"Hmm?" Master Tengqiu outside the hall suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the Ancestor Master Statue with a faint look of shock on his face.
In the center of the hall, an older Daoist holding a pen in one hand and a register in the other had his eyes widened, not daring to be distracted for even a moment. He was specifically tasked with recording the grace of the Ancestor Master. In the past few decades, such a significant Abnormal Phenomenon had only occurred for the second time, the last being twenty years ago when Zhang Sheng was initiated.
The Ancestor Master Statue's eyes suddenly sparkled with life, and the entire statue seemed to come alive, looking down upon the disciples who were kneeling in worship.
Master Tengqiu appeared calm, but his hand instinctively tightened around his sleeve.
A radiance flowed throughout the Ancestor Master Statue, and suddenly a glint of light flew from its waist and entered the body of East Sea Yan Ming.
This outcome surprised everyone, including the Yan Family members outside the hall. Other people didn't know and thought that Yan Ming was just like the other students of the Taichu Palace, but the Yan Family knew well that Yan Ming actually belonged to the disciples of the Grotto Heaven below and was only studying at the Taichu Palace, planning to find a way to be officially recorded on the rolls after a few more years.
But now, Yan Ming had suddenly received the grace of the Ancestor Master, which changed everything. This was as if the Ancestor Master had personally chosen him!
The Yan Family Head was a tall, strong, and vigorous man, also the father of Yan Ming. Once he grasped what had happened, he was so overjoyed that he almost couldn't contain himself and fiercely pulled out a pearl from his waist pouch, ready to scatter it among the crowd.
Fortunately, he quickly realized that this was the Taichu Palace and that the surrounding crowd was composed of people from noble families. The East Sea Yan Family wouldn't rank even in the top ten, let alone the top three among these families. If he scattered the pearls now, he would offend too many people. Thankfully, his quick reaction allowed him to pull back at the edge of the cliff, and he quietly withdrew his hand.
The old Daoist in the middle of the hall who was recording everything clearly saw that the light had come from the jade pendant at the Ancestor Master's waist. This jade pendant, unlike the crown, was also a Magic Treasure of no small renown. The grace given was also out of the ordinary. Thus, the old Daoist made a mark next to Yan Ming's name and muttered to himself, "Well, this one is indeed fortunate."
A few young deacons standing nearby had pricked their ears and, upon hearing this, silently took note of Yan Ming's name.
Next, two more glints of light flew out from the statue, coming from the jade thumb ring and the book in its hands. Each entered the body of a youth. These two objects had even greater origins, especially the book, which could greatly enhance understanding, playing a huge role in overcoming tribulations during the later stages of cultivation. This was a major talent, so the old Daoist took careful note and wrote at length.
But the grace of the Ancestor Master was not over yet. Amidst the crowd's admiration, an Immortal Sword on the statue suddenly became crystal clear, bursting with radiance, and then a wave of Sword Intent shot into the body of Xiao Yu!
Although the Ancestor Master's treasures were many, in terms of importance for killing and fighting, the four Immortal Swords were second to none. This Sword Intent was clearly more significant than any previous grace.
The burly man slowly cracked a wide grin, laughing heartily, and turned to Zhang Sheng, "What do you think? My grandson Xiao Nian isn't bad, right?"
Zhang Sheng nodded earnestly, "Indeed, not bad at all! He only lacks an Immortal Sword compared to when I started."
Xiao Nian's smile froze on his face, the words he was about to say were all choked back.
He looked Zhang Sheng up and down for a moment, clicking his tongue in amazement, "No wonder they say that the disciples under Sky Blue Hall are exceptionally strong! As a disciple of your esteemed hall, if one isn't exceptionally strong, they probably wouldn't survive a few months outside."
Seeing that four people from Fengyuan County had already received the Ancestor Master's grace, but the phenomenal signs on the Ancestor Master Statue had not yet dissipated, some restlessness started in the crowd of onlookers. Suddenly, a ray of light shot out from the forehead of the Ancestor Master Statue and entered the body of Bao Yun!
Master Tengqiu's eyebrows raised as a look of shock flashed across his face.
The old Daoist responsible for recording trembled, almost dropping his brush to the ground. The brow's center is the Sea of Consciousness, where Wei Yuan was about to succeed; it's one of the most important parts of the Daoist body. From this, it can be inferred that the favor granted from the Ancestor Master Statue's brow was extraordinary.
But the old Daoist, deep in thought, searched his memory and couldn't recall anyone who had received such a favor. That is to say, the favor from the brow was most likely making its first appearance.
The people of the Bao Family, with their extraordinary insight, were ecstatic, even the always composed elder couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile. Bao Yun's divine gift was probably even more significant than Xiao Yu's Immortal Sword. However, whether it was superior or inferior to Zhang Sheng's two Immortal Swords was hard to say.
However, after Bao Yun received the divine gift, the Ancestor Master Statue's Abnormal Phenomenon did not disappear! So, everyone's gaze turned toward Wei Yuan.
Among those present were some who had eyes and ears everywhere, and many knew something special about Fengyuan County. Wei Yuan, who had excelled over many offspring of noble families in fiercely competitive Fengyuan County, clearly had outstanding talent. Also, it was well known that Wei Yuan's background was the Sky Blue Hall, which is equivalent to having no background – this made his being first in the exams even more valuable.
Thus, everyone was curious to see what divine gift Wei Yuan would receive and if it would surpass the record set by Zhang Sheng twenty years ago. If so, the master-disciple duo would be celebrated for a great story.
At this moment, in the high void, two terrifying presences had been locked in a standoff for an unknown amount of time, while Wei Yuan's consciousness, caught in between, couldn't move at all. The gaze from above no longer scrutinized Wei Yuan but was fixed on that desolate and ancient colossal object. And that colossal object, seemingly existing in another world, was now slowly drawing closer, as if it were finding a way to this world.
A sigh seemed to echo faintly in the sky, and Wei Yuan's consciousness was no longer bound, returning to his body like a swift returning to its nest. All illusions disappeared at that point.
By this time, everyone's sacrificial texts had already been recited, but since the Ancestor Master Statue's Abnormal Phenomenon hadn't disappeared, this group of disciples had to wait. When Wei Yuan opened his eyes, he saw a grey mist flying out from the giant stone under the statue's feet and entering his body.
Master Tengqiu's face showed confusion, and the old Daoist responsible for recording hesitated, too. He could now be certain that none of the past divine favors originated from the giant stone under the statue's feet.
A young Daoist deacon quietly asked his companion, "Isn't that stone just part of the natural ground? Could it also be part of the Ancestor Master Statue?"
The companion hesitated as well, "The statue is a statue, the foundation is a foundation... right?"
Not just the young Daoists were puzzled, the old Daoist recording was also struggling with whether to account this as a favor from the Ancestor Master. He understood clearly that the giant stone at the statue's feet was not a separate piece, but part of the mountain itself, with most of it actually beneath the temple floor tiles. Meaning, the giant stone was in fact part of the empty valley's suspended greenery, and not included in the Ancestor Master Statue.
However, at this moment, Master Tengqiu seemed to have remembered something and suddenly declared in a loud voice, "The six disciples from Fengyuan County have all received the blessing of the Ancestor Master! Next group."
With the decree from a Master, there was no longer any dispute. The old Daoist wrote rapidly, and Wei Yuan was counted as having received the Ancestor Master's divine gift. It wasn't until the last stroke was written that the old Daoist suddenly remembered something, and his brush trembled.
Three thousand eight hundred years ago, the Ancestor Master came from the west with a single sword, and the Boundary Stone he placed down when establishing the Taichu Palace seemed to be right under that statue.
This time, the six disciples from Fengyuan County had all received the Ancestor Master's divine gifts, surpassing the combined total of the previous four large states. With this turn of events, no one dared to question the number of slots allocated to Fengyuan County anymore, only left to admire the divine skills of the Gate Valve, which was deeply laid out and far-reaching.