The leader of the sect, being the highest-ranked cultivator in the headquarters and having received systematic training, had seen all kinds of situations. But this scene was something he had never encountered before.
If the stewards had prepared in advance out of sympathy for his hard work, he could understand and even feel a bit relieved. But what was up with these three? Where did they even come from?
The leader quickly figured out what was going on. His gaze turned icy, as if it could kill. These three were pretending to be examiners to eliminate their competition in advance.
"What a clever trick!" the leader gritted his teeth and said.
The three were still pretending to be examiners. Lu Yang propped his legs up on the table and said, "You think you can pass the exam without bribing us? Next!"
The next person respectfully took out some spirit stones to offer to the three examiners. Meng Jingzhou glanced at the amount and felt it was insufficient, so he asked, "Do you have any experience joining the Demon Sect?"
"No."
"Oh, sorry, we don't want inexperienced people. You can go back."
The person felt like the examiners were practically wearing signs that said "We are not hiring."
The leader appeared behind the three like a ghost, his breath icy enough to freeze. His Golden Core aura was unmistakable as he slapped the three against the wall. "You three are so bold to pretend to be examiners here!"
If he had arrived even a moment later, everyone would have run off!
Lu Yang peeled himself off the wall and hurriedly said, "Sir, you’ve misunderstood! We are all thinking of the Demon Sect!"
The leader was so angry he almost laughed. "Then tell me, how are you thinking of the Demon Sect?"
"Sir, think about it. As cultivators of the Demon Path, we should be suspicious and question everything. Look at these people. The moment we sat here, they believed we were examiners without any doubts."
"If they are so easily fooled, doesn’t that make them easy targets? If the righteous path had any clever people, they’d be tricked one after another."
"Besides, only righteous cultivators would believe everything they hear. I suspect there are undercover righteous cultivators among them. You must investigate their identities thoroughly, Sir! We can’t let righteous cultivators infiltrate!"
As he said this, Lu Yang looked suspiciously at the people taking the exam, as if to say he believed there were definitely spies among them.
Lu Yang spoke with such sincerity, looking like he was genuinely concerned for the leader.
The leader’s expression softened a bit.
Meng Jingzhou was even more sincere than Lu Yang, sounding like he was sharing his true thoughts: "Moreover, cultivators of the Demon Path are selfish and only think of themselves. With so many people here for the exam, we naturally have to find ways to reduce our competition!"
"If they aren’t skilled enough and fall for tricks, who can they blame? They can only blame their lack of experience in being deceived!"
The leader’s frown relaxed, realizing this was the true intention of the three.
Right, cultivators of the Demon Path must be ruthless and use every means possible. When he joined the Demon Sect, he had also used all his tricks to gain favor with the higher-ups and reach his current position.
The methods of these three were even more impressive than his back then, surpassing him completely.
Man Gu spoke plainly, stating, "We genuinely want to join the Demon Sect and promise not to cause any trouble!"
The leader nodded slightly. Perhaps these three could also gain favor with the higher-ups and improve the reputation of the Yanjiang Branch.
Everyone glared at Lu Yang and the others. They were all known troublemakers and scoundrels in the righteous path, but none were as shameless as these three, deceiving people so ruthlessly!
If the leader hadn’t been there, they would have rushed in to tear these three apart!
The leader didn’t care about what the others thought. A bunch of mediocre people couldn’t compare to the value of these three.
"What level of cultivation do you three have?"
Lu Yang respectfully replied, "We are all at the early stage of Foundation Building. The three of us are from out of town and arrived in Yanjiang County a month ago. We heard the Demon Sect was recruiting and wanted to give it a try. Seeing so many competitors, we came up with this plan."
"Well done." The leader grew more satisfied with the three. They were good prospects, and this was all his achievement.
He had casually waved his hand earlier, and ordinary early-stage Foundation Building cultivators would have been injured. But these three hadn’t been hurt at all, showing they were exceptional among their peers.
If they performed decently in the exam, promoting them to stewards wouldn’t be a problem.
Those who had been eliminated by Lu Yang returned one after another, called back by the leader.
These eliminated people hated Lu Yang even more than the others. Lu Yang felt that if he killed them now, they might turn into vengeful spirits.
The leader opened the stone wall and said to everyone, "Come in."
Behind the stone wall was a vast and dark space, with giant stones floating and connected by chains, quite spectacular.
Lu Yang guessed correctly; the Yanjiang Branch was in a cave heaven.
The leader’s attitude towards the three was clearly different from that towards the others. "You three had good ideas to eliminate your competition, and you did well, but you were mistaken from the start. Even if you eliminate these people, or even if it’s just the three of you taking the exam, you might not pass."
"What do you mean?" the three asked, confused.
The leader, hidden behind a mask, smiled without answering. He stepped onto a floating stone and led everyone to the largest one.
This was a platform with a floor covered in intricate and beautiful patterns. Four ancient stone pillars stood at the four corners, and eleven stewards in black robes were stationed at the edges of the platform.
"You all sit separately and relax your minds."
After everyone complied, the leader stepped to the center of the platform. In the center floated a green stone, its surface engraved with countless mysterious symbols.
The leader infused the stone with spiritual energy, causing the formation beneath him to activate, spinning and expanding, quickly covering the entire platform.
The platform felt like an ancient giant beast awakening, using mysterious powers from the ancient times to transport everyone to an unknown space.
In the pure white space, shadowy figures stood, looking confused and unsure of what was happening.
Seeing the white space, Lu Yang often suspected that a Tofu Heavenly Sovereign might suddenly pop out from the crowd.
Lu Yang noticed that Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu were not beside him, and he was surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
"Brother, where are you from?" Lu Yang asked, being quite friendly, but the person seemed unaccustomed to his enthusiasm.
Feeling awkward about not speaking, the person replied, "From Huangyue City."
Lu Yang asked several people and found they were from different Demon Sect strongholds, all transported here through a giant formation.
Lu Yang began to understand the leader's intention. This selection was not organized by each stronghold but was arranged by the headquarters, with all rogue cultivators of the Demon Path participating at the same time.
"This feels like a soul leaving the body, yet it’s different," Lu Yang muttered. He felt that what the platform was transporting wasn’t their physical bodies, but something like their consciousness.
"Interesting. I wonder if the senior sister can..." Lu Yang stopped his thoughts. If this was a mental state, perhaps the Undying Sect had a way to detect what he was thinking.
Better to be cautious.
Suddenly, the entire space darkened, and a figure radiating a white glow stood in the air.
That person said calmly, "I am the Vice Leader of the Undying Sect. I will set three tests for you. Those who pass all three can join our sect."
(End of Chapter)