"Good!"
None of the elders had the slightest objection to Chen Yaoguang's decision.
The more powerful their cultivation, the better they understood the terrifying implications of reaching the Aperture Opening Realm in just one day.
It was no exaggeration to say:
This was the greatest upheaval in the Chen Clan's history of over a hundred thousand years!
They alone could no longer make the decision. They had to ask an ancestor who stood guard over the Lineage's foundations to step forward.
"Understood!"
Without another word, Chen Zhengxing bowed and turned to leave, swiftly departing the Floating Heavenly Palace.
"Please wait here, everyone."
With that, Chen Yaoguang hurried out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
After he left:
The elders immediately gathered in twos and threes, whispering excitedly among themselves:
"One day! Just one day! He reached the Aperture Opening Realm in a single day!"
"I really couldn't believe it at first. After all, I had eight-star talent too, but it took me three whole months to cultivate to the Aperture Opening Realm."
"Exactly! It took me five months. Qingyu's talent is truly terrifying!"
"More than terrifying! Even someone with nine-star talent and an Innate Dao Physique would only be fit to carry Qingyu's shoes when it comes to cultivation speed!"
"This is no longer a young saint. He could probably be called a young great emperor!"
"Could I actually live to see an invincible emperor emerge from our Chen Clan?!"
Many elders were so excited that their faces flushed, unable to contain themselves.
They seemed able to foresee a blazing sun, destined to illuminate the ages, slowly rising from the Chen Clan.
Suddenly:
A mountain-shattering, earth-splitting might erupted out of thin air, making the entire Floating Heavenly Palace tremble slightly.
A vast, unparalleled will descended upon the palace, and boundless starlight rose.
"The Ninth Ancestor has awakened!"
The elders immediately understood.
The next instant:
Ripples spread through space like water, and a slender figure with white hair draped over his shoulders appeared out of thin air in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
His face was ordinary, but his eyes seemed to hold an entire sea of stars. The might radiating from his every movement was enough to stifle the elders' minds.
By comparison, Chen Guangyao, who appeared beside him at the same time, immediately became an insignificant backdrop.
"Greetings, Ancestor!"
"Greetings, Ninth Ancestor!"
The Chen Clan elders hurriedly rose and bowed respectfully.
"Rise."
The white-haired man nodded slightly, sat in the seat of honor, and swept his sleeve.
Space shifted, and the stars wheeled in their courses.
Before Chen Zhengxing, who was hurrying through the air, and Chen Qingyu, who had just finished breakfast, could react, they were already in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"What?!"
Both instinctively froze for a moment before taking in their surroundings.
"Zhengxing, Qingyu."
Chen Guangyao immediately spoke in a solemn voice from beside them:
"This is the Ninth Ancestor, one of the ancestors who stand guard over the Chen Clan's foundations."
Chen Zhengxing's expression grew solemn, and he immediately bowed:
"This descendant, Chen Zhengxing, greets the Ancestor."
Chen Qingyu hurriedly bowed as well. "Qingyu greets the Ancestor."
"No need for such ceremony."
The white-haired man looked at Chen Qingyu, a hint of a smile appearing on his face as he praised him:
"A heaven-blessed prodigy! Truly a heaven-blessed prodigy!"
"Your cultivation talent is a rarity throughout the ages. Even an Innate Dao Physique or Chaos Divine Physique could scarcely match it. What a blessing for our Chen Family!"
Chen Qingyu immediately chuckled:
"You flatter me, Ancestor."
Beside him, Chen Zhengxing finally could not help asking:
"May I ask, Ancestor, if my son Qingyu's talent defies the heavens so, why does he only have nine-star talent? Why doesn't he even have a special physique?"
At these words:
Chen Guangyao and the other elders instinctively looked toward the white-haired man as well.
They were also rather puzzled by this question.
"Heh."
The white-haired man chuckled and said calmly:
"It's quite simple."
"When others test as having nine-star talent with the Fate-Creation Jade Gui, it's because their talent is only nine-star."
"But Qingyu's talent only registers as nine-star because nine stars is the highest the Fate-Creation Jade Gui can display."
He paused before continuing:
"Moreover, legends from the primordial era say that there are three thousand special physiques in the world, each with its own mysteries and wonders."
"Yet even today, we know of only a hundred or so sacred physiques, divine physiques, and Dao physiques. Much more knowledge has long since been lost."
"Qingyu must possess a special physique, one that far surpasses the Innate Dao Physique and Chaos Divine Physique, but the Fate-Creation Jade Gui cannot detect it."
Upon hearing his words:
Chen Zhengxing, Chen Guangyao, and the elders finally understood.
So that was it.
The issue was not with Chen Qingyu, but with the Fate-Creation Jade Gui, which simply could not detect his true cultivation talent and physique.
"Qingyu."
At that moment, the white-haired man looked at Chen Qingyu, his expression growing a little more solemn:
"Your talent is our Chen Clan's greatest hope of rising across the Desolate Continent and reigning over the ages!"
"From this day onward, you are the Chen Clan's Dao Son! I shall personally safeguard your path!"
At these words:
The expressions of Chen Guangyao and the elders changed. They exchanged glances, but not one raised an objection.
Chen Zhengxing, however, went rigid, his very mind trembling.
Dao Son...
On the surface, the Chen Clan's strongest young prodigy could inherit the position of Lineage Son, standing above all his peers and being groomed as the next clan head.
But in truth...
Above the Lineage Son stood the Dao Son!
Every generation had a Lineage Son, but a Dao Son might not appear even once in ten thousand years!
The honored position of Dao Son represented the Lineage's foundation and future hope. He would be groomed as an ancestor who guarded its foundations, a pillar holding up the heavens, with every resource poured into him at any cost.
And the Chen Clan's Dao Son himself held status and authority no lower than the clan head's.
"Dao Son?"
Chen Qingyu's eyes shifted, and he asked with a hint of anticipation:
"Ancestor, now that I'm the Dao Son, can I come to the Floating Heavenly Palace every day?"
"The Floating Heavenly Palace?"
The white-haired man paused, then could not help laughing:
"You may come whenever you wish."
As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and took out a bluish-white jade thumb ring. Taking Chen Qingyu's little hand, he personally slipped it on.
The blue jade thumb ring glimmered and automatically shrank to fit Chen Qingyu's thumb.
"This is the symbol of your identity as Dao Son. Keep it safe, and never let it leave your person, even for a moment."
As the white-haired man spoke, his expression grew solemn:
"This ring is not merely a symbol of status. It also grants extremely high authority, including entering and leaving the Floating Heavenly Palace freely."
"Besides that, this ring can protect you from three life-threatening crises, and you can also use it to call for help at a critical moment."
"From this moment onward, the entire Chen Clan will ensure your safety, whatever the cost."
"It's that good?"
At those words, Chen Qingyu immediately beamed with delight, stroking the little jade thumb ring.
"There is one more thing."
The white-haired man said with a smile:
"With your talent, continuing to cultivate the Illustrated Record of the Celestial Stars and Constellations would be an enormous waste."
"From today onward, you will switch to our Chen Clan's supreme secret scripture, the Taihao Limitless Ascension True Scripture. I will teach you personally."