More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye. After becoming an elder of the Flying Cloud Sect, Zhang Ling visited a high-ranking cultivator in the sect every few days. Befriending these Flying Cloud Sect elders was naturally to inquire about the secret method of condensing Cloud Devouring Stones, that Cloud Gathering Art.
Finally, he confirmed with Elder Yang that the Flying Cloud Sect indeed possessed this secret method, but even these Golden Core elders rarely qualified to practice it.
Firstly, this secret method was a core technique of the Flying Cloud Sect, and cultivation required the approval of the Supreme Elder.
Secondly, the Cloud Gathering Art for condensing Cloud Devouring Stones, while called a secret method, actually required a set of formations to assist in its cultivation. Moreover, condensing a single Cloud Devouring Stone consumed an extremely long time.
Even with the assistance of formations, a Golden Core cultivator would need to spend one to two years in a place where cloud energy was concentrated to condense a Cloud Devouring Stone the size of a fist.
Hearing this news, Zhang Ling's mood sank. He hadn't expected that it would require the cooperation of a formation to succeed, and that the time consumed would be so long.
Spending too much time condensing Cloud Devouring Stones would be extremely detrimental to his own cultivation.
However, Elder Yang wasn't very clear about the matter. He hadn't condensed Cloud Devouring Stones himself. This information was only what he knew, and it wasn't certain if there were other secrets involved.
After all, such core secret techniques were only mastered by a few cultivators.
During this time, among the Flying Cloud Sect elders he had befriended, there was one Elder Wang who had condensed Cloud Devouring Stones. Zhang Ling subtly inquired about it, but the person acted as if he didn't know anything about it and was unwilling to talk more. He said that cultivators who condensed Cloud Devouring Stones had all made a Demonic Heart Oath not to spread the matter.
Moreover, the area at the summit of Mount Qiyun had been designated as a forbidden area of the Flying Cloud Sect, and only cultivators qualified to condense Cloud Devouring Stones could enter.
However, through inquiries, Zhang Ling also learned that this secret technique was also sealed in the Flying Cloud Sect's library. However, it was placed on the highest seventh floor, and even Golden Core elders couldn't enter without a large number of sect contribution points.
This made Zhang Ling a little troubled. He had just become an external affairs elder and had only entered the library once. However, with his elder status, he could only enter up to the fifth floor.
Time passed day by day, and Zhang Ling was still thinking of other ways to inquire about this matter. However, the gains were minimal, and in the end, he decided to focus on the library.
The Flying Cloud Sect had a significant influence, and the library was a core focus of the sect, guarded extremely strictly. From the third floor onwards, each floor was guarded by a Golden Core elder. The highest seventh floor was guarded by one of the sect's Supreme Elders.
It would be extremely unwise to risk sneaking in for a secret technique to condense materials. These circumstances almost made him give up the idea.
In the blink of an eye, he had been on Flying Cloud Island for two months.
Zhang Ling felt that he had stayed long enough. If there were no other channels to obtain this secret technique, he planned to give up for now. With his current elder status, he could actually exchange for a few Cloud Devouring Stones from the Flying Cloud Sect.
But on this day, he suddenly received a sound transmission talisman from Headmaster Sun. It said that the Supreme Elder urgently summoned the Golden Core cultivators within the sect, asking them to quickly go to the sect's main hall to meet him.
This transmission order seemed very urgent, and Zhang Ling felt that something might have happened. He hesitated. But after thinking for a moment, he still headed towards the sect's main hall.
After Zhang Ling walked out of his cave, he could see the massive Mount Qiyun in the distance when he looked up.
The cave he was currently in was in a valley, a cave assigned to him after becoming an elder of the Flying Cloud Sect. The quality of the spiritual veins within were much better than the Hu family's cave.
After looking at Mount Qiyun, Zhang Ling transformed into a streak of light and flew towards it.
Along the way, Zhang Ling constantly observed the situation of the Flying Cloud Sect.
But the entire sect hadn't changed much. There were many patrolling disciples, still patrolling in groups of three or five as usual. From time to time, he could also see some Foundation Establishment disciples busy with their own tasks.
However, the closer he got to the Flying Cloud Sect's council hall, the more Zhang Ling noticed something was wrong. Not far from him, there were several streaks of light rapidly approaching, and their direction seemed to be the same as his.
Judging from the speed of their escape, these people were also Golden Core elders of the Flying Cloud Sect.
Could something really have happened?
Zhang Ling frowned slightly, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease in his heart. Just then, a streak of light approached him, and at the same time, an old voice came.
"Eh, Junior Brother Hu, could it be that you also received the headmaster's transmission."
Looking back, a blue streak of light was approaching in the distance, and in the light was an old man with disheveled hair wearing a blue robe.
"Senior Brother Yang, you also received our transmission talisman."
Zhang Ling, disguised as White Cloud Hermit, greeted the old man with disheveled hair. This person was the elder he had become most familiar with in the Flying Cloud Sect over the past two months.
"Hehe, now all the elders in the entire sect have received the transmission talisman." Senior Brother Yang smiled strangely.
Seeing this person's appearance, Zhang Ling thought to himself, this Senior Brother Yang might know something. He was just about to ask when he saw Senior Brother Yang didn't have any intention of chatting and said to him. "Let's go quickly, the headmaster's urgent summons must be because something big has happened."
Zhang Ling didn't ask any further questions, and the two flew towards the sect's main hall together. They were silent along the way, and soon arrived at the mountainside of Mount Qiyun. In a cloud-shrouded mist, the two landed in front of a hundred-zhang-wide bluestone platform.
Although the mist was thick here, both of them had Golden Core strength, and these had no effect on them. Behind this platform, a group of buildings was built against the mountain, which were several stone halls built with gray rocks.
That was the Flying Cloud Sect's main hall. The headmaster summoned many elders in this place, it must be a major event related to the entire sect.
At this time, the front of the central hall was empty, without a single figure, but the hall door was open. Zhang Ling probed inside with his divine sense and his heart moved. There were many cultivator auras inside, each with profound strength.
Senior Brother Yang obviously also noticed the situation inside, and after looking at each other, the two walked directly inside.
As soon as he entered, Zhang Ling was also stunned. He originally thought that there would be many high-level cultivators gathered inside, and there would be a lot of discussion. But in the hall, there were twenty or so cultivators wearing various colored clothes. Some frowned, some were expressionless, but no one spoke.
These people were all elders of the Flying Cloud Sect, and the lowest cultivation level also had the strength of the early Golden Core stage.
The arrival of the two made these people look sideways, only Headmaster Sun, who was standing in the center, nodded to the two without saying anything.
However, Zhang Ling immediately heard Headmaster Sun's sound transmission in his ear. "Junior Brother Hu, please wait a moment, after everyone has arrived, there will be instructions."
Zhang Ling and Senior Brother Yang naturally didn't ask anything, and also stood in the crowd.
