Chapter 132: Fighting Over a Disciple

The surrounding disciples were stunned.

"What?!"

"Golden light? What grade is that?"

"I’ve never seen the mirror produce this color before!"

The crowd immediately erupted into discussion. Nobody among the ordinary disciples understood exactly what the golden light represented.

But they could tell one thing. It was definitely above purple.

And if purple was already considered an extremely high talent, then whatever golden represented had to be even more astonishing.

One disciple stared at the mirror in disbelief.

"How high is this guy’s talent?"

Another disciple shook his head.

"Forget the talent. What was he doing inside for so long?"

"Exactly! He took several times longer than some of them."

Li Qiang, who had been standing nearby, suddenly slapped his palm against his other hand.

"I knew it!"

"You knew what?" Zhu Yuan looked at him. Seeing him, Zhu Yuan knew that Li Qiang’s good sense had deserted him once more.

Li Qiang pointed toward the mirror with an expression of complete certainty.

"The longer someone stays inside, the higher their talent must be!"

He pointed dramatically toward the golden light as though he had just discovered an important law of cultivation.

"This proves my theory."

Zhu Yuan sighed.

"That isn’t how the examination works."

"How do you know?"

"I don’t."

"Then my theory might be correct."

Zhu Yuan was speechless.

His voice had barely fallen when the expressions of several elders changed. Unlike the disciples, they understood exactly what the golden light represented.

One elder slowly stood up. His gaze remained fixed on the golden figure inside the mirror.

"Perfect Grade Talent."

The words were quiet, but they immediately caused several elders nearby to turn toward him.

"Yes, this is Perfect Grade, a top-tier talent."

The atmosphere instantly changed.

Perfect Grade Talent.

Even within Azura Heaven Sect, such disciples were extremely rare and could be counted among the strongest talents of the younger generation.

Most disciples with Perfect Grade Talent eventually became True Disciples, and some went on to become important figures within the sect.

A True Elder stared at the golden light.

"Another Perfect Grade Talent has finally appeared after three years."

Another elder’s eyes narrowed.

"Look at his soul."

Everyone’s attention shifted toward the figure inside the mirror.

The golden radiance slowly faded enough for the human-like figure to become clearer.

The figure was not merely vaguely human. It possessed an astonishing degree of completeness. Its body structure was extremely clear.

There was no obvious sword intent or flame manifestation, nothing resembling the usual manifestations of a disciple’s strongest innate affinity.

Instead, the soul appeared almost exactly like Long Feng himself.

One of the True Elders narrowed his eyes before his expression slowly changed.

"Interesting."

Another True Elder also examined the figure carefully.

"His soul isn’t taking the form of an external concept."

"Hah, he used himself!" The first elder laughed softly. "He actually used his own body as the foundation for his soul."

A smile appeared on the True Elder’s face. His eyes became increasingly bright.

"What an interesting little fellow. Such a soul is incredibly stable. He has considerable room for growth."

The elders exchanged glances. Then one of the True Elders suddenly spoke.

"Long Feng!"

The voice carried authority across the entire open ground.

"I will take you as my disciple. Are you willing?"

His voice carried a trace of eagerness that made the surrounding disciples stare in surprise.

This sudden invitation caused the surrounding disciples to freeze, and even several ordinary elders were surprised.

But before his aura could spread any further, a cold snort came from the side, immediately interrupting him.

"Hmph. Such a cheap trick."

The first True Elder turned toward the second elder with an annoyed expression, but the other party remained completely unconcerned.

"You are proficient in formations, while Long Feng is an alchemist. Your path may not be suitable for him."

He stepped forward.

"Let me take him instead. Long Feng, you should become my disciple. As an eighth-rank alchemist, only I can bring out your true potential."

Hearing the words "eighth-rank alchemist," the disciples immediately became excited.

"God damn it! An eighth-rank alchemist wants to take Brother Long as his disciple."

"What’s more important is that two True Elders are fighting over him! This is incredible!"

"How long has it been since we’ve heard something like this?"

Several elders sitting nearby could only sigh.

They had expected this.

A Perfect Grade disciple was simply too valuable, especially one who had already displayed extraordinary performance before reaching this stage.

"Who said my formation path would hinder him?"

Being questioned so bluntly clearly angered the Third Elder.

The second True Elder calmly replied, "If you teach him formations while neglecting his alchemy talent, that would indeed be a waste."

The third elder’s expression darkened.

"Who said I would neglect it?"

"You just said you wanted him as your disciple."

"Yes."

"Then why not let someone better suited to alchemy take him?"

The surrounding disciples looked at each other. This was becoming increasingly interesting.

The argument between the two True Elders was becoming more heated, causing the First True Elder sitting between them to shake his head in disappointment. Finally, he could no longer tolerate it and roared,

"Stop!"

"You are both True Elders. Is there any need to argue over a disciple in front of everyone?"

Seeing someone finally stop them, the rest of the elders sighed in relief. At least someone still had some dignity.

Then the First Elder slowly spoke.

"Since the two of you are unwilling to yield, perhaps the best solution is—"

He paused, then looked toward Long Feng’s figure.

"I will take him."

Silence!

The two True Elders immediately turned toward him.

The surrounding elders stared at him in disbelief, their eyes wide, and even the disciples became quiet.

But the First Elder ignored their reactions and calmly continued,

"I am proficient in both the martial path and alchemy. I can guide his cultivation while also helping him develop his alchemy talent."

The two True Elders stared at him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

How had they not realized until now that their companion had practiced a specific body-refining art that had clearly made his skin extremely thick?

And judging by the look of it, he seemed highly proficient in it.

The First Elder calmly continued,

"So, rather than arguing between yourselves, why don’t you let me take him?"

For several breaths, nobody spoke.

Then Li Qiang’s mouth slowly opened.

"Are they really fighting over Brother Long?"

Zhu Yuan nodded.

"It seems so."

Li Qiang’s eyes became bright.

"Brother Long is amazing."

Inside the mirror, however, Long Feng had absolutely no idea what was happening outside.

His attention had only just returned to the strange mirror space. He looked at the human-like image reflected before him, then faintly frowned.

’Why are they taking so long?’

He had no idea that three True Elders were already arguing over him.

He didn’t even know who those elders were.

Yet somehow, they were already deciding who would become his master without asking him a single question.

Recalling all his encounters with old fogeys, Long Feng’s expression became strange.

’The older people become, the more stubborn they seem to be.’

He shook his head inwardly.

’They’re arguing so seriously that they don’t even seem to remember asking whether I agree.’

Just as the situation outside was becoming increasingly lively, a faint sound suddenly came from the distant sky.

Whoosh!

The sound wasn’t loud, but the moment it appeared, several elders immediately raised their heads. A streak of light was rapidly approaching from the distance.

The surrounding atmosphere once again became quiet. The elders narrowed their eyes.

Another powerful figure had arrived.

A figure rapidly approached from the distant sky before finally slowing down above the open ground.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a long red robe. His hair was neatly tied behind his head, and his face was completely calm.

His expression remained so cold and indifferent that it was impossible to tell what was going through his mind.

Unlike the disciples below, who could only look at him with awe, the reaction of the elders was completely different.

The three True Elders who had been arguing over Long Feng exchanged glances. Then, without hesitation, they rose into the air and flew toward him.

"Greetings, Elder Zixuan."

One of the True Elders respectfully cupped his fists. The other two followed.

The red-robed man glanced at the three of them. His expression didn’t change as he merely gave a slight nod.

"Mm."

He didn’t bother returning their greetings with any unnecessary words, yet none of the three True Elders showed any dissatisfaction.

Instead, their expressions remained respectful.

The red-robed man’s gaze swept across the many disciples before finally landing on the Heavenly Judgment Mirror.

"Has the talent examination finished?"

His voice was calm and emotionless. It was the kind of expression that made people instinctively cautious.

A person like this was difficult to understand.

One of the True Elders immediately replied,

"Yes, Elder Zixuan. The examination has just finished."

Elder Zixuan nodded. His gaze remained on the disciples below, then he suddenly asked,

"Who is Long Feng among you all?"

The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding atmosphere became slightly strange.

The three True Elders exchanged glances. Several elders below also looked toward Long Feng. The disciples were even more confused.

’He came here specifically for Long Feng?’

Even Long Feng himself frowned slightly upon hearing his name from an unknown person’s mouth.

He looked toward the red-robed man and, after a brief moment of hesitation, stepped forward and cupped his hands respectfully.

"Greetings, Elder. This disciple is Long Feng."