Xiao Ling'er, Who Talked to Her Necklace

Xiao Ling'er, Who Talked to Her Necklace

"Delicious!"

"It smells so good~!"

"Argh, I'm gonna fucking eat, eat, eat!"

The crowd devoured the food, wolfing it down with abandon.

Demonic Beasts cultivated by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, as well as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Even the lowest-ranked Demonic Beasts had flesh nourished by spiritual energy, so their flavor and texture naturally surpassed those of ordinary livestock.

Most of those who had come to Moon Embracing Sect to seek discipleship came from ordinary families. Few of them had ever eaten Demonic Beast meat.

Moreover, these Demonic Beasts had been slain by the elders themselves and were beings of the Second and Third Realm. The "essence" within their flesh was simply too much for ordinary people to handle.

They practically wanted to swallow their tongues along with the food.

By the end, their bellies were bulging, yet they still wanted more.

"So this is an immortal sect? What incredible generosity."

Unable to eat another bite, they sighed in wonder.

"Only Moon Embracing Sect would do this, right? I've heard that the other sects are terribly arrogant. They treat us like ants and couldn't care less about us...

"Unlike Moon Embracing Sect. Not only do they feed us, they give us Demonic Beast meat like this! I feel like I've gotten a lot stronger already!"

"Hiss, if that's true, Moon Embracing Sect truly is a blessed land of immortals! This is what immortals should be like."

"I wonder whether I'll have the chance to join the sect. If I do, it will truly be the fortune of three lifetimes."

"Even if I cannot enter, when I return home, I'll tell everyone from my village how wonderful Moon Embracing Sect is and have them come try their luck. You never know."

"..."

Listening to their conversation, Fifth Elder Duan Qingyao could not help but smile. "Earlier, I didn't understand why the Sect Master insisted on feeding them, much less specifically having Demonic Beasts hunted.

"Now, however, it seems my understanding was too shallow."

"By putting ourselves in their shoes, we can win their hearts. Once we have their hearts, there will at least be no shortage of people coming to seek entry next year!"

"Perhaps there are few exceptionally gifted people among these country folk, but with more people comes more opportunity."

Lin Fan shook his head. "That's not how you should put it. This isn't shallow understanding."

Duan Qingyao thought Lin Fan was about to comfort her.

Then, the next second, he said, "You should say your vision was too limited."

Duan Qingyao's smile froze.

The other four elders could not suppress their laughter.

"Hunting Demonic Beasts of the Second and Third Realm is no more than a casual effort for the elders, yet it makes these people deeply grateful and spreads our reputation. Why not do it?"

"The great sects need not care about such details. They have no shortage of promising seedlings to choose from. But Moon Embracing Sect does not have that privilege."

Details determined success or failure!

In Lin Fan's eyes, Moon Embracing Sect had no choice.

Besides, what was wrong with country folk? As long as they had "fate," right?

What was more, their lack of worldly knowledge meant they would not think Moon Embracing Sect shabby. Compared to their hometowns, Moon Embracing Sect was still a "land of immortals."

A good reputation was a wonderful thing.

"Details?"

The elders fell into deep thought.

Before this, it seemed... they truly had never paid attention to such things.

What details were there?

They had merely followed the rules.

Wasn't that how everyone did it?

Test their talent, examine their character, then admit them into the sect.

The only difference was that each sect's methods of assessment varied slightly. That was all.

Who would care about such details?

Yet after all these years, they had never settled down to consider that the great sects could be arrogant because they had the qualifications to be arrogant. Even if they did nothing, the great clans and talented individuals would flock to their gates to seek entry.

But what about Moon Embracing Sect???

Seeing their silence, Lin Fan sighed inwardly as well.

You're practically on the verge of collapse, and you still care about putting on airs...

You're a no-name college, yet you want to use the exact same admissions process as Tsinghua and Peking University?

If you don't go under, who will?

Still, they could not be blamed. Cultivators were naturally proud, and every sect had done things this way for generations. Of course they had followed suit without question.

But Lin Fan would never allow this to continue.

Otherwise, forget one year from now—he might not even survive that long!

"Have any of you elders found someone who meets our new criteria?"

After observing for some time, Lin Fan quietly spoke.

The five elders finally stirred. Though they did not understand what purpose Lin Fan's strange rules served, since they had agreed to work together, they would not hold him back.

"I have not found anyone who likes to wear a mysterious smile at the corners of their lips."

"Nor have I found anyone who is constantly being targeted."

"No one who has had their bones dug out and is on the verge of death."

"Nor anyone timid as a mouse or exceptionally cautious. Most are doing everything they can to show themselves off. A few are somewhat introverted, but they are not cowardly."

"No one with a mercurial personality, either."

"..."

Just as Lin Fan thought disappointment was inevitable, Second Elder Wu Xingyun quietly spoke up. "There is one, though."

"She likes talking to herself."

"But she has no ring on her hand. She does have a necklace, though. I do not know whether she is talking to the necklace."

"Who?"

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

"At the rear left. That girl with a face full of mud, dressed in clean and tidy hemp clothes that have been washed until they faded white."

Following Wu Xingyun's words, Lin Fan and the other elders all fixed their gazes on the girl.

Wu Xingyun continued, "I observed her for a while. She occasionally talks to herself, but it also seems as if she is conversing with someone. She has opened three Mystic Gates, and her physical condition is somewhat strange."

"It seems she once opened several Mystic Gates, but for some unknown reason, her cultivation fell, leaving her with only three."

"Oh?"

"In that case, she likely has a secret!"

The elders discussed it in low voices.

But Lin Fan's eyes were shining.

"Her cultivation regressed for some special reason, she currently has three Mystic Gates open, and she may like talking to her necklace?"

"More than that!"

"Her long black hair is clean and neat, and though her clothes are old, they are spotless. Yet her face is covered in mud. She is clearly trying to hide her appearance..."

"This girl definitely has something going on!"

Was it good or bad?

Lin Fan did not know!

But Moon Embracing Sect was already in such dire straits. If someone possibly had the destiny of a protagonist, could they really refuse to take her in?!

At that moment, Li Changshou added, "If I remember correctly, this girl seems to be one of the four surnames: Xiao, Lin, Shi, and Ye?"

"Indeed."

Wu Xingyun nodded.

"It's her, then!"

Lin Fan made the decision at once.

One person met so many conditions at once. If they did not choose her, who would they choose?

Though they could not be certain, the odds were not low!

Just do it.

The elders exchanged looks but did not object. They merely asked, "What about the others?"

"We said three days, so three days. We wait."

Lin Fan had already considered this. "One meal of Demonic Beast meat each day for these three days can be considered our repayment to them. Once the three days are up, we will announce the results."

"Yes, Sect Master."

"Why not rest first, Sect Master? Let us old fellows keep watch here."

"Very well."

Lin Fan nodded.

On the third day.

Lin Fan appeared in the square once more and walked up to the girl. "You have fate with our sect."

"What is your name? Are you willing to join our sect?"

The girl's face lit up with joy. She hurriedly bowed. "This disciple is Xiao Ling'er. Greetings, Sect Master."