Immortal Taoist

Meng Lin walked out of the Ancient Beast Pagoda with an exhausted body and a gleam in her eyes.

As she came out she heard the faint murmurs of sect disciples outside the pagoda, she was about to walk away when she was startled by a voice behind her.

"Congratulations, Meng Lin!"

Meng Lin turned around to see Feng Yue who had crept behind her without notice, she was surprised with her sudden appearance.

"Feng Yue, what brings you here?" Meng Lin asked.

"I came to see you, of course," Feng Yue smiled. "You've caused quite a stir, Meng Lin, look, most of the top 5 have come to look at your ranking."

“Yes, it seems you’ve really been hiding well” a voice sounded form the side and Meng Lin turned to look.

It was a tall man with scar on his forehead, his eyes were stern and he had a fierce aura around him, even now Meng Lin felt intimidated be him.

It was Luo Su, the second ranked diciple and around him were 4 similarly strong diciples that were in the top 10.

“Luo Su” Meng Lin said subconsciously as she turned to gaze at the diciples around Luo Su.

Meng Lin looked at them with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

Luo Su looked at her with a hint of admiration and said with seriousness in his voice. "I’ll introduce everyone to you since it’s your first time meeting them, this is Liam Mu, a self righteous man with a sharp tongue”

Liam Mu smirked at the introduction.

“And this is Xie Ru, a young woman with the disposition of a child, she’s ok” Luo Su continued.

Xie Ru looked at Luo Su with a pout, but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"And finally, we have Xu Ruan, a man of few words but great strength," Luo Su said, gesturing towards a tall man with a calm demeanor.

Meng Lin took in their introductions and the atmosphere around them. She could feel the tension and competitiveness in the air.

"Nice to meet all of you," she said politely, bringing her arms to a greeting gesture.

"Of course, we're all part of the same division after all," Luo Su said with a smile. "But don't get too comfortable, Meng Lin. Just because you've ranked high in the Ancient Beast Pagoda doesn't mean you're invincible."

Meng Lin nodded, understanding the underlying warning in Luo Su's words.

Xie Ru spoke up with a playful grin. "We've heard a lot about you, Meng Lin. It seems you're quite the hidden gem in the sect," she said, causing the others to chuckle.

Meng Lin felt a bit embarrassed but also pleased at the same time. "I just try my best," she said with a small smile.

Liam Mu spoke up next. "Well, we're all here to improve ourselves and climb the ranks. It's good to have some competition," he said with a friendly tone.

Meng Lin nodded in agreement and she couldn’t help but look in the direction of Xu Ruan, the one with the title of first ranked.

Xu Ruan had remained quiet throughout the conversation, but Meng Lin could sense a calm and confident air around him.

She didn’t feel intimidated by him, rather, she was curious to see how she could stack up against him in the future.

Feng Yue, looking at Meng Lin from the side couldn’t help but hit Meng Lin in the back of her head as she could guess what she was thinking about.

Meng Lin turned to Feng Yue, rubbing the back of her head, she was a bit embarrassed seeing as there were four other diciples around her.

"You're thinking too much about Xu Ruan," Feng Yue said with a chuckle. "He’s already reached the end, tomorrow is when he’ll go through it.”

Meng Lin's eyes widened in surprise. "Go through what?"

Feng Yue grinned. "His tribulation, of course. He's going to become a Gold Core cultivator."

Luo Su nodded in agreement. "Xu Ruan has been preparing for this for a long time, It's why he stopped participating in any other events.”

Meng Lin began to think back to the tribulation she saw once, she realized how much danger comes with it but the benefits were far greater.

It was said that only the strongest and most determined could overcome tribulations.

Xie Ru noticed Meng Lin's excitement and said with extra excitement. "It's a rare opportunity to witness a tribulation right, i still haven’t seen it before.”

"Why is it that only at the Gold Core realm and onward does a cultivator experience tribulation?" Meng Lin asked, slightly curious.

Luo Su chuckled. "A Gold Core cultivator has transcended the Foundation Establishment Realm and achieved the One Source Essence, where their power comes from a single source. Their power and abilities are draw out qi far surpasses anything we can achieve”

"I didn't realize it was such a big deal," Meng Lin said, feeling overwhelmed.

"It is," Feng Yue said firmly. "You have to know that to only from the Gold Core Realm and onward can your lifespan increase.”

Luo Su nodded. "Yes, the higher your cultivation level, the longer your lifespan can become. It's a great incentive for cultivators to push themselves to their limits, moreover the younger you are, the more opportunities you can have in your lifespan.”

Luo Su spoke up again, this time turning towards Xu Ruan. “ you’ll be the first to reach it but don’t become complacent because I’ll be right behind”

Xu Ruan gave a small smile but didn't respond, he seemed to be thinking about something else.

Xu Ruan turned to Meng Lin to speak “Meng Lin, you have great potential. However don’t show all your cards, almost everyone here hasn’t shown their true rankings on the board”

"I'll keep that in mind," Meng Lin nodded, understanding the importance of not showing everything.

His words didn’t seem to bother the other five diciples around as Luo Su chuckled while shaking his head.

Liam Mu smirked and Xie Ru giggled, their responses giving away their answers.

The only one with the same blank expression was Yue Feng as she could see the hidden warning in Xu Ruan's words.

The group continued to chat for a while longer before eventually dispersing. Meng Lin left with a sense of excitement and determination, eager to continue improving and climbing the ranks within her cultivation.

As she walked away, she couldn't help but wonder about Xu Ruan's upcoming tribulation.

She knew it would be a dangerous and difficult task, but also one that would lead to great rewards.

Meng Lin made a mental note to try and witness it if possible, hoping to learn from the experience see if the system would react again.