Lin Hao gathered the sect disciples on the Divine Proving Platform for the sole purpose of reorganizing the Divine Weapon Hall.

His method for selecting members for the Divine Weapon Hall was quite simple.

He gave them a problem.

A math problem.

Artifact Refining is a mentally taxing process.

This is because the Inscription Skill, which involves all sorts of calculations, is the most crucial part of Artifact Refining.

Lin Hao stated a seemingly simple math problem. All he had to do was identify the disciples who answered correctly first.

As a result, the selection process was incredibly brief.

Before long, Lin Hao had selected ten disciples.

Then, Lin Hao asked the ten, "I have chosen you, but in the future, you may be asked to prioritize other skills over the Martial Dao. Are you willing?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, the ten answered in unison that they were willing.

Lin Hao had chosen only them from a sea of disciples, so he would naturally entrust them with great responsibility. Only a fool would refuse, and they were no fools.

"You will now report to her," Lin Hao said, nodding and pointing at Lian Lanxin.

At the side, Wu Taichu’s eyes lit up. He seemed to have guessed what Lin Hao was planning.

"Yes." Although the disciples were confused, they still replied respectfully.

Then, Lin Hao scanned the crowd and suddenly asked, "What do you all think of our sect?"

"Our sect is the oldest on the continent, the direct lineage of an Emperor Venerable. I think..." a disciple began to answer, but his voice trailed off.

For the grand lineage of an Emperor Venerable to fall so low was not an honor, but a disgrace.

Beside them, Wu Taichu and Elder Gu looked a little awkward.

"Our sect declined because its secret realms withered. Now, if I were to give you several new secret realms, how far could you take our sect?" Lin Hao asked.

A disciple’s eyes lit up as he answered, "We could reclaim our spot as one of the five great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture!"

Another disciple immediately shook his head and disagreed. "With Senior Brother having opened the Tongming Sea, and with Alchemy Masters joining us, our goal should be to become one of the six great divine sects of the Cangnan Empire."

BOOM!

The statement sent a shockwave through the hearts of many disciples.

’What an honor it would be to be a disciple of one of the Cangnan Empire’s six great divine sects.’

"No! As long as you are here, I believe the Heaven-Stepping Sect will one day reclaim its former glory and reign supreme over all!" a voice called out from among the disciples, firm and resolute.

All eyes snapped toward the source of the voice, landing on a disciple with a cold, stern face.

"It’s Yang Peng!" a disciple exclaimed. "He was originally at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, and Lord Lingdi himself had determined he couldn’t awaken his bloodline. But after following Senior Brother for a while, he actually did it!"

"I recognize him too. He was one of the first disciples to enter the Tongming Sea. I heard he hunted down the most Devil Beasts there."

"Haven’t you heard? Yang Peng’s cultivation has already broken through to the Elemental Realm."

"Gods, that’s terrifying! How long has it even been? Is he really that monstrous after awakening his bloodline? Not even the sect’s former number one genius, Ling Xiao, could match that pace," a disciple said in astonishment.

"This is all thanks to Senior Brother. If he can help someone with an ordinary constitution achieve so much, then he can definitely make Yang Peng’s words a reality."

"That’s right! If we follow Senior Brother, the Heaven-Stepping Sect will surely reign supreme!"

In an instant, countless disciples began to chant the last phrase.

"With you here, Senior Brother, our Heaven-Stepping Sect will surely reign supreme!" someone shouted.

The final two words grew louder and louder.

The disciples of the Heaven-Stepping Sect were impassioned, their voices merging as one.

Lin Hao stood on the platform, his robes whipping in the wind, yet his body was as immovable as a mountain. He faintly exuded the air of a Grandmaster.

It was an aura that not even Wu Taichu, the Sect Leader himself, could match.

Lin Hao raised a hand, and the Divine Proving Platform fell silent at once.

"I have a feeling that the Great Emperor left more than one secret realm in our sect’s ancestral land," Lin Hao began. "Since Celestial Dui Peak has the Tongming Sea, it’s highly likely that the other peaks do as well."

His trip to the Danling Sect had left a deep impression on Lin Hao. In this world, strength was everything.

He was making this astonishing announcement now to inspire the disciples of the Heaven-Stepping Sect to strive for greater power.

Otherwise, even if he reorganized the Divine Weapon Hall and forged Spiritual Artifacts, it would all be for nothing if the disciples lacked the strength to wield them. All their efforts would simply benefit others.

After Lin Hao spoke, a deathly silence fell over the Divine Proving Platform.

It was followed by a sudden uproar.

"What? There are more secret realms in the sect?!"

"The senior brothers who went into the Tongming Sea all came back with improved cultivation and rare treasures. If there are more secret realms... that would be incredible."

"Don’t get too excited. Your cultivation is too low. Even if there are new realms, it won’t be your turn to enter."

"You’re right! Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother. I need to raise my cultivation. Otherwise, when a new realm opens, the senior brothers will be the first ones in again, and I’ll fall even further behind."

"Senior Brother, I’m going to work on my cultivation! Excuse me!" one disciple shouted to Lin Hao before turning and dashing off.

The rest of the disciples quickly caught on and, one after another, excused themselves and hurried away.

Before long, the vast Divine Proving Platform was empty save for Lin Hao, Lian Lanxin, Wu Taichu, Elder Gu, and the ten newly selected disciples.

"Do you regret your decision?" Lin Hao asked the ten of them.

They shook their heads. One of them replied, "Senior Brother only asked us to prioritize something over the Martial Dao, not to stop training it entirely."

Lin Hao smiled and asked, "What do you think the status of an Alchemy Master is on the Celestial Yang Continent?"

"They have a noble status, far surpassing that of an ordinary Martial Artist."

’One only had to look at the attitude of the Alchemy Masters from the Danling Sect when they first arrived to understand. They held the Heaven-Stepping Sect in complete contempt. It could be said that even our Sect Leader was less respected than a single one of them.’

The disciple who answered had a look of yearning at first, but it was quickly replaced by a dejected expression.

The other nine disciples wore the exact same expression.

As it turned out, after the Alchemy Masters had defected from the Danling Sect and joined the Heaven-Stepping Sect, they had immediately taken up their new roles, announcing that they would cultivate more alchemy talent for the sect.

The chance to become an Alchemy Master was an irresistible temptation, and these ten were no exception.

But the result had been a crushing blow: they simply had no talent for Alchemy.

Just as this thought crossed their minds, they heard Lin Hao say, "Actually, the status of an Alchemy Master isn’t the most prestigious."

"What?" One of them was taken aback, but then his eyes lit up in realization, and he cried out, "An Artifact Refiner?!"

"Correct. An Artifact Refiner," Lin Hao confirmed with a smiling nod.

The ten disciples stared at each other, dumbfounded. After a moment, they suddenly dropped to their knees in unison. "We beg you, Senior Brother, teach us the art of Artifact Refining!"

But Lin Hao shook his head and pointed to Lian Lanxin. "She is the one who will teach you the art of Artifact Refining."

The ten disciples looked up at Lian Lanxin, their gazes filled with confusion.

Not only had Lian Lanxin previously dressed as a man in the Divine Weapon Hall, but she was also known as Blackhead. After resuming her identity as a woman, she had remained secluded in her small courtyard. The number of people in the Heaven-Stepping Sect who truly knew her could be counted on two hands.

These ten disciples were clearly not among them.

Their confusion only deepened when they saw how young Lian Lanxin was. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"She is from the Jinglian Saint Institute," Lin Hao said, having anticipated their reaction.

"Perhaps you don’t know what the Jinglian Saint Institute is. I can tell you that it’s an Artifact Refining Holy Land. Just like how everyone in the Danling Sect knows Alchemy, in the Jinglian Saint Institute, even the floor sweepers know Artifact Refining."

The ten disciples’ eyes widened in shock.

But Lin Hao wasn’t finished. "While I was at the Danling Sect, I met a disciple from the Jinglian Saint Institute. He was just an ordinary disciple, nothing special. And yet, the Sect Leader of the Proud Moon Divine Sect—one of the five great divine sects—was exceedingly respectful toward him."

BOOM!

At his words, it wasn’t just the ten disciples; even Wu Taichu and Elder Gu stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

’For the great divine sects to not even dare offend an ordinary disciple from the Jinglian Saint Institute... it was simply unheard of.’

"Now, do you have any more questions?" Lin Hao asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"Master, please accept our respects!" The ten disciples reacted instantly, bowing down in unison before Lian Lanxin.

Lian Lanxin was stunned. She shot a desperate, pleading look at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao gave her an encouraging nod.

"All of you, rise," Lian Lanxin said coolly, her voice carrying a surprising hint of authority.

"Lan Xin will be reorganizing the Divine Weapon Hall. Go and get yourselves ready," Lin Hao said, dismissing the ten disciples.

"Big Brother, I..." The moment they were gone, Lian Lanxin turned to Lin Hao, her face etched with anxiety.

’She was still just an apprentice. How could she possibly teach anyone?’

"You know better than I do how powerful the Jinglian Saint Institute is," Lin Hao said. "If you truly want to crush them under your heel one day, then ten people won’t be nearly enough."

Lian Lanxin bit her lip, then said with determination, "I know what I have to do."

"Don’t worry, I’ll help you."

"Mm." Lian Lanxin nodded firmly. She then bid farewell to the others. "Big Brother, Uncle Wu, I’m heading to the Divine Weapon Hall now."

The two men nodded, and Lian Lanxin gracefully departed.

Lin Hao was stunned for a moment. The girl didn’t need any help; she was already crossing the iron chains on her own.

"Young but already so shrewd," Lin Hao muttered with a wry smile.

"Martial Ancestor, what should I do?" Now that everyone else had departed, Wu Taichu bowed and asked Lin Hao respectfully.

If anyone were to see the leader of a sect being so deferential to a mere disciple, their jaws would drop in shock.

"Let’s go check on the two elders," Lin Hao said.

He had sent the sect’s other two elders into a secret realm to gather the Flowing Light Divine Stone quite some time ago. It was time to bring them out.

The two of them arrived outside the secret realm. Wu Taichu waited while Lin Hao entered once more.

The withered jungle at the entrance was far denser than during his last visit, and there were now signs of Devil Beasts.

They were nimble creatures, darting out from time to time to attack Lin Hao.

But this Lin Hao was no longer the same person who had first entered. With a single step, he executed a Body Technique, weaving through the jungle like a wisp of green smoke.

He reached the ruins and passed through them without stopping, then entered the underground palace.

Even without the Flowing Light Divine Flame, the outer walls of the underground palace still shimmered with iridescent colors, resembling a celestial palace.

Lin Hao gave it a passing glance before leaping down without lingering.

When Lin Hao finally found the two elders at the Flowing Light Divine Stone vein, he was stunned by what he saw.