Off to the side, Qiu Sheng was brimming with excitement after hearing Uncle Nine's words.
Of course, in response to his enthusiasm, Uncle Nine merely gave him a sideways glare.
"Ling Xiao, as someone who cultivates the Corpse Raising Branch, each corpse you raise will likely bring an additional burden of karmic debt. And karmic debt reduces your accumulated merit, so in the future, the fewer corpses you raise, the better. Also, do more good deeds.
Otherwise, if you die without merit and carry karmic debt instead, things will get troublesome!
If you manage to become a Nether Envoy of the Underworld while still alive, then all external doubts about you will completely disappear!"
At this moment, Uncle Nine looked at Ling Xiao with burning eyes. Although historically, no one in the Corpse Raising Branch of Mount Mao—or in the entire Daoist community—had ever become a Nether Envoy of the Underworld during their lifetime, for some reason, he held hope for Ling Xiao.
With Ling Xiao's talent, as long as the world's spiritual energy didn't decline further, he was bound to reach the Heavenly Master Realm.
That would allow him to live for three hundred years. And within that timeframe, there might be a sliver of hope that he could accumulate enough spiritual energy.
"Nether Envoy of the Underworld, huh? Master, I understand. I will do my best!!"
Ling Xiao answered Uncle Nine seriously.
……
……
Meanwhile, over a thousand kilometers away from Renjia Town, atop Mount Mao—
Inside a grand and ancient hall, an elderly man with silver hair and beard, dressed in a yellow Mount Mao Daoist robe, was meditating at the center, absorbing the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.
In front of him was a vast ancestral shrine, with several hundred ancestral tablets of Mount Mao grandmasters.
These grandmasters had all reached the Heavenly Master Realm during their lifetimes over the sect's thousands of years of history.
At the very top were over a hundred tablets belonging to those who had become Nether Envoys of the Underworld while still alive.
Out of so many who had reached the Heavenly Master Realm, less than a third had achieved that feat while living, illustrating just how incredibly difficult it was.
In front of these ancestral tablets hovered a scroll.
Written on the scroll were the words: "Mount Mao Roster."
"Buzz!!!!!"
At that moment, the Mount Mao Roster suddenly began trembling violently.
Green light radiated from the scroll.
Startled, the elder abruptly opened his eyes.
He was none other than the Sect Leader of Mount Mao—Daoist Xuanqing!
"Hmm? Another Mount Mao disciple has officially graduated?"
Seeing the light, Daoist Xuanqing raised his eyebrows with delight. In this era of spiritual energy depletion, every Earth Master Realm-level disciple was exceedingly valuable.
Back in Uncle Nine's generation, there were over a hundred disciples. But now, the oldest were over sixty, and the youngest were at least thirty-four or thirty-five. Yet, only a dozen or so had managed to reach the Earth Master Realm.
If it weren't for the fact that most of the previous generation's masters were still alive, Mount Mao would have already been on the decline.
"Let's see which disciple of the 81st generation it is."
Daoist Xuanqing smiled and waved his right hand.
"Buzz!!!!"
Instantly, the Mount Mao Roster flashed with light, transformed into a beam, and flew into Daoist Xuanqing's hand.
"Shing!!!!"
As Daoist Xuanqing opened the scroll, it initially appeared blank.
But a moment later, lines of information began to emerge.
……
"Mount Mao's 82nd generation disciple Ling Xiao, has reached the Earth Master Realm. Passed the trial of Qing Yun Ancestor, officially accepted as a Mount Mao disciple.
Trained under Mount Mao disciple Taoist Priest Yi Mei (Lin Fengjiao), studies the Corpse Raising Branch.
Age: Fifteen.
Birth Details: ……"
However, upon reading this, Daoist Xuanqing's pupils contracted violently.
"Fifteen years old? Earth Master Realm? And a disciple of that brat Lin Nine? This… this… how is this even possible?"
Daoist Xuanqing was utterly stunned.
He kept reading the entry again and again, his expression shifting dramatically.
Lin Nine was currently considered the most gifted among all Mount Mao disciples.
Even the chief senior brother Shi Jian couldn't match him in cultivation speed or comprehension.
After all, Shi Jian had grown up at Mount Mao and started learning Daoist arts at five or six, while Lin Nine had only joined at age fourteen.
Still, Shi Jian only reached the Earth Master Realm at thirty-five.
Lin Nine had achieved that by twenty-five—reaching Earth Master Realm and gaining the Ancestor's recognition in just ten years.
If Shi Jian weren't fifteen or sixteen years older, the title of chief disciple would have belonged to Lin Nine.
But now what? Lin Nine's disciple had reached the Earth Master Realm at fifteen? That's beyond belief, even during eras rich with spiritual energy.
"A genius, a super-genius! Even one surpassing Lin Nine!"
Daoist Xuanqing was thrilled.
Every Ghost Festival, the ancestral grandmasters would ask about Lin Nine.
Many were speculating whether Lin Nine would become a Heavenly Master Realm expert before turning seventy.
If he did, his power would undergo a transformative leap.
His lifespan would soar to 300 years—critical to Mount Mao's future.
With Shi Jian included, two Heavenly Master Realm experts could stabilize Mount Mao for another three centuries.
Now, Ling Xiao's talent seemed to be in the same league as Lin Nine.
If recognized by one of the powerful ancestral grandmasters, Ling Xiao's future ascension to the Heavenly Master Realm would be a certainty.
"Only thing is... the Corpse Raising Branch!!!"
Upon noticing Ling Xiao belonged to that branch, Daoist Xuanqing furrowed his brows.
Fortunately, he trusted Qing Yun Ancestor to be impartial. That meant Ling Xiao was currently clear of any problems.
Still, cultivating the Corpse Raising Branch carried a high risk of falling into evil paths. Even Uncle Nine had some concerns—let alone Daoist Xuanqing.
"This matter can't be made public yet. I must first consult the Three Grand Elders!"
Daoist Xuanqing frowned, then stood up with the Mount Mao Roster and strode toward the main peak.
……
"In short, that's the situation, Grand Elders."
In the grand hall of the Three Pure Ones, three transcendent elders sat before the Three Pure Ones' statues.
Daoist Xuanqing respectfully explained the matter in full.
The three Heavenly Master Realm-level elders exchanged glances—each with surprise and hesitation in their eyes.
The surprise was due to Ling Xiao's talent. A fifteen-year-old First Heaven Earth Master Realm cultivator could already rival Lin Nine. And because Lin Nine had joined late, he'd missed the most critical stage for laying his foundation.
But Ling Xiao, trained from youth, certainly wouldn't miss that window.
This meant Ling Xiao was now entering his golden period for power growth.
Reaching Earth Master Realm at such a young age almost guaranteed advancement to Heavenly Master Realm, even in this depleted spiritual age.
With such talent, he might one day surpass Fifth Heaven of the Heavenly Master Realm, extending his lifespan by another hundred years.
In this twilight age of Daoism, an extra century could mean the difference between a sect's survival or collapse.
"As for the Corpse Raising Branch—it depends. I trust Lin Nine's character. Ling Xiao was likely trained by him from an early age. There's no way he would raise someone with an innately evil nature."
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