Cultivating Disciples to Breakthrough

Forgetting his original objective of informing his friends about his breakthrough to the Domain Lord Realm, Peng Yun found himself wandering around the Star Shattering Sect with a somewhat lost expression on his face as he observed the current state of the sect. Surprised at the increased number of Domain Lord Realm cultivators that he saw wandering around the sect, but even more than the Domain Lord Realm cultivators, he was shocked at the Soul Ascension Realm cultivators that could now also be seen wandering around the sect.

Not just one or two, but he had at least seen a dozen Soul Ascension Realm cultivators during his short time moving from his secluded courtyard to the library of the sect, something that made him more and more certain that his secluded cultivation had lasted longer than the year he had first believed it to have lasted. After all, it was only if that was the case that he could understand why the overall strength of the sect had suddenly experienced such an increase in strength.

Unfortunately, this idea didn’t last for long, as he soon confirmed that he had only been in secluded cultivation for a year after mindlessly asking one of the disciples standing in front of the sect library about the current date.

However, there was one positive to this revelation and that was the fact that he managed to learn about the reason for the large number of Soul Ascension Realm cultivators now present in the sect.

Wandering cultivators.

All of them were former wandering cultivators who had been recruited by Xuan Hao not much different from how he had been recruited to join the sect in the past. Minus being beaten up.

Although this did somewhat ease his thoughts as he realized that he hadn’t been left behind by the rest of the sect’s elders, it still made him feel somewhat uneasy learning about the presence of so many Soul Ascension Realm cultivators that had recently joined the sect. Understanding that his current position would inevitably end up lowering with time as these wandering cultivators managed to fully integrate into the sect like he had done in the past.

The reason being that the overall level of elders of the sect would once again increase when that time came, likely rising all the way from the Domain Lord Realm to the Soul Ascension Realm.

Meaning… If he wanted to ensure that his position as an elder of the sect remained secure in the future, he would have to reach the Soul Ascension Realm before those wandering cultivators managed to fully integrate into the sect, something that would likely only take a few years to happen given what he had personally experienced as someone being recruited to join the Star Shattering Sect.

”Reaching the Soul Ascension Realm… I doubt I will be able to do so in such a short time after having just recently broken through to the Domain Lord Realm…” Muttering this to himself as he looked into the library in the distance where a constant stream of both elders and disciples could be seen entering and leaving, Peng Yun suddenly felt that his breakthrough to the Domain Lord Realm wasn’t as impressive as he had first believed it to be.

In the grand scheme of things, he was still far from strong enough now that he was part of a large power like the Star Shattering Sect...

However, one thing that did somewhat make him feel a bit better was the fact that he could clearly see a few familiar Domain Lord Realm and Nascent Soul Realm Elders almost rushing into the library to visit the Dao Enlightenment Monument. Clearly feeling the pressure from the Soul Ascension Realm cultivators who had recently joined the sect.

”But… If I can’t rely on my cultivation to keep my position in the future, I can always fall back on my alchemy… Yes… My alchemy is unique and isn’t something anyone else can replicate.” Almost whispering this as if to reassure himself, Peng Yun’s somewhat confused gaze became a bit more confident, his gaze drifting away from the stream of people entering and leaving the library, as it instead turned towards the alchemy hall in the distance.

Yes, he wasn’t someone who only had his cultivation to rely on, he was ultimately an alchemist, and his cultivation could be considered secondary to his unique insights into the Dao of Alchemy!

Feeling even more confident as his thoughts continued wandering, Peng Yun decided to not continue into the library like the rest of the Domain Lord Realm Elders he had seen on his path. Instead, he turned and left in the direction of the alchemy hall. Intending to place more focus on increasing his comprehension of the Dao of Alchemy in the future.

His original goal of becoming a powerful cultivator and focus on solely focusing on his cultivation after having broken through to the Domain Lord Realm disappearing upon the discovery that he was nowhere close to the top when it came to the strength of the elders in the sect.

If the other elders only included those in the Domain Lord Realm, he might have felt confident, but now that there was a sudden influx of new cultivators in the Soul Ascension Realm and even a few in the Dao Seed Realm, he completely gave up on joining the rest of the sect elders in competing for future Core Elder or Grand Elder positions.

Even if he could potentially get a Core Elder position with his current strength in the Domain Lord Realm, he also understood that he likely wouldn’t be able to keep it for more than a few years, as those wandering cultivators would inevitably be promoted from guest elders to real elders like he had been in the past.

And though tempting to hold a Core Elder position, even if only for a short time, Peng Yun felt his energy would be better spent focusing his attention on the alchemy hall of the sect. Using his expertise when it came to alchemy to climb up the ladder of the alchemy hall and establish himself as a core figure of the alchemy hall.

After all, he still felt quite confident in his alchemy…