The Person with Great Fortune

Huang Wuya said no more. In silence, he returned the ancient bronze sword to its sheath.

The area around the Dao-Seeking Platform remained utterly quiet.

That was until the elder in charge of presiding over the sparring match stepped forward. His voice rang out across the nearby immortal peaks—

“In this exchange, Holy Son Ye Chuan is victorious.”

The moment his words fell, the voices that had been suppressed for so long finally erupted.

“The Holy Son won!”

“Senior Brother Huang’s Taiyi Unification couldn’t even touch the hem of the Holy Son’s robes!”

“The most terrifying part was that final punch. The Holy Son really didn’t use any immortal power—he forced Senior Brother Huang back head-on with nothing but his physical strength!”

The gazes of tens of thousands of disciples turned toward Ye Chuan once more. The suspicion and scrutiny that had filled them before had unknowingly transformed into awe.

When the sect appointed a new Holy Son, they could still wonder whether there were other reasons behind the decision.

But the strength Ye Chuan had just displayed could not deceive anyone!

The Taiyi Sword Domain, Golden Immortal Laws, and Taiyi Unification.

Huang Wuya had used every method at his disposal, yet in the end, he had failed to make Ye Chuan take even a single step.

That almost crushing disparity had already proven many things.

“Holy Son.”

The first to speak was a disciple from Heavenly Sword Peak.

He cupped his fists toward Ye Chuan on the Dao-Seeking Platform, all hesitation gone from his expression.

Immediately afterward, voices rang out from the other immortal peaks one after another.

“Greetings, Holy Son!”

“Greetings, Holy Son!”

Tens of thousands of voices merged into one, scattering the sea of clouds around the Dao-Seeking Platform and echoing endlessly between the ninety-nine peaks.

Huang Wuya stood at the edge of the stone platform, quietly listening to the surrounding voices. Surprisingly, there was little disappointment in his eyes.

He had unleashed his strongest sword.

And Ye Chuan had used the most straightforward, most direct, most concise, most brutally honest… method to let him see the gap between them with his own eyes.

At least from this day onward, he no longer needed to keep wondering how far he was from the position of Holy Son.

It was a distance that could not necessarily be bridged simply by cultivating for a few tens of thousands more years.

Ye Chuan raised a hand and rubbed his nose. He was somewhat unaccustomed to the sudden, perfectly synchronized voices around him.

Lan Xiaoke, on the other hand, was extremely satisfied.

She stood beside Ye Chuan with her hands on her hips, nodding seriously toward the surrounding crowd as though she had been the one to defeat Huang Wuya with ease.

“Not bad, not bad.”

“Everyone has to listen to Ye Chuan from now on, wo!”

Lan Xiaoke was making full use of her role as his lackey. As Ye Chuan’s human accessory, she was absolutely determined to provide maximum emotional support.

Ye Chuan turned and walked off the Dao-Seeking Platform.

“Let’s go back.”

Lan Xiaoke immediately followed him.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly seemed to remember something. She hurriedly turned back toward Huang Wuya.

“If you get another spatial ring like this in the future, you can keep coming to challenge Ye Chuan.”

“We won’t mind the trouble, wo!”

Huang Wuya’s fingers tightened slightly around the sword sheath. In the end, he managed to suppress the urge to draw his sword again.

“There won’t be another one.”

“What a pity.”

Lan Xiaoke sighed softly, but soon became cheerful again.

After all, the things inside this spatial ring were already more than enough.

…

Holy Son Peak.

As soon as they returned to the courtyard, Lan Xiaoke eagerly dumped out everything inside the spatial ring.

Crash!

All kinds of immortal jade, spirit medicines, magical treasures, and jade bottles filled with pills instantly piled up across more than half the courtyard.

Multicolored immortal light intertwined, illuminating the nearby palaces and making them considerably brighter.

Fox Li had originally been preparing to return to her room and continue sleeping. But when she saw the mountain of items on the ground, even she stopped in her tracks.

“He kept his entire fortune in there?”

“Probably not.”

Ye Chuan casually picked up a mineral that glimmered with golden light.

“There are quite a lot of things, but only some of them are truly valuable.”

Huang Wuya had cultivated for tens of thousands of years and had once been the Dao Child of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Naturally, he did not lack ordinary resources.

There were a great many immortal jades and pills on the ground, but to Ye Chuan, who had already reached the peak of the Golden Immortal Realm, most of them were of little use.

Lan Xiaoke crouched beside the pile, rummaging through the items with both hands.

Before long, she found a palm-sized silver beast among the magical treasures.

The silver beast looked like a chubby little lion. Its body was covered in densely packed formation markings, and its two eyes flashed continuously.

“What’s this?”

Lan Xiaoke poked the silver beast on the head with one finger.

The silver beast immediately opened its mouth and bit down on her finger. Its entire body rapidly expanded.

“Roar!”

A deafening beast roar rang out.

The ground in the courtyard trembled slightly.

Lan Xiaoke froze for a moment, then grabbed the silver beast by the head and pulled hard.

“Let go!”

“Why are you biting people? Hah!”

Lan Xiaoke even bared her teeth and hissed at it.

The silver beast clung desperately to her finger. Its body, however, was stretched into a long, thin silver line.

Ye Chuan glanced over and used his divine sense to inspect the records within it.

“That’s a Mountain-Suppressing Beast Seal. It contains a wisp of an ancient ferocious beast’s remnant soul.”

“So it can be summoned to fight?”

“Yes.”

Lan Xiaoke’s eyes lit up.

“Then it’s mine now, wo!”

She grabbed the silver beast and slammed it against the ground twice.

The remnant soul of the ferocious beast, which had just awakened inside it, seemed to sense the danger. It immediately released her finger and transformed back into an inert silver statue.

Lan Xiaoke happily stuffed it into her arms.

Ye Chuan glanced at the items piled throughout the courtyard, then looked at Lan Xiaoke.

If she liked anything, she could simply take it.

The spatial ring Huang Wuya had offered as his wager was indeed worth more than Ye Chuan had expected. However, it was of little use to him.

He would sort through everything, keep whatever was useful, and exchange the rest for points.

Points were a good thing. In the future, they could even be exchanged for money—or for items such as Immortal Emperor Cards.

…

At the same time.

Taiyi Immortal Sect, Sect Master’s Hall.

Lu Taixu sat in the seat of honor at the center of the hall. Several peak masters responsible for recruiting new disciples sat on either side of him, with dozens of jade slips floating before them.

The sparring match at the Dao-Seeking Platform had already ended.

Ye Chuan’s overwhelming victory over Huang Wuya had also silenced the last voices of doubt within the sect.

However, everyone had gathered here today not to continue discussing Ye Chuan, but to tally the new disciples recruited this year.

The elder in charge of the assessments stepped forward.

“This year, a total of more than thirty-seven thousand disciples passed the entrance examination. Among them, two thousand six hundred possessed high-grade immortal roots.”

“In addition, there are twelve Innate Dao Bodies. That number is far higher than in previous years, and several of them possess exceptionally rare talents.”

When the Pill Peak Master heard this, clear surprise appeared on his face.

“Twelve Innate Dao Bodies?”

“In previous years, encountering three or five was already considered a stroke of great fortune. How could there suddenly be so many this year?”

The elder in charge of the assessment raised a hand and tapped lightly.

Several jade slips immediately flew before the others. At the same time, images of young figures appeared in the center of the hall.

“Heavenly Sword Peak has recruited a disciple with an Innate Sword Bone. During the entrance test, this disciple caused the Ten Thousand Swords Stele to resonate all at once.”

“Pill Peak has someone with a Nine-Aperture Pillheart, allowing him to identify the medicinal properties and age of most immortal medicines below the ninth grade at a glance.”

“There is also a Primal Thunder Physique, a Flawless Immortal Physique, a Void Spirit Physique, and a Lunar Sacred Physique that has yet to fully awaken.”

The several peak masters examined the jade slips one after another, all wearing satisfied expressions.

Although these disciples’ cultivation was still low, as long as they did not perish prematurely, they would at least reach the Celestial Immortal realm in the future.

The most talented among them might even have a chance of attaining the Golden Immortal or Supreme Golden Immortal realm.

In previous years, any one of these disciples would have been enough to draw the sect’s attention. The peak masters might even have personally fought to recruit them.

But this year was clearly different.

After everyone finished examining the jade slips, their expressions remained satisfied, yet they were not nearly as excited as expected.

The reason was simple.

Ye Chuan’s brilliance was simply too dazzling.

A twenty-year-old at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, possessing talent unparalleled throughout history, and capable of crushing Huang Wuya head-on with nothing but his physical body.

These new disciples, who would normally be called peerless prodigies, suddenly seemed ordinary in comparison to Ye Chuan.

Heaven’s Secrets Peak Master gently stroked his beard and chuckled.

“The timing of their arrival is rather unfortunate.”

“If they had appeared several decades earlier, any one of them could have caused quite a stir within the sect. But now, they have all been overshadowed by the Holy Son’s radiance.”

Heavenly Sword Peak Master remained calm.

“A true genius will not lose his sword heart simply because someone ahead of him shines more brightly.”

“If he does not even have the courage to pursue a stronger opponent, then no matter how great his talent, he is nothing more than a piece of slightly better-looking scrap metal.”

Lu Taixu nodded faintly and continued, “The Holy Son can become the goal they strive toward.”

“As for whether they can withstand such a disparity, that will depend on their own Dao hearts.”

The elder in charge of the assessment continued with his report.

Most of the disciples had ordinary talents and backgrounds. It was only when he reached the final jade slip—the one that had remained unopened all this time—that everyone’s attention became serious once more.

Lu Taixu looked toward the jade slip.

“What about Lin Fan?”

The assessing elder’s expression also grew more solemn.

He raised his hand and opened the jade slip. A phantom image of a young man in a gray robe appeared in the center of the great hall.

The young man’s appearance was ordinary.

The aura around him was not particularly strong either. At least on the surface, he was far inferior to the innate Dao physiques mentioned earlier.

“Lin Fan’s immortal root can only be considered superior-grade. Neither his bone age nor his comprehension has reached the innate level.”

“However, when he climbed the Heart-Questioning Stairway, he walked a total of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.”

The moment these words were spoken, several peak masters looked up at the same time.

The Heart-Questioning Stairway of the Supreme Unity Immortal Sect had exactly nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.

Throughout the sect’s history, only a handful of people had ever managed to reach the final step.

That alone was enough to place Lin Fan directly among the candidates for true disciple.

“Were there any other abnormalities?” Lu Taixu continued asking.

“There were.”

The assessing elder pointed forward, and another image appeared above the great hall.

“After Lin Fan completed the Heart-Questioning Stairway, the sect’s Fortune Bell rang nine times on its own. The Fortune-Viewing Mirror also displayed an extremely rare phenomenon.”

In the image, a golden dragon formed almost entirely from concentrated fortune coiled above Lin Fan’s head, with ten thousand miles of purple qi following behind him.

The golden dragon threw back its head and roared.

A vast amount of the world’s fortune poured endlessly into Lin Fan, as though the entire world itself were actively protecting his growth.

“Nine-Colored Fortune. A Golden Dragon Protecting His Body.”

A clear ripple finally appeared in Heaven’s Secrets Peak Master’s eyes.

“This man possesses an extraordinary destiny.”

“Wherever someone with such a fate goes, he is likely to encounter opportunities. Even if he fell into the ruins of an Immortal King, he might obtain the most important inheritance directly.”

Pill Peak Master could not help sighing in admiration.

“No wonder he managed to cultivate to this point with only a superior-grade immortal root and such an ordinary cultivation method.”

“Even if someone blessed with such great fortune has slightly inferior talent, his future achievements will still be extraordinary.”

The assessing elder nodded.

“There is one more matter.”

He enlarged the image around Lin Fan’s chest.

A blurry azure lotus mark slowly appeared before everyone.

The lotus had nine petals.

Different Dao patterns flowed across each petal. Even through the projection, everyone could sense an ancient and immensely powerful aura of life.

Lu Taixu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“An Azure Lotus Dao Seal?”

Heaven’s Secrets Peak Master carefully observed it for a moment, and his expression became even more serious.

“Its appearance is exactly the same as the one recorded in the sect’s ancient texts.”

“According to those records, when the Ancestor was young, she once traveled alongside a mysterious powerhouse. That person’s innate Dao seal was a nine-petaled azure lotus.”

“Before entering seclusion, the Ancestor even left behind a specific command.”

“If someone bearing an Azure Lotus Dao Seal is ever encountered, bring that person directly before her.”

The great hall gradually fell silent.

Lin Fan already possessed an immense amount of the world’s fortune.

Now, the Azure Lotus Dao Seal he carried was connected to an old acquaintance of Yue Qingyi’s, making its significance all the greater.

Lu Taixu pondered for a moment before finally saying, “Seal this matter for now.”

“Lin Fan’s cultivation is still weak. Revealing his fortune and inheritance too early may not be beneficial for him.”

The other peak masters nodded one after another.

Just as they were preparing to continue discussing which immortal peak Lin Fan should be assigned to, the space above the great hall suddenly rippled.

Silver-white moonlight slowly descended from the void.

The formations operating throughout the great hall simultaneously fell into a brief stillness the moment the moonlight appeared.

Lu Taixu and the several peak masters’ expressions shifted. They immediately rose from their seats.

“We welcome Ancestor Yue.”

A blurry figure emerged from within the moonlight.

A moon-white immortal dress hung lightly from her figure, while her jet-black hair fell over her shoulders. Her cold, breathtakingly beautiful face revealed scarcely any emotion.

It was Yue Qingyi.

She had not personally descended today.

Yet even a projection formed from a strand of Immortal King law was enough to make everyone in the great hall treat her with absolute caution.

“I heard what happened just now.”

Yue Qingyi dispensed with any unnecessary pleasantries. Her gaze fell directly upon the Azure Lotus Dao Seal on the phantom image of Lin Fan’s chest.

She stared at it in silence for a long time.

At last, a faint trace of remembrance appeared in her previously tranquil eyes.

“It indeed carries the aura of the Azure Lotus lineage.”

Lu Taixu immediately asked, “Ancestor, do you recognize the Dao Seal this person bears?”

“I do.”

Yue Qingyi raised a slender, pale finger and pointed at the azure lotus from across the air.

Azure light rapidly blossomed.

All nine petals unfurled at once, and a life law countless times clearer than before appeared in the center of the great hall.

“The Azure Lotus Immortal King.”

Yue Qingyi slowly continued, “A million years ago, she once saved my life. Later, she entered the Primordial Forbidden Zone and has never appeared again.”

“This Azure Lotus mark bears a striking resemblance to her power.”

Everyone’s expressions changed.

The Azure Lotus Immortal King was a true peak Immortal King.

It was said that she had been only one step away from becoming a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. In the past, she had even slain three Immortal Kings of the same realm by herself.

If Lin Fan was truly connected to her, then his future achievements would naturally be impossible to predict.

Yue Qingyi withdrew her finger.

“Tomorrow, have Lin Fan go to the Moon God Hall.”

Lu Taixu nodded seriously.

“Understood.”

Yue Qingyi paused for a moment before adding,

“Call Ye Chuan as well.”

As soon as she said this, everyone in the hall froze.

The Azure Lotus Dao Seal belonged to Lin Fan.

Ye Chuan appeared to have nothing to do with this matter.

Although Lu Taixu was puzzled, he did not ask further.

“Is the Ancestor planning to examine them both at the same time?”

“As for that soul contract… forget it. I have my own arrangements. There’s no need to explain them to you.”

Yue Qingyi’s tone remained calm.

The silvery moonlight soon faded, and her figure vanished from the center of the hall.

The few peak masters exchanged glances.

The Pill Peak Master could not help saying, “I can understand why the Ancestor summoned Lin Fan, but why does she want the Holy Son to go as well?”

“And what did she mean by that soul contract?”

The Heavenly Secrets Peak Master gently shook his head.

“We cannot presume to speculate about the Ancestor’s thoughts.”

Lu Taixu sat back down in the seat of honor.

“Carry out the Ancestor’s instructions.”

“First, arrange for Lin Fan to stay at Azure Wood Peak and provisionally list him as an inner disciple. As for his status afterward, we’ll decide once tomorrow’s summons is over.”

The elder in charge of the assessment immediately acknowledged the order.