When True Lord Huang Long's gaze swept over them, the four men's scalps prickled. Since the Sect Master had settled the matter with one decisive stroke, Gu Yunzi and the others said no more. Their hungry eyes gleamed green, smiles piled across their faces as they shamelessly cast flirtatious looks at Zhang Kuang.
"Zhang Kuang, come visit Gu Yun Hall whenever you have time. You and Zhang Yang can support one another and improve together!"
"What's so worth visiting in Gu Yun Hall? Come stroll around Xiayun Hall more often. We can discuss the principles of divination together!"
Once the others had finished, Su Baihua, who had remained silent all along, suddenly said, "After the three-month introductory training, it will be deep winter, and the Winter Plum Blossoms of Hundred Flowers Hall will be in bloom. Zhang Kuang, you may come to Hundred Flowers Hall to warm wine and admire the flowers with me."
The four hall masters of the inner halls held positions in the Taichu Sect second only to the Sect Master and certain veteran elders. They stood high above all others; ordinary disciples could not hope to curry favor with them even if they tried. Yet to snatch Zhang Kuang away, they had already cast dignity to the winds. Especially Hundred Flowers Hall, where male disciples were normally strictly forbidden from entering—yet Hall Master Su Baihua had personally invited him. This treatment left countless male disciples with bitterness lodged in their hearts.
Countless disciples cast envious looks at Zhang Kuang. Zhang Yang, who had been so arrogant only moments ago, hurried over with a fawning grin, calling him Boss again and again in a sickeningly ingratiating tone. Not a trace of his former pride remained. From the elders' reactions, he could clearly see the vast gulf between a Gray Seed and a Purple Seed.
"Brother Zhang Kuang, it is truly my honor to have entered the Taichu Sect alongside you!" Prince Li Jing immediately approached with a group of young nobles, surrounding Zhang Kuang with boundless enthusiasm. Whether the yearning for talent on his face was genuine or merely an act, no one could tell.
"Brother Zhang Kuang's family is still in Datian Town on Xiaoyu Mountain, isn't it? I have a newly built Royal Residence in the Capital City. If Brother Zhang Kuang does not mind, your parents may move there. My imperial father will surely treat them with the Marquisate Ceremony, allowing them to enjoy glory, wealth, and a peaceful old age."
Several noble youths who normally held their heads high in the air chimed in one after another. In an instant, Zhang Kuang was praised as the future pillar of Xianglong Kingdom and the leader who would guide the Taichu Sect toward becoming a supreme great sect. With Zhang Kuang's Purple Seed aptitude, however, he deserved such praise.
Many disciples from poor families sighed, wondering why they had not been born with Purple Seeds. Otherwise, their parents too could have received the Marquisate Ceremony, ascending to the heavens in a single step and bringing glory to their ancestors.
"Next, Li Jing!"
At True Person Luoye's call, Li Jing stepped onto the testing platform.
Every generation of the Imperial Family selected a prince of exceptional aptitude to enter the Taichu Sect and cultivate immortality. He bore the mission of becoming the future guardian deity of the Li imperial dynasty, ensuring that the dynasty endured for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations. Li Jing was the prince selected for this generation.
Born into the imperial household, Li Jing had grown up consuming all manner of spiritual medicines. Even the water he bathed in had been medicinal broth. Though worldly power held great allure, he had little chance of inheriting the throne. In the end, he gritted his teeth and decided to see whether his Immortal Path might be smoother.
Within the Mortal Kingdom, a prince's status was supremely noble. But in the cultivation world, where strength spoke for itself, it was of little use.
Li Jing had originally been extremely confident in his aptitude, but after Zhang Kuang was tested as a Purple Seed, a fierce sense of crisis immediately rose in his heart.
Everything in the cultivation world was measured by strength. Even as a prince, without outstanding power and potential, he would still be unable to establish himself, much less raise a force of his own.
Having seen grand occasions before, Li Jing maintained a calm and composed expression despite the turmoil in his heart as he stepped onto the testing platform.
The sun shone brilliantly and the warm breeze was gentle. Before the Taichu Sect's Sect Master and numerous exalted senior experts, the Clear Mirror Immortal Eye once more erupted with resplendent, dazzling purple radiance, blinding countless eyes!
"Pur... Purple Seed!"
The elders on the viewing platform, the four hall masters, and Sect Master True Lord Huang Long all widened their eyes, staring in disbelief at the Clear Mirror Immortal Eye, which shone with a dazzling purple glow.
On the viewing platform.
"Taichu Sect... is our Taichu Sect about to defy the heavens?"
"Two Purple Seeds in succession—this would be unimaginable even in those supreme great sects! With them, how glorious will the Taichu Sect's future be!"
"Tsk, tsk. Prince Li Jing is actually a Purple Seed. The Li imperial dynasty is destined to endure for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations."
With two Purple Seed disciples in a row, even someone as steady as True Lord Huang Long burst into wild laughter. "Ten years ago, Longbrow Old Man, the Sect Master of the Shangqing Sect in Great Qing Kingdom, took in a Crimson Seed disciple and proclaimed that he would surpass our Taichu Sect within three hundred years. Today, our Taichu Sect has produced two Purple Seed disciples in succession. Are we not a thousand times, ten thousand times stronger than his Shangqing Sect?"
Even supreme great sects only saw one Purple Seed disciple every several thousand years, yet Emperor Huang Peak had produced two Purple Seeds in succession today. Such a thing would have been difficult to imagine even in other supreme great sects. True Lord Huang Long's current behavior was not a loss of composure at all—rather, it was remarkably restrained.
With Zhang Kuang and Li Jing, two Purple Seed disciples, the Taichu Sect was destined to rise. It might even become an existence surpassing certain supreme great sects. One could imagine just how flourishing and powerful the Taichu Sect would become with Zhang Kuang and Li Jing!
"Martial Uncle Huang Long, Bi Zhu Hall has always maintained excellent relations with the Li imperial family. Every year, we send them hundreds of Immortal Pills of all kinds. This child Li Jing must have grown up eating pills refined by me. Is it not only natural that he should become my disciple?" Bi Zhuzi was the first to leap out. How could he care that his image of serene detachment had already been smashed to pieces? Gu Yunzi had cast aside all shame just to take in a Gray Seed disciple—why should he still care about appearances?
"Pah! He should come to my Hundred Flowers Hall..."
The instant Su Baihua spoke, Xia Yunzi, still nursing a grudge, interrupted her with a strange, mocking tone. "A cultivator's foremost taboo is women. With the six roots unpurified and the seven emotions unsevered, how can one seek the supreme Great Dao? Hundred Flowers Hall has too much yin and too little yang. If Li Jing goes there, will not the little masculine vigor in his blood be suppressed to death? Better that he not go."
"Xia Yunzi, you..."
Gu Yunzi, who had already taken Zhang Yang as his disciple and knew he had no chance, stirred the flames with a gleeful expression. "Xia Yunzi's words are not without reason. But nothing is absolute. Not all women are seductresses..."
Seeing that the atmosphere was turning discordant, True Lord Huang Long cut off Gu Yunzi, who was trying to smooth things over, and said, "Like Zhang Kuang, Li Jing may decide whom he wishes to take as master after reaching the Immortal Seedling Realm. There is no need for you to keep arguing."
The Sect Master had settled the matter with one decisive stroke, so naturally no one else objected. The testing continued.
The next thirty disciples tested were all Colorless Weak Seeds, but it did not affect True Lord Huang Long's good mood in the slightest. Finding even one Gray Seed would have counted as profit, much less two Supreme Purple Seeds.
Yet no one noticed that after Li Jing was also tested as a Supreme Purple Seed, the way he looked at Zhang Kuang was no longer one of admiration or recruitment, but carried hostility.
Both were Supreme Purple Seeds, but there was only one position as Sect Master of the Taichu Sect. Whether Zhang Kuang or Li Jing, both harbored no small ambition. Neither was a lamp that saved oil, and they were destined to stand on opposing sides.
"Next, Qin Haoxuan!"
At last, it was Qin Haoxuan's turn to test his Immortal Seed. Because he had beaten Murong Chao with his fists the previous night, even Prince Li Jing had yielded to him by three parts and instead tried to recruit him with kind words. Everyone assumed Qin Haoxuan must be formidable and eagerly guessed what kind of Immortal Seed he possessed.
Qin Haoxuan strode onto the testing platform. After bowing respectfully to True Person Luoye, he placed his hand into the icy Clear Mirror Immortal Eye.
When Qin Haoxuan stepped onto the testing platform, a trace of surprise flashed through True Person Luoye's eyes. Qin Haoxuan was not only imposing and mature beyond his years, but unlike the other disciples, he did not cower timidly before him. Moreover, a faint trace of spiritual energy emanated from his body—extremely weak, yet exceptionally pure.
Even Purple Seed disciples with excellent bones and extraordinary talent had no fluctuations of spiritual energy around them. Before an Immortal Seed broke its seed and sprouted, it was exceedingly rare for someone to emit spiritual energy. Such people often possessed extraordinary aptitude, and this made True Person Luoye anticipate Qin Haoxuan's test result somewhat.
The Clear Mirror Immortal Eye seemed to possess a magical power that could peer straight into one's heart. The moment Qin Haoxuan placed his hand upon it, a sticky force emerged and held his hand fast.
True Person Luoye sent out a strand of immortal spiritual energy. At that moment, the Clear Mirror Immortal Eye seemed to see through Qin Haoxuan's body entirely. After trembling with a soft hum, it emitted a faint glow—yet without any color at all.
A weak seed among Colorless Immortal Seeds—the worst kind of weak seed, one on the brink of death!
Li Jing and his group below the platform let out a burst of sighs and murmurs. Murong Chao's gaze turned cold as he began plotting how to take revenge. Murong Chao was also a Gray Immortal Seed. Though he could not compare to Zhang Kuang or Li Jing, it was already a sure thing that he would enter one of the four great halls after reaching the Immortal Seedling Realm. A weak seed like Qin Haoxuan was utterly incomparable to him.
Surrounded by a crowd, Zhang Kuang sneered and cursed him as trash. Qin Haoxuan's aptitude truly was abysmal. Once Zhang Kuang's spiritual arts reached great completion, it would be time for Qin Haoxuan to suffer! The flatterers around Zhang Kuang guessed that the two fellow townsmen had a terrible relationship. While praising Zhang Yang, they belittled Qin Haoxuan. These cheap attempts at flattery pleased Zhang Kuang immensely, swelling his confidence. The frustration of having been relentlessly suppressed by Qin Haoxuan for sixteen years was released in an instant.
When Qin Haoxuan tested as a weak seed, a trace of confusion flashed through Elder Luoye's eyes. How could someone with innate spiritual energy in his body possess such poor aptitude? The Clear Mirror Immortal Eye could not possibly be wrong, so perhaps he himself had seen wrongly.
Having already discovered two Purple Seeds, True Person Luoye did not dwell on Qin Haoxuan any further. He looked at him with regret and encouraged him, "Do not lose heart. Work hard! There are infinite possibilities on the path of cultivation. Later effort and fortunate encounters can also make up for innate shortcomings!"
"I will heed Ancestor's teachings." Qin Haoxuan bent in a bow. True Person Luoye held an extremely high seniority and noble status in the Taichu Sect, yet he had none of an exalted expert's foul airs and had even encouraged him. He deserved respect.
However, True Person Luoye's encouragement contained more encouragement than certainty. Unless some extraordinary opportunity came his way, a weak seed disciple's future achievements could not catch up to those of a strong seed disciple even on horseback. But how could such opportunities fall to everyone?
As Qin Haoxuan walked down from the testing platform amid countless mocking gazes, he saw deep disappointment and regret flickering in Xu Yu's large eyes.
Being a Colorless Weak Seed would not have meant much by itself. But Qin Haoxuan's dominance the previous night had made even a prince yield by three parts, leading everyone to believe he was formidable. Who would have thought he was a paper tiger—strong on the outside, weak within?
Xu Yu moved his lips, intending to comfort Qin Haoxuan, but Qin Haoxuan instead comforted him. "It's only a weak seed. It's no big deal. Didn't Ancestor Luoye say there are infinite possibilities on the path of cultivation, and later effort can make up for innate shortcomings?"
Xu Yu smiled shyly, her expression full of regret and loneliness.
Seeing Xu Yu's expression, Qin Haoxuan looked calm and composed, but his heart was a tangled mess.
With the aptitude of a weak seed, not to mention Zhang Kuang, with whom he bore old grudges, even Li Jing and the others whom he had offended last night would trip him up. He had to improve his strength as quickly as possible, or the days ahead would become incomparably difficult.
Yet Qin Haoxuan did not lose heart. He firmly believed that later effort could make up for innate shortcomings. What was more, he still had Little Snake as his trump card. If only those with powerful Immortal Seeds could achieve greatness, then why would the Taichu Sect keep weak seed disciples at all? They might as well carry around a Clear Mirror Immortal Eye and recruit whoever had the strongest Immortal Seed.
Xu Yu was the last among this batch of new disciples to step onto the testing platform. Aside from Qin Haoxuan, everyone else was scrambling to fawn over the Purple Seeds Zhang Kuang and Li Jing. No one cared what Xu Yu's result would be—until the Clear Mirror Immortal Eye erupted with magnificent purple immortal light.
Brilliant purple radiance once again spilled across every corner of the testing platform. No one could have imagined that Xu Yu's slight body contained a Purple Immortal Seed. The disciple who had snatched Xu Yu's blanket the night before immediately went weak in the legs and collapsed onto the ground. Heavens, are you playing with me? Last night, I actually stole the blanket of a Supreme Purple Seed disciple. How am I supposed to establish myself from now on?
As for the senior experts of the Taichu Sect on the viewing platform, they had already become numb with excitement. One Purple Seed disciple was enough to transform a sect into a supreme great sect—then what about two? Three? Was the Taichu Sect about to unify the cultivation world? At the very least, in a hundred or so years, once the three Purple Seed disciples had matured, even when facing the leader sect of an ancient sect that had stood for ten thousand years, they could speak with confidence. Once they fully matured... even those ancient ten-thousand-year sects would have to submit and surrender the position of alliance leader to Taichu! By then... would not the spiritual mountains and spiritual veins be Taichu's for the taking?
"Pfft!" Su Baihua studied Xu Yu carefully with an odd expression, then suddenly laughed. She said to Gu Yunzi and the others, "You can fight over Zhang Kuang and Li Jing. Hundred Flowers Hall will be satisfied with Xu Yu alone!"
"Why?" Xia Yunzi retorted in his strange, mocking tone. "Why does Xu Yu belong to your Hundred Flowers Hall?"
"Aren't you skilled in physiognomy? You cannot even tell that she is a woman! Female disciples of our Taichu Sect enter Hundred Flowers Hall. Isn't that only natural?" Xia Yunzi, who had not looked carefully, was mocked until his face turned red, yet he still stubbornly refused to yield like a duck with a hard beak.
Once Su Baihua pointed it out, everyone noticed that Xu Yu had delicate features and refined facial contours. Though she had deliberately smeared some soot over her face, it could not hide her snowy-white skin. Dressed as a boy, she had seemed thin, small, and unremarkable, but the more one looked, the more she resembled a girl.
"Hmph, not necessarily. Doesn't your Hundred Flowers Hall also want to take male disciples? Can our Xiayun Hall not take female disciples?"
Su Baihua wore a satisfied smile and could not be bothered to respond to Xia Yunzi. Barring any surprise, Xu Yu's entry into Hundred Flowers Hall was already certain. As for the remaining two, she would let them bite each other like dogs.
Seeing Xia Yunzi still chattering endlessly, True Lord Huang Long darkened his face and rebuked him. "We will discuss this later. I will personally go to Kirin Peak and report this matter to the Old Ancestor, letting him make the decision."
Upon hearing this, Su Baihua and the others were shocked and secretly miserable. The Old Ancestor had been in seclusion on Kirin Peak for centuries, ignoring worldly affairs. Why disturb the old man over such a "small matter" as accepting a few Purple Seed disciples?
What if the Old Ancestor took a liking to their talent and took all three under his own wing as closed-door disciples? Would that not leave nothing for them? Still, the Sect Master's decision was not something they could oppose.
After learning that Xu Yu was a girl, the disciples whose sleeping places had been near Qin Haoxuan's the previous night immediately cast envious looks at him. Damn it, why had they not had the good fortune to hold a Purple Seed female disciple and sleep for a night?
Before long, gossip about Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu spread swiftly through whispers and murmurs. Even more ambiguous looks full of envy, jealousy, and hatred were cast toward Qin Haoxuan.
The looks Zhang Kuang and Murong Chao gave Qin Haoxuan also became complicated. If Xu Yu remembered the feelings of last night and protected Qin Haoxuan in the future, it would be difficult for them to make a move against him.
I wrote this novel in a very relaxed and comfortable way, and I hope everyone can read it in the same relaxed and comfortable way. If you like it, please cast a recommendation vote. Thank you, thank you.
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