Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 122 This Gold Card is a Bit Strange

With Baishan Zhalo's loud shout, the surrounding scenery suddenly shattered, turning into starlight that vanished in the blink of an eye.

The grand hall in the distance was still there, and the square was still the same square, but the "True Immortal Baishi" with a long beard had disappeared. In his place was a young man with white hair sitting behind a table in front of the grand hall.

He wore a long robe with wide sleeves and a blue and white color scheme. The wide sleeves of the robe fluttered gently. His hair was tied up with a long crown, and his long white hair was tied up behind his head and was blown slightly by the wind.

Beside him, on either side, were several tables, and many people were seated there. Among them were Fairy Murong and Little Immortal Ye, whom everyone had already seen, as well as those they had not seen before. All of them were dressed in elaborate and strange clothes, and their temperament was extraordinary.

"Ugh……"

A sigh echoed between heaven and earth. Bai Shan Zhalo stared blankly at the spot where the Ice Crystal Banshee had suddenly disappeared. Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he turned to look at the real "White Stone Immortal," his eyes filled with regret and anger.

"You have all passed the test of sincerity, but only one of you has passed the test of seeking truth. It is a real pity."

Zhang Chengdao shook his head slightly, his eyes full of regret.

To be honest, there are five or six purple cards among these people, a lot of blue cards as well, and only two or three gray cards—no wonder they are the two top universities in the country, and the talents sent here with the full support of the nation, the "drop rate" is indeed extraordinary.

But in reality, "failing to pass" is just one excuse.

If Zhang Chengdao were willing, there would be plenty of ways to open back doors and guide them through the process.

The reason he didn't do that was because...

These people are all under the command of the Emperor of Xiao!

If they were all put into the sect, wouldn't that be the same as letting the Emperor of Xiao Kingdom plant spies in his own sect for nothing?

If it weren't for the fact that Zhang Chengdao truly admired Heshilie, he wouldn't even have been willing to accept this purple card!
"You have no affinity with my White Stone Immortal Sect, please leave—"

Without giving anyone a chance to struggle, Zhang Chengdao immediately activated his spiritual power, using wind to lift up all the students of the Imperial Academy and the National Academy except for Heshilie Tudi, and then send them down the mountain.

The force of the gust was just right; it only caused someone to trip and fall, but no serious injury was sustained.

However, besides the people sent by Emperor Murong Zhen of Xiao Kingdom, the other two people who had been watching the show from the sidelines were worth considering...

"Zhu Ye, Huang Wu, you two... what were you thinking when you weren't involved in this?"

Zhang Chengdao asked in a kind manner.

Before Zhu Ye could answer, Huang Wu scratched his head and replied casually, "I don't practice martial arts, so I can't guess what these adults who practice martial arts mean. I really don't have any ideas!"

Zhang Chengdao asked again, "Didn't you ever think about protecting the Ice Crystal Banshee?"

Huang Wu's eyes widened in shock, as if he couldn't understand Zhang Chengdao's words at all. He asked, "She's better at fighting than me, so why does she need me to protect her?"

Zhang Chengdao chuckled, waved his hand to reveal the entrance to the Illusionary Realm of Inner Demons, and said, "In that case, go and try your luck in this final trial of 'Questioning the Heart'!"

Perhaps finding this gold card named Huang Wu quite interesting, Zhang Chengdao added, "Don't worry, the 'Question of the Heart' trial won't put your life in danger." Indeed, this "Huang Wu," whose name was rather perfunctory, was actually a gold card!

The others, including Heshi Lie Tudi whom I greatly admired, were only at the highest level of purple cards!

Is this right?
For a moment, Zhang Chengdao even began to suspect that there was a bug in the system's character card name color display!

Hearing Zhang Chengdao's words, Huang Wu glanced somewhat helplessly at Zhu Ye beside him. Seeing that the other party smiled and nodded at him, he straightened his chest and muttered incoherently to encourage himself: "We're already here, we've sold our family business, we can't come for nothing. Anyway, we won't lose our lives, we're already here..."

He muttered several sentences to himself before mustering the courage to step forward and enter the illusion of his inner demons.

After watching Huang Wu enter the environment, Zhang Chengdao pressed Zhu Ye for answers: "Zhu Ye, why did you remain uninvolved just now?"

Zhu Ye is a blue card holder. Although he is not as good as Huang Wu or He Shilie Tudi, firstly, he is with Huang Wu after all, so it would be inappropriate to favor one over the other and treat them differently. Secondly, if only two people are "recruited" in this batch, it seems that the "recruitment rate" is indeed a bit too low.

"I apologize for my foolishness, Immortal. I have always been hesitant in my actions. Although I sensed something amiss just now, I ultimately dared not gamble and thus stood by and watched. Now that the truth has come to light, although I understand what happened, I have missed my chance."

Zhu Ye cupped his hands and said frankly, "It was because my heart was not pure in my pursuit of the Dao, and I had distracting thoughts, that I hesitated and looked back."

After listening, Zhang Chengdao thought for a moment and said, "If you are willing, you can also try it in the Heart-Questioning Secret Realm."

With such a mindset, it's no big deal to loosen up a little.

"Thank you for your kindness, Immortal. However, I have finally cultivated to the fourth rank of Acquired Venerable. Even if I can pass the Heart-Questioning Secret Realm, I am afraid I will be reluctant to give up my true energy."

Zhu Ye sighed, his face filled with regret: "It is important for a person to know his own limitations. Since I have not been able to pass the 'Seeking the Way' test, I am afraid that if I give up the martial arts path, I will not even be able to enter the immortal path. In the end, I will end up with nothing to show for my efforts."

"If you're willing to gamble, you have to accept the consequences. You can't force things. That's just how things are in this world."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengdao couldn't help but secretly praise him once again.

Although only three out of the more than one hundred people in this second batch were barely qualified, each of these three was more interesting than the last, especially in terms of character, and each was more admirable than the last.

No wonder Zhu Ye is so famous; everyone who meets him acts as if they've heard so much about him. So, seeing him always waving his fan, it doesn't seem pretentious at all anymore.

To be able to "operate" an "intelligence system" all by himself, he truly lives up to his reputation!

Zhang Chengdao then invited, "It is truly rare to have such a mindset. How about this, although you are not destined to join our sect, let's consider each other as friends. Why don't you stay and observe the ceremony today, and also try the Immortal Fate Banquet of my White Stone Immortal Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ye looked up abruptly, her face filled with surprise and delight: "This...this is truly too much for me!"

"I am truly ashamed of my lack of favor from the immortals, how dare I disobey!"

Zhang Chengdao chuckled and slightly raised his hand. Suddenly, a golden light flashed among the dozen or so towers that had surrounded the square, and another tower appeared out of thin air!
With its foundation of blue bricks, golden eaves, and emerald-green glazed tiles, the tower is adorned with copper bells hanging from the double-layered eaves at each of its four corners, yet they remain silent. Each of the four sides of the tower is also inlaid with a golden animal head, giving it an extraordinary and imposing presence.

(End of this chapter)