Chapter 97: The Ruyi Judge Brush and the Eight Trigrams Plate

"Wait!" Lingxiang suddenly spoke up at this moment, stopping Qianyuan Zhenren.

Qianyuan Zhenren's heart tightened; he only thought this little aunt-master was going to stir up trouble again, and even Zhaoming Zhenren felt a shiver run through him—this little junior sister of theirs simply never let anyone have peace.

Lingxiang, standing before the ranks of disciples, paced back and forth as she said: "Don't say I didn't warn you, lest you be gossiped about later for having a vicious heart. All the divine weapons and artifacts in this Second Cave either have Spirit Gathering properties and have formed their own thoughts, or they possess such intense resentment that they are extremely difficult to master. But considering your exceptional aptitude, I was afraid you might miss out on the weapons and treasures that could truly resonate with your spirits, which is why I have stepped up for you like this. I am not afraid of offending your Fifth Junior Uncle—he dotes on me, after all—but you, you might not be able to come out unscathed, so..."

As she spoke, Lingxiang stood together with the other Elders.

"Given that some of you are already personal disciples of the sect's Elders, and even the Inner Sect Disciples among you are promising talents, they naturally do not wish for you to suffer any mishaps, yet they hope you will have a smoother path in your future cultivation, which is why they agreed to my willfulness. So, I will say the ugly things first: if any of you do not wish to risk yourselves, you need not enter again. The Elders will naturally arrange suitable divine weapons and treasures for you personally, and no one will think you are the type to cling to life and fear death; after all, 'Wuwei' is also a part of Dao cultivation."

Having said this, Lingxiang turned to look at Qianyuan Zhenren.

"Senior Brother, do you think there is anything improper about my arrangement?"

Qianyuan Zhenren smiled upon hearing this. Never mind that Lingxiang had just put their Fifth Junior Brother in an awkward spot; now she was speaking like this, with every word filled with protective intent. He truly did not know what to do with this little junior sister.

"It is exactly as your Aunt-Master Fucang said; make your decisions boldly."

Zhaoming Zhenren naturally did not think much of it. Although Lingxiang was usually sharp-tongued and aggressive toward him, she would still protect him and help him establish prestige in front of the sect disciples. He knew what she was doing in his heart and would never take it to heart—he doted on this little junior sister too much to ever blame her.

However, the fact that his junior sister could think of him still warmed his heart immensely.

Thinking this, Zhaoming Zhenren feigned a cough and stepped forward, saying: "Since your Second Senior Uncle has said so, then let it be done. Those who wish to enter and select rare weapons, follow me inside."

As soon as Zhaoming Zhenren finished speaking, he saw a disciple walk forward brazenly. After bowing to the group of Elders, the disciple walked up to Zhaoming Zhenren, performed a salute, and stood still.

Lingxiang had not expected that even after she had said all that, someone would make a decision so quickly. She had originally thought this group of disciples would discuss it among themselves for a while.

She remembered this disciple was called Shanhuai, right...

Seeing Shanhuai walk forward so recklessly, Chengkai wanted to step up and call him back, but he was pulled back by Shuzhu, who was standing to the side.

"Why are you pulling me!"

"Do you think you can stop him? Or are you saying you don't intend to go yourself?" Shuzhu did not say much more, only asking these two questions before stepping forward to salute and stand still.

Chengkai had actually chosen a long sword, though calling it a choice was more like just grabbing one at random. After entering the First Cave, he had walked around but had not seen anything that caught his fancy. However, he felt that a weapon was a weapon regardless of how one used it, so he had taken a long sword from the cave entrance before leaving. But now, having heard Lingxiang's words, a desire to try again had indeed sprouted in his heart.

Thinking this, he also stepped out.

Lingxiang had not been speaking to the disciples on purpose just now; she had done it to walk up to Xin Yi and give him a hint. Xin Yi naturally received Lingxiang's hint, and though he was puzzled, he followed her wishes and stepped forward.

Qianyuan Zhenren had not expected that twelve out of the thirteen disciples would be willing to enter the Second Cave. He gave Zhaoming Zhenren a look, and Zhaoming Zhenren led these people back into Xuancang Cave.

After the twelve disciples entered the cave, the last person remaining appeared extremely abrupt. However, this last person clearly had no such intention and stood in place quite calmly.

This person was none other than Banxia, who had been taken into Qinsi Hall by Elder Donghui.

This was extremely interesting. Seeing her standing there alone while Elder Donghui seemed completely unconcerned, Qianyuan Zhenren walked up and asked: "The other fellow disciples are all willing to enter the cave again; why do you not go?"

Upon hearing this, Banxia hurriedly performed a salute and replied unhurriedly: "In reply to Senior Uncle Qianyuan, this disciple has already chosen an item just now, so I have decided not to enter again to make a new selection."

Seeing that Banxia had become much more composed after not seeing her for many days, Lingxiang felt admiration for her in her heart, while at the same time becoming interested in Elder Donghui's way of teaching disciples. Thinking of the three disciples she had taken... truly...

The Perfected One Qianyuan was somewhat puzzled to hear Banxia say this. He glanced at Elder Donghui, who stood with eyes closed, and then asked: "Others who chose weapons just now still went in to re-select; why do you not choose another? Did you not understand what Aunt-Master Fucang said?"

Banxia bowed again: "In reply to Senior Uncle Qianyuan, this disciple understands the meaning behind Aunt-Master Fucang's words. Moreover, the item this disciple chose is indeed not entirely to my satisfaction, but I believe that this is like a person being born and unable to choose their family background; one cannot cry and demand a do-over just because one was born into a poor family. It is the same with magic treasures. Since I have already chosen it, I will not despise it, but rather accept it, open my heart to it, and treat it with sincerity."

Though these words were somewhat plain, all the Elders present were full of praise after hearing them.

"Good! Hahahaha..." Qianyuan Zhenren laughed and turned to Donghui Zhenren: "Fourth Junior Brother, you have taken in a good disciple!"

Only then did Donghui Zhenren open his eyes.

"Second Senior Brother is joking. She is still young; there are many things in the future that will still rely on her various Senior Uncles and Aunts!"

Lingxiang was somewhat unhappy to hear this and pouted as she asked: "What? Is Fourth Senior Brother looking down on me, your Ninth Aunt-Master?"

A single joke immediately made all the Elders laugh.

After laughing, the Perfected One Qianyuan turned and asked Banxia: "What item did you choose?"

Hearing this, Banxia took an item from her bosom and presented it with both hands. The Perfected One Qianyuan was shocked the moment he saw it.

The item in Banxia's hand looked like nothing more than a brush, but tied to the hanging cord at the top of the brush was a Eight Trigrams Plate, and on the brush handle were five characters written in a striking manner...

Ruyi Judge Brush!

And the Eight Trigrams Plate on the hanging cord was no ordinary object either!

This Banxia had actually chosen two magic treasures at once!