Chapter 35: Disciple of the Dao Ancestor

Ji Ning, Mu Chuan, and Heishi all felt their hearts tighten. The joy of obtaining the first volume of Candle Dragon's Eye was cast aside. The only thought in their minds now was: 'Who did the Dao Ancestor choose? Is it me?'

"Let's go," said King Qi.

"Mm." Ji Ning and the others obediently followed, though their hearts were churning with emotion.

...

The main hall of the Tianmang Palace.

The Xia Emperor's expression shifted, revealing surprise.

"What's wrong, Xiamang?" Lü Dongbin, Fuhai, and the other eight all looked at the Xia Emperor.

"Xiamang, has the Dao Ancestor already chosen a disciple?" Lü Dongbin said with a smile. None of these Pure Yang True Immortals were easy to fool; the mere change in the Xia Emperor's expression caught their attention and led them to guess. After all, someone of the Xia Emperor's status wouldn't be surprised for no reason!

"Hahaha..." The Xia Emperor nodded and laughed. "I can't hide it from you. Indeed, my second incarnation paid a visit to my master, and he has just made his choice."

"Who?"

"Who did the Dao Ancestor choose?"

The assembled True Immortals and Celestial Immortals from the Buddhist, Heavenly Court, and Daoist sects all asked curiously.

"No hurry, no hurry. I've already sent a message to King Qi to bring the three little ones here," said the Xia Emperor with a smile. "Once they arrive, I'll announce it openly."

"Still keeping us in suspense!" Fuhai curled his lips, then glanced at the Ragged Daoist beside him. "Little junior apprentice-brother, this Immortal Fortune Conference in the Grand Xia world is quite special. You are a disciple of our master, and the Redmoon Dao Ancestor has also taken a disciple... This conference has produced two disciples of Dao Ancestors. Soon, it will likely spread throughout the Three Realms."

The Ragged Daoist smiled beside him, rarely speaking in front of this group of True Immortals and Celestial Immortals.

"Who did the Dao Ancestor choose?" the Ragged Daoist wondered in his heart. "Is it Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning?" He naturally hoped that his junior apprentice-brother could become a disciple of the Dao Ancestor. If so, the Black-White College would truly be fulfilled this time.

...

A moment later.

King Qi led Ji Ning, Mu Chuan, and Heishi into the main hall, immediately drawing the gazes of nearly a thousand Celestial Immortals.

"Why have all three of them come?"

"Has the Dao Ancestor already chosen a disciple?"

The Celestial Immortals instantly guessed the reason, and their hearts tightened.

"Your Majesty, the three have been brought," King Qi said respectfully. Ji Ning, Mu Chuan, and Heishi stood obediently behind him.

"Mm." The Xia Emperor nodded slightly.

King Qi immediately withdrew to his original seat and sat down cross-legged. Ji Ning, Mu Chuan, and Heishi became the focus of the entire main hall. Their eyes held an undeniable trace of nervousness and unease. Though they were all monstrous geniuses, they were still tense and anxious at this moment!

The Xia Emperor, rarely smiling, said in a clear voice: "My master has chosen a disciple among you three. That disciple is..."

As the words came out, everyone held their breath.

"It must be Ji Ning, it must be Ji Ning." Yuchi Xiyue and Yu Wei held each other's hands tightly.

"Ji Ning, Ji Ning." Yu Wei silently hoped.

Jiu Lian also looked up.

"Please don't let it be Ji Ning, please don't!" The narrow eyes of Patriarch Xuanji were filled with anxiety and worry. If Ji Ning became a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, he might truly become a great calamity for the Shennong clan!

Many were silently hoping.

Some hoped for Ji Ning, others for Mu Chuan or Heishi... Each had their own supporters and opponents.

The birth of a new 'disciple of a Dao Ancestor' in the Grand Xia world would fundamentally change the power structure of the Grand Xia dynasty in the future.

...

The Xia Emperor's gaze swept over the crowd. He deliberately teased them, and when he saw Fuhai glaring angrily and Lü Dongbin rubbing his nose, he finally said: "The disciple my master has chosen is... Mu Chuan!"

"Mu Chuan!"

The Xia Emperor's voice echoed through the main hall, which fell into unprecedented silence.

"Mu Chuan!"

"The Dao Ancestor's disciple, Mu Chuan!"

"Mu Chuan!"

In unison, the Celestial Immortals and the eliminated Wanxiang Adepts in the main hall turned their heads, their gazes falling on the seemingly simple and honest youth, Mu Chuan. At that moment, these Celestial Immortals felt a mix of jealousy, envy, and longing in their hearts. They all knew that this honest youth was about to soar to the heavens!

Disciple of the Dao Ancestor! Mu Chuan!

At this moment, Mu Chuan became the most dazzling presence in the Tianmang Palace!

"It's actually Mu Chuan!" Yuchi Xiyue, Yu Wei, the Ragged Daoist, and others all turned to look at Ji Ning, feeling indignant for him.

He had worked so hard.

He had cultivated for the shortest time among the three and had taken first place in this Immortal Fortune Conference. Why wasn't he chosen?

But they could not resist, for this was the Redmoon Dao Ancestor choosing a disciple! Only if one caught the Redmoon Dao Ancestor's eye would they be chosen... It didn't mean that the first-place winner would definitely be selected.

...

"The disciple my master has chosen is... Mu Chuan!" The words entered Ji Ning's ears, and he felt a daze.

For a very brief moment, Ji Ning's mind went blank, but he quickly regained his clarity. Though clear-headed, a myriad of emotions surged within him.

"Why him?"

"Why did the Dao Ancestor choose him?" Ji Ning felt anxiety, resentment, anger, and... helplessness!

Helpless, truly helpless.

Because choosing a disciple depended on the Dao Ancestor. No matter how dazzling Ji Ning's performance, if the Dao Ancestor didn't take a liking to him, it was all in vain.

"If I had fully revealed the 'Star Picking Hand,' perhaps the Redmoon Dao Ancestor would have chosen me." This thought even flashed through Ji Ning's mind, but it was merely a form of unwillingness. Ji Ning also knew that with so many eyes at the Immortal Fortune Conference, once the Star Picking Hand was exposed, the consequences would be unpredictable!

The Three Realms were turbulent and mysterious.

The life or death of Three-Life Daoist was unknown, and Ji Ning dared not take the risk.

"Congratulations, Brother Mu Chuan." Ji Ning immediately turned to Mu Chuan and offered his congratulations.

Heishi on the other side still had complex emotions in his eyes. Hearing Ji Ning's words of congratulations, he snapped out of it. He felt secretly ashamed—faced with such a blow, his emotional recovery was slower than Ji Ning's, who had only cultivated for a little over thirty years. After all, among the three, two were destined not to be chosen.

"Congratulations, Brother Mu Chuan." Heishi also offered his congratulations.

Mu Chuan's eyes were full of joy, and he quickly said, "Brother Ji Ning, Brother Heishi, I was just lucky. The two of you are no less than me."

The Xia Emperor watched this scene from above and nodded slightly.

Ji Ning and Heishi had remarkable Dao-hearts. To have the opportunity of becoming a Dao Ancestor's disciple suddenly snatched away—such a blow might cause some people's Dao-hearts to collapse and lead to Qi Deviation. That Ji Ning and Heishi could quickly recover their clarity and rationality showed they were worthy of being in the top three of this Immortal Fortune Conference.

"Ji Ning, Heishi." The Xia Emperor spoke from above. "Do not be disheartened. I said that both of you can become disciples of Pure Yang True Immortals! I will help you choose the most suitable masters... If no one else accepts you, I, Xiamang Xun, will personally take you as my disciples. But I do not walk the path of the sword or formations, so I am not the most suitable master for you. Stay in the Grand Xia capital for three days. Within three days, I will send someone to see you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Ji Ning and Heishi both said respectfully.

"You two may withdraw," said the Xia Emperor. He held Ji Ning and Heishi in high regard. Whether it was the attack on the Six Paths of Reincarnation in the underworld that caused its collapse, or this Immortal Fortune Conference producing two disciples of Dao Ancestors, the Xia Emperor increasingly felt that this conference would give birth to heroes of the Three Realms.

Ji Ning and Heishi also had such potential!

"Junior Apprentice-Brother Mu Chuan, you may sit beside Junior Apprentice-Brother Dihao for now," said the Xia Emperor.

Mu Chuan held his breath.

Junior apprentice-brother?

The Xia Emperor called him junior apprentice-brother? Mu Chuan understood... From today on, his fate had taken a major turn; he was truly about to soar.

"Yes." Mu Chuan obediently walked forward, and Dihao grabbed him and made him sit beside him.

"Hm?" Mu Chuan saw the Celestial Immortal Fuhai across from him, and also the Ragged Daoist beside Fuhai. "Why is the Ragged Daoist sitting here?"

This was a gathering place for True Immortals and Celestial Immortals; even Celestial Immortals couldn't approach. How could the Ragged Daoist be here? And who was that man in the deep green dragon-scale armor?

...

Ji Ning sat back down behind King Yan, who comforted him: "Ji Ning, don't be discouraged. After all, you can still become a disciple of a Pure Yang True Immortal. If no other good Pure Yang True Immortal is available, at the very least you can become a disciple of His Majesty the Emperor. With His Majesty as your master, you'll have no worries in the Grand Xia world, and you won't need to fear the Shennong clan."

Ji Ning nodded slightly.

If he couldn't become a disciple of a Dao Ancestor, he would settle for the next best thing. Pure Yang True Immortals were already formidable figures in the Three Realms, and they might know something about the 'life or death of Three-Life Daoist.' Moreover, having a Pure Yang True Immortal as a master meant having a backing!

"Ji Ning." Yuchi Xiyue looked at him worriedly.

"Ji Ning." Yu Wei also looked at him.

Both were very concerned.

After sitting down, Ji Ning smiled lightly: "Whether the Dao Ancestor chooses me or not... I have no control over it! Regardless, I have done my utmost."

"Mm." Yu Wei and Yuchi Xiyue both breathed a sigh of relief. Ji Ning's Dao-heart was stronger and more steadfast than they had expected.

Ji Ning looked toward the gathering of True Immortals and Celestial Immortals in the distance and asked in a low voice: "How did Senior Apprentice-Brother get over there? And who is that man in the deep green dragon-scale armor in front of him?"

Yu Wei and Yuchi Xiyue exchanged glances.

Yuchi Xiyue spoke: "When you went to choose divine abilities earlier, that Celestial Immortal Fuhai arrived. He is a disciple of the Black Tortoise Grand Emperor, and he came to this Immortal Fortune Conference specifically to take the Ragged Daoist away."

"Take Senior Apprentice-Brother away?" Ji Ning was puzzled.

Yu Wei said: "Just now, when you weren't here, the whole main hall was buzzing with discussion. The divine ability Senior Apprentice-Brother displayed is called the 'Black Tortoise Grand Divine Ability,' created by the great power Black Tortoise Grand Emperor. In fact, Senior Apprentice-Brother... was already chosen by the Black Tortoise Grand Emperor long ago. He is being taken away now to truly study the Dao and cultivate immortality under the Black Tortoise Grand Emperor."

"What." Ji Ning was shocked.

Mu Chuan was a disciple of a great power, and Senior Apprentice-Brother had also become a disciple of a great power?

...