Chapter 143

“Friend, didn’t this young master of yours reach the third level by stuffing himself with elixirs?”

Lv Fangxuan stood motionless below the platform as the words reached his ears.

He tilted his head slightly toward the speaker. “What concern is that of yours?” he asked lightly.

“You! Hmph!”

The cultivator choked on his retort, turning away with an ugly expression after emitting a cold snort.

Lv Fangxuan said nothing more, his attention returning to the stage.

As Yang Lingshu’s companion cultivator, he knew his young master’s capabilities better than anyone. That talent couldn’t possibly be mere fourth-tier.

If this result stood, it meant the young master had orchestrated it deliberately—there had to be deeper reasoning.

On the Questioning Platform, Pan Qi’s face flickered through multiple expressions.

“Fourth-tier talent? That’s pathetically weak!”

“He’ll lose his direct disciple status for sure. Even if he clings to it, the elders will ignore him. His Path of Cultivation’s doomed.”

“Useless! All that planning wasted. Who’d expect the Yang Family to toss such trash into our sect?”

She seethed silently.

“Pfft!”

Amidst the hushed criticisms and mocking stares, Yang Lingshu chuckled openly without a trace of shame.

The crowd gaped. Was this fool actually laughing about his miserable talent?

“Explain this amusement,” Elder Gu demanded sternly.

“Apologies, Elder. A happy memory surfaced unexpectedly.”

Yang Lingshu bowed slightly, though inwardly he grimaced: Couldn’t even reach third-tier? My natural talent’s worse than I imagined.

Before departing, Yang Lingqing had analyzed the Yang Family’s intelligence with him.

Outwardly, the Wanhuamen direct disciple slot represented imperial favor. But understanding the court’s true motives, Yang Lingqing had discerned darker implications.

The dynasty had already shattered and rebuilt lower-level forces through two political campaigns. Now wouldn’t their restructuring gaze shift upward—to great families and sects?

The Yang Family’s loyalty stood proven. This Wanhuamen position wasn’t mere reward. Like previous maneuvers, it reeked of strategic placement.

Considering imperial tactics toward independent clans, Yang Lingqing had concluded: The court wanted fresh bait.

And effective bait needed strong attraction—common lures couldn’t hook leviathans.

In this way, the situation within Wanhuamen differed from the outside world.

Yang Lingshu no longer needed to conceal his talents. Instead, the more outstandingly he performed within the sect, the more valuable the bait became – making his position safer.

Performing well in such an unfamiliar environment wasn’t easy. Among the current Yang Family, only Yang Lingshu possessed both the talent and capability required.

He hadn’t expected the heavy responsibility mentioned by Yang Lingrui to fall upon him so soon.

"Sigh… I really prefer keeping a low profile. But since I promised the Master, I’ll become a chess piece in this game!"

As Yang Lingshu thought this, the spirit pearl refined in his Qi Palace began activating.

Elder Gu frowned at the young man’s cryptic words and opened his mouth to reprimand him, but froze mid-action.

The Treasure Pearl’s color had changed again!

Under Elder Gu’s astonished gaze, the pearl turned deep blue, then erupted in purple radiance before settling into vibrant purple hues.

Two disciples from the five-element group suddenly stepped forward, hands gripping Yang Lingshu’s shoulders.

"Junior brother! He shows water affinity!"

"Senior brother! Can’t you see the wood affinity?"

The arguing disciples turned to Elder Gu for judgment. After checking Yang Lingshu’s pulse, the elder’s eyes sparkled.

"Remarkable! Water-Wood Dual Resonance!"

Gasps erupted across the platform. Lv Fangxuan turned to the mocking disciple with a smile.

The red-faced disciple hastily bowed. "My earlier words were foolish! I’ll bring gifts to apologize to Brother Yang after initiation."

"Good." Lv Fangxuan nodded curtly.

On the Questioning Platform, Pan Qi stood stiffly. "Vibrant purple? Wanhuamen hasn’t seen this in twenty years! How… from a Gathering Qi family?"

Nearby, two purple-tier nobles showed similar shock but recovered quickly. They approached Yang Lingshu with bows.

"Han Jingyi of Tuoyue City’s Han Family greets our friend."

"Ge Yan of Molin City’s Ge Family greets our friend."

Yang Lingshu returned the courtesy. "Yang Lingshu of Songshan Yang Family greets both friends."

These nobles who’d previously ignored others now acknowledged him as an equal. Without Yang Lingshu, even top candidate Pan Qi fell far below second-tier.

"Songshan Yang Family?" Ge Yan hesitated. "If I may ask… are you connected to Lord He?"

"Indeed. Our family rose through Lord He Shenglai’s support."

Understanding dawned on their faces. The He Family of Wanzhong Forest must have recognized Yang Lingshu’s potential early.

Elder Gu suddenly tilted his head as if hearing distant words. Smiling, he asked Yang Lingshu:

"Would you accept Elder Mo as your mentor?"

Elder Mo! The five-element disciples exchanged shocked looks. This was the master of Senior Brother Xiao Yize – Wanhuamen’s current top disciple! For fifty years, everyone believed Xiao Yize would remain Elder Mo’s final student. Yet now, this reclusive elder wanted another disciple!