Chapter 2243

"To think he could actually comprehend the Soul-Elevating Secret Method from such a vague sound of the Great Dao at the very edge… Just how terrifyingly strong is this kid's comprehension?"

"Not only did he comprehend it, but he was also the first to do so. His potential far surpasses that of all the other geniuses."

Several Dao Venerables marveled incessantly, but the Dao Venerable from the Ancient Lotus Holy Land wore a trace of disdain. "Perhaps it's just good luck." At this moment, Senior Xiahou said in a clear voice, "This Xiahou would like to ask for a certain privilege. I wonder if it is permitted?"

A moment later, a voice rang out, "Granted!"

Xiahou Yuan nodded slightly and tapped his finger once more.

Lin Moyu, who had been by the lakeside, was instantly transported above the lake. He was positioned at the very back of everyone, only two meters above the water's surface, which was also the lowest position among them.

Xiahou Yuan was clearly giving Lin Moyu an opportunity to listen to the Great Dao along with them. This was the privilege he had requested, and none of the Dao Venerables present spoke a word of objection.

No matter what, Xiahou Yuan's identity, status, and realm were all above theirs, so they did not dare to voice any opposition.

Furthermore, Xiahou Yuan had to ask for permission when requesting the privilege, which meant the person who answered was clearly even more terrifying.

These people probably all knew a thing or two about how deep the waters of the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce ran.

Xiahou Yuan's methods were too profound; Lin Moyu did not even realize he had been teleported. He only felt that the voice of the Great Dao had suddenly become clearer—several times clearer, in fact.

Instantly, his speed of comprehension accelerated drastically.

His soul power surged, and his understanding of the Soul-Elevating Secret Method rapidly deepened.

Comprehending the secret method required a continuous consumption of soul power, but soul power consumption was precisely what Lin Moyu feared least.

As long as it wasn't a sudden, massive depletion, his soul power was practically inexhaustible with the World Tree around.

Under these circumstances, he could keep comprehending until the end of time.

However, he knew it definitely wouldn't be that simple. Otherwise, those geniuses would also be able to hold out for a very long time. The difficulty would likely increase.

By the eighth minute, almost every genius had halted their descent. Furthermore, as their comprehension of the secret method deepened, they not only stopped falling but also began to rise.

Among them, Saintess Xianlian rose the fastest, with Lu Fengyao following closely behind.

In less than a minute, the two of them had risen several meters, almost returning to their initial heights.

The others were rising as well, but their speed of ascent was far inferior.

The geniuses who were originally ranked near the bottom did not rise back up by much.

Lin Moyu, who had been at the very bottom, also began to rise gradually. Moreover, his upward momentum was very strong. By the eighth minute, his height had already surpassed several of the geniuses at the bottom.

By the ninth minute, Lin Moyu was more than five meters above the lake. At this point, he was in the middle of the pack, having surpassed dozens of geniuses.

By now, whose comprehension was stronger had become glaringly obvious.

As the tenth minute arrived, a dull roll of thunder rumbled within the Great Dao, and the descending pressure suddenly intensified.

All the rising geniuses stopped simultaneously and began to descend once more.

The voice of the Great Dao became more intense, and the Soul-Elevating Secret Method also advanced to a higher level, becoming more powerful and harder to comprehend.

The consumption of soul power accelerated. To comprehend the secret method, one needed to consume even more soul power.

Lin Moyu maintained a completely calm state of mind. No matter how difficult it was, he would simply focus on comprehending it.

He felt that this secret method was highly miraculous. If he could comprehend it, it would bring him no small amount of benefits.

This sermon was not just a test, but also an opportunity.

Plop!

The sound of splashing water echoed. In the thirteenth minute, a genius finally fell into the lake.

Falling into the lake meant being eliminated.

Waves rippled in the lake, pushing them to the shore. The geniuses who fell into the lake could not move their bodies at all, unable to leave. At the same time, they could not speak. They could only soak in the lake, watching others comprehend the Great Dao with wide eyes. The victors soared in the sky while the losers fell into the water; this stark contrast in height created an extremely intense psychological gap. The Dao Venerables in the sky watched this, but did not feel much.

"These geniuses usually consider themselves the favored children of heaven and are used to being arrogant. It is good to give them a bit of a setback."

"Most of them have had smooth sailing all their lives. They need to taste the flavor of defeat once in a while."

"If they cannot get used to failure, how can they go further in the future? Their Dao Hearts also need to be tempered."

The Dao Venerables stood high above, sharing their views like experienced elders.

Xiahou Yuan remained silent, most of his attention focused on Lin Moyu.

Lin Moyu halted his descent when he was still two meters away from the lake's surface.

He had gained a new understanding of the Soul-Elevating Secret Method, thereby stopping his fall.

At this moment, it was only the fourteenth minute. Even Saintess Xianlian was still slowly descending, having not yet gained a new understanding of the Soul-Elevating Secret Method.

In the fifteenth minute, Saintess Xianlian and Lu Fengyao, one after the other with less than a five-second gap, comprehended the stronger Soul-Elevating Secret Method and halted their descent.

Saintess Xianlian opened her eyes and did a hasty sweep. Finding that she was still in first place, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, she saw that several people had already fallen into the lake and been eliminated.

"Useless trash!" Saintess Xianlian thought with some disdain before closing her eyes again to continue comprehending the secret method. Merely halting her descent was far from enough; next, she had to strengthen the secret method to turn her descent into an ascent.

Lu Fengyao did not open her eyes this time. She focused solely on comprehending the secret method, ignoring everything else.

Saintess Xianlian's glance had been too hasty, so she did not notice Lin Moyu.

By the time she halted her descent, Lin Moyu had already turned his descent into an ascent. However, because the gap between them was quite large before, Lin Moyu had not surpassed her yet.

While Saintess Xianlian didn't notice, the Dao Venerables outside the formation in the sky saw everything clearly.

"This little fellow is extraordinary; he has taken the lead once again."

"Such comprehension is truly enviable. Of all the people this old man has seen in his life, his comprehension must rank first."

"Regrettably, his realm is too low and his soul power is insufficient. The next few rounds won't be this easy." "His comprehension is indeed excellent, but unfortunately, he is held back by his low realm."

"I wonder what his bone age is. If he is young enough, perhaps he will have a place among the geniuses in the future." Lin Moyu was completely enveloped by divine light wood, so the Dao Venerables could not see his bone age clearly. In this place, only Xiahou Yuan could see it with absolute clarity.

"Under 2,500 years of bone age, a Mid-stage Heavenly Venerate realm, a Dao Venerable 1st Realm soul, and a shockingly massive amount of fortune."

"How can such a figure be compared to ordinary geniuses?"

"If he could become my disciple…"

The more Xiahou Yuan looked, the more satisfied he became, and the thought of taking him as a disciple arose in his heart.

At this moment, a thought suddenly popped into Lin Moyu's mind, "If I consume the silver tree sap, I wonder if it can accelerate my comprehension speed."

"Let's give it a try. Even if it's useless, I won't lose anything."

The idea was bold, and his action was equally bold. Lin Moyu's soul immediately consumed a drop of the silver tree sap.

Chapter 2764: A Word of Advice, Think Twice Before You Act

The silver tree sap burst within his soul body, and surges of mysterious power flooded in, making his soul incredibly active.

The silver tree sap could increase cultivation speed. Lin Moyu had already tested it, and for him, it could increase it by a full ten-fold.

The originally obscure and difficult-to-understand voice of the Great Dao suddenly became simple and easy to comprehend.

His comprehension of the secret method was improving at an astonishing speed.

Lin Moyu's speed of ascent suddenly accelerated, becoming at least twice as fast as before.

While others were still descending, he was rising at an incredible speed. With this back-and-forth, the gap between them rapidly widened.

By the seventeenth minute, Lin Moyu's height had already surpassed most of the geniuses, second only to the top twenty.

Plop! Plop!

Geniuses fell into the water one after another, eliminated from the trial.

Bound by an invisible force, they were pushed to the shore. Everyone was unable to move or speak, only able to watch those still suspended in the air with wide eyes.

They had become drenched chickens, the losers.

To them, every single person still hovering in the air was a victor.

The faces of the geniuses were all quite unsightly; they felt as if they were being slapped hard in the face.

Every second felt like a year.

They saw Lin Moyu, and one by one, they showed expressions of utter disbelief.

Why was a Heavenly Venerate here?

"He isn't even a genius, just a minor follower. Why is he able to listen to the Dao in the center of the lake?" "What on earth happened? Did I see wrong? This is impossible!"

"Could it be that I'm not even comparable to a Heavenly Venerate? I am a genius! What does a mere Heavenly Venerate like him count for?" "I remember him; he is Lu Fengyao's follower. Could it be a privilege granted by Lu Fengyao?"

"It must be so. This is Shang City, Lu Fengyao's territory. It must be a privilege granted by Lu Fengyao."

These eliminated geniuses were all screaming in their hearts, but since they could not speak, they could only communicate with their eyes.

From their eyes, one could see how agitated they were.

Not only were they agitated, but even the Dao Venerables watching the show in the sky were starting to lose their composure.

Lin Moyu's sudden burst of speed caught them completely off guard.

"What happened? Why did his comprehension speed suddenly accelerate so much?"

"Something unexpected must have happened. Did he use some special means?"

"Stop joking. Before Senior Xiahou, no special means could possibly work." "But how else can this be explained?"

"What's the rush? Even Senior Xiahou isn't anxious, so why should we be?"

The Dao Venerables all looked toward Xiahou Yuan. No trace of anything unusual could be seen on Xiahou Yuan's aged face; it was as calm and unruffled as ever.

The Dao Venerables felt disappointed. Xiahou Yuan's reaction was practically a tacit approval of Lin Moyu's behavior, indicating there was nothing wrong with it.

Judging by the current situation, as long as Lin Moyu could maintain this speed of comprehension,

in a few more minutes, when the third round arrived, he would be able to surpass everyone and take the lead entirely.

The only problem now was Lin Moyu's realm.

His realm dictated that his soul power was insufficient. No matter how fast his comprehension speed or how strong his understanding, his soul power would always be a bottleneck.

Xiahou Yuan's heart was not as calm as his expression suggested.

"How did this kid do it?"

"Even this old man cannot see through it. Truly strange."

"Just what kind of method is it that can hide from my eyes?"

Xiahou Yuan was extremely curious. Lin Moyu's comprehension speed had suddenly multiplied, which was clearly abnormal.

Yet, he simply could not see through how Lin Moyu did it. Furthermore, he had to maintain his own dignity and could not tell others that he didn't understand.

Thus, he could only choose to remain silent, acting as though he understood.

At his realm and status, other things were no longer important; face was placed above all else.

Xiahou Yuan studied it for a long time but really could not make heads or tails of it. With a shift of his consciousness, he bypassed everyone to contact Lu Lian.

"Grand Butler Lu Lian, please have the Third Ancestor take a look for me!"

He knew Lu Lian had been there all along, and the Third Ancestor must also be watching everything here.

Since he couldn't see any clues himself, perhaps the Third Ancestor could.

The Third Ancestor's voice then rang out, "This old man didn't understand it either. This kid has many secrets, and you don't need to figure them all out."

Xiahou Yuan said, "I wish to take him as my disciple. What does the Third Ancestor think?"

Lin Moyu had come together with Lu Fengyao, so Xiahou Yuan instinctively felt that Lin Moyu was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

If he wanted to take Lin Moyu as a disciple, he naturally had to ask for the Third Ancestor's opinion.

The Third Ancestor replied, "His name is Lin Moyu, and he is not a member of our Chamber of Commerce. If you want to take him as a disciple, you can tell him yourself."

"However, this old man does not recommend you take him as a disciple, and nine times out of ten, he won't agree to it either."

Xiahou Yuan's expression shifted, showing a hint of confusion. "Why?"

He did not understand. With his identity, status, and strength, was he not qualified to be the master of a Heavenly Venerate? …Please support with flowers…

The Third Ancestor said, "He has karmic entanglements with many people, including some figures you wouldn't want to meet, such as the one in Thunder Mountain."

Xiahou Yuan was stunned for a moment. "That fellow in Thunder Mountain is related to him?"

The Third Ancestor said, "I am not clear on the exact relationship, but there definitely is one. He carries that person's mark on him, and he is also connected to the Hanshui Holy Land—and their relationship is far from ordinary."