Volume 1, Chapter 46 – The First Inner Disciple

As soon as those words fell, the crowd stirred slightly. Then, under the guidance of the Liu family guards, they formed several long lines.

The first to step forward was a little boy who looked about seven or eight years old.

He glanced curiously at Liu Ruyan, then looked at the “Heaven-Observing Stone” floating in the center of the Spirit Testing Platform and emitting a hazy glow.

Under the steward’s encouraging gaze, he tremblingly reached out his small hand and pressed it against the stone.

Buzz!

The Heaven-Observing Stone trembled slightly, and ripples spread across its surface. A few faint, starlike points of light then gathered and appeared above it.

“Three stars.”

Liu Ruyan’s cool voice rang out, announcing the result.

A trace of disappointment flashed through the little boy’s eyes, but he still obediently bowed before stepping down.

The steward recorded the result at the side.

After that, people continued to come forward for testing.

Most received three or four stars. Whenever a five-star result occasionally appeared, it would cause a small stir and draw envious discussion.

“Five stars! That’s Old Li’s boy from next door!”

“I heard he’s only fourteen, but he has already reached the second layer of Qi Refinement. He really does have some talent!”

“It’s only five stars. He’s still a long way from meeting the Yaochi Immortal Palace’s standard for inner disciples…”

The spirit testing proceeded in an orderly manner, and the atmosphere gradually grew livelier.

Although Liu Beihai and the others wore smiles, they were somewhat uneasy inside.

So far, no promising seedlings with more than five stars had appeared.

“Next, Zhao family, Zhao Ling’er.”

A girl of about thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a pale yellow skirt, walked onto the Spirit Testing Platform.

She was the youngest daughter of the head of the Zhao family in Qingyang City. Pretty in appearance and already at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, she was somewhat well known among Qingyang City’s younger generation.

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Her bright gaze lingered on Liu Ruyan for a moment. Then, with a hint of curiosity and reverence, she glanced at Yun Yun on the raised platform before confidently pressing her palm against the Heaven-Observing Stone.

Light flowed across the Heaven-Observing Stone. One, two, three…

In the end, seven stable illusory stars, each emitting a faint glow, hovered above the stone.

“Seven stars!”

Liu Ruyan raised her voice slightly.

An uproar immediately erupted below the platform.

“Seven stars! That meets the standard for an inner disciple!”

“Zhao Ling’er was already quite talented, but who would have thought her potential would reach seven stars?”

Within the crowd, the Zhao family head flushed red with excitement and repeatedly cupped his hands toward Liu Beihai on the raised platform.

Liu Beihai smiled and nodded in response.

A radiant smile blossomed across Zhao Ling’er’s face. She gracefully bowed to Yun Yun and Liu Ruyan before skipping happily off the platform.

After Zhao Ling’er’s auspicious start, several more promising youths with six-star potential appeared in the following tests.

Although six stars only qualified them for the outer sect, it was still enough to delight their respective elders.

Just then, a slight commotion arose at the back of the crowd, and everyone automatically parted to form a path.

The Lin family ancestor, Lin Zhentian, slowly approached with Lin Fan and several core elders of the Lin family.

Lin Zhentian’s expression was composed. He first swept his gaze over Yun Yun on the raised platform, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes, before looking at Liu Ruyan with an unreadably complicated expression.

Lin Fan followed behind him. He was tall and straight, with a handsome face. At that moment, his lips were pressed together, and his gaze was sharp, carrying a faint air of unyielding competitiveness.

“The Lin family is here too!”

“The Lin family ancestor personally brought Lin Fan here! It seems the Lin family also places great importance on this test!”

“I wonder how many stars Lin Fan will receive. He’s one of the most outstanding members of Qingyang City’s younger generation!”

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Amid the crowd’s gazes and hushed whispers, Lin Zhentian cupped his hands slightly toward Yun Yun on the raised platform.

“Senior, Family Head Liu, this old man has brought his grandson here. Please forgive the intrusion.”

Yun Yun merely nodded slightly and said nothing.

Liu Ruyan looked at the two of them with a complicated expression.

“Come up.”

Lin Fan took a deep breath, ignored the various gazes around him, and strode onto the Spirit Testing Platform.

His eyes briefly met Liu Ruyan’s, but her expression remained indifferent, as though she were merely looking at an ordinary test-taker.

This left Lin Fan with even more pent-up resentment.

Without further hesitation, he extended his right hand and pressed it firmly against the Heaven-Observing Stone.

Buzz!

The Heaven-Observing Stone reacted more intensely than it had during any previous test.

A deep hum came from the stone as brilliant light erupted from it.

Countless points of light gathered frantically and rapidly condensed.

One, two, three… They formed with unstoppable momentum.

In the blink of an eye, seven stars had taken shape, shining brilliantly.

Yet it did not stop there.

An eighth star began to condense with difficulty. Its light flickered unsteadily, as though it were struggling.

Cries of astonishment erupted below the platform.

“Eight stars?! Lin Fan’s potential is actually that high?!”

“Eight stars! That qualifies him to become an inner disciple of the Yaochi Immortal Palace!”

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“Heaven has blessed our Lin family!”

One of the Lin family elders was so excited that even his beard trembled.

A dazzling light also burst from Lin Zhentian’s eyes as he stared fixedly at the eighth star.

Lin Fan’s own heart pounded wildly, and he could not stop excitement from appearing on his face.

Eight stars! He actually possessed eight-star potential!

On the raised platform, Liu Ruyan frowned slightly.

Although it was somewhat unexpected for Lin Fan to possess such potential, it was not entirely impossible.

After all, in her first life, he had indeed become the disciple of an outer sect elder of the Yaochi Immortal Palace.

Just as the eighth star was about to fully solidify and its light was beginning to stabilize, an unexpected change occurred.

The Heaven-Observing Stone seemed to sense something hidden at a deeper level and trembled slightly.

The eighth star, which had nearly taken shape, suddenly flickered several times as though disturbed by an invisible force. Then… it abruptly shattered and dispersed.

At the same time, one of the seven already stabilized stars abruptly lost most of its light, becoming so dim that it was barely visible.

In the end, what appeared before everyone was six bright stars and one exceedingly dim star.

“Six stars… No, close to seven stars, but not quite there.”

Liu Ruyan’s cool voice rang out as she accurately announced the result.

“His potential fluctuates greatly, and his foundation is flawed.”

The entire venue instantly fell silent at this result.

The eight-star genius who had seemed ready to soar into the heavens only moments ago had suddenly become someone who barely approached seven stars?

Worse still, his “potential fluctuated greatly,” and his “foundation was flawed”?

The enormous disparity left everyone stunned.

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The excitement on Lin Fan’s face instantly froze, transforming into incredulous shock, followed by humiliation and anger.

He abruptly looked up at Liu Ruyan, then at the Heaven-Observing Stone, as though suspecting that Liu Ruyan had tampered with it.

The joy on Lin Zhentian’s face also vanished instantly. His expression darkened as he looked sharply at Yun Yun and Liu Ruyan.

“Senior, this… what does this mean? Could this ‘Heaven-Observing Stone’ be inaccurate? Or perhaps…”

Although he did not finish speaking, the doubt in his words was already obvious.

On the raised platform, Yun Yun slowly raised her eyes and looked at Lin Zhentian.

Her gaze was as calm as still water, yet Lin Zhentian instantly felt an invisible pressure. The rest of his words became lodged in his throat.

“The Heaven-Observing Stone measures a living being’s potential and foundation.”

Yun Yun’s voice was gentle, yet it carried an unquestionable penetrating force that entered everyone’s ears with perfect clarity.

“Fluctuating potential means an unstable temperament, a susceptibility to outside influences, or… that something is being concealed.”

“A flawed foundation is a hidden danger left behind by pursuing progress too hastily during cultivation, or by practicing an incompatible cultivation technique.”

With every sentence she spoke, Lin Fan’s face grew a shade paler.

He knew very well that, in order to raise his cultivation quickly, he had indeed consumed pills with harmful side effects.

The cultivation technique he practiced was also the highest-ranked one in his family, and he had never once considered whether it was compatible with him.

Yun Yun withdrew her gaze and spoke indifferently.

“Next.”

Those few casual words completely silenced the Lin family’s doubts.

Lin Zhentian’s expression shifted repeatedly. In the end, he gave a heavy snort, swept his sleeve, and turned away.

Lin Fan was even more overwhelmed by humiliation and anger. Under countless gazes filled with sympathy, mockery, or regret, he followed Lin Zhentian out of the crowd with his head lowered in disgrace.

The Lin family had utterly lost face this time.