93: Two Choices for the Sect Leader of Tianshan Sect

Tianshan, halfway up the mountain.

This was the place where a large number of ordinary Disciples and Elders of the Heavenly Mountain Sect lived.

Compared to the desolation and coldness inside the Tianshan Pavilion at the summit of Tianshan, the temperature halfway up the mountain was still quite low, but at least it was not covered in ice and snow all year round.

Furthermore, as it was currently the height of summer, the entire mountainside presented a scene of greenery and vibrant life, with countless Disciples coming and going, making it incredibly lively.

However, within this bustling area halfway up Tianshan, there was one region that was peaceful and silent.

There were no buildings in the area, only a classical and elegant small courtyard standing within it.

And this was precisely the courtyard where the Heavenly Mountain Sect's Innate Golden Core Grandmaster—Gu Changsheng—resided!

"Sect Master, Wang Yu, the martial arts teacher of Tianshan Pavilion, has brought his Disciple Lin Yi to seek an audience."

Outside the small courtyard, a voice suddenly rang out. Wang Yu, dressed in green robes, had brought Lin Yi here; he knocked on the courtyard gate and spoke respectfully.

"Let Lin Yi come in!"

"Yes! Sect Master!"

A leisurely voice echoed from the courtyard. Wang Yu and Lin Yi responded upon hearing it, after which Wang Yu pushed the door open and let Lin Yi enter alone.

Only then did Lin Yi see the true appearance of this courtyard.

It was a courtyard only about half an acre in size. The buildings inside were very simple, consisting of only three classically styled tiled houses.

Outside the tiled houses, there was a pond, a patch of cultivated land, and a peach tree of unknown species that was nonetheless covered in bright pink peach blossoms despite the low temperatures of the Tianshan mountainside.

At this moment, as a breeze blew through the sky, petals of peach blossoms rustled down from the tree, carrying an endless fragrance of peach blossoms.

"Come, Lin Yi, don't be nervous. Come and sit!"

Under the peach tree, the White-Robed, White-Haired Man, Gu Changsheng, had been sitting alone by a stone chess table sipping tea. Seeing Lin Yi's arrival, he immediately smiled and beckoned him over.

"Thank you, Sect Master!"

Lin Yi nodded, then moved his feet to the chess table and sat down.

"Lin Yi, do you know how to play chess?"

Gu Changsheng asked with a smile.

"I do not."

Lin Yi shook his head slightly and smiled:

"When I was young, my family was poor and my own Aptitude was very ordinary. At that time, my mind was entirely set on working hard at martial arts so I could enter the Guangling Martial Academy to cultivate. Where would I have had the leisure to play chess?"

"As for later, although I achieved some success, time was still pressing, so I never learned."

"Oh, is that so? A pity."

Gu Changsheng shook his head and sighed with a smile:

"Chess is a good thing. Nineteen lines horizontal and vertical, black and white through a hundred thousand tribulations; it seems simple, but it contains infinite transformations."

"It is of great benefit for comprehending heaven and earth, martial arts, and even the human heart. It's even said that the legendary Martial God was very fond of chess back in the day."

"Never mind! Originally, I wanted to play a game with you, but since you don't know how, then forget it. Let's get straight to business!"

Speaking to this point, the White-Robed, White-Haired Man, Gu Changsheng's expression turned serious.

Seeing this, Lin Yi's breathing tightened slightly, and he became a little nervous.

However, he never expected that Gu Changsheng's very next sentence would shock him:

"Lin Yi, tell me the truth!"

"That you have achieved your current successes in such a short period of time up until today—is it truly because your talent is world-shaking and brilliant? Or is it... a fraud?"

Gu Changsheng spoke solemnly. His voice was clearly not loud, yet it was filled with majesty and pressure. His pair of eyes seemed to emit an endless dark light, appearing even more profound and distant than the starry sky in the dark of night, making one unable to stop their heart from panicking, as if it were impossible to hide anything from him.

But... "No!"

Facing Gu Changsheng's eyes that were like the starry night sky, at this moment, Lin Yi's heart and face instead became incredibly peaceful and calm.

His gaze was firm, and his bright eyes seemed to emit a divine light as he looked directly into Gu Changsheng's deep black eyes and said:

"I have not committed fraud!"

"Every achievement I, Lin Yi, have made during this period was earned through my own hard cultivation. There is absolutely no pretense or fraud!"

"Furthermore, I have no need to commit fraud!"

"Because from now on, as time passes, everyone will only see my, Lin Yi's, talent and performance becoming stronger and stronger, higher and higher, reaching heights that surpass the present! Far exceeding the current era!"

"Far exceeding the current era?"

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng stared at Lin Yi's face, remaining silent for a moment.

Then, he suddenly laughed:

"Haha! Good! A fine 'far exceeding the current era'!"

"You truly are Lin Yi, a peerless Prodigy ranked among the top few in my Heavenly Mountain Sect for over a thousand years!"

"Based on this spirit of yours alone, I, Gu Changsheng, will believe that everything about you is real."

"However, to avoid a repeat of the Long Tianhong incident from a hundred years ago and to prevent the Heavenly Mountain Sect's reputation in the Nine Provinces from being dragged through the mud again, I am now giving you two choices."

"First, based on your current age and the talent you have displayed, I will bestow upon you various resources that match this talent."

"That is, two stalks of hundred dew grass, an Innate Low Grade cultivation-type Heaven And Earth Treasure; two spirit comprehension pills, Innate Low Grade comprehension-type Medicinal Pills; as well as thirty Purple Dragon Pills, First Rank cultivation-type Medicinal Pills; five wuxin pills, First Rank comprehension-type Medicinal Pills; and three hundred thousand tianshan coins."

"Of course, these treasures will not be given to you all at once, but will be gradually bestowed as your strength grows, until you finally graduate from the Tianshan Pavilion or achieve First Rank in the martial path. Only then will the remainder be given to you."

"Second, I will give you nothing for now, but instead set a final assessment of even higher difficulty based on the talent shown by your previous rate of progress."

"Once you successfully pass this final assessment, I will directly reward you all at once with one soul profound spirit fruit, an Innate Low Grade Divine Soul-type Heaven And Earth Treasure; three stalks of hundred dew grass, an Innate Low Grade cultivation-type Heaven And Earth Treasure; three spirit comprehension pills, Innate Low Grade comprehension-type Medicinal Pills; and five hundred thousand tianshan coins!"

"If you fail, then even the resources from the first choice will be halved. Which one do you choose?"

"Two! I choose the second!"

As soon as Gu Changsheng finished speaking, Lin Yi answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

His talent was real to begin with; he had absolutely no fear of any test.

Moreover, he had just said it himself: as time passed, his talent would only become higher and stronger in the future!

Given that, what assessment would he, Lin Yi, be afraid of?

"Good! Such courage! Lin Yi, you truly have not disappointed me!"

Hearing Lin Yi's answer, Gu Changsheng also nodded and smiled with satisfaction:

"Since you have chosen the second assessment, I will now tell you the contents of the test."

"For this assessment, I have set a total of three major conditions. Each of these three conditions is extremely difficult; it is almost impossible for even the most outstanding Disciples currently in the Tianshan Pavilion to achieve even one of them."

"As for you, you will only be considered to have passed the assessment when all three conditions are met. Otherwise, even if only one condition is not reached, it will be considered a failure."

"And the first condition is..."