Chapter 883: Yin-Yang Disk

The figures of Senior Uncle Chen and Fang Ting vanished beyond the hall. Those who remained all wore different expressions.

The four men in azure robes shared Senior Uncle Chen's view. They were equally dissatisfied with Daoist Huayang’s domineering behavior, yet since the pavilion master had chosen to compromise, and even Senior Uncle Chen had been punished as a result, none of them dared to voice any more opinions.

The new disciples, however, held little attachment to Yanmiao Pavilion. When they heard that Daoist Huayang was recruiting on behalf of Landou Sect, they could not help but brim with excitement.

People always strive upward, just as water flows downward. Wealth, partners, arts and land... These were essential conditions for cultivation, and Landou Sect possessed them all in abundance, far beyond anything Yanmiao Pavilion could compare to.

Daoist Huayang watched Fang Ting leave the hall, then turned back to the others with a touch of weariness. This time, his purpose had mainly been to seize such a core disciple as Fang Ting. Since he had failed to take her, the chances of finding another suitable candidate among the rest were slim.

Just then, Pavilion Master Qi’s voice sounded again, "Daoist Huayang, time is pressing. Let us begin the test. I have long wished to witness the famed Yin-Yang Disk of your Yin-Yang Branch and see how powerful it truly is."

"Prepare the array." Daoist Huayang instructed the boy attendant, then retrieved a round copper disk from his Mustard Seed Pouch.

The copper disk was slightly larger than an adult’s palm. Its base and edges gleamed with a bronze luster, engraved all over with dense, peculiar runes.

Inside the disk lay a black-and-white yin-yang diagram. The image did not remain fixed but rotated slowly, inducing a faint dizziness in the viewer, as though one’s very soul might be drawn into it.

Daoist Huayang held up the Yin-Yang Disk and, hearing Pavilion Master Qi’s words, chuckled. "Ashamed to say, the Yin-Yang Disk is but an auxiliary astra, and even a damaged one at that. Its power cannot compare with your pavilion’s Water-Smoke Screen, the treasure that guards your sect."

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Daoist Huayang need not be so modest. Though our Water-Smoke Screen is fine, how can it compare with the Yin-Yang Branch’s peerless treasures? Even this Yin-Yang Disk is by no means as ordinary as you claim. But since these new disciples are only at the Qi Refining Realm, will they suffer any accidents once they enter the Yin-Yang Disk?" Pavilion Master Qi’s voice carried a trace of seriousness.

"Be at ease, Daoist," Daoist Huayang answered confidently, pointing toward the busy boy. "I will only activate a small portion of its power, and the Tranquility Array will shield them. They will not lose themselves within the Yin-Yang Disk. On the contrary, if their comprehension is good, this experience will strengthen their temperament."

Pavilion Master Qi chuckled. "Then I must thank Daoist Huayang in advance."

While the two spoke, the boy worked diligently in the center of the hall. Streams of light flew from his palms and landed on the floor.

Soon, an unusually complex spiritual array took shape. A faint milky-white radiance spread outward, filling the space. A chorus of admiration rose in the hall.

Bathed in that glow, the new disciples fell unconsciously into serenity, their faces relaxed, hearts at peace as never before.

"Go!" Daoist Huayang smiled faintly and flicked the Yin-Yang Disk into the air above the array, positioning it at the center. With a low shout that snapped everyone from their trance, he said, "All of you, enter the array and sit down..."

The disciples surged forward eagerly, rushing into the array. The incarnation’s eyes gleamed as he too stepped inside and chose a seat.

"Calm your hearts, enter tranquility. You must not allow the least stray thought! Whatever you see later, do not fear. The Tranquility Array will protect you, so no harm will come. Remember, you have only the time it takes one incense stick to burn. You must give your all to grasp what you see..." Daoist Huayang’s voice entered their ears, though his final words left many puzzled. Then his expression hardened as he pointed to the Yin-Yang Disk.

With a resonant hum, the yin-yang pattern at its center spun faster and faster. The black and white qi whirled together, until at last they became two beams of light, one black and one white, shooting into the array. Yet as they neared the disciples, the lights softened, gentle and mild.

The next moment, the two streams of qi intertwined, merging into gray mist that enveloped the disciples’ figures, rendering them faint and indistinct. The hall grew quiet again.

Daoist Huayang simultaneously controlled both the array and the Yin-Yang Disk, observing the disciples and awaiting the results.

The incarnation felt as though he had fallen into a boundless sea of white mist. His heart grew vigilant. What he feared most was the state of the Sky-Eyed Butterfly. It too was caught within the Yin-Yang Disk’s power. If it were forced to reveal itself, danger would follow.

Fortunately, Daoist Huayang worries about harming these new disciples and has only activated a small portion of this astra’s strength. It is not enough to affect the Sky-Eyed Butterfly...

Relieved, the incarnation began to study his surroundings.

Now he seemed like a wandering soul drifting in the void. Below lay nothing, and on all sides, only endless pale mist.

Grasp what you see...

The incarnation recalled Daoist Huayang’s words. His heart stirred, and he reached out to seize a wisp of white mist.

But when he opened his hand, the mist vanished into nothing. Clearly, everything around him was illusory.

His gaze swept the surroundings. There were nothing but falsehoods. This was truly a place with no way forward, no way back.

Yet the incarnation’s face showed not the slightest anxiety. He slowly turned his gaze, taking everything in. Gradually, he seemed to understand.

A Qi Refining Realm cultivator, faced with such a scene, would naturally be helpless, able only to wait until Daoist Huayang withdrew the Yin-Yang Disk.

But though the incarnation’s cultivation was only at the ninth stage of Qi Refining, he possessed the vision of a Core Formation cultivator. Daoist Huayang’s cultivation was no greater than that of his true body.

With only a small portion of the astra’s power activated, and since it was but an illusion, it could not possibly trap him.

"Things? The only real substance here is the yin-yang qi of the Yin-Yang Disk!"

He grasped the essence of the trial. "Low-level cultivators cannot pierce illusions. Searching aimlessly in such vastness, they could never seize yin-yang qi. Only those innately sensitive to its flow, even with their senses obscured, can rely on instinct to find where it lies. The Yin-Yang Branch’s standards are indeed harsh..."

Having discerned the truth, the incarnation grew composed. He stood still in the void, eyes half-closed, carefully sensing the movement of the white mist.

Before long, delight flashed across his face. He suddenly opened his eyes, fixed upon a direction, and shot forward like an arrow.

Outside the array, the hall was utterly silent. Time trickled by, and more than half an incense stick had already burned.

Within the array, the disciples wore varied expressions. Some were anxious, others were helpless. Not one had yet awakened.

Daoist Huayang fixed his gaze on the three-root youth, pinning his hopes upon him. But seeing the boy’s panic-stricken face, he could only shake his head, disappointment glinting in his eyes.