Head Instructor

"He has come out of seclusion."

"Master Lu has come out of seclusion."

Liu Hou, who had been waiting for news where Lu Yan was in seclusion, shouted at the top of his lungs while rushing toward Chen Yulou's study.

Inside the study, Chen Yulou was meditating, practicing the mental cultivation technique Lu Yan had passed on to him. Hearing this, he snapped his eyes open, leaped up from his couch, and pushed the door open.

"Where is Master?"

Chen Yulou gripped Liu Hou's shoulders and asked in a deep voice.

"In the main hall."

Liu Hou pressed his hands against his knees, gasping for breath, his tongue still struggling to untangle.

With unconcealable joy on his face, Chen Yulou strode toward the main hall.

As he approached the hall, Chen Yulou's increasingly sharp spiritual perception felt a massive pressure emanating from within, the source of which was Lu Yan, who sat in the center of the hall.

"Master."

Chen Yulou gritted his teeth and walked up to Lu Yan, beads of sweat faintly visible on his forehead.

Seeing that Chen Yulou had made great progress during this period, Lu Yan nodded in satisfaction and withdrew his aura.

"You have been diligent during this time."

"With the auxiliary potions you left behind, my cultivation has been quite smooth."

Although Chen Yulou was much older than Lu Yan, in China, the learned are always first. After entering the path of cultivation, Chen Yulou was even more capable of sensing Lu Yan's immense power.

"Master, now that you have come out of seclusion, should we begin the previous plan?"

Chen Yulou picked up a freshly brewed cup of tea, handed it to Lu Yan, and asked respectfully.

"Of course."

Lu Yan smiled slightly, his expression revealing powerful confidence. He looked at the green tea leaves floating on the surface, blew on them gently, and said, "Only by breaking can we establish. This time, the Xieling will surely be reborn through fire and blood."

Early the next morning, on the drill ground west of the city, thousands of core Xieling disciples stood in brown short-sleeved tunics beneath the high platform, looking up at Chen Yulou, Lu Yan, and the others.

Chen Yulou, dressed in fine robes with his hair combed meticulously, looked down at the Xieling backbone and shouted, "Brothers, I have gathered you here today because the treasures from Bottle Mountain have been sold off. You have all worked hard, and it is only right that we share the gold and silver."

"I have already calculated the specific share for each person based on your performance; you need only go to Hua Maguai to collect it."

Upon hearing about the distribution of treasure, the Xieling brothers were overjoyed and shouted in unison.

"Long live the Chief!"

"The Chief is mighty!"

Chen Yulou looked at the enthusiastic crowd below, smiled slightly, and raised his hand to signal for silence before continuing, "On the other hand, there is a major matter concerning our Xieling that I wish to discuss with you all."

"As you all know, I have taken the esteemed Mr. Lu as my master to study the way of the Arcanist."

"After entering the path, I have come to realize the principles of all things more deeply. But as the leader of the Xieling, how could I keep this opportunity to myself and forget my brothers?"

"After my earnest entreaties, my master has decided to serve as the Chief Instructor to teach you all these skills."

"In a moment, you will all come forward one by one to have your aptitude tested."

The crowd below began to murmur. Everyone in the Xieling had witnessed Lu Yan's abilities; if he were to teach them, wouldn't they also have a chance to become immortals or ancestors?

Standing at the front, Liu Hou nudged Dili Beng's shoulder and whispered, "Dili Beng, what are you thinking about?"

Dili Beng chuckled, "I'm thinking about Xiao Hua at the Yi Red Pavilion."

"You kid, aren't you trying to save money to get married? You're going again?"

Liu Hou was quite tall, but he was still a green lad, and his face turned red at the words.

Dili Beng tugged at his waistband and laughed at Liu Hou's flushed face, "We're all going to learn immortal arts from Master Lu, so why worry about not being able to find a wife? This time, your brother will take you to broaden your horizons."

Under the scorching sun, the Xieling backbone formed a long line on the drill ground, each placing their hand on the crystal ball in front of Lu Yan.

Lu Yan looked at the crystal ball, which only emitted a faint glimmer, and shook his head. "Next, Red Maiden."

The people in line looked at the heroic and spirited Red Maiden in front and whispered to each other, "Hey, do you think Red Maiden will make it?"

"I doubt it. Dozens of people before her have failed."

"I wonder if I have the luck."

"What luck? This is called aptitude; it depends on whether your parents were up to the task."

"Then I definitely won't make it. My ancestors for eighteen generations were all farmers."

Red Maiden was also a bit nervous. She took a deep breath, held it, and walked up to Lu Yan to extend her hand.

"Look, it's glowing! Such a bright light!"

"Red Maiden is truly impressive."

As soon as Red Maiden pressed her hand down, the crystal ball suddenly burst into brilliance, flashing with a dazzling light even in the bright daylight.

Red Maiden let out a sigh of relief, looked at Lu Yan, and asked, "Lu Yan, was that too much?"

Lu Yan also glanced at Red Maiden with some surprise, nodded, and said, "It was, but your aptitude is quite good—only a little behind Chen Yulou."

"That's good then."

A smile bloomed on Red Maiden's face as she cast a triumphant look at Chen Yulou and the others.

"Next."

Lu Yan shook his head with a chuckle and gestured for the next person to step forward.

In the main hall, Lu Yan looked at the two rows of people packed tightly together. The windmill in his eyes spun rapidly, pulling them all directly into an illusion.

"This is your future."

With a wave of Lu Yan's hand, a group of mages clad in black robes appeared on a battlefield. Holding staves, they cast various spells that manifested out of thin air, causing a massive horde of enemies to fall one after another.

"Or perhaps this."

The scene shifted to a laboratory, where a wizard held a test tube, observing the colorful reactions within the flask while carefully adjusting the balance with his spiritual essence.

"Wizards, or rather, Arcanists, use their own mental power to leverage the energy of heaven and earth. The key to this is one's own knowledge."

"Power is merely the surface; do not become obsessed with it. Observe all things carefully and accumulate your own knowledge."

Having said this, Lu Yan looked at another group of sturdy Xieling men and offered comfort: "Do not be discouraged. Although your mental power does not meet the standard, practicing the martial path can also lead to transcendence and sainthood."

With another casual wave, the previous scene transformed into a battlefield filled with soaring bloodlust, where two armies slaughtered each other in a truly gruesome display.

One warrior, clad in heavy armor that seemed as light as a feather, swung his weapon, causing the bones and tendons of everyone in front of him to snap.

"This is what it looks like after achieving transcendence and sainthood."

The scene shifted once more, showing a burly man wreathed in deep red energy, flying through the air and punching toward a distant mountain peak.

With a thunderous roar, dust blotted out the sky, and half of the distant mountain peak vanished.

Watching the two groups, who were deeply shocked and dumbstruck, Lu Yan waved his hand to disperse the illusion, and everyone returned to the main hall.

"Lu Yan, will we all be able to become that powerful in the future?"

Red Maiden asked, her large eyes wide and her breathing rapid.

"If you cultivate diligently, you naturally can."

A smile played on Lu Yan's lips as he scanned the dazed crowd and called out, "Red Maiden, Kunlun, Hua Maguai, stay behind. Everyone else, you may leave."