"He has decent talent..."
"But that is all."
Across so many reincarnated lifetimes, this man had never seemed to rise above the Golden Core realm.
Every time, he perished in the catastrophe of the Crimson Flame Burning the Sea.
It seemed his achievements were destined to be limited; he was no true prodigy.
Watching Wei Qizheng cup his fists in gratitude, Ji Shaoli gave a slight nod in return, though such were his inner thoughts.
And yet...
Ji Shaoli had never imagined that the sharp, discerning eye he had honed across a hundred lifetimes could actually be mistaken!
Seven days had passed since the grand examination concluded.
The announcement of the results drew steadily nearer.
The crowd on Haixuan Island gradually shifted from their initial easy confidence to fretful anxiety.
The lighthearted banter vanished.
Every face was clouded with solemnity.
Those handling the tension worst even paced back and forth to ease the pressure weighing on them.
Right then, Wei Qizheng's expression suddenly turned to one of surprise. He produced his communication talisman and checked the incoming message.
No one knew what word he had received.
In the next instant, he shot to his feet, his face filled with utter disbelief.
His very body trembled faintly with excitement.
This bizarre reaction instantly drew the eyes of every cultivator in the hall.
A single thought inevitably surfaced in all their minds at once.
*Could it be?*
Meeting the shocked and questioning gazes of those around him, Wei Qizheng took a deep breath. "The Lord City Master has ordered me to proceed immediately to the Administration Hall."
"It concerns..."
"The selection of the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen."
A dead silence fell over the hall in a flash.
Everyone's expressions froze at this preposterous turn of events.
Even Ji Shaoli's face stiffened abruptly.
With every gaze pinned squarely on him, brimming with indescribably complex emotions, Wei Qizheng felt a rush of blood to his head, leaving him slightly dizzy with exhilaration.
Though this was merely the preliminary selection for the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen and the final roster remained undecided...
To be singled out from countless cultivators across the lands...
That in itself was proof of his caliber!
At this moment, Wei Qizheng wanted nothing more than to throw his head back and roar, letting loose the pure joy flooding his chest.
Yet almost immediately, something seemed to strike him.
His expression shifted, his pride vanishing entirely.
In its place were only confusion...
And terror.
"Fellow Daoist Ji..."
He turned to Ji Shaoli as if reaching for a lifeline, asking in a weak, faltering voice, "Does that secret art of yours—Covering the Sky with One Hand—really work?"
Indeed, Wei Qizheng had come to his senses.
Though he had received notice of passing the preliminaries...
He had known the test questions beforehand—he had cheated!
If it were merely a routine post in a local province, it would not have been a grave matter.
Now, however, what he faced was the selection for the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen, an endeavor watched with utmost scrutiny by every echelon of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals!
As the seeds of hope chosen to confront the Five Elders Association, rigorous vetting was inevitable!
Wei Qizheng could practically envision the scene to come.
Seven or eight Dao Integration Immortal Venerables surrounding him...
Not letting a single speck in his Sea of Consciousness escape their scrupulous inspection...
Despite his steady temperament, his hands and feet turned icy cold.
If his cheating were uncovered, being struck dead on the spot was the least of his concerns.
He would likely be denounced before the entire world, leaving a name reviled for ten thousand generations!
The more he dwelled on it, the more his conscience quailed.
"Fellow Daoist Ji?" His voice trembled as he asked again.
Only then did Ji Shaoli snap back from his initial astonishment.
Seeing Wei Qizheng's countenance morph through several extremes in so brief a span, he instantly deduced what was troubling him.
He promptly reassured him, "There is no need to worry. The secret methods of our Mutual Aid Association are foolproof."
"However..."
"If your heart is truly uneasy, I can lend you another hand! Follow me!"
As if seizing upon a life-saving reed, Wei Qizheng followed Ji Shaoli into the secret chamber without the slightest hesitation.
"Sit in meditation here and focus your spirit. Empty your mind of everything, and banish all stray thoughts," Ji Shaoli instructed.
Wei Qizheng nodded and complied.
Soon, his restless, apprehensive heart calmed down.
Ji Shaoli nodded to himself in approval.
Then he waited patiently.
As for what he was waiting for...
It was, of course, the storage ring Lin Ling was rushing over at top speed.
Borrowing the endlessly surging power of the earth veins, it took less than the time to brew a cup of tea for Lin Ling to arrive personally on Haixuan Island, bringing Li Fan with her.
Not a single cultivator on the island noticed their arrival.
The moment they stepped into the secret chamber, Lin Ling knocked Wei Qizheng unconscious.
Li Fan and his avatar simultaneously conducted a meticulous examination of Wei Qizheng's body.
After a moment, Li Fan shook his head slightly. "Strange. He doesn't possess any unique constitution."
"Though his cultivation talent is prominent, it is only remarkable within the confines of a single province. Compared to the true geniuses of the Xuanhuang Realm, he still falls quite short."
"Why would the Alliance choose him?"
Puzzlement lingered in Li Fan's mind.
Yet bewilderment did not stall his hands in the least.
He pressed a teal Truth Enticement Fruit—flickering constantly between substantial form and illusion—against the center of Wei Qizheng's brow.
Within moments, as the fruit dissolved entirely into an ethereal state, a treasure capable of controlling a Dao Integration cultivator was squandered just like that on Wei Qizheng, who was only at the Foundation Establishment stage!
Li Fan felt no heartache whatsoever.
Though it was only a sliver of a possibility, he was willing to gamble!
If Wei Qizheng truly passed the selection, then uncovering the truth behind the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen program through him would be worth far more than the price paid!
And if he were so unfortunate as to fail...
A dangerous glint flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
Then the man would simply have to toil for him for the rest of his life to repay the debt.
"Relying on the Truth Enticement Fruit alone is not enough."
Li Fan's gaze shifted.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Terminal Dissociation Disc radiated a lustrous white light.
An instant later, it manifested in Li Fan's hand.
Li Fan inhaled deeply. After promptly laying down a surrounding ward of formations, he formed a blade with his fingers and slashed downward with sudden force.
Quivering faintly, the Terminal Dissociation Disc had a wafer-thin layer shaved away.
As though having suffered grave damage, the Terminal Dissociation Disc dimmed in an instant, taking on a withered, languid appearance.
Seeing this, Li Fan felt a twinge of pained regret.
He hastily withdrew it back into his Sea of Consciousness to nourish it.
"After all, it isn't the true End Stone Platter, but merely a fusion of the sliced stone disc and the Dissociation Disc."
"Though it inherited a portion of the property that allows it to be cut and separated, slicing even a single layer inflicts severe damage on its foundation."
"Kid, you had better not disappoint me."
With great care, Li Fan implanted the fragment of the Terminal Dissociation Disc, thin as a cicada's wing, into Wei Qizheng's Sea of Consciousness.
With all this done, he departed the secret chamber as quietly as he had arrived, guided by Lin Ling.
Only his avatar, Ji Shaoli, remained behind, standing quietly in wait.
Before long, Wei Qizheng slowly came to his senses.
At first, he appeared somewhat dazed.
Then, catching sight of the slightly pale Ji Shaoli beside him, countless impressions surfaced in his mind.
"I have troubled you, Brother Ji."
"Such immense kindness is something I, Wei, will never dare to forget!" Wei Qizheng said with profound gratitude.
Ji Shaoli waved his hand dismissively. "We are all one family in the Mutual Aid Association. Helping one another is only natural."
"Quite some time has passed since the City Master summoned you. Go on."
"Rest assured, protected by our Mutual Aid Association's secret arts, not even Longevity Heavenly Venerable himself could uncover the secrets within your mind!"
It was a boast of immense proportions, yet Wei Qizheng believed it without a shadow of a doubt.
He gave a heavy nod of assent.
Chapter 849