The Previous Generation Saintess

Every creature in and around the city who witnessed it cried out in astonishment. The sight was so unforgettable that they were utterly shaken.

They stared dumbfounded into the distance. Golden light blazed, Auspicious Radiance shimmered, and clusters of lotuses condensed in the void and bloomed. Immortal light swirled around them, enveloping heaven and earth.

It was as though an immortal banished from heaven had descended, and the myriad Daos were celebrating and welcoming him, lighting up the entire world. Mere golden radiance could not represent his talent; heaven and earth had to manifest extraordinary phenomena.

At that moment, no one could remain calm. They looked up, bathed in sacred light, their hearts trembling with excitement. Aspects of their Precious Arts they had failed to grasp suddenly became clear, and they understood them completely.

"Who is this person? He actually made the Great Dao resonate. Unbelievable!"

"He truly appeared like a thunderbolt out of the blue! A peerless talent has suddenly emerged. He's destined to become renowned throughout the world and reign supreme over an entire era!"

Everyone marveled. Such a phenomenon might not appear even once in ten million years. Clearly, someone extraordinary had emerged, someone with limitless potential.

The ancient stele resonated, divine flames surging straight into the clouds. Even heaven and earth grew restless as an aura of the Great Dao descended and enveloped the area.

The light shone in every direction and could be seen from hundreds of miles away. Many people hurried over, hoping only to catch a glimpse of this world-shaking being.

"I'm cooked. I think I made a bit too much noise!" Lin Fan muttered ruefully as he gazed toward the sky. He had known his talent was decent, but he had never expected it to be this decent.

Only about a hundred feet away, the Heaven Mending Sect elder stared at him in a daze, as though looking at a peerless treasure. It was hard to imagine this child possessed such tremendous talent. He was only five or six!

Even their sect's Saintess had not produced a sight like this. There had only been brilliant golden light, nothing more. This was truly extraordinary, a rarity unmatched throughout the world!

Suddenly, a figure appeared. His wide sleeves fluttered, and he seemed like someone on the verge of ascending to immortality.

It was an old man, descending as though untouched by the smoke and dust of the mortal world.

"Greetings, Sect Master!" The Heaven Mending Sect elder beside him hurriedly bowed upon seeing the newcomer, his manner deeply respectful.

At the same time, he was astonished. Even the Sect Master, who had been in seclusion, had been alerted and had specifically emerged to come here.

"Young friend, were you the one who caused that commotion just now?" the Heaven Mending Sect Master asked with a kindly smile. He examined the child, delighted.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm..." Lin Fan nodded like a chick pecking at grain. Before such an important figure, honesty was the best choice.

"Don't be afraid. I mean you no harm. I merely wish to ask whether you would like to join the Heaven Mending Sect," the white-haired old man said. A faint smile remained on his face, making him seem very approachable.

"Grandpa, what benefits would I get from joining the Heaven Mending Sect?" Lin Fan asked in a clear, childish voice, pressing a finger to his chin with a very serious expression.

He did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked about the benefits first, indicating that they would have to offer something good to entice him. He was like a child asking for milk, with a hint of childish innocence.

Lin Fan did this both to raise his own value and to establish that they had asked him to join, rather than him begging to enter. It would lessen their suspicions about the lie concerning his identity later.

The Heaven Mending Sect elder beside him, however, widened his eyes, his heart pounding. Shouldn't this child be overjoyed and agree immediately when the Sect Master personally invites him? He actually dares bargain with our Sect Master over benefits? Does he not know which king outranks the other?

The Heaven Mending Sect Master was not angered by his words. Instead, he laughed heartily. "Hahaha, you're quite an interesting child! As long as you join the Heaven Mending Sect, your standing will equal that of the Saintess. You may learn every Precious Art and divine ability in the sect, and someone will be assigned specifically to protect you on your path."

The other elder present was astonished. The terms their Sect Master offered were truly astounding. This was effectively the same as appointing a Holy Son, proving how highly he valued this child.

Still, it made sense upon reflection. The innate talent revealed by this test alone was unequaled throughout the ages, surpassing every past sage of the Heaven Mending Sect.

Since the stele had been erected here, no one had ever produced a spectacle like today's. Even the current Saintess fell short!

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Fan replied, "Then I'm willing to join."

"Good!" The Heaven Mending Sect Master was overjoyed. With a wave of his hand, he took Lin Fan away.

In truth, even if Lin Fan had refused, the Heaven Mending Sect Master could not possibly have let him go.

How could he allow such a genius to fall into someone else's hands?

After the two left, tranquility returned. All the extraordinary phenomena vanished, and a peculiar field disappeared as well, as though time had been flowing backward.

The next moment, the city's inhabitants arrived. They packed the area in a dense crowd numbering over ten thousand, eager to see just who had undergone the test and made the stone stele resonate.

"Huh? Where's the peerless prodigy who caused that phenomenon?" someone asked in confusion. Only a Heaven Mending Sect elder remained by the ancient stele. No one else was there.

"Where did that person go?" Some searched, while others questioned the Heaven Mending Sect elder stationed there.

"There's no need to search, everyone. That was a Heavenly Talent our Heaven Mending Sect has kept hidden. They have already left!" the elder explained, deliberately concealing the fact that a five- or six-year-old child had caused it.

If that news leaked, it would inevitably draw the attention of people with ulterior motives. The Heaven Mending Sect had enemies too, and it would be disastrous if a Heavenly Talent of their sect were assassinated.

That was also why the Heaven Mending Sect Master had employed his great technique, ensuring those people arrived only after the two of them had left. No one knew a child had caused it.

Inside a vast palace, radiant colors flowed, myriad rays of light shone, and the Dao Sound rumbled. Sacred radiance coursed through the hall, filling it with peace and tranquility.

Every inch of this place had been carved from jade and contained mysterious laws of the Dao. Cultivating here would yield twice the results with half the effort.

After being brought here, Lin Fan was naturally questioned about his background. He answered with the same half-truths he had used to fool Qi Daolin, saying he had come from the Border Wasteland and arrived here after accidentally stepping onto an ancient teleportation formation.

His account was not entirely false anyway, and his words matched what was in his heart. With no one able to bear witness, it was difficult to determine whether he was telling the truth.

Besides, his talent and age spoke for themselves. No one would believe anyone foolish enough to send a peerless Heavenly Talent as an undercover agent. It simply would not be worth it.

The Heaven Mending Sect Master had intended to take him as a disciple and teach him personally. He was a First Generation with exceptionally rare talent, no worse than the Immortal Palace Successor the Sect Master had met.

Unexpectedly, a woman arrived at that moment and disrupted his plans.

"Sect Master, let me teach him!"

The speaker was a beautiful woman in white. Her robes fluttered as she approached through the air, glittering motes drifting down around her. She seemed like a fairy from the highest heavens descending into the mortal world, transcendent and untouched by worldly dust.

She appeared to be around thirty, beautiful and dignified, with a cool expression. Her black hair swayed gently, and her eyes were as calm as water, without the slightest ripple. The first impression she gave was one of coldness.

Yet her grace was rarely found in this world. Like a divine lotus, she rose from the mud unstained and bathed in clear ripples without becoming gaudy. Her beauty could topple cities and kingdoms, her bearing was breathtaking, and her skin was pure white, spotless and flawless, without a single blemish.

Lin Fan turned toward her voice and instantly fell into a daze...

She was not merely a fairy, but a fairy in the full ripeness of maturity, far beyond what those young girls could compare to. The charm she possessed was impossible to describe.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why Boss Cao had favored mature women above all others. He was practically in love!

"Qing Yao, haven't you always ignored worldly affairs and paid no attention to matters within the sect? Even when asked to teach Yue Chan, you rarely bothered with her. Why are you volunteering to take a disciple today?"

The Heaven Mending Sect Master was puzzled and surprised. He was not questioning her out of anger at having his disciple snatched away; he simply could not quite understand.

After all, she was the Previous Generation Saintess and also his disciple. Yet she had a cold, detached disposition and had ignored worldly affairs for over a hundred thousand years, never even participating in the sect's major matters.

Her behavior today was very strange. Why had she suddenly decided to vie for a disciple?