Chapter 567: The Future of Formation Peak

Inside the Star Pivot Hall, the atmosphere felt as if it had solidified.

Xuanheng slowly rose from the obsidian main seat that symbolized the highest authority of Formation Peak. His deep-blue wide robe hung lightly in the windless hall, and he exuded a calm as unfathomable as an abyss.

He did not immediately approach Su Ming. Instead he turned his back on his newly formed Core disciple. His gaze fell upon the deep of the hall, fixed on the ancient formation lines inlaid on the stone walls that shimmered with a cold light. Those formation lines were the painstaking crystallizations of wisdom left behind by generations of Formation Peak sages, and one of the foundations that kept the Cloud Hidden Sect standing firm in the Northern Frontier.

Silence stretched for a full ten breaths.

During those ten breaths, Su Ming maintained a respectful standing posture, eyes down, steady as a statue; even his breathing did not change by the slightest fraction.

He quickly ran calculations inside his mind. If Master raised the topic of "successor" at this moment and he accepted, he would instantly become the target of everyone's scrutiny. Not only would other peaks within the sect turn a watchful eye toward him, but currents of dissent could also stir within Formation Peak itself.

But being named the Peak Master successor would mean he could rightfully mobilize Formation Peak’s—and even Cloud Hidden Sect’s—vast resources. He would no longer have to scrimp and count every Void Stone.

His greatest current trump cards were his flawless defensive formation path and Master Xuanheng’s absolute trust. As long as he did not leave the Formation Peak, he was safe.

Just as Su Ming’s thoughts spun like lightning, Xuanheng suddenly spoke.

“Who do you think should be the next Peak Master of Formation Peak?”

The question was abrupt, yet heavy as Mount Tai.

Su Ming did not answer immediately. In a place like the Star Pivot Hall, any line spoken without deep thought could trigger unpredictable consequences. He chose silence to express his reverence and caution.

Xuanheng did not seem to expect an answer from Su Ming. He spoke on by himself, his voice echoing through the vast hall with an incisive chill that seemed to dissect everything.

“Ling Shuang’s path is in the sword; her heart cannot hold the mundane complexities of Formation Peak’s affairs. Qin Yi’s path is in beasts; he prefers the company of spirit beasts.” Xuanheng’s tone did not fluctuate, as if he were stating an objective formation principle. “Luo Feng’s innate talent is indeed higher than yours, even ranking among the top three of disciples in Cloud Hidden Sect’s history. But he cannot govern himself, let alone manage the hundreds or thousands of disciples at Formation Peak.”

Xuanheng turned slowly, his abyssal eyes fixing straight on Su Ming.

“Of the four, only you have walked the path of management.”

Xuanheng’s gaze seemed to pierce Su Ming’s soul. “You rebuilt the Repair Hall from nothing. From establishing those tedious but effective procedures, to balancing the interests of the menial posts and outer sect disciples, to now running it smoothly without a single incident.”

He stepped forward, his voice growing weighty. “Formation Peak does not need the strongest fighter as Peak Master, nor does it need a madman who wants to blow everything up. Formation Peak needs the steadiest Peak Master.”

Su Ming kept his eyes down. Beneath his purple robe his fingers curled slightly. He still did not speak.

Xuanheng’s declaration was neither a sentimental entrusting nor a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Su Ming stayed silent for several breaths, until he was certain his emotions were restrained to an absolutely rational level, then he slowly spoke.

“Master.” Su Ming’s voice was soft but exceptionally clear. “I have only reached early Golden Core. Formation Peak has elders who are Nascent Soul stage. With my current cultivation and experience, even with your decree, I cannot win their obedience.”

This was the most realistic issue. In the cultivation world, strength is paramount. A cultivator at early Golden Core commanding a group of far stronger old masters would be a pipe dream.

Xuanheng’s tone remained even, but his words carried great weight: “I am not asking you to take it now.”

He turned again and walked toward the obsidian seat. “Fifty years, a hundred years, I can wait. You do not need to prove anything to those elders. You only need to walk your path well and solidify your Dao foundation.”

Xuanheng sat back on the main seat, his gaze like a beacon. “When you reach Nascent Soul, push this stone gate of the Star Pivot Hall with your own hands.”

Su Ming’s mind jolted violently.

Those words were equivalent to giving him an absolute protective talisman. Before Nascent Soul, Xuanheng would be the sky over his head that would never fall.

He inhaled deeply, placed his hands steadily together at his front, then performed a deep, solemn bow.

“I will not let Master down.”

Su Ming’s response lacked sentimentality and carried only the simplest, most earnest promise. But he knew what he was taking on: a weighty trust and a path strewn with thorns.

Deep in his Consciousness Sea, from the quietly maintained Xuantian ring within, a disdainful snort suddenly came.

Lin Yu’s faint-blue soul body rolled its eyes inside the ring space, then muttered viciously in a voice only Su Ming could hear: “A Foundation Establishment weed who just hides and survives, practically wanting to bury himself in the earth, is now being appointed as Peak Master. Is Formation Peak in Cloud Hidden Sect really out of people? Picking a turtle as the leader—maybe they should just rename Formation Peak to Tortoise Peak.”

That sudden bit of levity in an extremely solemn scene instantly shattered the faint heaviness that had just arisen in Su Ming’s heart.

Su Ming calmly replied in his mind, “Master, I will take that as praise. Living long like a turtle is the highest realm of the Way of Survival.”

Lin Yu was momentarily silenced, the luster on his soul body flickering twice, and he snorted in a petulant tone: “Shut up. Don’t act cute after getting a bargain.”

In reality, Su Ming’s expression did not change at all.

Xuanheng watched Su Ming’s bow and nodded with satisfaction. He lifted his right hand and slowly grasped at the void.

“Humm—”

Spiritual energy quickly converged around them. A simple, antiquely scented green jade slip condensed in the air, then floated gently toward Su Ming.

Su Ming took the jade slip respectfully with both hands, feeling the warm, gentle spiritual power it emitted.

“Golden Core Third Turning—this is the complete Golden Core Third Turning technique from the sect.” Xuanheng explained, “First Turning stabilizes the Dao foundation, Second Turning purifies spiritual energy, Third Turning opens the Consciousness Sea and allows the Golden Core to reflect. Each turning is a transformative rebirth.”

He looked at Su Ming with a trace of severity in his tone. “Your Dao foundation, although mended with the Heaven-Mending Pill and broken through to Golden Core, still has fissures. The coursework of the First Turning must be done immediately. This technique must not be passed on.”

“I understand.” Su Ming solemnly placed the jade slip into his storage pouch. This was a priceless top-tier cultivation method; with it, his Golden Core stage cultivation road would become smooth and unobstructed.