Primordial Emperor
Chapter 56: Such a genius, why didn’t you say so earlier?

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Such a genius, why didn’t you say so earlier?

Jade Cauldron Sect, atop the main peak—Jade Cauldron Peak.

Within the Council Hall.

At this moment, besides the Peak Master of the Third Peak, Lu Feiyun, and the Peak Master of the Ninth Peak, Zhao Rushi, who were absent, the masters of the other ten peaks were all inside the Council Hall.

Today was the last day of the Jade Cauldron Sect’s selection and competition for new disciples. All the new disciples’ results had been tested, and now it was time for the peak masters to choose their disciples.

Since the masters of the Third Peak and the Ninth Peak were occupied with important matters and could not attend, they had sent the senior disciples from their respective peaks to select on their behalf.

Within the Jade Cauldron Sect, every session of disciple selection would see each peak typically choosing a few disciples, except for the Twelfth Peak, Jade Bird Peak, managed by Yang Yuemin.

Yang Yuemin had always been accustomed to a lazy attitude; she let things take their own course, which frankly meant she was a bit unreliable.

However, she was still very proud at heart. She looked down on those with average talent, and the talented ones were not allowed by the Jade Cauldron Sect to be chosen by her, so to date, the Jade Bird Peak only had three disciples.

The youngest of whom was none other than the granddaughter of the Sect Leader of the Jade Cauldron Sect, Xu Ma’an.

Xu Ma’an had been devoted to seeking the Dao in recent years, being at a critical period for a breakthrough in his cultivation; thus, he was often in seclusion, not even making an appearance for the five-yearly recruitment ceremony.

Therefore, apart from the disciples of previous years, it had been a long while since Jade Cauldron Peak recruited any new disciples.

The reason Xu Ma’an was at ease leaving his granddaughter to be taught by Yang Yuemin, instead of the other eleven reliable and responsible peaks, was simply because his granddaughter was like a little witch who he couldn’t handle.

Yet, when Xu Lianyu met Yang Yuemin, she felt as though she had met a kindred spirit and immediately kowtowed to become her disciple, because their personalities were strikingly similar.

One witch, one little witch...

At this moment, the subordinate disciples reported all of this year’s new recruits’ results.

The peak masters in attendance couldn’t help but frown deeply.

"Alas, it gets worse every year. The best talent this year is only a medium spirit grade physique."

"The noble families in the major cities have become too complacent in recent years. It’s disappointing that their heavenly prides have only amounted to this."

"Well, isn’t it precisely because their teachings bore no fruit that they sent them to our Jade Cauldron Sect? Inherent deficiency can be made up for with diligent effort."

The peak masters expressed their viewpoints. Over the years, they had held great hope for each cohort of recruits, wishing to see outstanding heavenly prides, yet they were disappointed time and again.

The previous cohort at least had one with a high-grade spirit physique, but this time they only had a mid-grade. Not even a profound grade physique had been seen for many years.

And these were all disciples from the great families of the capital cities.

Considering the talent of offspring from major families, with access to abundant cultivation resources, was only so-so, they had virtually lost hope for those from remote towns and villages.

All the elders who went on recruitment missions reported back one by one on the disciples they had brought back, leaving only Ning Shangfeng from the remote locations.

Ning Shangfeng looked at the other peak masters, especially when his gaze fell on Yang Yuemin of the Twelfth Peak, he was at a loss for words, not knowing how to report.

"Ning Shangfeng, what’s with the hesitancy? Just report the disciples you’ve recruited."

"Can’t you tell, Senior Brother Wang? He obviously only recruited a bunch of good-for-nothings and is too embarrassed to speak up. What good seedlings could there possibly be from such remote and backward places? It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t report."

Zhang Dachu, the master of the Seventh Peak, was always outspoken and hot-tempered. Seeing Ning Shangfeng’s hesitant manner, he couldn’t help but speak out.

Upon hearing this, the other peak masters sighed and showed agreement.

Meanwhile, Yang Yuemin sat in her chair and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She was also afraid that if Lin Chen’s talent was exposed, everyone would compete with her for the disciple.

At this moment, the seventh senior brother had indeed done her a great favor by suggesting to skip Ning Shangfeng’s report, which she naturally agreed with wholeheartedly.

"No, Ning Shangfeng, you must still report according to the rules."

"Even if there are no good candidates, we can’t abandon our principles. This way, when we select disciples later, we can ensure fairness to each one."

Li Xuanming, the peak master of the First Peak, had an old-fashioned personality and was stubborn in his ways, so he still insisted that Ning Shangfeng report.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yuemin felt an immense headache as she rested her jade hand against her forehead.

As expected, she couldn’t get past the second senior brother’s barrier. That old geezer, she thought, she would have to find an opportunity to shave off all the beard he had painstakingly grown.

"This year, Desolate Sky City recruited ten students, among whom the highest in cultivation is at the Spirit Gathering Realm Fourth Level, with a Mortal Grade Superior Physique."

"The second highest in cultivation is..."

Ning Shangfeng began to report the detailed information of the recruits to the various peak masters. However, as soon as he was halfway through, the expressions of several peak masters turned indifferent, and some even appeared impatient. They were not interested in recruits of such aptitude, feeling it would have been better not to report at all.

Thus, these peak masters expressed that it would be better to let their own disciples take charge of the recruitment. They turned around, preparing to leave.

Watching the peak masters about to depart, a smile curved on the corners of Yang Yuemin’s mouth.

However, afraid that he would miss out on his reward, Ning Shangfeng suddenly raised his voice again.

"Among the new disciples recruited by Desolate Sky City, there is one named Lin Chen, who is only at the ninth level of Body Tempering Realm, but..."

"He has Superior Aptitude, his physique is the Spirit Grade Extreme Yang Body!"

As soon as Ning Shangfeng’s words fell, the Council Hall became silent as a grave, and the peak masters who had stood up were petrified. Yang Yuemin glared at Ning Shangfeng with icy eyes.

"What did you say? Repeat what you just said."

Zhang Dachu’s form flashed, and he quickly appeared in front of Ning Shangfeng, his imposing aura instantly overwhelming Ning Shangfeng, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Superior Aptitude, Spirit Grade Physique, Extreme Yang Body!"

Ning Shangfeng reiterated.

"You old fool, with such great talent, why didn’t you start with that instead of saving it for last?"

Zhang Dachu first thought he had misheard, but when Ning Shangfeng confirmed the news again, he knew he had heard of Superior Aptitude and even a Spirit Grade Physique. This excited him immensely.

How many years had it been since they had recruited a disciple with Superior Aptitude, and among them, even the rare Extreme Yang Body from the Spirit Grade Physique?

The other peak masters also gathered around Ning Shangfeng, putting immense pressure on him.

Ning Shangfeng quietly complained inwardly, thinking it was their own fault for only asking him at the very end.

The reason he had hesitated to reveal Lin Chen’s information until the end was that Ning Shangfeng was internally conflicted whether to make public the information about this prodigy.

If he did not reveal Lin Chen’s information now, the boy’s talent would surely come to light within the sect sooner or later. Once the other peak masters investigated, they would undoubtedly discover his concealment.

Moreover, if he did not mention it, how would he claim his reward?

Meanwhile, upon the grand hall, Yang Yuemin’s complexion was far from pleasant. She knew a tough battle was ahead. She was aware that the time had come to show her wisdom.