A Disciple Recruitment Interlude

The Dao-Seeking Academy's triennial apprentice recruitment ceremony was held as scheduled.

The square at the Dao-Seeking Academy was as lively as in previous years.

Unlike in the past, this time the Miscellaneous Dao Institute's apprentice-recruiting location was placed in the most conspicuous position, instead of the corner as before.

Before dawn, a long queue had already formed in front of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute's disciple-acceptance location.

Many in the group were dreaming about what life would be like after becoming disciples of the Great Sage Qiankun.

As the sun rose, dozens of figures flew across the sky.

Before these figures even landed, the once noisy square suddenly fell silent.

Even those cultivators of noble birth did not want to leave a bad impression on the elders of the Dao-Seeking Academy at such a time.

After the group from the Dao-Seeking Academy landed, a loud voice rang out. "The Dao-Seeking Academy's disciple recruitment ceremony officially begins. All academies will begin assessing their disciples."

As the voice faded, the disciples of each academy began to accept apprentices in an orderly manner.

At the Miscellaneous Dao Institute's disciple recruitment area, Qin Qin sat at the back of the line and slowly activated her Eye of World Destruction.

Chu Caiyi sat at the front of the line and began to inquire about the identities of each of the cultivators who had come to become her disciples.

"Name."

"Origin."

Past experiences.

"..."

Time passed by, and on the first day, the Miscellaneous Dao Institute only received two disciples, both of whom barely passed the assessment.

Qin Qin turned to Fang Mu had been relatively silent, and said, "Junior Brother Mu, take these disciples back to the outer courtyard and have them tidy up their accommodations."

"Promise."

Without giving it much thought, Fang Mu led the two disciples directly toward the hill where the outer courtyard was located.

Upon hearing this, the two disciples instinctively asked a question.

"Fellow senior brothers and sisters, aren't we going to see Master?"

Xu Caichen said with a smile, "You can't call us senior brothers and sisters now. In the Dao-Seeking Academy, cultivators at the Spirit Nurturing Realm like me should be addressed as teachers. As for my master, you haven't passed the outer court assessment of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute yet, so naturally you're not qualified to see him."

Upon hearing this, the two were stunned, and the excitement on their faces vanished instantly.

One of the disciples, Zhao Yi, murmured, "This is different from what I heard before I came."

Xu Caichen wasn't angry and continued to explain, "Because Master never considered taking on disciples; he was just following the rules. Of course, if you can demonstrate your exceptional talent in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute, you can become Master's disciple."

Upon hearing this, their low spirits vanished instantly. They exchanged a glance and said in unison, "We will try our best."

Seeing this, Xu Caichen's lips curled up slightly. "Very good, this steward has been waiting for the day you enter the inner courtyard."

Meanwhile, Qin Qin and the others had returned to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. Chu Feng saw them return and asked with a smile, "Did you find any suitable disciples today?"

Qin Qin spoke first, "Reporting to Master, we received two barely passable disciples today, but their luck is far inferior to that of our fellow disciples."

Now that her Eye of World Destruction has reached its full potential, she can naturally see the fortunes of the disciples who come to become her apprentices.

"That's natural. How many people in this world can compare to your fortune? Just pick out a few with the potential for Nirvana, so that our Miscellaneous Dao Institute won't be laughed at in the future."

After Chu Feng finished speaking, he stopped discussing the matter.

"Promise."

Qin Qin responded respectfully.

The apprentice-recruiting ceremony continued, and the next day Qin Qin and others recruited three more disciples.

This result satisfied everyone, since the Dao-Seeking Academy more than three people before.

Soon it was the last day of the apprenticeship ceremony, and after recruiting three disciples...

Qin Qin and the others were preparing to pack up their stall when a commotion arose from the crowd.

"Why are the disciples of the Northern Abyss Shi Clan here?"

"Aren't all cultivators in Northern Abyss required to join the Dao Palace of the Holy Dynasty for cultivation?"

"The Shi Clan has produced Saint before. Although they don't have Saint in charge now, they have several Great Sage in charge, making them a first-rate Lineage in the Northern Abyss Holy Dynasty."

"..."

The people in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute paid no attention to the sudden commotion.

In their view, the world's prosperity and excitement had little to do with them; now, everyone was only thinking about ending the apprenticeship and returning to Miaomiao Mountain to cultivate.

But soon, Fang Mu noticed that the cultivators from the Northern Abyss Holy Dynasty were walking towards them.

Surrounded by a group of powerful figures, a handsome and extraordinary young man appeared in the sight of everyone in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute.

The onlookers, seeing this scene, certainly knew what was going on.

This prodigy from the Northern Abyss Shi Clan wants to join the Miscellaneous Dao Institute and become a disciple of the Great Sage Qiankun.

Wherever the Shi Clan went, the young people who came to take the assessment made way for them.

Even though many of them had already joined the Dao-Seeking Academy, their status was still comparable to that of this prodigy from the Northern Abyss Shi Clan.

The members of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute remained calm, completely disregarding the Shi Clan, even though a King and Marquis was present in their group.

The King and Marquis's gaze immediately fell on Qin Qin at the very back of the crowd.

Qin Qin felt the other person's gaze and subconsciously activated her Eye of World Destruction to glance at them.

With just that one glance, the King and Marquis felt as if he had a thorn in his back, and his whole body trembled involuntarily. He thought to himself: This Miscellaneous Dao Institute is indeed as rumored to be, a place where hidden talents reside.

With the Dao-Seeking Academy's Great Sage Sons absent, the White-Robed Zither Demon alone could suppress all the heroes. Fortunately, I had specifically instructed the young master before coming that he should not put on airs.

In the crowd, Shi Xuan stopped when he was only ten steps away from the place where he was to become an apprentice at the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. He then raised his hand to signal everyone to stop before continuing on his way.

After taking seven steps, he bowed to everyone present and said, "Northern Abyss Shi Xuan greets all senior brothers and sisters."

"Name."

Fang Mu did not answer his question, but asked it casually.

This action startled Shi Xuan slightly. Had I forgotten to introduce myself?

He came to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute to become a disciple because an elder in his family knew an elder of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and specially asked that elder to cast a divination for him.

The divination indicates that only by coming to this Dao-Seeking Academy can one embark on the path to the highest realm.

Seeing this, those around them couldn't help but give a thumbs up to the senior members of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute.

This is the kind of prodigy they envision from the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. No matter who comes, they must follow the rules.

Especially the three young men who had previously joined the Miscellaneous Dao Institute instantly felt their backs straighten up considerably.

Despite his frustration, Shi Xuan still answered the question earnestly, "Shi Xuan."

Fang Mu continued, "What extraordinary encounter did you have?"

Shi Xuan looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "No."

Within the territory of the Northern Abyss Holy Dynasty, the Shi Clan was a behemoth second only to the royal family. He didn't need to seek any extraordinary encounters; the Lineage's resources alone were enough to make him a prodigy by the age of eighteen.

Fang Mu then asked a few more questions, but Shi Xuan's answers were either none or very bland.

Just as Fang Mu was about to speak, Qin Qin from the group suddenly said, "You can join our Miscellaneous Dao Institute. As for whether you can become a disciple of our master, that will only be known after I take you to meet him. However, I can guarantee that I will accept you as my disciple. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Xuan was overjoyed. He firmly believed that as long as he could meet the number one Great Sage of Mysterious Heaven, he would definitely be able to become his disciple.

"This disciple is willing."

hiss...

Those present gasped upon hearing this, and some of the "prodigies" who were not chosen looked particularly grim.

A cultivator wielding a longsword stepped forward from the crowd and loudly questioned, "This is unfair! Why did my answer match his exactly? Why is he allowed to enter the Miscellaneous Dao Institute and even meet with the Great Sage Qiankun?"

Another one sticks his neck out, and immediately many people echo his sentiments.

"Yes, does that mean he can be admitted to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute just because he has a higher social status than us?"

"I refuse to accept this! I demand to see the Great Sage Qiankun!"

"..."

"Quiet!"

Qin Qin spoke sharply, and a powerful aura emanated from her, enveloping the surroundings. The True Intent she emitted transformed into a pair of terrifying heterochromatic eyes floating in the sky.

"True Intent takes form, True Intent Great Perfection!"

The King and Marquis of the Shi Clan looked at the strange eyes in the sky and his expression changed drastically. Even he had not been able to cultivate the True Intent to the great perfection.

Although Shi Xuan remained calm, his heart couldn't help but tremble slightly. When he was in the Holy Capital, he had seen royal prodigies, but none of them had cultivated their True Intent to this extent while in the Dao Integration Realm.

Even this senior before me is so powerful; the legendary Twin Saints must be incredibly strong.

"Very well, this elder will not argue with you juniors any further. This concludes today's disciple recruitment."

After Qin Qin finished speaking, she withdrew her oppressive aura and turned to Shi Xuan, saying, "You will come up the mountain with me."

"Promise."

Shi Xuan had barely finished speaking when he saw that the senior had already turned and flown away. He dared not linger and quickly chased after the senior.

The Shi Clan members were all stunned by what they saw, and the same thought flashed through their minds: Young Master Xuan, we're still here!

After a long silence, someone finally spoke up and asked, "My lord, what should we do?"

Marquis Fengshan said, "Return to Dao-Seeking City and await news."

"Promise."

The Miscellaneous Dao Institute and the others also left, leaving behind a crowd of onlookers who were still in shock...