CHAPTER 569: CHAPTER 447 BROTHERS OF THE SAME MASTER!

Moments later.

The five individuals in the hall straightened their backs, and the atmosphere eased considerably. Shi Ze looked at Chen Jichuan and chuckled, "Junior Brother, meeting you again is quite the delight."

"Brother Shi,"

"Back then at Dongqi Daoist School, I must thank Brother Shi for looking after me."

Chen Jichuan cupped his hands toward Shi Ze in a gesture of respect.

"Junior Brother is too polite; it was merely a trivial effort on my part. Honestly, I didn’t expect that after casually wandering about for only six hundred years, upon my return, Junior Brother had already ascended to the Fourth Order and become our youngest member."

Shi Ze possessed a forthright and magnanimous temperament. He walked over to Chen Jichuan, openly displaying familiarity.

Shen Mo, standing off to the side, smiled as he introduced, "This is your Twenty-Fourth Senior Brother, Shi Ze—no need for me to say too much. And here is your Twenty-Third Senior Sister, ’Xue Gu.’ She’s only slightly over twenty thousand years old and has already reached the Fourth Order Fourth Realm. Just a few days ago, she passed through the Twelfth Peak of Trial Sword Peak."

"Greetings, Senior Sister Xue Gu."

Chen Jichuan glanced at the lone female cultivator in the hall, admiration filling his heart.

The Twelfth Peak of Trial Sword Peak: for a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator who successfully crossed it, the accomplishment merely demonstrated their peak potential at that stage. But for someone like Xue Gu, a Fourth-Order Immortal, crossing the Twelfth Peak indicated her combat power had reached the very apex of ordinary Fourth Order cultivators. The Thirteenth Peak beyond was only attainable for Fourth-Order Peak-level immortals starting to grasp enlightenment of the Dao.

At the Twelfth Peak’s skill level, outside the Daoist Sect, such power was capable of sweeping through all Fourth Order opponents with ease.

"Junior Sister Xue Gu plans to venture out to establish her Daoist Academy, preparing to compete for the position of chief?"

Shen Mo continued the introductions before turning to discuss matters with Xue Gu.

"Indeed."

"That is my intention."

Xue Gu nodded lightly.

"Founding a Daoist Academy is no simple matter; it’s best to gather as many allies as possible."

Shen Mo reminded her.

"I’ve been working on that."

Xue Gu conversed with Shen Mo, then turned to Chen Jichuan and proposed, "Junior Brother, you’ve just ascended to Immortal. If you have no pressing matters at hand, why not join me on this excursion? Establishing a Daoist Academy deep in barbaric lands often provokes resistance from various demonic entities and Demon Kings. A series of epic battles will undoubtedly ensue—quite an exciting spectacle!"

"Junior Brother?"

"That won’t do. He’s only recently stepped into the Fourth Order; it’s far too early for him to challenge the Fourth Peak and strive for True Inheritor status. Without the status of a True Inheritor Immortal of the Daoist Sect, he wouldn’t be able to aid you properly."

The last individual, who had been smiling while observing the ongoing dialogue, sighed and interjected, introducing himself: "My name is Wuy Qi, the Twenty-Second Direct Transmission Disciple under Master’s lineage."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Wuy Qi."

Chen Jichuan paid respects once more, then curiously asked, "I’d like to inquire—what exactly is the procedure for establishing a Daoist Academy? Previously training at Dongqi Daoist School, I rarely saw incidents of chaos caused by Demonic entities or Demon Kings."

The group understood that Chen Jichuan had only recently ascended to Immortal and lacked deeper knowledge about many matters within the Daoist Sect. Shi Ze kindly took it upon himself to explain: "Our Daoist Sect categorizes its ranks as Ordinary Disciples, True Immortal Direct Transmission Disciples, Daoist True Inheritors, and the Twelve Chiefs. Becoming an Ordinary Disciple is relatively straightforward; you and I, for example, trained at Dongqi Daoist School. Those who can ascended to Divinity Transformation Stage within two hundred years qualify to join the Daoist Sect as ordinary disciples. But earning the title of True Immortal Direct Transmission is considerably harder—requiring not only Immortal cultivation but also the favor of a True Immortal to accept one into their lineage. Daoist True Inheritors, however, face an even greater challenge. They must be under five thousand years old, capable of passing through the Fourth Peak of Trial Sword Peak. Moreover, an Inheritor seat within the Circulation Number allocation must remain vacant—or else one must compete against current Inheritors, with victory necessary to claim the title."

From Ordinary Disciples to True Immortal Direct Transmission to Daoist True Inheritors, each rank elevates to different tiers of benefits. The treatment for ordinary disciples, which Chen Jichuan personally experienced at Golden Wind Mountain and Sea, afforded him just enough resources to cultivate to Immortal within five hundred years.

Currently, he had achieved the status of True Immortal Direct Transmission.

Joining the lineage of the East River Palace Master, Chen Jichuan received two Magical Treasures and two Absolute Skills—ranking among the finest of Super-level Techniques—already upon entry. Furthermore, every nine hundred years, he would have the privilege of listening to comprehensive lectures given by a True Immortal and discussing cultivation concerns.

The generous treatment accorded to True Immortal Direct Transmission was already enviable.

The conditions, however, for becoming a Daoist True Inheritor were significantly more demanding—and correspondingly came with even greater rewards.

A Fourth-Order Immortal must pass through the Fourth Peak of Trial Sword Peak—a feat far from easily accomplished.

This challenge was typically within reach only for early-stage External Realm Immortals or peak External Realm practitioners within the Daoist Sect.

Even more stringent was the five-thousand-year limit for ascension; the participant must either succeed while stepping into early-stage External Realm or even in their Inner Realm phase to meet the requirements.

Shi Ze, at two thousand eight hundred years old, had already achieved Second-Pattern Immortal status with commendable combat power, yet he admitted his uncertainty about passing even the second peak of Trial Sword Peak—let alone the fourth.

Although he yearned to ascend as a True Inheritor, the prospect was far from assured.

The same applied to Wuy Qi, the Twenty-Second Direct Transmission Disciple of the East River Palace Master. Despite his initial brilliance as a prodigy, he, too, failed to attain True Inheritor status.

Such was the challenge of becoming a Daoist True Inheritor.

"True Inheritor status is already daunting. Achieving Chief status is even more formidable."

To claim the title of Chief, one must pass the Twelfth Peak—this being the first criterion. Establishing a Daoist Academy amidst barbaric lands rife with demonic forces—this being the second. Lastly, one must ensure that one of the twelve Chief Disciple positions remains unoccupied; failing that, they must challenge current Chiefs in occupancy, with only a successful battle granting replacement.

"In our East River Palace lineage, our Senior-most Brother originally held the Chief title but relinquished it to our Eighteenth Senior Brother, Liu Hechuan. Currently, Brother Liu has expressed a willingness to relinquish the position, and among the remaining disciples of East River Palace, only Junior Sister Xue Gu holds the potential to claim the Chief role."

Wuy Qi added.

Including the newly-admitted Chen Jichuan, the contemporary East River Palace counted eight True Immortal Direct Transmission Disciples in total.

Sixteenth Direct Transmission Disciple Shen Mo.

Seventeenth Direct Transmission Disciple Meng Qing.

Eighteenth Direct Transmission Disciple Liu Hechuan.

Twentieth Direct Transmission Disciple Bo Yin.