Chapter 995: Keeping Everything Simple

Li Xiaofei brought ten trusted elites from the Ruò Iron Clan and proceeded on horseback. The horses were demon beasts. Their eyes were as red as pools of blood and they could travel five hundred kilometers in a day.

Azure was not a large planet, so it only took just over half a day to arrive at the base of the Ancestor Court’s holy mountain. It was an active volcano, but it had not erupted for three hundred and sixty years.

The mountain stood at a height of seven thousand, four hundred and fifty-six meters. Its peak was perpetually covered in snow. The sacred grounds of the Reapers’ Ancestor Court were located atop this holy mountain.

When they arrived at the mountain’s foot, Li Xiaofei and his group dismounted and began the climb on foot. The mountain path was rugged and steep. Along the way, they passed others making the same ascent.

These 'people' bore expressions of determination and fervor. Every three steps, they knelt, and every nine steps, they kowtowed. It was as if they were on a pilgrimage, inching their way toward the summit.

They're all top-tier powerhouses,

Li Xiaofei observed in silence and concluded.

Any Reaper qualified to set foot on Azure was not ordinary. Their near-perfect human forms also implied noble lineage of the highest tier. Li Xiaofei was not interested in following such rituals, so he climbed swiftly alongside his trusted retainers.

The temperature dropped steadily. The air turned colder, but this chill was within the bounds of natural weather changes. Azure was a completely ordinary life-bearing planet; there was nothing unusual about it. It was like a single grain of sand among the countless life-planets in the Ancestor Court's system.

An ancient glacier blanketed in snow lay at the summit. Dozens of simple, vermillion-colored wooden pavilions had been built atop it. Behind the cluster of pavilions was a concave valley.

The valley was a forbidden area named Listening Wind Ground. It was said to be the long-term residence of the Ancestor of Wisdom. The vermillion wooden pavilions at the front served as the living quarters of the Ancestor of Wisdom’s disciples. There were also a few guesthouses. They were temporary lodgings for visiting guests.

Standing in the snow, Li Xiaofei carefully studied the surroundings. It resembled an ordinary snowy mountain tourist site, without any overwhelming solemnity, exuding i a quiet and peaceful stillness.

"So this is the new clan leader of the Ruò Iron Clan?" A middle-aged man in dark robes, with a fair and clean face, walked over and nodded at Li Xiaofei with a gentle smile. His tone was calm as he said, "I am the Ninth Disciple, Link. I've come to guide the Patriarch of the Ruò Iron Clan through the formal investiture. Please follow me."

He turned and led the way.

Li Xiaofei withdrew his gaze, a hint of surprise flashing through his mind,

An ordinary person?

This Link, who claimed to be the Ninth Disciple, was merely a regular cosmic lifeform, and not a powerhouse in any sense.

How could a disciple of the Ancestor of Wisdom be so weak? Perhaps this Link has mastered some exceptionally advanced aura-concealing technique, so profound that he couldn't detect it at all?

The two of them soon arrived before a thirty-three-meter-tall redwood pavilion. The structure was square, with six stories in total. Its foundation consisted of nine stone steps, each a meter high.

They entered the main hall, which contained a statue of a human figure.

"This is the Dharma Body of Teacher, the Ancestor of Wisdom," said the Ninth Disciple, Link, bowing respectfully before the statue. He then turned to Li Xiaofei and said, "According to tradition, the Iron Patriarch must sit in silent meditation before the Dharma Body of the Ancestor of Wisdom for three days. If no abnormal phenomena occur, the investiture is considered complete, and you may return."

Li Xiaofei looked up and examined the statue closely.

The Dharma Body of the Ancestor of Wisdom? That figure, those brows and eyes, that nose and mouth...

Isn't this the same young fisherman I had met by the pond beneath the sheer cliff of the Holy Ruins?

So he truly was the Ancestor of Wisdom. The Ancestor of Wisdom had even shared grilled fish with him. Li Xiaofei mocked silently in his heart, but maintained a calm expression as he asked, "So I only need to sit in meditation for three days?"

Link replied, "Exactly so."

Li Xiaofei asked, "Do other clans go through the same investiture ceremony when they change leaders?"

Link nodded again.

"I understand," Li Xiaofei said.

He asked no further questions. He crossed his legs and sat in the center of the hall. Link took a few steps back, turned, and left. Only Li Xiaofei remained in the entire grand hall of the pavilion.

Clang.

The main doors closed. The lighting in the hall instantly dimmed. Li Xiaofei shut his eyes, his entire being settling into a state of calm restraint.

Truth be told, everything about this journey to the sacred grounds of the Reaper Ancestor Court, what he had experienced and seen, was entirely different from what he had imagined.

This was the place that controlled the fates of countless Reapers, the very core that shaped the trajectories of countless lives across the universe. Yet it was neither a land of death soaked in Asura blood nor a radiant divine palace. The entire process carried an unmistakable air of simplicity in all things.

“This so-called investiture ceremony, just sitting in meditation before the Dharma Body of the Ancestor of Wisdom for three days and three nights, may seem like a simple formality, but could there be something unexpected hidden within it?”

Li Xiaofei remained outwardly composed, but inwardly tense. He did not dare to take it lightly. But as it turned out, he had overthought it.

In the blink of an eye, two and a half days passed, but nothing unusual had happened.

Perhaps the true test or danger will come at the final moment?

Li Xiaofei stayed on guard.

But the three days soon came to an end. The Ninth Disciple, Link, pushed open the door and entered.

"Congratulations, Patriarch of the Iron Clan. The investiture is complete." Link wore the same warm, gentle smile as before and said, "The ceremony is finished. Patriarch, you may take your people and return."

"So simple?" Li Xiaofei slowly stood up.

Link replied, "Perhaps it seems simple. But to my knowledge, of the six new clan leader investiture ceremonies held over the past hundred years, only you have succeeded. If you feel it was easy, then the only explanation is your absolute loyalty to the master, the Ancestor of Wisdom."

Huh?

Li Xiaofei was stirred by the words,

Only I had succeeded out of the last six investitures?

He subconsciously looked up at the statue before him. In that instant, he could have sworn that the statue was smiling.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Patriarch of the Iron Clan, this way please." Link took the lead once more.

As they stepped out of the grand hall, Li Xiaofei stood on the stone steps at the entrance, scanning the surroundings. Without betraying any emotion, he said, "Mister Link, I’d like to remain in the sacred land for a few more days to reflect and cultivate. Would that be allowed?"

"Of course," Link replied.

"There are guest rooms available free of charge. We welcome any honored guest who wishes to stay."

Li Xiaofei was momentarily stunned by the response. He had thought he would need to argue his case just to be allowed to remain, but unexpectedly... there had not been the slightest resistance.

Could this be a trap?

Moments later, he settled into the second floor of Pavilion No. 2. His trusted subordinates had gone back to wait at the foot of the mountain.

Li Xiaofei remained atop the holy mountain for half a month. During that time, he met other disciples of the Ancestor of Wisdom besides Link. He also encountered worshippers from other King-ranked clans, observing the sacred land's daily operations up close and from a third-person perspective.

Then, he began to notice some peculiarities. For instance, the Ninth Disciple, Link, seemed to be a genuine human, rather than a Reaper who had undergone perfect human transformation.

There are actual humans among the Ancestor of Wisdom’s disciples?

Moreover, the personal cultivation level of the disciples living and training here was shockingly low. The strongest among them, the Sixth Disciple, was only at level eight of cultivation.

Did the Ancestor of Wisdom really gather a group of useless disciples?

Li Xiaofei found it baffling. But soon enough, he finally discovered the reason why these disciples had such underwhelming cultivation levels.