The Genius Turned Out to Be Him: Turtle Agaric Miracle Pill (Request Follow Reading)

"Three! He actually lit up three marks in a row—and the fourth mark seems to be flickering too!"

"Holy shit!"

"We thought he was just an old man selling flatbread. Who knew he was an old genius!"

Behind Lin Xuankong, the Rogue Cultivators wore astonished expressions as their discussions rang out without end.

Gu Beicheng had been gently stroking his long beard. At the sight of three marks lighting up, surprise also appeared on his face.

But before he could speak, he saw that under Lin Xuankong's infusion of qi and blood, the fourth mark had lit up as well.

Gu Beicheng could not help stirring his qi and blood. Lightning abruptly appeared around his fingers, nearly scorching his own long beard to a crisp!

As Lin Xuankong infused qi and blood, alarm rose in his heart. He felt as though he and the Heavenly Derivation Stone had become one. If he kept pouring in qi and blood, could he perhaps keep lighting marks forever?

But if that strange scene from before appeared again, would some accident occur?

That powerful Lightning God Incarnate had been terrifying beyond measure. If it so much as looked at him one more time, his soul would surely scatter and his spirit would disperse! This Heavenly Derivation Stone was definitely not merely for testing talent. It was extraordinarily strange!

Just then,

That sensation of forming a connection with some unseen existence appeared again.

Astonishment filled Lin Xuankong's heart, but a ruthless gleam suddenly surfaced in his eyes. He decisively pulled his right hand out of the handprint.

With four marks lit, judging by Gu Beicheng's reaction, he should have a chance to secure the position of Deputy Manager!

But he could not be certain whether forming a connection with that mysterious, powerful existence would endanger his life. He could not gamble with his life. Steady himself—the days ahead were long!

Not far away,

Seeing that all four marks had lit up, Steward Ma's expression shifted between light and dark.

He had actually lit four marks!

Four whole marks!

But why did the one to light four marks have to be him? Why did it have to be an old man nearing seventy!

If a Martial Cultivator in his twenties or thirties had lit four marks, the sect would have gained another genius like Gu Beicheng! But at his age, even if he was extraordinarily compatible with the Yin Talisman Art, there could surely be no further progress in his future cultivation!

After frowning at Lin Xuankong for a few moments and thinking it over, Steward Ma ultimately walked over. "Layman Lin, come with me to see the Great Steward."

Martial Arts Hall,

Inside an ornately carved Guest Room, a piece of agarwood rested atop a sandalwood table.

Head Steward Wu, seated opposite Jiang Yurán, smiled and said, "It is only agarwood worth a few thousand taels. It is rare for Manager Jiang to visit me. Please accept it."

Jiang Yurán shot him a glance. "Senior Brother Wu is so good to me? If I come often in the future, will you give me some every time?"

Head Steward Wu froze, then gave an awkward laugh.

Jiang Yurán continued, "Great Steward Wu Liangye, of the twenty-nine towns in the Outer City under your charge, seven have been pillaged by the Liao People Tribe. Several thousand townspeople have been killed, and they were all tenant farmers under the sect's jurisdiction. If this delays the spring planting and autumn harvest, the shortfall in the Yin Talisman Sect's monthly stipends for the latter half of the year cannot be filled with merely a few thousand taels of silver!"

Wu Liangye sighed. "I have worked with the government's Evil Warding Army and already wiped out more than ten bands of the Liao People Tribe. But now demons and monsters run rampant. More and more commoners are being controlled by demonic creatures and turned into savage Liao people!"

Jiang Yurán's almond eyes widened. "Working with the government to exterminate the Liao people? Hmph, the Black Tiger Gang Leader's surname is Li, and the prefectural governor of Great Marsh Prefecture is also surnamed Li. The government's Evil Warding Army would be damned before it helped our Yin Talisman Sect!"

After pondering for a moment, Wu Liangye said, "Then from now on, I will deploy more of the sect's elite. I will personally take part in exterminating the Liao People Tribe as well!"

Seeing him say this, Jiang Yurán's expression softened.

Leaning against the back of her chair, she looked toward the Guest Room window and said:

"Only a little over thirty Martial Cultivators applied for steward positions today, yet one of them lit two marks. That counts as rare good news lately!

"But he is, after all, an outsider, unlike disciples whose roots and background we know.

"Assign that Li Er as a Deputy Manager and observe him for two or three months. Once he completes three Deputy Manager Missions, permit him to cultivate the Yin Talisman Art!"

Wu Liangye said, "That truly is good news. Among the several thousand members of our Yin Talisman Sect, only seventy or eighty could light two marks upon entry.

"This Li Er has exceptional talent. As long as he has sincerely joined our Yin Talisman Sect, I will certainly cultivate him into a pillar of the sect!"

At that moment, Steward Ma's voice came from the Guest Room entrance. "Manager Jiang, Great Steward, this subordinate has something to report!"

Wu Liangye turned toward Steward Ma. "What is it?"

Only after respectfully making a Daoist salute did Steward Ma speak. "During the test, someone lit four marks!"

"Four marks! Really?" Wu Liangye had been calm, but the moment he heard the words "four marks," his expression changed dramatically.

"Absolutely true!" Steward Ma replied.

"Quick, bring that Martial Cultivator here at once!" Wu Liangye ordered decisively. "Other than Xiao Cheng, our Yin Talisman Sect has not seen a disciple so compatible with the Yin Talisman Art in over a decade!"

Jiang Yurán nodded slightly from the side, a trace of delight appearing on her pretty face as well.

Steward Ma cupped his hands. "Manager Jiang, Great Steward, I have already brought that Martial Cultivator over!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yurán could not help rising to her feet. With anticipation and curiosity on her pretty face, she looked toward the door. "You brought him? Let him in!"

Wu Liangye also turned expectantly toward the entrance.

Yet when the person who entered through the door proved to be the white-haired Lin Xuankong,

The anticipation and curiosity on both their faces instantly turned into extremely complicated expressions.

"Y-you!" Jiang Yurán's expression changed several times, and for a moment, she did not know what to say.

"The Martial Cultivator who lit four marks is this old... old man?" Wu Liangye asked with a frown.

Steward Ma replied, "It was indeed Layman Lin Xuankong."

After entering the Guest Room, Lin Xuankong saw the looks on their faces, and his heart stirred.

The moment he lit four marks, Steward Ma had brought him here.

Clearly, four marks were extraordinarily rare in the Yin Talisman Sect's tests.

After all, even a Mortal Transformation Layer One Martial Cultivator who lit two marks could have a chance to be exceptionally promoted directly to Deputy Manager!

Yet judging from these two people's expressions, they were plainly disappointed because of his age.

But it did not matter. So what if he could not become a Deputy Manager directly? Since he had passed the Heavenly Derivation Stone test, he could simply fight the other Martial Cultivators in the Combat Tournament with his own strength!

Most importantly,

Based on his senses, if he kept pouring in qi and blood, he might be able to light five marks, six marks, or even more. This meant he was extremely compatible with the Yin Talisman Art.

With such a high degree of compatibility, together with a fiftyfold cultivation speed boost,

As long as he could complete Steward Missions and cultivate the Yin Talisman Art in the future, his cultivation speed would surely be incredibly fast! In this dangerous world where strength reigned supreme, that was what mattered most!

As for how others viewed him, why should he care?

At that thought, his heart became utterly open and unburdened, without a trace of worry remaining.

"Layman Lin, how old are you? What is your cultivation realm?" Jiang Yurán asked.

"Reporting to Manager Jiang, fifty-nine years old, Mortal Transformation Layer Two!"

Upon hearing Lin Xuankong's answer, Wu Liangye could not help shaking his head repeatedly.

Jiang Yurán, meanwhile, furrowed her brows and began to think.

Wu Liangye sighed. "A four-mark compatibility—such talent is one in ten thousand. Even if you were thirty-six or thirty-seven, I would be confident of making you a Late Mortal Transformation Layer Three, or even Layer Four, Martial Cultivator within ten years.

"But you are already fifty-nine. Alas, what a pity, what a pity—it is truly such a pity!"

Wu Liangye held a high position within the Yin Talisman Sect and had seen much of the world. He knew very well that among hundreds of millions, one might not find a single Martial Cultivator who could break through again when age had worn them down and their qi and blood were constantly declining!

Thinking of this, his previously joyful mood sank.

Seeing his expression, Steward Ma naturally understood Wu Liangye's thoughts. He said, "Then I shall take Layman Lin back to participate in the Combat Tournament!"

Wu Liangye silently nodded without speaking.

Just as Steward Ma was about to lead Lin Xuankong out of the Guest Room,

"Wait!" Jiang Yurán suddenly called out.

She walked around the table and came before the white-haired Lin Xuankong. "With four-mark talent and having already entered the Second Layer, according to the rules set by the Sect Master, you may not only become a Deputy Manager—you may even be directly promoted to Full Manager!"

Lin Xuankong could not help being stunned.

He had already prepared to go out, fight several battles, and win himself a Deputy Manager position. Yet Manager Jiang wanted to promote him to Full Manager?

"But he is already fifty-nine! Even if he cultivates the Yin Talisman Art later, he absolutely cannot raise his realm any further!" Wu Liangye said, his brows tightly furrowed.

Jiang Yurán ignored Wu Liangye.

Looking at Lin Xuankong, she broke into a smile. "Our Yin Talisman Sect is presently recruiting outstanding talents. How can we treat people differently simply because they are older? If word gets out, it will only make the heroes and bold spirits of Great Marsh Prefecture laugh at us. Later, people will say that our Yin Talisman Sect lacks the breadth to accommodate others!

"Besides, I see resolve in Layman Lin's eyes and an extraordinary bearing about him. Once he becomes a manager, I trust he will not disappoint me!"

She reached into her robes and took out a small jade box.

"Not only will I make this old layman, who possesses considerable spirit and peerless talent, a Full Manager directly, I will also lend him a hand!

"Steward Lin, this is a Turtle Agaric Pill, refined by my father. It can continuously enhance qi and blood, and it also has some life-extending effects. Consider it a gift from our Yin Talisman Sect to welcome this old layman into our ranks!"

Lin Xuankong looked at the powerful Jiang Yurán with some surprise.

Seeing Jiang Yurán insist so firmly and even take out a Turtle Agaric Pill, Wu Liangye pondered briefly. His expression then softened as he said:

"The Turtle Agaric Miracle Pill can only occasionally be refined into a batch by the Master of our Yin Talisman Sect. It is impossible to obtain even with a thousand gold outside, and it is usually bestowed only upon meritorious disciples during the year-end rewards and punishments assembly! Manager Jiang is treating you so generously, so hurry and accept it!"

Looking at the jade box, Wu Liangye felt rather moved.

Even he, the Sect Master's second disciple, rarely received Turtle Agaric Miracle Pills. Though the pill's life-extending effect was elusive and uncertain, its effect of continuously increasing qi and blood was extremely potent, comparable to more than thirty portions of Nine Revolutions Qi Nourishing Soup!

"If Steward Lin does not want it, then I will take it back," Jiang Yurán said with a smile, the corners of her lips lifting.

Hearing her address him as Steward Lin and speak with such gentleness and familiarity, Lin Xuankong felt touched. Taking the jade box, he cupped his hands and said, "This disciple thanks Manager Jiang!"

Steward Ma, standing nearby, was filled with astonishment upon seeing that Manager Jiang had not appointed Lin Xuankong as a Deputy Manager, but rather as a Full Manager.

In over twenty years in the Yin Talisman Sect, this was the first time he had seen an Early Second Layer Martial Cultivator receive an exceptional three-rank promotion—from disciple, to elite disciple, to Deputy Manager, straight to Full Manager. The key was that this was a fifty-nine-year-old man, old and decrepit!

After being astonished for quite some time, he gave Lin Xuankong a complicated look, then cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Steward Lin!"

Lin Xuankong returned the salute. Jiang Yurán smiled and nodded beside them.

She thought to herself: Seeing this aged Martial Cultivator, for some reason, I suddenly thought of that aged Hat Guest Gu Beicheng once mentioned!

I wonder whether this Lin Xuankong before me will be like that Hat Guest—hating evil as if it were his mortal enemy, with an interesting way of doing things!

But no matter what, in these troubled times, the Martial Cultivators of Great Marsh Prefecture must know that our Yin Talisman Sect possesses the capacity to accommodate others and is worth joining!

After leaving the Guest Room, Lin Xuankong stood in a corner of the Martial Arts Hall and took the pill from the jade box.

Looking at the Turtle Agaric Pill giving off its peculiar fragrance, countless emotions welled up in his heart.

Who would have thought that after all today's twists and turns, not only had he failed to become a Deputy Manager, Jiang Yurán had directly appointed him a Full Manager instead!

His own Young Lady had even been preparing to apply after he "fell from office." He wondered what expression she would have when she learned this news.

And that Manager Jiang Yurán, whose temper was impossible to fathom, had actually given him what appeared to be a rather valuable Turtle Agaric Pill!

This was an unexpectedly precious gain. But did this pill truly have life-extending effects? If it did, how much lifespan could it extend?