The Entire Sect is Full of Villains, Yet the Junior Sister Conquers All

Chapter 155 : The Sect is Recruiting New Disciples!

After the events at the Wasteland Relic City concluded, the Lingqing Sect group hastily returned to their sect on a spirit ship, only to find that in just one month's absence, their sect had undergone such drastic changes that they wondered if they had come to the wrong place.

So many people!

People everywhere, up and down the mountain.

The Lingqing Sect, which used to be as desolate as a deep mountain forest, was now bustling with activity, people coming and going, chatting and discussing.

Moreover, these people were all quite young, around ten years old, at most not exceeding fifteen years of age.

The Sect Leader, who was usually as elusive as a dragon showing its head but not its tail, had personally made an appearance. Beside her was a spirit-testing stone as tall as a person, conducting round after round of screening. The group of idle disciples, including Third Senior Sister, were assisting the Master.

"Is our sect recruiting disciples?" Tantai Ming asked proudly.

How impressive, how impressive.

Who would have thought so many people would come to apply to the Lingqing Sect.

He had been in the sect for over ten years and this was the first time he had encountered such a grand recruitment ceremony.

Tang Yanling smiled and explained, "The timing for major sects to recruit disciples is not fixed. Some sects expand recruitment annually, some every three years, and some only every five or ten years. But generally, each recruitment period is around July, which is now."

"Although Master had never had the idea of large-scale recruitment in previous years, we won the championship in the sect competition this year. As the new champion sect, if we only had a dozen or so people in the entire sect, it might be laughable to others."

After returning to the sect, the group didn't immediately go to see Immortal Chanyu, but instead sneakily observed for quite a while.

Although the Sect Leader Master usually talked about staying isolated from the world, not being tainted by worldly affairs to avoid creating troubles for herself, saying that a dozen or so people in the sect were enough and there was no need for more to disturb her peace of mind... but looking at her now, with so many lively young disciples coming to seek apprenticeship, she was delighted beyond measure, smiling from ear to ear, being exceptionally kind to these pure young disciples.

They, as personal disciples, had never seen this gentle and kind side of the Master before.

Her words were tough, but her actions were honest.

"Ah, we've fallen out of favor," Tantai Ming pouted.

Chu Sang tapped his forehead, "Seventh Senior Brother, think about it, soon you'll have many Junior Brothers and Sisters calling you Senior Brother. We'll be respected seniors. Imagine how joyful that scene will be!"

Thinking about a group of adorable junior sisters calling him Senior Brother, Tantai Ming found the image quite cute, but then thinking about a bunch of junior brothers chattering away, he felt annoyed again.

He decided that after the disciple recruitment was over, he would adopt a new, aloof persona that kept people at a distance.

Change his image and start anew.

"Let's go, Master is quite busy over there, let's go help," Chu Sang called out.

Although the Lingqing Sect's reputation was still far from that of the well-known Eight Great Sects, and the number of disciples coming to seek apprenticeship couldn't compare to the grand scale of the Eight Great Sects, Chu Sang and the others had shone brightly representing the Lingqing Sect in the sect competition. This had caught the attention of many large and small cultivation families to this emerging sect. Quite a few influential families had sent their disciples over, along with many children with spirit roots selected from nearby villages and towns. All in all, there were several thousand people.

"Don't be fooled by the large number of disciples, not many will actually stay," Su Chen'an said with a smile, fanning himself.

"What do you mean?"

"Although our Master usually appears casual and easygoing, have you ever wondered why our sect has always had only a dozen or so disciples? Even sects inferior to ours have at least a hundred disciples," he closed his fan, speaking meaningfully.

"The Sect Leader is extremely strict in selecting disciples."

Mu Chihuai yawned and added, "In her own words, 'No waste is allowed in my Lingqing Sect.'"

And those who could be considered not waste in her eyes were just the dozen or so of them.

It could be said that the Sect Leader Master's requirements for selecting personal disciples were even higher than those of the Eight Great Sects.

However, for this recruitment ceremony, Immortal Chanyu probably just wanted to add some numbers to the sect, to make the quiet sect seem livelier. She didn't intend to take on more personal disciples, but rather to recruit some inner and outer disciples. The conditions had been relaxed somewhat, but the number of disciples who could actually stay wouldn't be many, only about four or five hundred, with an elimination rate as high as ten to one.

Chu Sang didn't return directly to the sect, but flew on her sword to the foot of the mountain, then walked up the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps leading to the sect.

On the way, she encountered several young cultivators who had been eliminated due to poor aptitude and physique.

They looked dejected.

Quite pitiful.

She carefully observed the disciples passing by.

Some of the young disciples might have slightly inferior aptitude, but they were extremely determined, stubbornly climbing these heavenly steps on their own.

Chu Sang questioned herself whether she would have had such resolve at that age.

After observing for several days, she selected a few dozen more disciples and sent them to the Master.

Chu Sang greatly admired cultivators with firm minds and perseverance. While talent might be the most crucial factor in the cultivation journey, character was equally indispensable. Many exceptionally talented cultivators had gone astray due to weak minds, while those with strong will could climb to their own peaks.

The grand disciple recruitment ceremony lasted for half a month before finally concluding.

A total of five hundred and twenty-one disciples were ultimately admitted to the Lingqing Sect.

The number was still far behind the Eight Great Sects, but they were satisfied with each new disciple. That day, they held the disciple induction ceremony and arranged accommodations.

But soon...

Chu Sang discovered a new problem.

"Now that the sect's reputation has been established and disciples have been recruited, shouldn't we renovate the hardware facilities?" Chu Sang sighed deeply, looking at the long-neglected buildings of the sect.

The stingy Sect Leader really didn't want to spend money on renovating the buildings.

The facade of the new champion sect couldn't be left behind!

Even a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Lingqing Sect no longer had the glory of ten thousand years ago, the remaining plots of land were quite large. The dining hall, disciple accommodations, and the usual classrooms and training facilities like the Pill Pavilion, Tool Workshop, Talisman Tower, Formation Pavilion, and training grounds were all present, with various facilities quite complete. However, they had been uninhabited for too long and fallen into disrepair. Look at that peeling paint, the wooden pillars hollowed out by insects, ready to collapse at the slightest touch. If disciples were to live here, their Lingqing Sect would probably make headlines tomorrow.

She had already thought of the title.

It would be called—

[Is it moral decay, human nature's distortion, or a premeditated assassination? Several disciples of the new generation champion sect tragically die in the sect on the second day of recruitment!]

"Don't worry, Junior Sister. The Sect Leader has already found people to renovate. In a few days, the young disciples will be able to move into new accommodations," Wen Renyue said, counting on her fingers. "There's also the Disciplinary Hall, Miscellaneous Hall, Law Enforcement Hall, Mission Hall, Resource Hall, Internal Affairs Hall, External Affairs Hall... We need to recruit elders! That's another big expense!"

The previous sect elders had left because they couldn't be paid their salaries.

"We need to recruit administrative elders and teaching elders. We can't let the new Junior Brothers and Sisters enter the sect blindly. We need to find several virtuous and excellent elders to guide them," Mu Chihuai strategized.

Si Kou Qiu patted her chest, "Don't worry, leave the recruitment of elders to me. It definitely won't be inferior to the Eight Great Sects."

Money can make ghosts turn millstones. If it can't turn millstones, it's because there's not enough money. Add more money.

With Fourth Senior Sister's generous words, there was no need to worry about the sect elders.

Chu Sang weakly raised her hand, "The dining hall, please leave the dining hall to me!"

Fried dough sticks, soy milk, xiaolongbao, hot pot, barbecue, spicy chicken...

She would also ask Fourth Senior Sister to recruit some chefs with strong learning abilities. She wanted to promote Chinese cuisine in the cultivation world.

Make the disciples of the other Eight Great Sects cry with envy!

Tantai Ming said, "Actually, our sect has a hidden big shot. There's a powerful soul residing in the secret realm on the back mountain. If we could invite him out to be an elder, it would directly strike at the Eight Great Sects."

"You mean the powerful being from the Tianqi Sect?" Chu Sang remembered. "That senior is from ten thousand years ago. Rather than being an elder, he might prefer to be the Sect Leader."

"Our Master isn't to be trifled with. Let them fight it out, and whoever wins can be our new Sect Leader," Tantai Ming betrayed his allegiance quickly.

Gu Chang'an gave him a painful strike, saying coolly, "No nonsense."

Chu Sang actually gave it serious thought. The powerful being only had a wisp of soul left and definitely couldn't freely enter and exit realms, but he would surely want to come out and see the cultivation world after ten thousand years.

They could use this as a bargaining chip with that powerful being.

Mu Chihuai, being meticulous, saw through her consideration at a glance. He spread his hands and said, "That powerful being was indeed formidable when alive, but now he only has a wisp of soul left. He can't reconstruct a physical body. Even if he came out, he could only be a wandering ghost, and might even be coveted by evil cultivators to be refined into an evil ghost king. We can't do such a risky thing."

"Sixth Senior Brother, do you know about a heaven-grade pill called the Longevity Pill?"

Changsheng popped out of the ground, "Were you calling me?"

Mu Chihuai pushed her back underground and said in a low voice, "I've heard of it, but the pill formula has long been lost. Moreover, Junior Sister, you know the materials needed for this heaven-grade pill, right? It requires Fifth Senior Sister..."

Changsheng popped out again, "I heard clearly, you were calling me. What do you need me for?"

Chu Sang said meaningfully, "Fifth Senior Sister, we might need an organ from your body."

"Ah?"

Changsheng blankly covered her mouth. Junior Sister actually wanted a part of her body?

How cruel!

But if Junior Sister wanted it, of course she would give it.

"Which part do you want?"

"I need the connective tissue group from your head," saying this, she used a strand of spiritual wind from her fingertip to cut off a few strands of Fifth Senior Sister's hair.

Changsheng didn't feel a thing.

The few strands of cut hair in Chu Sang's palm instantly transformed into several slender vines, emitting dense spiritual energy.

Mu Chihuai suddenly realized and gave her a thumbs up. "Impressive."

"We have the materials, but the formula for the Longevity Pill has long been lost. Even with the materials, I can't refine it..."

Chu Sang said, "Why don't you go to the Pill Condensation Sect's library to look for clues, Sixth Senior Brother?"

In the original story, Qin Xixue had learned the method to refine the Longevity Pill at the Pill Condensation Sect. It was most likely in the library, probably on the top few floors where heaven-grade pill formulas were recorded. With Sixth Senior Brother's family patriarch backing this only grandson, he would definitely have permission to go to the upper floors to look. If he searched carefully, he might find it.

"Alright, wait for my good news!"

Two people were absent from this grand event of the sect's disciple recruitment ceremony.

One was Fourth Senior Brother Mo Baizhou, who had no sense of belonging to the sect and was rarely seen.

The other was Second Senior Brother.

Initially, the first thing Chu Sang wanted to do upon returning to the sect was to find Second Senior Brother. Unexpectedly, she couldn't find him anywhere. She decided to ask Immortal Chanyu about his whereabouts.

Tantai Ming asked, "Junior Sister, why are you looking for Second Senior Brother?"

Chu Sang didn't immediately answer his question, but turned to ask Tang Yanling again, "Second Senior Sister, what's the name of the Ghost Xuan Sect's leader?"

"Wei Hanmo sent his people to investigate for a few days and found some clues. It seems his name is..." Tang Yanling paused, then said solemnly, "Zong Xun."

Zong Xun.

The leader of the Ghost Xuan Sect, Zong Xun.

The Vice Sect Leader of the Myriad Stars Sect was also called Zong Xun.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

Chu Sang looked at her right palm. Under the urging of her divine sense, a blood-red mark appeared again on her originally clean and delicate palm.

That was the blood Second Senior Brother had given her when she reclaimed the Hundred Ghosts Banner in the ghost city, to help her suppress the ghost king.

It was precisely because of this blood mark that she could control a Dharma Transformation stage ghost king with her Golden Core stage strength. So when the Sect Leader looked at the mark on her palm with excitement in her dying moments in the Myriad Stars Sect illusion, along with those words... she understood everything.

In the illusion, although the entire Myriad Stars Sect ultimately sacrificed themselves to seal the space-time rift, and Zong Xun died completely.

For them, this was already the most perfect ending.

One can imagine how terrible the real ending must have been in reality.

In the illusion, without their help on this journey, Zong Xun's plan succeeded. The Sect Leader's child was taken away by him, and that behemoth was probably released as well. It was most likely hidden within the Ghost Xuan Sect, which explained the sect's sudden rise to power over the past hundred years, from an inconspicuous small sect to the current number one great sect in the ghost realm.

"Second Senior Brother went to Mount Panning," Chu Sang said, taking out a scroll map. "That place isn't particularly dangerous, only having some Golden Core stage spirit beasts. I'll go find Second Senior Brother. You help the Sect Leader Master manage the sect. It will probably be very busy recently, and Master can't handle everything alone."

"Be careful, Junior Sister!"

Chu Sang nodded. Now that she was a solid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, it was time for others to be careful.

Chu Sang's departure from the mountain this time was unexpectedly smooth. As soon as she entered the territory of Mount Panning, she saw that familiar figure not far away.

"Second Senior Brother!"

She immediately went over to greet him.

Unexpectedly, she also encountered people from the other Eight Great Sects.

Why had they all come in a swarm?

Could there be something good in this place?

Ling Yu seemed extremely surprised to see her arrive. An unnatural expression flashed across his face, but he quickly regained his usual gentle smile. "Junior Sister, why have you come?"

"I came to find you."

"What's the matter?" He blinked, smiling curiously.

"I have something to show you."