Twelve years later.
In a stone pavilion on Heaven-Pillar Mountain, a male cultivator and a female cultivator sat at a stone table, chatting over tea.
The tea in their two white jade cups was an unusually vivid green, its fresh fragrance wafting into the air. A small, flat tea leaf floated at the bottom of each cup, shifting from golden yellow to pale silver and back again, a truly wondrous sight.
"Senior Brother Xuan, I heard another Heavenly Prodigy appeared among this latest batch of recruits. Not only does this disciple have an ice spirit root, but its quality is half a step away from supreme grade.
"Apparently, the Azure Dragon Lineage and the Black Tortoise Lineage are fighting tooth and nail over this disciple in the Elders' Council." The woman appeared to be twenty-five or twenty-six. She wore a pale white dress, and her features were as lovely as a painting. After sipping her tea, she spoke to the man opposite her with a bright smile.
"Oh? Is that so? The Azure Dragon Lineage doesn't even have a Golden Core Ancestor anymore. How do they dare compete with the Black Tortoise Lineage for a disciple?" The man looked to be in his forties and wore a gray robe. His features were ordinary, but his thick eyebrows resembled swords. A trace of surprise crossed his face.
"I've long heard that your resolve is exceptional, Senior Brother, and that you devote yourself to secluded cultivation, your ears closed to everything beyond your window. It seems the rumors were true.
"Although the Azure Dragon Lineage has no Golden Core Ancestor, Uncle-Master Zhang has finally broken through the foundation establishment middle stage and entered the foundation establishment late stage. He now has a sliver of a chance to attempt a breakthrough to golden