Chapter 76

Chapter 76: The Ninth

Chen Ansheng looked up and gazed.

The celestial palace carriage hovered in the air, its door curtain slowly opening, revealing a middle-aged man stepping through the air, appearing before the crowd.

He wore a gray-blue dao robe and held a square jade disc, exuding an immense aura, as if a celestial peak stood between heaven and earth.

“Welcome the envoy’s arrival.”

The heads of various caves at Ninefold Flower Mountain and the high-ranking elders all bowed deeply to the man.

“Everyone is too polite.”

The middle-aged man had a kind face and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting.

This person was an elder sent by the Xuan Yang Celestial Mansion to select disciples.

“I wonder what realm he is at, has he reached the Celestial Immortal Realm?”

The man in the air was the strongest celestial cultivator Chen Ansheng had ever seen.

At that moment, Yao Jianyuan jumped out of nowhere and patted Chen Ansheng’s shoulder: “I’ve met him several times; his name is Mo Wu, a peak Xuan Immortal.”

Chen Ansheng was startled by this and took two steps sideways, turning to say, “Can your broken Illusory Sword Eye see his realm?”

Yao Jianyuan replied, “It can’t see through; it’s what my Second Uncle told me.”

“Oh.” Chen Ansheng nodded, “A peak Xuan Immortal, just one small level above late-stage Xuan Immortal, but his aura is completely different.”

Chen Ansheng knew that the Demoness Zhong Li was at late-stage Xuan Immortal, but the feeling he got from the two was vastly different, much like the contrast between celestial realms and earthly immortals in the cultivation world.

Yao Jianyuan said, “As the saying goes, each realm has its own world. He’s a peak Xuan Immortal; perhaps he has one foot in the Celestial Immortal Realm, which is certainly incomparable to late-stage Xuan Immortal.”

As he spoke, Yao Jianyuan shoved away two nearby sword cultivator disciples, occupying a spot, sitting grandly.

Chen Ansheng followed and sat down. Then he said, “I wonder who the lucky ones will be that the celestial mansion looks favorably upon today.”

Hearing this, Yao Jianyuan showed a rather disdainful expression, “Lucky ones? More like lucky pigs at best.”

Chen Ansheng found this somewhat puzzling; it seemed Yao Jianyuan was quite dismissive of this. “Brother Yao, why do you say that?”

Yao Jianyuan leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head, and casually said, “It’s nothing. Anyway, if I were selected, I wouldn’t agree to go with him even if it killed me.”

Chen Ansheng frowned slightly and then asked, “Why is that?”

Hearing Chen Ansheng’s probing question, Yao Jianyuan lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously: “Think about it; throughout history, major powers recruit disciples based on their aptitude, right? Why would they take in some useless trash? Moreover, I’ll tell you, anyone taken by the Xuan Yang Celestial Mansion won’t have any news afterward; just think about it.”

At this, Chen Ansheng couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his spine.

Upon closer reflection, such good fortune in the celestial realm indeed shouldn’t exist.

Chen Ansheng thought to himself, could the Xuan Yang Celestial Mansion be planning to use people for alchemy?

But he couldn’t rely solely on speculation, so he said, “If something truly is awry, would the four major caves willingly send their disciples there?”

Yao Jianyuan shot Chen Ansheng a seemingly incredulous glance and replied, “Brother Chen, you’re being too naive. If you were a Cave Master and a grand celestial mansion came asking for a few insignificant disciples, would you dare to fall out with them to protect them? Besides, if the other side is up to something shady, why would they let outsiders know easily?”

After Yao Jianyuan explained this, Chen Ansheng’s sense of anticipation immediately dwindled.

Before Chen Ansheng could respond, Yao Jianyuan continued, “Logically speaking, year after year, the disciples selected from Ninefold Flower Mountain should come back to thank their masters and elders. However, after all these years, not a single one has returned—not being taken away, what else could it be?”

A chill ran down his spine!

No wonder even someone who has been incapacitated for hundreds of years could be taken away by the Xuan Yang Celestial Mansion; it probably wasn’t a good thing.

Chen Ansheng remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Whatever the case, it’s not my turn anyway; I’d better think about how to pass the Bi Yan Cave’s assessment.”

Yao Jianyuan smiled and said, “Now you’re talking sense. Don’t think about pies falling from the sky; it can cost you your head.”

Chen Ansheng cupped his hands and repeatedly said, “Brother Yao speaks wisely; I have learned from you.”

While the two were caught in their suspicions, the middle-aged man, accompanied by two attendants, had already settled down at the main seat of the arena.

“The purpose of my visit is surely known to all of you, so I will not go on about it. Now, please clear your minds and wait for the inspection of this jade disc. Only those deemed qualified may voluntarily join our celestial mansion for cultivation.”

As soon as these words were uttered, the lower and mid-level disciples from the four major caves became excited.

As for the top genius disciples, they showed no particular reactions. After all, with their qualifications, they were already the center of attention within Ninefold Flower Mountain, and all the good resources were directed toward them. But once they entered the celestial mansion, their genius status would likely dim, and they might not receive more benefits.

This perfectly encapsulated the saying: better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

The middle-aged man, Mo Wu, tossed the jade disc in his hand.

Rainbow-colored celestial light scattered from the jade disc, enveloping the entire plaza.

Hundreds of thousands of disciples from Ninefold Flower Mountain mostly sat cross-legged, closing their eyes and entering a state of open clarity, waiting for good fortune to descend.

About fifteen minutes passed.

Suddenly, a dark red light shot out from one disciple, shooting into the sky.

“I got it, hahaha, I got it!”

That disciple, realizing he was selected, shouted in excitement, even appearing somewhat insane.

Before long, one after another, six others also burst forth with ascending red light.

Every time, the Xuan Yang Celestial Mansion only accepted eight people, and now there was still one short!

Countless gazes scanned the crowd, waiting for the appearance of the last lucky one.

“Damn it! How could it be me!”

Hearing this exclamation, Chen Ansheng instinctively turned his head, only to see Yao Jianyuan glowing with red light.

Chen Ansheng’s heart jolted sharply.

Over a hundred thousand people, and Yao Jianyuan had actually been selected.

At that moment, Chen Ansheng felt a mix of emotions. He had just gotten to know someone who could recommend him to another cave, and now he was being taken away like this?

“Brother Yao, congratulations! What we discussed earlier might have been your overthinking,” Chen Ansheng cupped his hands and said tentatively.

“Congratulations my ass, I’m not going!” Yao Jianyuan rolled his eyes.

As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes widened as he stared at Chen Ansheng, “Brother Chen, you, you also got selected!”

Only then did Chen Ansheng notice that he too was emitting red light.

Chen Ansheng immediately froze; wasn’t it said that only eight spots were available? How could he also be selected!

Not only were Chen Ansheng and Yao Jianyuan baffled, but when the ninth red light soared into the sky, the rest of the crowd was equally astonished, and the scene began to stir.

“Silence!”

An elder on the arena shouted, the turbulent celestial power suppressing the voices of the crowd, bringing silence back to the plaza.

At this moment, the Mo Wu from the Xuan Yang Celestial Mansion slowly stood up and said, “The last young friend must have a great affinity with our Xuan Yang Celestial Mansion; hence the jade disc has made an exception to select him. Everyone need not speculate wildly.”

In the crowd, Chen Ansheng’s mind was already in chaos.