“Anyone who is selected to join our Grand Primordium Sect will receive fifty low-grade spirit stones per month as a handyman disciple, plus a bottle of Fasting Pills, with room and board included.”
“Outer sect disciples will get five hundred low-grade spirit stones and an additional bottle of Qi Gathering Pills every month.”
“Inner sect disciples will receive one thousand low-grade spirit stones and a bottle of Core-Condensing Pills every month.”
“As for personal disciples—”
She deliberately paused, keeping them in suspense before continuing:
“Three thousand low-grade spirit stones a month, plus a bottle of Core-Condensing Pills!”
Having said that, she looked at Su Mingyuan with a deadpan expression. “These are the rules set personally by the Sect Master of our Grand Primordium Sect.”
Su Mingyuan nodded in cooperation, his expression solemn. “Indeed. I set them myself.”
Below the stage, the eyes of many Eastern Territory cultivators instantly lit up. Even loose cultivators from other territories began whispering among themselves, clearly tempted.
This treatment... was almost on par with a second-rate sect!
For a small sect to offer such rates, had they gone mad?
Xue Mingzhao struck while the iron was hot. “Tomorrow, our Grand Primordium Sect will officially begin recruiting disciples! Everyone can come to our sect gates to test their spiritual roots. As long as you pass the test, that month's spirit stones and pills will be distributed on the spot!”
Su Mingyuan nodded again. “Yes, given on the spot. No delays.”
The cultivators below completely erupted. One by one, they rubbed their hands together in anticipation, eager for tomorrow to register.
Seeing that her goal was achieved, Xue Mingzhao stepped down from the stage with Su Mingyuan in satisfaction. Though her back looked righteously heroic, her heart was already blooming with joy:
This is great! With so many people, we'll definitely recruit plenty of disciples tomorrow! In the future, there will be people to sweep the floors, cook, chop wood, carry water, refine pills, and draw talismans!
Zhao Yunzhou continued his speech on the stage, talking about the bright future of the Eastern Territory's spiritual energy recovery and laying out a blueprint for the future, spit flying from his mouth as he spoke passionately.
Sitting in his private box, Xi Lie sighed with deep emotion. “It hasn't been easy. She truly is a good child—simple, kind-hearted, and entirely dedicated to the Eastern Territory. There aren't many young people like her left.”
Qi Chong ignored him, fixing his deep gaze on Xue Mingzhao, who had just stepped down from the stage.
With just a few words, she had stirred everyone's blood to a boil. She had even managed to get Zhao Yunzhou to willingly stand up and endorse her, and her sect was the one that discovered the root cause of the spiritual energy depletion...
This girl was not simple at all.
As the clamor of the auction subsided, the departing cultivators gathered in small groups. Their conversations revolved around the joyous news of the Eastern Territory's spiritual energy recovery and the upcoming recruitment by the Grand Primordium Sect, the "heroic sect" behind it all.
Xue Mingzhao mingled with the crowd, listening in, the smile on her face never fading.
Before Zhao Yunzhou could settle scores with her, she slipped away in a flash, heading back to the Grand Primordium Sect with her mind entirely occupied with planning tomorrow's disciple recruitment assembly.
...
The next day, at the gates of the Grand Primordium Sect, the scene was incredibly lively—drums rolled, firecrackers banged, red flags fluttered, and a massive sea of people gathered, all bringing their entire families to join the sect.
Standing on a high platform, Wen Shuxian's jaw nearly hit the ground. “In just a single night, half of the Eastern Territory knows we're recruiting? How did this news spread so fast?”
Xue Mingzhao, munching on a spirit fruit, said indistinctly, “Of course. Yesterday, I used five hundred spirit fruits to bribe a Cloud-Gazing Finch. It took a whole flock of its bird brothers and flew across the Eastern Territory shouting. I even came up with the slogan: ‘The Grand Primordium Sect is recruiting! Zero barriers to entry, room and board included, job placement guaranteed! Once you join, you're family!’”
Standing nearby, Ji Yushu spoke up dryly, “Now that you mention it, I almost forgot. When are you going to return my Cloud-Gazing Finch?”
Xue Mingzhao put on an innocent face. “Martial Uncle, it's not that I don't want to return it. I'm afraid it just doesn't want to go with you.”
Ji Yushu remembered the mountain-like pile of spirit fruits in Xue Mingzhao's storage bag, and his lips twitched. What a greedy, ungrateful feathered beast.
Wen Shuxian cleared his throat and flew into midair on his sword, his voice echoing across the entire mountain gate. “Cultivators and youths of the Eastern Territory, the Grand Primordium Sect's disciple recruitment assembly officially begins today! Anyone under the age of fifteen who wishes to join our sect may step forward to test their spiritual roots. Now—let the testing begin!”
“Everyone line up, one by one! Don't push, don't push!” the disciples maintaining order shouted at the top of their lungs. “When it's your turn, just step forward and place your hand on the stone. No need to be nervous, just relax!”
The first child stepped forward, clutching the edge of their clothes, and timidly pressed a small hand against the testing stone. The stone slowly lit up with a faint, five-colored glow. After examining it, Wen Shuxian said softly, “Five elements mixed spiritual root, high-grade aptitude.”
Below the stage, several elders couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The child's aptitude was decent, but unfortunately, it was a mixed spiritual root. Cultivation would be slow, and even with hard work, they might not be able to reach the Foundation Establishment realm in this lifetime.
Xue Mingzhao stepped forward with a smile and squatted down to face the child. “Little one, cultivating with a five elements mixed spiritual root is much slower than for others, and it might be very difficult to reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. But if you're willing to join the Grand Primordium Sect as a handyman disciple, you'll get fifty low-grade spirit stones a month, with room and board included, and you can also learn basic cultivation techniques. Would you like that?”
The child's eyes instantly lit up, and they nodded vigorously. “I do! Thank you, fairy sister!”
Xue Mingzhao was overjoyed. Excellent, our first employee has been recruited!
The next few children stepped forward one after another. Some were found to have triple spiritual roots and were accepted into the outer sect, while others with quadruple spiritual roots became handyman disciples.
Suddenly, a boy with withered, yellow hair and ragged clothes stepped forward. His steps were so unsteady he looked like he might collapse at any moment. He managed to drag himself to the testing stone with great difficulty, but his legs gave way and he nearly fell to his knees, hastily supporting himself on the stone table with his skeletal little hands to stay upright.
The people waiting in line around him looked over, whispering among themselves. “Isn't that Yaozha? He's here for the test too?”
“Exactly. He picks up and eats discarded medicine dregs by the herb fields every day—that's how he got his name.”
“Tsk tsk, with his frail little body, I hope he doesn't drop dead halfway through the test.”
Hearing the name "Yaozha" on the stage, Xue Mingzhao's heart skipped a beat. Wait... why does that name sound so familiar?
Before she could think further, the boy had already pressed his small hand against the testing stone.
In the next second—
The testing stone suddenly burst with a blinding golden light, so dazzling that everyone had to shield their eyes.
The spirit fruit Xue Mingzhao was chewing on almost fell out of her mouth. She complained silently in her heart: The testing stone modified by Martial Uncle Wen is way too dramatic. It's like a camera flash. Does it have to be this extra?
Wen Shuxian was incredibly excited. “A s-supreme-grade gold spiritual root!!!”
A dead silence fell over the entire area.
Three seconds later—
“Holy crap!!!”
“A supreme-grade spiritual root?! Am I seeing things?!”
“What kind of dumb luck does the Grand Primordium Sect have?!”
“Isn't that Yaozha? Yaozha has a supreme-grade spiritual root?!”
The uproar nearly blew the roof off the mountain gate.
The elders reacted the fastest, swarming over like mother hens scrambling for food.
Wen Shuxian squeezed to the very front, wearing a gentle, kindly smile. “Good child, what is your name? Would you like to become my personal disciple? From now on, you'll live in luxury, and I'll give you the absolute best of everything!”
The boy looked up at the circle of people surrounding him. His lips trembled, and his voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. “...Yao...zha...”
Wen Shuxian cupped his ear. “What? What did you say? Speak up a bit.”
The boy squeezed out a few more words with great effort, his voice as raspy as sandpaper. “My name is... Yao...zha...”
Having said that, his eyes rolled back, his body went limp, and he collapsed straight backward.
Quick on his feet, Wen Shuxian caught him and checked his breathing. “...It seems he fainted from hunger.”
He turned toward Xue Mingzhao. “Mingzhao, take him and get him settled. Feed him some food—Mingzhao?”
No one answered.
Wen Shuxian looked back. Xue Mingzhao was standing frozen in place. The spirit fruit in her hand fell to the ground with a soft thud. Her eyes were fixed on the boy in his arms, wide and perfectly round, her expression as if she had just seen a ghost.
Rate on N.U.
