"Junior Sister Ling'er, a small token of my regard."

"Junior Sister Li, for our first meeting, please do not refuse."

"Junior Sister Ling'er, take this."

A flock of Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators eagerly presented gifts to Li Ling'er.

Some offered Spirit Stones directly, others presented Pseudo-Artifacts, and some gifted Spirit Pills.

Li Ling'er received treasures until her hands grew weary. Watching from the periphery, Yang Bailao and the other Miscellaneous Disciples practically drooled with envy.

Gifts from Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators were extraordinary; they possessed immense utility even for those at the absolute peak of Qi Condensation.

These Almighties bestowed such wealth entirely out of reverence for Li Ling'er's master, Leng Mei. It certainly was not for Li Daotu-he commanded no such face.

"Patriarch Leng has arrived!"

A voice suddenly echoed from beyond the gates.

"Uncle-Master Leng is here."

"Quickly, we must welcome her."

"Make haste to receive her."

A flurry of robes fluttered.

Every Foundation Establishment cultivator shot to their feet, rushing out of the hall to receive her.

At that moment, a woman clad in sweeping golden Daoist robes, appearing no older than her early twenties, stepped into Li Daotu's dojo.

She radiated an ethereal, transcendent aura, as cold and untouchable as a fairy forged from ice and snow.

"We pay our utmost respects to Patriarch Leng."

The Miscellaneous Disciples of Green Ink Peak bowed deeply in absolute submission.

So young!

Xu Changshou bowed along with the masses. Watching a flock of decrepit, gray-haired Miscellaneous Disciples groveling before a woman in her twenties evoked a deeply bizarre sensation.

Yet Xu Changshou knew the brutal truth. Though Leng Mei bore the visage of youth, she had walked the earth for over a century.

At her terrifying realm, the mortal rotting of the body crawled to a halt. A Golden Core Almighty possessed five hundred years of life; a normal Golden Core cultivator would not show a wrinkle before their three hundredth year.

Some female cultivators retained the flawless skin of a young maiden even at the age of three hundred.

Female cultivators obsessed over preserving their mortal shells, burning through countless spiritual supplements and beauty-retaining Pills to entirely freeze their aging.

"We greet Uncle-Master Leng.."

Li Daotu and the others scrambled out, bowing with trembling reverence.

An absolute, suffocating hierarchy governed all cultivators. A difference of a single major realm meant their status was as separated as heaven and earth.

This was the first time Xu Changshou had ever witnessed the high and mighty Li Daotu grovel with such pathetic subservience.

Leng Mei casually waved her sleeve, granting them permission to rise, yet she did not utter a single word.

It was unclear whether she disdained the act of speaking or simply could not be bothered to acknowledge their mortal existence.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Leng!"

Huang Tianlang smiled, cupping his hands in a formal salute.

Only upon seeing Huang Tianlang did a flicker of emotion crack Leng Mei's icy facade. She nodded. "Little Junior Brother is here as well. Has everyone gathered?"

Huang Tianlang clasped his fists. "Everyone is present."

Leng Mei commanded smoothly. "Since all are present, let us begin."

"Yes! Senior Sister Leng, please follow me inside."

Guided by Huang Tianlang, the flock of cultivators escorted Leng Mei into the receiving hall.

Upon entering, Leng Mei ruthlessly claimed the seat of absolute honor. Only after receiving her silent nod did the Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators cautiously take their seats.

"Today is the auspicious occasion of Senior Sister Leng claiming a disciple. May this Daoist preside over the ceremony?"

"We beseech Uncle-Master Huang to preside."

"It is only natural."

Stealing the host's authority, Huang Tianlang directly seized control of the apprenticeship rites, ruthlessly tossing Li Daotu to the periphery.

Although this was his own dojo, Li Daotu no longer possessed the right to speak.

"May we commence, Senior Sister Leng?"

Huang Tianlang looked to Leng Mei, seeking her absolute decree.

Leng Mei swept her frosty gaze over the hall, speaking with deadpan indifference. "Who is Li Ling'er?"

Li Daotu shot up, frantically dragging Li Ling'er before the Golden Core Almighty. Observing the girl's vibrant Spiritual Qi, Leng Mei nodded with profound satisfaction.

"Not bad. A flawless seedling for cultivation. Ling'er, are you willing to take me as your master?" Leng Mei asked, her tone softening.

For the first time, a faint smile thawed her frostbitten features.

She had not smiled for anyone else, not even Huang Tianlang, yet she reserved this warmth solely for Li Ling'er.

"This disciple is willing."

Li Ling'er nodded, her voice laced with shy reverence.

"Excellent. Let it begin!"

Overjoyed, Leng Mei swept her grand sleeve, signaling Huang Tianlang to commence the rites.

Huang Tianlang stood tall, his voice echoing like thunder. "This Daoist declares Senior Sister Leng's apprenticeship ceremony officially underway! Sound the spirit cannons and strike the heavenly music!"

A deafening volley of explosions erupted from beyond the gates.

Ceremonial chimes rang out, instantly followed by an agonizingly long chain of rituals.

There were spirit-dragon dances, shamanic trances to appease the heavens, and Elders reciting the sacred, unyielding dignity of the master-disciple bond.

Nearly every Miscellaneous Disciple on Green Ink Peak was dragged into the exhausting labor.

The apprenticeship rites of the cultivation world were burdened with infinitely more suffocating rules than those of the mortal realm.

After half a day of tedious pageantry, the actual binding ritual had yet to begin. Xu Changshou found the entire affair utterly dull.

"The formal binding of master and disciple shall now commence."

Finally, under Huang Tianlang's booming decree, the true rites began.

Guided by Huang Tianlang, Li Ling'er performed a dizzying array of kowtows, bows, and chants of eternal gratitude.

"Present the Daoist tea!" Huang Tianlang barked solemnly.

Presenting the tea was the ultimate seal of the ceremony. Once the master drank, the karmic bond of master and disciple would be irrevocably forged.

"The tea ceremony is starting. Junior Brother Xu, it is your turn. Hurry!"

From within the crowd, Yang Bailao frantically tugged at Xu Changshou's robes.

The lowly servant tasked with bearing the tea was Xu Changshou. As he possessed the most pathetic cultivation and was the youngest on Green Ink Peak, the humiliating chore naturally fell to him.

Hoisting the prepared jade tray, Xu Changshou stepped through the parted crowd, halting directly before Leng Mei.

This was the closest he had ever stood to a Golden Core Almighty. Xu Changshou's heart hammered against his ribs; he did not dare raise his eyes.

He could faintly sense the terrifying, oceanic expanse of true power radiating from her body. If even a stray wisp of that energy struck him, his soul would shatter into nothingness.

Though Xu Changshou trembled with tension, Leng Mei did not spare him a single glance. In her eyes, only Li Ling'er existed.

"Thank you, Big Brother Changshou!"

As Li Ling'er lifted the teacup, she flashed Xu Changshou a bright, playful smile.

Cold sweat drenched Xu Changshou's back, yet he dared not utter a single sound.

At that exact moment, Leng Mei's expression froze. She shot a chilling glare at Xu Changshou, profoundly displeased by Li Ling'er's familiar form of address.

Li Ling'er was now her direct disciple, elevating the girl's status to that of the Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators. How could a pathetic Miscellaneous Disciple be worthy of being called her 'brother'?

"Ling'er, from this day forth, you are a disciple of my lineage. You must maintain the dignity of your station. Do you understand?" Leng Mei commanded coldly.

Li Ling'er nodded. "This disciple understands. But Big Brother Changshou is different."

Those innocent words caused Leng Mei's face to plummet into absolute zero. She locked her gaze onto Xu Changshou, plunging him into an agonizing, glacial abyss.

"What difference could possibly exist in a lowly Miscellaneous Disciple?"

Bathed in the suffocating contempt of a Golden Core Almighty, Xu Changshou maintained a perfectly blank facade. He did not dare harbor even a flicker of resentment.

Because this entity could unmake his very existence with a single, fleeting thought.

The hierarchy of the cultivation world was this absolute, this cruel.

"Big Brother Changshou is simply different from the others," Li Ling'er pouted, her expression coloring with mild defiance, angered by Leng Mei's overt disdain.

Hearing this, a lethal glint flashed within Leng Mei's eyes.

Xu Changshou's blood instantly ran cold.

Not good, he cursed inwardly.

Li Ling'er was young and oblivious to the lethal weight of her words. By speaking out of turn, she had only driven Leng Mei's killing intent toward him even higher.

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