The Patriarch's Gift, Part Two

"Hmm?" Tengqiu True Person outside the hall suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the Ancestor's statue, a hint of shock on his face.

Inside the hall, an elder Daoist Priest held a brush in one hand and a ledger in the other. At this moment, his eyes widened, not daring to divert his attention for a moment. He was specifically responsible for recording the Ancestor's blessings. In the past few decades, this was only the second time such a significant anomaly had occurred; the last time was twenty years ago when Zhang Sheng joined the sect.

The Ancestor's statue's eyes suddenly gained a divine radiance, and the entire statue seemed to come alive, lowering its head to look at the disciples kneeling below.

Tengqiu True Person appeared calm, but one hand subconsciously tightened its grip on his sleeve.

Light flowed all over the Ancestor's statue. Suddenly, a point of light flew out from its waist and entered Yan Ming of the East Sea's body.

This outcome stunned everyone, including the Yan family members outside the hall. Others might think Yan Ming was a disciple of Taichu Palace like everyone else, but the Yan family knew very well that Yan Ming was actually a disciple of the Cave Heaven below, only studying at Taichu Palace temporarily. They planned to find a way to formally admit him into the sect in a few years.

But now that Yan Ming had suddenly received the Ancestor's blessing, it was different. This was equivalent to being personally chosen by the Ancestor!

The head of the Yan family was a tall, strong, and imposing man, also Yan Ming's father. After reacting, he was so overjoyed that he almost lost control of himself. He fiercely pulled a handful of pearls from his waist pouch, ready to scatter them into the crowd.

Fortunately, he quickly realized this was Taichu Palace, surrounded by many prominent families. The Yan Family of the East Sea, let alone top three, couldn't even make the top ten among these families. If he scattered these pearls, he would offend countless people. Fortunately, his reaction was quick, and he pulled his hand back stealthily, like pulling back from the brink of a cliff.

The old Daoist Priest recording in the hall saw clearly that the light came from the Ancestor's jade pendant at its waist. That jade pendant, unlike the crown, was a magical artifact with some history, so its blessing was also unusual. Thus, the old Daoist made a mark next to Yan Ming's name and murmured, "This one has good fortune."

Several young attendant disciples nearby had already been listening intently. Upon hearing this, they secretly noted down Yan Ming's name.

Next, two more points of light flew from the statue, originating from a jade ring and a book in its hand, respectively, entering the bodies of two youths. These two items had even more significant origins, especially the book, which could further enhance comprehension and be of great help in overcoming tribulations and breaking through in the later stages of cultivation. These were truly great talents. The old Daoist naturally recorded them meticulously, filling a whole page.

But the Ancestor's blessings were not over. Amidst everyone's admiration, an immortal sword suddenly glowed brightly all over its body, and a sword intent shot into Xiao Yu's body!

Although the Ancestor possessed many treasures, when it came to destructive power, the four immortal swords were undoubtedly the most formidable. This sword intent was clearly more significant than the previous blessings.

The burly man slowly grinned and turned to Zhang Sheng, saying, "How about that? My grandson Xiao Nian is quite good, isn't he?"

Zhang Sheng nodded and seriously replied, "Indeed, he is very good! He's only missing an immortal sword compared to me back then."

Xiao Nian's smile froze on his face, and all the words he was about to say were choked back.

He scrutinized Zhang Sheng from head to toe, clicking his tongue, "No wonder they say every disciple under the Azure Hall has exceptional combat power! As a disciple of your hall, if your combat power weren't exceptional, you probably wouldn't survive outside for more than a few months."

Seeing that four people from Fengyuan Commandery had received the Ancestor's blessings, but the anomaly of the Ancestor's statue had not subsided, a stir arose in the crowd of onlookers. Suddenly, a beam of light shot from the Ancestor's statue's forehead and entered Bao Yun's body!

Tengqiu True Person raised his eyebrows, a look of shock flashing across his face.

The old Daoist Priest responsible for recording trembled, almost dropping his brush. The forehead was the sea of consciousness, where Imperial Scenery was to be achieved, one of the most crucial areas of the Dao Body. This indicated that the blessing originating from the statue's forehead was undoubtedly extraordinary.

However, the old Daoist pondered deeply, searching his memory, but could not recall anyone who had ever received such a blessing. This meant that the blessing originating from the forehead was likely the first of its kind.

The Bao family members, with their discerning eyes, were ecstatic. Even the elder who had always remained composed was rarely seen stroking his beard and smiling. Bao Yun's blessing was likely even more important than Xiao Yu's immortal sword. However, comparing it with Zhang Sheng's two immortal swords was difficult to say.

Yet, after Bao Yun received her blessing, the anomaly of the Ancestor's statue still had not disappeared! All eyes turned to Wei Yuan.

Among those present were many influential figures who knew something of Fengyuan Commandery's uniqueness. Wei Yuan's ability to outperform numerous disciples from prominent families and break through the fiercely competitive Fengyuan Commandery clearly indicated his extraordinary talent. Furthermore, it was well-known that Wei Yuan's background was the Azure Hall, which was equivalent to having no background. This greatly increased the value of his first-place finish in the general examination.

Therefore, everyone was curious to see what blessing Wei Yuan would receive, and whether it would surpass the record set by Zhang Sheng twenty years ago. If that were the case, the master and disciple would form a beautiful story.

At this moment, high in the void, two terrifying auras had been confronting each other for an unknown duration. Wei Yuan's consciousness was trapped between them, completely unable to move. The gaze from above no longer scrutinized Wei Yuan but was fixed on the ancient and desolate behemoth. The behemoth seemed to be in another world, slowly approaching, as if trying to find a path to this world.

A faint sigh seemed to echo from the sky. Wei Yuan's consciousness was no longer bound and returned to his body like a swallow returning to its nest. All illusions vanished.

By then, everyone's sacrificial texts had long been recited, but as long as the Ancestor's statue's anomaly persisted, this batch of disciples had to wait. When Wei Yuan opened his eyes, he saw a patch of gray mist fly out from the giant stone beneath the statue's feet and enter his body.

Tengqiu True Person looked puzzled, and the recording old Daoist was also startled. This time, he could be sure that no blessing had ever originated from the giant stone beneath the statue's feet.

A young attendant Daoist whispered to his companion, "Isn't that stone part of the natural ground? Could it also be the Ancestor's statue?"

His companion hesitated, "The statue is the statue, and the foundation is the foundation... right?"

Not only the young Daoist was confused, but the recording old Daoist was also troubled, unsure if this counted as an Ancestor's blessing. He knew very well that the giant stone beneath the statue's feet was not a separate piece but part of the entire mountain. A larger portion was actually beneath the hall's floor tiles. In other words, the giant stone was actually part of Empty Valley Hanging Green, and the Ancestor's statue did not include this giant stone.

However, at this moment, Tengqiu True Person seemed to recall something and suddenly announced loudly, "All six disciples from Fengyuan Commandery have received the Ancestor's blessings! Next batch."

With a True Person's decree, the matter was settled without dispute. The old Daoist's brush flew across the page, and Wei Yuan was also considered to have received the Ancestor's blessing. Just as he finished the last stroke, the old Daoist suddenly remembered something, and his brush trembled.

Three thousand eight hundred years ago, when the Ancestor first arrived with his sword and founded Taichu Palace, the Boundary Stone he had placed seemed to be beneath the statue.

This time, the six disciples from Fengyuan Commandery simultaneously received the Ancestor's blessings, numbering even more than the total from the previous four major regions. With this, no one dared to question the number of spots for Fengyuan Commandery; they could only sigh at the vast power and far-reaching plans of the noble families.