Three days after Lin Feng's return to Tranquil Peak, the Azure Sky Sect was in complete chaos.

  In the Sect Master's hall, dozens of elders had gathered for an emergency meeting.

  "We must establish formal relations with Senior Lin Feng," the Grand Elder insisted. "A master of his caliber living on our territory—this is the sect's greatest fortune in ten thousand years!"

  "But how?" another elder asked nervously. "He refused our offer to become the Grand Ancestor. He clearly values his privacy."

  The Sect Master stroked his beard thoughtfully. "From what Shen Yue has told us, the senior is humble and low-key. He prefers simple living and peaceful cultivation. Perhaps... we should approach this delicately."

  "What did you have in mind, Sect Master?"

  "A gift," the Sect Master said. "Nothing too extravagant—that might offend his sensibilities. But something that shows our respect and gratitude. Tea, perhaps. Or rare cultivation herbs."

  The Grand Elder laughed bitterly. "Sect Master, the senior lives on a peak where the spiritual energy is visible as golden mist. His pet is a Divine Phoenix. He casually created artifacts that we couldn't forge in a thousand years. What could we possibly give him that he doesn't already have?"

  The hall fell silent as the elders realized the truth of these words.

  Finally, a younger inner sect elder spoke up hesitantly. "Perhaps... our presence? Many of us would benefit greatly from even observing his cultivation paradise. What if we simply asked permission to visit? To pay our respects?"

  The Sect Master's eyes lit up. "Brilliant! We won't bring gifts—we'll bring our sincerity. A simple visit to thank him for his help. If he allows us to glimpse Tranquil Peak, we'll be grateful. If not, we'll respectfully withdraw."

  And so it was decided. The very next day, the Sect Master would lead a delegation to Tranquil Peak.

  Lin Feng was watering his tea trees when Shen Yue came running up the mountain path, slightly out of breath.

  "Master! Master, the Sect Master is coming!"

  Lin Feng nearly dropped his watering can. "What? The Sect Master? Why?"

  "He wants to thank you personally for exposing Elder Mo's treachery," Shen Yue explained. "He's bringing several elders. They'll be here within the hour!"

  "An hour?!" Lin Feng looked around his courtyard in panic. "But I haven't cleaned! There are tea leaves drying over there, and I was going to sweep the path, and—"

  "Master, the courtyard looks perfect," Zhou Yuan said, having followed Shen Yue up the path. "You're overthinking this."

  Lin Feng took a deep breath. "Right. Right. They're just coming to visit. It's fine. I'll make tea. That's what you do when guests arrive, right?"

  [Social Event Detected!]

  [Hosting powerful cultivators can increase Host's reputation and network!]

  [Recommendation: Be yourself. Your natural behavior will only enhance your mysterious image.]

  "Be myself. I can do that." Lin Feng started preparing tea cups, trying to calm his nerves. He'd spent fifty-five years avoiding people, and now the Sect Master himself was coming to visit.

  Xiao Hong clucked from her perch, watching the proceedings with ancient amusement. My master is nervous about receiving mere Nascent Souls. His humility knows no bounds!

  When the Sect Master and his delegation arrived at Tranquil Peak, they stopped at the formation barrier, not daring to enter without permission.

  "Senior Lin Feng!" the Sect Master called out respectfully. "This junior has come to pay his respects! May we enter?"

  Lin Feng, feeling awkward about all the formality, walked to the barrier and deactivated a section of it. "Please, come in. There's no need to be so formal—I'm just a former outer sect disciple."

  The moment the elders stepped through the barrier, they felt it.

  The overwhelming spiritual energy. The profound Dao principles embedded in every plant, every stone, every breath of air. The courtyard wasn't just a cultivation paradise—it was a glimpse of what immortal realms must be like.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  One elder immediately sat down and entered meditation, unable to resist the enlightenment flooding his mind. Another stumbled and had to be caught by his fellows, his consciousness overwhelmed by the residual sword intent emanating from where Lin Feng had once practiced calligraphy.

  The Sect Master maintained his composure through sheer force of will, but his hands trembled.

  "Senior Lin Feng... your generosity in allowing us to visit is... we are unworthy..."

  "Please, sit," Lin Feng said, gesturing to the simple wooden benches around his courtyard. "I've prepared tea."

  He poured for each guest, unaware that each cup of his spiritual tea contained enough enlightenment to advance a cultivator by an entire minor realm.

  The Grand Elder took a sip and his eyes widened. In that instant, he broke through from Nascent Soul (Early Stage) to Nascent Soul (Middle Stage), a barrier he'd been stuck at for three hundred years.

  All around the courtyard, similar breakthroughs were occurring. Elders who had been stagnant for centuries suddenly found their cultivation bases surging forward.

  Lin Feng, noticing the strange expressions on his guests' faces, worried he'd made the tea wrong. "Is it too bitter? I can add more honey if you'd like..."

  "No!" several elders shouted at once, then caught themselves. "No, Senior, the tea is... it's perfect. More than perfect."

  The Sect Master carefully set down his cup, not trusting himself to hold it with his trembling hands. "Senior, we came here to thank you for your aid with Elder Mo. But now we realize... simply being in your presence is a blessing beyond measure."

  Lin Feng scratched his head. "I really didn't do much. My disciples did most of the work."

  "Your disciples," the Sect Master said, "who reached Core Formation peak in less than a year of training under you. Shen Yue was a ordinary inner sect disciple. Now she's being called a once-in-a-millennium genius."

  "She's a hard worker," Lin Feng said modestly. "And Zhou Yuan too. They both have great potential."

  "Cluck!"

  Xiao Hong hopped down from her perch and strutted past the visitors. Every single elder immediately kowtowed, their foreheads touching the ground, not daring to show disrespect to the Divine Phoenix.

  Lin Feng sighed. "You don't need to bow to my chicken. She's friendly, I promise."

  My chicken, Xiao Hong thought with a mixture of amusement and affection. He calls the Eternal Flame Sovereign 'my chicken.'

  The Sect Master raised his head cautiously. "Senior... if I may be so bold... would you consider taking more disciples? Many of our sect's young talents would give anything for the opportunity to learn from you."

  Lin Feng hesitated. "I don't know. I'm not really a teacher. I'm still learning myself."

  [Mission Alert: Expand Your Teachings!]

  [Taking more disciples will accelerate your cultivation and spread your influence!]

  [Reward: 10,000 Seclusion Points per new disciple accepted]

  The system's encouragement made Lin Feng think. Having Shen Yue and Zhou Yuan around had been nice. The peak was large, and sometimes it did get lonely. Maybe one or two more disciples wouldn't hurt?

  "I suppose... if someone truly wanted to study here, and they were willing to live simply and focus on cultivation rather than glory... I could consider it."

  The Sect Master's face lit up. "Thank you, Senior! Your generosity—"

  "But," Lin Feng interrupted, "I choose the disciples. And my standards are simple: good character, willingness to work hard, and genuine desire to cultivate. I don't care about talent or background."

  What Lin Feng didn't realize was that these "simple" standards, when set by someone of his perceived level, would become legendary throughout the cultivation world. "The Unfathomable Master's Trial" would become something countless cultivators would attempt, each hoping to be chosen.

  The visit continued for another hour, with Lin Feng showing his guests around the peak. He pointed out his vegetable garden ("Just normal vegetables, but they grow well here"), his tea grove ("The leaves have a nice flavor"), and the spiritual spring ("The water is pretty good—I use it for everything").

  Each casual statement caused internal screaming among the elders, who could sense the apocalyptic levels of spiritual energy in everything Lin Feng described as "normal" or "pretty good."

  As the delegation prepared to leave, the Sect Master bowed deeply. "Senior, your wisdom and hospitality have enlightened us. The Azure Sky Sect will remember this day forever."

  "You're welcome to visit anytime," Lin Feng said warmly. "Though maybe give me some warning next time so I can clean up properly."

  Clean up? The peak looked more pristine than the imperial palaces of mortal kingdoms!

  As the elders descended the mountain, many of them were still consolidating their sudden breakthroughs. The Grand Elder turned to the Sect Master with tears in his eyes.

  "Sect Master... in one visit, I achieved more than in three centuries of closed-door cultivation. The Senior's casual hospitality contained more profound teachings than all the ancient texts in our library."

  The Sect Master nodded slowly. "We are blessed beyond measure to have such a figure residing on our sect's territory. We must ensure that no one disturbs him or shows him disrespect."

  "Agreed," all the elders said in unison.

  Back on Tranquil Peak, Lin Feng was cleaning up the tea cups.

  "That went better than I expected," he said to his disciples. "The Sect Master seemed nice. Very respectful, though I wish he hadn't been so formal."

  Shen Yue smiled. "Master, I think you made quite an impression."

  "I hope so. It's good to maintain friendly relations with the sect." He paused, then looked at both disciples. "I meant what I said about possibly taking more students. What do you two think?"

  Zhou Yuan and Shen Yue exchanged glances, then Zhou Yuan spoke. "Master, having junior brothers or sisters could be helpful. They could assist with chores, and we could guide them in their cultivation."

  "That's a good point." Lin Feng nodded. "Alright then. If someone suitable comes along, we'll consider it. But no rush—these things shouldn't be forced."

  What none of them knew was that news of the Sect Master's visit was already spreading like wildfire through the cultivation world. The legend of Tranquil Peak was about to explode into full prominence.

  And Lin Feng, as always, would remain blissfully unaware of the storm he was creating.