Outside the mountain gate of the Three Elements Dao Sect, there was a touch of bustle today.
With the news of Chen Sheng's advancement to the Nascent Soul spreading, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs who were traveling abroad began to return one after another.
Nascent Soul Cultivators are inherently swift in movement, needing only to exit the Great Wilderness and reach the nearest Immortal City to return via the long-distance teleportation array.
Following the return of True Monarch Han Lou, in the ensuing months, all the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Dao Sect had returned.
This morning, a stream of azure light flew out from the teleportation array, landing on the square of the Primordial Magnetic Main Peak.
As the light dispersed, a cultivator dressed in a grayish-blue Daoist robe appeared. His visage was gaunt, surrounded by a faint wood attribute spirit light. He was True Monarch Chong Xu, just returned from the Great Wilderness.
As soon as he landed, he saw Chen Sheng and his son Chen Xihua waiting in the square. He immediately burst into laughter and quickly stepped forward:
"Fellow Daoist Micro-Image, Fellow Daoist Xuan Zhao! Congratulations, congratulations!"
True Monarch Chong Xu's eyes were full of mirth:
"The father and son Daoists have both achieved the Nascent Soul, and in just over a century, the Chen Clan has produced two Nascent Soul True Monarchs. Such fortune is extremely rare in the cultivation history of Yue Country! It's truly a joyous occasion for the Dao Sect to have such an event!"
Following True Monarch Chong Xu, True Monarch Han Lou and several other True Monarchs also arrived in succession.
True Monarch Han Lou, still wearing his Danxia Robe, smiled in agreement:
"What Fellow Daoist Chong Xu said is true! Fellow Daoist Micro-Image was already a quasi-Tier Four Alchemist, and now that he has advanced to the Nascent Soul, he must surely have become a Tier Four Alchemy Grandmaster. You guys will have more assurance with your elixirs from now on!"
As a predecessor of the Dan Vein, he had always been kind-hearted toward Chen Sheng, and at this moment, he intentionally pointed out Chen Sheng's value. The other True Monarchs also offered their congratulations with sincere words.
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Chen Sheng's advancement is a boost to the entire strength of the Three Elements Dao Sect, which is a good thing for every True Monarch.
Chen Sheng and Chen Xihua exchanged a glance, both smiling, and cupped their hands in return to the True Monarchs.
Chen Sheng said gently, "Thank you all for your excessive praise. Micro-Image could not have reached today without the Dao Sect's support and the care of all fellow Daoists."
...
Amidst the laughter and jokes, everyone proceeded together to the Primordial Magnetic Main Peak Hall — today was the day to hold the True Monarch ceremony for Chen Sheng.
The hall was already arranged, with five-colored spirit ribbons hanging outside and dozens of white jade tables inside. On the tables were Tier Three Spirit Fruits and Spirit Tea, with a faint aroma and spiritual qi filling the air.
The six major Nascent Soul Sects of Yue Country, as well as other Nascent Soul level influences, had sent representatives who were currently sitting inside the hall waiting.
When Chen Sheng entered the hall with everyone, a hush fell over the room. All the cultivators' gazes converged on him — there was curiosity, awe, and goodwill.
The six major Nascent Soul Sects occasionally had conflicts, such as competing for spirit vein mines or secret realm quotas, but the upper layers always maintained a tacit understanding of "fighting without breaking."
The reasons include, firstly, the six hold the key to the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven together; each family's token is deeply restricted and cannot open the grotto heaven without all parties, creating a deeply entwined interest relationship.
Secondly, newly risen Nascent Soul influences often appear within Yue Country, and they still face infiltration from neighboring cultivators and threats from Great Wilderness Demon Beasts. Only by joining forces can the six major sects maintain their status.
"True Monarch Micro-Image, it's an honor to finally meet you!"
A red-robed cultivator seated in the front row stood up first. With a fierce sword intent swirling around him and a red long sword hanging at his waist, he was the Chi Xiao Sword Monarch of the Myriad Swords Sect.
He cupped his hands toward Chen Sheng with a few straightforward tones:
"I've long heard that the True Monarch is a top alchemist in Yue Country. Now that you've advanced to the Nascent Soul, I hope for your continued guidance in the future."
Chen Xihua stepped forward at the right time to introduce for Chen Sheng:
"Father, this is the Chi Xiao Sword Monarch of the Myriad Swords Sect, whose Sword Dao cultivation is unfathomable, making him a top Sword Cultivator in Yue Country."
Then, he pointed to a man in purple beside Chi Xiao Sword Monarch:
"This is Mirage True Monarch from the Western Wilderness Mirage, skilled in illusion techniques and void concealment skills. Back then in the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven, he overpowered all to claim the seventh Nascent Fruit."
Chen Sheng greeted everyone one by one, from the Myriad Swords Sect and Western Wilderness Mirage to Taiyi Xuan Sect and Six Paths Saint Sect, greeting each True Monarch or representative and exchanging communication jade scrolls.
Everyone's demeanor was particularly amiable, even a bit deliberately congenial. Early on, when Chen Sheng was still a quasi-Tier Four Alchemist, many sects sought him for refining elixirs.
Now that he has advanced to the Nascent Soul, he has most likely broken through to become a Tier Four Alchemy Grandmaster, able to refine Tier Four Elixirs needed by Nascent Soul Cultivators.
In the cultivation realm, alchemists are always highly welcomed, not to mention Tier Four Alchemists. One day, they might need to ask Chen Sheng for help; building a good relationship now will make future dealings smoother.
Although everyone was in admiration of Chen Sheng's advancement, they were not too surprised. Given the foundation of the Three Elements Dao Sect, producing a Nascent Soul True Monarch every two to three hundred years is common.
However, whenever the topic of Chen Sheng and Chen Xihua's father-son relationship came up, people would often joke.
"The father-son duo of Nascent Souls, the Yunlan Chen Clan is about to rise in Yue Country!"
"In the future, when meeting True Monarch Xuan Zhao, you should show a bit more respect, considering there's a Tier Four Alchemist father behind him!"
...
The True Monarch celebration of the Three Elements Dao Sect concluded amidst joyful laughter, and the five-colored spirit ribbons outside the hall gradually retracted.
Time flew by, and another two years passed, marking the end of Chen Xihua's century-long rotation term.
The rotational system of the Daoist Sect has its own rigorous succession rules, except for newly advanced Nascent Soul Cultivators!
Newly inducted high-level Nascent Souls must prioritize participating in rotations, to handle sect affairs and deeply understand the operational logic and power structure of the Daoist Sect.
Tracing back the past rotation sequence, one can clearly see this pattern: during the rotational period of True Monarch Chong Xu, True Monarch Qian Yuan broke through to the Nascent Soul, automatically becoming the first in line for the next rotation.
When True Monarch Chong Xu's century-long rotation ended, True Monarch Qian Yuan seamlessly took over.
True Monarch Dragon Dragon and True Monarch Cloud Talisman cleverly broke through after True Monarch Qian Yuan's rotation, waiting for Qian Yuan's century-long role to pass before taking the mantle in succession.
However, when Chen Xihua broke through, the order reset again, and he became the first in line, so now that Chen Sheng has advanced, he naturally follows suit as the new rotation candidate.
This morning, in a side hall of the Primordial Magnetic Main Hall, Chen Xihua was handing a pile of Jade Scrolls documenting sect affairs to Chen Sheng.
The jade scrolls were a pale purple, inscribed with the sect's exclusive runes, recording the income and expenditure of the sect's Spirit Vein Mine points, the assessment arrangements for inner and outer disciples, diplomatic exchanges with other factions, and other core matters.
Chen Xihua seized the last jade scroll, confirmed all information was handed over, then looked up at Chen Sheng, his tone carrying a bit of relief:
"Father, I have completed the handover of all sect affairs, they are now in your hands."
Chen Sheng took the jade scrolls, and his Divine Sense could perceive the sect permission imprint within the jade scrolls, he nodded slightly:
"You may go, these years must have been tiring for you."
He understood that Chen Xihua had always disliked being bound by affairs; his years of staying dutifully in the sect rotation were also with the intention of protecting Chen Sheng's Dao.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xihua smiled broadly after a long absence, even the Sword Intent around him seemed to lighten. He bowed to Chen Sheng with a clasped fist salute:
"Father, I will take my leave now!"
With those words, his figure flickered, surrounded by a pale green Sword Mist, as if merging into the void, vanishing instantly from the side hall — free from the tether of affairs, he could finally head to the Great Wilderness to pursue a higher realm.
Watching his son depart, Chen Sheng turned and walked towards the main hall of the Primordial Magnetic Main Hall.
This core building of Daoist Sect power was at this moment opening its doors, welcoming the new Rotating True Monarch.
The hall doors were inscribed with array patterns personally drawn by the first generation True Monarch of the Daoist Sect, with a faint purple Spirit Light flowing through them, exuding an aura of authority and gravity.
Chen Sheng stepped inside the hall, and beneath his feet, the white jade floor instantly lit up with a faint purple light pattern, as if verifying his identity—this was the first checkpoint of the sect's permission recognition, only Rotating True Monarchs could trigger this light pattern.
Within the main hall, a seat of honor made from a whole piece of Ten Thousand Years Cold Jade stood in the center, engraved with intricate Primordial Magnetic Runes. The runes were connected to the sect's protection array, forming the core hub for controlling the highest permissions of the Daoist Sect.
On the surrounding walls, ancient scrolls were hung, depicting portraits of Nascent Soul True Monarchs from past generations of the Daoist Sect, each exuding a faint spiritual aura, as if the gaze of successive ancestors was upon him.
Chen Sheng went to the seat of honor, gently touching the armrest, and a pure stream of Primordial Magnetic Power surged into his Sea of Consciousness through his fingertips.
Simultaneously, countless streams of information surfaced like a tide — real-time data on Spiritual Qi from all sect Spirit Vein Mines, cultivation progress of disciples from different veins, transaction records from the Outer Sect Market, borrowing permissions for various scripture levels in the Scripture Pavilion...
At this moment, almost everything in the Daoist Sect lay open before him, he could retrieve any information at any time and issue directives directly to adjust the allocation of sect resources, a level of control he had never experienced before.
For instance, by a mere thought, a report on Spiritual Qi concentrations across various veins would appear in his Sea of Consciousness, allowing him to promptly order someone to investigate if abnormalities occurred with any Spirit Vein Qi.
He held ultimate decision-making authority over various sect matters!
This near "control over everything" feeling made him truly experience the power of a Rotating True Monarch.
However, Chen Sheng soon realized that this "everything" needed a "nearly" prefix—the operation of various core restrictions within the Daoist Sect was not completely under his control, he only had very limited adjustment permissions.
Opening the highest treasure vault, the basic parameters of the sect protection array, and internal identity verification restrictions had fixed operational rules that, even as the Rotating True Monarch, he could not arbitrarily amend.
This principle was preserved since the first generation True Monarch: instead of trusting the mutable human heart, the Daoist Sect relied on its prohibitive system perfected over ten thousand years.
This happened to answer Chen Sheng's long-held question, as most Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Daoist Sect journeyed abroad for years. What if strong foes attacked, or the Rotating True Monarch was a spy — how would the Daoist Sect respond?
Upon coming into contact with the sect's core, he understood that the prohibitive systems and the protection array accumulated over ten thousand years had minimized such risks.
If an external enemy invaded, the early warning restriction deep within the sect would automatically activate. The "Pole Primordial Magnetic Array," a Tier Five protection array, would initiate.
This array, even without a Grandmaster of Array Dao presiding over it, could exert sixty percent of its power from the self-operating prohibitions improved over millennia.
If emergencies did arise, it could draw from the core Spirit Vein power of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain, enhancing the array's defense capabilities further, sustaining it for decades.
This period would suffice for Nascent Soul True Monarchs journeying abroad to receive the communication and return.
If a spy emerged within the sect, there was no need for concern; once identified, prohibitions would instantly seal off their region, triggering the "shut-door attack-dog" defense mechanism, making escape impossible for the spy.
Chen Sheng, seated on the Ten Thousand Years Cold Jade chair, looked around at the Primordial Magnetic Runes, filled with emotion.
The Daoist Sect has endured for millennia not only through the strength of successive Nascent Soul True Monarchs but also through an exacting near-draconian system and set of prohibitions.
He slowly closed his eyes, starting to sort through the Daoist Sect's permission information in his Sea of Consciousness, preparing to welcome the coming century of rotational life.
At this moment, he was not only the Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Yunlan Chen Clan but also the ruler of the Three Elements Dao Sect, bearing the responsibilities of safeguarding the sect and guiding its development.
Thus, the Three Elements Dao Sect officially entered the era of "Micro-Image True Monarch"!