Manifestation of the Primordial Spirit

In the side hall, Huang Huai stood beside the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, dressed in a Taoist robe. His features were well-defined, and his appearance was certainly not lacking.

Ever since Huang Huai changed into his Taoist robe and entered the side hall, Chen Wei, who was tidying up, kept casting strange glances at him.

Seizing the opportunity while the side hall was still empty, Huang Huai couldn't help but call out to Chen Wei, "Brother Chen, what are you sneaking around for? Haven't you seen me before?"

Chen Wei didn't seem embarrassed. Instead, he looked at Huang Huai with a serious expression and said, "I say, Xiao Jiu, have you had some cosmetic surgery? It's only been a night, but why do I feel like your entire demeanor has become more refined? Especially in this Taoist robe, you look like a top disciple from a Taoist sect who walked right out of ancient times. Just standing here, you'll probably drive countless young ladies crazy."

Huang Huai glanced at Chen Wei and replied, "No matter how eloquently you praise me, I won't be staying here with you when Shanshan arrives."

Upon hearing Huang Huai's words, Chen Wei's face immediately fell, revealing an expression of utter despair.

As they spoke, tourists began to enter. It was a mother and daughter, one in her thirties and the other appearing to be sixteen or seventeen. As soon as they entered the side hall, they scanned both Huang Huai and Chen Wei. Their gazes eventually settled on Huang Huai naturally, as if he possessed some kind of magnetic attraction.

Huang Huai, however, keenly noticed that the seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl's expression seemed a little off.

The mother, holding the girl's hand, had a look of distress on her face. She walked to the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan and knelt devoutly on the prayer mat.

The girl beside her remained completely unresponsive. The mother tugged at her daughter and whispered, "Qianqian, quickly kowtow to Old Master Guan and ask him to bless your speedy recovery."

It was evident that the girl was inwardly resisting, but under her mother's pull, she reluctantly knelt there. However, even after kneeling, she showed no intention of kowtowing.

Instead, the mother clasped her hands together and prayed with utmost piety to Holy Lord Emperor Guan, "Emperor Lord, if you are truly divine, please bless my Qian'er with a swift recovery. If my prayers are answered, I will surely have a golden statue cast for you, Old Master Guan..."

Huang Huai, standing nearby, had sharp senses. Although the mother's voice was very low, Huang Huai heard it clearly.

Hearing this, Huang Huai couldn't help but glance at the girl.

After burning incense for Holy Lord Emperor Guan, the mother and daughter proceeded to burn incense and pray to the other deities in the hall, truly worshipping every god they saw.

To be honest, Huang Huai had seen this situation more than once: people suffering from illnesses, especially those deemed incurable, desperately placing their hopes on the ethereal deities in their despair.

More tourists entered the hall. Many people who saw Huang Huai showed surprised expressions, and some couldn't even resist taking out their phones to secretly record videos.

At this moment, several young, beautiful women, appearing to be no older than twenty, were kneeling in a row before the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, bowing their heads.

However, anyone paying close attention would notice that while these women were worshipping the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, they were secretly casting glances at Huang Huai standing before them, their eyes shimmering with an unusual light.

Yet, even though Huang Huai felt the gazes of several women on him, he kept his eyes straight ahead.

After a whole morning, he had become somewhat numb to such looks. Almost every tourist who came to burn incense and pray, regardless of age or gender, would secretly glance at him.

Upon realizing this, Huang Huai knew it was due to his own circumstances.

He had helped out in the hall before, and although people occasionally took videos of him, they were few and far between, definitely not as exaggerated as today.

Considering his own changes, it could only be attributed to his successful Foundation Establishment cultivation last night and the condensation of his Primordial Spirit and True Spirit.

Huang Huai hadn't expected that condensing his Primordial Spirit and True Spirit, along with the surge in his mental energy, would affect his temperament and have such a significant impact on ordinary people.

After figuring out what was happening, Huang Huai couldn't help but inwardly chuckle. He had only just condensed his Primordial Spirit and True Spirit, and with the surge in his mental energy, the effect he had on others was not something he intended.

Originally, if a few days passed and he had fully adapted to the surging mental energy and gained complete control over it, all the effects of the surge would naturally disappear.

Unfortunately, Huang Huai had no experienced mentors. Even Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord only lectured on the Dao, never touching upon any common knowledge beyond cultivation methods.

Huang Huai had condensed his Primordial Spirit and True Spirit relying solely on a single cultivation method, and no one had told him how to restrain his outwardly projected mental energy. He could only adapt and explore it slowly on his own.

After more than half a day, Huang Huai had experienced what it was like to be the center of attention. Fortunately, his willpower was strong enough not to be affected by others' gazes.

However, influenced by Huang Huai, the incense and fire offerings to Holy Lord Emperor Guan had become much more abundant. Previously, only thirty to fifty percent of the visitors entering the hall would burn incense for Holy Lord Emperor Guan, but with Huang Huai standing beside the statue, eight or nine out of ten tourists would approach and offer incense.

"Oh no, oh no, someone's going to jump off the cliff!"

Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from a distance. Xunzhen Temple wasn't very large, and with more than one person shouting, it immediately caused a stir among many.

Huang Huai, in the side hall, heard it clearly. His expression couldn't help but change slightly. He immediately said to Chen Wei, who was somewhat dazed, "Brother Chen, you maintain order here. I'll go see what's happening."

Looking at the tourists surging outwards in a disorderly fashion, Chen Wei nodded at Huang Huai and said, "I've got it here. Xiao Jiu, be careful yourself."

About a few hundred meters away from Xunzhen Temple was a rather spacious viewing platform. Not far from the platform was a sheer cliff. Standing here and looking into the distance, one could see rolling mountains, verdant pines and cypresses, and swirling clouds and mist. Thus, this platform was also a scenic spot attached to Xunzhen Temple.

Many tourists chose to view the scenery from this platform.

Due to the danger of the sheer cliff, Xunzhen Temple had specially built a chest-high railing around the platform. Furthermore, the Great Daoist Master had also assigned a disciple to maintain order here. Therefore, there had been no accidents in this area until now.

When Huang Huai arrived, he saw from afar that a dense crowd of people had already gathered near the viewing platform, numbering at least several hundred.

Jiang Ming, the fourth disciple under the Great Daoist Master, was anxiously trying to persuade a young girl outside the railing. At the same time, a woman was crying and trying to climb over the railing, but she was being held back firmly by several tourists who were afraid she might also fall.

There were still one or two meters between the railing and the cliff edge, but if someone were to climb over the railing, who could guarantee they wouldn't accidentally fall off?

"Qianqian, don't scare your mother! If something happens to you, how can your mother live?"

"Qianqian, come back quickly. Let's go home. We won't see the doctor anymore, nor will we pray to the gods. Mom will stay with you..."

Cries like those of a cuckoo bleeding tears echoed by the cliffside, making everyone around feel a pang of sympathy.

Quickly passing through the crowd to get closer, Huang Huai recognized the girl outside the railing and the woman desperately calling out to her daughter. They were the mother and daughter who had burned incense in the side hall that morning, praying for Holy Lord Emperor Guan's blessings.

Jiang Ming, sweating profusely and working hard to maintain order while constantly trying to persuade the girl standing outside the railing, glanced at Huang Huai and his eyes lit up. "Xiao Jiu, come over and help! You're young and about the same age as this girl. Perhaps you know how to persuade her. You absolutely cannot let her jump..."