Chapter 423 - Becoming a Holy Disciple

When Feng Baiyu appeared with Chen Fan, heads bowed in respect all around.

“Sect Leader!”

“Greetings to Sect Leader.”

“Mmm.” Feng Baiyu nodded in acknowledgment. His voice reverberated through the space as he said, “I trust you all know that disciple Chen Fan has completed the holy disciple mission I assigned him. Henceforth, he is the twenty-fourth holy disciple of our sect.”

His voice rumbled like thunder in the crowd’s minds, even though they were already aware. Yet, hearing it directly from Feng Baiyu fueled their excitement.

“Pass on my decree.” Feng Baiyu suddenly said.

“Yes!” Several grand elders bowed, “Your command, Sect Leader. We shall act accordingly.”

“Henceforth, Chen Fan is a holy disciple, rewarded with five hundred thousand primeval stones, ten treasures, and granted an independent mountain peak in Heavenly Vein Mountains.”

“Understood!”

“Very good!” Feng Baiyu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the assembly. “I urge you all to diligently cultivate and advance into the Core Formation realm to become the twenty-fifth, the twenty-sixth, or further holy disciples of our sect.”

Feng Baiyu’s voice contained a magical power, stirring emotions within the inner sect disciples in the Yuanfu realm. They trembled and roared in unison, “We’ll sincerely follow Sect Leader’s teachings!”

“Good.” Feng Baiyu left behind a single word before disappearing.

The entire area quieted down.

Chen Fan landed on the ground. Wherever he looked, heads lowered, avoiding his gaze.

Having been publicly appointed by the sect leader, Chen Fan became an official holy disciple of the Spring Autumn Sect, officially written in the records.

“Have you been well, Merit Elder?” Chen Fan’s gaze fell on the merit elder, filled with obvious killing intent and hostility. “I owe you my gratitude for the Divine Stone of Life. Without it, I wouldn’t have progressed so quickly, and completing the mission would have been a challenge. It’s even more miraculous than any other tonic. Hahahaha.”

“You!” The merit elder almost choked on his words, infuriated by Chen Fan's remarks.

He had cheated Chen Fan out of a massive sum of contribution points by selling him the contaminated Divine Stone of Life, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. When Duan Jingtian emerged from his punishment, the merit elder anticipated lavish rewards.

Unexpectedly, his plan backfired, and the stone propelled Chen Fan to the third level in record time. Chen Fan's sarcastic thanks twisted the knife further, a reminder of his own mistakes.

Chen Fan intended to provoke the merit elder. After all, his quick breakthrough to the third level was due to him refining Daoist Corpse Spirit’s divine nascent essence.

The merit elder barked, “You used a demonic stone to progress your cultivation. It proves you are a great demon, a follower of the demonic path! I’ll suggest to the sect leader to immediately lock you up, strip you of your status as a holy disciple, and force out the demonic qi within you!”

“Hahahaha.” Chen Fan laughed out loud, his demeanor flamboyant. He smiled coldly and said, “Then you best hurry. The sect leader hasn’t gone far. Delay any longer, and you might miss your chance to plead your case.”

“You—”

Chen Fan interrupted, his patience wearing thin. “Merit Elder, I have no interest in trading barbs with you here. I will remember your ‘favor.’ After I kill Duan Jingtian and become the next sect leader of the Spring Autumn Sect, that will be the day you die!”

“Hahahaha, you little beast, thinking of killing Duan Jingtian? You? Stop your daydreaming. You should know better than to boast so shamefully!” The Merit Elder laughed disdainfully, utterly unconvinced of Chen Fan's capabilities to challenge Duan Jingtian, let alone lead the sect.

Chen Fan saw no point in further verbal sparring. “We'll see who's laughing in a year and a half. In any case, an old coot like you only has a year or two left to live anyway.”

An icy killing intent flashed across the merit elder’s eyes. Just as he was about to leave, he turned his head around and said viciously to Chen Fan, “Just you wait, you little beast. It will be the day you die in a year.”

Chen Fan remained silent, swiftly joining Wei Buyu as they soared toward the heart of the sect.

With the sect leader's decree in place, Chen Fan now held the esteemed position of holy disciple and had the privilege of selecting his personal cultivation peak.

Countless inner sect disciples exchanged their thoughts, their emotions running high.

“How truly surprising. In just eighteen months, an outer sect disciple has ascended to the lofty rank of a holy disciple, his status comparable to a grand elder of the sect. It’s like a dream.”

“I know, right? Who could have predicted that Chen Fan would not only withstand Heaven’s Alliance's pressures but also forge ahead, overcoming every obstacle and advancing to the third level of the Core Formation realm? He's become a legend in his own right.”

“Chen Fan is progressing too quickly. It's anyone's guess who will emerge victorious in his showdown with Senior Brother Duan Jingtian

“......”

More than ninety-nine percent of the crowd present were Chen Fan’s seniors. When Chen Fan had been a mere outer disciple, they were already inner sect disciples.

Yet, in just a year and a half, Chen Fan had risen from an outer sect Qi Grandmaster to a holy disciple—a feat unheard of in the annals of Spring Autumn Sect history.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Among the crowd, a slightly plump elite disciple couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride.

“I once shared a wall with a holy disciple!”

He was Pan Yuansheng, an elite disciple and the first person to greet Chen Fan when the latter first entered the inner sect. However, he had run away after hearing Chen Fan’s name. [1]

“How unexpected. It hasn’t been long since we were promoted to elite disciples, but he’s already become a holy disciple.”

Lu Yun, Mu Chen, Wei Rufeng, and some other disciples who entered the inner sect with Chen Fan all had complicated gazes.

They used to be top figures in the outer sect. Chen Fan simply did not enter their eyes, until he made a splash at the Outer Sect Grand Competition and displayed godly might at the Dragon Mountain Blessed Land.

The gap between them and Chen Fan hadn’t been too big then; after entering the inner sect, Chen Fan was like a true dragon entering the sea. His cultivation progressed rapidly, improving by leaps and bounds.

That initial small gap had already widened to a chasm that would be near impossible to close in their entire lives.

1. Appeared in 186. ☜