The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 24: Becoming a Disciple

The boys were innocent, yet the truth that human nature is inherently evil was taken to the extreme in this world! In just one day, the number of eliminated candidates brought out by Xian Zong disciples reached over a thousand. Sent back to their respective towns, they wept bitterly in front of their disappointed families! “Everyone…” In the Star Cloud Sea, a ten-year-old boy with broad shoulders and a sturdy build—almost as tall as an adult—looked at the five boys and girls younger than himself and said, “One token can be exchanged for one portion of resources. As long as we guard the exit of this maze well, our lives at Xian Zong will be a little easier afterward.” “If we do that, won’t Xian Zong punish us?” asked a girl who looked to be only seven years old, worriedly. “Not only will they not punish us, but we’ll actually be highly valued. We might even catch the eye of a certain Immortal Master and be taken on as direct disciples.” “Wow! Is there really such a good opportunity?” The other four youths were all thrilled beyond belief. “Of course. There was a similar trial nine years ago. Back then, my older brother used this very opportunity to enter Xian Zong and became a disciple of True Master Jin Ting.” “True Master Jin Ting! Is that the Master of Jin Ting Island in Beihai?” one of the boys asked, even more astonished. The burly youth smiled faintly and said, “Apart from the Lord of Jinting Island, who else would dare to call himself True Immortal Jinting?” At these words, the other youths grew excited. If they could truly be taken directly under the wing of an Immortal Master, it would be like ascending to heaven in a single step! Of course, Immortal Masters from certain regions weren’t exactly cause for celebration, but those from smaller places didn’t have the authority to choose their own disciples anyway. Without further hesitation, the six joined forces and hid near the exit, waiting for their prey to walk right in. Just over the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, a brilliant flash of light suddenly burst forth from within the woods. Before the six could even rejoice—they had only just stood up… “Duuu… duuu…” Through the haze, a tiny figure, barely a chi tall, spun around, sending a string of countless tiny white beads sweeping over the six of them. In the next instant, all six were frozen in place, immobilized by a spiderweb, their minds blank with shock. “Don’t waste time—just loot their storage pouches.” As a cold voice rang out, a swarthy teenager riding a wolf golem appeared in the six’s field of vision. What followed was a scene that left them wanting to weep but unable to. Ten breaths later, the dark-skinned youth riding the wolf golem and carrying the doll had vanished. Shortly after, a flash of light appeared, and a disciple of Xian Zong looked at the six people trapped in the spiderwebs, shaking his head and saying, “So young!” These six were merely at the late Yuanwu stage, with only one at the peak of that level. Judging by their ages—the oldest was barely ten—they certainly qualified as prodigies. The seven-year-old girl, in particular, came from a powerful family; her older brother was even a senior disciple in the same lineage as this Xian Zong disciple. However, rules were rules. Without a token, there was nothing to do but send them on their way. Incidents where people end up losing more than they gain while trying to gain a little happen all over the Star Cloud Sea. This is because the candidates being tested include not only those at the Yuanwu Realm but also those at the Qiwu Realm. While this may seem unfair, the Qiwu Realm candidates are significantly older—typically around fifteen—and their character has long since matured. Knowing that Xian Zong disciples are watching from the shadows, they dare not go too far; as long as no one provokes them, they generally won’t attack others. Jiang Tang was one of them, but even so, he had encountered more than a dozen ambushes along the way. Without exception, Dongfang had subdued them all and ruthlessly plundered their storage pouches. The combined power of the Spider Web Bullets and the Gatling gun was on full display at that moment. This left several old monsters from Xian Zong on Wuxiang Peak—a hundred li away—who had come specifically to watch out of boredom, somewhat dumbfounded. “Tsk, tsk. That puppet is truly exquisite—so full of spirit. It must be imbued with a spirit. And that white bead is quite intriguing as well; it must have been refined from bone-spider venom!” “I, for one, find the six-section tube used to fire the white beads even more fascinating—it can fire two hundred beads in the blink of an eye.” “Hmm, this young man must have some connection to Kui City. Otherwise, such an exquisitely crafted low-tier puppet simply couldn’t be bought anywhere else.” “It’s a pity—he’s so old, his cultivation is so low, and he’s taken a liking to the art of puppetry. I’m afraid he’ll end up wasting his life!” “Indeed. No matter how exquisite a golem may be, it’s still just a golem. Xian Zong places great emphasis on one’s own cultivation; if one’s heart is divided, one will ultimately waste one’s life.” After the old men had finished their speculation, they turned their attention away from Jiang Tang and toward the more outstanding youths, searching for the future of Xian Zong worthy of cultivation. Of the over ten thousand youths from the sixteen cities and towns near the Star Cloud Sea who had passed the first round, a full seventy percent had actually returned five days after the second round began! Jiang Tang arrived at the Xian Zong’s gates at noon on the sixth day, but he wasn’t the fastest—he ranked well over a hundredth! “How could this be?” Dongfang’s gaze fell upon a stone stele, and he looked at the rows of small, golden characters with some confusion. He knew better than anyone just how fast Jiang Tang had traveled—he’d barely stopped, and he’d had a token to guide him the whole way. Yet he still ended up ranked well over 100th. Just how formidable were the hundreds of young men and women ahead of him? “I was just a frog at the bottom of a well. The path guided by the token isn’t a shortcut. The world is vast. Spiritual eyes that pierce through clouds and mist, magical artifacts that function like compasses, and spirit beasts capable of discerning direction—these are all infinitely more useful than this token,” Jiang Tang explained before leaping off the wolf golem and heading toward Xian Zong’s mountain gate. Xian Zong’s mountain gate resembled an archway carved from a massive boulder, standing between two sword-like peaks. Beyond the gate lay a stone staircase winding up the mountain, stretching as far as the eye could see. Strange rock formations lined both sides of the path, the ground covered in moss, with vibrant wildflowers dotting the landscape here and there. As for the dense nebula, it had risen a thousand zhang, coiling around the mountain peaks and shrouding the entire range in a veil of mist and clouds, making it appear ethereal and mysterious. This is Cloud and Mist Mountain, home to the Xian Zong—the place where Immortals of the Clouds ascend to the heavens! As Jiang Tang approached the mountain gate, a disciple of Xian Zong immediately came forward to ask his name. Jiang Tang simply replied, “Sha Hai Jiang Tang.” Instantly, the Xian Zong disciple unleashed a golden beam that struck the stone stele in front of Sword Peak. In the next moment, beneath the rows of golden characters on the stele, the seven characters “164 Sha Hai Jiang Tang” appeared. Only after completing this did the Xian Zong disciple say, “Next, you must face the third trial: Fate!” “Fate?” Jiang Tang was baffled; he had never heard of such a test before. “That’s right. As you make your way up, you’ll encounter countless forks in the path. Once you’ve made your choice, you cannot turn back—otherwise, you fail. Reaching a dead end also counts as failure. Success is achieved only if you encounter an elder of our sect who agrees to take you as a disciple. Also…” The Xian Zong disciple glanced at the wolf golem behind Jiang Tang and warned, “It’s best to walk.” Jiang Tang furrowed his brow deeply. He didn’t mind walking, but this blind-alley approach was a bit too reckless, wasn’t it? But since the rules had been set, Jiang Tang didn’t hesitate any longer. He nodded, put away the wolf golem, and set off up the mountain. Dongfang, of course, followed closely behind. He had also heard what the Xian Zong disciple said, but he didn’t say anything—he’d leave everything to fate. Soon, Jiang Tang came to a fork in the path, where a single trail split into three sets of stone steps. Xian Zong had three palaces, which in turn governed thirty-six caves, seventy-two pavilions, and one hundred and eight islands; these three paths might well lead to different palaces. Seeing Jiang Tang hesitating, Dongfang couldn’t help but ask, “Is it that hard to decide?” “You may not be aware of this, but among Xian Zong’s three palaces, the Cloud Heaven Palace specializes in combat; the thirty-six caves under its jurisdiction are all home to practitioners of profound cultivation. The Jade Spirit Palace focuses on alchemy, artifact forging, and talismanic arrays, while the Heaven and Earth Palace governs the one hundred and eight islands. which is the most diverse. It’s fine if you happen upon a good master—like True Immortal Jin Ting, whose reputation has soared in recent years and whose cultivation has reached the Yuan Ying Realm of Immortal Cultivation, equivalent to the Yiwu Realm in martial cultivation. It would naturally be wonderful to become his disciple. But among the island masters, the quality varies greatly. Black Reef Island is the worst of them all—they spend every day refining materials from sea demons, and you’ll never make a name for yourself there in this lifetime!” Upon hearing this, Dongfang’s interest was immediately piqued. “Huh, that sounds good. Let’s go to Black Reef Island.” “Get lost.” Dongfang was trying to gloss over the issue. If he could secretly get his hands on some materials, Jiang Tang would naturally be happy—but does he think they’re fools? For every amount of material they give you to refine, they’ll demand to see the exact same amount of finished product; they’ll even inspect the waste residue from failed refinements. Besides, Black Reef Island’s glory days were long gone. Since there were no longer any sea demons in the nearby waters, the island—which relied solely on refining low-tier sea demons—naturally found it increasingly difficult to survive. However, Xian Zong had stubbornly stayed on just to gather enough “Heavenly Gangs” and “Earthly Sats”! It’s as if some mysterious force is pulling the strings—whatever you fear is exactly what comes your way! Jiang Tang’s journey took ten days and ten nights. He climbed up mountains and descended them, winding along mountain roads for an unknown distance, passing countless forks in the path, yet he still hadn’t encountered a single Immortal Master. Finally, he arrived at a sheer cliff—but this was not a dead end. Ahead of the cliff lay a bridge, narrow and long, resembling a long serpent leaping from the cliff into the sea. At the serpent’s head,there lay a vast expanse of black reefs! “Wote？” Jiang Tang was speechless! Dongfang, however, was quite excited. “Hurry to the island and seek a master.” “There’s definitely a teleportation formation! Or an illusion leading the way.” Jiang Tang stood motionless, his face ashen. “That just shows they think highly of you. Otherwise, they would’ve led you to your doom long ago.” With that, Dongfang floated onto the bridge ahead of him. Yet Jiang Tang remained frozen in place. This was what he resented most about Xian Zong: it wasn’t as if they’d simply grant you permission to go wherever you wanted or study under whomever you chose. At his age, being at the Martial Power Realm was considered ordinary even outside the sect, let alone within it. Fate? Bullshit “fate”! Acting like a whore and then trying to put up a virtuous facade? Immortality cultivators possess divine perception—a fusion of divine thought and spiritual awareness. Just like that X-ray scanner, a single sweep over you reveals everything. Given Jiang Tang’s current state, the moment he takes a step forward, the so-called Immortal Masters ahead of him will likely scatter in an instant. “Jiang Tang, hurry up! Don’t hold any grudges—there’s a treasure trove up ahead. You should be happy!” Dongfang urged. Jiang Tang froze, suddenly at a loss for words—he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He suddenly understood why Dongfang was so optimistic. Perhaps this was the mark of a true powerhouse: no matter what environment he was placed in, he could rise above the rest and achieve greater heights than anyone else. That explained why Jiang Tang had failed even his high school entrance exams, while Dongfang, despite his young age, had already been selected for national training! It was also after meeting Dongfang that he obtained the Demon Blood and the Heavenly Yang Jade Marrow, which saved his life when he was on the brink of death! This wasn’t just a matter of intelligence; there must be many other reasons Jiang Tang didn’t understand. “Make the best of it?” Jiang Tang shook his head, then strode confidently onto the Snake Bridge. The scenery of Cloud and Mist Mountain was exceptionally beautiful and intoxicating. Beneath the Snake Bridge, the surging sea crashed against the shore, sending waves ten zhang high—a majestic spectacle that stirred the soul. But Jiang Tang was a mundane man who knew nothing of appreciation, and Dongfang was someone who would absolutely never waste time on scenery. Perched on Jiang Tang’s shoulder, he flipped through a book, rapidly absorbing information about this world. Black Reef Island had not a speck of green; it was entirely composed of massive black boulders. The island wasn’t large—measuring about ten li in both length and width—but it was dotted with numerous stilt houses. At the center of these stood a grand hall with a name as simple as the island itself: the Black Reef Hall. The moment Jiang Tang stepped into the Black Reef Hall, a sense of speechlessness nearly took his breath away. “Oh my, we actually have a new disciple arriving on Black Reef Island this year! You’re only the third one in the past thirty years. Not bad, not bad. Little Third, come here—let your master take a good look at you.” In the empty hall, a short old man in a gray robe with an extremely sleazy appearance kept beckoning to Jiang Tang. “I haven’t even formally become your disciple yet!” Jiang Tang was at a loss for words. He took a few steps forward and, listlessly clasping his hands, bowed and said, “Disciple Jiang Tang greets Master.” “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Jiang Tang, is it? I am Master Tie Wu Yi of Black Reef. You must remember this: from now on, the very first thing you say to anyone is that you’re a disciple of Tie Wu Yi.” As Tie Wu Yi spoke, he had already walked up close to Jiang Tang and reached out to feel him over. At first, he just pinched his arms and grabbed his shoulders, but before long, his old hand slid down to his chest. As he massaged it, he kept exclaiming with admiration, “Tsk, tsk, oh my, good,good, so good! Without over a decade of grueling training, your physique would never have reached this level of strength. You’re a genius—an absolute genius. Those snobs who judge people by their appearance are truly foolish. Choosing a disciple isn’t the same as marrying a wife—they have to go and scrutinize a person’s looks, family background, and bloodline. It’s sickening.” Jiang Tang was dumbfounded. Faced with a master like this, he didn’t know whether to be happy or to cry.