Master Blackriver smiled as he introduced his son to Master Yanshan. This time, Master Yanshan came to the Wen Shi Garden mainly to see Michael Carter. If Michael Carter could obtain the Supreme Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal, then Michael Carter would have the chance, just like Susan Grant and Emily Grant, to be selected for Nanli Academy.

　　“Not bad.”

　　Master Yanshan only nodded slightly. Although they were both Zhenren, there was still a gap in strength, and Nanli Academy was not something the Gong family could compare to.

　　“Go ahead, do your best.”

　　Master Blackriver also knew he was not yet influential enough to sway Master Yanshan; whether or not Michael Carter succeeded would depend entirely on his own performance.

　　“Yes.”

　　Michael Carter bowed once more, then lifted his head and walked toward the stele forest in Wen Shi Garden.

　　Almost without hesitation, Michael Carter walked directly to a sacred Dao stele about 1.8 meters tall, its whole body like blue jade and glass. The stele was smooth and lustrous, like a ripple of clear spring water. Atop it bloomed a blue lotus, with what seemed like fine raindrops falling, making the lotus sway gently, as if it might float right off the stone—truly a marvelous sight.

　　Michael Carter gazed up at the Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele, circulating his inner energy. A strange flush rose on his young face. He stretched out a hand, and his index finger instantly doubled in thickness, shining with a metallic luster. At a glance, it no longer looked like a human finger, but more like a steel awl.

　　With just a single tap on the Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele, his finger sank halfway in without the slightest resistance.

　　“To be able to train the Vajra Qi Technique to this level is quite rare.”

　　Even Master Yanshan couldn’t help but nod slightly.

　　“Michael waited until today to advance to the rank of scholar precisely so he could train the Vajra Qi Technique to its peak, and break this Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele. If it were another supreme sacred Dao stele, he could have succeeded two years ago.”

　　Master Blackriver looked proud.

　　“To break this Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele, it still depends on his talent.”

　　Master Yanshan had also heard of the Gong family’s Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele. Among the supreme sacred Dao steles, it was a true treasure. The Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal was exceptionally mysterious and a rare supreme Dao Seal. But the Qinglian Stele was extremely difficult to break; since the Gong family acquired it, fewer than ten people had ever obtained the Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal.

　　“Among his peers, my son is second to none.”

　　Master Blackriver said proudly.

　　At this moment, Michael Carter had already carved the first two lines of a poem onto the Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele with his finger.

　　“A gentle breeze stirs the purple leaves,

　　Light dew brushes the vermilion chambers.

　　These two lines are quite good.”

　　Master Yanshan read the first two lines, but thought they were only decent. If judged by these lines alone, it would be impossible to obtain the supreme Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal.

　　“All the green in the central pond,

　　Awaits my crimson glow.”

　　These two lines are a brilliant continuation.

　　When Michael Carter finished writing the entire poem in one go, even Master Yanshan couldn’t help but praise him, knowing that Michael Carter was almost certain to obtain the Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal.

　　Sure enough, the four lines of the poem on the Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele began to emit a blue light, which then condensed in front of the stele into a red lotus. The red glow filled the entire courtyard, then transformed into a stream of red energy that shot toward Michael Carter’s forehead. In the blink of an eye, it surged into Michael Carter’s body, making his forehead glow red, as if a red lotus was faintly visible.

　　“Ah!

　　Michael Carter actually obtained the Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal!”

　　“Like father, like son—Michael Carter is truly impressive.”

　　“That’s not necessarily true. Charles Baker’s father is even more famous, but he’s failed to obtain the Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal for four years in a row.”

　　Many people cast ambiguous glances at Charles Baker, all curious about how he felt after failing to obtain the Qinglian True Fate Dao Seal for four consecutive years, only to see it broken today by a boy even younger than himself.

　　“Master Yanshan, would you do me the honor of coming to my humble abode for a cup of tea? I have some excellent spring tea from February.”

　　Master Blackriver beamed as he invited Master Yanshan.

　　“Susan, come with us.”

　　Master Yanshan turned to Susan Grant.

　　“Zhenren, you go ahead. I’d like to stay and watch a bit longer.”

　　Susan Grant hesitated for a moment.

　　“Oh?

　　Is there another genius in the Gong family worth seeing?”

　　Master Yanshan looked at Susan Grant in surprise.

　　“My husband is also participating in the Sacred Dao Stele trial today.”

　　Susan Grant said softly.

　　“Oh, the son of that great sage, right? Then let’s watch and leave together after.”

　　Master Yanshan said no more on the subject.

　　For the past ten years, the task of recruiting students from the Gong family had always fallen to Master Yanshan. He had naturally heard about Charles Baker’s four failed attempts at the Qinglian Sacred Dao Stele, and his impression of Charles Baker was not favorable. If not for Charles Baker, he might have been able to recruit Susan Grant to Nanli Academy years ago.

　　“In that case, let’s all stay and watch Young Master Baker’s performance.”

　　Master Blackriver also smiled. Everyone in the Gong family, from top to bottom, called Charles Baker Young Master, not son-in-law. In fact, they felt Charles Baker was unworthy of Susan Grant and were unwilling to acknowledge him as her husband.