Inside the Dao Child Hall.
After a busy day, Tao Wan returned from beyond the sect grounds.
She rubbed her brow, feeling somewhat weary.
It was not physical exhaustion, but fatigue of the heart.
A few days ago, she had represented Azure Pill Valley at a Core Formation Ceremony for an affiliated sect.
That originally weak sect had never been worth Azure Pill Valley's notice.
Perhaps their ancestors had smiled upon them. A decrepit Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator of this generation had wagered his life on one final gamble and, against all odds, succeeded in reaching the Golden Core Stage.
With that, the sect that had once been nothing more than a minor school leapt in a single bound into the ranks of first-rate powers!
Such an affiliate naturally could not be slighted carelessly.
By convention, Azure Pill Valley would generally dispatch a Golden Core elder of the same rank to offer congratulations.
Considering that Tao Wan, the current Dao Child, needed to build up her network, Qingyunzi had sent her instead.
Tao Wan had gladly gone.
Naturally, the other side had received her with great ceremony.
They did not feel slighted in the least by Tao Wan's mere Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer cultivation; they were even rather delighted.
After all, so long as Tao Wan made no mistakes, she was certain to become Azure Pill Valley's sect master in the future!
As long as they currried favor with her, they could enjoy the shade beneath a great tree.
Moreover, she had only just become a Dao Child and did not yet have many supporters. If they entered her good graces now...
Thus, they had been exceptionally attentive!
Yet for Tao Wan, setting aside the toil of the journey there and back, meeting a whole host of unfamiliar faces