Chapter 194 - 119: Really Becoming a Celestial Pride

For a Huajin to slay a Pill Force expert was exceedingly difficult!

Yet, Zhang Su had done it.

In any Sect, such a feat would be enough to be recorded in the annals of its history.

"Embracing Pill! HAHAHA, Embracing Pill! Good, this is wonderful! The Guiyuan Sect has produced another Celestial Pride! Two Celestial Prides in our Sect! Only during our most glorious golden age did we ever have two such great Celestial Prides at once!"

Sect Leader Meng Shouzhen threw his head back and laughed.

He was always a composed man.

As the Sect Leader of the Guiyuan Sect, he had to maintain his dignity and composure at all times.

But now, he couldn’t care less about his image.

He was filled with utter elation.

Meng Shouzhen hadn’t been this happy in a very long time.

In recent years, the Guiyuan Sect’s position among the Three Sects had actually become somewhat awkward.

The Five Elements Sect had the Celestial Pride Shi Buyi, and Medicine Valley had the Celestial Pride Lu Danxi.

The Guiyuan Sect had its own Celestial Pride, Yu Hualong, but he had already lost a fight against Shi Buyi. This had been a huge blow to the Sect’s morale.

After all, Shi Buyi was still very young.

The fact that Yu Hualong, whom the Guiyuan Sect had poured all its resources into nurturing, was no match for Shi Buyi—didn’t that mean the Guiyuan Sect was doomed to be suppressed by the Five Elements Sect for decades to come?

This had always been a worry weighing on Meng Shouzhen’s mind.

But now, things were different. Zhang Su had risen.

With two Celestial Prides in the Sect, this grand state of affairs was enough for the Guiyuan Sect to finally hold its head high among the Three Sects.

At this moment, however, someone raised an objection.

"Wait, Sect Leader, what was that? Zhang Su is a Celestial Pride now? That can’t be right. The appointment of a Sect’s Celestial Pride requires a discussion between us—the Ten Great Martial Vein Masters—and the rest of the Elders..."

The one who spoke was an Elder from Thousand Mechanism Peak.

It wasn’t that he had a problem with Zhang Su, but that a Sect’s Celestial Pride needed to be designated according to the Sect’s rules.

"Besides, aren’t Celestial Prides always chosen from among the True Disciples? Back then, Yu Hualong also became our Guiyuan Sect’s Celestial Pride only after he cultivated his Inner Strength and was promoted to a True Disciple!"

"That’s right. Even if Zhang Su is truly exceptionally talented, we should wait until he is promoted to a True Disciple before discussing whether to make him a Sect’s Celestial Pride."

A few more Elders chimed in with their agreement.

Their words were not without reason.

The Guiyuan Sect was founded hundreds of years ago. Throughout its history, nearly all Celestial Prides had emerged from the ranks of True Disciples.

This was both custom and tradition.

Right now, Zhang Su was just an Inner Sect Disciple, not even a True Disciple. To be named a Celestial Pride just like that?

This seemed to go against regulations.

The Ten Great Martial Vein Masters and the numerous Elders all turned their gazes toward Meng Shouzhen.

A Sect’s Celestial Pride was too important.

The interests of the entire Sect were at stake.

Even as Sect Leader, he couldn’t make such a decision unilaterally.

It had to be discussed by the Ten Great Martial Vein Masters and the many Elders together.

Even Zhang Su was surprised.

’I remember I’ve only completed the first part of the Celestial Pride Trial the Sect Leader gave me.’

’There should still be a second part to the trial.’

’Why is the Sect Leader already calling me a Celestial Pride?’

Although Zhang Su was confident, he was not arrogant.

He knew what being a Celestial Pride meant.

It was the strongest disciple that the Sect would pour all its resources into cultivating, the core figure who would lead the Sect in the future.

’For an Inner Sect Disciple like me, whose Cultivation has only just reached the Embracing Pill stage, to suddenly be made a Celestial Pride... it’s a bit hard to justify.’

But since Meng Shouzhen had said it, he must have his reasons.

Zhang Su didn’t interrupt, quietly standing in the center of the great hall and waiting.

Meng Shouzhen glanced at the Ten Great Martial Vein Masters and the many Elders, gradually calming his own turbulent emotions.

A faint smile on his face, he slowly began to speak, "Elders, a Sect’s Celestial Pride is indeed usually chosen from among the True Disciples. But don’t forget, there is another path to becoming one—the Celestial Pride Trial!"

The Celestial Pride Trial.

The moment those four words were spoken, the murmuring in the great hall immediately subsided.

The Celestial Pride Trial was a special path established by the Guiyuan Sect for those disciples who were exceptionally talented but lacked seniority.

As long as one passed the Celestial Pride Trial, regardless of their age or Cultivation level, they could be directly promoted to a Celestial Pride.

This was a rule set by the founding ancestor, and no one could question it.

After all, some geniuses could not be measured by common sense.

"Zhang Su applied for the Celestial Pride Trial as soon as he returned from Hengshan County. The first part of the trial was a test of his Cultivation speed: to reach the Embracing Pill stage within two years. Zhang Su has already completed it. He took less than seven months to achieve Embracing Pill!"

Meng Shouzhen’s voice echoed in the great hall.

"As for the second part of the Celestial Pride Trial, it’s a test of his combat prowess: to defeat a Gang Force Martial Artist while at the Pill Force level. Given Zhang Su’s previous feat of slaying a Pill Force expert as a Huajin, how difficult do you think this second part of the trial will be for him?"

This question stumped everyone.

That’s right. Zhang Su could slay a Pill Force expert when he was at the Huajin stage.

Now that he had reached Pill Force, would defeating a Gang Force Martial Artist really be that difficult for him?

Of course it wouldn’t be difficult.

The gap between Pill Force and Gang Force was indeed huge.

But no matter how large that gap was, it couldn’t be larger than the chasm between Huajin and Pill Force.

For someone who could slay a Pill Force expert while at the Huajin stage, defeating a Gang Force martial artist after reaching Pill Force didn’t seem like an impossible feat.

"Once he completes both parts of the Celestial Pride Trial, he can directly become a Sect’s Celestial Pride! What’s more, Zhang Su will be an Inner Sect Celestial Pride!"

"In all the years of the Guiyuan Sect’s history, Celestial Prides are not uncommon. But Inner Sect Celestial Prides... in our entire history, there have only been three! And those three ancestors all led our Guiyuan Sect to its Peak!"

As Meng Shouzhen spoke, his tone became solemn.

The weight of those four words, "Inner Sect Celestial Pride," was far heavier than that of a regular Celestial Pride.

A regular Celestial Pride was chosen from among the True Disciples.

They had enough seniority and had accumulated enough experience; becoming a Celestial Pride was a natural progression for them.