As April approached, sacred flames blazed on Five-Spirit Mountain.
Thousands of Daoists from the Divination Sect gathered within its gates to attend Sect Leader Lü Yan's "Core Formation Ceremony" and his investiture as Sect Master.
In ancient times and modern alike, entering the Fifth Realm was like a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate, the dividing line between those below the mountain and those upon it. Whenever a cultivator entered this realm, fellow Daoists from every direction would come to congratulate them.
But as the world's spiritual energy dwindled, cultivators at the pinnacle grew fewer and fewer, and the custom naturally disappeared. Afraid that evil demons and unorthodox practitioners would discover the Righteous Path's true strength, Monk Wuxin, Lu Wuzhen, and the others had practically never held such ceremonies.
For Lü Yan to revive this grand spectacle now smacked of showing off without knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, but he had little choice.
While imprisoned beneath Danyang Academy, Lü Yan had already glimpsed his chance to break through, only to be interrupted by those bastards Xu Tong and the others. Later, he had gone to Dragonbone Shoal to seize an opportunity, but had neither secured anything nor achieved any impressive results in battle. The greatest claims to fame he brought home were:
He couldn't hold on to an Immortal Artifact even when it was delivered into his hands...
He needed Old Devil Xie to rescue him when the Unorthodox Dao beat him up...
He sure was quick at looting corpses and eating leftovers...
In short, a Northern Zhou rat.
Lü Yan was furious, but there was nothing he could do. After returning, he had successfully entered the Fifth Realm of the Immortal Dao, "Soul Fusion," qualifying him to succeed as Sect Master. Yet when word spread, the