One day after the announcement of the combat, the Infinite Dao Sect’s ship arrived at the next city where recruitment would take place.

The disciples seemed much quieter and more focused than usual, each preparing silently for the battle that would occur two days after they left the city.

As for the recruitment itself, it was much smoother than at Black Rock Mountain.

There were no widespread malicious rumors, and everyone was merely waiting for a Golden Core sect with strange recruitment requirements but undeniable strength and worth.

How did they know it was worthy? Simple — the Bamboo Sword Sect hadn’t immediately gone to war when a Golden Core sect invaded their territory to conduct recruitment. That alone showed that this sect was not ordinary.

The main reason for the strange rumors at Black Rock Mountain had been the unbelievable cultivation progress of the disciples from that sect, witnessed by many in the city.

If it had only been the unusual selection criteria, the people would have just observed with suspicion and dismissed it as an oddity. But when something shatters the entire logic they believed in, breaking their mental equilibrium, people tend to find negative explanations to restore that internal balance.

The great principle of equivalent exchange ruled their minds: to gain something great, something equally great must be sacrificed.

In this case, the greatest sacrifice a cultivator could imagine was their own lifespan.

And indeed, if these other cities also witnessed the terrifying cultivation speed of the Infinite Dao Sect’s disciples, there would be no doubt that similar ideas and rumors would arise again among the population.

But since that hadn’t happened, the recruitment proceeded smoothly and was therefore much more fruitful.

Total disciples recruited in the city in two days: 762 people

Total disciples recruited in the expedition: 558 → 1320 people

Total overall disciples in the sect: 1443 people

In addition to the recruitment, on the night of the first day in the Gu family’s city, another social banquet was held. One week had been enough for the disciples to cleanse their bodies of impurities, and eating once again wouldn’t affect them.

And although one might expect a subdued party due to the upcoming competition, it was actually even livelier than the first.

Only 118 disciples would be competing and, indeed, they were less participative and left earlier due to their focus on the competition. But in compensation, the new disciples more than made up for it.

There were 558 disciples who had been recruited and experienced the extraordinary aspects of the sect the previous week. If they hadn’t been very active at the last party due to distrust and insecurity about eating mortal food, this time they indulged joyfully, talked, and made friends, full of hope for the future.

And hope and joy are the mothers of friendship and celebration.

With the lively festivities, even some disciples recruited in the Gu family’s city joined and ate mortal food after being urged by their fellow disciples to celebrate.

As for the reception, that mountain was not under Infinite Dao Sect’s administration, but since it had already been subdued by a few solitary elders last time — and now with half the sect present — they didn’t dare fail in their hospitality and forced smiles onto their faces.

Two days after staying in the city, they departed once again.

This time, the destination was a Foundation Establishment sect called Celestial Flame Sect.

Unlike the previous cities that belonged to cultivation families, this recruitment in a sect would not take place directly inside the mountain, but rather at its foothill. People from the surrounding cities were notified to come for recruitment there, as it would be strange to conduct a recruitment inside a foreign sect.

Not that they couldn’t. With his power, Aotian could easily do so, but he saw no reason to be so disrespectful or arrogant.

However, the Infinite Dao Sect’s flying ship hadn’t even been out for a full day from the Gu family’s city when it began to slow down and gradually descended to the ground.

The newly recruited disciples from the last few days showed confusion at what was happening and became alert. But among them, a few had already guessed what was going on after speaking with other disciples at the banquet.

As for the 118 disciples, all were serious and tense, determined to give it their all from the start — except for Aotian and Rihai, who remained calm.

All the elders appeared on the ship’s deck, walking side by side under the leadership of the inner elders, and descended the energy ramp without even glancing at the crowd.

The disciples watched them with respect as they passed, not daring to utter a word.

The presence of the elders walking together was like a massive tsunami, and the disciples were awestruck and covered in goosebumps.

As the 35 elders descended, the five inner disciples appeared, taking the lead and facing all the disciples on the ship.

Xiao Ling, the girl with the perfect-quality spiritual root, stepped forward with a serious look, scanning all the outer disciples.

“Let’s go. The competition is about to begin.”

She said simply, without much explanation, and turned, guiding the other four inner disciples.

The outer disciples who would be participating felt chills, and anxiety rose in their hearts. Taking deep breaths, a few stepped forward and began walking behind the inner disciples who were already descending the energy ramp.

With the initiative of a few, the rest followed like a chain reaction.

Aotian, unlike everyone else who walked with anxiety, strolled casually and relaxed beside Rihai. But even she looked slightly more serious at that moment.

Stepping onto the glowing blue energy bridge, which lit up a little more with each step, they all slowly left the ship and arrived at the grass of the vast meadow where they had landed.

Then, a scene completely shocked them.

Among the inner elders, two calmly flew into the sky without any support or sword, with ease.

“Golden Core…”

Whispers and wide eyes spread throughout the crowd as the figures rose steadily into the air.

Flying unsupported by a sword was an ability exclusive to Golden Core cultivators, and everyone was immediately in shock.

Then, instinctively, they looked at the elders in purple robes standing on the ground, with Lie Zheng leading at the center, and a dreadful thought emerged in their minds.

‘Golden Core… they’re probably all Golden Core cultivators. What kind of terrifying sect did we join?’

Many muttered in disbelief to one another.

The veteran disciples, though surprised, weren’t as shocked. With the techniques the sect had given them, they had long known that their sect was far from ordinary.

In the sky, the two floating figures were Ting Zao, the elder of the Forging Pavilion, and Xuan Zhen, elder of the Formation Pavilion.

Xuan Zhen looked at Ting Zao with a raised eyebrow.

“Throw the platforms, I’ll organize them,” he said with a smile.

Ting Zao looked at him suspiciously.

“I hope you’re not doing anything unnecessary again,” he said with doubt and a slightly annoyed expression.

Xuan Zhen rolled his eyes at him.

“It’s just a children’s competition, there’s no reason for me to waste time on something so small,” he replied, shrugging.

“Ha! Coming from you, I wouldn’t doubt anything. It wouldn’t be strange if you set up the platforms in a way that hid an escape route for you to run with your tail between your legs at the first sign of trouble. Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve done something like that.” Elder Ting mocked, not caring about the image of his fellow sect member.

“Bah! Don’t talk nonsense like that, I’m just cautious, not a coward. And I’m not messing with anything. Come on, come on, toss those things already.” Xuan Zhen spat out, annoyed, rolling his eyes and waving his hand to urge him to hurry.

Since they didn’t bother to lower their voices, the disciples heard everything from below, watching with strange and surprised expressions. They hadn’t expected one of the elders — especially a Golden Core cultivator — to have such a peculiar personality.

Even Cang Song looked impressed at Xuan Zhen, and there was even a chance a new fan was born at that moment.

Ting Zao, too lazy to argue, simply gave a pat to his storage pouch. From it, ten square stone plates about twenty centimeters wide emerged and flew into the air.

Xuan Zhen immediately took control of them. Observing the surroundings, he spotted a lower terrain, which made his eyes shine.

With the target set, he manipulated his energy and fired rays of light at the plates in a complex manner, drawing runes and launching formation discs that fused with them. Then, he wrapped the plates in his energy and, with precision, launched them at high speed toward the ground.

The swiftly flying plates glowed with a dazzling golden light before growing in size until they became enormous platforms. Each was spacious enough to hold half a football field.

Due to their impressive size and the speed at which they were thrown, they hit the ground like meteors, making the entire prairie tremble slightly.

The disciples felt the faint tremors beneath their feet while watching the spectacle with wide eyes.

Contrary to what one might expect, when the plates hit the ground, they didn’t cause destruction, cracks, or craters.

At the moment of impact, runes quickly spread across the ground. The pressure of the impact compacted the earth, sinking it a few centimeters, creating a firm and level foundation for the platforms to fit perfectly.

Checking for inconsistencies and seeing that everything was as it should be, Xuan Zhen nodded in satisfaction and descended to the ground with Ting Zao, under the impressed — and even fanatical — gazes of the disciples after such a display of power and skill.

The inner elders then turned and looked at the disciples, who were still mesmerized by the stone platforms.

But the one who spoke wasn’t an inner elder — it was Zheng Tao, the outer elder responsible for the competition, who took a step forward and stood in front of the disciples.

“Everyone, from this moment on, the competition begins. For the first round of duels, we will now draw the matchups. I hope you all give it your best,” he spoke seriously, and the disciples who would compete were already gathered in front, separated from the rest.

From them, he received focused gazes and firm nods.

Nodding in satisfaction, he patted the pouch on his waist, from which a formation disk emerged.

The disk was white, round, and thin, truly resembling a disc, with intricate rune carvings all over its surface. It pulsed with blue energy that circled its surface, illuminating the runes, indicating it was fully charged.

Not all formation disks had this shape; depending on the application, they could vary in form and size.

Guiding his spiritual energy, Zheng Tao activated the disk and sent it into the sky above the disciples’ heads.

From the disk, thin energy beams emerged and began to hover above their heads, slowly rotating and shifting position.

Seeing everything organized, he looked at the disciples, who now had confused expressions.

“The beams of light above your heads represent a random number assigned by the formation disk. Each of you should choose one beam and send an intent with your name into it. Above the disk, a light screen will appear showing your name, number, and opponent,” he explained clearly, and the disciples immediately understood how it worked.

Aotian, in the middle of the crowd, calmly placed two fingers on his forehead and drew out a trail of energy. Then, he raised his fingers like a sword and pointed to a random beam, firing.

The energy flew swiftly and hit the light beam, which then flickered before disappearing.

Above the disk, a blue beam shot upward, and a screen of light suddenly lit up.

On it, there were 118 numbers with blank spaces beside them. But in position 75, a single name appeared:

[MATCH 38: No. 75: LONG AOTIAN — VS — No. 76: —]

Everyone looked at the name for a moment, impressed by his boldness and quick reaction, but within seconds, it was quickly forgotten as more names began filling the screen, shifting everyone’s attention.

“Match 38? Looks like you’ll only appear in the fourth round,” Rihai commented beside him after submitting her own name as well.

[MATCH 11: No. 21: LIU RIHAI — VS — No. 22: —]

“Oh, and you’ll be the first fight in the second round.” Aotian looked at her, smiling.

She just shrugged with an amused smile.

“Looks like I’ll get to show off before you.” She joked dryly.

“Just have fun, don’t overthink future problems. If we keep considering every ‘what if,’ we’ll never truly live.” He smiled and held her hand, calming her, knowing she still had worries.

Rihai looked at him helplessly, but in the end, nodded and took a deep breath to calm her heart. She knew he was right — it was time to relax her nerves a bit.

She just had to remember — for both their sakes — not to relax too much.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep