A goddess dwells in my heart.

Chapter 17 The Great Hermit in the City

The examiners all laughed at the same time.

While Lu Zheji's talent was indeed astonishing, he was merely a prodigy with exceptional combat skills, still somewhat inferior to the most monstrous talents of the time, let alone the once-in-a-millennium emperors.

This is actually a rather ancient story. It is said that when Emperor Wu was unable to cultivate, he liked to befriend people in the mountains. Whenever he met a prodigy, he would pat them on the shoulder with a smile and say, "This child has the potential to become an emperor."

In the end, after all the hype, he himself became the emperor.

Since then, this phrase has become a common saying used in the cultivation world for both flattery and incitement.

However, although Yin Siyue's words were a joke, they also made everyone realize something.

Yes, such geniuses don't need any flowery praise; they can be recruited directly.

An elderly Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom was the first to slam his fist on the table and stand up:

"Student Lu! I am an elder of the Guixuan Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects, with profound foundations and a long history. If you wish to join my sect, I can grant you a position as a personal disciple!"

Upon hearing this, the other examiners fell silent.

The Ten Lands, the Ten Lands of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, are truly renowned sects of immortal cultivation that stand atop the world's peaks. The privileges of their direct disciples are an opportunity that countless people would fight tooth and nail for.

But some people haven't given up.

A middle-aged man with a long sword at his waist suddenly stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute towards Lu Zheji:

"Young Master Lu, I am a protector of the Divine Sword Sect. Although our Divine Sword Sect is not yet among the Ten Realms, we will surely be able to join the ranks of the Ten Realms within a year or ten years! I clearly saw your sword strike just now. You are a natural-born swordsman, and you are a perfect match for our Divine Sword Sect."

He paused, then continued, "If you're willing, I can accept on behalf of my senior brother, the sect leader, and take you as his personal disciple. With your talent, you might very well become a Lord of the Ten Realms in the future!"

Promises made! Utterly empty promises! They haven't even made a name for themselves in the Ten Lands yet, and they dare to claim they'll be the future rulers of the Ten Lands.

However, it must be said that this pie in the sky is painted so big and round that it is extremely tempting. The Divine Sword Sect is a first-class sword cultivator sect in the world. If it can really enter the Ten Realms, the weight of its sect leader's personal disciples will naturally be no less than that of the personal disciples of the old Ten Realms Guixuan Sect. The potential for the future is even greater.

For a moment, the other examiners looked at each other, none of them offering a higher price. These two families seemed to be offering the most generous terms among the sects present today.

Seeing that everyone had expressed their opinions, Empress Lin Xiwei turned to Lu Zheji. Her voice remained indifferent, revealing no inclination: "Student Lu, both the Guixuan Sect and the Divine Sword Sect are top-tier prestigious sects. What do you think?"

Seeing that the Empress had no intention of personally recruiting them, the old Taoist priest of Guixuan Sect and the swordsman of Shenjian Sect both breathed a sigh of relief.

What they were most worried about was the Empress's intervention.

They might give the Southern Wei royal family some face on ordinary days, but when faced with a truly valuable gem like Lu Zheji, the mere status of the Southern Wei empress is not enough to make these top-tier sects back down.

However, as the head of the Lin family and in charge of the Wanling Sect, one of the Nine Heavens, Lin Xiwei herself is fully capable of asking for a higher price.

In addition, given the Lin family's tradition of intermarrying with the Lu royal family for generations, these two might even be related by marriage. If she really wanted to compete for it, they might not even get a sip of soup today.

Fortunately, the Empress did not seem to have this intention.

That means—

The gazes of the old Taoist priest of the Guixuan Sect and the swordsman of the Divine Sword Sect clashed in mid-air, almost sparking. Both turned to Lu Zheji, holding their breath and awaiting his decision.

However, Lu Zheji's gaze bypassed them and fell upon the woman in the red dress who was leaning lazily in the main seat.

"Sister Yin, aren't you going to try and recruit me?"

Everyone was stunned.

Yin Siyue? Wasn't she just trying to trip up this kid? Using the position of captain as a prize to provoke Liu Changtian into going all out. If it weren't for Lu Zheji's heroic efforts, it would have been hard to say who would have won that battle.

Yin Siyue remained in that extremely languid posture, one hand supporting her chin, her red dress as fiery as fire, a few strands of black hair falling down her cheeks, making her enchanting face even more captivating.

Her lingering voice carried a hint of amusement: "Recruit you? My sect has very high standards. With the talent you've shown today... tsk tsk, you're barely qualified to be an outer disciple at best."

This is a near-humiliating denigration.

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest of Guixuan Sect felt greatly relieved. He stroked his long beard and laughed, "Haha, Elder Yin, what arrogance you have! My Guixuan Sect's direct disciple is only fit to be an outer disciple under your sect? Could it be that our dignified Guixuan Sect, one of the Ten Realms, is not worthy of Elder Yin's attention?"

His words were half a joke and half a test. This Yin Gongfeng was eccentric and did not reveal his background. He sat down next to the Empress without any problem, and the Empress was not annoyed at all. He must be of extraordinary status.

Lu Zheji showed no anger whatsoever. After a moment of contemplation, he asked earnestly, "Sister Yin, could you please tell me about your sect?"

The guardian of the Divine Sword Sect's expression changed slightly. He was straightforward by nature, and at this moment he couldn't help but frown and say in a deep voice, "Young friend Lu, Elder Yin, since you know each other, if you had already conspired to go somewhere together, why are you playing tricks on us here? It's pointless."

Yin Siyue chuckled lightly, "We only met once, how can we be considered acquaintances? Don't be fooled by this kid's affectionate way of calling me 'Sister Yin,' he probably hasn't even forgotten my name, right, little brother?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zheji's face suddenly stiffened.

The goddess sensed his emotional fluctuation and asked in her mind, "What's wrong?"

Lu Zheji paused for a moment, then spoke in an extremely solemn tone: "Do you remember her name?"

The goddess, though puzzled, calmly replied, "Yin Siyue, have you forgotten?"

"Yin Si what?"

"...Yin Siyue".

"What Si Yue?"

"...Yin Siyue".

"Yin what month?"

The goddess did not repeat herself.

She quietly sensed the turbulent waves surging in Lu Zheji's heart, confirming that he wasn't toying with her; he truly couldn't remember that name no matter what.

Seeing Lu Zheji remain silent for a long time, Yin Siyue's smile deepened.

She turned to the examiners on either side and lazily raised her chin: "See? I told you he couldn't remember. Please inform him."

What are you informing me of?

The old Taoist priest of Guixuan Sect opened his mouth, wanting to say that name, but the words suddenly caught in his throat.

The woman in the red dress clearly gave them her name just now. What was her name again? Yin... Yin what?

He tried desperately to recall, but his mind was blank. The name was like a reflection in the water, seemingly so close, yet when he reached out to grab it, he only managed to grab nothing.

The other examiners looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

They don't remember any of it.

Lin Xiwei sat upright in the main seat, a barely perceptible hint of helplessness appearing on her cold and beautiful face.

"It seems that everyone here is quite forgetful."

Yin Siyue chuckled softly, her crimson dress swaying slightly in the light streaming through the window, like a quietly burning flame.

She looked at Lu Zheji again, her voice still charming, but now carrying a hint of haughty indifference:

"Young Master Lu, my sect is not like these vulgar people before you."

"Ordinary, mediocre people are not worthy of knowing of our existence."

"We are the true force operating behind the scenes, influencing the course of history."

"Now, the choice is yours: to sink into mediocrity with the masses... or to push open this door and see the real scenery?"

Her words resounded like thunder in everyone's ears.

Beyond the nine heavens and ten earths, there actually exists such a transcendent and secluded sect?

Emperor Wu once said, "The lesser hermit hides in the wilderness, the greater hermit hides in the city." With such uncanny and unpredictable methods that make people forget, isn't this precisely the kind of reclusive sect that can remain hidden in the court and among the common people?

Judging from the Empress's expression, she remained calm throughout, clearly indicating that she already knew Yin Siyue's background.

As expected, this is a power that only beings at her level are qualified to come into contact with.

Everyone was deeply shocked and remained silent for a long time.

At that moment, Lu Zheji had only one thought in his mind.

Wow, that's quite the show-off!

Isn't this basically saying, "I'm not targeting you, but everyone here is trash in my eyes!"

Without further hesitation, he solemnly bowed to Yin Siyue.

"Having failed on my path, I wish to join your esteemed sect!"

Yin Siyue nodded slightly, a satisfied smile flashing across her charming eyes.

The next moment, the examiners, who were still immersed in the shock of the hidden sect, suddenly looked blank, but quickly regained their composure.

They casually glanced down at the roster in their hands, and one of them cleared his throat and announced in a normal tone toward the school gate:

"Next up, Wang Chongming."

Their gazes swept across the center of the classroom, over the languid Yin Siyue, and over Lu Zheji bowing respectfully, but they seemed to ignore them, their eyes fixed on the doorway, waiting for the next student to enter.

Even Lin Xiwei looked away with an expressionless expression, as if Lu Zheji and Yin Siyue had disappeared from this space.

Just as Yin Siyue said, ordinary mortals are not worthy of knowing of their existence.

Yin Siyue then gracefully rose, her red dress trailing on the ground, and walked to Lu Zheji, smiling sweetly:

"Very good, you made a wise choice."

Lu Zheji shook his head. He looked at the stunningly beautiful woman before him and said earnestly:

"No, my joining your sect has nothing to do with anything else."

"It's simply to repay Sister Yin for her years of nurturing."