Then, Gu Yuan saw that most of the other people undergoing assessment around him had already collapsed on the ground.

Some of them had faces full of panic and fear, shouting loudly...

Some were gritting their teeth, faces full of resentment...

Some had faces glowing red, laughing with greed in their eyes...

Some were showing sadness, tears streaming down as they muttered something...

Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, surprise, fear, and sadness.

The people present displayed various reactions, with all sorts of expressions.

"Although I came down the mountain this time to recruit some disciples, I won't accept just anyone. In my eyes, talent is important, but so are temperament and will!"

Then, He Ling True Master, with a face as calm as water, glanced at Gu Yuan, Niu Youde, and a few others before waving his sleeve:

"So, you people with poor temperament and weak will, you can leave!"

Immediately, more than eighty percent of the crowd became tumbling gourds, collapsing awkwardly on the ground.

Although these people were regretful and unwilling, they didn't dare to say anything more in front of He Ling True Master, nor did they have the courage to show their displeasure, leaving dejectedly.

Only more than forty people remained at the scene.

Many felt a chill in their hearts.

The first round of assessment had already eliminated more than half of the candidates.

It seemed that Medicine King Mountain was indeed not easy to enter!

Gu Yuan looked around and found that a few of his acquaintances were still present.

Such as Xia Xiuxue, Niu Youde, as well as Lu Ming and Yu Zhengmao.

Except for the carefree Niu Youde, Xia Xiuxue and the others felt somewhat lucky.

They had almost failed the temperament assessment.

As for Li Changqing, he stood calmly as if unaffected.

He Ling True Master put away the treasure mirror from earlier, and now held a jade plate in his hand.

The jade plate seemed to be carved from a piece of pure white jade, looking crystal clear, with dense and strange patterns inside, exuding a mysterious aura.

He Ling True Master tossed the jade plate, which emitted a dazzling seven-colored light with flowing restriction runes on the surface.

When the light dimmed, the jade plate floated before the crowd, gently oscillating.

He Ling True Master spoke indifferently:

"You people have barely passed the temperament and will assessment, let's proceed to test your aptitude."

As he said this, he raised an eyebrow, as if sensing something, and looked in a certain direction, "Since two fellow Daoists are here, why not show yourselves?"

"Fellow Daoist He Ling, with such keen vision, today is a fine day for recruiting disciples, this old Daoist came to join the excitement, I hope fellow Daoist He Ling will not mind."

Accompanied by a crisp and tender voice, two escape lights flew over and landed in the courtyard.

When the escape lights faded, two human figures appeared.

One was an elderly figure, short and chubby, with a rosy complexion, draped in an ink-green brocade robe, and wearing a jade ring on his hand, looking like a wealthy landlord from the countryside.

This elder was none other than Baochan True Master of the Gu God Sect!

As for the other, it was surprisingly a child about four feet tall, with red lips and white teeth, chubby and exquisitely carved!

This child wore a Taoist robe, though young and delicate in appearance, the aura he exuded was even more profound than Baochan True Master.

His eyes were filled with both the innocence of a newborn and the depth of one who has experienced life.

On his back was a small treasured sword more than a foot long.

Upon seeing this person, He Ling True Master stepped forward a few paces, and his usually indifferent expression surprisingly showed a bit of a smile as he cupped his hands in salutation:

"Fellow Daoist Xingyunzi, your presence brings me great joy."

"Brother He Ling, you only mentioned fellow Daoist Xingyunzi and ignored me, could it be you're not welcoming me?"

Baochan True Master chimed in with a smile.

"For fellow Daoist Xingyunzi, I would naturally roll out the welcome mat."

He Ling True Master snorted coldly, "As for you, refraining from drawing my sword against you is already giving you face."

"Then I must thank you for sparing my face, brother."

Baochan True Master heard this and wasn't angry; instead, he replied with a chuckle.

He wasn't here to fight today but to enjoy the festivity.

Moreover, He Ling True Master was skilled and straightforward in sword arts, a person of one word, who is direct and frank, essentially having a straightforward personality with a strong temperament, so there was no need to get into a dispute with him over this matter.

"You two arguing like this unnecessarily makes a spectacle for the juniors, what's the point?"

Seeing the two had a hint of friction in their words, Xingyunzi interjected to mediate:

"To avoid any conflict, how about considering it on my behalf, and both take a step back to make peace for the time being?"

With Xingyunzi's words, He Ling True Master and Baochan True Master exchanged glances. Surprisingly, He Ling True Master ceased further commentary and nodded:

"Since fellow Daoist Xingyunzi has spoken, I will give you face."

Upon seeing this, Gu Yuan was secretly astonished.

He Ling True Master and Baochan True Master were both significant senior figures in Medicine King Mountain and Gu God Sect, respectively, and were themselves Golden Core Great Cultivators.

Their identities and status were such that few could compare throughout Qinzhou.

This was evident from the normally arrogant Li Changqing who was at this moment cautious and silent.

Yet, both these Golden Core Great Cultivators seemed somewhat apprehensive of Xingyunzi. Even the proud He Ling True Master had restrained himself noticeably.

It seemed Xingyunzi's background was indeed extraordinary!

As for his somewhat young appearance, that was not surprising.

Practitioners often cultivate various incredible divine techniques and, upon reaching a certain stage with prolonged life spans, they can rejuvenate or retain eternal youth.

Thus, one should not solely rely on appearance to judge a person's age.

Among Daoist elites, many present themselves as childlike figures through divine techniques to roam the world and comprehend the great way of the heavens and earth.

The reason Xingyunzi's appearance seemed so youthful was likely due to cultivating some special divine technique.

Xingyunzi scanned Gu Yuan and others, and upon seeing Niu Youde and Li Changqing, his gaze paused slightly, as he smiled and said:

"I'm an uninvited guest, a troublesome intruder, so I won't trouble the fellow Daoist further. The guest follows the host; please proceed as you wish, fellow Daoist."

"You're too kind, fellow Daoist."

He Ling True Master nodded slightly before turning to Gu Yuan and others: "You all can come one by one."

"You, come over, let's start with you."

He Ling True Master randomly pointed at a person and explained simply, "This item is the treasure of our Medicine King Mountain for assessing one's roots and is called the Profound Mechanism Disc. You only need to place your hand on it, and it will naturally reflect your aptitude."

"Thank you, True Master."

The young man nodded in understanding, bowed to He Ling True Master, and then stepped forward to place his hand on the Profound Mechanism Disc.

Gu Yuan and the others watched in silence, fixing their eyes on the young man.

Before long, the Profound Mechanism Disc began to emit a faint spiritual light.

The spiritual light transformed into a vividly detailed tiger with a broad back and strong shoulders, which roared towards the sky before dissipating.

"Tiger back, medium aptitude."

He Ling True Master saw this and shook his head slightly, "This aptitude is somewhat lacking. If you're willing, you can become a servant disciple. If not, it's up to you."

"Servant disciple? This..."

Upon hearing this, not just the young man's face changed, but many others present also did not look pleased.

After all, quite a few among them had medium aptitude.

If this young man's tiger back talent wasn't enough, wouldn't the outcome be the same for them too?

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