Shulong Daojun

Without moving his body, he merely flicked his sleeve, and divine light suddenly surged forth, sweeping away the golden arrow rain as if caught in a whirlwind, instantly dissipating it all.

With another gust, divine light swept across, and the earth spikes, still a foot away, crumbled one by one.

Suddenly, pebbles rained down like rain.

Lin Shu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze unchanged, calm and composed.

Just then, Li Xiaohai made another move.

His eyes narrowed, his palms clasped together abruptly, and his magical power surged like a waterfall as he shouted in a deep voice, "Gather!"

The scattered stones suddenly stopped falling, hovered in the air, and then vibrated together, splitting into two streams.

A burst of energy shot into the sky above the cloud platform, coalesced into a giant rock, and fell from the sky.

A beam of earthy yellow spiritual light shot out from Li Xiaohai, causing the boulder to swell violently, blotting out the sky and crashing down on Lin Shu like a mountain.

The other one was held aloft by magical power.

As Li Xiaohai raised his hand again and unleashed a beam of azure spiritual light, countless thorny vines sprouted from the rubble, lashing out wildly from all directions.

Seeing that the situation remained calm, Lin Shu was actually pleased.

"Good timing!"

He chuckled and braced himself with one hand.

Divine light surged like a vast ocean, rising into the sky.

Upon contact, the boulder stopped in mid-air, then was jolted and flew back diagonally, crashing into Li Xiaohai's side.

The vine, with a flash of divine light, was severed as before, preventing any approach.

However, a streak of azure flame descended, instantly transforming into a man-eating fire serpent. It opened its massive maw, surged up, and swallowed Lin Shu's entire figure whole.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiaohai trembled all over, his expression filled with joy. He then raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.

Just now, that boulder almost crushed him into a pulp.

Fortunately, Lin Shu had a backup plan and did not intend to take his life, so it was just a false alarm.

Thinking of this, Li Xiaohai looked at the sea of ​​fire and couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude.

Then he sighed.

Although Lin Shu possesses the refined and elegant qualities of a Daoist, he is not a person of mixed learning and lineage, and this very quality becomes a weakness that can be exploited.

Therefore, every move he made was fatal.

One side wins.

Even if they were defeated, they would do their utmost to force him to reveal the methods of the Scale Book, in order to pave the way for Senior Brother Beichen.

These are all grand plans for the development of the miscellaneous learning lineage, and even if they are not very glorious, they must still be undertaken.

Just as Li Xiaohai was pondering to himself, a sudden change occurred.

Then a burst of energy suddenly erupted from the fire serpent, and the fire serpent was instantly torn open with a huge mouth, as if it had been disemboweled.

Inside, there was none other than the Scale Book.

He glanced at the dissipating blue flames beside him, nodded, then smiled and said softly:

"Junior brother's cultivation of Taoist arts is acceptable."

He wasn't just parroting others' ideas or lacking flexibility; he had his own unique insights.

After a slight pause, he added calmly, "Are there any other methods? Let's use them all at once."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaohai realized that his magical power was exhausted, and immediately revealed a bitter smile.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and sighed, "Senior brother is truly brilliant. This disciple concedes defeat. Thank you for your mercy, senior brother."

Lin Shu nodded slightly and smiled, returning the greeting.

Defeating Li Xiaohai was as easy as taking something out of a bag, so there was no need for much joy.

This first round of candidates for the divine position is just a test, and it's also a good opportunity to observe everyone's methods and have a plan in mind.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, someone in the audience cheered loudly:

"Excellent! Senior Brother Lin truly lives up to his reputation as a prodigy of our Daoist sect. His consideration for fellow Daoists is truly exemplary."

But then a bearded Taoist priest rose from the black prayer mat and began clapping vigorously, showering the monk with praise.

Lin Shu frowned slightly, then a thought crossed his mind, and he wondered to himself: Who is this disciple?

He was a completely unfamiliar face, and his lineage was of mixed learning; I had never seen him before, nor had I ever heard of him.

Just then, another person stood up and said, "May you be blessed with boundless happiness! Senior Brother Lin is truly a great master!"

but......"

He changed the subject and praised softly, "My fellow disciple Li Xiaohai from the Miscellaneous Learning lineage is also quite good; he can afford to lose."

As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur of discussion arose from all around, and within half a breath, the place was already bustling with noise.

The opinions of the crowd were varied, but they could be roughly categorized into two groups: one congratulating Lin Shu and the other congratulating Li Xiaohai.

However, it is unclear who started the argument, but they ended up arguing with each other.

The disciples of the Taiyi Yuanchen Sect on both sides of the prayer mat also joined in.

On his high seat, Yi Xuan lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Among the five red prayer cushions, Shouzheng touched the wine gourd at his waist, tilted his head back and took a swig, then laughed:

"It has been many years since the disciples of my Taiyi Yuanchen Sect have been this lively. Not bad."

To seize the opportunities of heaven and earth is to grasp the wonders of creation—a good thing!

After saying that, he tilted his head back and took another sip, letting out a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Yi Xuan lowered his gaze slightly and spoke calmly: "All branches belong to the Daoist sect. Next."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, averted their gazes, muttered a few words to themselves, and then all looked back at the cloud platform.

On the stage, Li Xiaohai looked at everyone and sighed, "I am no match for Senior Brother Lin."

He readily admitted it, then shook his head and said in a low voice, "Fortunately, I haven't forgotten Senior Brother Beichen's teachings. Knowing when to stop prevents danger, which is why I was able to leave with dignity."

After saying this, he stepped down from the stage.

Who is Senior Brother Beichen?

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this, but then they remembered the young Taoist who dared to speak up for Fu Tu, and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

So this is the kind of person he is.

On the side of the Ten Directions Gods, many also nodded in agreement.

Lin Shu, who was standing nearby, took in all of this and, after a moment's thought, understood the situation.

Whether it was Li Xiaohai, the bearded Taoist priest, or the flatterer, they were all paving the way for Beichen's rise—

Promote his name, establish his prestige, and serve as a stepping stone to help him climb higher step by step.

Once he reaches the top, he will turn his sword against him, defeat him in front of everyone, and establish his reputation as a peerless genius.

That is indeed a good plan.

Thinking of this, Lin Shu nodded slightly and murmured, "In that case, I might as well lend you a hand."

He immediately stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his aura suddenly pressing down, and he arrogantly said:

"With the Scales of the Jade Sword here, who can defeat me?"

After saying that, he fell silent.

Upon seeing this, everyone was startled and thought to themselves: This is truly arrogance.

However, no one went on stage, nor did anyone utter any sarcastic remarks; they remained silent from below the stage.

This is because they all know the Scale Book, making them true geniuses of the Taoist school.

A moment later, a Taoist priest on the black prayer mat gritted his teeth and shouted loudly, "Stop being so arrogant, I'll handle this."

Before he finished speaking, he had already stood up and leaped towards the cloud platform.

Upon hearing the sound, Lin Shu didn't even look, but merely flicked his sleeves slightly, and a beam of divine light descended directly upon him.

Before the Taoist priest could land on the cloud platform, his body was sent flying backward and crashed back onto the black prayer mat, landing face-first.

"Who are you?"

Lin Shu spoke in a calm tone, then glanced around and said softly, "Next one, don't keep me waiting."

Upon hearing this, everyone was both shocked and furious.

What's shocking is how quickly the Taoist priest on stage was defeated!

What angered them was the head disciple of the Dao Yi Tai Miao Zhen Men, whose arrogance was outrageous.

Even so, no one else went up on stage for a while.

Everyone secretly thought to themselves: It's just the first round of candidates for the godhood, let's not bother with him for now.