Sect Master Tian's mood was extremely heavy at this moment, entirely different from his previous demeanor. He knew that no matter how despondent he felt, it was useless; Lake Master had spoken, making it as final as an imperial edict, with no room for change. Now, he could only pin all his hopes on the sturdy youth.

Fortunately, the sturdy youth was a disciple he had painstakingly cultivated, and performed quite outstandingly. Not only was he the number one among the younger generation within the sect, but among all the sect disciples in the 36 caves, this disciple absolutely ranked among the top few.

All of Sect Master Tian's hopes were now placed on the sturdy youth.

At this moment, the sturdy youth's face was equally unpleasant, silently cursing his own bad luck and deeply resenting the so-called elder brother of the Lake Master. If it weren't for his insistence on challenging, none of this would have happened. Although it was initially his intention to challenge Ding Fan and intimidate those in Gaoyuan Sect, now the sturdy youth blamed everything on Ding Fan.

It was Ding Fan who made him lose face, who shamed his master, who caused the sect a year's worth of cultivation resources to be deducted, and who transformed his once proud master into someone so despondent... The sturdy youth remembered Ding Fan's appearance, his eyes filled with intense killing intent.

...

In contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of Qinghe Sect, those walking ahead from Gaoyuan Sect were evidently brimming with spirit, even though the young cultivator among them had also been defeated by Ding Fan. Still, compared to the sturdy youth from Qinghe Sect, he felt he had fared far better.

At least he had exchanged over a dozen moves with the Lake Master's elder brother, whereas Qinghe Sect's disciples were utterly disgraced.

However, the primary reason for the young cultivator's good mood was Ding Fan's guidance. Throughout the journey, he kept practicing martial arts according to Ding Fan's method and indeed found his skill level improved significantly. How could he not be excited and happy!

Compared to the young cultivator's cheerfulness due to Ding Fan's guidance, Sect Master Gao was more triumphant due to Qinghe Sect's misfortune, yet he also felt some sympathy towards them. Although the two sects often competed against each other in the 36 caves, they were relatively close on the Donglai Continent.

Although the sect masters frequently rivaled each other, they were ultimately part of the same organization, thus they would care for each other if needed. When he found out the youth was the Lake Master's elder brother, he knew Qinghe Sect had gotten themselves into trouble.

Sure enough, Qinghe Sect was punished with a year's deduction of cultivation resources. This punishment was already severe, but considering the mistakes Qinghe Sect made, it was fair.

After all, that youth was the Lake Master's elder brother. Even the Lake Master showed utmost respect before him. He kindly instructed your disciple, yet your disciple was indiscreet enough to attack him, and as the sect master and teacher, you even had the audacity to take action against him. It's truly inexplicable.

Lake Master must be extremely angered, and the punishment for Qinghe Sect could be considered lenient.

To Sect Master Gao, he greatly admired Ding Fan and felt grateful, as Ding Fan had solved a significant worry for him. Sect Master Gao often compared himself to the Qinghe Sect master, and in terms of his sect and cultivation, he was no worse off.

But the one area where his sect fell short was that his disciples were relatively lacking compared to theirs. This had been a longstanding concern for Sect Master Gao, but Ding Fan's words to Qinghe Sect's disciple that if they didn't change their mindset, their cultivation would stagnate, gave him renewed hope.

If Qinghe Sect's disciples stagnate while his own disciples continually improve, wouldn't it be inevitable for them to surpass their rivals someday? For a sect, the greatest foundation is the capability of its disciples; if the disciples excel, the sect has nothing to fear about declining, but if they are lacking, once he passes away, the sect could slowly head towards extinction.

So having the chance for his disciples to surpass those of other sects made Sect Master Gao immensely pleased!

...

"How is your brother lately?" Long Ren asked Ding Fan with a face full of concern as they walked side by side.

"Quite well, and how are you, brother?" Ding Fan replied with a smile.

The path they walked was the only small road leading to Giant Peak; steep though not quite vertical, nearly so. Yet Ding Fan and Long Ren walked step by step, as if on flat ground, without a flush, without a heartbeat, looking very relaxed as they continued to chat and laugh.

The Great Elder behind them, despite his profound cultivation, did not find the road as easy to traverse as Ding Fan and Long Ren, and couldn't help but admire Lake Master and his elder brother deeply. Both were so young in age, yet impressively powerful, unique figures in the Cultivation World.

Moreover, they had become sworn brothers, and it seemed certain that in the future, these two would become prominent figures in the Cultivation World, capable of commanding winds and rains, famous across the land.

The Great Elder couldn't help but sigh inwardly, while also feeling quite gratified. Young heroes have always emerged throughout history, and with cultivators like the Lake Master and his elder brother in the Cultivation World, things will surely continue to improve...

In contrast to these three progressing steadily up the mountain, the cultivators of the Gaoyuan Sect and Qinghe Sect, including the sect masters, were already drenched in sweat and struggling. Clearly, the climb up to Giant Peak was proving to be extremely taxing, and some disciples couldn't make it halfway up. In the end, the sect masters had no choice but to let them wait at the foot of the mountain.

The mountain trail was not only steep, but there also seemed to be some mysterious force preventing them from reaching the summit. Disciples with low cultivation levels or insufficient strength simply couldn't make the climb.

...

In no time at all, Ding Fan and Long Ren were nearing the summit, while the Great Elder trailed behind by over a dozen steps. As for the sects behind them, they had long disappeared from view.

Hearing Ding Fan's words, Long Ren, with a slightly weary expression, said:

"Little brother, I've been quite busy lately. Not only do I have to guard against another sneak attack by the Wild Wolf Gang, but I also have to prepare for the conference. However, staying busy is good; I've had too much peace and quiet, haha."

Ding Fan understood that since the last ambush by the Wild Wolf Gang, his brother no longer wandered leisurely with the Great Elder. After all, his Thirty-Six Caves were nearly destroyed by the Wild Wolf Gang, and he couldn't afford not to take precautions and take action.

Ding Fan sighed inwardly. Although his brother was busy, since the Dayang Sect had been destroyed, he himself hadn't had a moment to rest. Even Qing Wen and Ruoran, whom he found with great difficulty, could only stay at the New Great Yang Sect, unable to be with him.

"There will be a good day," Ding Fan consoled Long Ren, but he was also speaking to himself.

Long Ren nodded. Though Ding Fan was good at hiding his concerns, Long Ren still caught a glimpse of them. He knew his elder brother had his struggles, and could only respond with a helpless nod, feeling a bit of shared hardship.

"Brother, who set up the formation on Giant Peak?" Ding Fan had long sensed that the trail was not difficult merely due to its steepness, but because a formation obstructed it. He casually asked.

"Brother, you have a keen eye. There's indeed a formation on Giant Peak. It was passed down from ancient times, not set up by modern people. I only had a few high-level formation masters repair it. Now, it is at least of the Nine Stars Formation grade," Long Ren explained.

"This formation is indeed excellent," Ding Fan praised.

Suddenly, Ding Fan recalled the formation near the New Dayang Sect, which was also ancient. It was long overdue for maintenance. Originally, Ding Fan planned to buy some blue crystal stones to maintain it himself, but after hearing Long Ren and seeing the formation here, he realized it was a Nine Stars Formation. That was impressive.

If he were to maintain the formation near the Dayang Sect himself, he might barely achieve a Nine Stars Formation. After all, that inherited formation was already of that grade. However, Ding Fan wasn't sure if his maintained formation would match his brother's in quality.

After some thought, Ding Fan decided to first find some blue crystal stones and try maintaining it himself. If it reached the quality of the formation here, that would be sufficient. Otherwise, he would seek Long Ren's help to find some high-level formation masters to further repair it.

Hearing Ding Fan's praise, Long Ren felt a bit happy and greatly admired his elder brother. From the Wild Wolf Gang's ambush, Long Ren discovered that his brother wasn't just adept at cultivation, but also at alchemy and formations. His brother was a Grade Nine Alchemist and could easily decipher high-level formations, a truly versatile talent!

While Ding Fan and Long Ren conversed, they reached the summit of Giant Peak, and the Great Elder followed shortly after.

Upon reaching the summit, Ding Fan was astonished. He hadn't expected such a magnificent view. The magnificence was not only in the stunning scenery but also in the imposing architecture. Before him stood a towering pavilion of six or seven stories. And this wasn't the only grand pavilion here.

Expanding his divine sense, Ding Fan found the estate covered almost half of Giant Peak, with a vast inner courtyard capable of accommodating nearly ten thousand people. If this estate were elsewhere, Ding Fan wouldn't find it unusual.

After all, larger estates do exist, but this one is at an elevation of several thousand meters on Giant Peak. Having personally walked the mountain, although it wasn't too difficult for him, that was due to his immensely powerful divine sense, ignoring the formation's presence.

His profound cultivation also made the steep path manageable. However, for ordinary people, it was impossible to reach, and even cultivators below the Emergence Stage couldn't make it here.

Thus, building such a large estate on Giant Peak must have been extremely challenging.