Who was mortal, and who was immortal, amid the unpredictable shifts of wind and cloud?
Cultivation knew no passage of years; quietly, three years had slipped away.
Ten days earlier, a decree had come down from the Council of Elders.
It ordered him to report to Condensed Jade Main Peak today without fail, accept the Council of Elders' assignment, and formally take up a sect post.
It was now noon. Qing Chen stood alone atop Celebration Cloud Peak, gazing at the unbroken mountain ranges in the distance and the Main Peak wreathed in clouds and mist.
A medley of feelings stirred within him, anticipation mingled with a little apprehension, as he thought:
For these past three years, I've cultivated tirelessly day and night, never daring to slack off in the slightest. After all that effort, today's outcome shouldn't disappoint me, should it?
At the very least, I can't end up as something like a Sect Protector. That's not what I want, Qing Chen thought.
War was raging, and conflicts between Golden Core Sects could easily last ten years.
Sect Protectors and Foundation Establishment cultivators from vassal lineages formed the main force the sect dispatched to the various battlefields.
It was worth mentioning that after news of Qing Chen's Foundation Establishment had spread,
he had formally proposed marriage to the Yue Household, with Xu Jiuling and Gu Jianchun acting as matchmakers on his behalf.
The marriage was already settled; all that remained was to await an auspicious day and hour.
Over these three years, aside from consolidating his Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivation and practicing the sect's secret techniques,
Qing Chen had frequently exchanged voice transmissions with Xu Jiuling, Gu Jianchun, and the Yue Household.
Straightening his robes, Qing Chen set off for the Main Peak.
The Condensed Jade Sect's Foundation Establishment