Yin De Sect

After finding an inn and sitting down, Jiang Wen first used a Silencing Talisman on his younger brother, worried that Jiang Wu would start mocking Ning Ri later.

Once they were seated, Jiang Wen said, "Brother Ning, how much do you know about the Yin De Sect?"

As he spoke, Jiang Wen put away the Sword Ring on his hand, which was also a gesture of goodwill.

The Mingtai Sword Sect's Sword Ring could turn into a flying sword in a single thought. If he did not put it away, the atmosphere would seem far too tense, like swords drawn and bows bent.

Speaking to someone while holding a Sword Ring was like talking to someone with a loaded gun pointed at them.

Ning Ri shook his head. "Basically nothing."

He had become interested in the Yin De Sect and planned to venture inside. Still, he intended to gather intelligence from several angles—ask the Jiang brothers, who had just been there, then return to the Heaven Defying Sect to look into it further. That should be enough.

Jiang Wen thought for a moment, then said, "Within the Wuhe Mountain Range, there was originally a Mad Beast Secret Realm filled with countless wild beasts and demon beasts. But two years ago, it was suddenly invaded by anomalies. The entire secret realm became a massive sect, known as the Yin De Sect."

"The condition for entering the Yin De Sect is cultivation below Golden Core. Once you enter, you will face the first trial."

"Joining the Yin De Sect."

Ning Ri's heart stirred. "Joining the Yin De Sect? You mean it is a disciple trial?"

Jiang Wen nodded. "That's right."

"Apparently, every person encounters a different situation during the Yin De Sect's Disciple Acceptance Ceremony. My brother and I both encountered a Sword Heart trial, and we both failed..."

At this point, Jiang Wen smiled bitterly. "If you fail to join the Yin De Sect, you must leave behind a 'congratulatory gift.'"

Ning Ri glanced at the silenced Jiang Wu and thought that this "congratulatory gift" was definitely no good thing.

At that moment, Jiang Wu seemed to be having a Fear Anomaly episode. He began silently sneering, gritting his teeth, his face full of contempt and disdain. His lips moved frantically, yet not a single sound came out...

To be honest, Ning Ri rather wanted to know what Jiang Wu was mocking. But Jiang Wen was afraid of losing face, so Ning Ri felt too embarrassed to ask him to lift the Silencing Talisman.

Then Ning Ri asked, "What is this 'congratulatory gift'?"

Jiang Wen said, "This 'congratulatory gift' is actually money to buy your life."

Ning Ri raised an eyebrow...

Jiang Wen said, "Let me start from the beginning. After entering the Yin De Sect, there are three possible identities."

"The first identity is that of a pilgrim who has come to join the sect and take the disciple trial."

"At that time, you are a pure and simple person filled with admiration and longing for the Yin De Sect."

"Pilgrims need not pay any price to immediately take the disciple trial."

"Every person's disciple trial is different."

"However, when you fail the disciple trial, the anomalies of the Yin De Sect will allow you to leave, while your identity begins to change."

"At that time, you are a guest who admires and yearns for the Yin De Sect, yet lacks the ability, but is willing to contribute a modest effort to the Yin De Sect."

"If a guest wishes to remain at the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony, the necessary condition is to leave behind a congratulatory gift."

"After leaving the congratulatory gift, whether you wish to leave or stay, the Yin De Sect will no longer concern itself with you. However, your range of movement will be restricted to the Middle School Hall, where the Yin De Sect accepts disciples."

"If you do not leave behind a congratulatory gift..."

"Then at that time, you are a fanatic who admires the Yin De Sect, but whose aptitude and wealth are both too meager, causing you to become wildly resentful and jealous. You have forcibly intruded into the sect, attempting to sabotage the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony and prevent everyone else from joining the Yin De Sect."

"In the Yin De Sect, fanatics must die."

Ning Ri could not help thinking, Well, damn. Whether you become a disciple, pay money, or get killed, you must be someone who admires the Yin De Sect, huh?

Jiang Wen said, "That is precisely why, Brother Ning, if you fail the trial, remember to hand over the congratulatory gift to the Yin De Sect's anomalies as quickly as possible. Do not attempt to stall for time."

There was no Fear Anomaly in Jiang Wen's mind, so he would not mock Ning Ri for daring to challenge an anomaly that even Foundation Establishment cultivators like them had failed against with only Qi Refinement cultivation. Besides, this was the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony; Foundation Establishment was not strictly required.

Thus, Jiang Wen simply explained everything he knew as thoroughly as he could, hoping to earn Ning Ri's approval.

Ning Ri did not treat his words casually either. He nodded solemnly, first thanking Jiang Wen, then asking after a brief moment of thought, "Does this congratulatory gift have any standards?"

He knew very well that giving a congratulatory gift was easy.

How to give the congratulatory gift was the crux and greatest difficulty of this anomaly!

Jiang Wen said, "Yes. As I said just now, this congratulatory gift is money to buy your life."

"Therefore, the congratulatory gift you offer must be equivalent to your life."

"How much you believe your life is worth is how much you must give."

Ning Ri immediately raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then if I believe my life is worth only one spirit stone, will it let me go?"

Jiang Wen said, "I have heard of such a case. A cultivator who entered the Yin De Sect once did exactly that."

"He took out one spirit stone as a congratulatory gift and handed it to the anomaly, but..."

"After looking at it, the anomaly actually returned the spirit stone to him, then took out another spirit stone and placed it in his hand."

"Before that cultivator could react, the anomaly killed him outright, crushed his heart, and devoured his flesh and blood."

"In other words, if the 'congratulatory gift' you offer is worth too little, it will return your gift, then give you an identical item as payment for your life before killing you."

"So, Brother Ning, do not offer a congratulatory gift that is too cheap."

Ning Ri nodded slightly. "Thank you for the warning."

"But if the congratulatory gift I offer is valuable, yet still fails to meet the Yin De Sect's requirements, what should I do then? Will I still die?"

Jiang Wen shook his head. "Not necessarily."

"Those who have gone to the Yin De Sect before have concluded that the anomaly only returns your gift and gives you an identical item when that item is cheap and common."

"For example, a Foundation Establishment Pill used to cultivate the Acquired Foundation Establishment Method, or a spirit stone. Such things are fairly common, so the anomaly will immediately produce one to buy your life."

"But if what you offer is not easy to duplicate—for example, when I failed at the Yin De Sect this time, the thing I handed over to buy my life was a flying sword gifted by my master. Its value was not cheap, though neither could it be called high. But it was difficult to duplicate, so it did not kill me."

Ning Ri understood.

In other words, this congratulatory-gift stage was actually a test of how much one considered one's own life to be worth.

But regardless of how high or low the value was, one must not offer something that could be found everywhere.

At that moment, Jiang Wen suddenly changed the subject. "But even so, because the flying sword was not valuable enough, it still punished me!"

"I was invaded by the Joy Anomaly. My emotions became abnormal, and I laughed for several nights before recovering..."

"My younger brother was the same. Only, he was invaded by the Fear Anomaly and became somewhat strange."

Ning Ri froze when he heard that—

So the Joy Anomaly really does exist?!

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