Hearing the words of the group of Chongwu Guards, Chongwu Hou's eyes flickered with a hint of hesitation, but he still spoke:
"My mind is made up, there's no need for you to continue."
Yin Shiyi and the others stopped pressing the matter and could only look at Fang Yuan with regret.
Fang Yuan, however, remained calm, with no trace of frustration on his face.
"However, I am willing to accept a few registered disciples," Chongwu Hou changed the subject.
The outstanding disciples present didn't quite understand and had to wait for Shi Mo to explain:
"In the entire Jianghai Palace, only Brother Ye Chuan is Master's personal disciple, the rest of us are all registered disciples."
So that's how it is?
The outstanding disciples were stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a renewed sense of hope. At the same time, they grew more puzzled. Could it be that Brother Fang is not as good as Ye Chuan?
But when Ye Chuan faced Brother Fang, he had been so terrified that he acted as if he had lost his mind.
Could it be that he wasn't pretending?
It seemed that Shi Mo had guessed the thoughts of the others, as Ye Chuan immediately waved his sleeve and snorted:
"I told you all before, I was just temporarily lost in madness. If it wasn't for that, there's no way that Fang Yuan could compare to me. I would win!"
Ye Chuan spoke with confidence. Combined with his status as a personal disciple, his words seemed very convincing.
The outstanding disciples were almost half-convinced. After all, the fact that Chongwu Hou had chosen Ye Chuan but not Fang Yuan already said a lot.
Fang Yuan, however, smiled and said, "You might want to tone it down a little. Acting too arrogantly makes you look weak."
"What?" Ye Chuan furrowed his brow, not expecting that Fang Yuan would dare challenge him in front of their Master.
"Cough, cough, Master, which disciples will you choose as your registered disciples?" Yin Shiyi interjected at the right time.
Chongwu Hou didn't mind the little spat between the two, and after a brief thought, he announced three names:
"Fang Yuan, Mo Wuhen, and Bai Feng."
Mo Wuhen and Bai Feng immediately showed excited expressions, especially Bai Feng, who had never imagined that, as the last of the genius camp, he would be chosen!
Indeed, Chongwu Hou's choices were based on the potential of the disciples' futures!
"Thank you, Master!" Mo Wuhen immediately performed a bow, and Bai Feng quickly followed suit.
"There's no need for that." Chongwu Hou waved his hand. After all, they were only registered disciples, which was more of a symbolic teacher-disciple relationship.
His true teachings would only be passed down to personal disciples.
At this thought, Chongwu Hou couldn't help but look at Fang Yuan, a look of regret appearing in his eyes.
Why, why was a genius like Fang Yuan not the type of person he was seeking?
After sighing, Chongwu Hou waved his hand again: "The disciples I have chosen may stay, the others may leave."
The unchosen outstanding disciples could only leave in disappointment, while the Chongwu Guards also chose to depart.
In the end, only Fang Yuan, Mo Wuhen, Bai Feng, and Ye Chuan remained in the main hall.
"Alright, the three of you can ask me anything about martial arts that confuses you," Chongwu Hou said.
They had been waiting for these words for a long time.
Fang Yuan was the first to step forward and said, "Master, I wish to seek the cultivation method for the Fifth Realm."
The Fifth Realm?!
As soon as these words were spoken, Mo Wuhen and Bai Feng immediately looked over in shock.
Were their ears playing tricks on them? Fang Yuan was actually asking for the cultivation method for the Fifth Realm?!
They were at the Third and Second Realms, respectively!
Not only Mo Wuhen and Bai Feng, even Ye Chuan was surprised. He was only at the Fifth Level of the Fourth Realm, and judging by Fang Yuan's tone... Could it be that he had already reached the peak of the Fourth Realm?
Ye Chuan refused to believe it. It had to be an act, definitely an act. He must be trying to impress others by making such an outrageous request!
Chongwu Hou stared deeply at Fang Yuan. He was very clear that Fang Yuan was not showing off; he had truly reached the peak of the Fourth Realm!
Such a genius... It was almost terrifyingly exaggerated. But then, even a genius like this could not escape the fate of becoming a pawn...
A sense of struggle appeared in Chongwu Hou's eyes.
Seeing that Chongwu Hou was strangely silent, Ye Chuan and the others were even more puzzled. With his cultivation, this question should be no problem for him.
Why did he seem so hesitant?
Fang Yuan noticed Chongwu Hou's troubled expression and recalled the hints from the "Book of Good People." He immediately asked:
"Master, when I absorb spiritual energy, I can sense that the spiritual energy in the world seems to contain something else..."
Before Fang Yuan could finish, Chongwu Hou's face suddenly changed. His figure disappeared from his original position and almost instantly appeared in front of Fang Yuan!
"You can sense it?!" Chongwu Hou's eyes were fixed on Fang Yuan, his voice urgent.
Ye Chuan, standing by, was stunned. It was the first time he had seen Master lose his composure like this.
Wait a minute... Fang Yuan said he could sense the spiritual energy of the world?
This kid really reached the peak of the Fourth Realm?!
"Yes..." Fang Yuan nodded. Since the "Book of Good People" allowed him to sense it, there was nothing wrong with that.
"Impossible..." Chongwu Hou looked at Fang Yuan with a puzzled gaze. It felt as though even a math professor couldn't solve the Riemann hypothesis.
"So, Master, do you know why?" Fang Yuan asked again.
Chongwu Hou didn't answer immediately. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then waved his hand to Mo Wuhen and Bai Feng:
"You three, leave first."
"Yes." Though they were puzzled, Mo Wuhen and Bai Feng immediately nodded and agreed. Ye Chuan was slightly surprised: "Master, do I..."
"You go too," Chongwu Hou nodded.
Ye Chuan, feeling slightly gloomy, left with Bai Feng and Mo Wuhen, and the main hall was left with just Chongwu Hou and Fang Yuan.
After a moment of silence, Chongwu Hou finally spoke:
"Do you know why I waited until the last moment to act when we were in the Henglin Mountains?"
Fang Yuan was somewhat confused as to why Chongwu Hou would suddenly bring this up, but he was indeed curious.
If Chongwu Hou had acted earlier, Qin Hai wouldn't have ended up with his cultivation crippled.
"Why?" Fang Yuan asked.
"Because before I acted, I had already become a mortal for many years..." Chongwu Hou spoke, his tone bitter. "My cultivation had regressed... It was sealed by the royal family!"