Chapter 16: Long Aotian's Shock
"Liu Yuan, are you ready?"
Standing before the towering entrance of the Elder Hall, Vina turned to the youth beside her, seeking one final confirmation. The massive bronze doors loomed over them, etched with ancient, weathered patterns that spoke of the Body Sect's long history.
"Don't worry, Vina." The corners of Liu Yuan's mouth lifted in a faint, composed smile. His breathing remained perfectly even, his shoulders relaxed. "I have been ready for a long time."
"Alright. Let's go in."
Vina gave a firm nod. She placed her hands against the cold bronze and pushed, stepping through the heavy threshold.
Liu Yuan followed closely at her heels. Behind them trailed Long Aotian, Wang Yanfeng, Gu Tong, and Chen Lu. The group of elite disciples tagged along, driven by a mix of idle curiosity and a desire to see just who this newcomer was.
The interior of the Elder Hall opened up into a vast, cavernous space beneath a high vaulted ceiling. Rows of eternal lamps dotted the stone walls, casting a dim, flickering amber glow that bathed the hall in an atmosphere of heavy solemnity.
There were no grand statues or opulent decorations in the center of the room. In the deepest shadows at the far end, a single figure sat upon a massive, dark wood armchair.
It was an old man with a flowing white beard and hair to match. He wore a simple, unadorned gray robe and rested with his eyes closed. Yet, the air around him seemed to warp slightly. Faint, rhythmic fluctuations of spirit power pulsed from his seated form, carrying a quiet, suffocating weight that demanded absolute respect.
"Elder Chen."
Vina approached the dais, stopping at a respectful distance to offer a deep bow.
The old man's eyelids fluttered, slowly opening to reveal eyes that held the depth of ancient wells. As his gaze settled on Vina, the harsh lines of his weathered face softened, melting into a warm, grandfatherly smile.
"Is that you, little Vina? You have returned?" His voice was raspy but gentle, echoing softly in the quiet hall. "I heard you went out to hunt for your second Spirit Ring. Judging by your aura, it seems you succeeded. Not bad at all. Truly not bad!"
"Thank you for your concern, Elder Chen," Vina replied obediently, her tone bright. She then stepped aside, gesturing toward the calm youth standing quietly behind her.
"Elder Chen, I brought a friend back with me this time. He has also awakened a Body Martial Soul and wishes to join our Body Sect. I would like to request your assistance in conducting his entry test."
"Oh? Another seedling with a Body Martial Soul?"
The warmth in Elder Chen's eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp, piercing intensity. His gaze swept past Vina and locked onto Liu Yuan.
In that split second, the air in the hall grew incredibly heavy. Liu Yuan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, a primal warning bell ringing in his mind as if he had just been targeted by a starving, prehistoric beast. The muscles across his entire body tightened involuntarily under the crushing spiritual pressure.
Yet, his expression remained entirely unchanged. He did not take a single step back. Instead, Liu Yuan straightened his spine, rolling his shoulders back to bear the weight. He met Elder Chen's scrutinizing stare directly, his gaze neither servile nor arrogant. Raising his hands, he offered a crisp, formal bow.
"Junior Liu Yuan greets Elder Chen."
The suffocating pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Elder Chen stroked his long white beard, a glint of approval flashing in his aged eyes.
"Excellent mental fortitude." He gave a slow nod, entirely withdrawing his oppressive aura. "Since little Vina brought you here, we shall proceed according to the Sect's rules. Come over here."
He raised a weathered hand, pointing toward a heavy stone table situated on the right side of the hall.
Liu Yuan obeyed without a word, his footsteps light and steady as he approached the table.
Meanwhile, Vina retreated to the sidelines, rejoining Long Aotian and the rest of the disciples.
Watching the unfamiliar youth stand so confidently before a Sect Elder, Long Aotian, who had remained silent until now, finally broke his quiet observation.
"Vina, what exactly is this Liu Yuan's background?" he asked, his deep voice kept low. "How did the two of you cross paths?"
"Yeah, Vina," Wang Yanfeng chimed in, leaning closer so his voice wouldn't carry across the hall. "I wanted to ask you while we were still outside. What exactly is his Spirit Power Rank? How does he measure up to the rest of us?"
Even Gu Tong and Chen Lu, who had been silently staring daggers into Liu Yuan's back, subtly tilted their heads, pricking up their ears to catch the answer.
Faced with the persistent curiosity of her peers, Vina offered a mysterious, knowing smile.
Keeping her voice to a whisper, she gave them a brief, abridged summary of how she had encountered Liu Yuan during her travels. However, when it came to the crucial detail of his actual cultivation level, she deliberately kept her lips sealed.
"You will all see in just a moment," she teased, a hint of smug pride coloring her tone. "Trust me, you are going to be quite surprised."
Seeing Vina act so confident, Long Aotian and the others exchanged meaningful glances. An unspoken consensus quickly formed among the elite disciples.
"It seems... this newcomer actually has some real skill," Long Aotian murmured. He slowly rubbed his chin, a fiery glint of battle intent beginning to burn within his eyes. "With Vina's high standards, she would never place this much faith in a mediocre talent."
"Then I really want to see exactly how much he is worth," Wang Yanfeng muttered, crossing his arms as he fixed his gaze intently on the stone table ahead.
Back at the stone table, Elder Chen was in no rush to begin the physical examination. He reached into his robes, producing a thick, worn registry booklet and a simple ink pen.
"Name?" he asked, his tone strictly business.
"Liu Yuan."
"Age?"
"Twelve."
"Martial Soul?"
"Double Pupils. That is to say, my eyes." Liu Yuan raised a hand, lightly tapping the side of his face near his eyes.
"Double Pupils..." Elder Chen's pen came to an abrupt halt. He lifted his head, leaning in slightly to carefully examine the youth's eyes. Upon noticing the distinct, overlapping irises within Liu Yuan's gaze, a sharp flash of brilliance lit up the elder's weathered face. "Not bad at all. The eyes are an exceptionally high-grade Body Martial Soul. Very well, the basic information has been registered. Let us begin the practical test."
Reaching beneath the heavy stone table, Elder Chen retrieved a perfectly round, transparent crystal ball and set it down with a dull thud.
"Our Body Sect has no interest in those flashy, overly complicated modern spirit tools," Elder Chen explained, tapping the smooth surface of the glass. "Although this crystal ball is an antique, it remains the most intuitive and absolutely accurate method for measuring raw power. Place your hand upon it and inject your spirit power."
"Understood."
Liu Yuan drew in a slow, measured breath. He closed the distance, extending his right hand to press his palm flat against the cold, smooth surface of the crystal.
Deep within his body, his dense, long-dormant spirit power surged to life. Like a slumbering dragon suddenly awakened, the energy roared through his meridians, rushing down his arm and pouring directly into the testing sphere.
Hum—!
A low, resonant vibration instantly shook the stone table. The previously dull crystal ball trembled violently in its resting place. A split second later, a dazzling eruption of pure white light exploded from within the glass!
The illumination was not harsh or blinding, but rather incredibly dense and solid. It flooded the interior of the sphere in the blink of an eye, the sheer volume of energy swirling and compacting until it looked as though the thick light might physically shatter the hard crystal casing.
Clatter.
Elder Chen, who had just been casually preparing to log the results, dropped his pen. It rolled off the registry and hit the stone table.
The old man shot up from his armchair, his back ramrod straight as he stared fixedly at the glowing orb. His eyes were wide, nearly bulging from their sockets as he analyzed the density of the light.
This level of brightness... this terrifying purity...
"Twenty... Rank 23?!"
Elder Chen's voice cracked, turning uncharacteristically shrill as his shocked gasp echoed off the high vaulted ceiling of the main hall.
What an absolute monster of a seedling!
The boy was only twelve years old, yet his spirit power had already reached Rank 23!
One had to understand, even Vina—the pride of the Heavenly Soul Empire who was the exact same age and had been heavily nurtured by the Body Sect's vast resources since early childhood—was only hovering around this exact level!
And this Liu Yuan had achieved such a rank entirely on his own, without ever receiving a single day of the Body Sect's specialized cultivation methods...
"What?! Rank 23?!"
A short distance away, Long Aotian and his group were frozen in collective disbelief.
Wang Yanfeng, who had just been casually speculating about the newcomer's strength, stood rooted to the spot. His jaw had dropped so low it looked as though one could shove an entire egg into his mouth.
"Did I hear the Elder correctly? Rank 23? Are you kidding me?!" Chen Lu rubbed his ears vigorously, his face twisted in utter shock.
"That's... that's even higher than Vina's base cultivation, isn't it?" Gu Tong muttered under his breath. The dismissive look in his eyes had vanished entirely, replaced by a heavy, complicated stare as he gazed at Liu Yuan's unmoving back.
If they had previously viewed Liu Yuan as merely a lucky newcomer with decent talent who had managed to catch Vina's eye, that perception was now shattered into a million pieces.
With talent like this, it was an absolute certainty that he would be elevated to the same status as Vina and Long Aotian. He would instantly become a core pillar of the Sect, showered with their most precious resources!
To reach Rank 23 by the age of twelve was nothing short of monstrous.
Slowly, Long Aotian recovered from his initial stupor.
When he looked at the calm youth standing by the stone table, the casual curiosity in his eyes had been entirely replaced by deep respect.
There was no trace of petty jealousy in his heart, nor was he the slightest bit displeased by the sudden appearance of a genius who threatened his standing. Instead, the corners of Long Aotian's mouth curled upward, forming the sharp, eager smile of a warrior who had finally found a worthy rival.
'It seems my days in the Body Sect are about to become much more interesting. I have finally gained a true opponent,'Long Aotian thought, his blood beginning to pump faster.'Hmm... I just wonder if his Double Pupils possess the potential to trigger a Gold-level Secondary Awakening...'
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