Free Web NovelChapter 360: Chapter 203: Who Made the Crystal Burst?
The Little Daoist Child eyed the young couple, figuring they were likely newlyweds out for a tour.
Su Liyan leaned over and asked gently, "Little Daoist Child, is this the Divine Martial Hall for certifying Celestial Masters?"
"Of course. Everyone who comes in is here to register as a Celestial Master." The Little Daoist Child lifted his haughty little face. As he did, his gaze inadvertently drifted downward, and his face instantly flushed red.
Lu Yuan said, "Little Daoist Child, how do you know we aren’t here to register as Celestial Masters?"
The Little Daoist Child was momentarily speechless. He then took an egg-sized Crystal Stone from a box on the table and said, "If you can make this glow, I’ll let you both in."
Lu Yuan took the Crystal Stone. He only needed to inject a sliver of his Spiritual Power, and the crystal lit up.
The Little Daoist Child nonchalantly took back the Crystal Stone. "Go on in," he said. "Someone inside will guide you."
This egg-sized Crystal Stone was an Entry Level Identification Stone. To put it plainly, its only purpose was to determine if someone had the aptitude to cultivate as a Celestial Master.
Even for those who were on the right path, many would spend their entire lives trying and failing to register as a Celestial Master.
Lu Yuan and Su Liyan entered the Divine Martial Hall. Lu Yuan muttered, "Are all kids so cocky these days?"
Su Liyan smiled behind her hand but said nothing.
Lu Yuan hadn’t said it in front of the Little Daoist Child, afraid the boy would snap back with something like, ’Are you blind? You think I’m a three-year-old? I’m twenty-eight!’
Inside, a man was juggling a round Bronze Medal in his hands, admiring it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
A crowd of people had gathered around him.
The round Bronze Medal was the symbol of a Grand Celestial Master.
’Wait, isn’t that...?’
"Daoist Longchuan!" Lu Yuan blurted out.
The man juggling the Bronze Medal looked up and saw it was Lu Yuan and his wife, Su Liyan.
Daoist Longchuan’s hands trembled. He fumbled with the medal, nearly dropping it before finally getting a firm grip on the token just issued by Guyang Temple.
"Hello, hello, long time no see!" Daoist Longchuan eagerly walked over to greet them.
"Who are those two? The Grand Celestial Master is being so polite to them," the crowd murmured. They were all there to get certified.
A new Grand Celestial Master hadn’t been certified in days, so Daoist Longchuan’s recent promotion had earned him a round of applause from the crowd.
"Still fond of your foreign phrases, I see, Daoist Longchuan," Lu Yuan joked. "Congratulations on becoming a Grand Celestial Master! So, how about it? Why not come back to Taiping City with us?"
Lu Yuan was hoping to recruit Daoist Longchuan, as they had a friendly history.
Daoist Longchuan glanced at Su Liyan, who was holding Lu Yuan’s arm. He gave her a respectful smile before saying, "I’m used to wandering alone. I’ve grown accustomed to the freedom."
"Alright then. Let’s have a drink later when we go down the mountain," Lu Yuan said, still treating him with utmost courtesy.
"Sure," said Daoist Longchuan. "You’re here to get certified too, right? I knew you had the talent to become a Celestial Master! Come on, follow me. I’ll let you cut in line—oh, no, I mean, I have the authority to recommend you, so you don’t have to queue."
Daoist Longchuan led the way, guiding them past the crowd and into a room.
Two Daoists stood inside the room. In the center stood a three-meter-tall, pillar-shaped crystal engraved with hash marks every ten centimeters.
Beside the crystal pillar was a bed made of stone.
The two Daoists glanced at Su Liyan, likely recognizing that she was of the Half-demon Race.
One of the Daoists spoke. "Daoist Longchuan, you just left. Why are you back already?"
"Well," said Daoist Longchuan, "a friend of mine wants to give it a try."
"Please lie on the stone bed, put on the Stone Helmet, and release your Spiritual Power. Make the light in the crystal rise as high as you can," the other Daoist instructed.
’Are they about to give me an EEG?’ Lu Yuan thought. ’Do I need an MRI, too?’
Seeing such an advanced testing method, on top of that tattered ancient book from the Dongchang Prefecture Yamen, made Lu Yuan suspect he wasn’t the only transmigrator.
As Lu Yuan lay down on the stone bed, a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes, sensing the Spiritual Power circulating within his sea of consciousness, and slowly channeled it into the Stone Helmet.
The Stone Helmet resonated with the crystal pillar. A light began to creep up from the pillar’s base...
Daoist Longchuan commented from the side, "Not bad. The first time I tried this, it didn’t even reach half a meter."
The two Daoists nodded. One of them said, "Indeed. To have such an achievement at his age is remarkable. It reminds me of my grandfather’s day..."
Lu Yuan circulated his Spiritual Power just a bit, and the crystal pillar instantly lit up another ten hash marks, bringing the total to fifteen.
’A Celestial Master?’ Daoist Longchuan thought. ’Damn it all. A moment ago, I was planning on consoling him. It took me four attempts to successfully register as a Celestial Master, yet Lu Yuan managed to reach a meter and a half on his very first try.’
Reaching a height of one meter meant one’s Spiritual Power had already reached the level of a Celestial Master. After all, inscribing Talismans didn’t just test one’s skill with a brush; it was also an incredibly draining process for one’s Spiritual Power.
After Lu Yuan entered a meditative state, the crystal pillar lit up another twelve hash marks.
"Twenty-seven!" Daoist Longchuan shouted. "Holy crap! I busted my ass just to light up twenty-one. Is it really that easy?"
Reaching two meters meant one had already achieved the standard of a Grand Celestial Master.
The gap between one and two meters might not have seemed large, but at that level, the difficulty of raising it another ten centimeters increased exponentially.
The Daoists of Guyang Temple had never seen anyone light up 25 hash marks on the three-meter-tall crystal pillar.
It was like a thermometer that went up to 42 degrees; a fever of 39 degrees was common, but a fever of 41 degrees was exceedingly rare, despite the small two-degree difference.
At this point, Lu Yuan couldn’t hear any sounds from the outside world, as if he were fast asleep.
Lu Yuan felt like he wasn’t even using his full strength. Deep in his meditative state, he could feel the Spiritual Power within his sea of consciousness surging out of him.
Daoist Longchuan stood to the side, staring at the crystal and calling out the count as the marks lit up.
"Twenty-eight!"
"Twenty-nine!"
"Thirty!"
The crystal erupted in a brilliant flash of light, illuminating the entire room so brightly that it was almost blinding.
Daoist Longchuan shielded his eyes with his sleeve, muttering, "Good heavens, what is going on?!"
The crowd outside saw the light pouring from the room and couldn’t believe their eyes.
"Wasn’t it a young couple that just went in?"
"Yeah, I saw them plain as day. A young couple, the ones the new Grand Celestial Master led inside."
"What are the odds, witnessing the birth of two Grand Celestial Masters in one day."
"Don’t get ahead of yourselves. There are still two more trials."
...
The brilliantly glowing crystal pillar began to make a sizzling sound. Only Su Liyan could sense that the crystal was tearing apart from the inside. It couldn’t bear the strain; if this continued, it would likely shatter.
Su Liyan called out softly, "Yuan~"
Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it pierced the depths of Lu Yuan’s soul, pulling him out of his meditative state.
Lu Yuan came to, took off the Stone Helmet, and stood up. Looking at the crystal, which was still glowing brightly, he asked, "So, how’d I do?"
Daoist Longchuan’s mouth hung open. He was utterly speechless, unable to snap out of his shock for a long time.
One of the Daoists from Guyang Temple said, "Your Spiritual Power has reached the level of a Grand Celestial Master."
Lu Yuan wasn’t surprised. He had a clear understanding of his own capabilities.
After Daoist Longchuan came to his senses, he grabbed Lu Yuan’s hand and exclaimed, "Master, this little brother is in absolute awe of you!"
Lu Yuan pulled his hand back. "Daoist Longchuan, there’s no need for that. Let’s head to the next room."
Lu Yuan had noticed as soon as he entered the Divine Martial Hall that the three rooms inside were for testing abilities, and each had a line of people waiting outside.
"Come, I’ll take you to the next room," Daoist Longchuan said enthusiastically, his heart filled with immense admiration for Lu Yuan. ’To have grown so terrifyingly powerful in less than two years.’
Amid the envious stares of the crowd, Lu Yuan entered the second room.
Before Lu Yuan could even learn the rules for the second trial, he heard an explosion from the first room.
The door and windows were blasted open.
"Daoist, this... this wasn’t my doing!" a middle-aged man said, waving his hands in a panic, looking utterly aggrieved.
"What!"
"The crystal exploded?"
Everyone in the Divine Martial Hall rushed to the scene of the explosion, staring at the crystal fragments scattered across the floor.
"Was it that man? His power must be incredible."
"That man actually made the crystal explode!"
"Who was it that pushed the crystal until it burst?"
