Gu Tiangang carefully appraised each child, silently mouthing words to himself.
Hmm, these little ones do have so talent.
Let the old Daoist take a closer look…
At first glance, he looked at the Heir to the King of the Southern Garrison, Gongye Shou.
"The aura is a vast crimson mist, the physique is unusual, actually having Southern Barbarian blood... Royal blood? This is rare!"
Gu Tiangang didn't expect to find an unexpected discovery in the very first child and murmured to himself that this must be a special case.
Next, he turned to the second child, the progeny of the Marquis under the command of the King of the Southern Garrison.
"Eh? This one's not bad either, has innate Spiritual Energy within, also a good seedling for Daoist cultivation."
Definitely luck, it has to be luck.
Then the third, the fourth…
By the ti it got to Du Yanqing, Gu Tiangang was already numb.
Damn it, had the nobility of the Wei Dynasty desecrated their ancestral graves, or abducted a Bloodline from Taizhou Mountain?
How co each one either has innate Spiritual Energy or Alien Race bloodline?
"And this one, the aura cloud carries purple, the supre life pattern... This one must be taken into The Path of the Grand Void!"
Gu Tiangang suppressed his excitent and continued to observe the last few children.
Now he had thrown his previous thoughts out of his mind, only hoping for more children with excellent talents.
When it ca to Wang Yongnian, he was diocre, only suitable to be a blacksmith's apprentice.
Du Yan, not bad, exceptional talent.
Lin Xueru, talent exceptional, really... top-notch!
Gu Tiangang was overjoyed, he had decided — these children, no matter what, must and can only beco disciples of The Path of the Grand Void!
This way, their Path of the Grand Void in the next ten years, no, the next hundred years will have enough to challenge the foremost place among the Taoist sects!
Until the last, Chen Yi.
Gu Tiangang first looked at the energy sphere below, but did not notice any special talent in his body, then he looked up.
Hiss!
He could not believe his eyes and stared wide-eyed—
Infinite Heavenly Venerable, descend from the heavens to see what the old Daoist has discovered!
A three-year-old child who has already glimpsed Sword Intent!
This, this, this…
Infinite Heavenly Venerable, I've stumbled upon a great treasure!!
...
"Brother Yi, that Daoist's gaze is so, so frightening. He wouldn't be thinking of eating us, would he?"
Wang Yongnian was frightened by Gu Tiangang's gaze and hid behind Chen Yi, with a hint of grievance on his chubby face.
"I've heard from the guards at ho that so Daoists are particularly fond of children's hearts and livers."
"I also think it's scar..."
Du Yan was about to agree when she caught herself and quickly changed her tune: "Don't be afraid, don't let Gongye Shou and the others look down on us."
Du Yanqing had just felt goosebumps when he was being observed, and upon hearing Du Yan's remark, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
If he admitted he was scared, he figured he would be nagged by Du Yan all day long.
While Lin Xueru, seeing Gu Tiangang's pair of sparkling bright eyes watching Chen Yi, stealthily moved her feet, positioning herself in front of Chen Yi.
"Brother Yi, Ru Ru is not afraid."
Chen Yi was sowhat bemused by the reactions of his "playmates," silently shaking his head before looking straight at the old Daoist.
Although he did not understand why the old Daoist's eyes were sparkling, he knew that it must be so kind of thod to observe them.
Daoist techniques or magic?
Chen Yi suppressed the urge to open his panel to check for any increase in Rebellion Points and shared his guess with Lin Xueru and the others, signaling them to stand still, and waited for this odd atmosphere to end.
What they didn't know was that compared to the children's fear of the unknown, Liu Gao's heart was almost in his throat.
He kept glancing at the sky, calculating the ti, and seeing that Gu Tiangang had not yet made a move, he had no choice but to step forward again to speak:
"Daoist Gu Tiangang, the day is not early, how about letting the children go first..."
Liu Gao gestured towards Qingzheng Hall behind him.
Gu Tiangang snapped out of his Qi Observation Technique and instinctively replied: "When did the old Daoist say that the children should go back?"
"Eh?"
Liu Gao was stunned; he never said to send these Noble Youths back either.
Gu Tiangang ca to his senses, and amidst the puzzled stares of the children, he cleared his throat as a wisp of True Qi quietly encircled him.
Instantly, his Daoist robe billowed, making him look like an Immortal descending to the mortal world.
"Ahem, the old Daoist, I an, I've always said I am fond of teaching, and since I promised the Holy Emperor, naturally I will devote myself to nurturing them."
"Eunuch Liu must not speculate wildly, lest you chill the hearts of these children!"
Liu Gao was even more flabbergasted.
He looked at the ethereal and dignified Gu Tiangang and couldn't help but grow anxious.
Old Daoist, if you keep spouting nonsense, I'll have it out with you!
If such words reached the Holy Emperor's ears, wouldn't he skin him alive?
"Daoist Gu Tiangang, you an to say..."
Before he could finish speaking, a thunderous scolding from Gu Tiangang rang in his ears.
Sound Transmission into Secret—
"Cut the crap and scram, and on your way out bring the remaining two princes and princess back to this Daoist."
"Dare to utter another word, and this Daoist will stab you to death with one sword!"
Liu Gao stared at him dazedly, then caught sight of the children standing eagerly at the bottom of the stairs and snapped back to reality.
Even though he had been in the palace for many years, accustod to a servant's life and random scolding, he almost lost his temper in anger.
"Aren't you leaving?!"
Listening to this sound transmission, Liu Gao's face flushed and paled, cursing Gu Tiangang in his heart for being an ungrateful wretch.
But upon seeing the eyes of Gu Tiangang, he imdiately turned and walked away, not daring to utter another word of nonsense.
Gu Tiangang, you bully too much!
Once everyone had left, a smile appeared on Gu Tiangang's face, and with a flick of his wrist, he summoned a horsetail whisk, speaking gently:
"Co on in."
Chen Yi and the others all scratched their heads, not understanding what had just happened.
But seeing the old Taoist step aside, Gongye Shou and Du Yanqing exchanged glances and braced themselves to give their thanks:
"Students thank you for your kindness, sir."
Only then did everyone start to enter the Qingzheng Hall one after another.
Chen Yi was no exception.
Although he didn't understand what had happened just now, seeing the anger on Eunuch Liu's face, he guessed the old Taoist must have done sothing on the sly.
Daoist Gu Tiangang, Gu Tiangang...
Chen Yi murmured to himself, his expression revealing a sense of peculiarity. Could it be the one he thought of?
If it truly was that person, then coming to Xingwu Academy was indeed the right decision!
What he didn't know was that at this mont, Gu Tiangang was on the sa wavelength as him.
Unexpectedly relaxing his stance this ti and accepting the decree of Emperor Wei, he inadvertently made the right call.
Hehehe...
Elder brother, our Path of the Grand Void is really going to thrive this ti!
Feeling rare contentnt in his heart, even sowhat delighted, Gu Tiangang saw the last child enter the Qingzheng Hall but did not follow.
Instead, he waited outside until Liu Gao, drenching in sweat, brought two children dressed in red gold embroidered finery, then Gu Tiangang waved his hand and indicated:
"Hand over the Twelfth Prince and Thirteenth Princess to this Daoist, you may leave now."
"Daoist Gu Tiangang, you,"
Liu Gao wiped sweat from his brow, holding back his displeasure, and cautioned: "Please be very careful."
"Scram!"
"This servant takes his leave."
After all the miscellaneous people had left, Gu Tiangang entered the Qingzheng Hall with the princes and princess who were making faces at each other.
"Greetings..."
Seeing the royal children arrive, Gongye Shou started to rise to perform a salute.
But Gu Tiangang interrupted: "There is no custom of saluting in the Xingwu Academy, from now on, you will refer to each other as brothers and sisters."
Seeing these noble youths, cultivated in the etiquette of their respective clans and families, all look bewildered, he continued:
"This is by the decree of the Holy Emperor, if you do not follow the rules here, be wary that the Holy Emperor will trouble your elders."
With a few words, all the children sat down in order, looking up with their small faces at Gu Tiangang.
Even the finely-dressed princes and princess were no exception.
Chen Yi, sitting at the back, watched the old Taoist with interest, thinking to himself if all Taoists of the Grand Void were like this?
If they were, then he was indeed interested in joining the Path of the Grand Void.
At least it was better than being attended by rigid servants at ho, and dealing with the scheming Marquis Zhou Wu.
However, Gu Tiangang's mood at this mont was not as pleasurable as Chen Yi's, but rather, he was starting to have a headache.
He assessed the children while pondering.
Earlier he was only thinking of refusing the task and had not prepared in advance; he was at a loss as to what he could teach these children.
After a long thought, Gu Tiangang made a decision.
Since he didn't know what to teach, then why not first grant these children so benefits.
Firstly, to further enhance their talents, and secondly, to plug the Holy Emperor's mouth.
Thinking along these lines, he smiled and said: "Don't move, this Daoist will guide you into tranquility."
The so-called tranquility was not the ditative practice of Buddhism.
It was the unique Nightmare Realm Technique of the Path of the Grand Void, which allows the subjects to experience certain events for accelerated growth.
In effect, it is similar to enlightening the mind.
Having said that, he directly cast the technique, enveloping the entire Qingzheng Hall with True Qi.
[At the age of thirty-two, you receive...]
PS: This is a combined chapter, released all at once today.
Please follow the story, brave Old Eight, charge!
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