Chapter 41: Great Change (Part 2)
Chapter 41: Great Change (Part 2)
The main hall was massive and extremely solemn.
Yet, when looking at the golden statue at the center of the hall, many youths could not help but stare in awe, letting out soft exclamations.
“What a powerful Dharma statue!”
The huge golden statue was majestic and dignified, like a living Immortal, almost seeming ready to soar into the sky.
Lin Yuan raised his head, his expression also showing surprise. From this enormous golden statue, he sensed the unique aura belonging to Incense Offering.
Seeing the change in the gazes of the young boys and girls, one of the figures among the group, a steward, scolded. “Do not speak rashly! This is one of the Innate Dao Lords from our Heaven’s Mansion Dharma Lineage!”
“Innate Dao Lord?”
Everyone looked puzzled. Many of the youths came from hidden cultivation families, but they had only heard of the Primordial Spirit Great True Lord, or Scattered Immortals. The Earth Immortal was already the highest level they could comprehend.
Hearing this, the Dragon Maiden’s expression became solemn, and she respectfully bowed before the golden statue.
Walking behind the crowd, Lin Yuan felt exceptionally shocked inside. Unlike the others, he clearly knew that an Innate Dao Lord was an existence above even Celestial Immortals and Golden Immortals. Such beings controlled a part of the Great Dao and were more awe-inspiring than one could imagine.
This Mystic Gate Immortal Path truly had hidden depths. Within the Mystic Gate Dharma Lineage, there probably weren’t just Scattered Immortals and Earth Immortals residing in the world. Lin Yuan felt a chill within.
The group was soon led before the golden Dharma statue.
Standing before the golden Dharma statue, the Headmaster, Daoist Wenyi, seemed well-prepared. A faint treasure light appeared in his hand, and an ancient-looking bronze mirror, about three inches square, appeared in his grasp.
This looked like a treasure for examining one’s foundation!
Other Daoists from the Wenchang Daoist Academy stood to the side. After a brief moment of silent communication, Daoist Wenyi spoke.
“Alright, let’s begin directly!”
Seeing this, a lean Daoist who looked like a steward stepped forward. He looked at the crowd and said calmly.
“Step forward one by one and stand under the Zhaokong Treasure Mirror!”
The expressions of the many young boys and girls grew serious.
Immediately, another young Daoist holding a register stepped forward. He looked at the crowd and called out. “First, Lu Rucheng, step forward!”
Hearing this, a slightly plump youth in splendid clothes bowed to the Daoists of the Wenchang Daoist Academy and quietly stepped forward. In an instant, a yellow light flew down from the bronze mirror, enveloping the youth.
Under the intense gazes of the crowd, a faint white aura emerged from the youth’s body, vaguely forming a small white lotus platform. It faintly showed three tiers, with lotus leaves swaying, delicate and pleasing.
Seeing this, the young Daoist nearby smiled gently and spoke kindly. “Bone structure: Balanced Middle-grade. Aura manifests at fourth tier. Bone structure is Middle-grade. You may step down.”
The youth called Lu Rucheng let out a sigh of relief, his face filled with joy.
Middle-grade bone structure could not compare to Upper-Middle grade, Superior grade, Exceptional grade, or even possessing a Dao Bone or an Immortal Root. But it still indicated good cultivation aptitude, making one worthy material.
The expressions of the many young boys and girls did not change, showing hints of indifference and dismissiveness. Clearly, manifesting aura at the fourth tier was considered merely ordinary in their eyes.
“Second, Li Tingzhi!”
That was a girl.
“Bone structure: Proper. Aura manifests at fifth tier. Bone structure is Upper-Middle grade!”
…
As youth after youth stepped forward, Lin Yuan gradually understood. Each tier represented a standard for bone structure. Clearly, the more tiers the lotus bloomed, the better the bone structure.
A four-tier bloom represented Middle-grade bone structure. A five-tier bloom represented Upper-Middle grade bone structure. A six-tier bloom represented Superior-grade bone structure… Under this mirror, one’s bone structure was plain to see.
The many stewards and elders of the Wenchang Daoist Academy in the hall could not help but show smiles.
The quality of the disciples this time was indeed much stronger. There were more Upper-Middle grade ones than in previous sessions, and there were even a few with Superior-grade bone structure. That fellow, although usually troublesome, did a good thing this time!
Whether one’s bone structure was superior or not had no direct relation to achieving the Dao. A disciple with poor bone structure, if encountering a chance and using heavenly treasures to cleanse their marrow and refine their body, could also attain superior bone structure. However, comparatively speaking, many superior Dao Scriptures could only be comprehended quickly by cultivators with superior bone structure.
If one’s bone structure was somewhat lacking, they might need to spend much more time.
A cultivator’s lifespan was limited. Moreover, many special Dao arts placed even higher demands on a cultivator’s bone structure!
Soon, it was Sun Yuhu’s turn, before Lin Yuan.
“Bone structure: Proper. Aura manifests at fifth tier. Bone structure is Upper-Middle grade!”
Sun Yuhu looked somewhat disappointed and regretful as he walked out from under the Zhaokong Mirror. Clearly, he had wanted Superior-grade!
“That’s already good!” Lin Yuan said, offering some comfort. Sun Yuhu nodded with a forced expression.
Many eyes looked over. Only three people remained in the area now: the Golden Lake Dragon Maiden Ao Yi, Yun Yi from the Yun Family, and Lin Yuan. Most of the gazes fell on Ao Yi and Yun Yi. These two were certain to possess Dao Bone or Immortal Root. The question was, how many tiers would they manifest?
“Lin Yuan, step forward now!”
Daoist Wenyi looked at Lin Yuan, a trace of a smile in his expression. Compared to the Dragon Maiden Ao Yi and that Young Master Yun, Lin Yuan seemed more like one of their own, not someone here just to take advantage.
Moreover, this True Lord had already received news. This young master of the Lin Family also carried Virtue Merit, which naturally made Daoist Wenyi view him with even more favorable regard.
Hearing this, Lin Yuan promptly nodded and stepped forward.
“Stand before the Zhaokong Mirror!”
Beside him, Daoist Wenyi gave a slight nod to Lin Yuan. In that instant, he activated the treasure mirror in his hand that examined bone structure.
A faint white light instantly appeared around Lin Yuan’s body. Under the strange gazes of everyone in the hall, this wisp of white light did not transform into the shape of a lotus.
The white light swirled, gradually transforming into a large expanse of thunderbolts. Within the thunder and lightning, a huge, vast figure that seemed to pierce the clouds faintly appeared.
“Could it be he has no bone structure?”
Many of the youths’ expressions changed slightly. They looked at Lin Yuan with a strange look, somewhere between a smile and not.
The youth in white, Yun Yi, also could not help but look oddly at Lin Yuan, a smile already touching the corner of his mouth. But when his gaze swept over Daoist Wenyi’s expression, it was extremely animated!
Daoist Wenyi was almost pointing a trembling finger at the young man under the Zhaokong Mirror, unable to speak for a long moment.
“Was he rendered speechless by anger?” At this moment, many youths were puzzled by the scene.
Not only Headmaster Daoist Wenyi, but several steward elders were also staring dumbfounded at Lin Yuan.
The beautiful and captivating Dragon Maiden beside them also looked at Lin Yuan with surprise. After a long moment, under Yun Yi’s utterly confused gaze, she uttered one word!
“Innate Dao Body!”
At this moment, the Dragon Maiden’s originally cool and beautiful face showed a dazed expression for the first time.
The Dragon Maiden could hardly suppress the shock in her heart. It was hard to imagine a place as small as Wenchang County would produce an Innate Dao Body.
An Innate Dao Body could be called a natural-born cultivation seed. Once news of today’s event spread, it would quickly attract the attention of many Dharma Lineage sects. Those top three sects in Dongyue Province would probably send powerful experts here.
The two of them no longer needed to have their bone structure tested; their trip here was in vain.
Rumble!
At that very moment, a terrifying muffled thunderclap suddenly sounded above Wenchang County. The next instant, the ground in the Daoist Academy shook violently, causing many disciples to stagger.
As if the next second, everyone instinctively looked at the sky. A rich, sky-blue radiant light filled the heavens!
Daoist Wenyi, with the highest cultivation in the hall, instantly snapped out of his daze. Like a flowing light flashing by the entrance, his figure appeared before the main hall. He murmured.
“The Ancient Water Immortal’s Water Mansion has emerged!” His expression was filled with astonishment and great joy.
All over Wenchang County, cultivators who had gradually arrived emerged from their hiding places one after another. Vast auras surged, faintly revealing many spiritual lights in the void. At this moment, who knew how many experts from all directions were hidden within Wenchang County?
These various auras caused many cultivators with slightly weaker cultivation to look utterly terrified.
In the hall, the Dragon Maiden also looked up at the same time. Her coming to this remote corner of Wenchang County was less for the Daoist stele of the Wenchang Daoist Academy and more for the Ancient Water Immortal’s Water Mansion. That Water Mansion held many good things, especially that one volume of Dao Scripture and the pill for Reverse to Innate State. These would be useful even after entering a Dharma Lineage sect later!
The other youths quickly reacted too, looking excitedly and inexplicably towards the place where the phenomenon originated. Yun Yi, in particular, had glowing eyes, filled with intense fervor.
“Seems like some rare treasure has emerged?” In the hall, Lin Yuan also glanced over, looking surprised. But then he shook his head, his expression calm. With that level of treasure light, he simply wasn’t interested. He’d rather spend that time reading a few more volumes of the Daoist Canon and refining his Primordial Spirit.