Chapter 122: Recruitment

The next day, in the valley, Lu Ye walked around, accompanied by the medic named Mu Ling.

He had been too bored recovering in his tent, so he came out for a stroll. He happened to encounter Mu Ling, who offered to accompany him, and Lu Ye did not refuse. Along the way, they met many cultivators, all of whom greeted them warmly. It was natural for Mu Ling to be so popular; after all, she was a medic with a pleasant appearance, which easily garnered goodwill. As for Lu Ye... cultivators throughout the Green Feather Mountain camp now knew about a fourth-level cultivator named 'Yi Ye' who had single-handedly fought his way from behind the Tai Luo Sect's lines all the way to Green Feather Mountain territory. This feat had made him famous overnight.

The cultivators here were not only Green Feather Mountain disciples; nearly half of them were unaffiliated cultivators who had been recruited. These unaffiliated cultivators received excellent treatment: good food and drink daily, immediate medical attention if injured, and Green Feather Mountain tallied their merits every day, distributing the promised Spirit Stone rewards. One merit point was worth two Spirit Stones, and any spoils of war belonged to the unaffiliated cultivators themselves. Furthermore, those with outstanding merit even qualified to accompany Green Feather Mountain disciples to Dragon Spring after the Dragon Spring Assembly concluded. These tangible benefits were clearly visible. Green Feather Mountain had maintained its reputation in this regard for fifteen years, which allowed it to recruit many unaffiliated cultivators to assist before each Dragon Spring Assembly.

For these unaffiliated cultivators, this was an extremely rare opportunity. As long as they survived the Dragon Spring Assembly, they could acquire significant cultivation resources. Unaffiliated cultivators led difficult lives with limited access to resources. Many ambitious and aspiring ones were naturally willing to take a gamble. Participating in the Dragon Spring Assembly certainly carried risks, but where on the Spirit Stream Battlefield was there no risk? Although Lu Ye believed Xie Jin wouldn't deceive him, hearing about it was one thing; seeing it with his own eyes was another. Now, it seemed the information recorded in the jade slip Xie Jin gave him was indeed accurate.

“The Dragon Spring Assembly not only concerns the future prospects of the disciples from the three factions, but it is also more about the strategic competition between them. Therefore, no one dares to take it lightly; everyone gives their utmost effort. I know that Junior Brother Yi Ye has an extraordinary background and probably doesn't care much for these rewards, but seeing as we both belong to the Hao Tian Alliance, if Junior Brother Yi Ye is willing, please lend Green Feather Mountain your support. Everyone at Green Feather Mountain would be extremely grateful.” Mu Ling had not encountered Lu Ye by chance; she had specifically come to find him.

Since Lu Ye had been escorted away by Green Feather Mountain the day before yesterday, Han Zheyue had been relentlessly pressuring Green Feather Mountain, teaming up with the Qin family and disregarding any losses. Green Feather Mountain had been forced to avoid their direct confrontation, abandoning many peaks, and now occupied fewer than thirty peaks. This put Tang Wu under pressure.

Initially, he had not intended to have anyone persuade Lu Ye. Although he was keen to recruit him, an improper approach might cause displeasure. So, Tang Wu's original plan was to let nature take its course. However, the Green Feather Mountain camp was now in an uproar, with many disciples clamoring to fight the two opposing factions. In such a situation, while the two factions might not fare well if a full-scale battle broke out, Green Feather Mountain would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties. This was an outcome Tang Wu could not accept. Thus, he thought of Lu Ye. Mu Ling had been treating Lu Ye and Amber for the past two days. As a medic and a woman, she was the ideal person to persuade him; even if Lu Ye had no intention of participating in the Dragon Spring Assembly, it wouldn't cause any offense.

Having been repeatedly mistaken for someone of extraordinary background, Lu Ye had grown accustomed to it. He stopped, pondered for a moment, and said, “Your sect has shown me kindness, and kindness must be repaid. I will participate in the Dragon Spring Assembly.”

He had no intention of refusing Green Feather Mountain's recruitment. The twenty-plus cultivators from Green Feather Mountain who came to meet him had indeed saved him a lot of trouble. And now that he thought about it, Green Feather Mountain had probably deliberately arranged a battle at that time, using the continuous long howls to attract his attention and guide him towards an escape route. When others were kind to him, and the intention to recruit was clear, Lu Ye naturally reciprocated. Moreover, participating in the Dragon Spring Assembly wasn't particularly dangerous for him, and he could seize the opportunity to earn some cultivation resources.

Although he still had many Spirit Pills in his possession, enough to cultivate all the way to the fifth level, his and Amber's consumption was significant. There would come a time when their resources ran out. The primordial magnetic ore had already been sold, so he needed to plan ahead and find a way to accumulate future cultivation resources. The Dragon Spring Assembly was an opportunity. Killing cultivators from the two Myriad Demon Ridge factions would not only yield spoils of war but also Spirit Stone rewards for each merit point. Even killing a second-level cultivator would earn four Spirit Stones, enough for Yiyi to find herbs for several days. If he killed a fifth-level cultivator, in addition to the Spirit Stones from merit points, there would be an extra ten Spirit Stones, totaling thirty all at once!

How could Lu Ye refuse? His previous silence was primarily due to recovering from his injuries, and he also wanted to see firsthand if the treatment of unaffiliated cultivators here was truly as described in the jade slip. Now that he had confirmed it and the other party had made their intentions clear, Lu Ye readily agreed.

Receiving the affirmative reply, Mu Ling was clearly surprised and delighted. “Is Junior Brother serious?” she asked. She had prepared many arguments, ready to appeal to his emotions and reason, but it turned out none were needed. Lu Ye nodded. Mu Ling looked at him happily and said, “Then I'll contact Senior Brother Tang Wu and tell him this good news.”

“However, I have one condition,” Lu Ye added.

“Tell me.”

“Senior Sister just said the Dragon Spring Assembly lasts for a month? How many days have passed?” Lu Ye asked.

“Seven days.”

“That's too long. I have other matters to attend to. My condition is that I can withdraw from the Dragon Spring Assembly at any time.” Lu Ye had no intention of being bound to Green Feather Mountain. Unexpected situations could always arise, and if things truly went awry, he wanted the option to leave at any moment. As for having 'other matters to attend to,' that was naturally just an excuse.

“No problem,” Mu Ling readily agreed, and then began fiddling with her battlefield token.

In the main hall of the central peak, Tang Wu received the message. His eyebrows lifted, and he let out a slight sigh of relief. With such a formidable warrior joining his ranks, he couldn't say it would completely reverse Green Feather Mountain's disadvantage, but it could at least stabilize the situation. As for the lost peaks, they could be gradually reclaimed. Currently, Han Zheyue was somewhat frenzied, and the two enemy factions were at the peak of their morale. It was not wise to continue engaging them. It would be better to let them cool down for a few days, and then striking back would not be too late.

“What are you looking at? I'll gouge out your eyeballs!” Han Zheyue turned her head and snarled at Tang Wu.

Tang Wu calmly replied, “When will you give me the two hundred merit points?”

Han Zheyue scoffed, “Who can prove which faction he belongs to? Anyway, if I didn't see it with my own eyes, it doesn't count!” She was being somewhat unreasonable. Lu Ye's white dot had already entered Green Feather Mountain's territory and remained there for two full days, unequivocally indicating his faction allegiance. However, when night fell, Han Zheyue watched as the white dot suddenly turned blue, and her expression soured.

“Still going to renege?” Tang Wu asked.

Han Zheyue turned her head away. “Anyway, I didn't see it with my own eyes, so you can say whatever you want.” Two hundred merit points was a considerable sum even for ninth-level cultivators like them. How could Han Zheyue easily compromise? Besides, she was a woman and they were adversaries; what if she resorted to unreasonable antics? Since the Heavenly Secret hadn't imposed any punishment, it meant she had found a loophole.

Tang Wu merely snorted, not bothering to argue with her. Han Zheyue, however, pressed on relentlessly. “Don't think recruiting this person will change anything. He's just one man. The Dragon Spring Assembly relies on strength in numbers!” There was nothing wrong with her statement, as every peak required cultivators to defend it. With too few people, their strength would be too dispersed, making it easy for them to be defeated one by one. This was also why the Qin family initially only occupied twenty-five peaks – because they didn't have many people.

“We'll just wait and see,” Tang Wu said indifferently, disinclined to engage in further verbal sparring.

In a tent in the valley, Xie Jin returned to meet Lu Ye and signed a contract. The contract stipulated that Lu Ye would answer Green Feather Mountain's summons during the Dragon Spring Assembly but could withdraw at any time. Other terms regarding rewards and penalties were also detailed one by one. This was quite good, and Lu Ye was very satisfied.

“Junior Brother Yi Ye, do you wish to defend or attack?” Xie Jin asked after putting away the contract.

“Explain in detail.”

Xie Jin explained, “If you wish to attack, Junior Brother can be assigned to a vanguard or ranger team, coordinating with other teams to capture peaks. You would also directly confront cultivators from the other two factions, which is a tough and dangerous task. If you prefer to defend, you can be stationed on a certain peak, which is relatively leisurely, and you can retreat if it becomes too dangerous.”

It was roughly as he had expected, so Lu Ye said, “Attack!” What was the point of just defending? It was uncertain whether the enemy would even attack. Only by taking the initiative could he kill more enemies and earn more Spirit Stones. Wasn't his reason for agreeing to participate in the Dragon Spring Assembly precisely to acquire future cultivation resources?

“I knew Junior Brother would choose this,” Xie Jin smiled. “Coincidentally, my team is one person short, so Junior Brother can come with me. Rest tonight, and find me tomorrow.” As he spoke, he swiped his hand across his battlefield token. A blue light flew towards Lu Ye, who raised his hand to meet it, and it entered his token. His second friend was made... As for the first... he had already deleted it. After explaining a few matters, Xie Jin departed.

Yiyi emerged from Amber and asked, “Lu Ye, are we participating in the Dragon Spring Assembly?”

“You don't want to?” Lu Ye asked.

Yiyi shook her head. “Wherever you go, we go.” The day before yesterday, she had been sulking with Lu Ye, but the next day she had calmed down. She had even been afraid Lu Ye might be angry, acting cautiously for a while until she was sure he was acting normally, then she relaxed.

Lu Ye raised his hand and ruffled her hair. “Amber was injured so badly by them; we have to get revenge. As the saying goes, 'it's only proper to reciprocate!'”

Yiyi nodded. “What you said makes sense.”

“I'm not talking about reason here!”

“Anyway, let's just thoroughly defeat them!” Yiyi didn't want to discuss the matter of 'reason' with Lu Ye, as it was, after all, a rather melancholic topic.