Chapter 72: The Three Outstanding Figures of the Demonic Sect
Among the ten interviewees, Lu Yang was sixth in line. He also noticed that the people in front of him entered the examiner’s room and then sprinted out at the speed of a 100-meter dash, only to run back in and out several times.
“What kind of bizarre test is this?”
Lu Yang, unable to sit still, knew the rules stated that discussing the interview content with other candidates was forbidden, but it didn’t say anything about going outside to take a look.
Lu Yang asked a demonic cultivator sitting next to him, who was resting with his eyes closed, “Do you want to go outside and have a look?”
The demonic cultivator glanced at Lu Yang disdainfully, smirked coldly, and said nothing.
Why would a demonic cultivator act collectively? It must be a trap; no way he was going.
Seeing the other person didn’t respond, Lu Yang felt pity for him.
He looks quite handsome, just a pity he’s deaf. Wonder what he will do during the interview if he can’t hear what the examiner says?
Seeing no one paid him any attention, Lu Yang went outside.
Outside was a bustling market, with vendors selling fruits, eggs, pork… All common foods could be found here, with vendors either setting up stalls or pushing carts around to peddle their goods.“An apple, please.” Lu Yang bought an apple, wiped it, and ate it while observing the actions of the interviewees.
Just then, the third person ran out to see if anyone was selling potatoes, noticed a vendor, and immediately went back to report to the examiner.
Less than three minutes later, the third person ran out again, asking the potato vendor how much per pound and the total amount available.
Three minutes later, it was still the third person, running out to check the quality of the potatoes.
Then came the fourth person, whose process was almost identical to the third’s, except he ran four times, not as quick-witted as the third.
Lu Yang munched on his apple, deep in thought.
…
“Next, Fang Hao,” called the chubby examiner.
Fang Hao was the person Lu Yang had asked if he wanted to go outside together.
“Here!” Surprisingly, Fang Hao wasn’t mute.
“Go to the market and see if there’s anyone selling potatoes,” the chubby examiner repeated his usual question.
Fang Hao hurried out and took a long time to return, which puzzled the chubby examiner.
Just as the chubby examiner was getting impatient, Fang Hao came back, “There’s no one selling potatoes at the market.”
“How many pounds of potatoes… wait, what did you say? No one selling potatoes?”
Fang Hao didn’t understand why the chubby examiner reacted so strongly and nodded, “Yes, I ran around the market twice and confirmed there’s no one selling potatoes.”
“That’s impossible!” The chubby examiner thought Fang Hao was lying, so he hurried out, with Fang Hao following behind.
As soon as the chubby examiner stepped outside, he saw Lu Yang pushing a cart of potatoes with a sign that read “Potatoes Not for Sale.”
The old man who was supposed to be selling potatoes was happily counting his money next to him.
Seeing the chubby examiner, Lu Yang pushed the cart and ran, infuriating the examiner. What would happen to the rest of the interviews if the potatoes ran away?
“Stop right there!!”
Lu Yang passed the test.
…
“Outrageous!” The vice sect leader roared, a domineering and terrifying aura emanating from him, shaking the entire hall, causing ripples on the surface of the pool, blurring the scene.
His meticulously designed test was filled with loopholes by these two troublemakers, an utter disgrace!
The sect leader calmly stepped in to contain the vice sect leader’s aura. They had built the hall in a place not easily discovered, and it would be a joke if they were discovered by the righteous path because of this.
The sect leader advised, “Don’t get angry so easily. Right now, they have forgotten everything and only remember they need to find a way to pass. We are a demonic sect, focusing on killing to resurrect the immortal. How could we kill over such a matter?”
“Moreover, these two individuals have taken an unconventional path, which is a rare talent. The development of our Everlasting Sect has always lacked a major breakthrough, and I think these two are our hope.”
The vice sect leader felt that there was no hope for the Everlasting Sect.
The sect leader excitedly said, “Speaking of which, this Barbarian Bone, along with Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang, they all come from Yanjiang County, right?”
“Who would have thought that such a small place as Yanjiang County could produce three talents? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them the three outstanding figures of the demonic sect. With these three, our sect is like a tiger that has grown wings!”
The vice sect leader muttered under his breath, “A tiger that has grown wings, isn’t that Qiongqi? Even Qiongqi can’t defeat the righteous path.”
The sect leader glared at him, “You’ve shown off you have culture. Now shut up.”
The vice sect leader obediently kept quiet.
(TL Note: Qiongqi is a mythological beast part of the Four Perils from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.)
…
Yanjiang Lodge.
Eleven stewards exerted all their strength to maintain the formation, while nearly a hundred demonic cultivators stood still, their eyes vacant, mindless, as their consciousness replaced their physical bodies in the test.
Maintaining the formation was too boring, so the stewards chatted while eating Qi-restoring pills, “Qin Yuanhao has been missing for so long, he’s probably dead.”
“Definitely dead, just not sure how he died. I’ve always said, that kid, always scheming this and that, thinking everything was under his control, was bound to anger some enemy who would take advantage of a dark and windy night to finish him off.”
“Qin Yuanhao’s body hasn’t been found yet.”
“Was he killed by an enemy?”
“What else? Could it be that a benefactor turned foe and killed him? In our line of work, we don’t have benefactors.”
“I heard that the night before Qin Yuanhao died, he was out enjoying himself at a brothel with Wang Big Mouth?”
The stewards laughed softly, their laughter echoing.
Just as Qin Yuanhao had hoped, Wang Big Mouth spread everywhere how Qin Yuanhao and he were invincible at the brothel, going in and out seven times.
Then Qin Yuanhao died.
Thus, a rumor spread throughout Yanjiang Lodge that Qin Yuanhao died from exhaustion.
If Qin Yuanhao knew this under the nine springs, he could rest in peace.
“I wonder how many will pass the test this time.”
Although many participate in the initiation ceremony, only one in ten passing the test and successfully joining the sect is considered good.
They had become stewards through similar tests and knew the difficulty.
This time, with the vice sect leader personally overseeing it, the difficulty was definitely among the highest of all tests!
“Only the lodge master knows the outcome.” The eleven looked towards the lodge master in meditation.
The lodge master also used the formation to enter the mysterious space constructed by the Everlasting Sect, where all lodge masters could see the performance of their respective lodges.
The performance of Lu Yang and the others was outstanding, making the lodge master’s face bloom like a chrysanthemum with joy.
But he wore a mask, so no one could see how happy he was.
He excitedly muttered to himself, “If these three pass smoothly and receive high praise from above, Yanjiang Lodge’s annual performance will definitely be in the forefront. With some maneuvering and a cultivation boost, maybe next year I could be transferred to a wealthier place as a lodge master, or even directly promoted to a hall master!”
After the three tests, the vice sect leader or sect leader would give a rating to the new members who performed exceptionally, like Qin Yuanhao’s rating was “demonic nature to the bone.”
The lodge master believed the rating for Lu Yang and the others would definitely be higher than Qin Yuanhao’s.
Just one look at these three, and you know they’re up to no good!
(End of the chapter)