Free Web NovelChapter 280: Chapter 275: Senluo Ruins
"First place! And the rising star of this Spirit Selection Conference, Master Mu Chen!!"
Hearing his name, Mu Chen strode to the center of the high platform under everyone’s gaze. A beaming Lin Xiao welcomed him and announced to the crowd, "I’m sure everyone has noticed that this year’s Spirit Selection Conference was much different from previous years, and the difficulty was on another level. The reason for this is that I received a letter of appointment from the main guild this year, tasking me with a major mission within the Fenglan Empire. This mission is to select a young Honorary Elder for the Xuanling Guild!"
"WHOA!! An Honorary Elder! Doesn’t that mean he’ll have the same status as Master Lin Xiao?"
The entire crowd looked at Lin Xiao in astonishment. Selecting an Honorary Elder was no small matter. Why had Elder Lin Xiao only announced it now? Of course, there was a reason. The position of Honorary Elder was extremely important. If the news had been leaked beforehand, some Spirit Selectors might have been tempted to resort to illegal means, and the consequences would have been unimaginable. Therefore, aside from a few insiders, no one else had been notified. ƒrēewebnovel.com
"Heh heh... It’s true I didn’t tell everyone. But that’s not important anymore. What’s important is that a competition where the participants are ignorant of the full stakes is the fairest competition, isn’t it? Once personal gain is involved, the competition is no longer so pure."
Lin Xiao wore a genial smile. In truth, there was another, bigger reason he hadn’t announced it: Ma Bi. If he had revealed beforehand that the position of Honorary Elder was among the prizes, Ma Bi would have absolutely used every means at his disposal to secure the final victory, be it bribery or intimidation. For the past ten years, under the protection of the Imperial Capital, Marsburg City had already begun to show signs of arrogance and tyranny. Giving them an Honorary Elder on top of that—wouldn’t that be like letting them walk all over the Imperial Capital?
So, Lin Xiao had decided to abuse his authority just this once. If Ma Bi had won, the rewards he announced would not have included the Honorary Elder position. Instead, it would have been changed to an official Elder position within the Empire. As for the Honorary Elder, he would have just found one privately. After all, his superiors hadn’t demanded that he hold some grand selection ceremony. If Ma Bi didn’t win, then all the better. Announcing it after the competition was over wouldn’t be too late and would even create a pleasant surprise. Why wouldn’t he do it?
’It wasn’t announced? But how did Brother Xu know about it so long ago?’ A somewhat dazed Mu Chen shifted his gaze to Xu Fei, only to see him happily chatting with someone else. The person talking with Xu Fei was none other than his good friend, Da Wei. After a moment of contemplation, Mu Chen decided to ask about it properly after receiving his reward. He wasn’t the type of person to let questions fester in his mind.
"But aren’t Honorary Elders usually seniors with profound experience? Why choose a young person for the role?" an inspector suddenly stood up and asked. In his view, young people were impetuous, arrogant, and their rough edges had yet to be smoothed out. Having followed Lin Xiao for a long time, they were perfectly clear about the status an Honorary Elder held in the Spirit Selection Realm. It was precisely because they knew that they were resistant. How could a young brat be competent enough for such a lofty position?
"All of you, shut up," Lin Xiao said grimly, his brow furrowed. "What do you know? There are only three spots for Honorary Elders in the entire Spirit Selection Realm. The first belongs to the president of the main guild, an ancestor of unknown age whose Spirit Selector rank is as high as the Eighth Grade. It’s rumored his Pupil Technique can see through all the Illusion Realms in the world, and even... foresee the future... With such power, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the Ancestor of Spirit Selection. The second is me, Lin Xiao, who is already over eighty-five years old! Although my Spirit Selector rank is only Sixth Grade, I have transcended a limitation of the Spirit Selection Realm—the need to see with one’s eyes. But! You must understand that this world will never be ruled by old men. The ones who can create miracles will absolutely not be these old fogies who have lost their passion! We need an infusion of youth, a young representative to give all Spirit Selectors a proper direction! A tangible goal! That is why the third Spirit Selector absolutely cannot be another old fellow chosen for his seniority and age. The guild president has requested that, if possible, the candidate be no older than thirty! Do you understand what I’m saying?!"
Following Lin Xiao’s thunderous shout, all the inspectors, after a moment of stunned silence, replied in unison, "We understand!!"
"Very good!" Lin Xiao’s expression gradually returned to its beaming state. Looking at Mu Chen standing beside him, the fondness in his eyes grew ever stronger. ’At fifteen years old, he possesses a realm and ability that they might spend their entire lives trying to achieve. Those cold, indifferent purple eyes still float in my mind. The position of Honorary Elder... it can only be his!’
"Therefore, I will now present the final award! I hereby grant Mu Chen of Stone City the lifelong position of Honorary Elder! Whenever and wherever there is a branch of the Xuanling Guild, you will possess all the rights of its president, and you will have the ’Primary Right of Speech!’ That is to say, with a single word, you can overrule the decision of any Spirit Selection Guild president! However, your decisions can only be overturned by the other two Honorary Elders acting in unison!"
Lin Xiao’s words stunned everyone. So this was the power of an Honorary Elder. It was just a single privilege, but it was enough to place its holder at the very apex of all Spirit Selectors. In an instant, countless gazes of envy and admiration fell upon Mu Chen. It was an honor others could never hope to obtain in their entire lives, yet the white-robed young man on the stage had already received it at such a young age. However, where there was admiration, there was naturally also jealousy and hatred. And Ma Bi was the most prominent among the latter.
’Damn it, there was an Honorary Elder position! I was first place for three consecutive years, so why wasn’t I qualified for this kind of reward, while some little brat who just showed up gets this honor?! Lin Xiao, you old bastard, are you deliberately trying to force my hand? Fine! I, Ma Bi, will show you what regret is!’
With that thought, a murderous glint flashed in Ma Bi’s eyes. Unnoticed by the crowd, he grabbed the equally sullen Ma Gedan and left the Imperial Capital Square. As for where they went, no one knew...
A gentle breeze blew past, causing the empty sleeve of Mu Chen’s right arm to flutter in the wind. A disability... it was bound to draw attention. Countless eyes shifted to the young man’s right arm. So, it was true that when God closes a door, he opens a window.
"His arm..."
Wan Xian’Er’s bright eyes flickered. She finally understood why Mu Chen’s movements, despite being so skillful, had felt somewhat uncoordinated the first time he’d grilled meat for her. He had been using both his hand and his mouth to do things. Now she saw it—the uncoordinated feeling was because he didn’t have a right arm... She didn’t know if she was just slow, or if Mu Chen was just that good at hiding it, but she had only just now realized it.
"Ah... I knew he only had one arm from the first moment I saw him."
The one who spoke wasn’t Xu Fei, but Da Wei, a registrant who had suddenly appeared beside him. At this moment, his eyes were shrouded in a crimson glow, giving him a terrifying aura, as if he had become berserk and bloodthirsty.
"And this kind of cut isn’t congenital. It was... severed by someone’s spear... Tsk tsk, such a clean and neat cut. Even the break in the bone doesn’t have a single fracture line from the force. It’s perfectly smooth... The power of the Gold Attribute. It seems this was the work of a Gold Attribute Martial Artist of the Spear System. And an expert in Spear Technique, at that. Just what happened in this kid’s past?"
Da Wei rested his chin on one hand, and the Pupil Technique he was using instantly retracted. Unseen by anyone, a drop of cold sweat trickled down his cheek...
’A Gold Element Martial Artist? Spear Technique? Could it be *that* family?’ Wan Xian’Er frowned, lost in thought. However, after a brief moment, she immediately dismissed the idea. ’That family is an existence at the peak of the Extreme Martial Continent. How could they possibly inflict such an injury on a young boy from the edge of the Empire? It’s impossible. It was probably some other Gold Attribute Martial Artist who uses a spear.’ Wan Xian’Er thought to herself, but her eyes never left Mu Chen. Now there was one more mystery surrounding him. What was his true identity?
Mu Chen remained impassive, showing no sign of arrogance from having obtained the status of Honorary Elder. This undoubtedly made Elder Lin Xiao think even more highly of him. His ability, his temperament, his personality—everything suited the Elder’s taste. ’He’s low-key when he needs to be and assertive when he must be. Neither arrogant nor servile, with a steady heart. This is purely the demeanor of a Spirit Selection Grandmaster.’
"Mu Chen! This is the proof of your status as an Honorary Elder." Lin Xiao took out a box from his robes. The box was simple and unadorned, with no special features. Opening it revealed a palm-sized Jade Token. There was nothing carved on it; it was just a blank Jade Token.
"Use your Spiritual Power to carve a symbol on it. From now on, this symbol will be your mark as an Honorary Elder. No one can ever copy it, because any Spiritual Mark carved on this Inheritance Ancient Jade is transmitted directly to the headquarters of the Spirit Selection Guild. A Spiritual Mark... not even a god can replicate it." After speaking, Lin Xiao handed the Inheritance Ancient Jade directly to Mu Chen. "To be safe, you should carve it right now."
Mu Chen naturally understood what Lin Xiao was worried about. With so many people around, if they encountered someone skilled in the art of theft, the outcome would be a disaster. Fortunately, Mu Chen didn’t have a complex about naming things, and a Spiritual Mark quickly formed in his mind. The image of this mark was none other than his Purple Sky Demon Pupils. Focusing his spirit, he precisely controlled it and carved the symbol of the Purple Sky Demon Pupils in just a few seconds: a vertical purple pupil surrounded by six Binglan-colored snowflake imprints. It was unadorned, but it perfectly proved his identity.
"Good! Now I can finally stop worrying completely. Keep this Jade Token safe. You never know when you might need it someday." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Lin Xiao gave both the box and the Jade Token to Mu Chen, then nodded to the crowd and said, "This first prize is merely a bonus. The real rewards are still to come!"
"The second prize... a spot to enter the Senluo Ruins..."
