Chapter 2 The Spirit-Testing Stone "Could this be the legendary genius?... "

The disciples of the Tianyan Sect cupped their hands and shouted, "Emperor Dongxuan!"

The Eastern Xuan Emperor, whose hair and beard were now half black and half white, descended from the crane holding a whisk. His white robes fluttered, giving him the appearance of an immortal and dignified figure.

Bai Yuheng, like everyone else, stared at him, feeling nostalgic for the days when this man had teased Yuan Guang with her. The scene from that day was still vivid in her mind, but the man before her now had graying temples.

"Your Majesty, it was that little girl who cheated!" The tall man who shouted the loudest in the crowd pointed at her, then pointed at the man leaning against the boundary marker holding his sword and sleeping lightly. "Look at her, she's as weak as a cat. I could lift her up with one hand. How could she possibly have killed so many demonic beasts, even more than Li Tiankuo!"

Everyone looked over, but the man named Li Tiankuo didn't move an inch, showing no curiosity what they were talking about.

Emperor Dongxuan frowned and asked the refined immortal master, "How did Yanli recruit students this year? How come just anyone can enter our Tianyan Sect?"

The man was also very happy that the Eastern Xuan Emperor agreed with him. He thought that he had gained face in front of the elders, and that it would be easier for him to join the sect than for others.

Thinking this, he became even more enthusiastic: "That's right, Your Majesty, you're absolutely right. Our Tianyan Sect is the head of the four major sects, combining the strengths of all, and is the representative of the cultivation world. If we let a scoundrel like her who relies on cheating get in, it would be a disgrace to our sect and ruin the reputation of our Tianyan Sect!"

The immortal master named Yan Li scolded him, "Shut up. It hasn't been determined whether she really cheated yet, but you're already belittling her like a villain. Who is it that will harm our sect? Your attitude towards future fellow disciples is so terrible, and you're using foul language. Even if you've passed the demon-catching competition, I can still eliminate you! Our sect not only selects cultivators with excellent aptitude, but also those with upright character and righteous conduct. You must all keep this in mind."

As he spoke, his sharp gaze swept over the freshmen, each with a different expression.

"I will heed the teachings of the Immortal Master!"

The man was clearly flustered, and said with a mixture of embarrassment and resentment, "Immortal Master, I was just a little angry, I didn't mean to insult my fellow disciples..."

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more. You were the one who incited the anger of the crowd. Our Tianyan Sect doesn't need someone like you. Qingluo, return his nameplate to him and send him down the mountain."

"He is a celestial master."

"I don't want to go down the mountain! I don't want to leave! Let me go!" The man was strong and almost threw the unsuspecting disciple off the mountain. The disciple who asked him to go down the mountain immediately used magic to freeze him in place. Seeing that there was no room for maneuver, he became furious and embarrassed. "I only said a few words to this bitch, is that a big deal?! If she didn't really cheat, then prove it to us all! It's not like I'm the only one who suspects it. If you all let it go, it's even more unfair to the other disciples! I won't accept this!"

"Yes, what he said makes some sense; facts speak louder than words."

"What fact? The bracelet records so many demonic beasts, isn't that a fact?" A bright woman in a pale yellow dress spoke up when she saw injustice.

"Tch, who knows how she got those records? Maybe someone helped her!"

"Who knows if she has powerful connections? She's actually quite good-looking..."

"Yeah yeah……"

The girl in the pale yellow dress rolled her eyes: "You have a dirty mind! Do you really think everyone is as filthy as you?"

The man curled his lip, seeing that she was somewhat attractive and had a formidable demeanor: "Fine, fine, whatever you say. I didn't say anything about why you're getting so angry..."

"Isn't there a tracking stone? Why not take a third of her essence blood and track the fluctuations of her spiritual energy within this short time?" someone in the crowd suggested.

"To prove her innocence, all that's needed is three samples of her blood essence for verification. That way, everyone will know whether she's innocent or not."

“What he said makes some sense. Your Majesty, you can’t possibly protect her…”

He clearly stirred up everyone's emotions, and they started talking all at once.

The Eastern Emperor loudly rebuked, "What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket!" He turned his head, speaking as he looked at Bai Yuheng, who had been wrongly accused, "The Tracking Stone requires the extraction of human essence and blood, which greatly affects a person's spiritual power. It's an outdated contraption from a hundred years ago—"

When his gaze fell upon Bai Yuheng's face, who was watching his performance with an indifferent expression, he was momentarily stunned.

Yes, they really do look somewhat alike.

But upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem like it.

I've known that person for hundreds of years, how could they be so young? That face, always so lifeless, never looks so vibrant and lively. And that emaciated appearance makes them look like they've fled from somewhere…

It doesn't look like it at all.

Dongxuan was in a daze for a while, secretly recalling the woman's appearance, which seemed to have become somewhat blurred after a hundred years of not seeing her.

Bai Yuheng found his momentary daze amusing and raised her eyebrows slightly, thinking that this person had recognized her.

"Your Majesty, please say something!" Bai Yuheng, her playful mood rising, exclaimed. "I, a defenseless and weak woman, have endured countless hardships to travel across mountains and rivers to participate in the sect selection, all for this moment of entering one of the world's great sects! My cultivation, which I have painstakingly cultivated for more than ten years, cannot be erased by a few casual words from him! Please say something, Your Majesty! You must give me justice!"

After saying that, she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

"..."

"Although she looks frail, you can't judge a book by its cover! A hundred years ago, there was a powerful figure with a plain face and a lean physique, but he often went down the mountain to eliminate evil and would generously give guidance to cultivators who were stuck in the breakthrough stage..."

"Yes, I've also heard the story of that great man; he was an extremely great person!"

"Perhaps we can't judge a book by its cover."

"Hey, she just said she traveled thousands of miles to get here. The world is in such a mess these days, how could a frail woman possibly come all the way from a thousand miles away to the Tianyan Sect?"

"You're right..."

"Maybe she was escorted here by the person who helped her cheat. What's so hard to guess?"

The group of men centered around the rejected album speculated incessantly, "How could a woman be stronger than a man? Someone must be helping her. Stop trying to give her some kind of powerful reason!"

“Even if she has this level of cultivation, it is absolutely impossible for a woman to possess it. Could it be that…” The group began to speculate about the authenticity of her gender.

"If you're blind, why don't you donate your eyes to someone who needs them? Who says women are inferior to men? I think you're just looking down on people!"

The group split into two groups and began arguing.

Yan Li whispered a reminder: "Your Majesty?"

Emperor Dongxuan regained his senses, coughed twice, and said, "Silence, silence. Although the tracking stone is outdated, our sect has long since found a new replacement, which is the bracelet you were just wearing."

Without waiting for a reaction, he swiftly cast a spell. The bracelet lying inside the protective stone emitted a dazzling white light, and with a whoosh, an image was projected onto the sky—a precious video of Bai Yuheng slaying a demon beast within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"Hmph, I'd like to see if it's true or not!" the frozen man retorted defiantly.

The woman in the picture was indeed unarmed, just as she claimed. Dressed in a striking red outfit, she could use anything she could grab as a weapon—twigs, stones, leaves…

The woman in the video was incredibly fast. In just a few breaths, before anyone could even see her moves, the demonic beasts were swiftly killed.

"Wow--"

Exclamations of amazement rose and fell; those who believed in the power of appearances, those who doubted her abilities, and those who were only half-believing were all stunned by her appearance on screen.

This...this...is this something a skinny woman who looks like she can't even kill a chicken could do?! Anyone who didn't know better would think she was some kind of powerful being!

The scene abruptly ended, without showing Bai Yuheng slaying the three-eyed beast.

She deliberately erased it.

Dongxuan merely frowned slightly, saying nothing more, thinking to himself that he needed to enhance the bracelet's protective function when he returned.

"Did you all see that?" Yan Li said loudly. "This young lady is a complete stranger to you. Why are you framing her just because she is thin?"

The man's face turned ashen, his beady eyes widened, and he muttered "Impossible."

Those who had questioned her earlier were now completely silent.

"sorry."

One person in the crowd started it, and the others, blushing, offered her sparse apologies.

Bai Yuheng waved her hand with a smile.

"Alright, now that everyone's demon-catching records have been registered, please proceed to the next level." Dongxuan nodded in satisfaction, for it is a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them.

Yan Li gestured for the people nearby to send the troublemaking men away, then ended the amplification spell: "Please stand beside the Spirit Testing Stone. This stone will select a suitable sect for you based on your spiritual power and cultivation potential. Please place your hands in the grooves—"

"Bang!"

Before Yan Li could finish speaking, a cloud of stone chips came flying towards them with a loud bang.

"???"

"!?"

"Cough cough cough..."

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"What happened?"

"Where did such a lot of dust come from?"

"Cough cough..."

Dong Xuan waved his whisk, and the Cleansing Dust Technique cleared away the stone chips in the air.

Only then did everyone realize what was going on.

All eyes turned to them.

"Well……"

Bai Yuheng awkwardly withdrew her hand and gave a friendly smile.

"..." Everyone stared at her blankly.

Wow! That's awesome!

"She actually blew up the spirit-testing stone!?"

"My God!"

"Could this be the legendary genius?"

"My God! It's been so many years since we've seen such a talented person! And now I've actually encountered one! This is just too lucky!"

"Even if you're not from the same master's school, being from the same sect is something to be proud of!"

"Tch, it's just a spirit-testing stone that was blown up," someone muttered under their breath.

The person next to him heard this and chuckled, "Then you try it, it's so sour!"

"Tch, I'm not that bored!" The man rolled his eyes. Although he said that, his hand imprinted on the groove secretly channeled spiritual power. The spiritual power seemed to disappear without a trace, and the same was true for the spirit-testing stone, which remained unmoved.

He muttered under his breath, "What's so great about it!"

The person next to them rolled their eyes again upon hearing this.

Bai Yuheng was so embarrassed that her scalp tingled, and she stared at Yan Li with wide eyes.

"Uh, I don't know how it exploded..." she tried to explain.

This was the first time Yan Li had ever seen someone blow up a spirit-testing stone. The usually composed man, aside from a moment of stunned silence, became somewhat excited, his eyes seemingly shining.

Dongxuan, being a man of the world, immediately instructed his disciples to take the new disciples to their respective residences.

Apart from a few individuals with exceptional talent, he followed him to the main hall.

Of course, Bai Yuheng was among them.

Bai Yuheng glanced at the people standing in the hall. Apart from Li Tiankuo, the man who had accused her of cheating, and the woman in the pale yellow dress who spoke up for her, Bai Yuheng did not recognize the others.

Yan Li led them into the hall and told them to wait a while.

Apart from Dong Xuan sitting there as steady as an old dog, drinking tea, the other four seats in the hall remained unoccupied.

"Oh dear, it seems I'm not too late after all." A clear, cool female voice drifted over, her voice preceding her arrival.

Bai Yuheng was startled by the sound and happily watched as the ethereal Lingzhen Emperor, dressed in moon-white robes, walked in.

It had indeed been a long time since we last met. Their bland appearances, which we used to dislike, now seemed stunning.

Perhaps it was her intense and focused gaze that made Emperor Lingzhen glance in their direction, pause in his tracks, and ask, "Are you a new disciple?"

Bai Yuheng nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Bai Yuheng".

Lingzhen Emperor frowned slightly; it seemed she had never asked Hengluan Emperor's secular name before her ascension.

Ugh, this is really a headache.

Which Heng?

"Heng in the folk legend of Heng'e."

"...Oh, that's quite a coincidence."

After asking his question, Emperor Lingzhen sat down, and a medicinal fragrance wafted over.

"Phew, thank goodness it wasn't too late."

A handsome man in blue robes, carrying a medicine basket, walked barefoot into the hall.

Yan Li stepped forward, happily took the medicine basket from him, and said, "Master."

"These are some herbs I just picked. Take them to the alchemy room first."

"Yes." Yan Li left happily.

The aroma of herbs wafted over, and he glanced at the disciples with exceptional potential whom he had taken in this year.

"Huh?" He stared at the slender woman, a hint of doubt in his clear eyes. "You look like someone I know?"

Bai Yuheng laughed awkwardly, "Is...is that so?"

"This is my first time visiting the Tianyan Sect. Perhaps it's because I bear some resemblance to the old friend you mentioned."

He nodded and smiled gently: "Indeed, there are so many people in the world, it's not surprising to find one or two who look alike."

"Hey Yuan Guang, could you please pay more attention to your appearance next time you select your disciples?" The Eastern Xuan Emperor frowned, glancing at the mud smeared on his clothes. "As an Emperor, you represent the face of our Tianyan Sect..."

"I'm sorry." Emperor Yuanguang smiled apologetically, made a cleansing spell to remove the filth from his body, and then sat down next to Dongxuan.

"Our sect leader hasn't come out of seclusion yet, so let's choose our disciples first. I still need to practice my sword later," said the Spirit True Emperor listlessly.

The elders nodded, then suddenly, Emperor Yuanguang asked hesitantly, "Should we invite that person from Wangxian Mountain?"

A note from the author:

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