A Startling Revelation, A Genius is Born

It was a true recovery!

The kind that left no hidden complications behind.

Even his damaged foundation had been restored under the nourishment of the medicinal pill's power.

This was something he had never dared to dream of, let alone hope for, yet now it had all come to pass.

Master Green Feather could not help but shed tears of joy.

Unable to contain his surging, ecstatic emotions any longer, he turned toward the direction of the Founder's Shrine and knelt, performing a deep, respectful bow.

"Thank you, Founder!"

"This disciple will never forget your great kindness and virtue."

At this moment, in Master Green Feather's heart, that nameless Founder was akin to his own parents reborn.

There was no exaggeration in that sentiment.

His injuries were healed.

Even his old, lingering ailments were gone, and with his foundation now perfected, he would surely be able to advance further and break through the bottleneck that had plagued him for decades.

All of this was a gift from the Founder.

How could he not be moved to tears of gratitude?

His current feelings of worship and excitement came straight from the depths of his soul.

He was filled with profound gratitude.

Founder's Shrine.

Lin Xiaoyao was sweeping.

Suddenly, he stopped his movements.

He turned his head and glanced toward the direction on his left.

"Did I overdo it? I actually moved the Sect Master to this extent."

He muttered to himself.

Then, he shook his head.

He chuckled, "But then again, the feeling of being a mastermind behind the scenes is really quite nice. The techniques I comprehended from the Heavenly Demon Origin have truly been a great help!"

Time flowed on.

Four years later.

Lin Xiaoyao had spent these four years in extreme comfort, and the Feathering Sect had not encountered any further crises.

Life in the mountains was peaceful, and the disciples all practiced diligently.

Lin Xiaoyao had not been in contact with the Sect Master again.

Although his system space had accumulated many treasures he had no use for, icing on the cake was not as valuable as providing help in a time of need. Since the disciples of the Feathering Sect were healthy and safe, there was no need for him to rush to hand these treasures out.

His own strength, meanwhile, had made significant progress.

Not long ago, he had stepped into the late stage of the Profound Connection realm.

The Great Vehicle ancestors, whom everyone admired and revered, seemed no longer too far away.

He was currently walking along a mountain path, nearing Treasure Pill Valley.

"System, sign in for me!"

"Congratulations to the host for a successful sign-in. You have obtained the 'Immortal Ganoderma Ice Spirit Pill'."

Immortal Ganoderma Ice Spirit Pill?

Lin Xiaoyao felt a surge of joy.

This item was also a legendary treasure in the cultivation world. It was said that if a mortal consumed one, they could ascend to the heavens and become an immortal.

The legend was, of course, an exaggeration.

But this pill was a treasure that even Great Vehicle or Tribulation-stage ancestors would covet.

Seeing that there was no one around, Lin Xiaoyao claimed the item and swallowed it immediately.

Instantly, a massive wave of medicinal power dissolved in his dantian, and his cultivation base directly increased by nearly a thousand years.

After reaching the Profound Connection realm, cultivation usually became arduous, but thanks to the system sign-ins, Lin Xiaoyao's progress remained rapid.

Since today's sign-in reward was quite good, he was in an excellent mood and decided to continue his leisurely stroll.

"Have you heard? Three days ago, Junior Sister Su went into seclusion to prepare for the condensation of her Golden Core."

"Hiss... I knew Junior Sister was a genius, but this cultivation speed is just too terrifying. When our batch of disciples first joined the sect, it hasn't even been ten years yet. Most of us are still lingering in the Qi Refining stage, and those who have successfully reached Foundation Establishment are few and far between. Junior Sister Su is actually already preparing to form her Core?"

"That goes without saying. I heard she is a once-in-ten-thousand-year genius of our sect. Her cultivation speed ranks in the top five in our sect's history. Even some of the Great Vehicle ancestors from the past didn't cultivate as quickly as she does."

"No wonder the Sect Master personally took charge the moment she entered the sect, having his eldest disciple take Junior Sister Su under his wing as a direct disciple."

"It is said that if the Sect Master hadn't already sworn an oath never to take on any more disciples in this lifetime, he would have even considered taking Junior Sister Su under his own tutelage."

"I've heard the elders in the sect say that Junior Sister Su has a ten-tenths chance of success in forming her Core this time."

Lin Xiaoyao walked along the path, hearing quite a bit of such discussion.

"Junior Sister Su?"

He raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and then remembered.

Back when she first joined the sect, she had innocently asked if it were true that no one in the sect had attained immortality in thousands of years.

It was just that the innocent and adorable little girl from back then had, over the past ten years, grown into a graceful young woman.

It seemed her name was Su Zhiyan.

This girl had gone into seclusion three days ago to prepare for Core Formation.

When the news spread, the entire Feathering Sect was shaken.

If she succeeded, she would be a Golden Core cultivator under the age of twenty.

Furthermore, counting from the time she entered the sect, it had been barely ten years.

This girl was truly a heaven-sent talent, a prodigy of cultivation.

The elders were all full of praise.

Even the Sect Master was extremely satisfied and kind toward this grand-disciple of his.

One couldn't say for certain she would attain immortality, but given time, the Great Vehicle stage was within reach, and there was even a slim chance of becoming a Tribulation Transcendence ancestor.

Lin Xiaoyao remained silent.

He was not interested in this matter at all.

No matter how much of a prodigy Su Zhiyan might be, compared to him, she was nothing more than the light of a firefly.

Early the next morning.

Lin Xiaoyao was cleaning the Founder's Shrine as usual.

"System, sign in for me!"

"Congratulations to the host for a successful sign-in. You have obtained a Spirit Root Aptitude Pill."

A mechanical, icy voice echoed.

A Spirit Root Aptitude Pill?

Lin Xiaoyao was stunned.

He hadn't expected today's sign-in reward to be this item. It was of no use to him; it would have been more practical to gain ten or a hundred years of magic power.

But for other cultivators, it was a different story.

Even Great Vehicle ancestors would be green with envy.

This was a pill capable of increasing a cultivator's spirit root aptitude. Once it appeared in the world, it would be enough to incite a frenzy across the entire cultivation world.

"Fine, I'll just keep it for now."

"Perhaps I'll have a use for it later."

He tossed the item into his system space.

Then, he continued humming a tune while cleaning the Founder's Shrine.

Although he hadn't signed in for anything to increase his cultivation or magic power, it didn't seem to affect his mood.

Just like that, a quarter of an hour passed.

Suddenly, Lin Xiaoyao frowned and looked out the window.

The sky, which had been clear and vast just a moment ago, suddenly turned dark.

Black clouds were gathering, but it didn't look like it was going to rain.

Could it be...

He then turned his head toward Empty Bright Valley, not far from Sword-Flying Peak.

Junior Sister Su's cave dwelling was located deep within that valley.

"Has something gone wrong?"

Lin Xiaoyao whispered.

The sudden change in the sky outside drew exclamations of wonder from the disciples of the Feathering Sect.

Although the weather in the mountains was fickle, a scene like this was still extremely rare.

However, aside from a few sighs of amazement, the vast majority of them did not take the matter to heart.

Inside a cave dwelling a thousand feet high on the main peak of the Feathering Sect.

Master Green Feather was practicing his breathing exercises. The fortuitous encounter four years ago, a legacy left by the sect's founder, had allowed his injuries to fully heal. Now, having reached a new level of mastery, he should soon be able to break through his bottleneck and step into the mid-stage of the Profound Realm.

Even while cultivating, a faint smile seemed to linger on his lips.

Suddenly, his brows twitched, and his eyes snapped open in shock, revealing an expression of disbelief.

He then withdrew his cultivation technique without hesitation, transformed into a streak of white light, and flew out of the cave dwelling to stand on a wide stone platform, gazing into the distance.