"Condense!" Ye Bufan furrowed his brow, his true qi condensing into a rudimentary form within him, only to dissipate slowly. This cycle repeated as he failed again and again. Finally, an irregularly shaped, bloated mass of qi formed.
However, it wasn't long before this bloated mass dispersed once more as spiritual energy converted into true qi.
Compress! Temper! Condense!
After a week of continuous attempts, Ye Bufan carefully controlled the true qi in his body. With a "hum," a resonance sounded from within him, followed by a "crack," as if something had shattered.
"Did it work?" Ye Qingyi asked, a slight smile curving her lips as she observed Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan opened his eyes, his true qi surging outwards. He leaped from the floor, bringing the ring with him.
"Whoosh~"
Taking a deep breath, Ye Bufan felt his perception of the surrounding spiritual energy had become considerably more sensitive. The next step was to refine this ring.
Although the old man hadn't specified a time limit, Ye Bufan felt it was best to refine it as soon as possible, to avoid unforeseen complications.
Ye Bufan closed his eyes and extended a hand towards the inheritance ring. The ring immediately exuded a strong sense of resistance.
But Ye Bufan, now at the Core Formation stage, instantly bound the ring with his true qi, finding it much easier compared to before.
"Hmph!"
Ye Bufan grunted. During his cultivation, especially after breaking through to the Core Formation stage, he had discovered he could faintly mobilize a sliver of the Dragon Emperor Token's energy. This gave him a bold idea: to cover the ring with the Dragon Emperor Token's energy and use it to refine the ring.
Just as Ye Bufan had predicted, the ring likely had a threshold set according to the cultivator's power.
With Ye Bufan's current cultivation, it presented a challenge for a Core Formation stage cultivator. However, the Dragon Emperor Token's energy immediately overwhelmed the ring, causing it to tremble.
"As expected!" Ye Bufan narrowed his eyes. Although the ring had shown no reaction before, he suspected it possessed a spirit, one that he couldn't sense or that was deeply hidden.
Now, with the Dragon Emperor Token's energy unleashed, the spirit, facing the overwhelming pressure, finally appeared.
The ring's spirit attempted to resist, but the Dragon Emperor Token's energy, originating from the ancient Dragon Emperor, was suppressive to such spirits, leaving no room for struggle.
At this moment, by the pool, the old man who had disappeared long ago reappeared. Sensing the energy of the Dragon Emperor Token, he couldn't help but show himself.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan was ecstatic. He seized the opportunity, channeling his true qi furiously to refine the ring. The inheritance ring of the Grand Unity Divine Sect, unable to resist any further, was largely refined by Ye Bufan.
The old man watched Ye Bufan, his heart filled with excitement.
"Could the prophecy be coming true?" The old man's eyes reddened slightly. "Could he be the Dragon Emperor's successor mentioned in the prophecy?"
Ye Bufan's body floated in mid-air. He released his hand, and the ring hovered serenely before him. By now, the ring's spirit had lost all ability to resist, and everything proceeded smoothly.
Soon, under the watchful eyes of the old man and Ye Qingyi, Ye Bufan entered a meditative state. The ring suddenly blazed with light, which then slowly faded.
When Ye Bufan reopened his eyes, half a day had passed.
"Congratulations, you have successfully made the inheritance ring recognize you as its master," the old man said to Ye Bufan. "From this moment on, you are the Sect Master of the Grand Unity Divine Sect."
"What?" Ye Bufan looked at the old man, bewildered. "The Grand Unity Divine Sect was destroyed a thousand years ago. If I become the Sect Master, I won't have a single disciple."
"The Grand Unity Divine Sect's trials were devised by us old fellows, using our last reserves of energy," the old man explained. "The most crucial aspect is a profound understanding of Qimen Dunjia. Therefore, regardless of the round, this is key to advancing to the next trial. Secondly, the Grand Unity Divine Sect wasn't destroyed; we merely closed the sect for thousands of years."
Ye Bufan nodded as the old man spoke with increasing fervor, not daring to say anything more.
The old man formed hand seals, and a water droplet from the pool transformed into a water ball the size of a ping pong ball, instantly merging into Ye Bufan's head.
Ye Qingyi was startled, thinking the old man intended to harm Ye Bufan. The old man then spoke.
"If I wanted to harm him, neither you nor he would have the chance to be here, nor would you have stayed this long. Rest assured, he will wake up soon." As the old man finished speaking, Ye Bufan collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
Within Ye Bufan's consciousness, information was being poured into his mind from the ring, detailing the history of the Grand Unity Divine Sect and information about the spiritual脉 beneath the sect.
The content flooded in, overwhelming Ye Bufan as he struggled to digest it.
However, as Ye Bufan slowly processed the information, his expression grew increasingly grim.
"Damn it!" Ye Bufan cursed, his eyes snapping open.
"What's wrong?" Ye Qingyi stepped forward, asking. "Shouldn't this be something to celebrate? Why are you suddenly cursing?"
Ye Bufan tried to remove the ring from his index finger, but it was impossible to take off.
"Stop wasting your effort. Only by rebuilding the Grand Unity Divine Sect will your restriction disappear," the old man's voice echoed again.
"What?" Ye Qingyi looked at the old man, then at Ye Bufan.
"What restriction?" Ye Bufan asked.
"It won't do anything significant, but it will become a stumbling block on your cultivation path," the old man said. "As soon as you start recruiting disciples for the Grand Unity Divine Sect, the restriction will gradually vanish."
"What if I choose to abandon this inheritance?" Ye Bufan retorted.
"Then you will remain here forever, waiting for the next inheritor to arrive," the old man said. "After all, you have refined the ring; you are its master."
Hearing the old man's words, Ye Bufan almost fainted. This was a forced transaction, completely preventing him from cultivating.
"Then I agree. What benefits do I get?" Ye Bufan looked at the old man.
"This vast Grand Unity Divine Sect will be yours," the old man said. "You will also witness the power of Tribulation Stage experts, and even experience the immense wealth the three ascended ancestors left for the Grand Unity Divine Sect."