Man on the ark, forced to become king

The old master smiled and nodded, then swept across the street, taking in all the tall buildings in the distance, a look of satisfaction on his face.

"It's clear you've done a great job building Longmen. Who would have thought that this once dilapidated town could develop to what it is today? You deserve a lot of credit for Longmen's current prosperity. You should keep up the good work in the future."

"I will never forget the Celestial Master's teachings!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Yanwu was startled, and his first thought was, "It's all settled."

Since the Celestial Master said so, it means he acknowledged him, and it also means that the imperial court has no intention of taking action against the Dragon Gate. Even if anyone has ideas, with the Celestial Master's statement, those people will have to obediently withdraw their claws and hide them tightly.

That's how influential this ancestor was.

He rarely interfered in court affairs, but if he did, no one could defy his will.

In some ways, his words might be more effective than those of the emperor.

"Don't be so reserved, making me feel like some kind of monster."

Shaking his head slightly, the old Celestial Master lowered his gaze, waved the old palm-leaf fan in his hand, and said, "Alright, there's no need to waste time here. I want to meet the leader of the Golden Tree and see what kind of person he is."

"Actually, you're overthinking it. It's just a small matter, why make such a big fuss?"

'This is a small matter for you, but in Longmen, it's a big deal...'

Moreover, I never expected Lin Lu to give me such a big surprise…

Wei Yanwu dared not say these words aloud, so he kept them to himself. He welcomed the old master into the car, and then personally drove to the Golden Tree Courtyard, which was still under renovation and expansion.

After passing through the cordoned-off area and merging into the main road, the road was bustling with vehicles and people, a scene of prosperity and bustle.

Through the glass window, the old master took in the scene on the street, nodded almost imperceptibly, and was very satisfied. He didn't have any great hobbies in his life, he just loved the everyday life of ordinary people, the beautiful landscape, and the peaceful and prosperous times.

It now seems that Longmen has indeed done a good job in this regard, and is not inferior to the capital of Yan Kingdom.

Wei Yanwu glanced at the rearview mirror and relaxed a bit, quietly slowing down the car. It took more than an hour to enter the central area and reach his destination.

The golden tree has grown from a small sapling that could be planted in a flower bed into a towering tree tens of meters tall. The old yard is no longer enough, and a larger one needs to be built.

Therefore, construction is still underway here, but it did not start today. Wei Yanwu had already ordered people to do a simple cleanup, intending to understand the incident before making any further decisions.

The car stopped at the gate of the courtyard. The old master stepped out of the car and immediately saw the golden tree standing in the courtyard. The giant tree, more than seventy meters tall, had a canopy that encompassed a large area around it. It was so golden that it was hard not to see it.

Of course, the size of the tree is not important; the old master has seen trees much larger than this before.

What he cared more about was the power contained within the tree.

Vast, ancient, and vibrant, it was the complete opposite of the cold, desolate atmosphere that remained outside the city. The little apprentice wasn't wrong; he did indeed sense a trace of lightning magic emanating from the tree. It wasn't much, but it was definitely there.

So, what about people?

The old man took two steps forward and saw a young man stride out of the courtyard. Their eyes met, and some invisible force began to brew around them.

crackle~

crackle~

An electric current crackled, and tiny golden bolts of lightning shot out from the old palm-leaf fan.

Lin Lu stood in front of the door, her eyes gleaming with a faint golden light. Golden lightning, just like that of the old Celestial Master, suddenly appeared and coiled around her body.

wow~

The canopy of the golden tree swayed quietly, and many illusory leaves fell.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Cutting Through the Gordian Knife

To be honest, Lin Lu still couldn't figure out what kind of organization the Celestial Master's Mansion was.

Similar to universities and colleges in other countries? Or perhaps it's an organization with an independent lineage, like a school of mages in a border region.

Based on the information he had, the Celestial Master's Mansion was probably something like this.

The title of Celestial Master is not particularly prestigious in Yan Kingdom; it is merely an honorific used to address people who have achieved high attainments in certain areas, and it has little to do with actual strength.

However, among the many Celestial Masters, there are a few who are different.

They are the true core of the Celestial Master's Mansion, each possessing formidable strength to independently govern a region.

The most famous and well-known among the general public are the several celestial masters who have mastered the thunder magic.

Thunder magic is a closely guarded secret of the Celestial Master's Mansion. People only know that there are five types of thunder magic: blue, white, black, red, and yellow, which are called the "Five Thunder Magic". However, few people know more about it.

Legend has it that the Qing Lei Bo Bai Ding Shan unleashed a bolt of heavenly lightning that could cover the entire Great Yan Kingdom.

Lin Lu personally believes that this statement is exaggerated; legends are always exaggerated.

With such a vast territory as Yan, how could he possibly cover it with his attacks? Even if the Golden Tree were to recover to its peak and advance further, he didn't think he could do it.

As for the folk legend that the old celestial master waved his hand to disperse the clouds and rain, I have now witnessed it.

However, one cannot judge anything from this alone. After all, the way the dark clouds are dispersed is directly related to the methods used, and cannot be used to measure strength.

However, Lin Lu did not expect that this highly respected old man would use lightning magic as soon as he arrived, and then the golden tree actually reacted.

Like a pebble thrown into a calm pond, causing ripples, the once tranquil golden tree became restless the moment the old man unleashed his golden lightning.

To be precise, it was a certain power mixed in that resonated with the thunder magic.

Lin Lu channeled the restless power of the Golden Tree into herself, which naturally formed a form of prayer—the Ancient Dragon Lightning Prayer.

He used it a lot before, but in reality, this kind of prayer can only be considered a clumsy imitation of the ancient dragon's thunder power. It is really insignificant among the many prayers of the Golden Tree, and its destructive power is also very limited.

How could the thunderous power from the ancient dragon at the border be related to the thunder magic of the Celestial Master's Mansion in this world?

Because they're all thunderbolts? That's a bit of a stretch.

Dragon Thunder Prayer is merely an outward manifestation of lightning; in essence, it is a degraded and imitation of the ancient dragon's power, presented and reconstructed through the all-encompassing nature of the Golden Tree, and has absolutely nothing to do with natural lightning.

Could it be that the so-called lightning magic is something similar? And ancient dragons exist in this world?

"It has the form but not the spirit, so it doesn't count, it doesn't count."

As he pondered, the old celestial master dispelled the electric light from his palm-leaf fan, gently cupped his hands, and smiled, "Excuse me, are you the owner of this place?"

"I am the master of the Golden Tree. Please come in, Celestial Master."

When others greeted her with smiles, Lin Lu naturally returned the greeting with a smile and led everyone inside.

"What the Celestial Master just said, was he referring to my thunder?"

Walking alongside the Celestial Master, Lin Lu raised her arm, and the last trace of dragon lightning dissipated just as it appeared. From the outside, it did indeed resemble the Golden Lightning of Thunder Magic.

"My little apprentice said that this golden tree has the aura of thunder magic. Seeing it today, it does have some similarities, but it is only similar and ultimately different."

The old master squinted his eyes and readily admitted it.

Lin Lu was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What does the Heavenly Master plan to do?"

"What should I do? Mr. Lin, rest assured, I have no intention of doing anything."

The old Celestial Master seemed unconcerned about the thunder magic, casually stating his thoughts: "It's just a technique, after all. Even if it's similar in form but not in spirit, so what if this tree is my Celestial Master's Five Thunder Technique? Magic is created for people to learn, isn't it?"

"Some people always think that thunder magic is something very high, but how high can it really be? It's just that they can't learn it themselves and they're too proud to admit it."

"Whether you can learn it or not is a matter of personal fate, what does it have to do with me? Besides, your thunder is not even the Five Thunder Technique, so I have even less reason to interfere."

"There are at least a thousand or eight hundred people in this world who possess the power of lightning, and countless similar techniques. Do you expect me to manage them all? Some people take these things too seriously, wishing they could unplug all the appliances used for cooking in other people's homes in order to maintain the orthodoxy of the Celestial Master's Mansion."

"Actually, what is the orthodoxy? The Celestial Master's Mansion is nothing more than a small school set up by a few old men. There is nothing wrong in the world; it is just that mediocre people make trouble for themselves."

'This old man, he's quite humorous for his age...'

Upon hearing the statement that "they unplugged all the electrical appliances in other people's homes," Lin Lu's expression turned strange. She subtly glanced at Wei Yanwu and Lin Qingyan, who were lagging behind, especially Lin Qingyan.

He met the girl yesterday and heard Wei Yanwu briefly describe her situation.

Why do these words from the old master sound so much like he's subtly criticizing his disciple?

"..."

Perhaps noticing the gazes fixed on her, Lin Qingyan pursed her lips tightly, a flush of anger rising on her fair face.

She strongly suspects that her master is subtly criticizing her, and she has evidence to back it up!

But what else can we do?

Forget about subtle criticism, even if you openly reprimand her, there's nothing you can do, right? After all, she's the youngest in terms of seniority among those present.

Besides, you can't entirely blame her for this! After leaving the Celestial Master's Mansion and arriving at the Dali Temple, all she heard and saw was praise for thunder magic, and no one told her the actual situation, so of course she thought thunder magic was very important.

"So that's what happened. I was quite uneasy yesterday when Lao Wei mentioned the Thunder Technique."

Lin Lu gave a perfunctory reply, but couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

What is vision? This is vision!

That's why he's the leader of the Celestial Master's Mansion; his magnanimity is truly exceptional.

"Uneasy? Not necessarily. Even I can't see through this golden tree. Does Mr. Lin think the Celestial Master's Mansion will come knocking on our door?"

"Master, you jest. Please sit down."

Leading everyone into the house and to their seats, Lin Lu casually waved her hand, and several golden leaves fell down, swaying and drifting into the house, landing in the teacups that had been prepared beforehand, turning into clear liquid.

He doesn't have tea here, and he's not really used to drinking that stuff. To be honest, this Golden Tree Dew is much better than tea.

"Good stuff, really good stuff."