Chapter 75

Winter departs, spring arrives—flowers fill the branches; swallows return—the moon fills the western tower…

Su Wan'er drove the carriage, her voice soft, sweet, and pleasing to the ear; listening to it was very soporific.

Heng Xian had his leg crossed, jostling with the carriage, yet he couldn't quite sleep; this was already the forty-fifth day since setting out.

It far exceeded expectations.

This was mainly because the situation on the road was far more complicated than imagined.

Not only did we encounter countless cultivators fighting and tearing at each other, forcing us to detour.

Moreover, some monsters that had taken human form ran amok.

For example, one night staying at an inn, the innkeeper couple were a pair of toad spirits that had cultivated to the early Qi Hai Realm, unleashing miasma to devour human hearts,

After being slain, they turned belly-up yellow, spilling a pool of white liquid—a very nauseating sight…

However, according to the map, the Tianyuan Sect should be not far ahead.

At this moment Su Wan'er suddenly stopped singing, pointed ahead and exclaimed, "Wow! What a beautiful mountain!"

Heng Xian looked up.

All that could be seen was a winding, towering mountain range that pierced the clouds, its peaks overlapping and perilously winding, yet still lush and blooming with red flowers.

Under the golden sunlight, the entire range shimmered with a faint purple light; amidst the mist and clouds, several white cranes fluttered gracefully.

A landscape brimming with immortal spirit unfolded before their eyes.

Heng Xian flicked the hair from his ear: "We've arrived at the Tianyuan Sect's Reclining Saint Mountain!"

……

At the foot of Reclining Saint Mountain lay a small town, before which stood a huge square.

At that moment the square was filled with various luxurious carriages, palanquins, flying magical artifacts, and demon beast mounts, packed together for over ten li.

Thousands of servants and parents escorted hundreds of youths—boys and girls, young masters, misses, princesses, and princes—whose gazes all turned toward the opposite side.

Opposite, at the base of the great mountain, lay a river a hundred zhang wide with rushing torrents!

At that moment, a staircase made of immortal white jade appeared, stretching from the river surface deep into the mountain.

Mist shrouded the staircase, and fragrant spiritual energy swirled around it.

This was clearly an immortal art!

Beside the jade staircase stood a massive flagpole entwined with nine dragons, its banner bearing the four characters "Disciple Recruitment Convention," the dragons and phoenixes flying as if about to come alive.

Two rows of sect disciples in wide white robes stood on their swords atop the river, their figures ethereal, like immortals.

Moreover, two young male and female disciples in white robes with purple trim and wide sleeves stood hovering in the air,

the male disciple was drinking, while the female disciple was painting her nails.

The scene once grew somewhat dull.

At that moment, among the candidates, a royal clansman wearing a flood-dragon robe shouted: "May I ask what conditions your sect uses this year to recruit disciples? I, the prince, have been coming since age thirteen,

for four consecutive years I have come to participate, yet I was rejected every time, and your sect gave no reason; if I am not selected this year either,

next year I will have to marry and have children, perhaps then your sect will lack a heaven‑chosen prodigy,

this would be not only a great loss for your sect but also a great regret for the cultivation world—what a pity, what a pity!"

The speaker was Prince Xu Wei, the third prince of the Xu State!

Though his words were a bit shameless, they almost voiced everyone's sentiment: the Tianyuan Sect's recruitment conditions over the years have been strangely harsh yet simple and boring, making people love and hate them, helpless to change.

For example, last year those with facial moles were selected.

The year before, those with large buttocks were given preferential consideration.

Three years ago, those with protruding teeth were given priority for the shortlist!

Some people even went so far as to tattoo moles, bulk up their buttocks, and get false teeth for this—only to find the rules might have changed again this year!

"Good question, good question!"

In midair, the female disciple in white robes with purple trim stopped painting her nails, smiled, and said: "This year's recruitment conditions, after three days of discussion among the sect's elders, boil down to two words: 'whatever'!"

The crowd below fell silent for three breaths,

a yellow‑haired youth flared with indignation: "Such a grand Tianyuan Sect, recruiting so carelessly, with no rules at all,

and 'whatever' is clearly three characters—I seriously doubt this senior sister has any education!"

The female disciple's face turned cold: "First, I am not your senior sister; second, the so‑called cultivation is like an antelope's horns leaving no trace,

it hinges on a single character of enlightenment; your nitpicking shows you have no future—be gone!"

"You're bullying too much—don't bully the poor youth!" the yellow‑haired youth shouted angrily and turned to run.

On the small road he had left, after washing up and changing into a brocade robe, Heng Xian jumped down from the carriage with Su Wan'er.

Su Wan'er looked around in surprise: "Master, there are so many people!"

Heng Xian said: "Early arrival means nothing compared to good timing—the Tianyuan Sect is currently recruiting disciples!"

Su Wan'er exclaimed: "Didn't they just recruit disciples in our Donglan City?"

Heng Xian replied: "That was just a rumor about a genius or promising seedling, a scramble for talent, different from a large‑scale recruitment convention!"

Su Wan'er wrung her hands: "Master, should I, I, stay in the town and wait for you?"

Heng Xian glanced toward the depths of the Tianyuan Sect, smiled lightly, and said: "Isn't this very recruitment? Let's try entering ourselves."

Su Wan'er, her hands clenched with nervousness, asked: "Should I also take part?"

"Give it a try—we've come this far; if it doesn't work, I'll think of another way to get you in." Heng Xian walked forward.

At that moment, amid the sea of candidates, someone else asked: "Even if it's 'whatever,' shouldn't there be at least some hint?"

The female disciple replied: "Sure! For example… whoever stands closest to the front will likely be given priority!"

The massive crowd fell silent for a moment, then exclaimed, "Holy shit, it really is arbitrary!"

Immediately they became restless, surging forward in a frenzy.

Only the voice at the front, Xu Wei, roared: "I am the third prince of the State of Xu, ever since childhood full of wickedness, committing the worst deeds, pus oozing from my feet, sores on my head,

Who dares to push me, I will kill them on the spot!"

On the other side, a petite girl shouted angrily: "I am Ye Ling'er, the prized pearl of Grand Master Chen Guo, a scheming bitch, tsundere,

bullying others with my power, a naive sweetie; whoever dares to touch a single hair of mine, I guarantee their whole family will die!"

"With whom are you two? As if my second prince of Qin, Zhao Ying, were a good person. Our Da Qin lies in a barbaric region,

famous yet uncultured; who dares to touch me, I'll have my father the emperor dispatch troops to strike him!" shouted another fat man.

"I have a tenth‑level lung disease!"

"I haven't bathed in three years!"

"Actually I'm already dead!"

The remaining crowd erupted in frantic shouting.

……

Heng Xian led Su Wan'er to the edge of the crowd and looked inside.

Su Wan'er whispered: "Th‑that's absurd! A completely untraceable, bizarre way of recruiting disciples. Sir, can we be selected?"

Heng Xian stared for a while, rubbed his brow: "That's a bit rash; this damned Tianyuan Sect doesn't seem very reliable!"

He suddenly understood why Jian Xu Gu had said she would certainly regret it.

The Tianyuan Sect's disciple recruitment is far too sloppy, like a game; who knows what the inside is like?

"Then… what do we do? Were we deceived?" Su Wan'er asked anxiously.

Heng Xian replied calmly: "Not that bad; the two main mentors float in mid‑air, they are in the Primordial Dan Realm, so they shouldn't mislead disciples!

Since we're already here, go for it! These candidates all display shameless self‑deprecating acts,

Your talent isn't lacking; later you can go the opposite way, perform a tragic melodrama, perhaps the odds will be better!

"You've followed me for so long, you don't need my teaching anymore, right?"

Su Wan'er pleaded pitifully: "I understand, but what about you, sir?"

"I'll decide based on my mood!" Heng Xian said, "If not, I'll defect and run to the Da Luo Holy Sect!"

The female disciple floating in mid‑air glanced at the crowded crowd below and, bored, yawned.

The male disciple drinking nearby said coldly: "This year's candidates, aside from being especially lacking in morals, have no other redeeming qualities!"

The female disciple stretched lazily: "Junior brother is right; nowadays the great demons of the demon clan in the Eastern Continent Cultivation Realm have been largely suppressed, and the evil sects are gradually waning,

there is no shortage of sect disciples; each year the boring routine yields neither astonishingly talented seedlings nor interesting souls, truly unsure what to recruit…"

Before finishing, her eyes lit up, and she suddenly pointed at the outer circle of candidates: "That super‑handsome little shota! Congratulations, you've been accepted by our sect, wahaha! Senior sister has been waiting for you for a long time!"

The crowd turned their heads in unison to look.

Heng Xian and Su Wan'er instantly became the target of everyone's scorn.

Su Wan'er immediately stepped aside, leaving only Heng Xian alone.

Facing the gazes of countless people, Heng Xian's face showed no emotional change, but he felt a slight sentiment inside:

I'm speechless! To think I got accepted just because of my looks?!

(End of chapter)