The Legend of the Netherworld

The hall fell into silence for a moment. Elder Chanxin and Elder Sanyuan did not respond to the headmaster's question. The other four elders beside them glanced at them sideways, and the atmosphere was awkward and solemn.

The headmaster frowned, his eyes sharp, as if he could see through the two elders' evasive intentions.

"Elder Chanxin?" The head of the sect looked at Elder Chanxin first, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Elder Chanxin bowed his head and replied, "Master, I am on the verge of a breakthrough and cannot afford to take on another student. I am afraid that this will hinder his future cultivation."

The headmaster said nothing, his brows furrowed. He slowly turned to Elder Sanyuan and said coldly, "Elder Sanyuan?"

Elder Sanyuan seemed prepared and responded immediately, "Master, I injured my bones a few days ago while leading a disciple up the mountain to practice. I need to focus on recuperating and am afraid I won't be able to focus on guiding a newcomer. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will delay this student's practice. It would be better if Elder Chanxin accepted him."

The headmaster's expression instantly darkened, his voice laced with anger. "What's wrong with you two? Are you making things so difficult just because I've brought in one more student? You're dignified elders!"

In fact, Elder Chanxin and Elder Sanyuan had already learned of Lin Xiao's background in private. Although Lin Xiao had good talent, he was already sixteen years old.

For a person with extraordinary talent, they should have reached the fifth or sixth stage of Jiazi by now, but Lin Xiao had only just begun to cultivate. The two of them were skeptical about this and tried to shirk responsibility.

Lin Jiao stood beside the headmaster. Seeing the two elders refusing to accept Lin Xiao, she was filled with resentment and muttered to herself, "If you don't want Brother Lin Xiao, then I don't want Feng Shui Academy!"

At this moment, Lin Xiao stood in the center of the hall with a calm look in his eyes, but a hint of sneer flashed through his heart. He thought to himself: "If I am not welcome here, I will find another place that will welcome me." He was about to speak when he suddenly heard a hearty laugh coming from outside the hall.

"Hahahaha, a student actually made two elders shirk responsibility like this. It's really funny, and it makes me laugh!"

Upon hearing the voice, everyone in the hall turned to look outside. They saw a Taoist priest in a filthy robe striding in. He looked unremarkable, but with every step he took into the hall, he seemed to carry a subtle sense of pressure that made no one dare to underestimate him.

When the headmaster and the elders saw the Taoist priest, their expressions suddenly changed. They hurriedly bowed and saluted, saying in unison, "Greetings, Senior Brother."

This sudden scene startled all the core disciples, who quickly followed the elders in bowing and respectfully shouting, "Greetings, Uncle Master!"

Lin Xiao was shocked when he saw this scene. This Taoist priest in front of him, with disheveled clothes and covered in dust, actually made the head and elders so respectful. It was obvious that this person had an extremely high status and was unfathomable.

The dirty Taoist priest walked up to Lin Xiao, looked him over, a smile appeared on his face, and asked, "Boy, do you want to learn cultivation from me?"

Lin Xiao looked up and looked directly into the eyes of the dirty Taoist priest, nodding without hesitation: "I want to!"

The dirty Taoist nodded with satisfaction. Lin Xiao was about to kneel down to pay his respects to his master, but he pulled him up: "Hey, I'm not good at this. Just be willing to learn from me."

Then, the dirty Taoist turned to the headmaster and said, "Xuan Ling, is the enlightenment ceremony over? Can I take him away?"

The headmaster replied respectfully, "Brother, the ceremony is over. You may take him away."

The dirty Taoist nodded slightly, then turned to Lin Xiao and said, "Young man, follow me." Without looking back, the dirty Taoist strode out of the hall. Lin Xiao followed closely, then glanced back at the people in the hall, especially Elder Chanxin and Elder Sanyuan.

As the dirty Taoist priest's figure gradually faded into the distance, the atmosphere in the hall gradually returned to calm. Everyone looked at each other, their hearts filled with confusion and shock. Who was this dirty Taoist priest? Why did he command such awe from the headmaster and elders?

Seeing Lin Xiao follow the dirty Taoist priest away, the head of the sect immediately announced: "The initiation ceremony is over."

As the headmaster finished speaking, the disciples in the hall gradually began to leave, each heading towards their respective sects. Outside the hall, Elder Chanxin and Elder Sanyuan exchanged a smile, saying nothing before each quietly leaving with their newly-accepted disciples, each heading in their own direction.

The people in the hall gradually dispersed, and only the head, Ye Xuan, and Lin Jiao were left. Lin Jiao watched Lin Xiao being taken away by the dirty Taoist priest, her heart filled with confusion and worry.

She hurried forward and asked, "Master, who is that dirty Taoist priest who just broke into the hall? Where will Brother Lin Xiao go? Is he really safe?"

The headmaster sighed slightly, looked towards the temple gate with a complicated expression, and slowly replied: "His name is Taoist Xuankong, and he was one of the elders of Feng Shui Academy twenty years ago.

Back then, he had led his disciples into the ancient forest to cultivate, only to encounter a recently achieved Monkey King. The encounter was horrific, with his disciples falling one after another to the monkeys' attacks, and even his most beloved disciple perished before his eyes.

He himself was seriously injured. After surviving, he was disheartened and decided to retire to the mountains.

From then on, he disbanded his sect, stopped accepting disciples, and completely left the academy's affairs, which is how the current Xingchen Pavilion came into being."

Having said this, the Sect Master paused, his eyes softening as he looked at Lin Jiao. "Lin Xiao is safe with him, there's no need to worry. Although Xuan Kong has retired, his strength and character are unmatched. However, you should focus more on your own cultivation. How long have you been stuck at the Dingmao Fifth Realm? Why not break through soon?"

After hearing the master's answer, Lin Jiao felt much more at ease and nodded, "I understand, Master. I will go practice now and strive to make a breakthrough as soon as possible." Her tone was firm, as if she had made up her mind for her own practice.

The headmaster nodded with satisfaction. Ye Xuan and Lin Jiao looked at each other, then took their leave and left the hall together.

Silence returned to the hall, leaving only the headmaster standing high up. He gazed at the scene outside the hall, heavy memories flooding his mind. He whispered to himself, "Brother Xuankong, didn't you say you couldn't come? It seems that in the end, you couldn't hold it back."