Joining the Sect

Joining the Sect

When the last sliver of sunset sank behind the peaks, the world suddenly fell quiet.

The yellow sand stopped swirling, and the howling wind died away.

All the Undead Soldiers still charging suddenly came to a halt at the same time.

Then, with a rustling whoosh, the phantom soldiers dissolved into clouds of dust. Even the Undead Soldiers who had been real crumpled into piles of bones.

After a brief daze and silence, cheers finally rang across the battlefield.

"We did it!"

"We survived!"

"We passed!!!"

Cheers rose and fell without end, breaking the brief silence.

Ning Ye stood there quietly, without moving.

He had suffered far too many injuries. Three cuts marred his face, and he had been slashed across the chest, waist, abdomen, arms, and legs.

But the worst was the Green-Faced Man's sudden spike attack. It had caused more than just superficial wounds; it had badly damaged him internally as well. His wounds would not close, and blood kept gushing out.

Ning Ye felt as though he was about to bleed dry.

How miserable!

All this, just to join a sect.

Was it worth it?

Of course not.

Even if he became only an outer sect disciple, Ning Ye was confident he could slowly climb the ranks.

But he could not do that.

His ambitions were too great. Every step of his plan might be as impassable as a heavenly moat.

Faced with such a daunting task, neither cunning nor strength was most important.

It was resolve!

Only the courage to burn one's boats, the determination to brave every danger, offered any hope of seeing even the slightest chance of success.

For that, he would leave himself no reason to retreat.

There was no question of whether it was worth it. There was only whether to do it or not.

The cheering continued until a crowd from the Black and White Divine Palace appeared in the sky. A small number were disciples, but at their center stood fifty true immortal masters.

The fifty immortal masters varied in strength. The weakest were in the Hualun Realm, while the strongest were in the Myriad Laws Realm. Five of them stood out in particular.

One was a white-robed man with a pale face, fanning himself with a bamboo fan and wearing a strange smile.

He was Young Master Five-Sheep, Gongsun Ye.

Another was a woman in colorful robes, holding a flower basket and standing atop auspicious clouds. She looked rather languid, her eyes and brows full of charm.

Guan Cai Niang had once been a disciple of the Sea Salt Sect. After having an affair with her master, she killed his wife. When her master reprimanded her, she slaughtered his entire household and fled. When she reappeared, she had already joined the Black and White Divine Palace.

Another was an old man with a kindly face.

His name was Zhu Baicang, but people called him Elder Mincang. Elder Mincang claimed to pity all living beings and could not bear to see them suffer. Fortunately, the dead felt no pain, so whenever he saw someone in hardship, he granted them death and freed them from their suffering. The number of people he had relieved of their pain was beyond counting.

One was a bald High Person with a face full of compassion, his expression forever benevolent.

Master Wubei's favorite saying was, "My heart is kind by nature."

Master Wubei believed that Heaven cherished life, so he never killed. He would not kill his opponents; instead, he would cripple their cultivation, sever their limbs, cut out their tongues, destroy their eyes, and slice off their noses. If any had achieved success in cultivation, he would also destroy their Primordial Spirits. Then he would leave them to their fate and depart with a carefree air. Whether they lived or died afterward was Heaven's judgment, and had nothing to do with him.

Thus, Master Wubei, who never killed, and Elder Mincang, who loved to relieve others of their suffering and send them to their release, were known as the Black and White Divine Palace's two great benefactors.

The last was a muscular man in close-fitting clothes, radiating fiery, masculine energy. His tiger eyes shone brightly. Though he stood still, a boundless killing intent seemed to surge from him. He carried no weapon, yet his entire being was like a blade, its edge fully revealed.

Seven Kill Heavenly Blade Zhang Liekuang was fierce and explosive by nature, unrivaled in battle. His Seven Kill God-Destroying Blade possessed boundless might.

All five had reached the peak of the Myriad Laws Realm. Each could crush a sect leader like Xin Ranzi. And there were thirty-six beings like them in the Black and White Divine Palace, collectively known as the Four-Nine Human Demons. Their status was second only to the Twelve Heavenly Dippers.

In other words, even such terrifying figures did not rank among the Black and White Divine Palace's topmost powers.

Led by these five, the fifty immortal masters were the ones authorized to recruit disciples this time.

Anyone who won the approval of these fifty could be accepted into the inner sect and receive first-rate treatment.

Those who came next could enter the Divine Palace as outer sect disciples.

Anyone who fell short would have to slink away in disgrace.

When the immortal masters appeared, everyone below bowed to them. Only Ning Ye remained standing, making him stand out like a crane among chickens.

"How dare you! You see the immortal masters and refuse to bow?"

Several Black and White Divine Palace disciples beneath the fifty sternly rebuked Ning Ye.

"Silence." A voice spoke. "He fought until he was utterly spent. His strength is gone, and only his will is holding him up. If he bows, I fear he may never stand again."

The speaker was Zhang Liekuang himself.

The Killing Heart Blade Art had been left behind by him; it was one of his Seven Kill Heavenly Blades.

Ning Ye had chosen that blade precisely because he was aiming for Zhang Liekuang.

Looking at Ning Ye, Zhang Liekuang's eyes held a note of approval. "This child's physique and aptitude are ordinary, but the Seven Kill Heavenly Blade does not value natural talent or physique. It values willpower more. His will and comprehension are both excellent. He is the best candidate to join my lineage."

As he spoke, he flicked a finger, sending a pill into Ning Ye's mouth.

Ning Ye felt a warm current rise through his body, and his grievous wounds began to heal.

So... I really did succeed?

A trace of joy rose in his heart. Ning Ye closed his eyes and passed out completely.

When he woke again, Ning Ye found himself lying on a stone bed. Rock walls surrounded him, with not a single decoration in sight. The place was utterly bare.

He sat up and found that all his wounds had healed.

"He's awake, he's awake!"

A shrill voice shouted. He looked up to see a strangely colored bird squawking. It looked a bit like a parrot, though its beak was not as curved.

Ning Ye knew it was a Herald Bird, a species born able to speak human language. Naturally talkative, they were often used to carry messages.

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard a voice say, "If you're awake, come over here."

It was Zhang Liekuang's voice.

Ning Ye got up and walked out of the stone cavern. He found a passage on either side, and for a moment had no idea which way to go.

After thinking it over, Ning Ye chose the path on the left. After walking for a while, he found himself in a place unlike anything he had seen before.

It was a small valley, but there was nothing in it except endless broken stones, their surfaces covered in marks left by blades and axes.

Though it was only an empty valley, it felt bitterly cold. Standing inside, Ning Ye felt as if thousands upon thousands of blades were chopping at him. Someone with a weaker will might have fallen to their knees on the spot.

Zhang Liekuang stood in the valley. Beside him were two others: one was an old man with a withered frame and a face as aged as a farmer's; the other was a woman whose entire body was wrapped in gray bandages, leaving only her eyes exposed. A remarkably long, curved-hilt blade rested on her back. It had no scabbard and was wrapped in strips of cloth as well.

With his back to Ning Ye, Zhang Liekuang asked, "How did you know this was the right passage?"

Ning Ye lowered his head and replied, "The right passage was drier, with no visible moss. It must lead outside the cavern. By comparison, the left passage was damp and filled with a chilling aura of slaughter. Since this is inside a mountain, Master must be in its heart, so I came left."

Ning Ye could not see Zhang Liekuang's face and did not know what expression he wore. He only heard Zhang Liekuang ask, "Then how did you tell the real Undead Soldiers from the false ones?"

Ning Ye continued, "The false Undead Soldiers were only illusions. When they stepped on the yellow sand, they raised no dust. It was easy to tell."

Zhang Liekuang chuckled softly.

He turned to look at Ning Ye. Though he laughed aloud, not a trace of a smile appeared on his face, chiseled as if by blade and axe.

"You're clever. I usually don't like clever people, because dealing with them is exhausting. More importantly, clever people tend to know how to use others. In battle, they win through cunning rather than a head-on clash. My Seven Kill Heavenly Blade emphasizes momentum above all when facing an opponent. If you think too much, your momentum will weaken, and that is no good. So I don't like clever people."

Ning Ye replied softly, "Master is absolutely right. But what you describe is the general rule. In this world, there are always a few exceptions. If someone can think things through, yet still dares to risk his life, surely he can earn Master's approval."

Zhang Liekuang froze for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed. "Good, good! You needn't show off your intelligence in front of me. The only people I admire are the brave. Do you understand?"

Ning Ye knelt. "This disciple understands."

Zhang Liekuang said coldly, "You are not yet my formal disciple. All those who pass the inner sect examination must undergo a year of probation. Only after you pass that period will you truly have joined my lineage."

"I will not disappoint you, Master!"