Whether or not a disciple could obtain the Founder’s boon was the clearest reflection of their innate talent. However, despite standing for a long time and watching six groups of disciples taking their turns, Wei Yuan saw only one disciple who received something from the Founder.

Right now, Zhang Sheng was currently standing a good distance away from Wei Yuan and conversing with Sun Yu. All the other elders and seniors were waiting there as well. As per the rules, they must stand at least ten zhang away from the main hall.

The scholar looked over the new disciples once before commenting, “There were more disciples this year than in the previous years.”

“Is it? We’ve only accepted a total of one hundred and fifty disciples from seventeen provinces. That’s not even ten disciples per province.”

“There were only eight-four disciples in my year,” Zhang Sheng countered.

Sun Yu replied, “True Lord Yan Shi advocates for opening our gates to all people and teaching without discrimination. In my opinion, taking on more disciples isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“I hope so.”

It was at this moment a new group of disciples stepped inside, and a change took over the Founder’s statue. A dot of light had flown out of his hat and entered a young girl’s body. Not far away, an old man burst into uncontrollable, ecstatic laughter as he exclaimed, “Wonderful, wonderful! The Jiao Clan could not have asked for a better blessing! Our ancestors are truly watching over us! Hahahaha!”

The old man was weeping and laughing at the same time. Naturally, he drew a lot of attention. One person couldn’t stand his outburst and said to his companion sarcastically, “Do you know what the hat means?”

His companion replied, “Of course not.”

“A hat is a precious accessory, but it is not a part of the Founder’s body, and definitely not a potent weapon like an immortal sword. Just like clothes, it is an everyday tool that is valued more for its appearance than function. Someone who received a boon like this usually finds it easier to forge artifacts, manage treasures, and execute support arts. In other words, her expertise from now on is to repair broken mystic artifacts or perform menial work in the backlines while her sectmates are charging on the battlefield.”

The sarcastic tone he used to make his explanation made it crystal clear exactly what he thought of the boon. The old man’s complexion turned an unhealthy shade of blue and red, but he yelled, “So what? It’s still a boon from the Founder himself, and definitely better than someone who got nothing at all!”

The sarcastic man immediately yelled back in irritation, “What are you talking about? My boy hasn’t taken his turn yet! How dare you say that he got nothing from the Founder?”

The old man pointed at the hall. “That’s your boy, isn’t it?”

As it turned out, one of the boys stepping into the hall right now belonged to the sarcastic man. However, the Founder didn’t so much as make a peep from the start until the end. The sarcastic man felt embarrassed and angry as a matter of course, and the old man taunted him the whole way. In the end, he couldn’t keep up pretenses any longer and left in a hurry.

It was at this moment a ceremonial Daoist called out, “From Fengyuan of Yong, Wei Yuan, Bao Yun, Xiao Yu... Yan Ming.”

The recitation immediately caused a stir among the crowd.

“Why are there so many disciples from Fengyuan?”

“Yeah! We, the Gan Province, only had five disciples, and they, a commandery, had six?!”

An old man in plain clothes suddenly stepped forward and declared in a loud voice, “Our Chu Province is one of the great provinces, yet we only received eight spots. Yong Province is a barren wasteland, and you’re telling me they have six spots for a single commandery? If someone says that there’s no foul play, then I will be the first to disbelieve it! How can the Palace of Absolute Beginning allow such an injustice to happen and still expect to command respect ?! I refuse to accept this!”

The old man’s loud cry drew immediate echoes of agreement from many of the crowd. Even a guy from Yong Province was saying, “Yong Province has nine commanderies, and the other eight only secured one spot in total. What gives Fengyuan the right to claim six spots for themselves?”

The ceremonial Daoists called for silence several times, but the commotion only grew louder and louder. The old man who started it was even stamping his feet in protest and repeatedly saying that his beloved grandson had been this close from being accepted. If the Palace of Absolute Beginning was truly fair, then they would take a spot away from Fengyuan, transfer it to Chu, and allow his grandson to join them.

Zhang Sheng looked left and right until he spotted two familiar faces: the brawny man and the Bao Clan elder he had boarded a boat with three days ago. The brawny man was crossing his arms and wearing a sneer on his face, whereas the elder looked like he wouldn’t bat an eyelid even if the sky were to fall on his head this instant.

When the brawny man saw the scholar looking his way, he decided to walk over to him and ask, “Why aren’t you debating that guy?”

Zhang Sheng replied indifferently, “Why should I? He’s clearly targeting aristocratic families like you. If anything, I should be the one asking you this question. Since when did the Xiao Clan become so tolerant?”

The brawny cracked a grin. “This is the Palace of Absolute Beginning’s business. It’s one thing if he addresses the Xiao Clan directly, but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t dare.”

In any case, neither the brawny man, the Bao Clan elder, nor Zhang Sheng was planning to take action. The ceremonial Daoists carrying out their duties were all young and inexperienced, so they were beginning to exude signs of panic. They kept trying to placate the crowd and prevent the situation from escalating. However, their meek responses only encouraged the old man further, and no matter what they said, he just kept yelling for fairness. By now, the young Daoists were profusely wiping their sweat and struggling to come up with a solution.

Suddenly, a Daoist appeared on the plaza and manifested a huge, gnarly Qiulong[1] above his head. An invisible pressure instantly pressed down on the entire plaza and immobilized everyone beneath the Avatar stage. It was only then the growing chaos was suppressed.

He asked in a cold voice, “What’s the commotion?”

A young ceremonial Daoist immediately explained the ins and outs of the situation. The Trueman’s expression grew ugly when he listened until the end, and the invisible pressure he exuded grew significantly heavier. The old man who started it all froze in place like a mountain was sitting on his shoulders and preventing him from moving or talking. He looked panicked.

Trueman Teng Qiu[2] rebuked him, “The number of disciples admitted from each province is determined by the True Lords themselves—how dare you presume to question it! To cause a disturbance before the Founder Hall—punishment is inevitable.”

The Daoist reached out and summoned a lightning whip out of nowhere. Then, he brought it straight down on the old man’s head!

A screen showing a blooming plum tree appeared above the old man’s head. When the whip came down, cracks spread immediately across the screen, and the plum tree’s flowers fell like the rain. It was almost completely bald save for a few flowers in the blink of an eye. At the same time, the old man fell to his knees while most of his hair turned white, and his wrinkles deepened visibly. He looked like he had aged a decade in an instant.

Countless spectators gasped in horror at the sight of this. The one strike had destroyed portions of the old man’s Dao Foundation and ruined decades of cultivation.

Trueman Teng Qui withdrew his lightning whip and declared, “This is merely a minor punishment. Considering that your child is young and not guilty for your sins, he will not be expelled for now. Instead, he will be demoted to the status of a registered disciple and practice alongside other registered disciples of the Palace. He will be put under temporary observation as well.”

The old man couldn’t say a word. He could only cough up blood as his family members and his disciples carried him away.

Trueman Teng Qiu didn’t leave after dealing with the commotion. Instead, he kept watch as the Founder Commemoration Ceremony resumed.

Sun Yu suddenly let out a sigh and said softly, “He was just trying to fight for his junior’s future, though, he used the wrong method and ruined not just his junior’s chances, but also his path to immortality. He had had a sliver of a chance of creating an Avatar.”

Someone beside him replied, “Cultivators from minor sects and families like him are always starving for resources. They grew up having to fight for everything, everywhere, all the time. They became so used to such methods that they even brought it to the Palace of Absolute Beginning. To be honest, the fact that one of his juniors is entering the Palace of Absolute Beginning already represents a life-changing opportunity for this family. Alas, he allowed his greed to overcome his better senses.”

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was following a ceremonial Daoist into the Founder Hall. Be it him, the new disciples, or the ceremonial Daoists, they all seemed as small as ants before the Founder’s statue.

Wei Yuan knelt on a praying mat as per the instructions of a ceremonial Daoist and began kowtowing. Seven kowtows later, he began reciting the memorial text inside his head.

Almost immediately, he felt a gaze beaming down from a place of unimaginable heights and saw through him completely. The next moment, he felt as if his consciousness was pulled out of his physical body and raised to unfathomable heights. Literally. He could see that the Founder Hall had become as small as a human palm below him. Still, the gaze was coming from a higher place that he couldn’t sense at all.

Wei Yuan suddenly panicked a little and looked around. No matter where he looked, there was only emptiness and the void.

When the gaze centered on him, the fortune inside his body suddenly stirred awake and as if agitated. The next moment, he felt a formless thing appearing above his head and matching the higher being’s gaze.

The formless thing was indescribably huge, ancient, and bleak. He could not sense the end of it at all. It seemed to share a connection with his fortune, but it was so weak and blurry that Wei Yuan himself wasn’t sure if he was just imagining things.

At that moment, Wei Yuan realized that he was suspended in the sky and caught between two unknown existences. It was like an ant stuck between two mountains. Literally no one would even notice if they crushed him to death.

Wei Yuan couldn’t move no matter how hard he struggled. He could only watch the boys and girls below his feet kowtowing to the Founder’s statue again and again. He felt as if he had become completely detached from the real world.

It was at this moment a faint music suddenly played in the hall, and a beam of light descended from the sky. It illuminated the Founder’s statue and rained petals everywhere.

1. Qiulong is a Chinese dragon that is contradictorily defined as "horned dragon" and "hornless dragon". ☜

2. Meaning Rising Qiulong. ☜