Duosheng Danyuan

——Old Xuan Hall——

"Jianshan, we're not in the mood for your jokes right now."

"The first time you silently recited the method of refining the elixir, you attracted one soul and four spirits?! Jian Shan, did you find a Nascent Soul stage cultivator to pretend to be knowledgeable and make fun of us?"

"No! The spiritual energy around this child's body is scattered and not concentrated; at most, he's at the Core Formation stage."

"Jianshan, this joke has gone too far, and it's utterly ridiculous! Ten thousand years ago, when the first sect leader inherited the method of cultivating the Life-Generating Pill, he didn't actually induce the creation of a Soul Pill! According to ancient records, the truth is that the first sect leader activated five Soul Pills, which in turn triggered the creation of one Soul Pill. How could this young girl, barely in her prime, possibly induce the creation of a Soul Pill out of thin air?!"

"That's right. The first time you recite the method of reciting the Life Elixir, you can activate the Soul Elixir? I think you're a real bastard! Making up such nonsense, are you trying to disturb our peaceful sleep?! I'm warning you, don't try to tease us old folks who are halfway to the grave with such boring jokes, you can't afford the consequences."

"Alright." Amidst the reprimands from several elders in the shadows of the Old Xuan Hall, Elder Chisong slowly spoke, "Yes or no. We'll know once we try."

"Hmph, of course I know we'll know once we try. I'm just annoyed, annoyed that that brat Jianshan keeps making fun of us old folks!"

"Alright, alright, what are you afraid of? If those four are really here to toy with us today, do you think they can leave the Old Xuan Palace without shedding some blood?" In the darkness, Elder Chisong's tone was exceptionally casual, not at all like the old and decrepit Grand Elder who had just reprimanded Jianshan.

"Hey, let me make this clear beforehand, we didn't discover this, nor have we verified it. It was Huaizhen who found out and called us." Elder Jianshan spoke up in front of everyone, pointing to Huaizhen behind him.

"What do you mean? Even if Huai Zhen discovered it, didn't you verify it?" Elder Chishong said unhappily.

"Why bother verifying? Wouldn't it be more convenient to just take it to the Old Xuan Hall and have all the Supreme Elders witness it together?" Jian Shan grinned and continued, "Besides, Elder Mu Yun is right. Jian Shan is here to disturb your peaceful dreams and see if any of the Supreme Elders have passed away in the last two or three hundred years."

"Hmph, I knew it." Elder Muyun, whose name was mentioned by Jianshan, snorted coldly, and the Old Xuan Hall seemed to grow even colder.

"If that's the case... Huaizhen, you'll have to bear the consequences alone." From within the black mist, Elder Chishong's tone gradually became mocking.

"Whether it's a donkey or a horse, we'll know once we examine it." Huai Zhen, who was suddenly called out, was not intimidated at all. He shrugged his shoulders indifferently, completely unfazed by Elder Chishong's pressure on him.

"Sure, since you've asked, what reason do I have to refuse?"

After speaking, accompanied by a few crisp footsteps, a white-haired youth in a crimson robe slowly walked out from the direction of Elder Chishong's voice. Judging by his appearance alone, this white-haired youth was at most thirty years old, but from the elders' words, Su Wanqing could confirm that the white-haired man in front of her was at least a thousand years old.

After all, Elder Huaizhen is eight hundred years old. How old would someone who is called an elder by Elder Huaizhen be? The answer is self-evident.

"You look very refreshed." Qingyue looked at Chisong, who stepped out of the black mist, and smiled. "It has been a hundred years since we last met. I did not expect Elder Chisong to be so healthy. It seems that you must have reached a level that no one has reached before in the higher levels of the method of regenerating elixir."

"It was just a haphazard practice," Elder Chishong nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on Su Wanqing and never looking away.

However, unlike the four elders Qingyue, Qingfeng, Jianshan, and Huaizhen, Elder Chisong's gaze did not make Su Wanqing feel uneasy at all; it was as if it were just a polite glance between strangers.

"Your cultivation level is only at the Foundation Establishment stage... You just entered the inner sect yesterday, right?"

"Hmm," Elder Jianshan replied.

"Come here, child." Nodding to Jian Shan, Elder Chishong turned to Su Wanqing with a kind face and waved.

"Okay, okay." When Elder Chishong called her, Su Wanqing unconsciously straightened her head and puffed out her chest, just like she did during military training after the high school entrance exam. She stood at attention and strode towards Elder Chishong.

When Su Wanqing walked up to Elder Chisong, he placed his hands on her shoulders. Before Su Wanqing could speak, Elder Chisong said, "Turn around and face away from me."

"...Okay." After hesitating for a moment, Su Wanqing obediently turned around as Elder Chishong suggested.

"Alright, now begin reciting the method of regenerating the elixir that Huaizhen just taught you. Don't rush, take your time."

Feeling the warmth emanating from her left shoulder and spine, Su Wanqing unconsciously straightened her back a little more. Tense and hesitant, she replied to Elder Chishong, "Okay, okay."

So, under the watchful eyes of the four elders and the supreme elders, Su Wanqing began to recite the passage she had read in the Refining Heart Hall.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

As time ticked by, the expressions on the faces of the elders began to change in varying degrees. Among them, apart from Elders Huaizhen and Jianshan who remained calm and composed, Elder Qingfeng's brows were furrowed, and he kept glancing in Elder Huaizhen's direction; Elder Qingyue's eyes were slightly narrowed, and the faint smile on her lips grew wider, as if she was waiting for a good show.

Is this seemingly somewhat flawed and timid girl really as talented as Huai Zhen claims, comparable to the first sect leader? In fact, according to Elder Mu Yun, what this girl Huai Zhen has accomplished is something even the first and second sect leaders couldn't do... Has Huai Zhen lost his mind?

The same question was on everyone's mind at this moment. Including Elder Jianshan, although he focused all his attention on those old things in the shadows of the Old Xuan Hall, in fact, in his primordial spirit's calculations, his mind was almost entirely focused on Huaizhen and Su Wanqing.

To put it bluntly, no matter how much he trusted Huaizhen, it was difficult for him to immediately accept the fact that Su Wanqing's talent might dominate the Shengdan Academy's ten-thousand-year history. A complex emotion—wanting to witness history yet not wanting to see it turned over a new page—was currently shrouding Elder Jianshan's heart, like a sun shower without clouds, tangled and vexing.

"Ding!"

Suddenly, a clear, crisp sound of a bronze chime rang out in the silent Old Xuan Hall. Immediately afterward, a refreshing aura of spiritual energy, as pleasant as a sea breeze, formed a blue halo around Su Wanqing's waist and slowly drifted out from her body to all four directions of the Old Xuan Hall.

"..."

Unsurprisingly, this scene captivated the attention of all the elders.

"How...how could this be..." The first to feel disbelief and whose heart was pounding uncontrollably was Elder Chishong standing behind Su Wanqing.

She, who had been calm and composed, almost lost her footing after sensing Su Wanqing's spiritual energy fluctuations, which were as clear as a celestial pool. She staggered back two steps in disbelief before she could barely steady herself, or rather, barely steady her mind.

"This...this is..." Of the four elders who had come to the Old Profound Hall with Su Wanqing, Elder Qingfeng was the first to react. At this moment, his whole body began to tremble slightly as he looked anxiously at his three companions, hoping to get confirmation from their responses. Or, to put it more simply, the facts before him made him unable to immediately believe his eyes, so he desperately needed others' testimony to confirm his judgment. Even denying his own judgment would be acceptable.

"It's a miracle!" Among the elders, the first to break the silence of the Old Xuan Hall was Elder Muyun, who had just been teased by Elder Jianshan.

With a resounding shout, a middle-aged man with brown hair and wearing a gray-white robe hurriedly ran up to Su Wanqing in the darkness.

"Child, you have just performed a miracle!" As if afraid that no one could hear him, Elder Muyun loudly repeated his words again. He knelt on one knee, his hands trembling as he placed them on Su Wanqing's shoulders, and there were even faint tears in his eyes.

"..." Faced with this scene, Jian Shan, who was already used to the sarcastic remarks of these Supreme Elders, was speechless. Only after glancing at Huai Zhen beside him did he softly ask, "Would she have acted this exaggeratedly back in the Refining Heart Hall?"

"...No," Elder Huaizhen remained silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying. At this moment, the composure on his face was gone, replaced by a wry smile. To be precise, his smile was much uglier than a cry. "Back then, Su Wanqing only stirred one soul and four spirits... I know I shouldn't use 'only' to describe stirring one soul and four spirits, but compared to what she has accomplished now, stirring one soul and four spirits really is just 'only,' isn't it?"

"Hmm..." Elder Jianshan didn't say much, just gave a soft "hmm," his gaze unable to leave Su Wanqing for even a moment.

"Alright, stop acting like that. Okay, okay, stop being so unbelievable, I saw it too. This child really did it, don't be like this..." Not far behind Jian Shan and Huai Zhen, Qing Yue was patting Qing Feng's shoulder helplessly, saying with a headache.

"But...but this is too much..."

"Too unbelievable? What a joke! Geniuses come and go, it'll be our turn tomorrow. Our Shengdan Academy has produced two Shengdan Daoists who ascended to sainthood, and now we have another unparalleled genius. Isn't this only natural?" Although Elder Qingyue said this, his gaze remained completely fixed on Su Wanqing from beginning to end. Even when he was talking to Qingfeng, his gaze did not waver for a moment.

In an instant, apart from Su Wanqing, who was still confused and surrounded by the crowd, all sorts of emotions began to surge wildly within the Old Xuan Hall.

Whether moved, jealous, fearful, covetous, or still in disbelief, everyone's emotional spirit, without exception, experienced a shutdown for several seconds or even tens of seconds due to the miracle caused by Su Wanqing, to the point that they could not even maintain basic composure.

"I didn't expect what you said to be true."

Just then, the third voice from inside the Old Xuan Hall spoke again.

"I never intended to deceive the three Supreme Elders. And to be honest, what Su Wanqing did was far more outrageous than I reported, isn't that right?" Upon hearing this voice, Elder Huaizhen immediately bowed at a 45-degree angle, performing the salute of a disciple to his master.

"Hmm..." With a response, heavy footsteps echoed from the shadows of the old Xuan Palace, and an old man with white hair and blue eyes, dressed in soft armor, slowly walked out.

"Elder Yuehu, I didn't expect you to still be alive." With a provocative yet extremely serious tone, Jian Shan bowed at a forty-five-degree angle to the newcomer, performing the master-disciple salute as he spoke.

"The old man hasn't finished leaving yet, how dare I abandon him?" Elder Yuehu said, glancing slightly at the black mist behind him with a rather teasing tone.

"What about the other elders? Aren't they coming out to meet us anymore?" Elder Qingyue asked Elder Yuehu, her tone both sincere and puzzled.

"Hey! Qingyue is actually concerned about us now?" A familiar voice rang out from within the black mist.

"Who wouldn't want to come out if they could? The peerless genius who will eventually lead the Shengdan Academy to become the leader of all sects in the Immortal Realm and above the five great immortal sects is right before our eyes. Every one of us wants to come out and see her in person." The voice that spoke was familiar to everyone.

"Elder Yuehu...?" Elder Qingfeng took a few steps forward in disbelief and asked Elder Yuehu, or rather, the black mist behind Elder Yuehu.

"Your trash talk just now hit the nail on the head quite a bit. Many of the old fellows in the Old Xuan Palace have begun their final elixir replenishment." Chisong, who had regained his composure, said disdainfully to Qingfeng. However, he was actually speaking towards Jianshan.

"So fast?" Qingyue asked in surprise.

"It's only a matter of time," Elder Muyun, who was standing in front of Su Wanqing, said calmly as he stood up. "Now, the only ones who haven't started returning to their cores are the three of us old bones."

"..."

A moment of silence.

"Let's not talk about us old friends anymore," Elder Yuehu finally broke the somber atmosphere. With a wave of his hand, a faceless round mirror made of glass slowly appeared in the black mist.

"A celestial treasure without a face?" Elder Huaizhen blurted out, looking at the transparent round mirror in Elder Yuehu's hand.

"Hmm," Elder Yuehu didn't mince words, readily acknowledging the weight of the magical treasure in his hand, "We're all close to returning to the core, so there's no need to hide anything. Come, let's witness together what the spiritual root of this saintess who ignited a unique miracle in the history of the Life Core Academy truly is."