Word had long been spreading in Juxian City that the one Tiance Palace sent to oversee the disciple selection this year was none other than Venerable Yanchen. No one knew what kind of occasion this was to actually move him to come.
At the time, Lin Zhiyue had thought nothing of it, but now that she saw him with her own eyes, she realized the rumors were not exaggerated in the slightest.
Venerable Yanchen, whose real name was Qi Yan, was the youngest Soul Transformation Stage powerhouse in the ten-thousand-year history of Tiance Palace—reaching the Soul Transformation Stage at fifty years old, a feat unprecedented in the entire Sanglan Realm.
Most cultivators' appearances stopped aging once they reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Since he had stepped into the Nascent Soul Stage in his early twenties, his face had not changed since.
He looked like a youth, but who could call someone who was a fifty-year-old Soul Transformation Stage cultivator and had slain countless demons under his blade a mere boy?
As Venerable Yanchen walked over, the usually taciturn black-robed disciples of Tiance Palace stood up in unison and bowed slightly, their movements perfectly synchronized. One of them, an elder-looking man who seemed to be the oldest, stepped forward and greeted him in a low voice, “Junior Brother.”
Several young Tiance Palace disciples nearby bowed along with him, calling him “Martial Uncle.”
“Junior Brother.” Lin Zhiyue turned the word over in her mind. For a Tiance Palace elder to call him “Junior Brother,” his seniority was terrifyingly high.
Yet that elder looked to be at least several hundred years old, while the person he called “Junior Brother” possessed the youngest face on the entire square.
Qi Yan gave a slight nod in response. His gaze swept carelessly across the crowd before landing in the direction of the bulletin board.
To be precise, it landed on Lin Zhiyue.
He cast a glance at her. It wasn't long, lasting two breaths at most, but Lin Zhiyue felt as if he had sized her up from head to toe—
Then, he sat back down in his armchair, one hand resting on the armrest and the other on his knee. His eyes were cast down, looking as though he were waiting for some boring affair to quickly end.
The entire square fell silent for two seconds before erupting into a clamor.
“That's Venerable Yanchen? The one from Tiance Palace who reached the Soul Transformation Stage at fifty...”
“Keep your voice down! His saber has only been unsheathed three times, and all three were to slay demons. Not a single one of the demon kings he killed was left with an intact corpse...”
“Why did he come in person? In previous years, Tiance Palace would at most send an inner sect elder to sit in on these joint disciple selections...”
“Shh—he's looking over here—”
The whispers surged like a tide, only to be suppressed by the coughing of the various sect elders.
But no one could suppress the curious gazes of the crowd. Even the elders on the viewing stands, who usually put on airs, were quietly sizing up that red and black figure.
The ceremony on the square continued to proceed.
The elder of the Qingling Sect stepped to the front of the stage and announced that the disciples who passed the three trials could freely choose their preferred sect, and the elders of each sect could also proactively extend olive branches. Before he could even finish speaking, Lin Zhiyue was surrounded.
A female elder from the Biluo Immortal Sect was the first to speak. “A dual ice and wind Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Root is best suited for our Biluo Immortal Sect. Our sect possesses a legacy ice-attribute sword technique, a remnant manual left behind from ancient times. With your talent, you can achieve minor mastery within ten years.”
A burly man from the Sacred Sword Pavilion slapped the table directly. “A sword cultivator should come to the Sacred Sword Pavilion! Sword qi tempered by dual ice and wind spiritual roots is three times sharper than that of a single spiritual root. The ancient sword ‘Frostcold’ in our pavilion is just waiting for someone to inherit it—”
The old man from Luohong Valley stroked his beard and chimed in slowly, “Little girl, I see that your robe is no ordinary garment. Its green spiritual light is restrained, and its patterns are natural, resembling the handiwork of a great, influential family.
“Are you perhaps a direct descendant of some hidden clan out for experiential learning? If you are willing to come to Danxia Valley, we will provide you with unlimited pills and any technique you desire. If your family has any special requirements, we can sit down and discuss them slowly.”
The young senior sister from the Piaoyin Sect fluttered her Peach Blossom Fan and leaned close to Lin Zhiyue's ear with a smile. “Don't listen to their boasting. Come to the Piaoyin Sect, and I'll guide you personally. Whatever kind of cultivation path you like, I can practice with you.”
The elders from the various factions chimed in one after another, their voices rising higher and higher, nearly leading to an open argument. The eldest disciple of the Qingling Sect sat on the stage without moving, but his gaze also rested on Lin Zhiyue, as if he were ready to speak at any moment.
Surrounded in the middle, Lin Zhiyue felt her ears ringing. She knew a dual ice and wind Heavenly Spiritual Root would be highly sought after, but she hadn't expected it to be to this extent.
While the elders were saying “come to my sect,” their eyes kept darting to the Mist-shrouded Verdure robe she was wearing. Those who knew their stuff could naturally tell that the material and craftsmanship of this robe were not something ordinary people could obtain.
Though they didn't say it out loud, they had probably already slapped the label of “direct descendant of a hidden great family” onto her forehead in their minds.
Her temples throbbed from the noise. Just as she was about to interrupt but didn't know whose words to address first, a voice cut in from the side.
“Too noisy.”
The voice wasn't loud, nor was the tone high, but the entire square instantly fell silent.
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice. On the main seat of Tiance Palace, Venerable Yanchen had stood up at some point, one hand resting on the hilt of the saber at his waist as his indifferent gaze swept over the still-arguing elders.
He took a step forward, the sole of his boot landing on the bluestone ground with a crisp tap.
Then, he looked at Lin Zhiyue.
“You,” he said. “Come with me.”
His tone held no negotiation, no inquiry, and no condescending sense of command. It was just a flat statement, as if stating a matter that had already been decided.
Lin Zhiyue dazed for a moment, instinctively looking at the surrounding elders. The female elder of the Biluo Immortal Sect's expression shifted slightly, the burly man from the Sacred Sword Pavilion opened his mouth and closed it again, and the young senior sister from the Piaoyin Sect stopped fluttering her Peach Blossom Fan.
The black-robed disciples of Tiance Palace had already stepped back half a pace, clearing a path leading to the main seat.
Lin Zhiyue stood in place, her mind spinning rapidly.
She was currently first in all three trials and possessed a dual ice and wind Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Root; the initiative was in her hands.
Venerable Yanchen had personally spoken to claim her. Whether to give him this face or not, and if she did, whether she would directly enter Tiance Palace or just go over to talk first; if she didn't, what would be the consequences of publicly refusing a Soul Transformation Stage powerhouse—she quickly ran through all these variables in her head. In the end, her conclusion was: go over and see what he had to say first. After all, she hadn't agreed to anything yet.
She looked up to meet Qi Yan's gaze. Across a distance of over a dozen paces, she could clearly see the color of his eyes—a deep, profound black that seemed to swallow even the sunlight.
He looked at her without much expression, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry either.
Lin Zhiyue took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Rate on N.U.
