Transmigrating over ten thousand years late, I was forced to become a mighty presence

Outside the courtyard, Tao Test participants from all the heavens stood rooted to the spot, their eyes filled with disbelief.

After personally witnessing the twelve tolls of the Tao bell at the city gates, various powers had inquired about everything pertaining to the Hundred Schools scholars, knowing their status to be far beyond that of any state’s king or noble, with only Emperor Zhou able to barely compare.

Although the Root of Heaven and Earth could be considered a top-tier Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure in the Luotian Realm, precious in the extreme, when facing a Taoist of the Taoism school, one could only gamble on a chance and even then, the hope for success was very slim.

But once Ji Zhaoyang caught the eye of that Taoist, he would have the opportunity to enter under the sect of the Taoism school and attain the status of a scholar of the Hundred Schools.

Keep in mind that even among the Tao Test participants, only a Void Refinery True Monarch could barely manage to be accepted into Jixia Academy, still far from the scholar position, let alone other cultivators who had not reached the Void Refining Stage.

For Ji Zhaoyang’s current situation, this was akin to ascending to the heavens in one step.

With this layer of identity for protection, as long as Ji Zhaoyang did not court death by leaving Linzi on his own, he could be sheltered by the Hundred Schools of Thought and Jixia Academy. If Ji Xuanyi still wished to act against Ji Zhaoyang, it would be akin to digging his own grave.

And this was already the limit of what the participating cultivators from various powers could imagine.

They could never have expected that Ji Zhaoyang was not only accepted into the school of Taoism but had directly become the disciple who received the master’s personal coaching, the Great Disciple of the Taoism school, entitled to represent the Taoist in the mortal world.

Even if the Taoism school were to be down and out with only the Taoist and Ji Zhaoyang remaining, as long as the Taoist was there, Ji Zhaoyang, as the Taoism school’s Great Disciple, would not be disregarded by anyone and his status as he roamed the world was above that of kings and nobles.

In essence, all powers present had created an insurmountable gulf between themselves and Ji Zhaoyang.

With sufficient reason, Ji Zhaoyang could even leverage the influence of the Taoism school, requesting Jixia Academy to suppress all the Tao Test participants.

In Linzi City, Ji Zhaoyang had already established a superior invincible position, possessing the greatest qualification to compete for the All-Worlds Luotian Convention’s fortunes.

And the price Ji Zhaoyang had paid was merely a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure known as the Root of Heaven and Earth.

Compared to the harvests of the future, the Root of Heaven and Earth is utterly insignificant.

Thinking this, a wave of uncontrollable envy rose among all the powers.

As the Great Sound of Silence spread throughout the entirety of Linzi City, Qi King’s Palace, Jixia Academy, and the Grotto Heavens of the Hundred Schools, there were great scholars who cast their gaze toward this very courtyard.

"Qi King congratulates the Great Disciple of the Taoism school on his return, and presents the supreme-grade Taoist artifact Gentleman’s Sword!"

"Jixia Academy congratulates the Great Disciple of the Taoism school on his return, and presents a set of Sage’s Robe and Hat!" @@novelbin@@

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"The School of Agrarianism congratulates the Great Disciple of the Taoism school on his return, and presents a Vernal Equinox Seed!"

"The Wealth School congratulates the Great Disciple of the Taoism school on his return..."

In Linzi City, voices of grandeur responded, the treasures gifted by various parties incited the red-eyed envy of the Tao Test participants, who wished they could immediately take Ji Zhaoyang’s place.

The Eldest Prince of the Yellow River Dragon Palace, Shao Yang, always maintaining composure, lost his calm and couldn’t help but clench his teeth and whisper:

"The number of supreme-grade Taoist artifacts within the Primal Chaos Realm is even fewer than those low-grade Immortal Artifacts, and Gentleman’s Sword is among the finest within the supreme-grade Taoist artifacts, with only three appearing in previous conventions.

One of the three Gentleman’s Swords belonged to my ancestor of the Little Clarity Void Grotto Heavens, and after his ascension to the Upper World, it was nurtured into a mid-grade Immortal Artifact.

Should a person of upright nature wield the Gentleman’s Sword and be favored by heaven and earth, overcoming stronger enemies across realms would not be out of the question."

The Eldest Prince of the Yellow River Dragon Palace’s smile also faded slowly.

"The Sage’s Robe and Hat are owned only by the top scholars of the Jixia Academy and wearing it signifies representing Jixia Academy to tour the nations, receiving treatment akin to a king.

Moreover, the Sage’s Robe and Hat itself is an exceedingly extraordinary treasure, possessing the ability to aid in understanding the Tao, and its protective and enhancing powers are comparable to a Taoist robe artifact."

The value of a Taoist robe artifact surpasses ordinary artifacts, not to mention that with its martial capabilities, in the Primal Chaos Realm, it is comparable to low-tier immortal artifacts like the Star-Shifting Banner that have passed down from the Upper World.

And Ji Zhaoyang’s gains were far from just these, the gifts sent by the Hundred Schools scholars were ones that the Tao Test participants simply did not know the value of; they might be even more extraordinary than the preceding two gifts.

Merely these gifts were enough to offset the loss of the Root of Heaven and Earth, and even exceed it.

Beams of light bearing numerous treasures fell into that courtyard.

The many Tao Test participants did not leave as a result, their eyes still fixed on the door of the courtyard.

After half an hour, the long-closed gate opened slowly, and a youth wearing a Confucian robe and ceremonial crown, with a longsword at his waist, stepped out leisurely, this person was Ji Zhaoyang.

Compared to before, Ji Zhaoyang had completely recovered from his injuries, and even the realm he was about to lose had once again stabilized, closing in on the threshold of the Return-to-Void Realm.

The seemingly plain Confucian robe appeared to blend with the Dao of this world, while the Gentleman’s Sword at his waist was innocuously sharp and potent, utterly transforming the previously disheveled Ji Zhaoyang.

Looking around, Ji Zhaoyang greeted everyone with a smile and a clasped-hand salute.

"Gentlemen, good afternoon!"

His voice was calm, but it carried a hint of a condescending tone, even when addressing the various Void Refining True Monarchs.

If this was before, the Void Refining True Monarchs from all the powers would have been irate and rebuked Ji Zhaoyang.

But now, even Zhao Yuan, the Marquis of Xinyang who stood in opposition to Ji Zhaoyang, also bowed his head proactively, not daring to meet Ji Zhaoyang’s gaze.

"You, have you truly entered under the tutelage of the Taoist?"