Beside the Heart Inquiry Pool, sighs of amazement rippled through the air. A group of Elders exchanged glances, unable to resist stealing glances at Xu Xian...
As the saying goes, members of the same family always share the same spirit.
Xia Chu Yi and Xu Xian were definitely uncle and niece; there was no doubt about it.
With those methods and that personality, the River Spirit had truly suffered.
Xu Xian lowered his head, wanting to cry but having no tears.
He couldn't help but feel that his niece had been raised the wrong way by someone.
Ye Xianyu stood up and left, as if she had made some kind of firm resolution, never casting another glance at the Heart Inquiry Pool.
She didn't even say goodbye.
"The Sect Master... why did she leave?"
"Maybe she has something to do?"
"That's so fake..."
"If it were you, would you stay or leave?"
"Uh, pretend I didn't say anything."
In the time it took for Xu Xian to turn his head, Ye Xianyu had vanished. He felt a massive headache coming on.
"She really runs fast."
He had originally intended to discuss the matter of the young beast, Tu Kongkong, with her.
But she had disappeared in the blink of an eye. He was truly impressed.
He shook his head helplessly and stood up, preparing to chase after Ye Xianyu.
Unexpectedly, Li Qingshan grabbed him firmly by the sleeve.
Xu Xian found it baffling. He looked down and asked, "Why are you grabbing me?"
Li Qingshan stared at him intently and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I have things to do," Xu Xian said.
Li Qingshan let out a cold laugh. "Heh... Xu Xian, that's your own niece. Have you no shame?"
Xu Xian froze for a moment, then immediately understood.
It seemed Li Qingshan saw his own master run off and assumed Xu Xian was trying to flee as well.
What else could he say?
People really were fickle. One second, they were fighting tooth and nail over her, and the next, none of them wanted her anymore?
How could there be such a good deal in the world?
Xu Xian didn't bother explaining. He simply brushed Li Qingshan's hand away and said cheerfully, "Didn't you bring her back yourself?"
Li Qingshan's eyes widened like copper bells.
Xu Xian bared his teeth in a grin. "Qingshan, you're a talent. You're the one I, your Martial Uncle, have the highest hopes for."
Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes slightly. "And?"
"And so, I'm leaving my niece to you. I'm at ease. I believe you will definitely nurture her into a great talent."
After Xu Xian finished speaking, he didn't wait for Li Qingshan to respond.
He broke away and ran, riding the wind to chase after Ye Xianyu.
He also sent a divine sense transmission, instructing the Elders of the Personnel Hall to delay the Sword Inquiry slightly and wait for his return before starting.
Li Qingshan was so angry his teeth itched. He could no longer maintain his usual composed image.
He began flailing his arms wildly at the empty air, his sleeves whipping through the air with a loud rustle.
"What a disaster!"
The moment he thought of Xia Chu Yi's various performances in the Heart Inquiry formation, he felt his head throb with pain.
Although Xu Xian had pulled some stunts back then, Li Qingshan knew in his heart that Xu Xian had done it on purpose.
It was because he didn't want to cultivate.
But the Xia Chu Yi before him—she actually wanted to cultivate!
Having one Xu Xian at Zuiwan Residence was already enough to deal with. Adding a Xia Chu Yi to the mix made him feel like there was no hope left in his life.
The group of Elders all looked at Li Qingshan with schadenfreude, hiding their smiles behind their hands.
They were incredibly smug.
It seemed that seeing Li Qingshan suffer was more worth celebrating than picking up a hundred thousand spirit stones on the road.
Realizing he had lost his composure, Li Qingshan shot a cold glare at them. Regardless of who was who, he launched an indiscriminate verbal attack.
"What are you looking at?"
"What's so funny?"
"Is there something worth seeing?"
"Is there something worth laughing about?"
The Elders didn't mind. Some left sheepishly, some talked about other things to avoid the subject, and some even stepped forward to offer a few words of comfort.
"Qingshan, don't be so temperamental. Chu Yi is actually a very good kid. She's kind-hearted, honest, and helpful. You can't go wrong with her; she just talks a bit too much."
"Exactly, exactly. She's quirky and quite likable, she just talks a bit too much."
"Aside from being a chatterbox, she's fine. After all, she has a wind spirit root."
"She's still young. When she grows up... uh, I have high hopes for you."
Talks a bit too much?
Was that just 'a bit'?
She could talk someone to death!
The more Li Qingshan thought about it, the worse he felt. The more they tried to persuade him, the more his heart ached.
Finally, he shot the group a fierce glare and walked away.
"That kid, still has that same temper."
"Exactly, not steady at all."
"Alright, that's enough from you all. He's suffering right now."
"What's there to suffer about? No one's even competing with him for her."
Even after Li Qingshan left, the crowd couldn't help but keep gossiping, as if they truly couldn't move past this topic.
However.
Despite the small interludes, the result was good.
Although only 153 out of the 1,600 who entered the bamboo forest emerged, the four high-quality single spirit root talents had all passed the Heart Inquiry.
As long as they went through the remaining formalities, they would be official disciples of the sect.
Overall.
This year's harvest was quite excellent.
Next.
It was time for them to compete for disciples among themselves.
Excluding Xia Chu Yi, who had already been defaulted to Li Qingshan.
The rest were all up for grabs.
In particular, the young girl named Tu Kongkong had left the deepest impression on them. Naturally, she became the main focus of the Elders' discussion.
She was also their first choice to recruit next.
This child was a bit of a loose cannon.
And a bit silly.
But her nature wasn't bad. With a little guidance, she would surely become a great talent in the future.
Perhaps.
They really could teach her to become a saint.
Then again, if a disciple was too smart, they were hard to fool. If they were a bit silly, they were easier to guide. Intelligence and emotional intelligence weren't the same as cultivation talent.
In the cultivation world, these stubborn, simple-minded types often found it easier to cultivate and attain the Dao.
To achieve something.
Seventh Ancestor Lei Yunche was a living example of this.
Outside One Sword Gorge, at the head of the Longevity Bridge, the group of children who had emerged from the Heart Inquiry Forest were already waiting. They gazed at the Longevity Bridge from across the gap, chattering incessantly.
They were already impatient, wishing they could run across right now.
It felt as if simply running across this bridge would truly grant them longevity.
On Wendao Square.
Elders from every peak and hall had arrived. Among them were several familiar young faces: Bu Yining from the Sword Suppression Hall, Yao Zhijian from the Elixir Hall, and Wen Qingxue from the Sword Suppression Hall...
These were the relatively younger ones, naturally here to pick suitable new disciples for their respective branches.
At the head of the Longevity Bridge.
Quite a few sect disciples had already gathered. Having heard that new disciples were entering the sect, they came to watch the excitement and catch a glimpse of their future junior sisters and brothers.
"I heard that in this batch, all four single spirit roots passed the Heart Inquiry formation?"
"Four? That's actually quite good, isn't it?"
"It doesn't count until they cross the Longevity Bridge. Have you forgotten? In Little Grand-Uncle's batch, there was an earth-attribute single spirit root who turned out to be a demon..."
"You're talking about a special case. How could there be such a coincidence?"
"Exactly, exactly..."
"I heard there's a child with a variant spirit root this time."
"Ooh~"
"Peak Master Li brought her back personally."
"Ooh..."
"It's a wind-attribute one."
"Ooh—"
"Inside word is, she's Little Grand-Uncle's biological niece."
"Ah!!"
"For real?"
"Guaranteed to be true."
one disciple clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Tsk tsk, Peak Master Li is really going head-to-head with Little Grand-Uncle's family..."
"Why don't you say that Little Grand-Uncle's bloodline is powerful?"
"True. One mutated sword spirit root, one variant spirit root. If I were Little Grand-Uncle, I'd take advantage of being young and father hundreds of kids."
"Hiss, no wonder you're the Senior Brother; you really have foresight..."
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