At that very moment, the always silent and reserved Immortal Hall Daoist Master suddenly let out a quiet sigh.

The Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy was slightly taken aback. Following his gaze outside, he saw Henry Carter sitting by the pond in the outer hall.

It seemed he had just remembered this person. After a while, he gently spoke: “I heard that this year in Taiyue City, there emerged a genius in the Dao Yuan True Explanation, said to be the best in three hundred years, and originally the top of the Jiazi List. Is it him?”

The moment Henry Carter was mentioned, the atmosphere at the table immediately became somewhat delicate.

The city lord’s daughter, Emily Bennett, looked up at the Immortal Envoy for a moment, then lowered her eyes again, sitting quietly without saying a word.

Immortal Hall Daoist Master only sighed deeply and did not speak.

The city lord Samuel Bennett let out a gentle sigh and said with a smile, “Immortal Envoy, you are right. This Henry Carter, my nephew, grew up before my eyes. He’s a good kid, a bit dull in personality, but with an excellent memory. I heard that before the grand exam, not only could he recite the Dao Yuan True Explanation backwards and forwards, but he also memorized all the related commentaries and classics thoroughly. This kind of grinding effort is not something ordinary people can match. However, apart from the Dao Yuan True Explanation, he knows nothing about medicine, divination, artifacts, or martial arts. If the Dao Yuan True Explanation is counted, he is naturally the top of the list, but if it’s excluded, he’s not even as good as an ordinary person!”

“So he’s just a kid good at rote memorization!”

The Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy nodded thoughtfully, saying nothing more.

But Immortal Hall Daoist MasterMr. Brooks could not bear it any longer and suddenly said, “Senior Brother Miller, you are here on official business, so I shouldn’t say this, but I really can’t hold it in. Henry Carter is a child I watched grow up, and his talent is truly outstanding. This time, he earned the top spot on the Jiazi List, and it is well deserved. Now, just because of a word from the Immortal Sect, are we to ruin this child’s bright future?”

The Qingyang Sect Immortal EnvoySenior Brother Miller was slightly startled: “Junior Brother Brooks, what do you mean?”

Daoist MasterMr. Brooks said, “This child’s talent is truly not bad. Can’t you make an exception and accept him into the sect?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the inner hall suddenly fell silent.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy, even holding their breath.

Under so many gazes, the Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy considered for a long while, but in the end, he still shook his head heavily.

“You…”

Immortal HallMr. Brooks immediately became somewhat angry, slamming his wine cup heavily on the table, about to get up and leave.

“Junior Brother Brooks, don’t be angry!”

The Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy only sighed and said, “We once studied the Dao together as fellow disciples. I understand how you feel, but it’s not that the Immortal Sect is heartless. It’s just that this child truly isn’t suitable to enter the sect. You teach young disciples for the Immortal Sect in Immortal Hall, so you should understand: having these children study medicine, divination, artifacts, calligraphy, and other subjects from a young age is all to prepare them for future cultivation…”

“Generally speaking, when these children reach fifteen or sixteen, their foundation for cultivation is more or less set, and their bodies have matured. At this time, it’s the best moment to select the most talented to enter the sect for cultivation. Otherwise, if they start too early, their bodies are not yet fully developed, and forcing them to cultivate may do more harm than good. If they start too late, their bodies are already set, and most of their potential is lost. Just a few years’ difference can mean their future achievements are at least halved!”

“As for the young man you mentioned, I have already reviewed his file. In the Dao Yuan True Explanation, his attainments are indeed impressive. Even I have never seen anyone who could memorize all thirty-six publicly available Dao Yuan True Explanation scriptures word for word. But in all other aspects of cultivation, he is just average. Now, the Dao Yuan True Explanation has been proven false, and the Grand Elder has already passed away, so no one pays attention to this field anymore. If we accept this child into the sect, he would be a blank slate, and before he could even begin cultivation, he would have to relearn all the basic theories. When do you think he could master them? Three years? Five years? By then, would he still be suitable for cultivation?”

“Hmph, with the foundation of Qingyang Sect, if you train him well, how could it possibly delay his cultivation?”

Immortal Hall's Mr. Brooks said angrily.

The Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy only gave a bitter smile: “But how could the Immortal Sect have so much energy to train him?”

“You…”

Mr. Brooks was furious. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, “Do you realize that with just this one thought, you might miss out on a great talent!”

“There are already too many great talents in the Immortal Sect!”

The Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy was unmoved and said calmly, “You know as well as I do, recruiting disciples into the Immortal Sect is different from before. In these three hundred years, every three years, the number of disciples accepted is more than three times what it was in ten years before, but cultivation resources are limited. If these disciples want to grow, it’s impossible without enough resources. The Immortal Sect no longer has the energy to waste on people of little promise. To be honest, perhaps this year’s grand exam will be the last one in three hundred years…”

“What?”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked, and all eyes turned to the Immortal Envoy in astonishment.