Chapter 1089: Wang Mingren's Doubt

In a secluded courtyard, Wang Mingren and Ximen Feng were enjoying tea together.

They would find out today if they had been selected as one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies.

Wang Mingren joined the Taiyi Immortal Sect at a very young age. Xu Zihua personally raised him, teaching him life principles and how to observe and understand people.

The Five Taiyi Prodigies represent the elite of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. They have a ninety percent chance of forming a Nascent Soul and are granted decision-making power within the sect.

Once chosen as one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies, the Taiyi Immortal Sect dedicates all its resources to their cultivation. This not only guarantees a Nascent Soul but also opens up opportunities for Spirit Transformation.

From a young age, Xu Zihua had instilled in Wang Mingren the ambition to be selected as one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies, a dream shared by every disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

Of course, even if he wasn't selected, Wang Mingren still had a chance to form a Nascent Soul. Should he reach the Nascent Soul stage, he would be dispatched to oversee a region, perhaps the Northern Frontier Branch or a major market city. However, only by being chosen as one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies could he gain access to the sect's core.

Simply put, becoming one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies signifies being a successor of the sect, empowered to shape its future development and never lacking cultivation resources. Zhang Zhanfeng, for instance, ascended to the position of sect leader after being selected as one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies. His primary responsibilities involve formulating the sect's external strategies and charting its developmental course, while subordinates handle other matters, allowing him to cultivate undisturbed.

Liu Jin was a Nascent Soul cultivator dispatched to an external post. To put it less elegantly, he was essentially an enforcer, tasked with expanding the sect's territory and acquiring necessary resources through contribution points. In stark contrast, those chosen as the Five Taiyi Prodigies never had to concern themselves with cultivation resources.

Xu Zihua had always strongly advocated for the Five Taiyi Prodigies, reiterating their importance to Wang Mingren many times. From childhood, Wang Mingren had been imbued by Xu Zihua with the aspiration to become one of them, fully understanding the significance of the title. Naturally, Wang Mingren strove tirelessly towards this goal.

When he first joined the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Wang family was far from wealthy; it was considered quite good if a clan member possessed over a thousand spirit stones. Yet, within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, Foundation Establishment cultivators routinely carried tens of thousands of spirit stones, and the descendants of high-level cultivators often had nascent magical treasures upon entering the cultivation world.

The disparity between his family and the sect was enormous. For instance, his family lacked cultivation techniques capable of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, whereas the Taiyi Immortal Sect possessed methods extending even to the Spirit Transformation stage, along with various spiritual lands, elixirs, and miraculous medicines. The longer Wang Mingren remained in the sect, the more acutely he felt his family's decline, and the stronger his sense of belonging to the sect grew. He had placed all his hopes in the sect.

It wasn't that he looked down on his family, but rather that as his cultivation advanced, the assistance his family could provide steadily decreased. The cultivation resources he required were readily available from the sect, provided he had enough contribution points for exchange, a capability his family simply did not possess.

Cultivation families and sects maintained a symbiotic relationship. He didn't believe the Wang family could pose a threat to the Taiyi Immortal Sect, as the sect itself housed other cultivation families. Leng Rumei, for instance, hailed from a cultivation family with one Nascent Soul cultivator and several Core Formation cultivators.

The schism within the Ten Thousand Flowers Palace was primarily caused by the discord between Tang Yunshang and Lin Siruo, coupled with a lack of other powers to counterbalance them. With the added support from the Taiyi Immortal Sect and the Supreme Purity Temple, the split of the Ten Thousand Flowers Palace was inevitable.

A sound transmission talisman flew in. Wang Mingren's eyes lit up, and he eagerly snatched and crushed it. Xu Zihua's voice immediately resounded: "Mingren, your master has come to see you. It's been quite a while since we had a good chat, hasn't it?"

"Master's here! I'll open the door. Feng'er, please brew some tea and prepare a few snacks for Master."

Wang Mingren gave the instruction and quickly headed towards the distant gate.

Xu Zihua had always been exceptionally kind to him, and Wang Mingren was deeply grateful to him from the bottom of his heart.

Wang Mingren opened the outer gate and saw Xu Zihua standing there.

Xu Zihua's expression was serene, and he carried two exquisite wine flasks in his hands.

Wang Mingren's heart sank. It appeared they had been rejected.

"Master, are the results out?"

Wang Mingren asked impatiently, his face full of eager anticipation as he looked at Xu Zihua.

Even though he had already guessed the outcome, he still clung to the hope that he was mistaken.

Xu Zihua let out a long sigh and said, "You were not selected. Your unauthorized actions during the battle in the Coral Sea led to the death of Junior Nephew Chen and severe injuries to your clan grandson. Furthermore, Junior Nephew Ximen's escort mission was attacked, resulting in the loss of the goods, which also disqualified him. Instead, Junior Brother Li Tianrui and Junior Sister Shen Ruyue have been chosen as the Five Taiyi Prodigies."

Wang Mingren was stunned. It took him a long moment to process the words before he gripped Xu Zihua's shoulders with both hands, laughing wildly. "No, Master, you must be joking! You absolutely must be joking! Feng'er and I made mistakes, yes, but merits are merits and faults are faults. I've admitted my wrongdoing and accepted my punishment. But what about the contributions I made? Why aren't we being generously rewarded? The sect is unjust! Uncle-Master Sect Leader is unjust! This is unfair! Junior Brother Li and the others merely killed a few Core Formation cultivators and attacked the rear. My grand-nephew, Wang Qingshan, killed far more than them! Why were *they* selected?"

"Impossible, there must be a mistake! We helped Nascent Soul cultivators slay five Nascent Soul-stage sea creatures and facilitated the cooperation between the Wang family and our sect. The Wang family only made two small requests, and they made such significant concessions because of Feng'er and me! Why weren't *we* chosen?"

"Enough! Snap out of it! You weren't selected, that's it. It's simply a rejection; it doesn't mean you can't form a Nascent Soul."

Xu Zihua roared. Seeing Wang Mingren in such a state, he too felt deeply unsettled.

While he had initially taken Wang Mingren as a disciple for personal gain, as time passed, Wang Mingren increasingly reminded him of his younger self. Xu Zihua genuinely wished for Wang Mingren to achieve great things.

Wang Mingren let out a burst of frenzied laughter, eventually calming down after a long moment. He then asked with a bitter smile, "Is it because my family has two Nascent Soul cultivators?"

"Let's go inside and discuss it. We can chat while we drink."

Wang Mingren invited Xu Zihua into his residence, and they both proceeded to the stone pavilion.

Ximen Feng approached, carrying spiritual tea and pastries, and smiled. "Master hasn't visited in a long time. If you hadn't come, we would have paid you a visit later anyway."

Xu Zihua nodded, sighing. "I shouldn't have allowed Mingren to marry Junior Nephew Chen back then. Mingren's fortune is far better than mine; he still has the chance to turn over a new leaf, but I no longer have that opportunity."

He concluded with a self-deprecating smile.

"Master, you speak too seriously. A master for a day is a father for life. You would never harm Mingren, and he has never blamed you. Please take your time and drink; call me if you need anything."

Ximen Feng set down the pastries and tea, then turned and departed, leaving Xu Zihua and Wang Mingren to converse privately.

Wang Mingren picked up the teapot, poured a cup for Xu Zihua, and said, "Master, this is spiritual tea produced by our family. It tastes quite good; please give it a try."

Xu Zihua took a sip, his face showing approval. "Excellent," he said. "The South Sea is rich in cultivation resources. I never imagined your family would go there and develop to such an extent. To be honest, I truly never would have thought it possible!"

"Master, your disciple doesn't understand. Does being from a cultivation family automatically disqualify one from being selected as one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies? If I'm not mistaken, Uncle-Master Song's family, the Song family, boasts three Nascent Soul cultivators and over twenty Core Formation cultivators, making them even stronger than our Wang family. If he could be chosen as one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies, then why can't we? Even if only one of us were selected, it would be acceptable! The sect's actions are truly unjust."

Wang Mingren's voice was filled with resentment. Several affiliated families of the Taiyi Immortal Sect were stronger than the Wang family, so why would the sect specifically target him?

It should be noted that Wang Qingshan is still a nominal disciple of the Carefree Sword Venerable! And surely the Wang family hasn't done anything to harm the Taiyi Immortal Sect's interests? The incident involving Wang Mingjiang's attack on a Taiyi Immortal Sect disciple is now considered utterly insignificant.

Every family has a few bad apples, and the law does not punish the masses for the transgressions of a few. Chen Xiang'er, as an elder in the Law Enforcement Hall, had handled numerous disciples from cultivation families. Even those who committed grave offenses like rape, abduction, and plunder merely had their cultivation abolished; the forces they originated from were never annihilated.

"Uncle-Master Song and his family flourished by relying on our sect. Without our sect, even if they wouldn't be annihilated, their development would certainly be hampered. The more our sect prospers, the better their family will fare. Your family, however, is now affiliated with the Myriad Swords Sect of the South Sea. Without our sect, your family's standing remains unaffected. To put it bluntly, if our sect were to face a major catastrophe, and with your family being so powerful, wouldn't our sect risk repeating the fate of the Ten Thousand Flowers Palace?"