Chapter 555 : A Disciple's Oath of Eternal Gratitude

Alistair Lu felt a stirring in his heart. Helping the Lu Clan ascend to become a Golden Core Immortal Clan would be sufficient to repay the kindness he had received over the years.

Within the entire Lu Clan, aside from the Ancient Ancestor, his bonds with others were far more shallow. Aiding a few of his closest kin, who were fated to perish, to achieve a Golden Core breakthrough would be the greatest assistance he could offer his family.

After hundreds or thousands of years, when his cultivation had reached profound heights, the clansmen of the Lu Clan would have long since become distant connections, their emotional ties no longer so deep, and he would no longer need to worry over them.

With this thought, he prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing nine times in succession, and declared, "This disciple, Alistair Lu, pays his respects to Master and to Master's wife!"

"Very good."

Eldrin Chen accepted the grand gesture of respect, then with a flick of his sleeve, helped the young man to his feet, saying, "From this day forward, you shall be the second disciple under my tutelage."

"Now that you are my disciple, you must understand my principles."

"As my disciple, you must grasp one fundamental truth. In one's life, one need not kneel to heaven and earth, need not bow to immortals or demons, need not submit to tyranny, but one must understand gratitude."

"I, your master, have taken you as my disciple, an act of grace akin to rebirth—this is the grace of forging your path to the Dao."

"Whether you ascend to immortality or descend into demonhood in the future, as long as you do not commit acts that enrage heaven and mortals alike, as long as you remember this master, then I shall be your most steadfast support." This content originates from audio~novel.com. Please respect copyright.

Alistair Lu felt his blood surge with fervor and immediately prostrated himself once more, bowing deeply as he said, "Even if this disciple were to sink into the Nine Nether Abyss, I would never forget the grace of Master."

"Mm."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod. He handed an ancient, timeworn scroll and a Storage Bag to Alistair Lu, then said, "This contains the crafting method for the Four Symbols Flag Formation and the treasures required for its forging."

"This set of Formation Flags possesses extraordinary power. It was an unexpected prize I obtained long ago after slaying a False Nascent Soul Cultivator. I have since refined and re-deduced it, dividing it into four Life-Bound Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts bound to the cultivator's life force]. The Formation it can deploy now is several times more potent than its original incarnation."

"If you cultivate these as your life-bound formation treasures to their ultimate limit, you should be able to contend against a Nascent Soul True Lord even while at the Golden Core Great Perfection realm. They shall serve as your means to roam the world unhindered."

Alistair Lu received the treasures, his face alight with ecstatic joy. The entire Lu Clan lacked even a single method for crafting a Life-Bound Magical Treasure, yet now he had directly obtained what was undoubtedly one of the most supreme sets imaginable.

Noting his expression, Eldrin Chen waved a hand dismissively with a smile. "Sylas is your senior apprentice-brother. I have pressing matters to attend to. For now, follow your brother to arrange the affairs of the Lu Clan."

"On an appointed day, I will summon you. I shall reference your constitution to create anew a cultivation art most perfectly suited for the Four Symbols Dao Body [a rare spiritual root aligned with the four celestial beasts]."

Alistair Lu promptly bowed once more. "My deepest gratitude, Master. This disciple takes his leave."

The nearby Sylas Ye also offered a slight bow, then looked at Alistair Lu with a smile. "Come, junior brother. Follow me."

The two of them exited the Grand Hall, and that Sylas Ye glanced at the long-waiting Caspian Chen and said with a smile.

"You may enter now."

"My thanks, Ancient Ancestor."

Caspian Chen offered a slight bow, looked at Alistair Lu, and then chuckled, "It seems I've gained another Ancient Ancestor of my own generation from now on."

Alistair Lu had finally composed himself, revealing a faint smile.

The age difference between the two was slight, and their innate talent and Deep-Seated Foundation [the quality and depth of one's foundational cultivation] were nearly identical. Although their seniority within the clan would now be vastly different, in private, their relationship would likely remain akin to that of close friends.

With this thought, Alistair Lu clasped his hands and said, "Between you and me, formalities are unnecessary. Once I have settled the affairs of the Lu Clan, I shall host a banquet in your honor."

"Then I shall await the grand feast from our young Ancient Ancestor."

Caspian Chen smiled, then turned and walked into the Grand Hall.

In a few strides, he entered the Grand Hall. Upon seeing the two figures within, he promptly knelt and paid his respects, saying, "Caspian pays his respects to the two Ancient Ancestor."

"Has the Fu Generation already arrived?"

Eldrin Chen's brow twitched slightly, revealing a trace of a smile.

The Sixteen-Generation Hierarchy of the Chen Clan—Reflect on Virtue and Ancestors, Support and Prosper the Clan, Ascend to Immortal Eternity—had, without anyone quite noticing, progressed to the Fu Generation. This was only because, after the clan's ascension to a Golden Core Immortal Clan, the generational timeline for each character in the hierarchy had been extended. Otherwise, the sixteen characters would likely have been nearly exhausted by now.

"I heard that after promotion to a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan, the Old Patriarch decided that newly born clan members would only use one generational character every three hundred years. It seems that is indeed true."

Eldrin Chen mused silently. According to the Old Patriarch's plan, once the Chen Clan's Sixteen-Generation Hierarchy was fully used, no new generational characters would be created.

By that time, the mortal bloodlines of the Chen Clan would have branched out over hundreds or even thousands of generations. The genealogical distance between two individuals of the same age could span centuries. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio-novel .c om.

At that point, re-establishing a detailed generational hierarchy would be pointless, as the precise relationships would be impossible to track.

In such a scenario, cultivation realm could be used to determine seniority.

Following the designations: Qi Refining Decaying Generation, Foundation Establishment Enduring Generation, Purple Mansion Immortal Generation, Golden Core Ascendant Generation, Nascent Soul Clan Generation, and finally, the Nascent Soul Prosperity Generation.

This method of assigning seniority would not disrupt the clear bloodline relationships of the founding generation, like the Old Patriarch and Eldrin Chen, the original Ancient Ancestors. It would also allow later generations to elevate their status and standing through their own cultivation achievements.

Moreover, using seniority in this manner, with the sixteen-character generational sequence of the Chen Clan, would be more than sufficient even if the clan were to one day truly ascend beyond the Immortal realm and become a glorious Immortal Immortal Clan, extending its use even into the Immortal Realm [the highest plane of existence in cultivation cosmology].

The Ji Immortal Clan employs such a system. Apart from cultivators whose lineage can be clearly traced, when a True Lord of the Ji Clan breaks through to the Nascent Soul realm, male True Lords take 'Fei' [meaning 'to transcend'] as their generational character, while female True Lords take 'Fei' [meaning 'consort' or 'imperial concubine'] as theirs.

Thus, figures like Feiye Ji and Feiyan Ji acquired their generational names. Freya Ji, being the direct daughter of Dorian Ji with a clearly traceable lineage, was born with the 'Fei' generational designation.

"Seniority determined by cultivation realm."

The thought flickered through Eldrin Chen's mind, but he shook his head with a wry smile. Having only recently broken through to the Nascent Soul realm himself, it was truly premature to be contemplating generational rankings for a future in the Immortal Realm.

Withdrawing his thoughts, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze to Caspian Chen and said with a smile, "Since emerging from seclusion, I have heard tales of a peerless Heaven's Chosen [a prodigy favored by heaven] emerging from the 'Fu' generation. Seeing you today, the rumors do not disappoint."

"You honor me too much, Ancient Ancestor."

Caspian Chen replied, his voice tinged with excitement. Although his Dao Body [a rare innate physique granting exceptional cultivation affinity] had drawn the attention of several clan Golden Core Cultivators since its discovery, this was his first time standing before a Nascent Soul realm Ancient Ancestor.

Eldrin Chen smiled, his eyes appraising the youth imperceptibly. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke thoughtfully, "The Triune Dao Body, also known as the Three Talents Dao Body [a physique harmonizing the essences of Heaven, Earth, and Man], is among the rarest of Superior Grade Dao Bodys in this world."

"With such talent, you could be considered the foremost among the three million cultivators born to our Chen Clan Cultivators over the past several centuries. With proper nurturing, your future prospects are truly boundless."

"It is a pity that you are a member of my Chen Clan. It would be improper for me to directly take you as my disciple."

As he spoke these words, he pondered for a moment, then retrieved an ancient scroll and handed it to Caspian Chen.

After Caspian Chen took the scroll and finished reading it, Eldrin Chen finally spoke: "This scroll is named the Ancient Vast Sea Scroll. It is the foundational ancient text of the Eastern Sea's great cultivation sect, the Ethereal Void Sect."

"Long ago, I made a promise to the Ethereal Void Sect to find a suitable successor to inherit their Dao lineage [the complete system of cultivation principles and techniques passed down by a master or sect]. Are you willing to shoulder this karmic burden?" Experience the full epic at audio-novel-dot-com.