Inside the grand hall, aside from the various sect elders, were the leading figures.

Each of these individuals possessed unfathomable strength, with only one exception.

And that was Baihua Fairy, the senior sister of the Inner Sect from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.

Disciples brought by other sects, regardless of their status, could not enter and had to observe from outside.

She was the only one representing the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers as the leader of this group.

Therefore, the Ancient Abyss Sect naturally did not have much to say about this.

Of course, that was only on the surface.

In reality, which sect leader or elder present would take a girl seriously?

No matter if you are the senior sister of the Inner Sect, a disciple is still a disciple!

Can she truly be considered on an equal footing with them?!

"Disciple Yang Yan, pays respects to the Ancestral Master and Sect Leader."

Reaching the steps, Yang Yan stopped appropriately and bowed to the two on the platform.

The Ancestral Master didn’t speak, and the Sect Leader merely nodded.

At this moment, an elder stepped forth from the side.

This elder seemed to have reached the time of destiny, though benevolent in appearance, the air of old age was undeniable.

This was an elder who had stepped into the Golden Core path, yet due to lack of talent, even a lifespan of over a thousand years was confined to this state.

"Child, kneel."

The elder stood to Yang Yan’s left front, speaking softly.

Though soft, it was still very audible in the silent hall.

"Yes."

Although Yang Yan didn’t know the etiquette, at the very least he knew to listen, and immediately knelt before Zongming as instructed.

Yang Yan, would not kneel to heaven or earth.

Those he found worthy of kneeling were only his parents and teachers.

"After three bows, present the tea."

The elder continued.

"Yes."

The ceremony to become a disciple, Yang Yan hadn’t witnessed for who knows how long.

Unexpectedly, this time he personally experienced it.

After three bows, as instructed, he took the cup of tea sent by the elder and walked up the steps to present it to Ancestral Master Zongming.

This was the master-disciple tea.

"Master."

Yang Yan respectfully presented the tea to Ancestral Master Zongming.

When Ancestral Master Zongming accepted the cup of tea with a smile, Yang Yan’s address of "Master" was affirmed.

"The ceremony is complete!"

The elder below was visibly pleased, his voice slightly trembling.

This was not surprising.

Being able to witness such a scene within his lifetime was indeed heartening.

Everyone could imagine, with the addition of a disciple possessing a Sacred Body to the Ancient Abyss Sect, what grand future lay ahead.

"Yang Yan, you are my senior disciple, also my closed-door disciple, I will impart all of my life’s accomplishments to you."

"May you grow and protect the sect in the future, do you understand?"

"Disciple understands!"

Yang Yan certainly had no reason to refuse, and said respectfully.

If he refused, Zongming might die from anger.

"Congratulations, congratulations, Zongming! You’ve accepted such a talented disciple, truly making others envious!"

At this moment, a middle-aged man among the guests on both sides suddenly spoke with a laugh.

"Haha! Sect Leader Xu, no need to be envious! The Sword Sect has a disciple with a superior Dao Body, who I hear is under your tutelage."

Zongming also responded with a smiling face.

Yet his words made the middle-aged man’s smile freeze.

It was true that the Sword Sect had recently accepted a superior Dao Body disciple.

Just over ten days ago.

Though he had become a disciple under Sect Leader Xu, there was no grand ceremony for taking in disciples.

Even within the Sword Sect, many disciples were unaware, as the news was tightly sealed.

Unexpectedly, Ancient Abyss Sect knew about it so soon.

"Haha! While my disciple’s talent is good, compared to your sect, it still falls short!"

Sect Leader Xu self-deprecatingly said, gaze still fixed on Yang Yan.

One couldn’t tell what kind of undercurrent lay beneath his smile...

"The Sword Sect has always been the leader of the ten sects, the disciples under Sect Leader Xu must be extraordinary!"

A sect leader of a ninth-level sect took the opportunity, quickly stepping forward with a smile to flatter.

"Haha! The path of cultivation cannot be generalized."

"I see the decade-held Immortal Cultivation Conference is approaching, and today coincides with the discipleship ceremony of the Ancient Abyss Sect, where all fellow sects are gathered."

"I presume each sect has brought their elite disciples, how about a small demonstration today?"

Sect Leader Xu suggested to Zongming with a smile.

With those words, his intentions were made clear.

In his view, even if Yang Yan had a Sacred Body, he was a new addition to the Ancient Abyss Sect and his cultivation level mustn’t be high.

But the disciple from their Sword Sect wasn’t like that.

He had been cultivating for five or six years, and if he could suppress the prestige of the Ancient Abyss Sect, then use that momentum to overpower Yang Yan.

How could a Saint Son matter then?

As long as the Sword Sect could overpower the Ancient Abyss Sect, even a Saint Son wouldn’t be immune to having his mindset broken and become just an ornament!

"Sect Leader Xu’s proposal is excellent, I think it can be done."

This was an elder from the Magic Sect.

Though only an elder, such agreement clearly had the sect leader’s tacit approval.

"The Immortal Cultivation Conference is indeed approaching, a small demonstration wouldn’t hurt."

Another sect member quickly stroked his beard, smiling and agreeing.

What followed was a wave of agreement.

It seemed like a group had conspired in advance, right?

Otherwise, how could they reach such consensus so quickly!

Zongming discreetly glanced at Yang Yan, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

Others might not know Yang Yan’s level, but how could he not know?

While not at the peak of Qi Cultivation, it was at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation.

Even within the Ancient Abyss Sect’s Inner Sect, he was only subordinate to a few disciples who had cultivated for decades!

Moreover, the power of the Celestial Flood Dragon Saint Body wasn’t merely in cultivation.

His understanding of spells and the Law far exceeded ordinary people.

Even Zongming didn’t know where Yang Yan comprehended the Space Law.

And it seemed to be on par with his own.

After much thought, Zongming could only attribute it to Yang Yan’s Celestial Flood Dragon Saint Body.

"Then it’s settled!"

Seeing the unanimity among the numerous small sects below, Zongming readily agreed.

"However, today isn’t just this old man receiving a disciple."

"Our Ancient Abyss Sect’s one hundred and twelfth generation Sect Leader Lin An will also accept disciples today. The time is set for the afternoon."

"So, let’s hold the disciple competition tomorrow instead."

Naturally, no one opposed Zongming’s words.

After a chorus of assent, the matter was settled.

The people in the grand hall gradually dispersed, with the Sect Leader staying to accompany sect leaders and masters in discussing the Dao.

Hearing of tomorrow’s competition, many powerful disciples on the periphery of the ceremony were eager to take action.

Among them, disciples from the ten major sects were the most enthusiastic.

For when their seniors brought them over, it had already been instructed that this Ancient Abyss Sect ceremony was not merely a disciple initiation.

They had been explicitly and implicitly told to perform well!