But at this moment, including the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect, all the Spirit Masters fixed their gaze unblinkingly on the tall young man floating in midair without falling. None spared even a glance for the other disciples.
With a "puff," the twelfth halo condensed and formed around Gao Chong's body in an instant. He opened his eyes and, involuntarily, threw his head back and let out a long howl.
The howl was deep and extraordinarily prolonged, lasting dozens of breaths before gradually subsiding.
"Ah, what is this..." It was only then that Gao Chong realized he was suspended midair and was immediately startled as his body began to plummet towards the ground.
"Child, do not be afraid!"
Just at that moment, an aged voice rang out by Gao Chong's ear.
With a "bang,"
the boy's body, pushed up by a massive force, stabilized in the air once again. Then, right in front of him, the figure of an old man in hemp clothes with yellow hair and a beaming smile appeared, sizing him up from head to toe.
Hearing the voice that had just spoken, it was indeed the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect, though it was unclear when he had shown his true face.
Almost at the same time, the sound of rushing wind arose. The bulky man with the surname Lei, Junior Sister Lin, Junior Brother Chu, and a few other Spirit Masters also appeared. However, upon seeing that the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect had taken the initiative, they exchanged looks, unsure of what to do.
"Sect Master Senior Brother, this child is..." Junior Brother Chu hesitated for a moment, about to say something.
"You do not need to say anything now. The spirit awakening ceremony has not yet finished. Once all the disciples have completed awakening their spirits, we will discuss this child's matter. Go back and continue to guard the formation. Otherwise, the sect rules will be waiting!" The Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect waved his hand, speaking loudly and assertively in a tone that brooked no argument.
The others exchanged glances, and despite their reluctance, they had no choice but to acknowledge his command and fly back to their original positions.
But many still kept their eyes fixed on Gao Chong, unable to look away.
Only then did the tall young man realize that the elder before him was actually the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect. Surprised, he hastened to kneel and pay his respects.
"You need not be so formal! Now that you have condensed an Earth Spirit Root, this formation and these spiritual medicines will not be of much use to you. Come with me over there first. I have some questions to ask you," said the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect, gently stopping the young man from kneeling with a lift of his hand.
Gao Chong, although somewhat confused, was too flattered to utter a word of refusal.
So, the elder grabbed the young man's arm and immediately flew back to the high platform.
Seeing this, Junior Sister Lin followed without a word.
The remaining disciples, including Junior Brother Chu, couldn't help but inwardly groan.
The scholar surnamed Gui, who was still chanting incantations above the formation, grew increasingly anxious at this scene.
According to the agreement, this loose cultivator disciple should belong to their Jiuying branch, but judging by the Sect Master Senior Brother's intention, he seemed ready to go back on his word.
This made him extremely anxious, almost wishing the ceremony would end immediately so he could catch up and confront the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect.
And it was not only him—several other Spirit Masters at that moment wished that all the disciples within the formation would perish instantly, sparing them from further delay.
For they knew that the longer they stayed there, the more time the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect would have to convince the 'Earth Spirit Vein' young man to directly join his sect.
This kind of talent with twelve spiritual veins only appeared once in a century in the Great Xuan Kingdom. The last time the Barbarian Ghost Sect had a disciple of such caliber was hundreds of years ago.
As for those with an even more astonishing fifteen spiritual veins—the Heavenly Spirit Vein talents—the Barbarian Ghost Sect had never seen one since its founding.
Only the strongest sect among the large sects in the Great Xuan Kingdom, the Heavenly Moon Sect, produced such a genius over a thousand years ago.
It was the appearance of this Heavenly Spirit Vein disciple that laid the foundation for the Heavenly Moon Sect to dominate other sects for a millennium.
Though the Earth Spirit Vein was far less than the Heavenly Spirit Vein, if cultivated successfully, it could still advance the Barbarian Ghost Sect's status significantly, which was a highly desirable outcome.
In such a context, including Junior Brother Chu and other Spirit Masters of various branches, everyone naturally tried their utmost to recruit this Earth Spirit Vein disciple into their own lineage, anticipating that their branch could become the dominant force within the sect.
As time ticked away, the ceremony was nearing its end. More noble family disciples in the formation continued to explode and perish, but for a while, no one else managed to successfully awaken their spirit sea.
The scholar surnamed Gui, Junior Brother Chu, and the others did not care about this at all, their glances frequently drifting back towards the high platform.
Up on the high platform, it was unclear what the Sect Master of the Barbarian Ghost Sect had told the tall young man, but he was nodding incessantly, like a pecking chick.
Seeing this scene, the faces of a few Spirit Masters in the formation, including Junior Brother Chu, turned somewhat ashen.
Just then, a long howl echoed from within the magic formation, and a flash of white light enveloped Liu Ming, who sat cross-legged on the ground. Strips of white light began to solidify around him, wildly dancing and buzzing as they whipped through the surrounding void.
This anomaly finally caught the attention of several Spirit Masters, who looked over in surprise.
The spectacle of the spirit channels forming was somewhat strange; could it be another exceptional talent had emerged?
However, before the Spirit Masters could nurture any hope, as soon as the third strip of light around Liu Ming's body solidified, the white light suddenly converged and stopped, revealing the mere formation of three spirit channels.
Upon seeing this, Junior Brother Chu and the Lei-surnamed man were highly disappointed and immediately turned their heads back towards the platform.
The Gui-surnamed Confucian scholar also frowned slightly, shook his head, and lost interest in Liu Ming.
But at this moment, Liu Ming's face was filled with a mix of shock and joy.
Inside his body, a silver orb of light was slowly spinning. After taking a deep breath, it seemed as though every pore in his body could absorb a trace of chill from the outside world.
Although he had formed only three spirit channels, the fact that he had opened his own Spirit Sea and had become a genuine Spirit Acolyte was undeniable.
In fact, had he not had a sudden inspiration at the critical moment of Spirit Sea formation—splitting his mighty spirit into two and using half to continue guiding Yuan Energy towards his Dantian, while the other half wove the traces of Yuan Energy at his Dantian like threads, intertwining them into a cohesive mass so as not to disperse—it would have been uncertain whether he could have formed his Spirit Sea without any qualitative changes.
He was lucky that he had recently been diligently practicing the art of controlling Yuan Energy, coupled with having a sufficiently strong spirit capable of dividing itself in two. Another disciple with spirit channels would definitely not have been able to accomplish this.
As Liu Ming was revelling in his excitement, the resounding chant that filled his ears suddenly ceased. Then, with a blur in the air, the Lei-surnamed man appeared above the formation and emotionlessly announced:
"Time's up. Those who have not opened their Spirit Seas should leave this place now; someone will lead you out of the square. Those who have successfully opened their Spirit Seas, move aside and rest for now, you will later accompany us to the Ancestral Hall."
As soon as he finished speaking, the magic formation hummed to a halt.
Without a word, Junior Brother Chu, the Confucian scholar, and a few other Spirit Masters immediately flew away, shooting towards the platform.
Seeing this, the Lei-surnamed man rolled his eyes but swiftly gave a few instructions before flying off as well.
Liu Ming, upon witnessing this, cast a deep glance towards the platform and then started walking out of the formation. However, as he passed by a girl who seemed to be in a daze, his steps momentarily paused.
This girl was Mu Mingzhu.
Although she had not perished in the ceremony, she had failed to open her Spirit Sea. Given her proud nature, the disappointment in her heart was easy to imagine.
But just then, from among the Acolytes outside the formation, a beautiful woman who bore a slight resemblance to Mu Mingzhu approached, embraced the girl in her arms, and began comforting her softly.
The purple-robed girl finally could not contain the bitterness in her heart and burst into tears.
Ultimately, this girl was just an eleven or twelve-year-old child. Unable to control her emotions after such a significant setback, she broke down crying.
Liu Ming shook his head, moved, and was about to pass by the two women.
But just then, the beautiful woman suddenly called out to the young man and asked with a trace of a smile:
"You must be the Bai Family's nephew, right? I am Mu Yunxian, and I have met with your father a few times. It's truly a joyous occasion that you have become a Spirit Acolyte. If you don't mind, perhaps you could come visit me sometime, and I could introduce you to a few friends of mine."
"So you're an old acquaintance of my father. Once I find the time, I will certainly pay a visit," responded Liu Ming swiftly, cupping his hands in a polite gesture.
"Hehe, then I will await the good news. Since you are now a Spirit Acolyte, you and I are fellow disciples within the sect, so there's no need to be so formal. If you don't mind, you may call me 'Sister Yun,'" said Mu Yunxian with a pleasant smile, her brows faintly revealing a hardly noticeable seductive charm.
Yet Liu Ming, as if he saw nothing, simply addressed her with the agreed title and then composedly walked away.
"Aunt Yun, is that Bai Family kid really worth your effort? He's only got three spirit channels and has no chance of becoming a Spirit Master in this lifetime," Mu Mingzhu said once he was out of sight, her voice low and her eyes slightly red from crying.
"Mingzhu, you don't understand. Becoming a Spirit Master is not so easy to achieve. The fact that there are over a thousand Spirit Acolytes in our sect but only around thirty Spirit Masters shows how unattainable it really is. Even those with nine spirit channels are only somewhat faster at cultivating than someone with six like myself, and only have a slightly higher chance of advancing to Spirit Master. Besides, establishing oneself in the sect is no simple matter. Even if this boy can add a bit of strength to Yun's group, I would want to draw him in. After all, there's no harm in it," Mu Yunxian replied softly, shaking her head.
"Aunt Yun, are you truly struggling within the sect? Should I…"
"Rest assured, you don't need to worry about my affairs. Even though you did not become a Spirit Acolyte, as long as Aunt Yun is here, I won't let you endure too much hardship. This isn't the place for such talk. Let's leave first; I will find another opportunity to explain the inner workings of the sect and certain taboos to you," the woman interrupted the girl's words, her expression becoming stern as she spoke.
Mu Mingzhu's heart tightened, and she nodded repeatedly, following the woman out of the formation.
By now, Liu Ming had reached the group of Barbarian Ghost Sect Acolytes who had just opened their Spirit Seas, and casually took a seat next to a slightly delicate-looking girl.
When the girl turned her head and recognized him, a hint of surprise flashed through her eyes, but she quickly composed herself and turned her head back without a word.