The trio made their way toward the Red Flame Spiritual Vein.

The closer they drew to the heart of the Five Elements Sect, the denser the surrounding Spiritual Power became. By the time Shen Haoran’s group reached a massive valley encircled by mountains, the Spiritual Power in the air was so thick it was visible to the naked eye!

Within the great valley, an azure grand hall, a thousand feet wide, was built into the mountainside. It resembled a crouching beast from the Primordial Chaos, and shrouded in the dense Spiritual Qi, it exuded a simple yet majestic aura.

"So this is the Celestial Essence Hall? The Red Flame Spiritual Vein must be sealed inside!" Gazing at the grand hall in the valley, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but gasp. ’For the founding Sect Leader of the Five Elements Sect to build such a colossus in this valley... what an incredible feat!’

"Let’s go. Let’s go inside and take a look!" Shen Haoran said. ’The Spiritual Power is already this dense out here. I can’t imagine what it’s like inside the Celestial Essence Hall!’

The trio quickened their pace and arrived before the hall’s main doors. Just as Shen Haoran was about to walk straight in, Long Mo stopped him. He stepped forward and bowed slightly to a small, unassuming old man at the entrance.

"Elder Mo, I’ve come to trouble you again," Long Mo said respectfully.

Shen Haoran was astonished to see Long Mo’s humble demeanor. ’Long Mo is an incredibly proud person. Aside from his great respect for Elder Huo, I’ve never seen him act so deferentially toward anyone else.’

Shen Haoran turned his gaze to the old man.

He was a thoroughly unremarkable old man; you could throw him into a crowd and never notice him. But when the old man looked his way, Shen Haoran felt as if he’d been cast into a boundless ocean. Raging winds and waves crashed down upon him, making his Heart Spirit tremble. That single, fleeting glance was enough to drench Shen Haoran in a cold sweat.

’This old man... he’s incredibly strong!’ Shen Haoran realized with a start. He quickly stepped forward as well and said respectfully, "Elder Mo, I am Shen Haoran. This is my first visit to the Celestial Essence Hall. I failed to notice your presence just now, please forgive my rudeness." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Upon hearing Shen Haoran’s introduction, a sharp light flashed in Elder Mo’s murky eyes. He sized Shen Haoran up and down. "So you’re that little rascal Elder Huo is always going on about? Not bad, not bad at all. A fine sapling, indeed!"

"You’re too kind, Elder Mo," Shen Haoran said humbly.

"Elder Mo’s judgment is never wrong," Long Mo added coolly.

"Haha, it’s the first time I’ve ever met someone the Dragon Kid holds in high regard! Enough, don’t stand around dawdling with an old man like me. Get in there!" Elder Mo gave Shen Haoran another look and waved them away.

"We’ll take our leave, Elder Mo." Long Mo bowed again, and then the trio walked into the Celestial Essence Hall.

As he walked, Shen Haoran glanced back at Elder Mo, who now had a faint smile on his lips. He asked uncertainly, "Senior Brother Long, that Elder Mo..."

"An elder. He guided my Cultivation once."

"He’s strong. Extremely strong," Long Mo said, then emphasized again.

"I know." ’That one glance... Not even a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse like Chen Yu could exude that kind of pressure. This Elder Mo is definitely even stronger than him!’

As they spoke, they passed through the entrance and into the main hall of the Celestial Essence Hall. Inside, countless disciples were waiting in the center of the hall, a dense black mass that looked like a swarm of ants.

"So many people!" Shen Haoran said, stunned.

"The Cultivation Rooms in the Celestial Essence Hall have fixed opening hours. These are all ordinary disciples waiting for the Yellow Level Cultivation Rooms to become available," Long Zhen explained.

"They have opening hours?" Shen Haoran frowned. ’Does that mean you can’t stay here indefinitely?’

"The time limits only apply to the Yellow Level Cultivation Rooms. For Profound Level and above, you can stay as long as you like—if you have the skill to do so, of course," Long Zhen continued.

"What do you mean?" Shen Haoran was confused. ’What does cultivation time have to do with skill?’

"The Spiritual Power here is drawn directly from the Spirit Vein," Long Zhen said grimly. "While the reserves are astounding, its Spiritual Attribute is incredibly violent. Absorbing it for too long can affect your mind, and in severe cases, it can completely cripple your Cultivation!"

"I see," Shen Haoran said, understanding now.

"Let’s go. We don’t have to wait here. Disciples on the Dragon and Tiger List have special privileges," Long Mo said coolly, turning toward another passageway. Only disciples on the Dragon and Tiger List were permitted to enter it.

Shen Haoran followed Long Mo, filled with anticipation. ’I want to see for myself just how amazing these Profound Level Cultivation Rooms really are!’

At the entrance to the passageway, two elders were seated. Long Mo presented his Dragon Tiger Order and walked straight through.

Shen Haoran followed Long Mo’s example and handed his Dragon Tiger Order to one of the elders. After inspecting it, the elder looked at Shen Haoran in surprise. "You’re the new disciple who defeated Li Ge?"

"That’s right," Shen Haoran nodded.

"Ah, not bad. Go on in." The elder gave Shen Haoran an appreciative glance and handed the Dragon Tiger Order back. However, just as Shen Haoran reached out to take it, another hand shot out and snatched it away.

"Tsk, tsk. A Dragon Tiger Order... The one thing so many disciples would kill for," a grating voice sneered next to him.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran frowned and glanced to the side.

Beside him, a scrawny disciple was holding his Dragon Tiger Order, a mocking smirk on his face as he stared at Shen Haoran.

"You’re Shen Haoran, right? Rank 500 on the Dragon and Tiger List? That piece of trash, Li Ge, actually lost his spot to a new disciple. What a disgrace!" the scrawny disciple said disdainfully.

"Who are you?" Shen Haoran asked coldly.

"Hah, you’ve never even heard of me? Listen up. My name is Chai Hui! And I’m someone you’ll be looking up to for the rest of your life!" the gaunt young man said, tilting his head back arrogantly.

"Chai Hui?" Shen Haoran searched his memory for the name but found no record of him on the Dragon and Tiger List.

"He’s not on the Dragon and Tiger List yet. He had a good chance of knocking Li Ge off, but you beat him to it," Long Zhen said coolly, glancing at Chai Hui.

Understanding dawned on Shen Haoran. His right hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, snatching the Dragon Tiger Order back from Chai Hui’s grasp. "Someone who can’t even make it onto the Dragon and Tiger List has the nerve to criticize others?" he said coolly.

Chai Hui hadn’t even processed that the Dragon Tiger Order had been snatched from his hand. When Shen Haoran’s words registered, his expression instantly turned cold as ice.

"Hmph. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been on the Dragon and Tiger List already. You wouldn’t even be here! I’ll give you three seconds. Hand that Dragon Tiger Order over, or you’ll face the consequences," Chai Hui said coldly.

Shen Haoran stared at Chai Hui as if he were an idiot. ’I’ve never met anyone so full of themselves!’

Giving him a dismissive glance, Shen Haoran turned and walked into the passageway. He had no desire to waste any more time on someone like this.

"Hey, kid! I challenge you!" Chai Hui roared, seeing Shen Haoran ignore him completely.

"Don’t have time," Shen Haoran replied without turning back.

"Damn it!" Chai Hui cursed. "Then don’t blame me for getting rough!" With that, his figure blurred as he lunged toward Shen Haoran...