Chapter 4 selects his former disciple.

"Immortal Master Pei." Emperor Yuanguang was the first to notice his arrival and smiled gently at him, saying, "You've come at the right time. We're currently examining the potential of our newly accepted disciples this year. You should come and take a look too."

Pei Yuan has always disliked Emperor Yuanguang, but that's only in private. He won't tarnish Emperor Hengluan's reputation in public.

"Um."

The four of them took their seats and looked together at the situation of the people in the sword formation below.

The hall was spacious, and thanks to the use of a spatial array by the Eastern Xuan Emperor, a rhombus-shaped object floated above the hall. The light shining down from it created a space within the hall, ensuring that nothing inside would be damaged no matter how intense the fighting was.

Emperor Yuanguang explained to him, "This year there is a prodigy with exceptional talent. Look, it is that girl in red. She was able to shatter the spirit-testing stone with a single palm strike."

Pei Yuan was uninterested, nodded perfunctorily, and didn't look over.

Emperor Yuanguang knew this man's temperament, so he simply smiled and said, "Wangxian Mountain hasn't recruited any new disciples for many years. We came to you today to discuss these matters. Although you occasionally teach your disciples magic, they only get a superficial understanding, unlike the in-depth study that comes with beginners..."

"..." Pei Yuan's gaze lightly fell on him, waiting for him to continue.

"Therefore, we hope that you can select a few of them as your personal disciples so that you can pass on the techniques that Hengluan taught you."

As long as his master is mentioned, he will always agree, Yuan Guang Emperor thought.

Pei Yuan pursed his lips, not responding to his words, and directly refused, saying, "What the Emperor taught me back then, I only learned superficially, and only scratched the surface. The Emperor's entrustment..." He paused, then said bluntly, "I'm afraid that I am not talented enough to fulfill this responsibility."

Contrary to his expectations, Pei Yuan found it extremely annoying when Emperor Yuanguang talked to him about Emperor Hengluan.

Emperor Yuanguang was surprised to hear him refuse. He was taken aback for a moment, but then smiled calmly and said, "You used to teach your disciples. I once heard Yan Li say that your magic lessons were excellent, explaining things in a simple and easy-to-understand way... You are highly regarded among your disciples. Why is Immortal Master Pei so modest?"

"..."

“Besides, you are Hengluan’s most beloved disciple.” Emperor Yuanguang thought for a moment, then took out a curved key from the pouch at his waist and handed it to him. “This is the key to the Heavenly Book Pavilion of Wangxian Mountain. I borrowed it from Hengluan before, and only found it yesterday. I was thinking of giving it back to you when I had time. But since we’ve met, I’ll return the key to you. I’ve heard that there are many rare manuals of magic she has collected inside, which should be helpful to you.”

It's unclear which words moved him more, but they made Pei Yuan overlook the fact that he had been secretly keeping the Heavenly Book Pavilion key for many years.

A wisp of smoke-like thread shot straight towards Emperor Yuanguang, hooking the key in his palm and darting back into its owner's hand.

"It's simply a matter of returning the item to its rightful owner. Why does Your Majesty say such things? Are you trying to coerce or bribe me?"

Pei Yuan lowered his eyes to examine the thing lying in his palm, playing with the crescent-shaped key in his hand with great affection, yet ruthlessly exposing his true colors.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanguang smiled calmly and said nothing more about the offense.

"Impossible!" Emperor Dongxuan was always direct. Hearing his offense, he frowned and muttered a low rebuke.

Pei Yuan was not annoyed when he heard this. He simply sat quietly in the lower seat that belonged to Emperor Hengluan.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Two loud bangs occurred almost simultaneously, drawing the attention of those seated at the head of the table.

"Bang!"

The third loud bang.

Li Tiankuo subconsciously glanced at the woman who was a fraction of a second faster than him. His brows furrowed and his thin lips pressed together. He felt both surprised to have met a worthy opponent and annoyed at being overtaken.

The swordsmanship competition has ended.

One more spell is needed.

The three people in the upper seats all looked at the person who was pretending to be asleep with his forehead propped up.

"Master Pei..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of light appeared, and the people below were trapped in the magic array once again.

"Undo this spell array."

The emotionless voice of the man at the head of the table floated within the magic array.

Before he could finish speaking, someone came out from inside.

Everyone: "!?"

Bai Yuheng, who had fallen into the spell array, clicked her tongue in amazement, thinking to herself that it would be a good time to see how well this rascal had practiced his spells over the years.

It's just a formation that changes according to one's mood, belonging to the beginner level of magic.

Before she could even exert herself, she emerged from inside, staring wide-eyed at the three emperors seated above her.

"Well……"

"???"

"!?"

"..."

Lingzhen Emperor chuckled, turned his head to look at the cold-faced man, and said, "Immortal Master Pei, are you really serious? This formation isn't just a charade, is it?"

But he was just teasing him. It was clear that apart from the little girl who came out, the others were trapped in their own state of mind.

Pei Yuan opened his eyes and looked up from the main hall, where he met Bai Yuheng's gaze. She gave him a friendly, slightly fawning smile.

"..."

Though his expression remained calm, a strange pang of sadness welled up inside him.

If she were still alive, she would definitely like this person even more, perhaps even more than she liked him...

She has always liked people who are naturally gifted.

Pei Yuan looked away, his lips curving slightly downwards.

Bai Yuheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him, giving him a "kind" smile that seemed to say, "You still need to practice more."

But then he saw his former apprentice with a cold expression and a pursed lip, and for a moment he couldn't figure out what he had done to displease him.

After everyone left the formation, the three emperors began to select their personal disciples.

Without a doubt and in tacit agreement, the three of them skipped over Bai Yuheng first.

In the end, Cen Ying joined the Yuan Guang Emperor's sect, Li Tiankuo followed the Ling Zhen Emperor, the young man in blue joined the Dong Xuan Emperor's sect, and the other two followed the Yuan Guang Emperor and the Ling Zhen Emperor respectively.

Only the young man in purple robes kept insisting on studying the Dharma and becoming a disciple of Master Pei.

Emperor Dongxuan, who had originally wanted him to join the sect, had no choice but to respect his wishes.

Unfortunately, Master Pei ignored him, so the three of them had no choice but to put the man down and make a decision later.

At this moment, everyone looked at Bai Yuheng, who had not yet been chosen, and were curious about where she would go.

"Ahem, I think you'd be perfect for joining my Sword Sect at Immortal Hidden Mountain." Emperor Lingzhen extended an olive branch to her.

The Eastern Xuan Emperor retorted, "Her weapon was clearly superior in the contest just now; she should have come to my Purple Cloud Peak!"

"Stop trying to take it from me, you old man! If you're so tough, let's have a fight, and whoever wins gets to choose!"

"Alright, who's afraid of who!"

As they were talking, the two started to challenge each other to a fight again. Yuan Guang Dijun sighed helplessly and quickly stopped them, saying, "Alright, stop arguing. To be fair, let her choose."

The two said in unison, "Okay! She can choose!"

After saying that, the two men stared intently at her, as if they wanted to bore a hole through her with their gaze.

"You can choose directly. If you choose my Zixiao Peak, you can pick any item in my Tiangong Pavilion!" Emperor Dongxuan waved his hand magnanimously.

"Really!?" Bai Yuheng's eyes lit up. Who didn't know that the artifacts in the Heavenly Craft Pavilion of the Eastern Xuan Emperor were the most complete and best in the world? It was hard for her not to be tempted!

"You old fox!" Emperor Lingzhen couldn't help but curse him inwardly. Seeing that she was tempted, he couldn't help but push the issue further. "Don't listen to him. He's always been stingy. If you choose me, I'll teach you the Sword Heart Sword Manual."

Sword Heart Sword Manual!

This was the Sword Heart Sword Manual that she had begged her for a long time, but she couldn't soften her heart and let her secretly learn even a little bit of!

Seeing that she was wavering again, Emperor Dongxuan started to escalate the situation, and the two almost started arguing again.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." The mediator, Emperor Yuanguang, separated the two and said, "I already told her to choose, so stop arguing. This bickering is not how a teacher should behave."

The two understood the meaning behind his words, coughed lightly, and turned to the disciples they had just accepted, explaining, "Don't say we're biased. What I just said is also useful to you. We treat everyone equally."

"Yes, you can also go to the treasure vault later and choose the weapons you like."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The noise from above was deafening, and people below were starting to slack off.

“I didn’t expect that Emperor Lingzhen and Emperor Dongxuan would get along so well?” Cen Ying stood next to Bai Yuheng and laughed. “They’re like a pair of bickering lovers.”

The purple-robed youth hadn't chosen a sect yet, but he showed no signs of nervousness. He couldn't resist joining in the gossip, and peeked out to chat with her, "Yes, yes, it's truly eye-opening! I thought the Spirit True Emperor was a cold and aloof fairy, but I didn't expect her to be more like a martial arts fanatic..."

He'd draw his sword and challenge someone to a duel at the slightest provocation.

"And the Eastern Xuan Emperor is the same, like a firecracker, ready to ignite at any moment." The purple-robed youth was speechless. "Sigh, my impression of immortals has been completely shattered... I hope Master Pei is true to his word..."

"Sigh..." Cen Ying couldn't help but hope that the Yuan Guang Emperor in her heart wouldn't collapse.

Bai Yuheng stood to the side and listened to the whole thing, unable to suppress her laughter. Their summary was indeed very comprehensive and accurate.

Dongxuan is a hot-tempered old man, Lingzhen is a stubborn sword fanatic, and as for Pei Yuan...

In her memory, Pei Yuan was a gentle, obedient, and well-behaved boy, but now...

Bai Yuheng looked at Pei Yuan, who was sitting in the upper seat and ignoring the noisy chatter beside him. He had already grown into an adult, dressed in white with black hair. He used to be a gentle and refined young man, but now he looked like a cold-faced young master. His eyebrows and eyes no longer had the gentle and obedient look she remembered. Instead, they had an indescribable coldness and indifference.

I wonder what my obedient little darling is like now?

Bai Yuheng couldn't help but sigh.

"Is it called Miss Bai?"

Bai Yuheng nodded.

“Then, Miss Bai, you may choose.” Yuan Guang’s gentle voice roused her. “The choice is yours.”

Bai Yuheng smiled and asked, "May I ask if the seniors seated here are all welcome?"

Yuan Guang Dijun was taken aback. He glanced at the unmoved figure out of the corner of his eye, made up his mind, and then nodded and smiled at her, saying gently, "It's up to you."

Bai Yuheng's gaze was sharp as she looked directly at Pei Yuan, who was indifferent and silent.

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for the person at the head of the table also stared directly at her.

Meeting his gaze, Bai Yuheng smiled sweetly and, amidst everyone's stares, pointed into the distance: "There—"

Everyone's curious gazes followed her fingertip, their breaths caught in their throats, and they felt tense, their hearts pounding.

"I choose him."

Pei Yuan.

Her former disciple.

A note from the author:

----------------------