Chapter 861: List Incomplete

Haotian City was bustling with crowds; a large number of cultivators from the Cloud River Battlefield had gathered there.

Although they were now considered part of the Bing Province Guard, there was no clear decision yet regarding their specific postings. Therefore, they were temporarily staying in Haotian City and would only depart for various front lines to serve once their destinations were confirmed.

Bing Province had twelve major passes. Under each major pass, there were dozens, or even hundreds, of smaller strongholds. The front lines formed a tight defense by using these twelve major passes as hubs and numerous smaller strongholds as nodes, thereby protecting the foundation of the Haotian Alliance in Bing Province.

Cultivators were needed to garrison these major passes and smaller strongholds.

Battles on the front lines were fierce, resulting in many casualties among cultivators, so the Bing Province Guard required reinforcements periodically.

Especially now, with a large number of newly recruited Bing Province Guards gathered, Grand Cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm from all twelve major passes had returned to Haotian City, ready to divide these new recruits among themselves.

In a grand hall in Haotian City, twelve individuals were seated, chatting and laughing cheerfully.

Suddenly, a person walked straight in and presented a jade slip with both hands, saying, "Reporting to all Directors, the list of new recruits for the recent period is here. Please take a look." Hearing this, everyone nodded. A dignified young man raised his hand, and the jade slip, inscribed with the list of new recruits, landed in his palm.

He looked up, scanned the other eleven, and smiled slightly, saying, "Shall we begin then?"

"Let's start," someone nodded. "Good."

The young man assented, exerted force with his hand, and the jade slip immediately shattered. Simultaneously, a powerful divine sense surged, and an invisible ripple emanated outwards from him.

This seemingly young man was, surprisingly, a Grand Cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm.

As the ripples spread, thousands of glittering lights suddenly flew out from the shattered jade slip. In an instant, they filled the entire hall, as if a starry sky had descended.

The divine senses of all twelve individuals spread out, instantly sweeping over the countless lights. A wealth of information, imprinted within the glowing lights, clearly entered their minds.

Each point of light represented a new recruit, including their origin, sect, cultivation level, age, and military rank, all in meticulous detail.

This made it convenient for the twelve individuals to select the talents they desired.

"I'll take this one," an elder said with a slight smile. With a raise of his hand and a single point, a speck of light was drawn and fell into a blank jade slip in his hand. This signified that he had chosen this new recruit and would take them to the major pass he represented.

How they would be assigned upon arrival there would be a matter for later.

All twelve individuals made their moves. Though seemingly unhurried, the countless glowing lights filling the hall were rapidly disappearing.

It was a scramble for recruits!

This was a long-standing tradition of the Bing Province Guard. All major passes needed exceptional talents, and in such matters, being quick meant securing a recruit, while being slow meant missing out.

Therefore, every time individuals from the twelve major passes came to Haotian City to divide the new recruits, they were invariably those with powerful divine senses. Only a sufficiently powerful divine sense could gain the upper hand in such a situation.

In just about half the time it takes to steep tea, the many new recruits had been divided. To some extent, this also determined their future destinies.

The situations of the twelve major passes under Haotian City were not all the same. Some passes had territories that held an advantage in resisting the Myriad Demon Ridge, making it naturally safer to go there. Other passes were the opposite, making it naturally more dangerous to go to such places.

The young man who had earlier taken the jade slip with the list turned to look around, then smiled slightly, saying, "It seems everyone has gained something. Let's leave it at that then."

"Wait," an old woman suddenly spoke.

Everyone looked towards her.

The old woman looked at the cultivator who had brought the list of new recruits and asked, "Is this list incomplete?" The cultivator immediately replied, "All new recruits who reported to Haotian City are included. There are no omissions."

"I don't think so," the old woman scoffed softly. "As far as I know, there's still one person not on this list."

"Oh?" The young man looked suspicious. "An omission of one person, and Elder Yu even knows about it. It seems you're quite concerned about that individual. Which junior from which family could possibly catch Elder Yu's eye?"

The others also showed curious expressions. Logically, as Divine Sea Realm cultivators representing their respective major passes to divide the new recruits, now that they had made their selections, they should quickly take their people to the front lines. They shouldn't be lingering here to debate whether the list had omissions; that was the General Affairs Department of the Recruitment Office's concern.

Furthermore, most of these new recruits were of the Cloud River Realm, with a few at the Spirit Stream Realm. None of them were qualified to receive excessive attention from a Grand Cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm.

Thus, the old woman's concern seemed quite particular.

"For someone to catch my eye, they're naturally not an ordinary junior. I imagine you've all heard his name to some extent," she said. As she spoke, she looked at the cultivator who had brought the list of new recruits: "Has Lu Yiye of the Bloodline Sect not yet reported for duty? As far as I know, the deadline given to him by the Order Dispatch Office passed long ago. If he hasn't reported, he should be executed according to Guard law! If he has reported, why is he not on the list?" "The Bloodline Sect..."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood what was going on.

The Bloodline Sect in Bing Province was a very unique sect. Many owed it gratitude, while many others harbored deep resentment. The old woman was undoubtedly among the latter, and her hatred for the Bloodline Sect was never concealed. This was because years ago, her only son, serving under Feng Wujiang of the Bloodline Sect, committed a grave error and was executed by Feng Wujiang on the battlefield to stabilize morale.

Later, Feng Wujiang died, and the Bloodline Sect declined. But over the years, the hatred in her heart had not been resolved.

Originally, a few years ago, the Bloodline Sect was on the verge of being removed from the records. Yet, a Lu Yiye unexpectedly emerged, preserving the Bloodline Sect's lineage. Now, the Bloodline Sect even showed signs of resurgence.

The old woman's presence here was for both public and private reasons.

Publicly, she represented her major pass and came here to select new recruits.

Privately, her target was Lu Yiye of the Bloodline Sect!

If Lu Yiye truly fell into her hands, he would certainly meet a bad end. The Bing Province Guard had many legitimate means at their disposal.

Yet, among this batch of new recruits, the person she was looking for was not on the list.

"Elder Yu, so many years have passed, and as for what happened back then..." The young man frowned, finding it somewhat inappropriate for a Divine Sea Realm cultivator to target a Cloud River Realm cultivator. Besides, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its owner. Feng Wujiang executed the general on the battlefield back then; what did that have to do with Lu Yiye?

When Feng Wujiang was at the height of his power, Lu Yiye hadn't even been born.

If this became known, it would damage the Bing Province Guard's image.

"Don't bring up the past with me!" the old woman retorted angrily. "As the current Director of the Recruitment Sub-Office at Tianmen Pass, it is my duty to select elite soldiers and powerful generals for Tianmen Pass. Lu Yiye, a rising star of the Bloodline Sect, has a formidable reputation. I've taken a liking to him and want to bring him to Tianmen Pass to let him achieve great deeds. What's wrong with that?"

There really wasn't anything wrong with that!

Once these high-sounding words were uttered, the others, even knowing what the old woman truly intended, found it difficult to interject. "Or perhaps... are you trying to snatch him from me?" The old woman's cloudy eyes gleamed sharply as she swept her gaze across everyone present.

Some frowned, others seemed indifferent...

Seeing that no one responded, the old woman turned to the cultivator: "Lu Yiye isn't on the list. Has he not reported for duty? If so, he should be executed according to the law!"

"This matter... I'm not entirely clear," the cultivator replied, sweat appearing on his forehead. He had only come to deliver a list; he never expected such a situation to arise.

Moreover, he truly didn't know anything about a "Yiye" or "Liangye." "If you're not clear, then go find out immediately!" the old woman reprimanded.

"Yes, please wait, Directors!" the cultivator quickly responded. He then began to inquire about Lu Yiye.

Soon, he received information, his face filled with astonishment. "What is it?" the old woman asked in a deep voice.

"To Elder Yu, Lu Yiye of the Bloodline Sect reported for duty several days ago, but..." "But what?" the young man urged, seeing his hesitation.

The cultivator's expression was peculiar as he began, "It's just that I heard when he reported for duty, he offended Director Qian and Director Fan. Director Qian sent him to the penal prison for punishment, and he hasn't had a chance to report to the Recruitment Office yet, which is why he's not on the list."

"Qian Wudang..."

"Fan Xiangyi..."

Both were Grand Cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm in the Bing Province Guard and held the rank of Director. They naturally understood who "Director Qian" and "Director Fan" were.

These two were the Director of the Law Enforcement Office and the Director of the Order Dispatch Office, respectively. Both wielded significant authority.

What audacity did that Lu Yiye have to offend them? Or was there another hidden reason?

Among the twelve, some looked thoughtful, while others were speechless, a mix of amusement and frustration.

The old woman also frowned, surprised that this was the situation. But how could she not see the hidden meaning behind it?

This was clearly done intentionally by someone. Lu Yiye, now imprisoned, seemed to be punished, but in reality, it was a form of protection.

"What punishment did the Law Enforcement Office issue?" the old woman asked in a deep voice.

"Three lashes and ten days of detention!" the cultivator replied. He then added, "Today is already the fifth day."

"A minor mistake, a small punishment as a warning is sufficient. Get him out and have him quickly register with the Recruitment Office!" the old woman declared.

Although Lu Yiye's punishment would end in five days, she couldn't possibly wait here for another five days. Now that the new recruits had been selected, she needed to quickly take them back to Tianmen Pass.

As for Lu Yiye, she intended to take him today!

"Oh, this..." The cultivator immediately looked terrified, glancing imploringly at the other Grand Cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm. How could he possibly do such a thing, even with the old woman's command?

The old woman was the Director of the Recruitment Sub-Office at Tianmen Pass. The penal prison was under the jurisdiction of the Law Enforcement Office, and the old woman had no authority over matters there.

"Elder Yu, why bother him?" the young man said, waving his hand at the cultivator.

The latter, as if granted a great pardon, quickly departed. The situation here was quite perilous, and he dared not get caught in its vortex.

The old woman also realized she was being somewhat unreasonable, so she didn't stop the cultivator from leaving. Instead, she raised her hand and tapped her battlefield mark, sending a message quickly.

Clearly, she intended to use her connections to retrieve the person from the penal prison.

Seeing this, the others didn't say much more, all shaking their heads repeatedly.