Qiming Scroll Chapter 56 Infinite Heavenly Guard

The Second and Fourth Elders, who had just been full of high-spirited enthusiasm, were now like defeated roosters, looking rather dejected for a moment.

According to the rules of Tiannan, the Sect Master's selection of disciples took precedence over that of the mountain gate elders, regardless of seniority or age.

This left the Second Elder, who had wanted to put on airs and act like a venerated senior, completely drained of all his strength and means.

Amidst this dejected atmosphere, Yin Hua looked at Yun Tiance, who seemed to have had all his life and spirit drained out of him, failing to recover his wits for a long time. A trace of speechlessness flashed through his mind—his senior brother had spent hundreds of years at Yuntao Pass, fighting the demon race to the point where his wits were no longer sharp.

He walked forward slowly, reached out to take the token, and gripped it tightly with his palm. In an instant, a majestic surge of spiritual energy violently rippled outward. Countless runes within the mountain gate grand hall transformed into golden light and poured into it. For a moment, the golden light blazed brilliantly, and beams of light shot out wildly in all directions.

"Whoosh!"

The spiritual energy of the Boundless Lake surged with increased velocity, whipping up layers of vortices and stirring a tempest of gales, as if some terrifying entity were concealed beneath the lake's surface.

Simultaneously, the Thousand Arrays Mountain trembled slightly, and all the high-realm cultivators upon it perceived this fluctuation.

...

In the City of Array Cores, an elderly man in brown robes laid down the book in his hand, feeling a mild sense of surprise.

In the Star-Canopied Cloud Court, the Eighth Elder, Han Zhao, who was currently anxious and frantic over the dharma robes, spirit stones, and living quarters for over a hundred outer-disciple recruits, perceived that aura. He instantly detached himself from the trivial complexities, laying aside all mundane matters at hand. His usually gentle face turned extremely solemn at this moment.

In the Flying-Mist Nine Abysses, the arena battles were in full swing, with rows of tier-three grand arrays counter-charging and colliding. High upon the platform, the Seventh Elder, Yang Ji, dressed in black, gazed sharply into the distance with a grave expression, saying, "The Boundless Heavenly Imperial Array has been activated..."

...

The so-called Boundless Heavenly Imperial Array was a trial set up by the Tiannan Array Sect to select its next Sect Master. Moreover, this trial was extraordinary; it was not confined to any specific time and space, but rather constituted a long and arduous path of tempering.

Within the Array Sect, the position of Sect Master reigned above all others, serving both as the master of the sect's supreme treasure, the Heaven and Earth Boundless, and the holder of the mountain gate's grand array.

Beneath the Sect Master were the Nine Great Elders who guarded the mountain gates, each possessing unfathomable cultivation and distinct areas of expertise. The chosen disciple had to undergo a trial under all Nine Great Elders, endure a round of tempering, and master their skills before becoming eligible to become the Young Sect Master.

Out of protection for this disciple, all of this would not be carried out in the open; only when he broke through to the Fourth Realm of Dao Profound, on the day of his enlightenment and conferment of his title, would the identity of the Young Sect Master be revealed to the world.

The contemporary Sect Master, Nangong, had attained the revered position of Young Sect Master over two hundred years ago. He had shouldered the heavy responsibility in times of peril, leading Tiannan out of the gloom by his own might to restore its vitality.

Therefore, in this trial, Yuedong, who had been chosen by the Sect Master, consequently lost the qualification to become a direct disciple of any individual elder.

Much like Qinglan, neither of them appeared on the publicly announced roster this time.

...

In Fufeng City, at an inn.

You Qing was recuperating from his injuries in the inn. As for why he hadn't left? Naturally, it was because he was unwilling to accept it.

He still held a tiny shred of hope within his heart—what if those two possessed poor character just like him, failed the trial of the mirror spirit, and failed to become direct disciples?

He waited and waited, and after several days, he finally received the news he had longed to see.

"Hahahaha! You are nothing much after all!"

He laughed to the point where tears spilled from his eyes, venting all the depression and resentment he had accumulated over many days.

Seeing that Qinglan had not become a direct disciple, he felt immensely vindicated and refreshed. His heart felt thoroughly gratified, to the extent that even his injuries no longer seemed so important.

However, shortly after, he discovered that Yuedong had not been chosen as a direct disciple either. His laughter stopped abruptly, and his entire body stiffened on the bed. He furrowed his brows tightly, his gaze shifting uncertainly.

"No, this matter is far too strange..."

"He is already in the Perception Realm, how could he possibly fail to be selected?"

His expression shifted between bright and dark as he muttered continuously under his breath.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Right at that moment, a hurried and abrupt knocking sounded sharply, and the voice of an inn attendant echoed from outside, giving him a start.

It turned out that the spirit stones he had used to pay for his stay at the inn had run out, and the attendant was there to chase him away.

Through the crack in the door, the attendant's words finally brought him back to reality, and a wave of humiliation welled up in his heart—regardless of whether the two of them had become direct disciples or not, at the very least they were inner sect disciples now, whereas he was currently nothing at all.

The spirit stones he had used for his arduous journey across Tiannan were also on the verge of exhaustion, and an indescribable bitterness and humiliation quietly crept into his heart. Thinking of all this, he felt even more humiliated, and suddenly burst out laughing, "Hahahaha..."

His voice carried a frantic, crazed amusement, and tears streamed down his face.

This frightened the inn attendant standing outside.

...

In the Eastern Territory, at the Mu Family of Ming Mountain.

Within the grand hall, candle flames flickered, casting light upon Mu Yu's stern visage. He sat high upon the main seat, his voice low and authoritative: "Still no sign of Qinglan?"

The martial hall disciples all dropped to their knees upon hearing this, respectfully responding: "Replying to the Family Head, we have already searched the entirety of Ming Mountain, along with several nearby cities, and she truly cannot be found."

Hearing the reports from the martial hall disciples, Mu Yu's brows locked into a deep knot, and a sudden sense of unease rose within his heart.

This matter was wrong; even if Qinglan had experienced a momentary resurgence of vitality and still possessed some spiritual energy to resist them, it was impossible for her to have escaped the Eastern Territory.

How many spirit stones could that rogue array master possibly possess?

She had neither wealth nor backing.

Perhaps she had already died in some corner of Ming Mountain and been devoured by some demonic beasts.

Thinking of this possibility, his heart settled slightly.

He turned his head, intending to say something to someone, only to find that his surroundings were completely empty.

Mu Feng had died on Ming Mountain; when found, his flesh was mangled beyond recognition, and a pack of hyenas was tearing apart his corpse.

Xue'er had also been fetched away by an elder of the Myriad Origin Sword Sect. In the vast Mu Family, there was no longer a single confidant left by his side.

A sense of desolation filled the depths of his heart.

Unconsciously, he walked out of the grand hall, his gaze sweeping past the overlapping tiers of rooftops, as if he once again saw the girl in green within an illusion.

In truth, he had always known the longing for familial affection hidden deep within the girl's heart.

Yet he had never bestowed it upon her; he had always played the role of a stern father, which was why the girl both feared and loved him.

Thinking of this, he could not help but sneer disdainfully—how laughable.

His gaze looked far into the north, and as he thought of his true daughter, an imperceptible trace of worry quietly crept onto his brow, wondering how she was faring.

"Alas..."

Even as the head of a mortal aristocratic clan, he was powerless to intervene in the decisions of top-tier sects. All he could do was hand over the treasures and spirit stones the Mu Family had accumulated over many years to Mu Chenxue before she left home, hoping she could live a little better at Sword Peak.

He muttered to himself, "I wonder how Xue'er's progress is with the Heavenly Charm Art..."

That was the supreme spiritual cultivation technique of the Mu Family, and with Xue'er's extraordinarily high talent, everything ought to proceed smoothly.

A growing warmth ignited within his heart; she was the hope of the Mu Family, and even more, its future.

He firmly believed that Mu Chenxue would one day achieve the supreme Dao and shatter the shackles of the three realms of aristocratic families!

One day, his Mu Family would stand unshakably, relying on the majesty of a top-tier sect, just like the Zhu Family!

They would never decline like the Wen Family, nor live in seclusion like the Bai Family, and certainly never become like the Jiang Family, whose sole desire was to be the king's lapdog!

Among the Five Great Families, only their Mu Family would be the ultimate winner!