you. As a direct disciple, you can directly obtain a Superior Grade Spiritual Weapon. However, before that, you need to choose which lineage to join."
Guang Qiuxian looked at Fang Wang with a smile, his demeanor friendly and not at all oppressive.
Fang Wang replied, "I would like to join the third lineage."
This was prearranged by Zhou Xue on the way there; every Fang Family Disciple had to join different lineages.
Hearing this, Zhao Chuanqian couldn't help but give Fang Wang a strange look.
Guang Qiuxian stroked his beard and laughed heartily, saying in a warm voice, "Fang Wang, it seems you have some understanding of the Great Abyss Gate. Nevertheless, I still need to make it clear to you that the third lineage indeed has the most profound inheritance among the nine lineages. The third lineage is currently in a special situation. In terms of overall strength, it ranks eighth. The ranking of the lineage will affect its resources. You may want to consider this carefully."
Hearing that the inheritance was the most profound, Fang Wang immediately nodded and said, "I choose the third lineage."
Zhao Chuanqian shook his head slightly but did not speak.
Guang Qiuxian nodded in agreement, then raised his right hand from which three bright lights flew out of his sleeve, hovering above the hall. They were a green longsword, a jade flute, and a folding fan.
"All three of these are Superior Grade Spiritual Weapons, not much different from one another. Take a look and choose the one you feel a connection with."
Guang Qiuxian briefly introduced them and then waited for Fang Wang to make his choice.
Fang Wang didn't hesitate and directly chose the sword, since swordsmanship was what he excelled at. He could branch out to other magic artifacts after he had learned other peerless skills.
For a cultivator to establish themselves, they couldn't rely on just one magic artifact.
Guang Qiuxian pointed with his hand, and the green longsword fell into Fang Wang's hand. The sword was entirely green, as if forged from green jade, and the blade was not sharp. Holding the blade with both hands, he felt its coolness and his heart settled down.
He noticed two characters carved into the hilt of the sword.
Qing Jun!
"Do not use this magic artifact lightly before achieving Spiritual Refinement, as it can easily backfire," Guang Qiuxian reminded.
Zhao Chuanqian turned and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to receive the rewards for becoming a Direct Disciple."
Fang Wang hastily sheathed the sword, bowed to Guang Qiuxian, and then followed Zhao Chuanqian's steps.
Watching Fang Wang's retreating figure, the smile on Guang Qiuxian's face never faded. Once the two had left the Shiyuan Hall, he murmured to himself, "Another genius emerges. It seems that the Great Abyss Gate is on the rise. It's a pity that he joined the sect too late to catch the upcoming opportunities."
After leaving the Shiyuan Hall, under Zhao Chuanqian's guidance, Fang Wang went to the main peak's administrative hall to receive the Jade Pendant for Direct Disciples, then to the Magic Artifact Hall to collect a storage bag, a Flying Sword, a hundred pieces of Talisman Paper, and ten Spirit Stones. And that wasn't all; they then went to the Elixir Hall, where he received ten bottles of Spiritual Power Elixirs.
Zhao Chuanqian also introduced the situation of the Third Vein. The total number of disciples in the Third Vein exceeded two thousand, including Outer Sect Disciples. Currently, there were four Direct Disciples in the Third Vein, and with Fang Wang, there were now five.
Above the Direct Disciples were the Chief Disciples of each vein, and above them were the Chief Disciples of the Great Abyss Gate.
The Chief Disciple of each vein would have the opportunity to inherit the position of Peak Master, while the Chief Disciple of the Great Abyss Gate would be the next Sect Leader!
Fang Wang was not particularly interested in the promotion of status and position; he inquired about the most profound inheritance of the Third Vein.
Zhao Chuanqian looked at him deeply and replied, "The Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation. This sword array can be considered the strongest formation of the Great Abyss Gate, capable of being executed by a single person and also being the strongest spell. It holds the world-shaking power to stabilize the world, but nowadays, no one can master the Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation."
Fang Wang silently took note.
Afterwards, Zhao Chuanqian flew with him to the mountain peak of the Third Vein, where disciples could be seen cultivating in meditation all over the mountain. There were many stone doors on the mountain, with unknown contents within.
Under Zhao Chuanqian's lead, Fang Wang landed on an open space where hundreds of disciples were gathered, cultivating a certain swordsmanship.
In front of the open space, a row of imposing disciples were scrutinizing those cultivating. When they saw Zhao Chuanqian, they immediately turned around and saluted him in unison.
"Li Yu, this is your junior brother, Fang Wang. He has joined the sect today and has already been recognized by the Sect Leader. Take him to his cave dwelling," Zhao Chuanqian said to the leading man. After speaking, he rode his sword away, leaving Fang Wang behind.
Li Yu, the Chief Disciple of the Third Vein, appeared young but was actually over two hundred years old.
Hearing Zhao Chuanqian's words, Li Yu's eyes lit up, and the other disciples behind him were equally excited, all swarming over.
"Direct Disciple, seems you're the strongest among this batch of new disciples!"
"Good lad, you've got taste, choosing the Third Vein will definitely not disappoint you."
"Hahaha, finally, a promising genius has joined the Third Vein."
"Fang Wang Senior Brother, if you need anything, just come to me. I'm a Branch Disciple, my name is Zhou Bo."
In the Great Abyss Gate, a higher ranking meant the title of Senior Brother, and only disciples of the same level would compare seniority.
Fang Wang did not put on airs, exchanging pleasantries with them one by one. After some hubbub, Li Yu led Fang Wang to pick his cave dwelling.
Along the way, Li Yu was passionate and introduced the Third Vein to Fang Wang.
The Peak Master of the Third Vein was named Yang Yuanzi. Besides leading the vein's affairs, he also accepted Direct Disciples as students. Li Yu highly praised Yang Yuanzi, as if he were the strongest Peak Master.
After a good half-hour, Fang Wang finally settled on his own cave dwelling. It turned out that the stone doors on the mountain were the entrances to the cave dwellings, which also differed in ranks. As a Direct Disciple, he had access to one of the best cave dwellings.
After Li Yu said his farewells and left, Fang Wang entered the cave dwelling. From then on, he would use his own identity token to enter and exit. An ownerless cave dwelling could be claimed by simply pressing a disciple token against the door. Of course, this claim was not unbreakable; the Peak Master could forcefully take back a cave dwelling.
The sight before him made Fang Wang's eyes light up. From the outside, the dwelling seemed small, but inside it was another world, as large as half a soccer field, with a small lake at the deepest part. The dwelling surged with dense Spiritual Energy, and just a single breath made him feel refreshed.
Inside the dwelling were stone tables and chairs, as well as a white jade bed. After a quick walk around, he sat down on the white jade bed to cultivate and gather Qi.
He had expended too much Spiritual Power today and needed to replenish it.
According to Li Yu, Yang Yuanzi would not be out of seclusion for another five days to meet him. Direct Disciples in the Great Abyss Gate had a lot of freedom; they didn't have any obligations on normal days, and would still receive resources from the Great Abyss Gate for cultivation on schedule.
While cultivating and gathering Qi, Fang Wang harbored his own thoughts.
The Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation, I must get my hands on it!