96: Chapter 96 Kind-hearted

After Lin Bei appeared, he had absolutely no intention of passing through the archway.

Instead, he sprawled directly onto the archway and started prying at the seven colored crystals.

Though it looked like he was prying, he had actually already activated his Empty Hand Skill.

"What... what is he doing?"

"What the... you can even do that?"

"This... prying... at the door?"

The crowd of trial-takers in the square was instantly stunned, and even the old man in the sky was momentarily dazed.

He had presided over the Sacred Heart Mansion recruitment trials several times, but he had truly never encountered something like this.

In that brief instant, all seven crystals fell into Lin Bei's hands.

Jiang Yunyi muttered to himself in the distance, "As expected of Brother Lin, he'd pluck a feather off a passing goose..."

"Kid down there! What are you doing?" The old man presiding over the trial in the air finally regained his senses and shouted a question, his Saintly might permeating the air.

"Senior, I'm helping you!" Lin Bei blinked his large, innocent eyes.

"Helping me?" The old man was almost laughed out of anger. "You're disrupting the trial, yet you dare say you're helping me?"

If it weren't inappropriate to strike in such a setting, the old man would have already slapped him down. Even if he didn't kill him, he would have at least beaten the kid into a paraplegic.

Lin Bei remained silent for several breaths, feeling somewhat disappointed when he still didn't hear a System notification.

It seemed that getting these Saints to kill him was going to be difficult!

"Senior, listen to my sophistry... no! Listen to my explanation!" He looked up and gazed at the old man with a serious expression.

"Explanation? Explanation my foot! Your eligibility to join the Sacred Heart Mansion is revoked. Put down the crystals and get lost immediately!"

It was clear that this old man had a fiery temper.

"Wait! Fellow Daoist Tianyuan, I actually find this kid quite interesting. Why not hear what he has to say?"

It was Saint Mingyu, who had just given the speech on behalf of the Saint group, who spoke up for Lin Bei.

Lin Bei suddenly felt a bit ashamed; after all, he had been daydreaming during the other's speech earlier...

"Fine!" Saint Tianyuan couldn't very well disregard the other's Face. "Kid, then this old man will listen to your sophistry..."

"Senior," Lin Bei smoothly pocketed the seven crystals, "although you said earlier that this archway is mainly for testing age and we shouldn't focus on things like Aptitude."

"The reality is, with these crystals here, the prodigies present will inevitably focus on their own and others' Aptitude..."

"As a result, one Cultivator finishes and there's a period of discussion, then another finishes and there's a period of shock—how long will this take to finish?"

"Especially that Ming Daozi, that blonde guy from the Northern Frontier, and oh, that bald guy from the Western Desert!" Lin Bei pointed his finger at each of them in turn.

The blonde man from the Northern Frontier and the bald man from the Western Desert were stunned.

What the hell does this have to do with us?

Lin Bei continued, "These guys clearly want to show off big time. Who knows how much time will be delayed when that happens!"

"And for us Cultivators, what is time? It is life!"

"You Seniors were limited by your Lifespan and emerged from the divine source during this Golden Great Era precisely to charge toward higher Realms!"

"Time is even more crucial for you! How can it be wasted here watching us Juniors show off?"

"Therefore! This Junior took the liberty to dismantle these crystals directly, so everyone can focus wholeheartedly on checking their age!"

After Lin Bei finished his impassioned speech, the square had long since fallen silent.

The hearts of many self-confident prodigies were broken.

You're basically saying you just don't want to see us show off!

"Young friend, I wonder which part of the Ancient Continent you hail from?"

After a long silence, a Saint in the sky spoke up and asked.

His attitude was surprisingly kind, leaving the crowd below dumbfounded once again.

Lin Bei was also surprised, but he still replied respectfully, "This Junior comes from the Eastern Wasteland!"

"Good, good, good! Rare, truly rare!" The Saint who asked the question nodded repeatedly.

Then, with a wave of his hand, a Flying Sword with a small section broken off appeared before Lin Bei.

"This is a damaged Saint Weapon. I gift it to you for self-defense!"

The gathered Cultivators watched, completely stunned.

This actually works?

However, it wasn't over yet!

A female Saint among the Saint seats, who still looked quite charming, smiled.

"I thank Fellow Daoist Yunkong for his gift to a Junior of my Eastern Wasteland. If we Eastern Wasteland Saints don't show some appreciation, wouldn't it seem too stingy?"

As she spoke, another Medicinal Pill appeared before Lin Bei.

"Young friend, this Half-Saint Pill is your reward. It is very good that the Eastern Wasteland can produce a young Cultivator like you!"

In the distance, Jiang Yunyi and the others exchanged strange looks.

They recognized this female Saint; she was a former Zifu Holy Maiden from ten thousand years ago.

"I wonder if this female Saint would still think it's 'very good' if she knew the Cultivator before her had abducted their Holy Land's Saintess..."

"Thank you, Senior!" Lin Bei was truly at a loss.

Are Saints really this easy to fool?

How could he know that his words had actually struck a deep chord of empathy with these Saints!

Saints might look glorious on the surface, but they were suffering inside!

divine source liquid was incredibly precious. Even top-tier powers like Holy Lands, Imperial Dynasties, and Ancient Families didn't have much in stock.

If a Saint didn't truly have very little Lifespan left, they wouldn't seal themselves in divine source.

It could be said that the threat to their Lifespan was far more serious than Lin Bei imagined.

More than half of the Saints present had only reluctantly come to watch the recruitment because they couldn't refuse the Sacred Heart Mansion's invitation.

Otherwise, they wouldn't want to stop their cultivation for even a moment.

"Sigh!" Saint Tianyuan of the Sacred Heart Mansion sighed softly. "It was my lack of consideration. Thank you, young friend!"

His attitude now was worlds apart from before.

Niu Ren and Ma Hu's jaws nearly hit the ground.

"Bi... Bird Brother, is our Boss Lin actually such a warm-hearted person?" Ma Hu asked with a Face full of admiration.

"Uh..." Kunkun struggled for a long time before replying, "That's right, the Boss is just that warm-hearted. Once in a forbidden land, he selflessly sent thousands of immobile Cultivators home one by one!"

"Ah? Brother Lin is actually such a good person!" Wang Shirui listened with an excited Face.

Zixia and Shangguan Yue rolled their eyes. Truly, like master, like bird!

Only Luo Qingcheng stepped forward and scooped up the Fire Bird. "Heehee... Right, right, right, little bird said it so well! Brother-in-law's little bird is so cute!"

Over there, Saint Tianyuan looked down, his voice shaking the entire square.

"This young friend is absolutely right, time must not be wasted! Now, everyone, proceed with the age test at top speed, then enter the Splendid Mountain and River Map to begin the trial!"

As he spoke, Saint Tianyuan pointed a finger.

The archway in front of Lin Bei instantly grew several times larger.

"Damn! Did this old man take stimulants?" He muttered secretly and returned to the girls' side, not mentioning a word about returning the seven colored crystals.

"Boss Lin!"

Seeing Ma Hu's Face full of admiration, Lin Bei felt completely bewildered.

After the archway enlarged, several people could pass through at once. Coupled with Saint Tianyuan's constant urging, the speed was incredibly fast.

As the prodigies passed through, they looked at the seven empty depressions on the archway, wanting to cry but having no tears.

What was originally such a good opportunity to make a name for themselves was gone just like that...

Two hours passed, and more than half of the Cultivators in the square had completed their checks.

Saint Tianyuan gave a bitter laugh; in the past, this stage would have lasted for about three to five days.

Lin Bei looked at the people around him. "Those of you who plan to join the Sacred Heart Mansion should go!"

"Brother-in-law, are you really not going?" Luo Qingcheng pouted. "Then I'm not going either..."

Before the other girls could speak, the sky suddenly darkened, and a massive scroll stretched across the heavens and earth.

Lin Bei looked up. It was just a very simple landscape painting, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to contain an entire world.

"Hmm?" Shangguan Yue's expression changed, and her hands began performing divination techniques.

Lin Bei noticed her actions, and his expression froze.

No way? What a coincidence?