Chapter 931: Taoist Nun and Huangqing Temple

Upon hearing this, the young man in white robes naturally dared not stop Han Li and the other person. He led them along a corridor deeper into the building.

After walking for a moment and passing through several courtyards, Han Li faintly heard the clear sound of reading, which sounded just like a regular academy. However, he was slightly taken aback, his eyes flickering almost imperceptibly. Although this place was called an academy, he wondered if these low-level cultivators really wasted most of their time on reading instead of meditating and cultivating their energy.

"These are the disciples from our White Dew Academy's lower division, performing their regular afternoon reading," the young man in white robes explained with a smile, seemingly noticing Han Li's surprise. "To enter the upper division for cultivation, simply possessing spiritual roots and magical power is not enough. One must cultivate the 'Grand Righteous Qi' of our Confucian sect. After all, most of our Confucian techniques rely on Grand Righteous Qi as an auxiliary. The more abundant and profound one's Grand Righteous Qi, the faster their cultivation will progress in the future, leading to limitless prospects." He seemed quite intent on befriending this young man, whose cultivation level was similar to his own, and who had been personally brought by the Confucian scholar named Yan.

"I see!" Han Li nodded and smiled, sensing the young man's goodwill.

At that moment, after passing through a large cluster of pavilions and turning a few corners, the three suddenly arrived in front of an elegant small courtyard. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, the previously clear sound of reading immediately vanished without a trace. The courtyard had evidently been set up with soundproofing restrictions.

Seeing this, the Confucian scholar named Yan looked normal, as if he had been here more than once. The young man in white robes, however, dared not enter after reaching this point. He stopped directly outside the courtyard gate, bid farewell to the two, and then departed.

After watching the young man's back disappear beside a pavilion, the Confucian scholar named Yan tidied his robes slightly, then slowly walked towards the largest room, appearing about to knock on the door.

But just as he took a step, the tightly closed door opened on its own with a soft click. Simultaneously, the voice of that Elder Lu was heard again from above.

"Brother Yan, please come in! Immortal Maiden Hualian of the Huangqing Temple is currently visiting my humble abode. I was just about to introduce her to you."

Elder Lu's words were calm and steady, betraying no specific emotion.

"Huangqing Temple?" A hint of surprise appeared on the Confucian scholar Yan's face, but he walked in without the slightest hesitation. Han Li naturally followed closely behind.

Upon entering the room, they found themselves in a living room. A man and a woman were seated inside, occupying the host and guest positions.

The man was over forty years old, with a gaunt face and a long, three-stranded beard. He seemed to be the type of person who remained calm and composed, rarely showing his emotions. His demeanor bore some resemblance to that of the Confucian scholar Yan, but there was also an indescribable sense of solemnity about him.

The woman, in her twenties, had dark hair and fair skin. She wore a yellow Taoist robe and held a shimmering silver horsetail whisk in one hand. She exuded an air of elegance and nobility, revealing herself to be a Taoist nun.

As soon as the Confucian scholar Yan and Han Li entered the hall, the eyes of the two seated figures naturally swept over them.

"Is this the renowned Mr. Yan Yao? Though I, a humble Taoist nun, do not concern myself with worldly affairs in the temple, I have heard of the great name of Mr. Yan from Yonghua Academy," the young and beautiful Taoist nun greeted with a slight smile, much to everyone's surprise, before the Elder Lu-like figure could speak. Her gaze casually swept over Han Li, then retracted without lingering.

This woman was only a female cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage, yet she sat comfortably and conversed freely in front of Elder Lu, clearly indicating her significant background.

"I wouldn't dare presume! I have long heard of the great names of the immortal maidens of Huangqing Temple. Greetings, Immortal Maiden Hualian," the Confucian scholar Yan said, bowing hastily without the slightest disrespect.

"Junior offers greetings to both seniors!" Han Li also stepped forward half a pace and bowed respectfully.

"And this young friend is...?" Elder Lu narrowed his eyes, asking noncommittally.

"This nephew, Han Li, is a distant relative of one of my friends," the Confucian scholar Yan explained unhurriedly. "Having heard of the White Dew Academy's reputation, I couldn't refuse my old friend's request and specifically brought him here for a test, to see if he qualifies to enter the academy."

"Oh! A nephew of Brother Yan's old friend. His spiritual root aptitude seems ordinary. However, we still need to carefully identify his attributes. Young friend Han, please come over here." Elder Lu observed Han Li for a few moments, then spoke calmly after a pause.

"Yes, senior!" Han Li responded, walking over without hesitation. A slightly cool hand grasped his wrist.

With Han Li's powerful spiritual sense, he was not at all afraid that the other party could truly discern anything. He could easily conceal the true state of his body, whether it was his spiritual root attributes or his bone structure, only showing false information he wished to reveal.

However, Han Li did not want to draw too much attention to himself, which would be detrimental to his low-key cultivation at the academy later on. Therefore, regarding his spiritual root aptitude, he fully displayed his true spiritual root attributes, making no alterations.

A four-element spiritual root was generally sufficient for the minimum requirements to join an immortal cultivation sect.

However, as for his bone structure, he concealed his true bone age, preventing the other party from noticing anything unusual.

"Oh, a four-element spiritual root lacking the metal attribute. That's barely enough to qualify for the academy. But you already possess magical power and have cultivated elementary spells. Fortunately, you've cultivated a pure wood-attribute technique, so it's not a problem. However, you are somewhat advanced in age, and the possibility of you reaching the Foundation Establishment stage with this aptitude is extremely slim. At best, you might reach the seventh or eighth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. If that's the case, it might actually be better to be a rogue cultivator; it would be more carefree!" Elder Lu said calmly after completing his examination and releasing Han Li's wrist.

"I have heard such evaluations from other seniors before," Han Li replied, standing respectfully with his hands by his side in front of Elder Lu, his tone exceptionally sincere. "However, I believe diligence can compensate for lack of talent, and I still intend to try my best on the path of cultivation."

Elder Lu's expression shifted. He glanced at the Confucian scholar Yan beside him, then nodded and said:

"Since this young friend's heart for cultivation is so resolute, I won't say much more. However, as a rogue cultivator entering the academy, is there any particular miscellaneous skill you excel at?"

Hearing this, Han Li was slightly startled and a little surprised. He hadn't expected the other party to ask a Qi Refinement stage cultivator such a question. Was it truly out of consideration for the Confucian scholar Yan that they intended to take care of him? His thoughts raced like lightning, but Han Li replied without the slightest hesitation:

"Junior has dabbled a little in the art of artifact refining. However, given my cultivation and knowledge, I can naturally only refine some of the most basic items. It's nothing to truly call 'artifact refining'."

Having said this, Han Li appeared somewhat embarrassed, a hint of shyness on his face.

"Oh, you understand artifact refining? Nowadays, very few rogue cultivators learn artifact refining techniques. After all, the cost involved is truly considerable," Elder Lu said with surprise.

The Taoist nun beside him, upon hearing this, had a fleeting look of surprise on her face, which then turned into a hint of joy.

"Junior merely obtained an artifact refining jade slip and tried refining a few things randomly," Han Li naturally tried his best to downplay his artifact refining skills. If it weren't for the concern that claiming to know nothing at all might significantly affect his chances of joining the academy, Han Li truly wouldn't have wanted to mention anything about alchemy or artifact refining, which would only invite trouble.

However, compared to artifact refining, even fewer people understood alchemy and array formations. Mentioning those would likely draw even more attention.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you understand artifact refining? That's truly wonderful! Elder Lu, I believe there's no longer a need to borrow an artifact refining disciple from your esteemed academy. Since Fellow Daoist Han has not yet officially entered your academy, why not allow me to take him into my Huangqing Temple?" The Taoist nun suddenly spoke these words, much to everyone's surprise.

At this, both the Confucian scholar Yan and Han Li were greatly startled, then dumbfounded.

"Immortal Maiden Hualian, this might not be appropriate! Your temple is a female-only establishment; how can a man like nephew Han join?" The Confucian scholar Yan's facial muscles twitched, and he couldn't help but say with a serious expression.

"Although Huangqing Temple is indeed a female temple, it's not as if there are no 'fire-dwelling' Taoists or male disciples among us," the Taoist nun said with a slight smile, pursing her lips. "These individuals, though considered part of our temple, actually reside outside. Mr. Yan is overthinking it."

"I see. Indeed, I do not know much about Huangqing Temple. However, nephew Han intends to join White Dew Academy; wouldn't it be rather inappropriate for him to join your esteemed temple instead?" This Mr. Yan was genuinely concerned about Han Li joining the academy. Despite knowing that the other party was an extraordinary individual, he still argued the point.

"Given Fellow Daoist Han's aptitude, even if he were to join the academy, he would merely be an ordinary disciple with no significant prospects. Our temple, however, is preparing to refine several precious artifacts and currently lacks a low-level disciple skilled in artifact refining to assist us. If Fellow Daoist Han is willing to join our temple, he can not only further his artifact refining skills, but I, a humble Taoist nun, can also ensure he receives extra care in his cultivation. To be frank with Mr. Yan, I originally came to the academy this time intending to borrow an artifact refining disciple. Now that there's someone readily available, there's naturally no need to trouble Fellow Daoist Lu further." Immortal Maiden Hualian explained with a smiling face, completely unconcerned.

"Well, Brother Lu, what are your thoughts on this?" The Confucian scholar Yan hesitated after hearing this, then couldn't help but look up at Elder Lu.

"Fellow Daoist Han has not yet joined our academy; he is still a free man, so whether he wishes to become a disciple of Huangqing Temple is naturally his decision," Elder Lu said in a deep voice, his expression unchanged. "However, as Immortal Maiden Hualian said, even if Fellow Daoist Han were to cultivate under our academy's tutelage, I would not be able to offer him much assistance, and his prospects would be limited. Immortal Maiden Hualian did indeed come to our academy this time specifically to find a low-level disciple skilled in artifact refining. Becoming a disciple of Huangqing Temple would certainly be a good choice."

With the conversation reaching this point, the gazes of all three people in the hall fell upon Han Li.

Some looked worried, some curious, and others slightly excited.

"Huangqing Temple?" Han Li seemed to recall the name; it sounded like a Taoist temple on another peak of Mount Yutian. However, he had not known beforehand that it was a female-only temple and knew nothing about this sect. He could only wear a blank expression, completely bewildered.