Volume 1, Chapter 95 – The Disciples’ Gratitude

The sun sank in the west, bathing the Immortal Palace in golden afterglow.

The crowd before the main hall had long since dispersed.

Yet the fervent passion and vows seemed to linger in the air, refusing to fade.

The real commotion and excitement had shifted to the Spirit Dining Hall and the disciples’ individual courtyards.

The Spirit Dining Hall was packed with people, and the fragrance of food filled the air. At that moment, however, few were focused on the meals before them.

Nearly all the disciples had gathered in small groups, their faces still glowing with excitement and exhilaration.

“Did you all see that just now? When the Palace Master announced that our resources would be doubled, I almost thought I’d misheard her!”

A round-faced youth stirred the spirit rice in his bowl, but his eyes shone with astonishing brightness.

“Spirit stones! Pills! And the Myriad-Phenomena Tower! Heavens, this treatment…”

“It’s far more than just doubling our resources!”

A slightly older disciple beside him lowered his voice, though he could not hide its tremor.

“I secretly calculated it. The extra spirit stones we’re receiving this month alone would be enough to buy several decent artifact robes outside!”

“Not to mention those Origin-Nourishing Pills and Qi-Condensing Pills… I never even dared dream of having such things before!”

“The Palace Master is actually willing to provide so many resources for our sake…”

A quiet and refined female disciple spoke softly, her eyes filled with emotion.

“The Palace Master… treats us far too well.”

“I have an older brother in a small sect. He works himself half to death on missions for a dozen or so low-grade spirit stones, and the stewards still take a ten-percent cut in the end.”

A youth from a remote region spoke with deep emotion. Even the hand clutching his Storage Pouch was trembling slightly.

“Only after coming here did I understand what the bearing of an immortal sect truly is, and what it means to belong to a genuine great sect.”

“It isn’t only about the resources.”

Li Zhiwei, who rarely took the initiative to speak, suddenly joined in. Her voice was cool, yet carried a trace of warmth that was difficult to detect.

“The Palace Master wants us to become stronger, but even more than that, she wants us to return safely from the secret realm.”

“That hope and concern carry more weight than any number of spirit stones or pills.”

Murong Xue nodded silently and tightened her grip on the sword in her hand.

To her, what the Palace Master had bestowed was not merely resources, but recognition.

Wang Teng took a fierce bite of the spirit beast meat in his hand and said indistinctly,

“Since the Palace Master has given us a ladder to the heavens, we’d disappoint her far too much if we still couldn’t climb it!”

A notebook on formations lay open before Xiao Ya, but she clearly had not absorbed much of what was written.

She raised her head and looked toward the main hall, wisdom and awe flashing together in her eyes.

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“It seems Yaochi Immortal Palace is far more mysterious and powerful than I first imagined.”

Zhao Ling’er and Wang Zhaojun sat together. One was lively while the other was quiet, yet both were equally overwhelmed with emotion.

“Zhaojun, what realm do you think the Palace Master is in?”

Zhao Ling’er could not resist asking in a low voice.

“The Deputy Palace Master, the Grand Elder, and the others already seem unimaginably powerful, but the Palace Master appears to be many, many times stronger than them.”

Wang Zhaojun gently shook her head, the lamplight reflected in her clear eyes.

“Senior Sister, the Palace Master’s cultivation realm is not something we can speculate about.”

“We only need to remember to cherish this opportunity, cultivate diligently, and not disappoint her.”

Her voice was soft, yet the disciples nearby who heard her fell silent for a moment before nodding one after another.

Indeed, the Palace Master had given them so much that it left them feeling almost uneasy.

Only by cultivating with everything they had and bringing glory to the Immortal Palace within the secret realm could they begin to repay even a fraction of this mountain-high, ocean-deep kindness.

As the night deepened, the discussions gradually subsided.

Yet the flames burning in those pairs of eyes shone even brighter than the lamps.

That night, no one knew how many disciples tossed and turned in their beds.

With this wave of resources, Gu Han had thoroughly bound the hearts of this first group of disciples to Yaochi Immortal Palace.

Meanwhile, after Ye Ling’er returned to her own courtyard, her cheeks were still somewhat warm.

During dinner, she had listened to her fellow disciples express their unreserved admiration and gratitude toward Master.

The secret longing in her heart seemed to have been magnified countless times.

She shook her head and forced herself to stop thinking about those ridiculous things.

Walking to the window, she gazed at the bright moon in the night sky, which seemed no different from the one in the Eastern Region. Her state of mind gradually settled.

“Ye Ling’er… you must become stronger…”

It was not to prove anything. She merely wanted… to draw a little closer to that figure, even if only by the slightest amount.

The next day, at the first glimmer of dawn,

“Clang!”

The bell summoning the disciples rang out more clearly and stirringly than usual.

Throughout the Immortal Palace, figures rapidly assembled like soldiers responding to a command.

Before long, a dense crowd stood in orderly ranks on the plaza before the Myriad-Phenomena Tower. Not a single voice could be heard.

Only their heavy breathing and burning gazes revealed the turmoil within their hearts.

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On the raised platform, Yun Yun had already arrived with the elders.

“Enter the tower!”

Yun Yun’s clear voice rang out, concise and forceful.

“Yes!”

After a thunderous response, the ranks began moving in an orderly manner.

Led by the elders of their respective peaks, more than a hundred human disciples and twenty demon disciples entered the tower one after another through the entrance radiating profound fluctuations.

Dressed in white, Li Hanyi entered first with the two true disciples Li Zhiwei and Murong Xue.

Yun Miaoyi followed with a gentle smile, accompanied by her two personal disciples, Zhao Ling’er and Wang Zhaojun, as well as ten disciples from Danxia Peak.

Die Wu’s seven-colored robes fluttered around her like a dream as the six disciples led by Xiao Ya followed closely behind.

Every one of them was filled with curiosity about the changes in the formations within the tower.

Mo Lin, Fushan, Jin Feng, Qingluo, Canghai, Hongying, Xuanya, and the others, eight elders in total, likewise led their respective disciples into the light of the tower entrance and disappeared.

As Gu Han’s personal disciples, Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling’er led the disciples who had not yet formally joined any peak into the tower.

The tower entrance slowly closed.

Only Gu Han, Yun Yun, and little A-Yao, the nominal Eldest Senior Sister of the Immortal Palace, remained on the plaza.

“Master-Mother, everyone has gone inside to cultivate. A-Yao wants to go in and play too!”

A-Yao raised her little face and tugged at Gu Han’s sleeve.

Gu Han bent down, picked her up, and tapped the tip of her nose.

“A-Yao is still young, and the flow of time inside the tower is different from the outside world.”

“Once you are a little older, or after you reach Foundation Establishment, Master will let you enter. All right?”

“Oh…”

Although A-Yao was a little unhappy, she still nodded obediently.

“Then A-Yao will wait outside for everyone to come back! But… I’ll also cultivate hard!”

“Good girl.”

Gu Han rubbed her head, set her down, and bent forward to whisper,

“A-Yao, return to the main hall first. Master prepared your favorite spirit fruits for you.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!”

A-Yao’s eyes lit up, and she dashed toward the main hall on her short legs.

Gu Han watched A-Yao’s cheerful figure disappear around the corner of the corridor. The gentle smile on her face slowly faded.

She turned around and looked at Yun Yun, who stood quietly beside her like a figure from a painting.

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Deep within Yun Yun’s eyes, Gu Han noticed a faint and nearly imperceptible trace of weariness caused by days of relentless work.

A complicated emotion suddenly surged through her heart.

Ever since Yun Yun had taken over as Deputy Palace Master, she had handled everything throughout the Immortal Palace, from personnel assignments and resource distribution to external negotiations.

Even the procedures for opening and operating the Myriad-Phenomena Tower…

Every matter was exceedingly complicated, yet Yun Yun managed them all in perfect order.

Aside from occasionally making final decisions, Gu Han, the Palace Master, had truly become a hands-off manager most of the time.

She could cultivate in peace, drink tea while admiring the scenery, and even find time to travel to the Eastern Region and “pick up” a disciple.

Behind all this stability and smooth operation lay the countless efforts Yun Yun had poured into the Immortal Palace.

“Yun Yun.”

Gu Han suddenly spoke, her voice gentler than usual.

“Palace Master.”

Yun Yun turned slightly toward her and waited for her to continue.

Gu Han remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering her words.

Moonlight fell upon her silver-white hair, giving it a cool sheen while softening her ordinarily aloof features.

“You have worked hard these past few days.”

Gu Han’s voice was soft, yet every word reached Yun Yun clearly.

“The Immortal Palace has only just been established, and all manner of trivial affairs have fallen upon your shoulders alone.”

“Meanwhile, I, the Palace Master, have been able to enjoy a life of leisure.”

As she spoke, an extremely faint and apologetic smile curved her lips.

“Without you, forget leaving the palace. I fear I would not even be able to cultivate in peace.”

Yun Yun froze slightly, clearly not expecting Gu Han to suddenly say such things.

A warm current silently flowed through her heart, dispersing the slight exhaustion brought by her days of constant work.

She gently shook her head, and a soft, graceful smile appeared on her lips like an udumbara blossom opening beneath the moon.

“Palace Master, you give me too much credit.”

“Management and coordination have always been what I excel at.”

“It is my good fortune to receive your trust and be entrusted with such important responsibilities.”

“Besides, seeing the disciples so full of vitality and striving so diligently brings me fulfillment and joy as well. How could I call it hardship?”

She paused and looked toward the Myriad-Phenomena Tower standing silently in the distance, which now carried the hopes of the Immortal Palace’s future.

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“The trust and support you have given me are the foundation that allows me to put everything in order.”

“Without you overseeing the Immortal Palace, and without such a profound foundation and vast resources, whatever experience I possessed would make me no more than a tree without roots or duckweed without water.”

Her tone was calm and candid. There was not the slightest trace of arrogance or any attempt to claim credit, only a clear understanding of their current circumstances and sincere respect for Gu Han.

As Gu Han listened, her heart filled with admiration and gratitude.

She was grateful that the person summoned by the system was such an exceptionally capable, steady, perceptive, and reliable companion.

“No matter what, I still have to thank you.”

Gu Han spoke again, her tone even more earnest.

“With you here, I can rest assured.”

The words came out with complete naturalness, yet they carried more weight than any formal commendation.

Yun Yun turned to look at Gu Han.

“Palace Master, did you gain anything else from this journey to the Eastern Region?”

Her question was tactful, but Gu Han understood the concern behind it.

She was asking about matters related to Empress Qingxuan.

Gu Han pondered briefly and did not conceal the truth.

“Empress Qingxuan… has already reached the mid-stage of Immortal Ascension.”

“Moreover, she once left Canglan Continent and visited another world known as the Xuanhuang Continent.”

A trace of shock flashed through Yun Yun’s eyes.

The mid-stage of Immortal Ascension? Another world?

The information was undoubtedly astonishing.

“She mentioned a void node connecting the two worlds and said we could join forces to explore it in the future.”

Gu Han continued in a calm voice,

“But there is no hurry for now. We can make long-term plans after the Immortal Palace’s foundation has become more stable and the matter of the secret realm has been settled.”

Yun Yun absorbed the information and slowly nodded.

“Palace Master, your considerations are thorough.”

“Exploring another world may be tempting, but the dangers are unknown. We must make comprehensive preparations first.”

Gu Han turned her head and met Yun Yun’s concerned yet steadfastly supportive gaze, her heart filled with reassurance.

No matter how the winds and clouds shifted outside, and no matter where the future led, within the Immortal Palace, she had the person she trusted most.

“Indeed. We need to be fully prepared!”