Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 880: The Old Daoist

Even here, Fang Ting was nowhere to be seen.

The incarnation’s face remained calm as he followed the others step by step toward the summit. Soon, they emerged from the forest and arrived before a magnificent hall.

The middle-aged cultivator stepped forward and announced in a clear voice, "Reporting to Master, I was ordered to conduct the disciple recruitment ceremony and select new disciples. I have now chosen them and brought them up the mountain for Master’s review."

"Come in..." The great hall doors opened of their own accord, and a familiar voice came from within.

"Senior Uncle Chen?" the middle-aged cultivator was surprised.

The middle-aged cultivator quickly entered and saw two people inside. They were none other than Senior Uncle Chen and the young girl Fang Ting he had admitted earlier. Shocked, he blurted out, "Master, he..."

The Chen cultivator said coolly, "The pavilion master happened to be inspired while contemplating his art and has gone into seclusion. The matters that follow will be arranged by me. Do you have any objections?"

"I would not dare!" The middle-aged cultivator’s expression shifted, and he hurried forward, presenting a jade slip. "Senior Uncle Chen, this jade slip contains the information of these new disciples." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Senior Uncle Chen accepted it with a grunt and swept his eyes over the crowd. Under the gaze of a Golden Core cultivator, no one looked at ease, all secretly worried.

As they entered, Fang Ting spotted the incarnation and cheerfully greeted him. The incarnation inwardly sighed bitterly, keeping his eyes lowered and heart steady.

He never imagined that the one to decide their fate would be this man. He could only hope he would act impartially.

"Landou Sect just selected a batch of disciples. To have so many this time is quite good. You have all done your duty," Senior Uncle Chen said with a nod of approval.

The four supervising cultivators showed joy at his praise. Senior Uncle Chen then shifted his gaze and pointed at the youth with three spiritual roots. "You. Step forward."

The boy started in fright, his face turning pale, knees shaking.

"Am I truly so terrifying?" Chen frowned deeply, displeased. "No wonder you were judged as inferior in temperament. According to their report, you shall be sent to Cauldron Hall to temper yourself for three years and await further evaluation."

He tossed the youth a red command token and motioned him aside. After that, Chen called out others in turn. Some he questioned briefly, others he did not question at all, merely throwing them a command token.

His questions came without pattern, sometimes asking about origins or experiences, sometimes about insights into cultivation, leaving no way to prepare.

The command tokens were of different colors, each representing a different hall of Yanmiao Pavilion.

As disciple after disciple was assigned, the incarnation’s heart sank lower. At last, only two remained: himself and the elderly man.

Is this old fellow targeting me? The incarnation muttered inwardly. If his infiltration plan failed over such a small mishap, it would be laughable indeed.

"You are Zhao Songqiao? Step forward," Senior Uncle Chen called the elder, leaving only the incarnation.

Fang Ting sensed something wrong and held her tongue. The others were not foolish and had already guessed as much, waiting to see a show.

"With your cultivation, to have tempered such a steady heart is no easy feat. Foundation Building may not be entirely hopeless." Senior Uncle Chen’s tone toward Zhao Songqiao was gentle. "Go to Snow Shadow Hall first. The hall master there is my disciple. He will guide you to change to one of our sect’s arts and see if you have a chance."

"Yes!" Zhao Songqiao accepted the white token, his face full of emotion.

Finally, it was the incarnation’s turn. Senior Uncle Chen pointed at him, about to speak, when his expression suddenly changed. He snapped his head toward the hall entrance. The others looked as well, but saw only rolling waters.

"Why has this old man come?"

Senior Uncle Chen frowned, surprised. With a cold snort, he flicked his sleeve and sent a blue light arrow shooting outside.

The arrow flew from the peak, then burst apart at a distance. Ripples spread across the air, and two figures slowly appeared.

Both wore Daoist robes of black and white adorned with yin-yang patterns. One was a gaunt old man with a fly-whisk, bearing immortal-like grace. The other was a short figure who stood slightly behind him, resembling a Daoist boy. After revealing themselves, they paused briefly, then flew toward the hall.

"Brother Chen, I came uninvited and beg your pardon." The Daoist bowed with clasped hands, glancing around in surprise. "Why is Daoist Qi not here?"

"If Daoist Huayang is looking for the pavilion master, I fear you will be disappointed. He is occupied and not in the pavilion. If you have urgent business, I will inform him upon his return." Senior Uncle Chen returned the courtesy, though his tone carried a chill.

"I heard your pavilion was holding a disciple recruitment ceremony today. These must be the new disciples? What matter could be more important than continuing the sect’s legacy? Could it be that Daoist Qi has felt the opportunity for breakthrough and is preparing to form a Spiritual Infant?"

The old Daoist seemed not to notice Senior Uncle Chen’s hint to leave. He strode forward, sweeping his gaze over the new disciples one by one, his eyes carrying an unsettling glint.

The group shifted uneasily under his scrutiny. Yet seeing even Yanmiao Pavilion’s Golden Core cultivator treat him with respect, none dared speak. The incarnation was secretly astonished.

Though he had never met this old Daoist, the distinct black-and-white robes made his identity clear. He was a cultivator of Landou Sect, and not just any, he cultivated one of their handed-down teachings, the Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique.

So Yanmiao Pavilion truly had close ties with Landou Sect. Upon entering he had already encountered a true disciple of Landou Sect.

Yet he could not fathom why Senior Uncle Chen treated the old Daoist so coldly. Being new, he could not guess the hidden reason.

Qin Sang’s true body stood on a hill by the lakeshore, gazing at the mist-shrouded Yanmiao Pavilion with thoughtful eyes.

Hidden in stealth, he had planned to confirm his incarnation’s safety before departing to wander around Landou Mountain, hoping to forge connections and coordinate with his incarnation.

Moments earlier, he had felt a ripple of energy and saw an evasion light fly from afar into the mist.

He had not seen the Daoist’s face clearly, but the unique black-and-white evasion light was unmistakable on Landou Island. He suspected it must be a true disciple of Landou Sect. The light had come from the direction of Landou Sect’s domain.

"What business would a disciple of Landou Sect have here now? I’ll wait and see. Perhaps there will be a chance to make contact..." Qin Sang murmured to himself, then resumed his concealment.

***

Within Yanmiao Pavilion’s great hall...

Hearing the Daoist’s words, Senior Uncle Chen forced down his displeasure and replied coolly, "Daoist Huayang, do not joke about my senior brother. His cultivation has not yet reached perfection, and there remains a distance to the Spiritual Infant Realm. Besides, forming a Spiritual Infant is harder than climbing the heavens. How much can one or two moments of insight truly avail? The Spiritual Infant Realm is not something achieved by mere declaration."