Dragon roars echoed.
Phoenix cries resounded.
Two figures of light orbited the Ascension Pool, one of them continuously circling and dancing.
Suddenly, a fierce wind rose, and dark hair fluttered in the breeze.
"Hehe~"
The graceful figure standing in mid-air suddenly let out a soft laugh, then abruptly opened her eyes.
The next moment.
Two streaks of deep blue lightning burst forth from her eyes, striking the defensive barrier in the distance.
"Boom..."
The defensive barrier set up by a cultivator of the Earth Immortal Realm was exceptionally sturdy; the lightning explosion caused only a slight tremor before completely returning to its previous calm.
"She even understands lightning magic? Good, good, good~"
True Monarch Ruiying grew even more ecstatic at the sight, taking a sky-blue long dress and a brand-new undergarment from her storage Dharma Treasure and sending them over.
"Little friend, you had better put on your dress first, then come down and have a chat with me!"
A warm and serene voice suddenly sounded beside the ascendant, causing her to glance over in surprise.
Seeing that the other party was an elderly female cultivator of extraordinary bearing and graceful demeanor, the ascendant nodded with a smile, took the undergarment and dress, and quickly put them on.
The moon-white undergarment was passable enough, crafted from top-quality silk, but the sky-blue long dress was different—it was actually a complete set of Dharma Treasures.
"Junior Jiang Taizhen pays respects to Senior!"
After dressing, Jiang Runyue gracefully walked before the female cultivator and greeted her with a shy smile.
The elderly female cultivator smiled gently and said, "Little friend needn't be so formal. Ascendants are all proud and aloof by nature, and since you are not a disciple of our sect, there's no need to pay too much attention to etiquette."
Jiang Runyue shook her head and said solemnly, "Although Senior is unwilling to quibble with Junior, Senior is, after all, an enlightened master of the Dao, so Junior cannot afford to be too discourteous!"
"Haha~"
True Monarch Ruiying let out a hearty laugh, then flicked her crimson and purple sleeves, and the two of them instantly vanished.
The next moment, the two of them abruptly appeared inside a stone room.
"Instant movement? Or the Law of Space?"
Jiang Runyue forced down the shock in her heart and calmly looked around her surroundings.
The stone room was furnished extremely simply, containing only a stone lotus throne for meditation and four stone lotus everlasting lamps used for illumination.
"Sit!"
True Monarch Ruiying pointed mid-air, and a purple prayer mat appeared out of thin air not far from the stone lotus throne.
Jiang Runyue obediently crossed her legs and sat upon it.
"My Daoist name is Ruiying. May I ask from which world little friend ascended?"
True Monarch Ruiying also seated herself on the stone lotus throne, then looked at her with a smiling gaze and asked.
"Junior is not quite sure what the world she lived in before was specifically called; she only knows that the main continent of that world was named the Divine Land!"
"The Divine Land?"
True Monarch Ruiying murmured the name, then asked, "Does the little friend have any acquaintances in this realm? Or perhaps a familiar cultivation sect? This seat has a bit of meager standing and might be able to provide you with some appropriate help in this regard!"
Jiang Runyue shook her head and smiled bitterly, "Reporting to Senior, Junior came here all alone and has neither acquaintances nor familiar cultivation sects!"
Upon hearing this, True Monarch Ruiying felt a surge of joy in her heart.
"Little friend, since you were able to ascend here from a lesser chiliocosm, your innate talent and aptitude go without saying, but the waters of the Tianyun Realm are unfathomable. A single misstep could lead to complete destruction!"
Hearing this, Jiang Runyue's heart skipped a beat.
"The Tianyun Realm, also known as the Great Tianyun World, consists of four continents and five oceans, forming an endless and boundless expanse spanning billions of miles!"
"The four continents are East Tianzhou, West Buddha Realm, South Wilderness, and North Barbarian."
"Among them, East Tianzhou belongs to the sphere of influence of the Daoist Sect, West Buddha Realm belongs to the Buddhist Sect, the South Wilderness takes various sects of the Demonic Cult as supreme, and the North Barbarian is the world of the demon and barbarian clans. Each continent is vast beyond measure."
After introducing the general geography of the Tianyun Realm, True Monarch Ruiying continued, "Across this boundless territory, countless living beings are nurtured. Although humans remain the protagonists of this world, there are also many powerhouses among the demon, barbarian, and sea clans who can rival the top human cultivators!"
"Top human cultivators?"
Jiang Runyue asked cautiously, "May I ask, Senior, how are the cultivation realms of the Tianyun Realm divided? Are the demon, barbarian, and sea clan cultivators the same as humans?"
True Monarch Ruiying gave her a deep look and said leisurely, "The human cultivation realms in this realm are generally divided into six major realms: Qi Refining, Golden Core, Primordial Spirit, Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, and Golden Immortal. The realms of the demon and barbarian clans, as well as the sea clans, are similar, comprising six realms: Lesser Demon, Demon Soldier, Great Demon, Demon King, Heavenly Demon, and Demon God."
"Then there are the various sects of the Demonic Cult in the South Wilderness. Although they also belong to human cultivators, they neither worship the Three Pure Ones nor respect the Buddha, believing only in the Outer Heavenly Demon Kings. Their personalities are evil, their methods bizarre, and they are cruelly tyrannical and fickle. Their hazard level is even far greater than that of the demon and barbarian clans."
"Little Friend Jiang, this seat observes that your Primordial Spirit is clear and bright, your spiritual charm is aloof and pure, and your vital energy is unblemished. The techniques you cultivate should belong to the Daoist Sect, right?"
Jiang Runyue hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "When Junior was in the lower realm, she was fortunate enough to obtain two cultivation techniques. One is called the Taiyin Spirit Refining Method, and the other is called the General Outline of the Divine Firmament Demon-Refining Thunder Mansion!"
"It was precisely by relying on these two cultivation techniques that Junior was able to ascend to the Tianyun Realm!"
"The Taiyin Spirit Refining Method?" True Monarch Ruiying's voice suddenly rose several octaves as she looked at her in astonishment and asked, "You actually know our sect's core technique?"
Finished speaking, she suddenly came to a realization: "That's right, if you didn't understand the Taiyin Spirit Refining Method, how else would you have ascended to my place? After all, among the major sects of the Tianyun Realm, there are eight or nine thousand Ascension Pools!"
With that, True Monarch Ruiying looked sternly at Jiang Runyue and said solemnly, "Little friend, this seat is True Monarch Ruiying of the Taiyin Sect. Would you be willing to take me as your master?"
What else could Jiang Runyue say to this?
She immediately stood up, knelt down with utmost obedience, bowed deeply, and said, "Disciple Jiang Taizhen pays respects to Master. Wishing Master longevity matching the heavens and eternal fortune in immortality!"
After bowing nine consecutive times, the master-disciple relationship between the two was established. True Monarch Ruiying hurriedly helped her up and said with a beaming smile, "Good disciple, from today onward, you are my final disciple. Come, take these Dharma Treasures first; they are my greeting gifts to you!"
She shoved a brocade pouch, an immortal sword, a small banner, a bronze mirror, a phoenix-headed hairpin, and a bracelet all at once into Jiang Runyue's arms.
"You have just ascended, so you must be lacking in Dharma Treasures and flying swords. These treasures are all my collections over a thousand years, and every single one of them is a rare and precious item!"
Jiang Runyue: "..."
Goodness gracious, is this the generosity of a top-tier bigwig?
Giving away a huge gift package the moment she takes a disciple?
"Oh, that's right, good disciple, take good care of this jade slip. Inside, you will find not only the orthodox Daoist Taiyin Spirit Refining Method, but also the matching offensive technique."
"The Lunar God-Slaying!"
Holding the Dharma Treasure flying sword and the jade slip in both hands, Jiang Runyue respectfully said, "Thank you, Master, for bestowing treasures and techniques!"
"Hahaha, good disciple, don't be so constrained. Although Master is elderly, she is still very open-minded!"
Jiang Runyue pursed her lips and smiled gently.
Having newly arrived in the Tianyun Realm where everything was still unclear, developing with a low profile and enduring in silence was currently what best served her own interests.