Chapter 1006: Chapter 974: Honored Guest Elder

The appearance of Shui Wuyue was undoubtedly striking, instantly causing a group of disciples from the Heaven Mending Saint Realm to bow their heads, not daring to meet their gaze.

When they landed, Shui Wuyue put away the Jade Hairpin Spiritual Treasure, revealed a faint smile, and greeted Lu Ping, saying, "Lu Daoist, it’s been over ten years since we last met, and you’ve advanced further, with your cultivation breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Stage. Congratulations."

"Elder Shui." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Facing Shui Wuyue’s greeting, Lu Ping smiled faintly.

Lu Ping held great respect in his heart for the sect leader of the Heaven Mending Saint Realm.

More than a decade ago, to resolve the influence of the Heart-removing Curse on Li Zhilu, Lu Ping had, under the introduction of the Void Celestial Extreme Saint, come with his wife to the Heaven Mending Saint Realm seeking Shui Wuyue’s help.

Back then, Shui Wuyue was generous and selfless, helping without asking for anything in return, lifting the Heart-removing Curse on Li Zhi and restoring Li Zhilu to his original state, which greatly helped Lu Ping.

Therefore, regardless of whether the Heaven Mending Saint Realm would invite Lu Ping to handle any matter or agree to it, as long as Shui Wuyue asked, Lu Ping would strive to give help within his capabilities.

"Lu Daoist, could we speak for a moment? I’ll help you use the teleportation array later." Shui Wuyue invited.

Lu Ping slowly nodded and followed Shui Wuyue to the Sect Hall.

After the two were seated as guest and host and exchanged a few polite greetings, Shui Wuyue got straight to the point, "This time, I invited you over to ask if you’d be interested in taking the position of an Honored Guest Elder at our Heaven Mending Saint Realm?"

"Honored Guest Elder..."

Lu Ping’s expression changed slightly, as he had somewhat predicted that Shui Wuyue would extend this olive branch.

An Honored Guest Elder, to put it plainly, is like a hired hand for a sect.

Honored Guest Elders can receive stipends from the sect, perform sect tasks to earn merit, and exchange merit for cultivation resources while being sheltered by the sect.

Compared to Elders, their stipends and position within the sect aren’t as high, nor do they hold actual power in the sect, which are its drawbacks.

To realize the same benefits and status as an Elder, one must join the sect and officially become a sect member.

The benefit of being an Honored Guest Elder lies in receiving a stipend backed by a sect and a certain degree of shelter, but they must always be subject to the sect’s summon to serve the sect.

Generally speaking, unless the sect is in critical danger or faces a difficult situation, it won’t summon Honored Guest Elders for action.

Thus, serving as an Honored Guest Elder offers freedom to come and go without constraint, as long as one doesn’t violate sect rules or engage in immoral activities within the sect.

Being an Honored Guest Elder at the Heaven Mending Saint Realm is a coveted position for many cultivators in the Central Ancestral Realm.

Lu Ping was aware of its value.

Seeing Lu Ping seemingly considering it, Shui Wuyue elaborated on the benefits of accepting the position, verbally expressing more sincerity.

"As an Honored Guest Elder of our sect, with your Divinity Transformation Stage cultivation level, Lu Daoist, you can receive a yearly stipend of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. These stipends can be exchanged for an equivalent amount of merit, which can be used to enjoy the same resource exchange privileges as the sect’s elders."

"Within the sect, you can freely access our literature and archives, and externally, you can present yourself with the identity of an Honored Guest Elder from our sect, receiving our sect’s protection."

Shui Wuyue’s offer was sincere. The Heaven Mending Saint Realm currently had three Honored Guest Elders, with strengths ranging from the Golden Core Stage to the Fifth-Layer Nascent Soul, with stipends determined by strength.

At the Golden Core Stage, it’s ten thousand Spirit Stones per year, and at the Nascent Soul Stage, it’s thirty thousand.

Lu Ping’s stipend of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones a year was already quite high.

Achieving the Golden Core Stage grants a lifespan of five hundred years, the Nascent Soul Stage a thousand years, and the Divinity Transformation Stage around three thousand years. With health cultivation techniques, longevity can be slightly extended.

Accumulating stipends yearly could amount to a significant sum over ten or a hundred years, providing stability and freedom. Spending a decade in secluded cultivation could still yield Spirit Stone income, which is naturally beneficial.

The key is that as the second-largest force in the Central Ancestral Realm, the Heaven Mending Saint Realm’s deep foundation holds a vast amount of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, Divine Techniques, and ancient secretive cultivation texts.

Deciding to join the Heaven Mending Saint Realm is hardly a matter of debate. One wouldn’t face any restrictions and could still establish their sect or family, freely coming and going.

After conversing for a while, Lu Ping nodded and agreed.

With the favor from Shui Wuyue and the stature of the Heaven Mending Saint Realm as the second-largest sect in the Central Ancestral Realm, there was naturally no reason to refuse.

Seeing Lu Ping readily agree, Shui Wuyue’s smile deepened, and she took out a pre-prepared identity token, handing it to Lu Ping.

This Honored Guest Elder identity token already contained ten thousand merits, which Lu Ping could now use to exchange for resources.

Additionally, Shui Wuyue informed Lu Ping that, as an Honored Guest Elder, he could freely use the teleportation array of the Heaven Mending Saint Realm.

This was considered a privilege, as other disciples had to pay and queue to use it.

After joining the Heaven Mending Saint Realm, Shui Wuyue spread the news throughout the sect, drawing no small amount of attention to Lu Ping.

On the same day, under Shui Wuyue’s personal escort, Lu Ping headed to the teleportation array area. Shui Wuyue watched as Lu Ping used the teleportation array to return to Lingxi State.

Within the teleportation array, as the array’s light rose, Lu Ping’s figure disappeared, instantly transmitted and vanished into the void.

Beside Shui Wuyue, an elder with a ruddy complexion, appearing in his sixties or seventies, remarked calmly, "This Lu Daoist hails from Lingxi State, a remote and wild land, yet it produced such an outstanding individual. I suspect he must have some hidden secrets and a remarkable foundation."

Shui Wuyue’s expression remained extremely calm upon hearing this, her elegant brows slightly furrowed as she spoke, "As for Elder Lu’s background and secrets, neither of us should offend him."

Upon saying this, she gave a meaningful glance at White Crane Ridge.

"Both of us have cultivated for centuries to reach this Divinity Transformation Stage. Besides talent, hard work, and opportunities, who doesn’t have some secrets?"

"You shouldn’t mention this to outsiders in the future to avoid someone using it to incite conflict between you and Elder Lu."

"Indeed, indeed."

White Crane smiled wryly, as it was merely an expression.

Having cultivated to the Divinity Transformation Stage, he was also quite savvy and naturally knew not to offend Lu Ping, wary of the Void Celestial Extreme Saint behind Lu Ping.

Among Divinity Transformation Stage cultivators, unless there’s a severe enmity needing resolution through battle, they rarely engage in conflict, often engaging in secluded cultivation with little discord.

Lu Ping was, of course, unaware of the conversation between Shui Wuyue and White Crane Ridge. As the scenery changed before his eyes and he focused, he found himself already in another teleportation array.

This was indeed where the Heaven-Facing Sect’s teleportation array was located.