Tongtian Finally Could Not Sit Still

Golden Turtle Island.

Biyou Palace.

When Lin Yuan stood here once again, his state of mind was utterly different from last time.

The first time Tongtian had noticed him,

he had only just broken through to the Heavenly Immortal realm.

He had climbed ranks through the minor tournament and obtained a Qingxuan Sword and the Supreme Clarity Immortal Scripture.

Now he had returned.

Early Golden Immortal realm.

All Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island were alive.

Not one of the Ten Heavenly Lords was missing.

Zhao Gongming's death calamity from the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book had also been dismantled ahead of time.

Even the Treasure-Dropping Coin, which would originally have cost him the Sea-Calming Pearls,

was now lying in Zhao Gongming's sleeve.

To say the changes were insignificant

would be somewhat disrespectful to all the legwork he had done lately, running everywhere to put out fires.

Zhao Gongming walked ahead.

After entering Biyou Palace, he directly bowed.

"Master."

"Your disciple has returned."

Tongtian Daoist sat above.

Duobao, Jin Ling, and several other core disciples were present as well.

Clearly, this was no ordinary summons.

Lin Yuan hurriedly bowed.

"Disciple Lin Yuan greets Grandmaster."

"Rise."

Tongtian's gaze fell upon him.

It lingered for a moment.

"A Golden Immortal."

"Your cultivation has progressed quickly."

Lin Yuan honestly said,

"I have encountered a few more opportunities lately."

At the side, Zhao Gongming's lips twitched.

You called that a few more?

Other people only stumbled across an opportunity once in a while.

But this kid Lin Yuan seemed able to pick something up from fellow disciples wherever he went.

Of course,

when others encountered opportunities, they mostly seized them, sought them out, or fought for them.

He was different.

He saved people first.

Once they were alive,

he conveniently raised himself another step as well.

Tongtian did not dwell on his realm either.

His gaze shifted to Zhao Gongming.

"The Nail-Head Seven-Arrows matter."

"Tell me in detail."

Zhao Gongming concealed nothing.

From Lu Ya's sudden appearance,

to Lin Yuan sensing that something was wrong,

then Yao Bin using the Ten Ultimate Linked Formation to trace the soul's pull,

and finally the Ten Heavenly Lords and the Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island finding the altar together,

he recounted everything.

Biyou Palace grew increasingly silent.

Especially when they heard that Zhao Gongming's name had been written on the straw effigy and it had already been worshipped for days on end,

Jin Ling's expression turned completely cold.

Duobao also frowned.

"If it had been any later..."

The smile faded from Zhao Gongming's face.

"This disciple likely would not even have known how he died."

Tongtian said nothing.

He merely tapped his fingers lightly against his knee twice.

No one knew what the Saint was thinking.

After a while,

he suddenly looked at Lin Yuan.

"Shiji."

"The Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island."

"The Ten Heavenly Lords."

"Gongming."

"Ever since you entered the Intercepting Sect,"

"it seems you have constantly been saving people."

Lin Yuan's heart tightened slightly.

So the question had finally come.

But he had prepared for it long ago.

"This disciple merely happened to discover the danger."

"If I could save them, then I saved them."

Tongtian smiled without quite smiling.

"Every time, you just happened to?"

Lin Yuan fell silent for a moment.

"This disciple's spiritual senses are indeed rather sharp."

Duobao nearly failed to hold it in.

He had used this explanation all the way from Shiji until now.

It was somewhat too universal.

Yet Lin Yuan truly had displayed an extraordinarily terrifying sense for danger.

Tongtian did not press him.

At the Saint's level,

it was perfectly normal for a disciple to have their own opportunities.

Who in the Primordial World did not have a few secrets?

So long as Lin Yuan bore no ill will toward the Intercepting Sect,

Tongtian could not even be bothered to get to the bottom of it.

What truly interested him was something else.

"Lin Yuan."

"What do you think the Intercepting Sect's future will be like?"

The moment those words fell,

everyone in Biyou Palace looked at Lin Yuan at once.

Jin Ling's gaze shifted slightly.

That question carried tremendous weight.

Lin Yuan did not answer immediately either.

If he merely wanted to flatter Tongtian,

he could naturally say that ten thousand immortals would come to pay homage to the Intercepting Sect, and its fortune would flourish.

The problem was...

there was no point.

His goal in entering the Primordial World had never been to accompany the Intercepting Sect along its original fate into the Myriad Immortals Formation, only for everyone to end up on the list together.

Since Tongtian had asked,

Lin Yuan simply told the truth.

"If things continue as they did before,"

"we will lose."

Biyou Palace instantly fell silent.

Duobao frowned.

Jin Ling, however, did not interrupt.

Zhao Gongming had only just returned from a death calamity.

Upon hearing those words, he was instead the calmest.

Because he had experienced it firsthand.

No matter how powerful you were in a head-on fight,

it did not mean you would certainly win in the end.

A single altar from Lu Ya

had nearly sent him, a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, on his way.

Tongtian likewise did not get angry.

"Why?"

Lin Yuan organized his thoughts.

"Our Intercepting Sect has many disciples."

"We value loyalty."

"When fellow disciples run into trouble, everyone is willing to help."

"That is an advantage."

"But it is also the easiest point for others to exploit."

"If something happened to Shiji,"

"fellow disciples would step in."

"If something happened to the four senior brothers of Kowloon Island, Senior Brother Wen Zhong would invite others."

"If the Ten Heavenly Lords met calamity, more people would continue descending the mountain."

"If Martial Uncle Zhao truly died to the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book..."

Lin Yuan did not continue.

But Zhao Gongming understood.

If he died,

could his three younger sisters on Three Immortal Island possibly sit still?

Impossible.

Then another group of people would enter the game.

Like a string arranged in advance.

When one person at the front fell,

someone behind would voluntarily step in to fill the gap.

Tongtian's gaze grew deeper and deeper.

Lin Yuan continued,

"The Explanatory Sect has few disciples."

"So each death is treated with great caution."

"Our Intercepting Sect has many people."

"But we can easily feel that losing one or two does not matter."

"Yet if the Investiture of the Gods Calamity truly wears us down bit by bit like this,"

"one dies today."

"Three more descend the mountain tomorrow."

"When those three meet trouble,"

"another ten come."

"No matter how many people we have, it will never be enough to fill the holes."

These words contained no profound, complicated principles.

It had even been bluntly stated.

Yet it left everyone in the hall silent.

Because everything that had happened during this time had already proven—

It was indeed so.

If Lin Yuan had not kept pulling people back ahead of time.

The Intercepting Sect would have already lost at least a batch of disciples.

Tongtian suddenly laughed.

"So everything you've been doing lately."

"Was to keep them from dying?"

"Yes."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"This disciple believes that if they need not die, then they should not die."

"As long as people remain."

"They can fight again after losing once."

"If the people are gone."

"Then even winning one battle means nothing."

Tongtian's laughter grew louder and louder.

"Well said—as long as people remain."

"They can still fight again."

He rose to his feet.

For the first time, his gaze landed on Lin Yuan with genuine seriousness.

"Before, I merely thought your comprehension was good."

"But now, it seems."

"I had underestimated you."

Tongtian raised a hand.

A cyan, sword-shaped jade token condensed from the void.

The jade token was only the size of a palm.

Yet it contained a terrifying sword intent that nearly brought Lin Yuan's Innate Spiritual Perception to a halt.

The power of a Saint.

"This is the Supreme Purity Guardian Sword Token."

"It contains one strand of my Saint will."

"If you encounter a danger in the future that truly exceeds what you can handle."

"You may shatter the token."

Lin Yuan's heart gave a violent leap.

The weight of this item was simply too great.

When he had encountered Taiyi before.

He could still call for Jin Ling.

But if he encountered beings of an even higher level in the future.

This would be a true life-saving trump card.

"Thank you, Patriarch!"

Lin Yuan accepted the sword token.

Yet Tongtian did not sit back down.

Instead, he turned to look at Duobao, Jin Ling, and the others.

"From this day onward."

"Lin Yuan shall be listed as a candidate Dao Child of the Intercepting Sect."

Duobao's gaze stirred slightly.

A smile finally appeared on Jin Ling's face as well.

Zhao Gongming simply burst into laughter.

"This disciple thinks it fitting."

Lin Yuan himself was the one who froze for a moment.

A candidate Dao Child.

This was no longer the status of an ordinary elite disciple.

It meant that he had begun truly entering the Intercepting Sect's future core training ranks.

Of course.

He was only a candidate.

Above him were still figures like Duobao, the eldest senior brother.

The Four Great Direct Disciples.

And countless mighty outer-sect experts.

He was still far from truly holding power.

But his status had already become completely different.

Tongtian sat down again.

"Since you believe the Intercepting Sect's original path has problems."

"Then some matters within the sect."

"You may participate in them from now on."

"If you see a problem."

"Speak of it."

"Do not wait until people are dead before regretting it."

Lin Yuan nodded solemnly.

"This disciple understands."

The Biyou Palace discussion did not last long.

Zhao Gongming still needed to return to Mount Emei to recuperate.

Lin Yuan, meanwhile, prepared to return to the Shang Camp.

Just as he stepped out of the palace gates.

A streak of communication light suddenly flew in from afar.

It landed in Zhao Gongming's hand.

Zhao Gongming swept it with his divine sense.

His expression immediately turned somewhat strange.

Lin Yuan noticed.

"Martial Uncle."

"What is it?"

Zhao Gongming glanced at him.

"Your three martial aunts heard that I was nearly cursed to death."

"They are angry."

Lin Yuan's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

"And then?"

"They have already left Three Immortal Island."

Zhao Gongming paused.

"They are preparing to go to West Qi."

The smile on Lin Yuan's face instantly stiffened.

Yunxiao.

Qiongxiao.

Bixiao.

The Three Cloud Sisters—

Had descended the mountain.