Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The once-in-a-century apprenticeship ceremony at Laoshan Mountain arrived as scheduled amidst great anticipation.

From the day the news spread, young talents and scions of noble families from all over the surrounding area set off for Laoshan Mountain on the shore of the East Sea, all vying for the opportunity to enter the immortal realm and cultivate the Great Dao. Lin Yan and his companions traveled day and night.

That day, the group arrived at a place called Qingfeng Town. The town entrance was bustling with people, all cultivators heading to Laoshan for their appointment, the noise rising and falling. As soon as they entered the town, they saw the square ahead completely packed, the heated arguments penetrating the crowd and reaching their ears, attracting onlookers. Lin Yan didn't want to cause trouble and only wanted to lead the group through the crowd to continue their journey. However, just as they reached the edge of the square, they were suddenly struck by a powerful surge of spiritual energy, nearly causing Yi Azhu to fall.

Squeezing through the crowd, one could see that the Su family, a local family from Qingfeng Town, was confronting a young boy.

The young man wore a faded blue cloth jacket, the sleeves casually rolled up to reveal a section of his well-defined wrist. Only an ordinary wooden tag was tied around his waist, without any family insignia. He was slender yet upright, with a hint of arrogance in his eyes, a straight nose, tightly pursed lips, and a pair of dark eyes that shone like cold stars. Even surrounded by more than a dozen members of the Su family, his back remained ramrod straight, showing no fear whatsoever.

Su Chen, the young patriarch of the Su family, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe embroidered with intricate cloud patterns, a gilded family token hanging at his waist, his face flushed red with rage. He pointed at the youth and shouted angrily, "You wild brat, you're not worthy to stand here! How dare you, a rogue cultivator without any sect, be above my Su family on this ranking list? You must have used underhanded methods to bribe the Laoshan steward and alter the rankings!"

The Su family disciples behind the boy echoed his sentiments, their wood-elemental spiritual energy surging and subtly forming sharp wooden spikes, completely surrounding the boy. Su Chen stepped forward, his fingertips radiating spiritual energy directly at the boy's face: "Today I will cleanse the sect of Laoshan, crippling a filthy wretch like you. Let's see how you'll participate in the disciple-acceptance ceremony then!"

The young man in blue robes drew an ancient wooden sword from his waist with a backhand motion. Though the blade lacked luster, it exuded a steady spiritual power. He spoke coldly, his voice clear yet carrying an undeniable firmness: "Laoshan accepts disciples based on their innate talent, spiritual power, and comprehension. The list was personally calculated by the Laoshan steward; how could it be altered? I entered the list based on my strength; what wrong have I done? It is you who are restless and impatient, your spiritual power weak and unstable. You take your anger out on others because of your low ranking. What kind of genius from a noble family do you think you are?"

Lin Yan stood at the edge of the crowd, his gaze slowly sweeping over the two. He saw that Su Chen's spiritual energy fluctuations were chaotic, clearly indicating that he was eager for quick success and his cultivation was not solid; while the boy in blue cloth had a steady flow of spiritual energy and a precise grip on his wooden sword, showing a rare solid foundation. The forceful spiritual energy he had just collided with was the malevolent aura that Su Chen had released to force back the onlookers.

"Is the Su family really this unreasonable? The rankings are fair; how dare you slander them so easily!"

Su Chen turned to look at Lin Yan, sizing him up. Seeing that Lin Yan and his group were simply dressed, he shouted sternly, "You? A nobody like you dares to meddle in other people's business? I think you're in cahoots with this brat. We'll take care of you both today, so you won't get in my way!"

Having said that, Su Chen raised his hand and waved, sending several wooden spikes straight at Lin Yan and the youth. Lin Yan's eyes turned cold, and a surge of pale golden spiritual energy suddenly flowed around him. He raised his hand and blocked all the wooden spikes, then used a burst of spiritual energy to force Su Chen back. He said in a deep voice, "The ranking was set by Laoshan. Right and wrong will be judged by public opinion. Your bullying behavior is truly..."

The three parties instantly faced off, tensions running high. The handsome men and beautiful women in the crowd retreated, some whispering, some shaking their heads and sighing, but no one dared to step forward to intervene. Just as conflict seemed imminent, a clear, gentle yet authoritative voice, like a gentle breeze piercing the noise, slowly rang out: "The Laoshan Disciple Recruitment Ceremony is imminent; what kind of behavior is this, causing trouble here?"

Following the sound, everyone looked and saw a Taoist priest dressed in a light yellow robe embroidered with Laoshan cloud patterns, walking slowly with a whisk in hand. His face was gentle, his eyes smiling, and a faint, pure spiritual aura surrounded him, calming all the restless spiritual energy wherever he passed. He was none other than Master Minglang, who was in charge of security for this disciple-acceptance ceremony in Qingfeng Town.

Upon seeing True Person Minglang, the members of the Su clan instantly suppressed their imposing manner and hurriedly bowed in respect. Although Su Chen was unwilling, he could only pay his respects according to the proper etiquette and spoke first: "True Person, you must avenge my Su clan! This rogue cultivator has slandered my family and even joined forces with others to provoke us. We beg you, True Person, to revoke his qualification for the ceremony!"

Master Minglang's gaze remained calm as he swept over Su Chen, then looked at Lin Yan and the boy in blue cloth, without uttering a word. With a flick of his finger, three gentle streams of spiritual energy entered the three individuals' bodies, instantly revealing their physical constitution, cultivation level, and the purity of their spiritual power.

Master Minglang's gaze remained calm as he swept over Su Chen, then looked at Lin Yan and the boy in blue cloth, without uttering a word. With a flick of his finger, three gentle streams of spiritual energy entered the three individuals' bodies, instantly revealing their physical constitution, cultivation level, and the purity of their spiritual power.

When Minglang Zhenren probed into Lin Yan's body, he paused. His spiritual energy touched a faint yet incredibly pure Daoist aura, clearly originating from the same source as the jade token aura of the Great Elder Wudao. A thought flashed through his mind, and a hint of surprise crossed his eyes, but he did not make a sound, simply withdrawing his spiritual energy without showing any emotion.

"Laoshan accepts disciples based solely on talent, regardless of background or social standing; only their Daoist heart and innate ability matter." Master Minglang's clear voice resonated throughout the hall, each word ringing with conviction.

"This young man in blue cloth is named Ye Qing. He has a pure wood-type spiritual root, a solid foundation in cultivation, and outstanding comprehension. His ranking on the list is well-deserved."

When it was Lin Yan's turn, he first bowed to Ming Lang and said, "Disciple Lin Yan greets True Man Ming Lang."

A hint of approval flashed in Minglang Zhenren's eyes. His tone was calm, concealing the unusual Daoist aura: "As for this young friend Lin Yan, his spiritual root is pure, his spiritual power is refined, and his temperament is calm. He is also a promising talent."

Lin Yan felt relieved and immediately understood. He bowed again, humbly saying, "Thank you for your fair judgment, Master. This junior only seeks to enter the mountain to cultivate and dares not have any improper thoughts, nor does he wish to quarrel with others."

As soon as he finished speaking, his spiritual energy subtly receded, returning to normal, as if he were just an ordinary cultivator with decent aptitude, showing no sign of his abilities.

Then, Minglang looked at Su Chen, his tone growing stern, tinged with a hint of reprimand: "Su Chen, although you possess some talent in wood-elemental cultivation, your Dao heart is restless, you're impatient for quick success, and your spiritual power is weak. Your ranking should naturally be lower than others. Instead of focusing on diligent cultivation, you rely on your family's power to bully fellow cultivators and slander others. With such a mindset, even if you enter Laoshan, you'll find it difficult to achieve the Great Dao. If you dare to cause trouble again, you'll be disqualified from participating in this ceremony!"

Su Chen's face turned pale and then red, his fingers clenched tightly. In the end, he reluctantly withdrew his spiritual power and lowered his head in silence. The Su family members dared not say anything more, they could only glare at Ye Qing and Lin Yan, and retreat to the side in a huff.

Master Minglang then looked at Lin Yan and Ye Qing, his tone softening: "The Great Dao is ahead, cultivating the mind is essential. Do not let temporary disputes disturb your Dao heart. The auspicious time for the grand ceremony is approaching, quickly follow me up the mountain."

Having said that, the immortal swept his whisk through the air, and a burst of spiritual light emanated from his fingertips, instantly forming a fluffy, pure white cloud chariot that hovered in front of everyone.

Lin Yan nodded slightly, exchanged a glance with Ye Qing, and then leaped onto the clouds first. The others followed closely behind, standing on the clouds and riding the wind with True Man Minglang into the depths of Laoshan.