Chapter 19: Result

After making his choice, Lu Ye felt his body and mind relax. He had always been open-minded; even when he was abducted by the Evil Moon Valley and became a mining slave, he quickly accepted his reality.

The situation couldn't get much worse now; at most, he would miss this opportunity to join a sect and cultivate. Since the results would be out soon, those who had submitted their choices didn't disperse. They gathered together, quietly waiting. In contrast, the cultivators within the valley suddenly became busy. Figures darted back and forth in the air, constantly moving in and out of the nearby mountain peaks. Lu Ye didn't know what they were doing, but it looked like an urgent situation. However, he was merely a junior cultivator waiting for his fate to be decided, so it wasn't his place to worry about such things.

A little over an hour later, when the mustachioed man who had collected everyone's choices reappeared, Lu Ye knew the results were in! The mustachioed man walked directly to the front of the crowd, a list in his hand. Once everyone's attention was on him, he announced loudly, "Zhengqi Sect, Cui Dayuan!"

In the crowd, a sturdy young man paused for a moment after hearing his name, then leaped three feet high, cheering and exuding obvious excitement. Those around him looked on with envy, and acquaintances offered continuous congratulations. The mustachioed man didn't pause or pay attention to the commotion below, continuing, "Green Jade Sect, Lu Tianyi, Dong Peng!"

"Qi Mu Mountain, Zhao Wenlin, Tang Ni, Gao Rui…""Burning Moon Mountain…"

The mustachioed man's voice wasn't loud, but no matter how noisy the crowd below was, his voice clearly reached everyone's ears. As he called out one sect after another and read off names, everyone whose name was called rejoiced. This meant they were completely free from their mining slave identity, gaining the means to change their fate, no longer enduring oppression without the power to resist, as they had before.

Towards the back of the crowd, Lu Ye listened quietly, his expression calm. He didn't share the anxiety of those around him, seeming somewhat out of place in his surroundings. Just as he had thought, the two first-rank sects present didn't recruit many disciples this time. The Zhengqi Sect took only one person, and the Green Jade Sect took two, likely just as a formality. The real recruitment was done by the fourth to seventh-rank sects, with lower-rank sects taking more disciples; the largest one took over twenty.

Yu Xiaodie's name was also called; she and a few others were accepted into Hundred Flowers Valley. The young girl's face flushed with excitement, but unfortunately, there was no one with whom to share her joy. As more and more sects were called out, those whose names hadn't been read yet gradually grew anxious.

Finally, the last name was read. The mustachioed man put away the paper and announced, "All disciples accepted into sects, please wait here. Your senior brothers and sisters will come to lead you shortly. I hope you cultivate diligently once you've joined your sects, and one day, you might fight alongside me."

"Senior Brother, is that all?" someone asked tremblingly. The questioner was undoubtedly one whose name hadn't been called. About ten people, including him, hadn't had their names called, meaning they had missed this opportunity to join a sect and cultivate. At this moment, their expressions were disheartened, and one woman was softly sobbing.

Lu Ye was among these ten, but he felt no despair. He had already made his choice, picking only the lowest-rank sect, the Crimson Blood Sect. If he was eliminated even with that, it meant none of his choices would have yielded a different outcome. He had heard that cultivators without a sect could become rogue cultivators. While it meant cultivating on their own without sect protection, which was harder, the advantage was freedom and unrestrained liberty. Thinking this way, it didn't seem so bad after all. Moreover, he still had his talent tree, an advantage others didn't possess.

As he was lost in thought, the mustachioed man looked up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd towards a distant spot. In that direction, an old man had appeared unnoticed, his eyes fixed on Lu Ye. It was Elder Tang. Elder Tang had appeared when the mustachioed man began reading the results, and he had been secretly observing Lu Ye.

For some very specific reasons, the Crimson Blood Sect hadn't recruited any disciples for thirty years. Recruiting someone now would certainly stir up sensitive nerves among certain individuals. However, if the disciple only possessed a 'one-leaf' talent, it might not be a big deal. Such poor talent meant no significant achievements in the future, thus avoiding the attention of interested parties.

Elder Tang was initially reluctant to accept disciples, but the alliance rules were set, and he couldn't refuse. It was truly a dilemma. So, he decided to personally observe Lu Ye. Among the more than one hundred people, Lu Ye was undoubtedly a bit unconventional. Those whose names were called cheered excitedly, while the eliminated ones looked utterly devastated. Only he stood quietly throughout, from beginning to end. Recalling the scene when he first saw Lu Ye in the dark mine, Elder Tang sighed softly and nodded gently under the mustachioed man's gaze. Given the alliance rules, he truly couldn't refuse. Since that was the case, he could only accept him for now and later ask his old friends for a favor to send him to another sect for cultivation.

Receiving Elder Tang's reply, the mustachioed man smiled slightly. Looking at the person who had just asked the question, he said, "Oh, right, there's one more sect!" His expression solemn, he declared, "Crimson Blood Sect, Lu Ye!"

Lu Ye, whose thoughts had wandered far off, couldn't help but be startled when he heard his name. He looked up at the mustachioed man. Their eyes met, and the mustachioed man smiled faintly, "Congratulations, Lu Yiye!"

"Oh, not again," Lu Ye's eye twitched involuntarily.

The mustachioed man added, "Alright, that's all the names. Those whose names weren't called, please follow me."

"Senior Brother!" Lu Ye called out, raising his hand.

The mustachioed man turned back, "What is it?"

Lu Ye stared at him. "May I ask for Senior Brother's esteemed name? And what is your cultivation level?"

The mustachioed man stroked his mustache at the corner of his mouth, looking at him with interest. "What? Are you planning to beat me up?"

Lu Ye's face was devoid of expression. "Of course not. I merely wish to remember Senior Brother's kindness today."

"Ambitious!" The mustachioed man chuckled. "Alright, listen closely. I am Le Shan from the Zhengqi Sect, and my cultivation is at the seventh layer of the Cloud River realm. Remember that?"

"Another one from the Zhengqi Sect," Lu Ye nodded. "I've remembered."

"Then cultivate diligently, Lu! Yi! Ye!"

Le Shan led away those whose names hadn't been called. These individuals were now filled with immense regret. If they had known this would be the outcome, they would have chosen the Crimson Blood Sect, hoping to join it, which would be far better than being left without support now. What they didn't know was that if they had indeed chosen the Crimson Blood Sect, Lu Ye would have been eliminated along with them. The sect hadn't accepted any disciples for a full thirty years. This time, if it weren't for the alliance rules, Elder Tang would not have relented.