Chapter 3118: My Wife and I Roleplay Daily Life 03

The new disciples stepped forward in order, paying respects to the Sect Leader, each peak's Peak Master, and their senior martial brothers and sisters.

The first to step forward was the top three, the first girl to walk up was Xu Niannian, dressed in the attire of a scholarly cultivator family, her robes neat; after standing at attention she first performed a proper grand salute, then spoke, her voice clear and crisp: "Disciple Xu Niannian, from the Xu Clan of Scholarly Cultivators of the Eastern Region, I have studied the classics since childhood and read through the hundred schools. Now fortunate to have passed the trials and gained entry to the mountain gate of the Free and Easy Immortal Sect, this is truly a blessing of three lifetimes."

As she finished speaking, her spine was straight as a rod, her eyes bright, she bore the bearing of a model disciple.

The second to step forward, Zhou Buyi, was a little less than half a head shorter than Xu Niannian, slender in build: "Disciple Zhou Buyi, having drifted since childhood and endured hardships, I seek only the Dao; now having entered the Free and Easy Sect, I wish to spend the remainder of my life proving the Dao and not betray this heart."

The third to step forward, the boy shrank his shoulders, lowered his head, almost writing his nervousness on his face; as he moved to the center of the hall he almost curled into a ball: "Disciple Yun Xiaoqiao… I have paid respects to the Sect Leader, to each Peak Master, and to all senior martial brothers and sisters…"

Lingxiao Immortal Venerable sat at the head, asking the question posed to every batch of new disciples: "Since you have all chosen the Free and Easy Sect, why not tell me why you wish to cultivate the Dao in my sect?"

Xu Niannian reflexively straightened her back and blurted: "Reporting to the Immortal Venerable, the Free and Easy Sect is the foremost founding school of the continent, its lineage unbroken for ten thousand years; each of the nine peaks has its own strengths, talents abound. The sect's foundations are deep, its arts complete, and with the Immortal Venerable and the various Peak Masters presiding, it truly is a place yearned for by cultivators worldwide. Studying the Dao in the Free and Easy Sect allows one to receive guidance from eminent masters, to exchange and temper with fellow disciples, and to contribute a modest effort for the myriad beings of the world. Such a holy land, how could a disciple not come?"

The more she spoke, the smoother she became, her tone rising and falling with vigor, impassioned and high-spirited.

Jin Chen initially listened with relish, thinking this junior sister had decent eloquence, but as he kept listening he gradually felt something was off. Why did this speech sound increasingly familiar?

He tilted his head, past the middle's Ye Xiaoman, and whispered to the other side's Shen Guiyan: "Senior Martial Brother, why does this speech sound so familiar to me?"

Shen Guiyan paused for two seconds, chuckled, and said: "I wrote it in the Recruitment Cloud Slips, word for word."

Jin Chen looked again at the girl on the platform still earnestly reciting, and felt solemn respect: "What a fine memory, truly a fine memory."

While he was still reflecting on that side, Xu Niannian had already entered the concluding stage; probably too absorbed, upon reaching an excited point she blurted: "Welcome all outstanding talents to apply to my Free and Easy Sect; within the sect, the Indestructible Peak is especially outstanding, and even more so the body cultivator Chenshu senior martial brother—we warmly welcome daoists from all directions to come challenge!"

The entire Immortal Cloud Platform fell silent for a moment.

Lingxiao Immortal Venerable's originally half-closed eyes snapped open; he turned his head, glanced at Xu Niannian, then turned to the other side and glanced toward the Indestructible Peak, murmuring: "Hmm… hmm?"

The Peak Master of the Indestructible Peak, Shi Potian, was the first to react, slapping his thigh and laughing heartily: "Good! Good! No wonder I'm his master! He's got guts!"

Xu Niannian only then realized what she had said, stiffly bowed: "Reporting to the Immortal Venerable, disciple has finished reciting."

Over at the Talisman Cultivation Mixed Origin Hall below the platform, Qian Duoduo laughed until he doubled over: "What what to fight? Where did this line on the Recruitment Cloud Slips come from, and is there no expiration date after it?"

Shen Guiyan turned his head to look at Chenshu, his eyes flashing with shock and admiration: "Was that last line your addition? Those Recruitment Cloud Slips were distributed to the entire continent!"

Chenshu's expression was also subtle, he asked incredulously: "Do you think I'm sick?"

Lingxiao Immortal Venerable waved his hand; a flash of spiritual light passed through his palm, and after a moment he had traced the source: "Oh? It turns out only the Cloud Slips sent to the Imperial Capital were written like that—who was in charge of distributing that batch?"

Several senior martial brothers and sisters did a quick mental calculation, then simultaneously turned their gazes toward Jin Chen.

Lingxiao Immortal Venerable followed their gaze over; he was dazzled by Jin Chen's radiant, light-filled ceremonial robes, squinting and raising a hand to block the light: "Oh my, Junior Nephew, you are shining brilliantly today."

Jin Chen met Chenshu's deep, lingering gaze, bowed slightly toward Lingxiao Immortal Venerable, and spoke gently: "Eh, I merely thought that Senior Martial Brother Chenshu possesses extraordinary talent; by recruiting more people to come seek his guidance, it would also benefit his cultivation."

Chenshu's fists clenched.

Lingxiao Immortal Venerable had already clapped his hands and burst into laughter: "Marvelous! Marvelous! The sect just needs a bit of liveliness."

Jin Chen rose accordingly, paid his respects to Lingxiao Immortal Venerable; as he stood, the flowing light on his robe flashed again, causing the Immortal Venerable to squint repeatedly, so he hastily waved his hand.

"All right, all right, Junior Nephew, please take a seat—our sect is feeling a bit rainbow‑dizzy."

Jin Chen settled back gracefully, his smile composed and proper.

After the introductions of the top three were finished, the remaining seven new disciples stepped forward together.

These seven each had their own merits—some steady, some lively, some with outstanding spiritual roots, some with extraordinary backgrounds, some born with unusual aptitudes; Lingxiao Immortal Venerable examined them one by one, the smile on his face deepening, and finally he nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, all fine seedlings." He rose, flicked his sleeves, and said: "Everyone has worked hard today; from now on I entrust you senior martial brothers and sisters with the task of familiarizing these newcomers with the circumstances of each peak."

He pointed a finger and traced a line in the void; a gentle stream of spiritual light poured down, enveloping the ten new disciples, and the fatigue and soreness accumulated from days of trials instantly dissipated.

Lingxiao Immortal Venerable rose, gestured to the several Peak Masters on left and right; Lu Jizi shoved his puppet into his bosom and rolled up his sleeves; Lin Sanjiu rose while stuffing the snack that had somehow ended up in his pocket back inside; Gu QingShang stood, holding his teacup, glanced at the inner disciple Shen Guiyan before departing, the latter gave a slight nod, and he walked away holding his tea with ease.

The new disciples stood where they were, watching the backs of the Immortal Venerable and the Peak Masters disappear at the end of the Cloud Steps.

Among the new disciples, Shen Fugui stepped forward half a pace, furrowed his brow, his tone tinged with loss and bewilderment: "Did the Immortal Venerable and the Peak Masters just leave like that? I thought they would select someone on the spot… Could it be that our strength is still insufficient to catch the eyes of the various Immortal Venerables?"

As the highest‑ranking senior martial brother present, Shen Guiyan naturally took on the duty of answering questions and dispelling doubts, speaking calmly: "No, the Immortal Venerables simply won't snatch people face‑to‑face; they prefer to fight behind the scenes."

The new disciples: "Wow……"

Shen Guiyan kept a straight face and continued: "Whenever new disciples join the sect, each peak's Peak Master fights fiercely to seize the finest seedlings, so you needn't worry about being overlooked."

"Thus, I also hope that those two junior brothers will learn this fine virtue—fighting in private, benefiting both others and themselves."

The new disciples followed his gaze and saw Jin Chen, senior martial brother of the Myriad Phenomena Peak, and Chenshu, senior martial brother of the Indestructible Peak.

Regarding the rumor that these two senior martial brothers are like fire and water, they had heard of it before joining the sect, and now seeing them in person they felt the rumor was certainly true.

Jin Chen lowered his head, lightly fiddling with something in his sleeve, the corner of his mouth bearing a thoughtful smile; half an incense stick's worth of time had passed, the Sect Leader had left, the Peak Masters had also left, and on the Immortal Cloud Platform order emerged from chaos—just the right moment.