After everyone left, the two of them nervously stared at their toes, worried that Yun Zhi would question their intentions to cheat. After a long while, they finally heard Yun Zhi speak slowly.
"I didn't expect that both of you passed the tests and became disciples of our Sect of Inquiry."
"You both ranked among the top in the three tests, especially in the third round, where one of you came in first and the other second. Overall, your results are the best."
"But that doesn’t mean you are the best performers in this batch. For example, the ancient barbarian, Man Gu, and the ones behind you, the Immortal Body of Feather Transformation, Tao Yao Ye, and the Fire Spirit Root, Li Haoran... all of them are equally talented."
Meng Jingzhou felt a bit proud and nudged Lu Yang, saying, "The Immortal Body of Feather Transformation is much rarer than a single spirit root. The senior sister's comment was that they are 'behind us,' which shows her appreciation for us."
Lu Yang helplessly explained, "What the senior sister meant was that the Immortal Body of Feather Transformation was behind us in the first round."
"Even though you performed well, you shouldn’t be arrogant. When you officially start your cultivation, you need to stay grounded and avoid being complacent."
Hearing the senior sister’s increasingly serious tone, the two quickly promised to work hard in their future training and not slack off.
Seeing that their tone didn’t seem insincere, Yun Zhi’s expression softened a bit. "Since you’ve helped me, I will give you a chance."
"Meng Jingzhou, you have a Pure Yang Spirit Root, abundant energy, and are a natural enemy of ghosts. Among the eight elders, the Third Elder is deeply knowledgeable in this area. You can take him as your master."
Meng Jingzhou was overjoyed and quickly thanked her, "Thank you, Senior Sister."
"Lu Yang, you have a Sword Spirit Root and are a born sword cultivator. Our sect is best at sword techniques, and the one who excels in this is our master, the Sect Leader. You should take him as your master."
"But Senior Sister, you just said that the Sect Leader doesn’t like to teach disciples..." Lu Yang said quietly.
He noticed that when Yun Zhi spoke to Meng Jingzhou, she said, "You can take him as your master," but for him, she said, "You should take him as your master," which had different implications.
"It doesn’t matter; I can decide on the matter of your apprenticeship for him," Yun Zhi said lightly, leaving Lu Yang a bit stunned, as if the Sect Leader would have no choice but to agree.
"I’m just suggesting. Like other disciples, you will have a month to adapt. After a month, you can decide who to take as your master."
After saying this, Yun Zhi flew toward the peak where the Sect Leader was.
...
At the peak, in the meeting hall.
A smooth water mirror floated in the air, magically showing the entire process of the three tests from any angle.
The eight figures either nodded or shook their heads, some praised while others criticized, having different opinions about the disciples who passed the tests. When the discussion got heated, it almost led to a fight.
This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Among the eight figures, there were a few hot-tempered individuals. When they couldn’t argue their point, they would resort to fighting, turning what should have been a discussion about selecting disciples into a spectacle of powerful beings battling it out, making the entire Sect of Inquiry witness it.
Given this, none of the eight figures were physically present, so even if they got angry, they wouldn’t actually fight.
"That Man Gu kid is not bad, with pure ancient barbarian blood. He’s invincible among his peers and has a simple mind. He’s perfect for my teachings."
"Too simple, though. The ancient barbarians perished because of that. If there’s a chance in the future, he could be trained with some focus."
"What’s suitable for your teachings? I haven’t had a suitable disciple for my weapon forging for a long time. Man Gu is dedicated; he should come under my guidance!"
As the two elders argued, they got worked up and started rolling up their sleeves, glaring at each other.
The other elders ignored these two fools and continued their evaluations. "The Immortal Body of Feather Transformation is immune to all methods, pure and unparalleled. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one. If I recall correctly, the last time an Immortal Body appeared, we had just joined the Sect of Inquiry."
"Too bad the last Immortal Body was too impatient in their cultivation. They didn’t even gain fame in the Central Continent and rushed to reach full form, which led to their demise."
"Sixth Elder, you know the Immortal Body best among us. Perhaps this girl has a connection with you."
"Li Haoran with the Fire Spirit Root is a good seed for both alchemy and weapon forging, but his personality is too fiery and restless. In the third round, he was too eager to surpass Man Gu, exhausting himself early and ended up being the last to pass."
"As for these two, Meng and Lu, one has a Pure Yang Spirit Root and the other a Sword Spirit Root. They’re both excellent seeds, and their passing methods were quite creative, leaving everyone in awe. Big Brother, why don’t you take them under your wing?"
"That’s right, that’s right! You only have one disciple now, and Dai Bufan has already graduated. You don’t need to teach him anymore. If you take in these two geniuses now, it would be a great story when they succeed in the future."
"Get lost, get lost! You only know how to dodge the main issue. If I take in these two, don’t expect to have a peaceful life. I just want to retire in peace and be a senior elder. Don’t bring me trouble!"
"Second Elder, will you take them?"
"Do you believe I’ll take you first?"
The eight elders were quite humble, showing no interest in the two single spirit root geniuses.
Damn it, whoever takes these two will have a hard life ahead.
"Hey, look! Yun Zhi is giving those two advice, one to take the Sect Leader as a master and the other to take the Third Elder as a master?!"
Everyone’s attention turned to the Third Elder, who sighed in resignation. Yun Zhi’s suggestion wasn’t wrong; he was indeed the most suitable to train a Pure Yang Spirit Root.
Among the eight figures, the Third Elder stood out the most. He wasn’t tall but was muscular, his energy was as strong as a torch in the dark, clearly a body cultivator.
It was said that when he was young, his energy was so abundant that he couldn’t control it. He often went to the spirit fields and pushed aside the ox demons to plow the fields himself.
"By the way, hasn’t the Sect Leader been in seclusion for nine years?"
"It seems so."
Everyone remembered that they still had a Sect Leader position, which didn’t seem to make much difference whether it existed or not.
"Then how will the Sword Spirit Root take a master?"
As they were talking, a graceful figure flew in on a cloud. As the mist cleared, the image of the senior sister appeared.
"Yun Zhi greets all the uncles."
Everyone quickly stood up to pay their respects. With the Sect Leader in seclusion, Yun Zhi was acting on his behalf, managing the entire sect, placing her above the eight elders.
"Yun Zhi knows that all the uncles have their favored disciples, but taking a master is a serious matter, and it cannot be forced. Please don’t interfere too much when they choose their masters."
The elders naturally understood this, chuckling, "Of course, of course. But if the Sword Spirit Root takes the Sect Leader as a master, is that the Sect Leader’s intention, or is it...?"
When the Sect Leader was mentioned, Yun Zhi frowned slightly, showing some displeasure, and coldly replied, "Does it make a difference?"
The eight elders fell silent; indeed, there was no difference.
Are you kidding? Would the Sect Leader dare to oppose your decisions?
(End of Chapter)