"Senior Brother..." Uncle Nine said softly.
Four Eyes sighed, "Senior Brother spent the first half of his life vanquishing demons and protecting countless people. Even if he went astray later, he received enlightenment from the Patriarch in the Underworld and has long since repented. Actually, becoming a Ghost Immortal isn't such a bad thing. Senior Brother, try to be more open-minded."
"Furthermore, the eldest brother also said that what happened back then wasn't your fault. He was blinded by greed, indulging his son Shi Shaojian's evil deeds and protecting his fellow disciples who were trafficking opium. He chose that path himself."
Four Eyes patted Uncle Nine on the shoulder. He understood Uncle Nine's feelings. However, the eldest brother was in a better position than them. Although he was punished in the Underworld, he was allowed to stay and work in the Underworld after the punishment because of his accumulation in the first half of his life.
Shi Jian did not disappoint his ancestor's trust. Perhaps having experienced death once and gained profound enlightenment, he was no longer so attached to his past. After switching to the cultivation of Ghost Immortal, he stayed in the Underworld to cultivate peacefully.
Seeing the melancholy in Uncle Nine's eyes, Lin Yu stood silently to the side. In truth, this matter was caused by him, so Lin Yu didn't say anything more.
Finally, Uncle Nine sighed deeply. Since the matter was beyond change, there was no point in saying anything more.
Uncle Nine lit an incense stick for his eldest brother as a final act of respect.
After paying respects at Shi Jian's memorial tablet, the disciple who had led the way stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Senior Uncle, the three Heavenly Masters are waiting for you in the Heavenly Master Hall. Please follow me."
Afterwards, the group was led to see the three Heavenly Masters.
Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng naturally couldn't enter such a place, so they were left outside to wait. Fortunately, Lin Yu was involved in that incident, otherwise he would have been left outside as well.
Upon entering the main hall, Lin Yu sensed countless powerful auras.
Three of them were particularly powerful, suppressing the others and preventing them from making any significant moves.
Sure enough, upon entering, one saw three Heavenly Master seated upright, their hair and beards all white, their spiritual energy condensed and undissipated. Although they did not deliberately release any pressure, no one dared to show the slightest disrespect; their cultivation had clearly reached the pinnacle of human cultivation.
Below were all the elders of Maoshan, Lin Yu's grandmasters.
Looking at the three patriarchs, Lin Yu recklessly used his Divine Sense to probe them, only to find that they were all suppressing their cultivation levels, clearly unwilling to break through.
Perhaps it was Lin Yu's investigation that caught the attention of the three, for the Heavenly Master in the middle looked at Lin Yu with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"I can't believe I couldn't see through a junior like him. Truly, new talents emerge in every generation."
"Your name is Lin Yu, right? Although I can't see through your background, your cultivation is more solid than that of ordinary disciples."
As soon as he said this, all eyes in the hall turned to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu understood that the disciples mentioned by the patriarch were probably all from his grandmaster's generation.
Therefore, he dared not be arrogant and quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "Lin Yu, a disciple of Maoshan, greets the three patriarchs. I owe my success today entirely to my master's teachings."
Upon hearing this, the three Heavenly Master exchanged a smile, "You speak modestly, but you don't seem to know anything about your actions."
Knowing that his investigation had been discovered by the patriarch, Lin Yu quickly bowed and said, "This disciple was merely curious and offended the patriarch. I beg the patriarch's forgiveness."
Lin Yu quickly nodded in agreement. He had acted impulsively, wanting to see how far he was from becoming a true Heavenly Master, but he hadn't expected to be discovered.
"No need for forgiveness. A prodigy should have the pride of a prodigy. If one acts timidly, what is the point of cultivating immortality, subduing demons, or eliminating monsters!" The Celestial Heavenly Master in the middle waved his hand, his tone gentle, yet revealing an inexplicable domineering aura.
This was the first time the elders in the hall had heard the Heavenly Master praise a junior so highly.
They all took this young disciple seriously, and sure enough, they discovered something unusual: they couldn't see through the disciple's cultivation level.
This situation either means that the person's cultivation level is higher than his, or that he has a supreme treasure to conceal it; either way, it indicates that this disciple has great fortune.
At this moment, Lin Yu was under immense pressure. All the grandmasters and ancestors were looking at him with strange eyes, making him extremely uneasy.
At this moment, Uncle Nine stepped forward and bowed to the three Heavenly Masters, saying, "Grandmaster, this matter Indestructible Samsara Formation is of utmost importance. I have compiled some ancient records, which may provide some clues for our discussion."
After handing over the book, Uncle Nine recounted the entire story from beginning to end, just in case any of the elders, teachers, or grandmasters were unaware of it.
Upon hearing this, the three Heavenly Master took the rubbing, casually flipped through it for a moment, and the middle Heavenly Master said in a deep voice, "You've worked hard. Stay at Maoshan for the next few days and get some rest. In three days, we will discuss strategies to break the formation with the other sects."
As the Heavenly Master finished speaking, the elders in the hall gradually withdrew along the pillars on both sides.
Uncle Nine also got up to take Lin Yu away, but was stopped by the Heavenly Master in the middle. "Little Fung-giu, you go to the guest room to wait. Lin Yu stays. We have a few private questions to ask him."
Uncle Nine paused, turned his head to give Lin Yu a cautious look, then bowed and replied, "Yes, Grandmaster."
The palace doors slowly closed, shutting out the sounds from the outside world. In the vast Heavenly Master Hall, only Lin Yu and the three Heavenly Master remained, standing facing each other.
"Little one, no need to stand, come and sit down." The Heavenly Master on the right pointed to the futon in front of him, his tone much gentler than when they were discussing matters earlier, and the solid spiritual energy around him quietly subsided, no longer giving Lin Yu the slightest sense of oppression.
At that moment, they resembled a kind old man on the street, gentle and peaceful.
Lin Yu did as instructed, walked to the prayer mat and sat down, placing his hands neatly on his knees, while his mind raced with thoughts.
The three Heavenly Master kept him behind alone; surely it wasn't to reprimand him for his rudeness in probing him with their Divine Sense earlier?
Before he could think further, the middle Heavenly Master spoke first, his gaze falling on him with a hint of inquiry. "You're ten years old this year, aren't you? Little Fung-giu said you've only been a disciple for two years, yet you've already achieved such cultivation; you're quite a rare talent."
"Reporting to the Ancestral Master, this disciple is indeed ten years old, and has been a disciple for over two years," Lin Yu answered truthfully, daring not to conceal anything.
"Was that supernatural magic spell that Little Fung-giu sent back last time also your creation?" the Heavenly Master on the left asked at this moment.
"Reporting to the Ancestral Master, it was created by this disciple, but it has not yet been approved by the Ancestral Master," Lin Yu replied in a serious tone.
"Haha, if even this kind of magic doesn't meet our standards, then there aren't many magics left in the world."
"No need for such modesty." The middle Heavenly Master raised his hand, his tone gradually becoming more serious. "You just used your Divine Sense to probe us; you must have discovered that we were all suppressing our cultivation levels, right?"
Although we don't know the disciple's cultivation level, with such spiritual awareness, he must have already caught up with them.
Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded honestly. "This disciple has indeed noticed, but I don't know why the ancestors are unwilling to break through."
Upon hearing this, the three Heavenly Master exchanged glances, all revealing a hint of melancholy.
The Heavenly Master on the right sighed, a wisp of pale golden spiritual energy condensing at his fingertips, drawing a broken "heavenly ladder" phantom in the air. "Do you know that the greatest suffering in the Dharma-ending Age is not the scarcity of spiritual energy, but the breaking of the path?"
"A thousand years ago, a cataclysmic event occurred, completely closing the passage between Heavenly Court and Earth. We, the ordained Heavenly Master, can no longer ascend to Heavenly Court."
"If one forcibly breaks through to the 'Human Immortal' realm, one may appear to become an immortal, but in reality, one is a caged immortal trapped in the mortal world."