403: Chapter 403 The Joker Was Actually Himself

Chu Sheng stood before the Talent Stone whose light had not yet fully faded, while the surrounding Wanxiang Sect Disciples were still staring at that blinding halo of light.

The deacon walked over with quick steps, his eyes sweeping back and forth between him and the stone tablet twice.

Then, with a clear trace of hesitation in his tone, he said, "This Talent Stone shattered... there's almost no precedent... I can't make the call on this."

"Strange... Reasonably speaking, Luochuan Kingdom shouldn't have a Genius of this level."

Before his words could fade, a figure swooped down from the building complex above the waterfall, landing on the open ground not far in front of the tent.

The person wore a dark blue Wanxiang Sect Elder's uniform robe and had a lean face.

Sporting a short beard, he possessed a cultivation at the Yun Shen Realm. When he landed, the corner of his robe fluttered in the wind.

His gaze went straight past the deacon, falling onto the Talent Stone that was slowly returning to normal, and then looked toward Chu Sheng.

"Good seed, I'll take him."

Chu Sheng stood where he was, looking at him, without responding immediately.

This Elder's cultivation was at the Spirit Nurturing stage, which was more than one tier lower than his actual cultivation.

But he did not show anything unusual; he merely bowed his head slightly, appearing to comply with the arrangement: "This Disciple understands."

Seeing that he agreed so readily, the Elder stopped lingering.

Raising his hand to signal Chu Sheng to follow, he led him flying across the ferry crossing, passing through a water curtain, and landing on an open-air platform behind the waterfall.

A few pavilions were sparsely scattered around the platform, and the Spiritual Qi here was so dense it almost liquefied.

The ground was paved with Qinggang Jade, and fine spiritual moss grew in the crevices of the stones.

Standing at the edge of the platform were several Wanxiang Sect Cultivators whose cultivation was similar to the Elder's.

He waved to call them over, his tone carrying a lighthearted eagerness to show off: "I picked up a good seed today. The Talent Stone shattered, and his bone age test shows he's only twenty years old."

Several people looked at Chu Sheng one after another, their eyes holding varying degrees of curiosity.

One of the Elders said half-teasingly, "You sure have good luck, stumbling into one on your very first trip."

Someone else scanned Chu Sheng up and down, as if confirming whether the test result was really true.

Elder Ren didn't say much more, taking Chu Sheng directly into a side hall where he was staying.

The furnishings inside the hall were plain, with a portrait of the Wanxiang Sect's Ancestral Master enshrined right in the center.

A wooden table stood before the portrait, bearing a bronze incense burner with three slender sticks of incense burning within.

Elder Ren walked over and stood before the portrait, signaling Chu Sheng to stand beside him.

"First, perform the apprenticeship ceremony. Once completed, I'll give you an earth rank magic treasure as a Disciple-recruitment gift."

Chu Sheng stood before the portrait without moving immediately.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the portrait, then looked back at Elder Ren.

Yet he still stood where he was, neither bowing nor kneeling down.

Elder Ren waited for a few breaths, and seeing that he still didn't move, his expression changed slightly.

"Seeing this Elder, why do you not kneel?"

Chu Sheng tilted his head to look at him and said calmly, "In my entire life, I have never knelt to anyone."

The eyes of the other Elders rested on him for a moment, and someone whispered softly.

"Is there something wrong with this Disciple of yours? Young people are far too aggressive..."

Elder Ren, however, waved his hand, seemingly not caring much about the issue.

"Young people being proud of their talent is quite normal. Disciples with genuine talent mostly have a bit of pride. We just need to teach him slowly."

In front of everyone, he deliberately emphasized his tone: "Ahem... As a Master, what I am best at is smoothing out this kind of temperament."

He turned around and began to adjust his breath.

He attempted to use his Spirit Nurturing pressure to force him down, wanting Chu Sheng to bend his knees under the pressure of his Aura.

That pressure spread out from his body like a gradually heavy curtain pressing down toward where Chu Sheng stood.

He maintained it for over ten breaths. Fine sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his expression shifted from confidence to confusion.

Chu Sheng remained standing in place without any change in posture, as if the weight pressing on him didn't exist at all.

Elder Ren's legs began to tremble, and ultimately unable to endure the continuous drain of power, his body wobbled.

As if his strength had been drained by something, he leaned against the edge of the table to keep from falling.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Elder Ren gasped for breath, looked up at Chu Sheng, and asked, "What kind of Physique is this?"

Seeing him leaning on the table and gasping for breath, Chu Sheng finally relented and replied.

He began to make up a lie.

"Elder, my Physique is rather special; I am fairly immune to things like pressure."

After speaking, he added another sentence.

"I was born this way."

Although Elder Ren harbored doubts, looking at Chu Sheng's youthful face and the talent he had just displayed, he still didn't give up on taking him as a Disciple.

Just then, the sky outside the hall suddenly flashed.

A figure landed on the platform in front of the hall, making almost no sound when touching the ground, like a bird alighting.

The person wore a tattered grey robe, had graying hair and a lean face, and held a bamboo pole in his hand.

Chu Sheng recognized him; he was the old beggar to whom he had given a few Spirit Stones at the entrance of the alley that morning.

But standing there at this moment, all the Elders bowed in greeting, and even Elder Ren put away his previously calm demeanor.

The old beggar's gaze went straight past everyone and landed on Chu Sheng. When he spoke, his voice still carried that nonchalant ease.

"Fellow Daoist, as an esteemed Divine Ability expert, why make sport of these Juniors? What are your intentions?"

In fact, the old beggar was not a real beggar; he was Cultivating a new Divine Ability related to mortal life and the Dao of the Mortal World.

Unexpectedly, by fate's subtle design, he actually ran into Chu Sheng, and felt that this person was very strange.

Following and observing him quietly along the way, sure enough, there was something off.

This kid was actually a Cultivator at the Divine Ability level.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment, but after a few breaths, Chu Sheng still stood where he was, as if those words hadn't surprised him at all.

The other Elders had already begun exchanging glances. Someone opened their mouth as if to say something, but held back.

Elder Ren stared at Chu Sheng with wide eyes, his facial expression shifting several times, as if trying hard to process the information he had just heard.

He finally realized that he had actually wanted to take a Cultivator of the Divine Ability Realm as a Disciple.

The clown was actually himself.

Subconsciously stepping back, he paused, and ultimately just leaned against a nearby pillar without saying another word.

A subtle standoff hung in the air of the hall, with everyone waiting for Chu Sheng to speak and explain.

In their minds, each had already formed their own conjectures.

There had to be some Magic Treasure or Cultivation Technique concealing his true age; after all, big figures frequently presented themselves with youthful appearances, and Chu Sheng was very likely one of them.

Looking at the eyes waiting for his answer, Chu Sheng felt that he might have indeed taken things a bit too far.

However, glancing at the twenty thousand simulation points in his simulator and thinking of the many trump cards he could call upon at any time, he felt no need to panic now.

Thus, maintaining a calm posture, he tilted his head slightly and spoke.

"Senior, it is like this..."