“All right, go on down now. There’s no rush to choose where you’ll go just yet.”
The Elder’s tone was pleasant, his expression beaming with cheer.
Hu Qiao’er nodded and stepped down.
She glanced at Jiang Che, who remained motionless for a long time.
Was he the only one left?
Many gazes fell upon the little boy who could not see.
Yun Yan grew tense.
He started planning in his mind. He couldn’t allow Jiang Che to leave, nor could he let him undergo the Linggen Test. The best solution now was to step in himself, break the rules, and take Jiang Che as his own.
Although this would surely draw criticism, there was no other way.
Jiang Che stayed silent for a long time. He avoided Hu Qiao’er’s outstretched hand and stepped onto the platform one step at a time.
This place was as familiar to him as if he could see it with his own eyes.
He had presided over such occasions before and was naturally familiar with the proceedings.
Just as Yun Yan was about to intervene, Xu Qianlan moved.
Amid everyone’s confusion, Xu Qianlan’s dark green silhouette flashed before Jiang Che.
“No need for the test. I’ll take this child.”
In an instant, the whole scene fell silent. Under countless puzzled stares, she simply stood in front of Jiang Che and took his hand.
In her eyes, it was as if Jiang Che was the only one who existed.
“First Seat Xu, isn’t this against the rules as well?”
The Elder’s hoarse voice trembled slightly. This woman before him was not someone he dared to offend.
“It’s all right, the Zongzhu has agreed as well.”
Xu Qianlan replied coolly, lifting her gaze to look at Yun Yan.
Yun Yan’s beard twitched ever so slightly—so Xu Qianlan had made her move after all.
But what puzzled him was why Xiyue and Su Qingyue were also watching Jiang Che so intently?
From what he remembered, Jiang Che had never been involved with those two before.
Could it be that Jiang Che, after becoming a child, had somehow offended them?
Yun Yan stopped thinking about it and didn’t bother to calculate further.
“If First Seat Xu wishes, then take him away.”
“Nonsense!”
At this moment, Feng Ze, who had been watching all along, could bear it no longer and shouted angrily.
“Isn’t this just taking the back door?!”
But Xu Qianlan only spread her hands.
“So what? All the First Seats have the right to privately recruit Disciples. What’s wrong with me picking someone I like?”
“You call that picking a disciple? At least ask the child’s opinion!”
Feng Ze finally saw through it. Xu Qianlan wasn’t trying to take on a disciple at all, and as for her real motive—he didn’t dare imagine.
Xu Qianlan gave a gentle smile, then bent down.
“Little Che, do you want to come with me? You don’t want your identity to be exposed, do you? And besides, although I tricked Lin Yin away, she’s definitely on her way back right now. If you don’t become my disciple, she’ll surely catch you. You don’t want that, right?”
Xu Qianlan whispered to Jiang Che, still unable to read his expression.
She now deeply realized—eyes are a vital part of human expression. That saying about reading feelings through other means being nothing but mischief wasn’t wrong.
Xu Qianlan began to grow anxious.
She tugged Jiang Che’s hand, but felt she couldn’t move him.
How could someone at the Xuxu Stage be unable to move a child?
That wasn’t it.
She realized that as she held Jiang Che’s hand, she felt not a trace of strength—like someone who had already given up on everything.
At that moment, a dazzling white light flared across the arena!
In the blink of an eye, all twenty-some people who had just completed the Linggen Test vanished from their spots.
And Jiang Che, who hadn’t even taken the Linggen Test, was gone as well.
Xu Qianlan stared blankly in front of her—where someone had just been standing, now there was nothing at all.
“Zongzhu! Why did you suddenly activate the Secret Realm?!”
Xu Qianlan shouted. Everyone present heard her clearly, and all were shocked.
Ordinarily, after the Linggen Test, the group would be transported into a special Secret Realm for their final trial.
But this was clearly out of the ordinary.
Xu Qianlan glared at Yun Yan, but Yun Yan merely acted the part of a decrepit old man, unmoved.
“First Seat Xu, come with this old man.”
Huh?
What’s going on?
Zongzhu Yun Yan didn’t explain or argue, and even called Xu Qianlan to follow him?
What had happened?
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, unable to fathom the situation.
Even Wen Ping, who knew Yun Yan best, wore a bewildered look.
Moments later, Xu Qianlan and Yun Yan entered a Great Hall. Yun Yan even waved his hand to erect a Formation that cut them off from the outside world.
“Zongzhu, I need an explanation!”
Xu Qianlan stared at Yun Yan seriously, none of her usual laziness on display.
Yun Yan only sighed.
Xu Qianlan clenched her fists. This Yun Yan! Did he not realize that his disciple Jiang Yan hated him so much because he always sighed and never explained anything?
Maybe noticing her anger, Yun Yan finally spoke up:
“First Seat Xu, calm yourself! I’ll speak now!”
Xu Qianlan forced herself to hold down her anger, taking a deep breath.
“Speak!”
Yun Yan’s eyes grew stern. He spoke flatly: “I don’t know, either.”
Xu Qianlan couldn’t stand it anymore.
She wanted to refine a tasteless, colorless poison and make this old man swallow it! Poison him!
“Don’t get agitated. What I mean is, none of this was my doing. As Zongzhu, even I can’t fully control ‘that’ Secret Realm. Opening it to send people in and out is still within my power.”
“Then why don’t you open it and send Jiang… that child back out!”
Xu Qianlan nearly blurted out Jiang Che’s name, only remembering just in time that she’d never told the Zongzhu about Jiang Che’s true identity. She’d always assumed Yun Yan didn’t know.
“But…”
Yun Yan became hesitant.
“For some reason, the Secret Realm has severed its connection with this old man, so I have no way to intervene.”
“You!”
“Wait, First Seat Xu, don’t be hasty. Have you forgotten the other trait of this Secret Realm?”
Yun Yan said mysteriously, and Xu Qianlan suddenly remembered.
She sharply recalled—the Secret Realm could only be entered once; those who had been inside could never enter again.
In that instant, she understood—her efforts at concealment had already been exposed.
“Zongzhu, you…”
“All right, let’s go outside and see what’s happening first.”
Xu Qianlan nodded.
“One more thing, First Seat Xu—let’s not mention the Secret Realm to anyone out there. This old man would rather people not find out that the mighty Zongzhu of Shenxiao Sect can’t even control his own Secret Realm.”
“…”
Xu Qianlan fell silent. She now understood why he insisted on discussing this out of earshot.
……
Meanwhile, outside, people were still chatting in low voices.
Luo Yan, bored out of his mind, struck up a conversation with Su Qingyue.
“President Su! Why did you choose to cooperate with an old-fashioned sect like Shenxiao Sect?”
“I wanted to.”
“You could have picked another sect. Our Holy Demon Sect is excellent! After all, cultivating the devilish path is what young people like these days.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Really? I knew it! Someone as young and beautiful as President Su would surely like a lively sect!”
“I don’t like it.”
“……”
No matter what Luo Yan said, Su Qingyue merely replied in her flat, dead-fish-eyed manner with a few simple words.
Even Feng Ze, the most hot-tempered of them all, couldn’t help but stifle his laughter.
Luo Yan had always tried, overtly and covertly, to talk down Shenxiao Sect, but now he realized Su Qingyue simply didn’t care at all—it was genuinely amusing.
Luo Yan was fuming inside.
But none of the people present cared to pay him any attention.
He glanced at Xiyue—no, he didn’t dare look.
Thinking back on the time he ambushed Xiyue, he regretted it so much it hurt.
He could only turn his schemes toward Su Qingyue now, but seeing her was never going to be easy.
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