Chapter 20: Selecting Disciples

Li Qingshan, Zhao Changfeng, Han Yu!

Disciple present!

Not long after the envoy's words fell, one of the elders stepped forward and called out the name of his disciple.

Show your cultivation realm to the envoy.

Yes!

In the next second, the three revealed their Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivation without reservation.

Zheng Hai! Lin Tian!

Disciple present!

Soon, another elder also called out the two disciples he had taken a liking to from among the disciples.

As expected, their cultivation realms were also Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Huang Chen...

Liu Lin...

As several elders spoke.

More than a dozen inner sect disciples came to midair.

Among them, except for two who were only at Foundation Establishment Late Stage, the rest were all Foundation Establishment Perfection.

These people are all outstanding among the inner sect...

Yes, the lowest cultivation among them is at least Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Amid the crowd's discussion, only the Grand Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder had not yet made a selection.

Grand Elder, please go first.

Second Elder Du Gu Ming looked toward Grand Elder Mu Yun and said.

Mu Yun smiled slightly, stepped forward, and called out a name.

Xiao Qingyang!

Not long after, a dark-skinned male cultivator with an extremely steady aura walked out from his dwelling.

Master, disciple is here.

Xiao Qingyang stepped forward, clasped his hands, and faced the many elders, sect leader, and envoy without showing any fear.

Xiao Qingyang? That's the Xiao Qingyang who has been immersed in Foundation Establishment Perfection for several years.

Logically, his cultivation should have already broken through to Core Formation, yet these past years he has not made a breakthrough.

Could it be related to this incident?

So what exactly happened?! I'm still completely in the dark.

At this moment, Du Gu Ming approached Mu Yun, a hint of cunning appearing on his face:

It seems the Grand Elder had long anticipated that the ancient tomb would appear.

Having said that, he likewise called out a disciple, named Yunheng.

Like Xiao Qingyang, Yunheng has also been immersed in Foundation Establishment Perfection for several years.

However, he has always kept a low profile, so the inner sect disciples have hardly ever seen him.

Upon seeing Yunheng's appearance, Grand Elder Mu Yun's face clearly showed a hint of surprise.

However, it did not last long.

By this point, among all the elders, only Su Qian had not yet chosen a disciple.

Watching this scene, although he didn't know exactly what had happened, Lu Chen always felt that Su Qian would choose him.

As expected, Su Qian came to the elders' side and immediately shouted Lu Chen's name.

Lu Chen originally wanted to pretend he wasn't home, but unfortunately many disciples had already knocked on his door.

There was no choice; he had to come out.

However, the moment he appeared, it drew many sighs.

Foundation Establishment Middle Stage?

Even the lowest among those selected is at Foundation Establishment Late Stage; how could Elder Su choose someone at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage?

No way! He's a Supreme Cauldron; wasn't he just at Qi Refining Stage not long ago?

Greetings to the many elders, Master, Sect Leader, and the Heavenly Demon Sect Envoy.

Lu Chen stood at the doorway and performed a salute toward the sky.

However, the moment his words fell, it again drew many sighs.

Everyone else flies on their swords to salute in the sky; what is his salute supposed to be?

You're saying he can't even fly on a sword?!

I think it's possible.

He paid no attention to these remarks; at this moment he was calculating the current situation in his mind.

With the Pulling Technique in place, Su Qian would not let him fall into danger for no reason.

Therefore, at worst this matter is more beneficial than harmful.

However, relying solely on speculation won't do; when the opportunity arises he will certainly ask the other party what exactly happened.

Because of his peculiar conduct, the Heavenly Demon Sect Envoy and the many elders, including the Qing Luo Sect Leader, momentarily focused their gazes on him.

Compared to the disciples' sneering and mockery, their expressions appeared far more steady.

Everyone among them clearly understood that Su Qian's choice of Lu Chen absolutely had her own reasons.

If Lu Chen did not possess strength equal to those Foundation Establishment Late Stage and Perfection disciples, he would absolutely not have been chosen.

"Since we've decided, let's go."

Qing Luo spoke up and immediately took the lead, turning and flying away.

The Heaven Demon Sect messenger followed closely.

"Go!"

In the sky, the selected disciples were quickly taken away by their masters.

For a moment, only Su Qian remained in the sky.

Su Qian glanced at the departing elders, waved her hand, and summoned her flying sword.

She then used her spiritual power to lift Lu Chen from the ground.

"Elder Su actually chose a male disciple—what is she thinking?"

"Let him go, let me come! I'm at least late Foundation Establishment!!"

"Jealousy has made me unrecognizable."

"Hold steady...... Master... Lu Chen." Regardless of the disciples' discussion, she immediately brought Lu Chen to catch up with the main force.

Just after flying out of the sect's territory, seeing no one around, she immediately deployed a soundproof array and told Lu Chen what had happened.

Simply put, the Burial Bone Ground underground contains countless graves of ancient cultivators.

In the past, whenever these graves surfaced, the Heaven Demon Sect would send people to explore them.

All the treasures and resources gathered also belonged to the Heaven Demon Sect.

But this time is different; this Cave Heaven Realm ancient cultivator, of eccentric nature, set up a restriction inside the grave.

Over the years, the Heaven Demon Sect has tried to break the restriction, but to no avail.

Finally, by chance, it was discovered that this ancient cultivator had set up the grave so that only those below the Core Formation Realm could enter.

If one tries to suppress their realm to sneak in, they will surely be erased by the restriction.

After all, the Heaven Demon Sect is a higher-level sect; even its lowest disciples are at the Core Formation Realm, so naturally they are helpless against this ancient tomb.

In the end, they could only have several lower-level sects draw lots; the sect that drew would send disciples to explore.

However, if any of the treasures the Heaven Demon Sect needs are found, the lower-level sects cannot keep them private.

"I see."

After hearing this, Lu Chen finally understood why only Foundation Establishment cultivators were selected.

"Are there any restrictions from the sect leader regarding this expedition?"

What he referred to was naturally the conflict among disciples.

Although others are unlikely to attack him, he always felt that Yun Heng—the Second Elder's disciple, Wang Lan's junior martial brother—would strike at him.

Wang Quan has been dead for several days; Wang Lan and the others certainly know.

If someone wanted to attack him, the ancient tomb would be the best choice.

"No." Su Qian shook her head.

"Then why did you report my name? Do you want to kill me?" Lu Chen said with a hint of worry.

Although he had gained many trump cards from the opponent, he still felt uncertain in his heart.

After surviving for years, even if he obtained the system, his mindset is not easily changed.

"I believe you can win."

Su Qian's words—whether sincere or not—are unknown.

Lu Chen listened, wanting to be angry but unable to.

After all, he had pretended to be a reincarnated great expert; it's only natural for the other side to believe he could win.

In the end, he had no choice but to grab the opponent fiercely, which could be considered evening the score.