Clear Mirror Immortal Eye on the Manifestation Stage

The boys scrambled onto the beds, resigned in the cold wind to the dirty, hard communal cots and damp, musty thin quilts. They all wanted a good night's rest to shake off the fatigue of traveling day and night, preparing to face tomorrow's final test and write a new chapter in their lives.

Xu Yu lay pressed against Qin Haoxuan, his lips turning purple from the cold beneath the thin quilt. It wasn't just Xu Yu; all the new disciples, including the robust Qin Haoxuan, felt the biting chill.

In the dim candlelight, a dark hand reached out and snatched the quilt tightly wrapped around Xu Yu.

Xu Yu cried out in alarm. It was a strong, healthy boy next to him. After snatching Xu Yu's quilt, he glared and cursed, "What are you yelling about! If you have the guts, snatch it back!"

His shout brought tears of grievance to Xu Yu's eyes. The frail boy didn't dare argue back. Arguing was useless here; might made right.

Qin Haoxuan, lying next to Xu Yu, saw everything. The quilt-snatcher's brazenness enraged him. If he hadn't been mindful of not drawing too much attention as a newcomer, he would have thrown a punch long ago.

"Come, let's share a bed. We'll be warmer this way!" Qin Haoxuan pulled Xu Yu, who was huddled into a ball against the cold, and offered him half of his own quilt. But the quilt was too small, forcing him to hold Xu Yu in his arms.

Xu Yu's pale face instantly flushed a burning red, and he didn't dare move, held tightly in Qin Haoxuan's embrace.

Qin Haoxuan, holding Xu Yu, felt no embarrassment. Two men sharing a quilt was no big deal. A faint scent from Xu Yu reached his nose, dispelling the quilt's unpleasant musty odor.

With the precedent of quilt-snatching set, the shivering boys suddenly saw an opportunity. Several who considered themselves strong began openly robbing others, while those being robbed fought desperately to defend their quilts. Soon, several areas erupted into chaotic brawls.

Not far from Qin Haoxuan, Li Jing was also stirring. With a nod from him, the wealthy young men beside him swaggered out to snatch quilts.

These wealthy youths had trained in martial arts since childhood, their physical condition far superior to the other boys. They immediately seized several quilts, beating anyone who resisted until they were bruised and bloody. After that, no one dared to resist.

Quilt-snatching turned into quilt-collecting, and soon it reached Qin Haoxuan.

A wealthy young man named Murong Chao yanked Qin Haoxuan's quilt. Qin Haoxuan, who had just begun to warm up, suddenly felt cold. Xu Yu shivered, and chilled and frightened, tears streamed down his face.

Without a word, Qin Haoxuan sprang up from the bed, a muffled roar erupting from his chest.

Crack!

His fist landed squarely on Murong Chao's face.

Murong Chao was sent flying sideways like a leaf in the wind, crashing to the ground a meter or two away. He couldn't get up for a long time.

It wasn't until Murong Chao let out a pained cry that the others reacted, staring at Qin Haoxuan's punch with stunned disbelief.

Murong Chao came from a military family and had practiced martial arts since he was young, learning battlefield combat techniques. His reaction speed was the fastest among them.

With the strongest, Murong Chao, taken down by Qin Haoxuan's punch, the other wealthy youths were about to charge forward, but Li Jing, who had remained silent, spoke up, "Insolent! Who allowed you to disturb Brother Qin's rest?"

The wealthy youths immediately stopped. While fear of Li Jing played a part, they were more afraid of the beast-like ferocity of Qin Haoxuan.

However, Murong Chao, having just gotten up from the ground, ignored it all. With a strange cry, he drew a dagger from his waist and lunged at Qin Haoxuan. The distance was short, and the speed was extreme, the dagger whistling through the air.

As if he had eyes on the sides of his head, Qin Haoxuan was clearly no pushover. He countered by grabbing Murong Chao's wrist, clamping down on his pulse. The dagger in Murong Chao's hand must have been a fine weapon, capable of slicing through metal, as it plunged deep into the ground when dropped, leaving only the hilt exposed.

Qin Haoxuan, still gripping Murong Chao's wrist, kicked him in the backside, sending him flying away. He then glared coldly at Li Jing, the mastermind behind the scenes.

Qin Haoxuan's fierce combat skills truly shocked Li Jing. He mused that this person had some ability, and if he could be brought into his own faction, he would be a valuable asset.

He walked over, sternly reprimanding Murong Chao and the others. Then, he picked up the quilt that Qin Haoxuan had dropped, handed it back to him, and said in a conciliatory tone, "The final test is tomorrow morning, Brother Qin. Get some rest early."

Qin Haoxuan continued to hold Xu Yu and sleep. Although there were still a few sporadic incidents of quilt-snatching, no one dared to target Qin Haoxuan anymore.

Zhang Kuang felt a sense of schadenfreude that Qin Haoxuan had offended the Third Prince, Li Jing, right from the start. Could he afford to offend the Third Prince?

Considering the final test was tomorrow, Qin Haoxuan forcibly suppressed the urge to go to the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley to search for treasures. After all, tomorrow's final test was extremely important, and it would be bad if he was groggy and lacked energy.

The next day, before dawn, with three clear bell tolls, the more than two hundred youths immediately got out of bed and tidied their clothes. They then headed to the open space in front of the simple buildings to gather.

Led by the guide taoist from the previous night, they ate breakfast, passed through various exquisite buildings, and proceeded to the final test grounds.

After about half an hour of walking, the guide taoist led them to an open-air plaza. The elders and masters of the Taichu Sect responsible for the final test were already waiting. An old man with the demeanor of a celestial being, dressed as a taoist, was among them. He was the Sect Master of the Taichu Sect, True Lord Huang Long.

The final test for new disciples was a paramount event in all major sects, and the Taichu Sect was no exception. This year, even True Lord Huang Long, who had been in seclusion for a long time, personally appeared at the scene.

Incense was burned to the heavens, and amidst ethereal celestial music, True Lord Huang Long personally announced the commencement. An elder stepped onto the stage and announced the content of the final test.

"This test is to assess your talent and aptitude!"

Some disciples of the Taichu Sect recognized the elder on the high platform. With white hair and beard, wearing a green taoist robe, and possessing a distinctly celestial demeanor, this elder was True Person Luoye, the martial uncle of Sect Master True Lord Huang Long. He held a very high position in the Taichu Sect, had been in seclusion for many years, and rarely appeared in public.

His presence, along with Sect Master True Lord Huang Long and the numerous elders in the viewing stands, underscored the importance of this final test.

True Person Luoye stated, "Immortal Seeds are divided into colored and colorless Immortal Seeds based on their strength. Colorless Immortal Seeds are further categorized as full or not full. Colored Immortal Seeds are divided into seven colors: gray, brown, cyan, orange, red, gold, and purple."

After explaining the levels of Immortal Seeds, True Person Luoye paused and said, "After the test, regardless of the strength of your Immortal Seed, I hope none of you will become arrogant or discouraged. The ultimate achievement of a cultivator cannot be solely determined by aptitude. Diligent effort later in life can compensate for innate deficiencies!"

The test began. As True Person Luoye called names, dozens of new disciples were tested, but all of them had colorless, incomplete, weak seeds.

The expressions of the high-ranking members of the immortal sect remained calm. It was normal for all new disciples to be weak seeds. Colored, strong seeds were rare finds. It would be good if there were even one or two full, colorless Immortal Seeds among these two hundred disciples.

"Next, Zhang Yang from Datian Town!"

Zhang Yang walked onto the testing platform and placed his hand on the Clear Mirror Immortal Eye.

As True Person Luoye infused a stream of Spiritual Qi, the Clear Mirror Immortal Eye immediately flashed with a gray light.

"Gray Seed!"

True Lord Huang Long suddenly stood up, his eyes shining with incredible light. The majesty on his face could not hide his inner ecstasy. A Gray Seed! This was a Gray Seed! In a hundred years of the immortal sect's inheritance, it was not guaranteed that even one disciple would have such an excellent Immortal Seed as a Gray Seed!

With just one Gray Seed, the Taichu Sect would have no problems for the next two hundred years, or even longer. If this individual could grow, they could even become the next Sect Master of the Taichu Sect! The current Sect Master had also tested as a Gray Seed when he was young!

Perhaps individual Immortal Destiny could vary greatly in the future, but this Gray Seed would undoubtedly become a pillar of the Taichu Sect!

The elders in the viewing stands excitedly stood up, their faces filled with joy, excitement, and shock, while also revealing a hint of hostility towards each other.

Such an excellent Gray Seed, who wouldn't want to take him as a disciple? In the future, his own lineage might very well be the one leading the Taichu Sect.

"Uncle-Master Huang Long, our Gu Yun Hall lineage has never taken disciples before. This time, I see the child below named Zhang Yang has a master-disciple destiny with our Gu Yun Hall lineage. Why doesn't Uncle-Master Huang Long make the decision to have him join our Gu Yun Hall lineage after he reaches the Immortal Seed stage?"

The other elders all turned their gaze towards the plump Immortal Master who had spoken. This plump Immortal Master wasn't very tall, his body was plump, and the smile on his face was very kind. A goatee on his chin trembled continuously as he spoke, giving him an air of immortal demeanor.

The plump Immortal Master felt the gazes of others and smiled slightly. He cupped his fists towards the others, "Esteemed senior brothers, junior brothers, and junior sister, you are all looking at me. Do you all agree? Then Gu Yunzi thanks you..."

"Gu Yunzi, how come I've never heard that you understand physiognomy and divination? How do you know this child is fated with you? In my view, this child has a master-disciple connection with our Xia Yun Hall. In our Taichu Sect, no one can match the Six Yao Divination of our Xia Yun Hall."

Gu Yunzi rolled his plump eyes and looked towards the speaker, a thin and dry Daoist. This old Daoist, dressed in a purple robe, looked more like a red envelope than a cultivator: "Senior Brother Xia Yunzi, your Xia Yun Hall has snatched someone every time someone entered for the past ten years. Five years ago, you even snatched Chi Ming, who had a full Immortal Seed. You can't have all the good seedlings join your Xia Yun Hall, can you?"

"I agree with what Gu Yunzi said... Your Xia Yun Hall already has quite a few good seedlings. Giving you more would be against heavenly principles!"

Bi Zhuzi, dressed like a scholar and possessing an extraordinary and refined aura, quickly chimed in, "Sect Master Uncle-Master, Ancestor-Master Luoye, our Bi Zhu Hall has always been indifferent to worldly affairs. Our disciples are even more free of distractions, wholeheartedly dedicated to cultivating outstanding disciples for the sect and bringing glory to our Taichu Sect. Zhang Yang has quite good spiritual roots. If he can join our Bi Zhu Hall, he will undoubtedly shine brilliantly!"

Gu Yunzi and Xia Yunzi rolled their eyes again. They now realized that Bi Zhuzi's usual demeanor of being indifferent to worldly affairs and his aloofness were all a pretense. Under the temptation of a Gray Immortal Seed, his true colors were finally showing.

"Cough, cough." A clear female voice, like a yellow oriole emerging from a valley, rang out, "Several senior brothers, our Hundred Flowers Hall has always only accepted female disciples. The Yin energy is too heavy, lacking a bit of masculine energy. I presume with the magnanimous hearts of several senior brothers, you will surely yield Zhang Yang to our Hundred Flowers Hall?"

Su Baihua's Hundred Flowers Hall was unique within the Taichu Sect, with only female disciples. They were often on the minds of disciples from other halls. Accepting only females and not males was an unwritten rule of the Hundred Flowers Hall. It was unexpected that Su Baihua would want to make an exception.

"Inappropriate, inappropriate!" Gu Yunzi shook his head, swaying back and forth, and took out a white jade bottle from his embrace.

As soon as this white jade bottle was brought out, a dense immortal energy permeated the entire platform.