Shulong Daojun

Sometimes, the sea of ​​clouds surges and obscures the sunlight, creating a scene of ever-changing weather as it harmonizes with the wind and waves.

But the Taoist priest raised his eyes, casually flicked his hand, and parted the wind and clouds to reveal a clear blue sky.

Looking down again, three more cloud platforms were suddenly erected beside the altar.

Yi Xuan's gaze fell lightly on the sixteen shortlisted disciples, including Lin Shu, a slight smile appearing on his face, and he said gently:

"You are all quite good, you have the demeanor of our Taoist sect."

The disciples immediately bowed in respect.

Yi Xuan nodded slightly, raised his eyelids slightly, and then said calmly, "In the second round, the shortlisted disciples will be divided into four groups of four people each, and they will compete in a round-robin format. The top two will advance."

The four cloud platforms will open simultaneously, each overseen by a uniquely descended earth immortal.

This lineage upholds righteousness and governs all matters.

After speaking, he paused slightly, and seeing that all the disciples understood, he added calmly, "If there are any objections, you may appeal to Shouzheng."

With a flick of his sleeve, Yi Xuan summoned clouds to form a divination tube. With a shout, rosy light descended, transforming into sixteen spiritual divination slips that floated and hung suspended.

"It's settled," he said calmly.

On the divination sticks, four sets of characters, A, B, C, and D, suddenly appeared, and then filed in one after another, all landing in the divination tube.

Yi Xuan flicked his robe again, placed the bamboo tube of lots down, and gently landed it in front of the disciples. He said, "The shortlisted disciples shall come forward one by one and each draw a lot."

The disciples responded in accordance with proper etiquette.

Then Lin Shu walked briskly out from the crowd.

Upon reaching the divination tube, he raised his hand and scooped up a divination stick, which fell directly into his hand.

As the first disciple to be shortlisted, he should naturally be the first to draw lots.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Shu realized it was the character "甲".

At this moment, Chen Hao had also drawn his lot, which was a bright "B" character.

After a short while, the disciples had all been assigned their duties.

Yi Xuan then said, "Disciples in the same group, draw another lot to determine your opponents."

Having said that, he exhaled lightly, and in an instant became a gentle breeze, brushing it across the divination slips in the hands of his disciples, and the characters instantly transformed into the names of the disciples.

"Group A disciples, cast your lots into the tube and proceed."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Shu stepped forward and casually dropped the divination slip in his hand.

Upon turning around, he saw three disciples of various schools of thought dressed in ochre Taoist robes, all with somewhat bewildered expressions.

He smiled faintly, nodded, and said gently, "Each person should rely on their own abilities; let nature take its course."

The three were clearly surprised that Lin Shu would say such a thing, and a hint of surprise appeared in their eyes.

They still vividly remembered his arrogant demeanor.

They hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, then cupped their hands in a respectful bow and whispered, "Yes, Senior Brother."

After the three people returned the divination slips in turn, the cloud tube was covered with rosy light, completely obscuring the contents and making it impossible to see what was inside.

After obtaining the lottery ticket again, the three proceeded in turn, and the outcome of the Group A showdown became clear.

Before long, the remaining three groups were also assigned.

Zhang Ziling and Lu Qianbian were in Group B, Chen Hao and the first disciple of the Tai Su lineage were in Group C, and Bei Chen was in Group D.

The remaining ten disciples of the miscellaneous lineage were also among them.

At this moment, Yi Xuan nodded and said calmly, "The second round of candidates for the divine position begins."

Each lineage's local immortals, following the established rules, arranged the battles in turn.

As soon as he finished speaking, the four Earth Immortals, including Bao Daoist and Xuan Zheng, rose from the red prayer mat and bowed slightly to Yi Xuan.

In a flash, they each appeared before the disciples they were supervising.

Lin Shu looked up and saw a Taoist priest with a sword, who was smiling at him.

Who else could it be but Xuanzheng?

"Nephew, please come with me."

Xuan Zheng spoke softly, then his gaze fell on the three disciples of the Miscellaneous Schools of Dharma beside him, and he casually said, "You too."

Having said that, he slowly walked towards the first cloud platform.

The Scale Book followed closely behind.

Then, the three men started walking and followed.

The cloud platform was located to one side of the altar, and a few people arrived shortly afterward.

However, halfway there, Lin Shu thought of Xuan Zheng's temperament and glanced at the situation behind him. Suddenly, an idea arose in his mind.

Therefore, after Xuanzheng announced the disciples' entry into the arena for the duel, he asked softly:

"Uncle-Master, may we invite our three junior brothers to come up on stage and offer their guidance?"

In this way, the junior disciples will have more time to adjust their breathing and prepare for the upcoming battle.

If one has attained enlightenment, there is still time to cultivate oneself and refine one's own Taoist practices, thus increasing one's chances of securing a position as a righteous deity.

At this point, Lin Shu smiled slightly, then changed the subject, saying:

"In that case, Uncle-Master will have less trouble."

Xuanzheng looked surprised upon hearing this.

He had not expected Lin Shu to say such bold words.

It should be noted that the high-ranking official was still sitting on his high seat, watching with his eyes lowered.

However... it's not impossible.

He glanced at Lin Shu and chuckled, saying, "Nephew, your words are quite clever."

If the other Daoist brothers overheard this, they might very well scold him.

But for me, there are several reasons for this."

At this point, Xuanzheng's smile deepened, but then he suddenly raised an eyebrow, as if to say something meaningful:

"This matter cannot be decided solely based on your and my opinions, otherwise it would be biased."

"Nephew, you might as well ask your fellow disciples; they are also disciples of our Daoist sect."

Finally, as if remembering something, he softly reminded him, "Nephew, please think it over carefully. If you lose, it will be your third defeat. You should be cautious."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu bowed and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Uncle-Master."

He then turned to the three people behind him and asked with a smile, "What do you three junior brothers think?"

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged glances, pondered for a moment, and then cupped their hands in greeting, saying, "As you say, Senior Brother."

They knew perfectly well that in a normal duel, they would be defeated by Lin Shu after only a few rounds.

Then the chance to compete for the position of a true god will be lost.

But if they join forces, there might be a chance, who knows?

After hearing this, Lin Shu said no more, only softly saying, "Junior brothers, please."

After saying this, he ascended the cloud platform, stood with his hands behind his back, and waited for the three of them.

Without hesitation, the three leaped onto the stage, and upon landing, they formed a pincer movement, surrounding Lin Shu.

Then a person activated their magic power, raised their hand and summoned a talisman, which attracted lightning that struck down from the sky.

The other two exchanged a glance and each unleashed a wood-elemental spell and a metal-elemental spell to aid the lightning strike.

In an instant, lightning struck, splitting the green wood and unleashing a torrent of fire that lunged at Lin Shu.

As the talisman was unleashed again, another bolt of lightning struck, instantly creating a scene of thunder and fire.

At the same time, golden needles were scattered around the cloud platform, and when they combined with the thunder and fire, they immediately produced a large amount of lightning that engulfed all directions.

Lin Shu remained expressionless, raised his hand, and unleashed a devastating attack from the sky, the Mysterious Female Divine Light.

Upon first contact, it was as if it swept across the world and swallowed up the eight directions.

The raging fire snakes vanished in the sky, and the falling lightning also dissipated into nothingness.

He raised his hand again, and divine light emanated from it, instantly opening up a vast expanse of lightning. The scattered golden needles were shattered and scattered without a trace.

Within moments, the thunder and fire from all directions vanished, and the surroundings became completely still.

Lin Shu strode forward, glanced at them sideways, and said indifferently, "Junior brothers, it's time for you to step down."