20demayo Chapter 1715 A Plenty of Talented People
Chapter 1715 A Plenty of Talented People
The Qingcheng Imperial Dharma Sect, headed by the Jingshi Sect.
The night was deep, but Su Hongzhen was wide awake.
He stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the silent night outside, his eyes burning with an inextinguishable resentment and anxiety.
The anger of the day subsided slightly, replaced by a cold, calculating desire for revenge.
"Mingchuan...Wanchuan Sect..."
He muttered through gritted teeth, his voice filled with deep resentment, "Founding a sect and enjoying boundless glory, yet they abducted my sect's elders and lured my disciples to defect... I will not rest easy until this grudge is avenged!"
However, reality left him feeling powerless.
Although Wanchuan Sect is newly established, the spatial mastery demonstrated by Mingchuan and the profound mystery of the "Myriad Transformations Return to One Technique," coupled with Jinman's defection and the possibility of those secretly assisting them, make Wanchuan Sect's strength and potential not to be underestimated.
With the Qingcheng Imperial Law Sect's current apparent strength, it would be extremely difficult and costly to overwhelm the opponent head-on.
"Taoist Xuan Shui..."
The image of Xuan Shui Dao Ren flashed through Su Hongzhen's mind, but he was eccentric and secluded for many years. He would never come out of seclusion unless his sect faced a catastrophic disaster or he himself had a sudden whim.
Trying to persuade someone based on personal grudges or loss of face will not only fail to get them to agree, but will likely result in a reprimand.
"Are we just going to let this go? No! Absolutely not!" Su Hongzhen whirled around, gritting his teeth and muttering sinisterly, "That brat Mingchuan was able to impersonate Cang Zi'ang to infiltrate my sect, steal secrets, and sow discord. Why can't I give him a taste of his own medicine?!"
A sinister plan quickly took shape in his mind.
"Isn't the Wan Chuan Sect currently recruiting disciples on a large scale? The place is a mixed bag, making it the perfect time to plant spies!"
Su Hongzhen's lips curled into a cold smile. "Choose a core disciple who is clever enough, loyal, has a clean background, and whose talent is not too bad. Disguise him as a rogue cultivator and infiltrate the Wan Chuan Sect's selection process!"
Let him investigate the true strengths and weaknesses of the Wan Chuan Sect, including its array nodes, resource distribution, personnel composition, and cultivation techniques, especially the weaknesses of Ming Chuan and those core elders!
When necessary, they may create chaos, sow discord, or coordinate with external actions to achieve a coordinated attack from within and without!
Although the plan was insidious, Su Hongzhen felt it was highly feasible.
Wan Chuanzong was newly established and eager to expand his manpower, so it was inevitable that the review process would be watertight.
If the people sent are reliable and intelligent enough, there is a good chance of infiltrating the core.
"That's it!"
Su Hongzhen made a decision immediately. He summoned his trusted chief bodyguard and whispered instructions to select the most suitable candidate and to make thorough disguises and background arrangements.
……
The next day, as dawn broke and the starlight had not yet faded.
At the Wanchuan Sect, on the star-gazing platform suspended in the void, Mingchuan finished his daily morning practice, and the silver spatial power flowing around him slowly receded into his body.
He was in high spirits, having recovered most of the energy he had taken from treating Zhao Hu yesterday.
"It's time to go and see the fresh blood of the future."
Mingchuan smiled slightly, his figure transforming into a silver streak of light as he flew towards the Myriad Manifestations Trial Realm in front of the mountain gate.
After a night of selection, there are still a large number of independent cultivators queuing outside the gate, but it is much better than the crazy crowds of yesterday.
Ah Xiong and Ji Zhou led the Zhan Tang disciples to maintain order, while Jin Man lazily waved a round fan to the side, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the crowd, seemingly casual but actually sharp.
Mingchuan landed directly in the observation area at the core of the Trial Realm, where he could overlook most of the entire Trial Realm.
Ye Yan was watching a huge light screen formed by combining water mirroring and spatial projection. It was divided into many images, showing the situation of different trial participants.
"Master, how is the situation?" Mingchuan walked to Ye Yan's side, his gaze also fixed on the huge light screen.
Ye Yan stroked his beard and smiled, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes: "Quite a few good talents have arrived, more than expected. It seems that the reputation of our Wanchuan Sect has been established."
He pointed to several areas on the light screen: "Look at the Flame Valley in the east. That red-haired kid has an excellent talent for sensing and controlling fire spiritual energy. He's also quite stubborn. He's been battling the earth fire inside for three hours now, and he even wants to use fire to temper his body. He's a good candidate for cultivating fire-based techniques."
Mingchuan looked in the direction he was looking and saw a red-haired boy with tattered clothes, a youthful face but a determined look in his eyes, sitting cross-legged by a simulated lava river. He was surrounded by a faint crimson halo, his skin was red from the heat, and the sweat that had just seeped out was immediately evaporated.
But he gritted his teeth and tried to introduce a wisp of scorching earth fire energy into the meridians of his arm, carrying out a rudimentary yet bold tempering process.
"Your spirit is commendable." Mingchuan nodded approvingly. "Although the method is crude and risky, this indomitable spirit is rare. Make a note of it and pay close attention to it."
“Look at Windblade Gorge to the west,” Ye Yan pointed to another scene, “that little girl with twin swords is very agile. Judging from her style, it seems to be a family-inherited practical sword technique, ruthless and precise, but lacking systematic inheritance and guidance. She has already taken down four illusions of the same realm in a row, and her combat awareness is very strong. She is a good candidate to enter the Battle Hall.”
In the scene, a woman dressed in black with a cold expression is fighting against a wind-attribute illusion that moves at extremely high speed.
Her movements were as nimble as a swallow, her twin blades flashing with cold light as she parried and countered in the blink of an eye. Her moves were simple and effective, aimed directly at vital points, and exuded a fierce and valiant aura from years of battle.
“She’s really good.” Mingchuan nodded slightly. Zhan Tang needed fresh blood with practical combat experience. “After she passes the test, we can let Jizhou or Axiong get in touch with her first.”
Finally, Ye Yan's finger moved to the center of the light screen, where a constantly changing mist, light and shadow and strange scenery of the Illusionary Heart Forest was displayed.
His expression became more serious: "What I find most interesting is this kid."
In the scene, a young man in his early twenties, with an average appearance, gentle temperament, and even a touch of scholarly air, is walking unhurriedly through a bizarre and fantastical world.
At times, mountains of gold and silver, and stunningly beautiful women appear around him; at other times, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and roaring demons appear; or tragic scenes of loved ones dying tragically and close friends betraying him appear...
Various illusions, enough to shake the cultivator's resolve, emerged one after another.
However, the young man merely frowned slightly or shook his head gently in the face of these things, occasionally muttering something to himself, but his steps never faltered, and his eyes always maintained an extraordinary clarity and calmness.
What's even more surprising is that the paths he chooses seem random, yet he always manages to cleverly bypass the most mentally taxing or trap-filled areas of the illusion, advancing in the most effortless and fastest way.
"Lin Yi claims to be a rogue cultivator from the Liuyin Mountains in the east, orphaned and cultivating alone until now." Ye Yan reported the information, his eyes scrutinizing. "His registered cultivation level is Qi Refining Level 8, and his spiritual power attributes are wind and wood, leaning towards softness. No abnormalities were found during the investigation."
But his temperament... is unbelievably calm, and his intuition is excessively sharp. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to face those illusions with such ease.
And look at his positioning, it's almost like... he knew exactly where it was safe beforehand.