Chapter 765 - 230: Where the Dao Leads
As he spoke, he gently stretched out his hand, and a stream of Primordial Qi shot from his fingertip, landing on the ceiling of the lecture hall. Immediately, a wave of Primordial Qi rippled out.
Chen Yan squinted his eyes and looked up, seeing translucent runes appear on the walls of the entire lecture hall. Clearly, some array had been activated—it was probably the transmitting sound array that the middle-aged Outer Disciple had mentioned.
Some people watched with curiosity, while others reacted faster, ignoring the commotion and instead seizing the time to close their eyes and meditate, organizing their inner thoughts and preparing themselves.
The middle-aged man didn’t speak, but his eyes carefully observed these preparatory disciples below the stage. In his heart, he silently remembered a few who weren’t disturbed by words or the array, who seized the time to close their eyes and meditate.
Regardless of their innate talent, this reaction alone distinguished their mental acuity and the steadiness and sincerity of their Dao hearts.
Chen Yan sat among the crowd, inconspicuous, making no inappropriate movements when the middle-aged man’s gaze swept over. He watched others’ actions and only closed his eyes after they had entered meditation.
A short time equivalent to burning half an incense stick quickly passed.
Just as Chen Yan had entered a state of inner tranquility, suddenly...
"Dang!!"
The gong sound echoed without warning!
Moreover, under the effect of the transmitting sound array, Chen Yan felt his eardrums resonate, as if the sound was directly striking into his consciousness!
This gong sound immediately jolted his awareness!
Before he could react, the second gong sound had already rung out.
Dang!!
This time, the same gong sound felt like a hammer, heavily striking his heart, almost instantly making his clear consciousness vibrate and nearly causing him to lose focus.
Then, Chen Yan’s remaining consciousness suddenly sensed something amiss.
He once again plunged into that subtle state—like when he was on the flying boat, watching the Immortal Mountain from afar, shaken by the divine light, his consciousness slipping into an ethereal yet controlled by a certain power...
That strange rhythmic cadence seemed to seize control of his consciousness at once.
It was like a drunken person dancing gracefully, his consciousness flowing and rhythmically subtle.
At the same time, the Primordial Qi around him began to flow!
Chen Yan secretly thought this was bad, but he couldn’t extricate himself from this strange state—the control or allure of this gong sound was much stronger than the divine light from the distant view on the cargo flying boat!
Just as the Primordial Qi around Chen Yan started to flow uncontrollably, following a strange rhythm...
Suddenly, deep within Chen Yan’s heart, that voice appeared again...
"Humph!!"
A cold snort echoed in his heart, full of dissatisfaction!
In an instant, the slightly tipsy, uncontrolled state receded like a tide!
Chen Yan abruptly opened his eyes, only to find that his consciousness and body had already returned under his control!
That subtle state of enlightenment instantly vanished without a trace.
The moment he opened his eyes, he immediately caught the attention of the middle-aged Outer Disciple standing in front.
A scrutinizing gaze swept over, landing on Chen Yan’s face, pausing for a moment before displaying a hint of regret and disdain, then quickly shifting to the next person...
Indeed, Chen Yan glanced around nearby, discovering that almost all the disciples in the hall were still meditating with closed eyes.
Only he, along with a few others, had opened their eyes.
The gong sound continued to ring, one after another.
Eventually, it tolled a total of forty-nine times before it ceased.
The middle-aged man’s gaze continuously roved among the people below the stage.
Chen Yan noticed that when the gong stopped, everyone below had already opened their eyes—in fact, when the gong rang halfway, nine-tenths had already opened their eyes.
When the gong sounded thirty-something times, the last person in meditation suddenly awakened as if from a dream.
For the remaining ten or so gong sounds, everyone listened with their eyes open.
The middle-aged man’s expression held some helplessness, but more a touch of disappointment.
"It seems that in this session I’m leading, there are no individuals with exceptionally high comprehension... Well, geniuses are rare, and one can’t encounter them every time."
The middle-aged man unceremoniously stated coldly, "Just now, none of you managed to endure until the gong ceased... Among you, a few opened your eyes after just three gong sounds—that indicates extremely poor comprehension!
Those who opened their eyes before the fifth gong sound, you know who you are, and I’ve remembered your faces too; I won’t name names, saving you some face—from today, you can choose whether to attend my classes or not.
Preserve your energy and efforts for other lessons, for as far as comprehension is concerned, you won’t meet the qualification under my guidance!"
·
In the evening, when Chen Yan left the side hall lecture hall with the group back to the courtyard, he noticed that most people’s expressions were normal, except for one person whose face was extremely dejected—Chen Yan recognized this person as one of the few individuals who had opened their eyes after listening to two or three gongs earlier on.
Coincidentally, this person was from the same courtyard as himself.
The person’s face was pale, their gaze disheartened, as though they hadn’t yet awakened from the blow.