"Old Ancestor, transmit your famed incense, bestow blessings upon your disciples. Recite the true words of the Curse Arts, raise our petitions in reverence through curling smoke... Spirits of heaven, spirits of earth, True Lord and Old Ancestor, manifest your power. We bow and beseech the Old Ancestor to descend in divine form..."
As the three disciples chanted, the strange atmosphere arose again. Yu Zongbai's mind was drawn in, once more slipping into that magnificent arena of Dao instruction.
He remained immersed there for a long time, hazily sensing something that seemed both tangible and intangible. Yet it was like viewing flowers through mist, never quite real.
After a long while, he returned to reality.
"Hahahaha! I've reached Foundation Establishment!"
"Congratulations, fellow Daoist! Congratulations!"
"I seem to have gained some insight too. If I can experience the Fragrance of Wisdom again at the next session, I'll surely succeed!"
"May we all share in the joy, may we all share in it..."
Familiar-sounding exchanges came from beside him. Some people possessed extraordinary intelligence and gained insight after a single exposure. They truly made everyone else green with envy.
A trace of despondency involuntarily appeared on Yu Zongbai's face.
Comparing oneself to others really was unbearable...
But this time, having personally witnessed others succeed again, Yu Zongbai no longer doubted the Fragrance of Wisdom offered by the three Incense Accumulation Sect disciples. He immediately resolved to follow them with wholehearted sincerity, determined to gain some insight himself.
What Yu Zongbai did not know was that several fellow rogue cultivators sitting beside him thought the same.
At first, they too had questioned the origins and identities of these three Incense Accumulation Sect disciples. After witnessing someone achieve Foundation Establishment at the previous market ward, their doubts had begun to waver.
Now, they could