Looking at the dense crowd of disciples ahead, Aotian and Rihai exchanged glances.

Shrugging, the two flew up and moved toward the front of the crowd, soaring above everyone's heads while being pointed at by disciples and receiving admiring looks.

What the couple did wasn't arrogance. With their identities as core disciples, it was natural and even expected for them to be at the front. Even the discreet Cang Song couldn't avoid that, and he was already there when they arrived.

Of course, being who he was, Cang Song would never do something ostentatious like flying over the crowd. Nor would he emerge dramatically from underground.

No, just as expected of him, he chose the most complicated — and, in a way, the most discreet — route: walking through the crowd with his head lowered, apologizing at every step.

Aotian and his wife soon reached the front and joined the other inner disciples, whose numbers had greatly increased over the last month.

The top three of each of the ten pavilion competitions had already become core disciples of the sect. After reassessing their character and finding no issues, Aotian promoted them without hesitation.

There was no limit to the number of direct disciples an elder could have, and with so many elders available, there was no reason to hesitate in promoting and focusing cultivation on so many promising talents.

At the front of the crowd, the arrival of Rihai and Aotian quickly drew everyone's attention.

But before they could even land properly, Aotian was suddenly struck by two small shadows.

"Brother Aotian!!"

Two energetic, childish voices shouted as he felt his arms grabbed and shaken by two lively little girls.

They were Lin Xiaoxue and Bai Jingjing.

The first, an outgoing girl who had known Aotian and Rihai for quite some time; the second, someone whose life Aotian had saved by taking her to be treated for a severe poisoning, and who held deep gratitude toward him. Being Xiaoxue's best friend, Bai Jingjing had spent much time with him and Rihai, becoming quite close to them.

"Hey, you two little girls, how are you?" Aotian smiled and, freeing his hands, affectionately ruffled their hair.

"Good!" they shouted together.

Both closed their eyes, smiling cutely and enjoying his affection, which amused him even more.

Especially Xiaoxue. When he patted her head using his avatar, Elder Zhao, she would usually puff out her cheeks in irritation at being treated like a child. But when he did it with his real body, she never complained — in fact, she quite liked it.

'Haah… beautiful people really are treated differently,' Aotian thought, amused.

Even without any inappropriate thoughts, little girls like them loved being around a kind and handsome older brother.

He was about to say something when two new voices sounded beside him.

"Junior/Senior Brother Long, Junior/Senior Sister Liu."

Xiao Ling and Bai Yan, who had been accompanying the girls before they ran ahead, approached and cupped their fists in greeting.

"Senior Sister Xiao, Junior Brother Bai." Aotian and Rihai also cupped their fists and politely returned the greeting.

After the greetings, Xiao Ling remained silently beside them, while Bai Yan occasionally glanced at her — but unfortunately, he was completely ignored.

His interest wasn't a secret, but Xiao Ling seemed to have no desire for romantic involvement at the moment.

Aotian was about to start a conversation when he felt his sleeve being tugged.

Stolen novel; please report.

Turning his head, he saw a lovely little girl with white hair, looking like a porcelain doll, staring at him in confusion.

"Brother Aotian, do you know what a Path Sermon Assembly is?" Bai Jingjing asked, her large, pure eyes shining with curiosity.

Her question immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby, including Cang Song, Hui Lang, Qing Huo, and other nearby core disciples.

Aotian, aside from being the strongest disciple in the sect, was also the most mysterious. No one knew which pavilion he belonged to or who his master was. Rumors abounded — some said he was the sect leader's illegitimate son, others that he was his direct disciple — but nothing had been confirmed over the past year, only deepening the mystery.

It wasn't as if Lin Xiaoxue hadn't already asked that dozens of times, but Aotian always replied only with an amused smile.

In truth, the only disciple who knew the truth was Rihai. Aotian wasn't anyone's disciple — he was the young master of the sect.

But because of that mysterious identity within the sect, when Bai Jingjing asked her question, everyone immediately paid attention, expecting some revelation.

At that moment, another couple landed — the final core disciples to arrive: Lei Yun and Mu Luyin, who had also become core disciples in recent months. After a light greeting, they too turned their attention to Aotian, curious.

Aotian sighed softly before answering.

"Well, everyone must have some idea of what today's gathering is about, right?" he asked first.

"Would it be about… guidance on cultivation realms?" Bai Yan asked, his tone hesitant and confused.

In other places, that assumption might make sense, but in the Infinite Dao Sect, cultivation techniques were extremely detailed and powerful. It was rare for anyone to have doubts about the cultivation process itself, or any bottleneck. And if they did, all they needed was to seek out an available elder.

If that assembly were merely for that purpose, it would be disappointing — a waste of time. And considering that the elders had declared attendance mandatory for this first assembly, and strongly recommended participation in all future ones, everyone expected something far more significant.

For days, they had all waited anxiously for this event, believing the sect would never hold something so trivial.

Seeing everyone's expressions and thoughts, Aotian shook his head slightly, amused.

In the crowd, the only one who didn't look disappointed by such a possibility — and in fact seemed rather expectant — was Lei Yun, who understood that cultivation wasn't as simple as most believed.

"Well, you're right. This assembly is indeed about the path of cultivation…" he began to explain, but then seemed to notice something and shifted his gaze toward the stage in front of the crowd. "Well, the elder has arrived, and you'll understand in a moment, so I won't say anything else."

As his voice faded, everyone turned their attention to the elder standing at the center of the stage — a man with black hair and white temples, bearing a serious yet scholarly appearance.

It was Wen Tai, the inner elder of the Heritage Pavilion, chosen by Aotian as the most suitable instructor to lead this assembly, thanks to his powerful Position Bonus, which had been further enhanced after the sect's level increased.

[Name: Wén Tài (Meaning: Literary Harmony) Position: Elder of the Heritage Pavilion Cultivation: Nascent Soul Perfection (1 major realm above the host [inactive]) Body Cultivation: Nascent Soul Perfection (1 major realm above the host [inactive]) Position Ability: Sage of Knowledge Position Bonus: Gift of Teaching (Knowledge Transmission increased 3x → 4x)]

Smiling kindly at the thousands of disciples, who all bowed respectfully at his appearance, Wen Tai waved his hand.

"Rise, rise," he said in a friendly tone, without arrogance, his voice projecting clearly across the vast crowd. "I know many of you are confused about the purpose of this assembly, but first, I want you to do something."

Everyone watched him curiously, unsure of what he meant.

"First, step about one meter away from the disciples around you, take out the individual mats the sect instructed you to bring, and sit down."

Though confused, everyone followed the instructions and did as the elder commanded.

After a few minutes, Wen Tai observed with satisfaction that the sea of people now looked more organized and composed.

"Very good. Now, allow me to explain what the Path Sermon Assembly truly is. Or, for you to better understand, we could even call it by another name…"

His words immediately captured the disciples' attention, all of them completely focused on him, curiosity clear in their eyes.

"But before I mention another name, which would only confuse you further, it's better that I first explain what it truly means."

"When I speak of a path, I believe most of you immediately associate it with the path of cultivation. But the path… is not merely cultivation. Or rather, cultivation isn't just about sitting in a cave and filling your dantians and roots with energy while advancing through realms."

His calm, almost hypnotic voice flowed smoothly, causing the disciples' minds to become more focused and receptive. His words seemed to pierce directly into their consciousness, etched clearly without a single detail being lost.

Even so, his words also caused confusion, which Wen Tai noticed and addressed with serenity.

"Surprised, aren't you? Well, that is precisely the purpose of this sermon: for you to understand what true cultivation is. For without knowing the very path you walk, you may one day discover too late that you've been walking toward a cliff — and are about to fall."

"There is much to be said, and much that you must understand. So, it's best to start from the beginning, before we move on to what the path truly is."

"In the beginning, we have those born with the predisposition to walk the path of immortality. These are those born with spiritual roots…"

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