The Great Dao Is Heartless
As soon as Elder Xiao's powerful voice rang out, the atmosphere, which had eased slightly, instantly became tense again.
Elder Xiao, however, paid no heed to these concerns. Even amidst the complex gazes of the crowd, he stepped forward and addressed the elders of the Azure Feather Sect: "Young Daoist Ji Mo possesses unwavering resolve, repelled the Evil Cultivator, and defended the city for many days. This aligns perfectly with my Ten Thousand Daos Born, 'A heart as firm as a mountain, a nature as steadfast as a pine tree,' and he truly deserves to be my Ten Thousand Daos Born!"
After saying this, he bowed to the Jimo Household head and his wife, saying, "I came here specifically to pay you both a visit and ask for your permission to allow young Daoist Ji Mo to participate in my Ten Thousand Daos Born's sect entrance test."
The first few sentences were fine, but by the end, the elders of the Azure Feather Sect couldn't help but laugh.
The Fifth Elder, who was in charge, sneered, "It seems your sect's sincerity is nothing more than this. You want to recruit the eldest daughter of the Jimo Household into your sect, but you still want people to break through your ridiculous Thousandfold Formation. You don't really want to take on disciples; you clearly want to use the Ji Mo family's daughter to make a name for yourself!"
The "Thousandfold Formation" mentioned by the Fifth Elder is an array set up by the founder of the sect when Ten Thousand Daos Born established it. It is said that this array is infinitely variable and contains hundreds of smaller arrays. Hence the name "Thousandfold Formation".
This Thousandfold Formation is a hurdle that every cultivator who wants to join Ten Thousand Daos Born must pass. No matter who you are, this is the only path you can take if you want to become a member of Ten Thousand Daos Born.
Without exception, for thousands of years.
Because of these stringent conditions, many young cultivators who originally aspired to become Ten Thousand Daos Born were eliminated early on, without even stepping into the sect.
Therefore, although Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples were excellent, their numbers were the fewest among the three major sects. Especially after the rise of the Mara Gate, the number of new disciples Ten Thousand Daos Born continued to decrease.
In fact, during the last selection of new disciples, only a mere hundred people were admitted into the sect.
Compared to the thousands of members in the other two major sects, their numbers are pitifully small.
This explains why Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples, each capable of holding their own, consistently lost in the sect's grand competition—only the newest disciples of the current year could participate. How could a hundred people possibly win against thousands?
Ten Thousand Daos Born was aware of the predicament he was facing, and he knew even more clearly that if things continued this way, this once glorious sect would probably decline.
However, they remained unwilling to change the entry rules, thus trapping themselves in a cocoon from which they could not break free.
Therefore, in the eyes of the Azure Feather Sect members, Elder Xiao's actions were an attempt to use Sang Ying to enhance his own reputation and attract more people to Ten Thousand Daos Born's embrace.
Thinking this through, the Ninth Elder, convinced he had guessed the other party's intentions, sneered, "Your sect's calculations are a bit too cunning. Who in the Immortal Spirit Realm doesn't know that the eldest daughter of the Jimo Household has fought tirelessly to defend the city and thwarted the Evil Cultivator' attempts several times? You want to climb the ranks by stepping on the eldest daughter's reputation, yet you won't even grant her a formal disciple status. Your behavior is far too disgraceful!"
Upon hearing these words, even Jimo Qing and the others, who knew Elder Xiao's character, couldn't help but look up at him.
Among them, a hint of danger flashed in Jimo Lan's beautiful phoenix eyes.
Sang Ying's sudden fame was something no one expected; it was probably because those few days of fighting side by side left an indelible impression on everyone.
After the crisis in Rizhao City was resolved, they all spontaneously spread the word about "the heroic deeds of their young lady".
Especially those cultivators with communication talismans, once rescued, couldn't wait to write down their experiences over the past few days and spread them throughout the world.
As a result, not only in the Immortal Spirit Realm, but probably in other small worlds, the reputation of "Jimo Zanxing" has spread.
In any other family, this would be a cause for celebration because of an outstanding descendant, but the Jimo Household members were filled with worry. They feared that Feng Ji might have someone hiding behind him, and that Sang Ying might be put in danger because of it.
Therefore, the worried crowd was naturally very concerned that someone had used Sang Ying as a raft. If they hadn't known Ten Thousand Daos Born's rigid and upright nature, they probably would have kicked him out long ago.
Faced with the Azure Feather Sect's slander, Elder Xiao quickly explained, "Your Azure Feather Sect is used to scheming and harming people, so you like to assume everyone is like you?"
"I can tell from your faces that you want to take young Daoist Ji Mo as your disciple simply to mend your relationship with the Jimo Household. But you are still embroiled in internal strife and scheming, yet you dare to take in a disciple?! Aren't you afraid of corrupting such a fine young person?"
Elder Xiao was always dignified and composed, and no one had ever seen him with his hands on his hips cursing. Not to mention others, even Wen Heyu, who had come with him to watch the commotion, was stunned for a moment.
After saying all this, Elder Xiao was still not satisfied. "Look at the state of your Azure Feather Sect disciples in recent years! If it weren't for the strict rules of the Jimo Household and the pure nature of their disciples, they would probably have long since picked up your extravagant and unyielding habits!"
"Do you dare say that spending a fortune to inlay gems on a spirit sword isn't the behavior of a disciple of your sect? You even dare to sprinkle perfume on yourself when entering a secret realm for training—is that something a proper sect disciple should do?!"
By the time Elder Xiao finished speaking, his face had turned red with anger.
Upon seeing this, Wen Heyu knew that his elder was truly angry.
After all, Ten Thousand Daos Born had also sent a group of young disciples to the secret realm for training with the Azure Feather Sect.
It was because several disciples of the Azure Feather Sect, who were fond of luxury, ignored warnings and sprinkled heavy perfume powder on themselves that they were discovered by the high-level Demon Beast that they should have avoided... In the end, of the hundred disciples who entered the secret realm, only a dozen or so came out, and all of them were seriously injured.
Although the Azure Feather Sect eventually compensated with a large sum of Spirit Stone, most of those dozen or so people had already damaged their Dantian and were no longer able to cultivate.
On the contrary, the Azure Feather Sect members, because they had more Law Treasure and Ten Thousand Daos Born, a cultivator, blocked their way, so far more of them survived than the others.
Wen Heyu will always remember the despair and sorrow on the faces of several of his senior brothers and sisters who knew him well after they learned that he could no longer cultivate.
Some people, thanks to Spirit Stone, still have a smooth path to cultivation and may even have the potential to break through to the Nascent Soul, while others have long since lost their way in cultivation.
This is the truth: the Great Way is ruthless!
Wen Heyu sighed inwardly.
Seeing the growing anger on Elder Xiao's face, the Azure Feather Sect elder, who had originally wanted to say a few more sarcastic remarks, immediately shut his mouth.
They were well aware of each other's strength. Now that they were all on the Jimo Household's territory, if they were to fight here, the relationship they had just repaired would likely crumble again.
At this critical moment, the head of the Jimo Household stepped in to reassure them, saying, "Please calm down, everyone. This matter concerns my daughter's future, and she should be allowed to make her own decision. Whatever decision she makes, we will support her."
The three members of the Azure Feather Sect were now very obedient. Seeing that their patriarch had offered them a way out, they naturally followed suit. "Of course, we will respect Miss's wishes."
Tsk, they're even calling her "young lady" now.
Jimo Qing narrowed his eyes. For some reason, he felt that Sang Ying probably already had a choice in her heart.