In front of the Hall of Transmission, the open ground centered around the Bagua Formation was neatly covered with bamboo mats.
Four transmission masters stood at the front, dressed in Bagua robes and wearing Taoist crowns.
Among them, Fu Lu Master Li Daowei, with a head of white hair, had a face without a single wrinkle and looked especially energetic.
Five years ago, he entered the Lianshen stage, capable of spiritual projection across the world, making him the top disciple in the outer sect.
Lin Shuang followed her senior apprentice brother Xu Rui here. Seeing Fu Lu Master Li Daowei standing at the forefront, she first showed a hint of quiet joy.
In the last Fu Lu class, her assignment score had moved up one place.
Master Chen had even nodded and smiled at her.
Positive impression from the examiner √
Thinking this, Lin Shuang chose the outermost mat as usual—it was near the path entrance and most convenient for leaving—and sat cross-legged.
Almost immediately, Zhao Keran, who had just finished her Fu Lu exam, spotted her and turned to come over and sit beside her.
But Lin Shuang waved her off directly.
“Junior apprentice sister, you don’t have to follow me. Go sit in your usual front row.”
On an ordinary day, Zhao Keran would have obeyed.
As one of the outstanding disciples in the outer sect for the past two years, the transmission masters paid close attention to her, often giving her extra guidance during class. Listening to her senior apprentice sister and sitting in the front row was indeed more convenient.
But now, she looked wronged. “Senior sister, are you worried that my high ranking in the assessment will draw too much attention? Sitting beside you might cause a crowd and slow down your departure later?”
Zhao Keran had already had an epiphany!
“…”
Lin Shuang’s fingers paused.
The child has grown up indeed—she’s not easy to fool anymore.
“Correct.”
Zhao Keran: “…”
So straightforward, senior sister!
At that time, she was still naive and hadn’t grasped the essence of “The Fastest Cultivation.” She poured all her effort into every assessment and unknowingly rose to the top three!
Now she was being avoided by her senior sister, wailing inwardly.
Zhao Keran walked away with grievance, not forgetting to turn back and wave at Zhou Xuanwu, who had also wanted to approach Lin Shuang.
“Senior apprentice brother Zhou, you should also come to the front row with me. Don’t slow down senior sister’s departure later.”
Zhou Xuanwu, who had originally wanted to sit to Lin Shuang’s left, froze in place.
Xu Rui, who had wanted to give a few more reminders, turned his head and quickly walked to the side of the transmission masters, not wanting to hear the garbage conversation between the two apprentice sisters anymore.
Twelve drumbeats from the Bell Tower rang out.
Looking around, the area before the Hall of Transmission was filled with disciples, a magnificent sight.
Li Daowei stepped forward, stroking his white beard, and spoke solemnly.
“Those who fail to attain the true Dao do so because of delusional thoughts. They will suffer defilement and sink into the sea of suffering, forever losing the true Dao.”
“Today’s Heart Inquiry Test will examine your Dao heart for the next hundred years.”
Having spoken, he formed a hand seal, activating the Bagua Formation in front of the outer sect’s Hall of Transmission.
A golden beam of light shot forth from the Yin-Yang poles, splitting from one into two, two into four, and then multiplying endlessly like the birth of all things, descending into the foreheads of all the seated disciples.
“Remember, if you can always remain pure and calm, heaven and earth will return to you, and you will ultimately achieve the Dao.”
“The Heart Inquiry Test begins!”
Enveloped in golden light, a spot of brilliance appeared on each disciple’s forehead, and they all closed their eyes.
Li Daowei nodded, glancing at the elders and supervisors on his left and right. “Everyone, the disciples have entered the heart formation. Let us also enter to observe.”
As he spoke, his spirit stepped forward, pointing at the others, and they all flew to the front of the formation together.
When Xu Rui and the elders opened their eyes again, they saw countless pieces of light like shards of glass spinning above the disciples’ crossed legs, reflecting their blurred faces.
Time flowed rapidly within the formation.
In the blink of an eye, decades passed in the minds of the disciples.
“Pay special attention to disciples whose cultivation has rapidly increased. Also, those ranked lower in the past have sometimes defected and turned into evil cultivators. We must not overlook them.”
Li Daowei reminded the others, and the rest nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing this, Xu Rui was worried and went to search for Lin Shuang’s hundred-year Dao heart.
Her strength was more than just the peak of Qi Transformation she had shown during their sparring match that day.
How had she broken through her cultivation under the watchful eyes of the transmission masters and senior apprentices?
Xu Rui felt both curiosity and concern.
But as he looked, his gaze was drawn to the front row.
Inside the spiritual light of the front row disciples, a small figure resembling Zhou Xuanwu remained as aloof as ever, going through the morning exercises like a slideshow passing quickly.
Xu Rui nodded inwardly.
Brother Zhou’s Dao heart was strong; his future path looked promising.
“Xiaolan, I’m finally back… *panting*… so exhausted. Senior Brother Xu kept insisting on talking to me. I was completely drained…”
Xu Rui: “?”
“Wait! I don’t know how to speak properly. Did I accidentally offend senior brother again just now?”
“What should I do? What should I do?”
Zhou Xuanwu’s Dao heart figure, facing the orchid in the room, changed from coldness to tenderness.
Blushing, flustered, ashamed, conflicted.
Time rushed forward by ten years.
“Ah, I’ve finally entered the inner sect! Senior apprentice brother Xu, goodbye. I won’t have to answer Senior apprentice brother Xu’s questions anymore!”
“Ah, but now that I’m in the inner sect, will Senior apprentice brother Xu use long-distance communication to talk to me? Oh no, I’d better retreat into seclusion quickly.”
Xu Rui: “…”
Time passed twenty years.
“It’s so good to be in seclusion. I don’t have to talk to anyone. I feel so relaxed.”
“Hmm? Senior apprentice brother Xu’s transmission? No, I’ll go into seclusion for another ten years!”
Time passed thirty years.
“Great, I’m alone again. Senior apprentice brother Xu can’t find me. Hehe.”
“Okay, another seclusion…”
Xu Rui: “…!”
His gentle gaze cracked.
Brother Zhou!
He trembled as he withdrew his gaze from Zhou Xuanwu’s self-isolating heart realm, where he repeatedly entered and exited seclusion.
He shifted his focus to Zhao Keran’s hundred-year Dao heart beside her.
In a slideshow fashion, her Dao heart figure was seen cleaning the wooden house with Lin Shuang, meditating together, and chatting over meals.
Lin Shuang was like a radiant sun before her, glowing all over, her face too dazzling to see clearly.
When entering the Hall of Transmission for early lessons, Lin Shuang’s figure was even taller than the young Zhou Xuanwu, her shoulders broader and more majestic.
Xu Rui’s lips twitched.
Apprentice sister Zhao…
“Good, the Dao hearts of this batch of disciples are acceptable over the past forty years,” Li Daowei stroked his beard and smiled.
Xu Rui took a deep breath.
Elder Chen, are you sure?
He looked up and saw many disciples dutifully completing their daily tasks and cultivation, feeling slightly reassured.
Thank goodness.
There are still normal people in the outer sect!
Finally, Xu Rui turned his gaze to Lin Shuang, bracing himself for something shocking.
But his eyes paused.
“Greetings, masters, Happy New Year.”
“Greetings, masters, Happy Lantern Festival.”
…
“Greetings, masters, Happy Teachers’ Day.”
Lin Shuang’s Dao heart figure trained, read novels, ate, played, overslept, and napped throughout the year.
On every festive occasion, she silently greeted outside the Hall of Transmission.
But Teachers’ Day… What was that?
Xu Rui was puzzled.
Unknowingly, the four masters of the Hall of Transmission had all gathered before her.
The four elders exchanged glances, their eyes flickering.
“Teachers’ Day is to express gratitude for the masters’ contributions to education,” Lin Shuang’s Dao heart figure seemed to have heard something and answered spontaneously.
Xu Rui was stunned.
Li Daowei and the other three elders’ aged eyes shimmered.
She had even spontaneously established a festival to express gratitude for her masters’ teachings, making the ninth day of the tenth lunar month celebrated alongside the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival?
“She’s a good child, even though her cultivation progress isn’t fast…” Chen, the master teaching sword techniques, was moved.
Li Daowei shook his head disagreeing. “In the past three years, every time in my Fu Lu class, she has moved up one to three places. Although not fast, she has steadily improved and still has potential for the future.”
“Hmm? That’s convenient. She’s the same in my class too,” the master teaching cultivation techniques blurted out in surprise.
Li Daowei was taken aback but hadn’t spoken yet when another surprised voice was heard.
“Hey? Are you sure? She’s like that in your class too?”
The master teaching heart techniques exclaimed, “I thought it was because of my excellent teaching that she progressed three places every month in my class.”
“…”
“…………”
The four masters looked at each other in silence, comparing notes, and all fell quiet.
Xu Rui covered his forehead with his hand.
Apprentice sister Lin, what kind of existence are you exactly?
Li Daowei twitched his lips and immediately formed a hand seal, casting a golden light incantation into the Heart Inquiry Bagua Formation.
Instantly, within their heart realms, the disciples’ cultivation soared rapidly, all passing the peak of Qi Transformation, quickly forming Yuan, leaping into Lianshen, entering the inner sect as elites, becoming elders—
Within the formation, countless disciples rejoiced, calling friends to celebrate.
Lin Shuang was still training, reading novels, napping, cycling through her days.
“Greetings, masters, Happy New Year.”
…
“…Happy Teachers’ Day.”
Li Daowei pinched another seal, and within the formation, a group of disciples encountered misfortunes, their cultivation levels plummeting from Lianshen to Yuan Formation, then to Qi Transformation—
Numerous cries of grief arose, with many skipping early and late lessons, locking themselves indoors.
Lin Shuang wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and continued training, reading novels, napping, cycling through her days.
“Greetings, masters, Happy New Year.”
…
“…Happy Teachers’ Day.”
Li Daowei’s eyes flickered again as he formed another seal, sending it into the formation. A group of disciples watched helplessly as new apprentices around them received rare herbs and treasures, and were granted top-tier cultivation techniques by elders—
Countless people’s Dao hearts wavered, filled with jealousy and envy, unable to calm their minds.
Lin Shuang just said “hi” to the other person and continued training, reading novels, napping, cycling through her days.
“…Masters…”
“…Happy Teachers’ Day.”
She said it for the thirtieth year.
The fortieth.
The ninety-ninth and the hundredth year, still the same!
The elders watching before the formation had shining eyes, all deeply moved.
Whether they rose to become great cultivators or fell into hardship; whether they succeeded alone or were overshadowed by others, she never forgot her Dao heart, saying “Happy Teachers’ Day” for a hundred years!
The four masters had stood guard at the outer sect’s Hall of Transmission for decades, sending countless talented disciples into the inner sect.
But never had a disciple, after advancing, still remembered the teachings received in the outer sect, returning year after year to visit.
Only Lin Shuang did so.
Their hearts surged, unable to contain their emotions.
“Even if this girl has low talent, I will teach her with all my strength!”
“How can we repay her? Only by teaching her everything we know.”
“Good! That’s exactly how it should be!”
Even Xu Rui, who carried a Bagua sword, couldn’t help but be moved.
But just as he was thinking, a thick stream of white essence, brimming with vitality, shot into Lin Shuang’s brow within the Heart Inquiry Bagua Formation.
Xu Rui was shocked and about to draw his sword when he heard the elder behind him stop him.
“It’s the reward from the Heart Inquiry!”
Her Dao heart was firm and solid, consistent over a hundred years.
Her heart nature was top-grade, first class.
The Heart Inquiry Formation rewarded her!
Soon after, two smaller streams of white essence entered Zhou Xuanwu’s and Zhao Keran’s brows.
The seclusion king, the sister-obsessed.
No matter the joy or sorrow, they remained consistent.
However, they had weaknesses in their hearts, relying on others—heart nature was top-grade, lower class.
The Heart Inquiry Formation also rewarded them!
Xu Rui was very surprised.
The four elders were also pleased, not expecting more than one disciple to receive rewards from the formation.
“This batch of disciples is only slightly inferior to mine back in the day, hahaha!” Li Daowei laughed heartily.
But as soon as he finished speaking, a pained cry came from Lin Shuang.
“Ow…”
Her eyelashes trembled, and she suddenly exited the century-long heart realm.
Everything was like a passing cloud, a dreamlike vision. Her expression was confused yet radiant, but soon she pressed her fingers to her brow, groaning in pain.
“Wait, this isn’t my cultivation schedule for tonight… Who was so uncouth, throwing spiritual energy at me randomly, forcing me to breakthrough…”
Xu Rui: “…………”
The elders: “？？？”
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