Xuanji Sect, Grand Hall.
“You say your master is Patriarch Yuan Ming?”
Xu Yi nodded. “Yes.”
Elder Qing Feng stroked his chin, observing the young girl before him. Dressed in an old style of Daoist robe, she stood tall and straight like a bamboo, a vibrant energy radiating from her eyebrows. He found her amusing.
When he had first brought her back, she was scorched like charcoal. He had treated her as an ordinary disciple, never expecting her to spout such nonsensical words.
Elder Qing Feng still believed the disciple named Xu Yi was addled by the lightning strike and didn't take her claims seriously.
However, when Elder Chen, who managed the sect's archives, unfurled an ancient portrait before him, his casual demeanor vanished.
He looked at the lifelike woman in the portrait, then at the vibrant Xu Yi standing before him. He slapped his forehead and sprang from his chair as if his backside were on fire.
Elder Chen, equally amazed, looked at Xu Yi and said to Elder Qing Feng, “This portrait was left by Patriarch Yuan Ming. According to records, it depicts a small likeness of his eldest disciple, who went missing during his travels. It is identical to this young lady.”
Elder Qing Feng looked at the inscription on the portrait, which clearly read Yuan Ming. He pointed at Xu Yi, speechless, his face turning red.
Elder Chen slapped Elder Qing Feng’s hand, frowning. “Show some respect.”
Elder Qing Feng abruptly withdrew his hand. Reminded by Elder Chen, he realized how disrespectful his actions had been.
If Xu Yi’s words were true, then in terms of seniority, he would have to address her as… Ancestral Master?
Ancestral Master!
Looking at Xu Yi, who could be his granddaughter by age, Elder Qing Feng found the term “Ancestral Master” incredibly difficult to utter for the first time.
Xu Yi, seeing the portrait, thought of her master, and her eyes welled up, nearly bringing her to tears again.
Seeing Elder Qing Feng stammering and unable to speak, Elder Chen asked, “This…”
Elder Chen paused, clearly unsure how to address Xu Yi.
After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to bypass the issue of address and directly asked, “In the collection left by Patriarch Yuan Ming before his ascension, besides the portrait, there is no other proof of your identity. Do you have anything with you to confirm it?”
This was not unreasonable. Anyone who suddenly had an Ancestral Master, missing for two thousand years, appear before them would have doubts.
“Yes.”
Xu Yi replied and then took out a large pile of items from her storage bag, showing them to the two elders one by one.
“This is my identity token, this is the introductory cultivation method my master gifted me, this is the spiritual key to open the barrier of the Main Hall, and this…”
As the eldest disciple accepted by Sect Leader Yuan Ming, Xu Yi possessed an abundance of items that could symbolize her identity.
As familiar items appeared one after another, the doubts of Elder Chen and Elder Qing Feng were thoroughly dispelled.
They exchanged glances, a single thought in their minds: it seemed their Xuanji Sect was truly about to gain a young Ancestral Master.
After Xu Yi finished introducing all the items, the two called out respectfully, “Greetings, Ancestral Master.”
Xu Yi almost stumbled to the ground, looking at them in panic.
An- Ancestral Master?
“No, no, I’m not… Mmph…”
Anxious and flustered, Xu Yi accidentally bit her tongue and hopped in place, covering her mouth.
Elder Chen anxiously leaned closer. “Ancestral Master, please be careful.”
Xu Yi quickly retreated, unable to speak, and could only wave her hands repeatedly.
Seeing Xu Yi’s agitation, the slight reluctance in their hearts greatly diminished.
After a period of panic and commotion, Xu Yi and the two elders finally sat down and began an intense discussion about the matter of “Ancestral Master.”
Xu Yi stated that she was young and inexperienced and could not bear such a weighty title.
However, the attitude of the two elders was also firm.
In terms of seniority, Xu Yi was undoubtedly deserving of the title Ancestral Master.
If they did not call her Ancestral Master, they had no better way to address her. They couldn't simply call her by name; that would be a great disrespect.
Xu Yi’s objections held no power against their insistence.
As she walked out of the Grand Hall, feeling lightheaded, she could still hear the two discussing when to hold the sect ceremony to announce her identity.
The thought of all Xuanji Sect disciples respectfully addressing her as Ancestral Master everywhere she went made Xu Yi feel devastated.
It was all that darn secret realm’s fault!
She dejectedly returned to her resting place. As soon as she sat down, she saw Pu Tao lingering outside the door.
Xu Yi’s eyes lit up, and she beckoned to Pu Tao. “Pu Tao, come in!”
Pu Tao, with a bright smile, trotted in. However, just as she was about to reach Xu Yi, she stopped hesitantly and said, “Greetings, Ancestral Master?”
Xu Yi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her entire body stiffening.
After a long moment, she asked faintly, “You know?”
Pu Tao glanced at her expression and cautiously nodded. She took out a palm-sized round disk from her storage bag and pointed it at Xu Yi.
As Xu Yi wondered about her actions, a loud voice emanated from the disk.
“From now on, when you see Ancestral Master Xu Yi, you must bow and greet her. Do not be remiss.”
“The date for the sect ceremony is tentatively set for one month later. Disciples currently on training outside the sect must return to attend.”
“If there are special circumstances, please report to your respective masters, but you must observe the ceremony through your respective Thousand-Eyed Mirrors.”
Xu Yi stared at the round disk in astonishment. “What is this item? Why can it transmit sound over a thousand miles? What is a Thousand-Eyed Mirror?”
So many unpredictable changes had occurred in the past two thousand years that Xu Yi found hard to fathom.
At this moment, besides her amazement, she also felt a sense of dread at being left behind by the currents of time.
Pu Tao already had a good impression of Xu Yi, and after learning she was the sect’s long-lost Ancestral Master, she became even more forthcoming.
A thousand years ago, Immortal Jiahong was stuck at the late stage of Mahayana and could not ascend for a long time. She then shifted her focus to formations, artifacts, and elixirs, researching many special array formations and devices.
For example, the lightning-attracting array that helped cultivators overcome tribulations, mentioned earlier, was created by her.
The round disk in Pu Tao’s hand was a magical artifact capable of transmitting sound regardless of distance, named a Sound Transmission Disk.
One only needed to imprint the desired cultivator’s mark onto the disk to communicate through it. More advanced versions could even project images.
There were also glass mirrors that could clearly reflect a cultivator’s appearance, luminous orbs, teleportation arrays for convenient travel, and Thousand-Eyed Mirrors that could display scenes from other locations.
These exquisite and ingenious creations greatly improved the living standards of cultivators. Immortal Jiahong’s name was known far and wide.
Xu Yi listened to Pu Tao’s explanation, her face filled with shock. She hadn't expected her junior sister to have such capabilities.
That’s right, Immortal Jiahong was Xu Yi’s junior sister, Liu Jinghong.
When Xu Yi woke up from her dream of her death, she had jolted awake and was unaware of what happened afterward.
“Ancestral Master, you probably don’t know, but Immortal Jiahong is actually your junior sister. Her experiences are quite legendary,” Pu Tao said, cupping her face with her hands, her expression full of yearning. “I heard that when she ascended, she ascended with seven of the most powerful cultivators on the Kyushu Continent. It’s a pity I wasn’t born then, or I could have witnessed that grand spectacle firsthand.”
Xu Yi’s eyes were filled with a complex emotion.
So her junior sister had already ascended.
It made sense, after all, even her child Ji Buwang had become the sect leader.
That’s… great!
She finally didn’t have to worry about her own life anymore.