Chapter 40: Great Change (Part One)

In the room, a silver portal appeared, and Lin Yuan’s figure shimmered with silvery light.

Instantly, Lin Yuan’s brows slightly furrowed. He felt a trace of oppression, but it vanished in the next moment. With the forging of his Primordial Spirit, the suppression from the Main World on him had completely disappeared.

A hint of joy showed in Lin Yuan’s expression. This feeling of freedom, of being able to unleash his full strength at will, was very good.

However, sensing the sharp decrease of Virtue Merit within him, Lin Yuan felt a pang of heartache inwardly.

He could no longer maintain the Merit Golden Halo; it had transformed into a ball of golden light.

That ancient mirror probably consumed most of the merit to awaken a new ability, and bringing back the Heavenly River Kui Water Sword also used up a small portion.

“I still need to find ways to earn merit more quickly. Otherwise, if one day I find some treasure but can’t bring it back, that would really suck…”

Muttering to himself, Lin Yuan suddenly remembered the dozens of volumes of the Daoist Canon he had completely destroyed back then.

Originally, it was to prevent those Innate Divine Demons from noticing anything amiss, and he destroyed all those Daoist Canon texts just in case. But these texts were borrowed from Daoist Yu and needed to be returned.

It was just a bit tedious. Among the Lin Family’s properties, there was originally a printing bookstore. He had already memorized all those Daoist Canon texts and had others transcribe them. They could just be printed at the bookstore.

The next morning.

At the Lin Family’s residence in Xinyi Ward, a Daoist from the Iron Immortal Temple in Wenchang County town came to the door. Several elders from the Wenchang Daoist Academy had arrived and requested Lin Yuan to join them on time.

The Iron Immortal Temple was a rather popular temple with many Incense Offerings in Wenchang County, worshipping a rather mythical Immortal. But in reality, many of the city’s powerful and noble families knew this was one of the branch temples of the Wenchang Daoist Academy.

With green tiles and white walls, it couldn’t be described as imposing or grand, but it was extremely solemn, carrying faint threads of incense fragrance. When Lin Yuan arrived, he saw many commoners and dignitaries praying in the adjacent precious hall.

In front of the temple’s main hall, there was an open, flat area. Beyond one courtyard, further back, there was another cluster of temple buildings. This area was clearly the inner sanctum.

When Lin Yuan entered, the bone aptitude test seemed about to begin. In the hall next to the platform, there were several figures wearing solemn Daoist robes, with clear, pure energy swirling around them.

Some were in secular dress, others in Daoist attire, each possessing their own graceful demeanor and distinct bearing.

At the foot of the steps before the main hall, there were also over ten young men and women of extraordinary temperament. Daoist Yu and several other Daoists stood to the side. Seeing Lin Yuan arrive, Daoist Yu pursed his lips towards him. Understanding the gesture, Lin Yuan immediately stood at the back of the group.

On the steps, the leader wore a dark purple Daoist robe. His eyes were bright, and he carried an air of authority. This was the headmaster of the Wenchang Daoist Academy, Daoist Wenyi. At this moment, the headmaster was speaking.

“…Before you entered our Wenchang Daoist Academy, someone should have already told you about the origins of our Wenchang Daoist Academy!”

“Our Wenchang Daoist Academy is one of the directly transmitted academies of the orthodox Dharma Lineage! Our roots are pure and our lineage is legitimate!”

“If you diligently cultivate and achieve results, perhaps before long, you can directly enter the Dharma Lineage sect!”

“Just like two among you this time, who have already been directly appointed by the upper sect’s Dharma Lineage and can enter the Dharma Lineage sect at any time!”

After his words, the headmaster and several figures beside him glanced at the young girl and the youth in white, Yun Yi. This made many of the other young men and women nearby unable to hide their looks of envy.

“Of course, you need not be overly disappointed either!”

“Being able to compete alongside disciples of the sect’s Dharma Lineage should be considered a fortunate thing!”

“It’s not just those two. All of you, the bone aptitudes of the disciples from the various major Daoist academies in the Jiangnan Circuit will ultimately be presented before the upper echelons of the Dharma Lineage sects. Every year, there are not without disciples of superior bone aptitude being directly spotted by the elders of the Dharma Lineage sects, soaring to great heights!”

“The rewards for superior bone aptitude are not limited to that. There’s also our Wenchang Daoist Academy’s Dao Stele!”

The headmaster above, Daoist Wenyi, paused slightly, swept his gaze over the crowd, and stroking his long beard, said.

“Whether they are disciples about to enter the sect’s Dharma Lineage or ordinary disciples, all are disciples of our Wenchang Daoist Academy. Everyone can try their luck!! But whether you can gain an advantage depends on your own capabilities!”

Hearing this, several Daoists from the Wenchang Daoist Academy nearby exchanged glances and smiled lightly. Headmaster Daoist Wenyi also chuckled to himself.

Below the stage, the many young men and women became somewhat restless. Many secretly bolstered their determination, but when their gazes fell on the leading girl and Yun Yi, their spirits deflated somewhat.

In terms of innate talent, who could compare to the Dragon Maiden Ao Yi and this fine jade of the Yun Family, Yun Yi?

Most likely, these two would have quite a dragon-and-tiger struggle later!

“Senior Sister Ao Yi, later, could you please go easy on this junior?” The youth in white had an excellent bearing. He looked towards the beautiful Dragon Maiden beside him, slightly cupped his hands in greeting. His demeanor was as clear as the wind and the bright moon, indescribably elegant and dashing. Several young girls nearby couldn’t help but let their lovely eyes turn towards this senior brother of extraordinary bearing.

For this Wenchang Daoist Academy selection, although there were many with good bone aptitude, the Yun Family had long spread the word that Yun Yi possessed Dao Bone and Immortal Root, his bone aptitude was extraordinary.

It was completely on par with the Inner Sect Disciples accepted by many of the Immortal sects this time.

The only one who could probably give him some pressure was the Golden Lake Dragon Maiden beside him.

The Golden Lake Dragon Maiden’s expression was cold. She just cast a cool, clear glance at the youth in white and did not speak.

There were also many Daoists looking at Lin Yuan. This one, who possessed Virtue Merit, was also unusual. But alas, this time the assessment was about bone aptitude.

Lin Yuan was also looking at the youth in white, his expression somewhat thoughtful.

“So you’re the Lin Yuan who used Virtue Merit to crush Que Yunzi?”

A voice came from beside him. One of the youths tilted his head, currently looking Lin Yuan up and down, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Seeing Lin Yuan’s gaze turn to him, he softly introduced himself.

“Sun Yuhu, from the Sun Family, a cultivation family in the Jiangnan Circuit.”

Sun Yuhu seemed extremely outgoing, a personality that couldn’t sit still. Lin Yuan also glanced at this future fellow disciple.

This Sun Yuhu had at least reached the Upper Mystic Sixth Layer. He should have received training from elders since childhood, making him an outstanding figure among the group of young men and women as well.

Lin Yuan glanced at him and gave a slight nod. Most of Lin Yuan’s attention was focused on Yun Yi ahead.

“You seem to know Yun Yi?” Following Lin Yuan’s gaze, Sun Yuhu looked slightly surprised, then whispered.

“That’s right, he’s the eldest son of the newly arrived County Magistrate. You must have heard of him!”

“The Yun Family?”

“Yes, this one, like you, also has the reputation of a child prodigy. The Yun Family is originally a cultivation family. What’s rare is that Yun Yi is also a famous talented scholar in the Jiangnan Circuit, already obtaining the Juren degree. With Dragon Qi and official fortune as resources, I hear many Dharma Lineages have already taken notice of him. He’s much stronger than us!”

The envy in Sun Yuhu’s eyes was not concealed at all. The Sun Family, as a cultivation family in the Jiangnan Circuit, also had considerable influence. Usually, they didn’t lack resources, but compared to Yun Yi, many children from cultivation families still fell short.

“Yun Yi, son of the County Magistrate…” Lin Yuan nodded thoughtfully. The Lin Manor had recently been trying to inquire about connections to that County Magistrate, visiting several times but always being refused. They just thought a good official had arrived, and many of the Lin Manor’s senior elders were very happy.

Now it seemed, the unwillingness to get close was because the gifts were too light. They wanted to swallow the Lin Family’s century-old foundation in one gulp.

At that moment, Lin Yuan’s brows twitched. The leading youth in white seemed to have noticed Lin Yuan’s gaze. His eyes moved slightly, and he nodded towards Lin Yuan, giving a seemingly friendly nod.

“The Dao Stele?” To the side, Lin Yuan didn’t pay much attention to that. He noticed another phrase. Judging by everyone’s demeanor, this Dao Stele was probably a good thing. Even beings like the Dragon Maiden and Yun Yi, who possessed Dao Bone and Immortal Root, had specifically come for it.

“…Alright, enough talk. The founder of the first generation of the Wenchang Daoist Academy established the rule: the Dao is not to be lightly transmitted. Every year, only one person, the one with the best aptitude, has the chance to view the Dao Stele! Who has an affinity with the Dao Stele? Entering the main hall to view it will tell. Everyone, please enter the main hall!”