Longzang

Chapter 33 The Ancestral Master's Blessing

"Hmm?" Outside the hall, Master Tengqiu suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the statue of the patriarch with a hint of shock on his face.

An elderly Taoist priest in the hall, holding a pen in one hand and a book in the other, stared wide-eyed, not daring to be distracted for a moment. He was in charge of recording the blessings bestowed by the patriarch, and in the past few decades, he had only seen such a grand spectacle twice, the last time being twenty years ago when Zhang Sheng entered the sect.

Suddenly, the eyes of the patriarch statue came to life, and the entire statue seemed to come alive, looking down at the kneeling disciples.

Master Tengqiu appeared calm, but one hand unconsciously gripped his sleeve tightly.

The statue of the patriarch shone with light, and suddenly a point of light flew out from his waist and entered the body of Yan Ming of the East Sea.

This result surprised everyone, including the Yan family members outside the hall. Others might not know and assume that Yan Ming was a disciple of the Taichu Palace like the others, but the Yan family members knew very well that Yan Ming was actually a disciple of the lower grotto-heavens, only temporarily studying in the Taichu Palace, and would have to wait a few years to find a way to officially join the main gate.

But now that Yan Ming has suddenly received the patriarch's blessing, that's different. It's as if the patriarch personally selected him!
The person in charge of the Yan family was a tall, strong, and imposing man, who was also Yan Ming's father. After realizing what had happened, he was so happy that he could hardly contain himself. He pulled out a handful of pearls from his waist pouch and prepared to scatter them into the crowd.

Fortunately, he quickly realized that this was the Taichu Palace, and most of the people standing around were from prominent families. Among these families, the Donghai Yan family wouldn't even make it into the top ten, let alone the top three. If he were to throw away these pearls, he would offend a huge number of people. Luckily, he reacted quickly enough to pull back from the brink and quietly withdrew his hand.

The old Taoist priest recording in the hall clearly saw that the light came from the jade pendant at the patriarch's waist. That jade pendant was different from the crown; it was also a magical treasure with a somewhat significant origin, and the blessings bestowed upon it were naturally different from ordinary ones. So the old Taoist priest made a mark next to Yan Ming's name and muttered to himself, "This one is indeed lucky with money."

Several young disciples nearby had already pricked up their ears, and upon hearing this, they secretly memorized Yan Ming's name.

Next, two more points of light flew out from the statue, one from the jade thumb ring and the other from the book in the hand, each entering the body of a young man. These two items were even more remarkable, especially the book, which could further enhance comprehension and was of great use in the later stages of cultivation for breaking through tribulations. This was a truly talented individual, and the old Taoist naturally took careful notes, writing a lengthy and detailed account of it.

But the ancestral master's blessing was not over yet. Amidst everyone's praise, a celestial sword suddenly became bright and radiant, and then a sword intent shot into Xiaoyu's body!

Although the Ancestral Master possessed many treasures, in terms of destructive power, the four immortal swords were undoubtedly the most formidable. This sword intent was clearly more powerful than the previous gifts.

The burly man slowly grinned, let out a long laugh, and turned to Zhang Sheng, saying, "How is it? My Xiaonian's grandson is quite something, isn't he?"

Zhang Sheng nodded and said seriously, "It's really good! It's only one immortal sword less than mine back then."

Xiao Nian's smile froze on her face, and all the words she was about to say were cut off.

He looked Zhang Sheng up and down for a while, clicking his tongue and saying, "No wonder everyone says that the disciples of the Azure Sky Palace are all exceptionally strong! As a disciple of your esteemed palace, if your combat strength is not exceptional, you probably wouldn't survive more than a few months outside."

Seeing that four people from Feng Yuanjun had already received the Patriarch's blessing, but the strange phenomenon of the Patriarch's statue had not yet dissipated, some commotion arose among the onlookers. Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from between the Patriarch's statue's eyebrows and entered Bao Yun's body!

Master Tengqiu raised his eyebrows, a look of shock flashing across his face. The old Taoist in charge of recording trembled, almost dropping his pen. The space between the eyebrows is the sea of ​​consciousness, where Yujing is to be achieved; it is one of the most important parts of the Taoist body. From this, it can be seen that the blessing from the space between the eyebrows of the ancestral master is certainly extraordinary.

But the old Taoist priest racked his brains, searching his memory, but couldn't recall anyone who had received such a blessing. In other words, the blessing originating from between the eyebrows was likely a first-time occurrence.

The Bao family members, all possessing exceptional insight, were overjoyed. Even the usually composed elder stroked his beard and smiled, a rare occurrence. Bao Yun's gift was likely more significant than Xiao Yu's immortal sword. However, comparing it to Zhang Sheng's two immortal swords was a matter of debate.

However, even after Bao Yun received the blessing, the strange phenomenon of the ancestral master statue did not disappear! So everyone's eyes fell on Wei Yuan.

Among those present were many influential figures who knew something of Feng Yuan County's special circumstances. Wei Yuan's ability to surpass numerous scions of prestigious families and break through the fiercely competitive Feng Yuan County was clearly a testament to his exceptional talent. Moreover, it was common knowledge that Wei Yuan's background was with the Tianqing Palace, essentially making him virtually unconnected, which greatly enhanced the prestige of his first-place ranking in the unified examination.

Therefore, everyone was curious to see what favor Wei Yuan would receive, and whether it would surpass the record set by Zhang Sheng twenty years ago. If so, the story of the master and disciple would be a legend.

High in the void, two terrifying auras had been locked in a standoff for an unknown period, Wei Yuan's consciousness caught in the middle, completely unable to move. The gaze from above no longer scrutinized Wei Yuan, but instead focused on the desolate, ancient behemoth. This behemoth seemed to exist in another world, and was slowly approaching, as if trying to find a path to that world.

A faint sigh seemed to echo from high above. Wei Yuan's consciousness, no longer bound, returned to his body like a fledgling returning to its nest. All illusions vanished.

By this time, everyone had finished reciting the eulogy, but since the strange phenomenon of the ancestral master statue did not disappear, this group of disciples had to wait. When Wei Yuan opened his eyes, he saw a gray mist fly out from the boulder under the statue's feet and enter his body.

Teng Qiu Zhenren looked puzzled, and the old Daoist was also taken aback. This time he was certain that no blessing had ever come from the boulder at the foot of the statue.

A young Taoist priest, who was performing the rituals, whispered to his companion, "Isn't that stone part of the natural ground? Could it also be a statue of the patriarch?"

The companion hesitated as well: "A statue is a statue, and a foundation is a foundation... right?"

Not only was the young Taoist puzzled, but the old Taoist was also perplexed, unsure whether this could be considered a blessing from the patriarch. He knew very well that the boulder at the foot of the statue was not a single piece, but part of the entire mountain, with a larger portion actually beneath the floor tiles of the main hall. In other words, the boulder was actually part of the "Hanging Green in the Valley," and the patriarch statue did not include this boulder.

However, at this moment, Master Tengqiu seemed to remember something and suddenly announced in a loud voice: "All six disciples of Feng Yuanjun have received the blessing of the Ancestral Master! Next batch."

With a true master speaking, the matter was no longer controversial. The old Taoist's pen flew across the paper, and Wei Yuan could be considered to have received the patriarch's blessing. But as he finished the last stroke, the old Taoist suddenly remembered something, and his pen trembled.

Three thousand eight hundred years ago, the patriarch came from the west with a sword. The boundary stone he placed when he first established the Taichu Palace seems to be right under the statue.

This time, all six disciples of Feng Yuanjun received the ancestral master's blessing simultaneously, exceeding the total number from the previous four major states combined. As a result, no one dared question the number of disciples Feng Yuanjun had; they could only marvel at the vast power and far-reaching strategies of the powerful clans.

(End of this chapter)