"Regardless of the Bai Family Head's intentions, since he has sent over this Young Master, he probably made a desperate gamble. To my knowledge, the Bai Family's strength has declined significantly over the years, and to produce such a large amount of resources must have hurt them considerably. There's no other way; among the next generation of Bai Family, aside from that Bai Yan'er who still has decent talent and has become a Spiritual Apprentice, none of the other disciples have passed the Spirit Opening Ceremony, and very few of them have even survived. This Bai Congtian must carry a lot of the Bai Family's hopes," the elder said indifferently.
"The Bai Family must have chosen the lowest-ranked Barbarian Ghost Sect mostly because this sect demands the least amount of resources for the Spirit Opening Ceremony. If it weren't for Aunt Yun also being in the Barbarian Ghost Sect, I wouldn't bother attending this ceremony. The Barbarian Ghost Sect deals with ghosts all the time, which I don't really like," Mu Mingzhu pouted, clearly unhappy.
"Humph, I've told you countless times that the Spirit Opening Ceremony is extremely dangerous. Even though you've shown promise in your cultivation since childhood, until you are tested by the Spirit Opening Ceremony, we cannot be sure of the quality of your spiritual veins. Aunt Yun should hold a position at this ceremony, and as long as she looks out for you a little, even though she can't help with your assault on the Spirit Sea, at least she can save your life in a crisis. Otherwise, our Mu Family doesn't lack those resources, and we could have sent you to the Heavenly Moon Sect or several other families," the man in the green robe said sternly.
"Yes, Mingzhu knows she was wrong." As soon as the elder showed his anger, the girl in the purple dress immediately looked down, not daring to say more.
"Although the Bai Family and our Mu Family had tense relations due to your aunt's incident, compared to other noble families, we still have some connection. And during the holidays, both families never truly broke off the superficial courtesies. Given that this Bai Congtian is valued so highly by the Bai Family Head, his cultivation talent should be not too bad. It wouldn't hurt to engage with him before the Spirit Opening Ceremony. If he truly succeeds in opening his spirit, it wouldn't be impossible for the Mu Family and the Bai Family to return to the old relationship. Your aunt's situation is regrettable, but it happened many years ago, and our noble families can't be swayed by personal emotions; we must still prioritize the family's interests," the man in the green robe continued to lecture calmly.
Even though Mu Mingzhu disagreed in her heart, she could only nod her head like a pecking chicken on the surface.
This 'Third Uncle' was a top-level Qi Refiner in the Bai Family, second only to the Family Head in status, and unless she became a recognized Spiritual Apprentice, she dared not defy him in the slightest.
However, because of the uncle's preaching, the Bai Family's daughter's heart subconsciously filled with a bit of disgust toward 'Bai Congtian'.
Miles away, Liu Ming, who was sitting in meditation, naturally knew nothing of all this and simply continued to silently cultivate his Control Yuan Technique.
Even though he had the talent for multitasking since childhood, the time he had for cultivation had still been too short, and advancing further was naturally no simple matter.
In this way, the two groups spent a day and a night on the mountaintop without disturbing each other, occasionally taking out some dry food and hastily eating something.
When noon came the next day, along the mountain path from which the Mu Family and others had arrived, two more people walked up.
There were surprisingly only an old man and a young one.
The old man wore a gray robe, his face covered in wrinkles, and held a long, dry tobacco pipe in his hand.
The youth appeared similar in age to Liu Ming, a tall and big teenager wearing a brand-new blue garment, with slightly dark skin and a somewhat naive expression.
Upon seeing that the mountaintop already had so many people, the boy paused in surprise.
Seeing this, the gray-robed elder didn't seem surprised and called to the boy, finding another spot on the summit to sit down.
"Are they also from a Qi Refining noble family?" Liu Ming couldn't help asking when he saw this scene.
"It doesn't look like it; they should be independent cultivators," said Gu Elder after sizing up the old and young duo, speaking with gravity.
"Oh, I thought the Spirit Opening Ceremony spots were only available to children from Qi Refining noble families?" Liu Ming asked in astonishment.
"It's not that only noble families can obtain them, but usually, only the Qi Refining noble families have the wealth to buy a Spirit Opening spot. However, if an independent Qi Refiner can come up with the same amount of resources, the sect certainly will not refuse. Although this seldom happens, whenever it does, the sect pays great attention to the independent disciples who participate in the Spirit Opening Ceremony. Their chances of succeeding in the ceremony might even be higher than those of the sect's own cultivated disciples," Gu Elder explained softly, appearing to regard the old man and the young boy very highly.
"Ah, is that so?" Liu Ming was somewhat confused.
"Hehe, to the Qi Refining noble families, purchasing a spot may be a severe blow. But for independent cultivators, it might mean the depletion of savings from several generations or more. Unless the child's talent is truly astonishing and has at least a 30-40% chance of passing the Spirit Opening Ceremony, they would not gamble it all away," this time, it was Three Gu who replied with a chuckle.
"That means the other party believes there's a one in three chance of becoming a Spiritual Apprentice." After hearing this, Liu Ming inwardly marveled, turning his head to glance at the tall youth again, but could not see anything unusual about him.
"The participation of independent cultivators' children in the Spirit Opening Ceremony always happens, but the numbers are never high. It's unexpected that the Young Master is at the same guiding location as one of them. If possible, it would be good to befriend him, as it might benefit the Young Master in the future," Gu Elder said hesitantly to Liu Ming.
"I understand what to do," Liu Ming took another deep look at the tall youth, then stayed silent.
On the other side, the 'Third Uncle' of the Mu Family also noticed the independent status of the old man and the young boy and, surprised, advised the girl in purple, but didn't send anyone over to greet them right away.
And so in a strange atmosphere, the three groups continued to wait on the mountaintop without interfering with each other.
After another day and night went by, just as the sky began to brighten a bit, a buzzing sound suddenly came from far across the sky. At first, it was very faint, but in an instant, it grew loud enough to be deafening.
All three groups on the mountaintop immediately stood up in shock, looking up toward the source of the sound.
In the distance, a patch of dark clouds, whose arrival no one had noticed, spread across the sky with a startling rumble, slowly approaching from afar.
"The Summoning Envoy has arrived. From now on, we won't be able to stay by your side. We have told you everything that you need to know about the Bai Family and what a general Qi Cultivator should know. Don't give yourself away! As long as you can get past the Summoning Envoy, everything will be fine," Guan Lao Da said to Liu Ming in a hushed tone, urgently admonishing him.
Even with his deeply calculated mind, the sight of the coming Summoning Envoy couldn't help but bring a trace of nervousness to his heart.
Three Gu, standing beside him, also had a flickering gaze, uncertain.
However, neither of them were ordinary people; by the time the dark cloud really neared the mountain peak, no trace of abnormality could be seen on their faces any longer.
When the dark cloud, which seemed slow but was actually fast, arrived right above the mountain peak, the buzzing sound suddenly stopped, and a chilly male voice emanated from the cloud:
"Those below who are participating in our sect's Spirit Awakening Ceremony, come up with your sect's summoning token. After I verify it, I must attend to other summoning duties elsewhere."
No sooner had the voice faded than the mist below the dark cloud began to roil, and suddenly, a long ladder of clouds descended from the sky, laying itself out directly to the center of the mountain peak.
"Summoning token."
Liu Ming was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and before he could ask anything, Guan Lao Da had already handed him an object and said with a smiling expression:
"Young Master, be very careful. Just hand this token directly to the Summoning Envoy above."
Liu Ming's thoughts churned, and without saying much more, he tightly grasped the object in his hand and walked toward the cloud ladder.
Elsewhere, Mu Mingzhu and a tall young man, after receiving their admonitions, also approached with a hint of nervousness.
Moments later, the three of them almost simultaneously arrived at the cloud ladder, paused in their steps, and exchanged a few glances.
"Hurry up and come here; if you delay any longer, I will cancel your qualifications for the Spirit Awakening," the man in the cloud said, growing impatient.
This startled Mu Mingzhu and the tall youth, who, no longer daring to delay, quickly scrambled up the cloud ladder, one after another, heading toward the dark cloud.
Liu Ming followed with a smile and likewise stepped onto the ladder.
The cloud ladder seemed to be enshrouded in mist, but upon setting foot on it, a force supported their bodies, creating a sensation as if they were walking on solid ground.
Liu Ming marveled internally but did not dare to walk too slowly, following the two individuals ahead of him up into the high sky.
A short while later, Mu Mingzhu arrived at the lower edge of the dark cloud first. Steeling herself with a grit of teeth, she plunged into it.
The tall young man hesitated for a moment but summoned his courage and entered as well, his movements visibly more rigid than before.
Liu Ming, who had witnessed the actions of the two from behind, held no further hesitation, and with a swift motion, he too disappeared into the dark cloud.
The moment the dark cloud touched his body, he felt a brief chill, and then, as the world before his eyes brightened, he suddenly arrived at the edge of a vast, square platform.
The platform, spanning an acre in size, was stark white, and along its edges stood a dozen or so bizarre statues, all shielded beneath a layer of milky white light.
In the center stood clusters of young men and women, numbering in the hundreds, who cast curious glances at the three newcomers.
Liu Ming's mind whirred, and he lifted his head to look upwards.
Above, a grey-white cloud floated tranquilly, about seven or eight zhang high, upon which sat a middle-aged man in black robes.
This man had a face marked by a few pockmarks, but his eyes sparkled with a sharp light, watching the three newcomers coldly.
"Are there only three of you? Then present your summoning tokens, state your names, and I will verify your identities," he said.