Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 146

Chapter 146: I Shall Sever Your Immortal Path

“It’s over for him,” Tao Yu murmured.

Ye Qinghe was shaken. He asked with a suppressed voice, “Will Fang Chen really dare to stand in Li Huafeng’s way at a time like this?”

“Why not?” Tao Yu sneered. “You didn’t see what happened earlier? Fang Chen’s master is a big deal. Even these immortals dare not to offend Fang Chen.”

“Sss!” Ye Qinghe gasped. “Then when it comes to our turn…”

“Don’t worry, I know Fang Chen’s temperament. He won’t get back at us on such a matter. However, the same can’t be said about Li Huafeng. That fellow caused the death of a general who once served under Old Master Fang. That general taught Fang Chen how to mobilize troops and deploy formations,” Tao Yu said.

“I hope so…” Ye Qinghe looked conflicted.

Li Guozhu’s face darkened. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. The surrounding officials secretly exchanged gazes too.

Cold sweat wouldn’t stop pouring from Li Huafeng’s forehead, so much so that they flowed down to his fingertips and dripped on the floor. That was how nervous he was right now.

Everyone waited with bated breaths for Fang Chen’s verdict.

“Li Huafeng looks talented. I’ll find time to ask my master if he wants to take him in,” Fang Chen remarked with a smile.

“Since that’s the case, I shall take a step back here.” Daoist Crow didn’t hesitate to admit defeat.

As expected… Most people could already guess how Fang Chen would deal with Li Huafeng.

Li Guozhu sighed, looking as if he had aged years in an instant.

Li Huafeng’s face turned pale. He didn’t think Fang Chen would ask his master to take him in; the latter was using this as an excuse to stop him from joining any sects. Gritting his teeth, he mustered his courage and said, “Xia Imperial Duke, I know we have our differences, but why not let bygones be bygones? You shouldn’t stop me from becoming a cultivator over past affairs.”

Elder Jinnan and the others were startled to hear those words, and it prompted them to look at Li Huafeng with contemplative eyes.

“You don’t believe me. So be it.” Fang Chen chuckled. He turned to Elder Jinnan and the others. “Is anyone willing to take him under their wing?”

“He’s not suited for our South Heaven Sect,” Elder Jinnan was the first one to reject Li Huafeng.

The other cultivators also shook their heads without bothering to look at Li Huafeng.

Even Daoist Crow, who had wanted to take in Li Huafeng earlier, said, “I made a mistake earlier. This child isn’t suited to join my lineage. I don’t think we’re destined to be master and disciple.”

Li Huafeng looked as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Looking at the cultivators who refused to take him in just because they didn’t want to offend Fang Chen, he felt infuriated and despaired.

Seeing that, Xia Yun told Li Huafeng, “You should wait by the side for now. The cultivators might change their minds later.”

“I…” Li Huafeng’s eyes were brimming with indignation.

“Time is short. Don’t stop others from having their spirit assessment.” Xia Yun’s face darkened.

Li Huafeng could only bitterly drag himself to the side and wallow in despair.

The following spirit assessment passed very quickly. Most people couldn’t evoke a single toll. Within half a day, they had already tested thousands of people.

Only ten or so people had met the mark to be taken in by a cultivator sect, and most of them had evoked four to five tolls. As for those who evoked three tolls, they could only stand by the side for now.

Xia Yun told them that they would still have a chance to join other sects in the future even if these cultivators didn’t take them under their wing, so there was no need to feel too down.

All of the capital’s scions had undergone the spirit assessment by this point, so the Imperial Guards began ushering the common populace toward the Spirit Gauging Bell too.

This time, they switched to another Spirit Gauging Bell.

Cracks had appeared on the South Heaven Sect’s Spirit Gauging Bell due to Fang Chen earlier, so after testing thousands of candidates, Elder Jinnan felt heartache and decided to stow it off. They switched over to the Spirit Gauging Bell of the farm lady from the Beast Spirit Valley.

Dong!

Seven tolls, just like Xia Yu!

The crowd looked at the honest-looking youth with eyes filled with shock and envy. Even Xia Yu could hardly believe his eyes. Such an ordinary person dressed in simple clothes has the same cultivation talent as him?

“Isn’t that Pancake Zhang? You know, the one who sells pancakes right outside the imperial palace?”

“You dare call him Pancake Zhang? He’ll be Immortal Zhang in the future!”

“Right right right! Me and my horrid mouth!”

“I’d have never expected Young Zhang to be so talented! His talent would have been buried if the immortals didn’t come here looking for disciples. He might have spent his entire life selling pancakes just like that!”

“Heaven isn’t blind!”

The crowd murmured among themselves.

A pancake seller? Xia Yu’s complexion turned even more awful. A pancake seller actually has the same cultivation talent as me. I’m the only one in the imperial family who evoked seven tolls. There isn’t a single scion in the capital who is anywhere close to Pancake Zhang!

The farm lady holding an old hen turned to Elder Jinnan with a smirk. “As we have discussed earlier, this child shall be joining our Beast Spirit Valley.”

Elder Jinnan didn’t say a word, but he gestured with his eyes. The farm lady belatedly remembered Fang Chen’s presence and hurriedly turned to him. “Daoist Fang…”

“Since you have made your agreement, I shan’t get in the way,” Fang Chen replied with a smile.

The farm lady breathed a sigh of relief. She gestured Pancake Fang over. “Come over.”

Pancake Fang slowly made his way over, but he first clasped his fist and bowed to Fang Chen.

The crowd was startled, but none of them thought that it was out of place. Fang Chen did command high prestige in the capital, after all. What they didn’t know was that Pancake Fang’s gesture had another significance behind it.

Fang Chen looked at him with a smile. “You have to work hard as a cultivator.”

“Young… Lord Imperial Duke, I’ll take your words to heart!” Pancake Fang replied before taking his position behind the farm lady.

To this point, the South Heaven Sect and Beast Spirit Valley had taken in a disciple with superior cultivation talent each.

“Next up is… Ah? Jade Fairy?!”

“Even Jade Fairy is here for the spirit assessment?!”

“Of course! Everyone of thirty years old and below is allowed to participate in the spirit assessment. Why can’t Jade Fairy be here?”

The crowd murmured as they intently watched the white silhouette.

Jade Fairy walked with bare feet. Her face, which was concealed by a veil, captured the attention of most men in the crowd. In particular, the eyes of Ye Qinghe, Xia Yu, and the others heated up.

“So she’s the famous Jade Fairy in the capital.” The empress chuckled. “Her appearance does resemble a fairy. I would have been drawn to her if I was a man too.”

The Great Xia’s emperor glanced at the empress with a perplexed frown. “It’s my first time seeing her.”

“I know.” The empress nodded with a smile. Her eyes drifted over to Fang Chen’s side, as she knew that Jade Fairy had stayed at the Fang Manor for a few days. Based on her understanding of her nephew, the two of them had to be acquainted.

Among the crowd, Fang Qingyao’s maid anxiously urged, “Young miss, even Jade Fairy has gone for the spirit assessment. You should do the same too!”

Fang Qingyao looked hesitant. Am I really suited to be a cultivator? If I become a cultivator, who will take care of the capital’s Compassion Halls? Who will manage the Verdant Apothecary Hall that my father passed down to me?