"Who exactly borrowed my power?" Yun Zhi wondered. The Immortal Sect had fled with their families, leaving no one behind, only the Mountain and River Cauldron, which could buy a top-tier sect. Now, she couldn't find out who had taken her power.
There was a type of spell called "Divine Descent," which could borrow someone's power with their permission. However, this spell was nearly lost to time and very hard to learn. Yun Zhi hadn't seen it in a long time.
Besides, who could borrow power without their consent? Yun Zhi felt that the person who borrowed her power didn't mean any harm, which was why she instinctively didn't stop the power from leaking out.
She could roughly guess who it was.
"But where did he learn the Divine Descent spell?"
Yun Zhi didn't remember teaching Lu Yang any similar spells.
...
First place: Lu Yang.
"Huh? The first place has changed?" The deputy leader was confused. They had been too busy escaping to notice what Lu Yang had done.
The Mountain and River Cauldron had shattered, so they couldn't check the replay.
"But the Immortal Eye doesn't make mistakes. These three have the strongest destructive power!" the leader said confidently. He couldn't figure out what Lu Yang had done. The previous first place had killed hundreds of people in a short time and posed a threat to thousands more, yet Lu Yang somehow surpassed him to take first place. It was truly incredible.
But there was no need to guess; the Immortal Eye was a treasure of immortals, even more advanced than the Mountain and River Cauldron, and it would definitely not be wrong.
Indeed, Lu Yang had summoned Yun Zhi, destroyed the Mountain and River Cauldron and the headquarters of the Immortal Sect, causing damage that ranked among the top three in history.
In terms of the harm done to the leader, it was the worst.
The leader, feeling proud, forgot the pain he was in and said, "You see, I told you this guy Lu Yang is very clever. Don't be fooled by his temporary low ranking; if you're not careful, he can pull off a big stunt. Look, he’s now in first place."
"Don't underestimate Meng Jingzhou and the one you have high hopes for, Man Gu. Their performance was just average because they didn't have enough time. If they had more time, they would definitely rank second or third."
The deputy leader accepted his defeat. The leader was indeed wise and cautious, with a sharp eye. No wonder he was the leader and not just the deputy.
"So, what’s your evaluation of Lu Yang?"
After thinking for a moment, the leader slowly said, "In the first trial, Lu Yang took an unconventional approach, showing his martial arts talent. He entered the path of martial arts, which is rare in the world. In the second trial, he carefully observed and summarized the rules, buying potatoes, which made it impossible for later candidates to test themselves, showing his great destructive potential. This trait was even more evident in the third trial; calling him a natural-born demon seed is not an exaggeration."
The deputy leader was surprised. He had known the leader for a long time and had never heard anyone receive such a high evaluation.
"What about Meng Jingzhou?"
"Meng Jingzhou gained power from being bitten by a spider in the first trial, which shows luck. In this grand world, he is like a naturally born path seed. In the second trial, he studied the questions carefully, thought about them from multiple angles. Though he seemed arrogant, he was actually playing to win, planning well, and ultimately breaking through the examiner's psychological defenses to pass the test smoothly."
"Unfortunately, he didn't get to show his strengths in the third trial before it ended. He falls slightly short of Lu Yang, a demon born of the path."
The evaluation of a demon born of the path was also extremely rare. Few in the younger generation received such praise from the leader, indicating that Meng Jingzhou had a bright future ahead.
"And what about Man Gu?"
"In the first trial, he showed understanding, persistence, and strategy. In the second trial, he thought through the problems very thoroughly, but in the third trial, he lacked initiative. He performed exceptionally well in past tests, but with such strong competitors, I can only give him a 'demon in the heart' evaluation."
A "demon in the heart" meant that, based on past experiences, as long as they didn't fall, they could become high-ranking members of the Immortal Sect.
"Should we transfer them to the headquarters for careful training?" the deputy leader asked.
The leader shook his head and shared his experience: "Don't be in such a hurry. They should start from the grassroots level and at least have two years of experience there. Trust me, grassroots experience is very helpful for future growth. That's how I came up."
"And I have a plan. Lu Yang is imaginative and has great ideas and destructive power. Once he grows, we'll see if he can mix into the righteous sects, like the Asking Dao Sect."
The deputy leader chuckled, thinking the leader was overestimating them. They might find a way to blend into other sects, but getting into the Asking Dao Sect would be too difficult. Just understanding the thoughts of the Asking Dao Sect disciples was a challenge, and they would be exposed as soon as they didn't fit in.
Getting into the Asking Dao Sect was no easy task.
"I'm going to heal now," the leader said before heading to a secret room to meditate.
The deputy leader had never had any ambitions for power. Today was a clear example. Sure, if he killed the leader, he could climb up one step, but then what? What if the righteous sects attacked again? Could he make the right decision?
If he made a wrong judgment, he would surely die under the righteous sect's attacks, and it would be too late to regret trying to seize power.
...
At the Yanjiang Branch.
"A total of ten people passed the test, and three received evaluations of natural demon seeds, demons born of the path, and demons in the heart?!" The branch leader was delighted when he heard the message from the leader.
This was even better than his best expectations! A promotion opportunity was right in front of him!
Those who didn't pass the first and second trials were scattered by the eleven stewards during their unconsciousness. They would wake up in different places, thinking their experiences were just a dream.
The safest method would have been to kill them, ensuring the location of the Yanjiang Branch wouldn't be exposed. However, the Immortal Sect didn't do that for the greater good.
These rogue cultivators of the demonic path caused trouble and could attract the attention of the righteous sects. With all the mixed information, the righteous sects couldn't distinguish who was responsible for what, achieving the effect of confusion.
Lu Yang and the others slowly woke up, feeling a bit dazed after everything they had just experienced.
The last thing they remembered before fainting was... the senior sister descending from the sky?!
Lu Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He hoped the senior sister didn’t see him turn into her. If she did, he would be in big trouble.
Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu also remembered what had happened: Lu Yang's shape-shifting punch had summoned the real senior sister.
Lu Yang gave both of them a warning look, signaling them not to leak this information. They quickly nodded in understanding.
The branch leader suppressed his joy and said in as calm a voice as possible, "From today on, you ten are members of my Immortal Sect."
"Normally, we would hold a joining ceremony first, but today’s three rounds of tests have exhausted everyone’s energy, including mine. It would be disrespectful to the Immortal Sage to worship him in this state. We will hold the official joining ceremony here tomorrow."
Lu Yang noticed that when the branch leader mentioned the Immortal Sage, his tone and the expressions of the eleven stewards changed.
This showed that their belief in the Immortal Sage was genuine and not just for show.
"No wonder they are called a 'sect,'" Lu Yang thought.
The branch leader continued, "However, since we have new members today, it wouldn't be right not to celebrate. So, let’s go out for a meal."
"I heard there's a new barbecue place in the county called 'Come Again.' The food is good and well-reviewed. Let's gather there shortly. It's on me."
Lu Yang: "..."
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
Man Gu: "..."
So no rest, huh?
(End of Chapter)