Chapter 62: The Slow-Witted Are Not Advised to Enter the Demonic Sect

The examiners have given orders. Whether you are a local figure or a powerful newcomer, you must stand still obediently. If you anger the examiners, do you still wish to join the Demonic Sect?

Don't let their outward success deceive you; no matter how well you're doing, can you compare to the strength of the Demonic Sect?

The Demonic Sect boasts a Cult Master with unfathomably profound cultivation and disciples as numerous and strong as a forest. These applicants, however, are on their own, with the most powerful among them only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The three examiners were unfamiliar faces; no one present had ever seen them before. However, this was understandable. The Demonic Sect is an entity far more mysterious than rogue demonic cultivators, rarely showing themselves, so it was perfectly normal for no one to have encountered them.

Although the start time was an hour earlier than announced, no one raised any questions.

This was likely one of the Demonic Sect's trials; those who arrived early demonstrated their dedication, while those who merely showed up on time were not considered worthy of joining.

Lu Yang sat with his legs crossed, took out a pen and paper, and pointed at the first person, asking, "Tell me, why did you choose to join the Demonic Sect? What can you bring to us by joining? What are your plans for yourself? What are your expectations for regular payments?"

"Huh?" The first person was dumbfounded, stunned by the barrage of questions right off the bat. Was this really the entrance examination for the Demonic Sect?

Shouldn't they be asking about cultivation levels, techniques, or what bad deeds he had committed?

Seeing the first person remain speechless for a long time, Lu Yang waved his hand impatiently. "What's with the 'huh'?" he scoffed. "You're stammering when faced with our questions. If you get caught by the authorities later, won't you just spill all the Demonic Sect's secrets?"

"You're out. Go home."

The second applicant was the leader of a small gang. He had been imprisoned multiple times, and upon each release, he would find his gang and wife taken over by his subordinates, only to repeatedly reclaim them. He was a highly experienced gang leader.

"My name is Niu Mang, leader of the Green Dragon Gang," he declared. "I chose to join the Demonic Sect because I seek better prospects. My philosophy of the demonic path aligns closely with the ideals of our Demonic Sect, and I believe I will integrate seamlessly. After joining, I vow to diligently commit evil deeds, working hand in hand with the Demonic Sect to grow stronger and achieve new glories!"

"My plan for myself is simple: I will do whatever the Demonic Sect needs me to do, without complaint. After all, only when the Demonic Sect is strong can I be strong!"

"The Demonic Sect has given me a place to stand; how could I possibly ask for regular payments? I should be the one offering tribute to the Demonic Sect!"

In his excitement, Niu Mang even waved his fists, declaring that he would certainly overcome all difficulties and embrace a bright future.

He spoke very skillfully; after all, this was how he had always instructed the Green Dragon Gang.

"You're out. Go home."

"Why?" Niu Mang asked, unconvinced. He believed his answer was quite perfect.

Lu Yang sternly reprimanded him, deeming Niu Mang unworthy of being a demonic cultivator. "What is the demonic path?" he scoffed. "The demonic path is self-interest! How can someone like you, who serves the Demonic Sect wholeheartedly and expects no reward, be a demonic cultivator? As a member of the Demonic Sect, one must constantly plot how to usurp power and rebel! If there's no internal strife, what kind of Demonic Sect would it be?"

"And didn't you just say you would do whatever the Demonic Sect needed you to do? Well, now the Demonic Sect needs to eliminate you. Get out!"

Niu Mang left dejectedly. The people behind him, having heard everything, felt their eyes opened. So this was the true theory of the Demonic Sect. Truly worthy examiners, their understanding of the demonic path was profoundly deep.

"Next!" Meng Jingzhou called out.

"My name is Chi Xulong, and I am at the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation," he stated, emphasizing his cultivation level, hoping the examiners would take him seriously.

"Tell us, what bad deeds have you committed?"

When asked about this, Chi Xulong had plenty to say: "I was snatched by wolves on the mountain and raised by them since childhood. When I was ten, I used a bone knife to kill the wolf that took me, and then I went down the mountain to live. In the mountains, I would simply take whatever I wanted by force, and this habit continued in the city; I would steal whatever I lacked. Then the constables would chase me, and I'd keep robbing while they kept chasing. I'm very fast on my feet; no one can catch me. When robbing, I also took people hostage and casually killed a few who got in my way."

Chi Xulong spoke smugly. Surely, someone who had committed all sorts of evil deeds, like him, was qualified to join the Demonic Sect?

Meng Jingzhou shook his head. "The righteous path is powerful now, so we demonic cultivators must act discreetly. Your style of doing things is too flashy; sooner or later, you'll fall because of it. Look at you—how many people recognize you? Now look at the three of us—who recognizes us? That's the difference!"

"This isn't cowardice; it's premeditated subterfuge, the wisdom of a great recluse hidden in the bustling city!"

Man Gu looked curiously at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Why did he feel that Brothers Lu and Meng were so remarkably familiar with the demonic path?

Chi Xulong was greatly enlightened after hearing this, realizing he had underestimated the complexity of the demonic path, and voluntarily left.

"My name is Shen Jinyi," the pale-faced scholar introduced himself with a smile. After the previous few exchanges, he felt he had finally understood their method.

Man Gu saw that the other person was dressed as a scholar and, like himself, was a Confucian cultivator. Happily, he asked a question he had never been able to figure out, one that even the Fourth Elder couldn't answer: "Since 'niang' and 'ma' both mean 'mother,' can I call a 'young lady' a 'paternal aunt'?"

Shen Jinyi was stunned for a long time. With his forty years of life experience, he genuinely didn't know what to say.

He had originally thought the seemingly simple-minded examiner on the left was unremarkable and had remained silent. He never expected to be blindsided with such a jarring question right away.

Shen Jinyi did not directly admit defeat. Instead, he said, "I am an assassin, not a Confucian cultivator."

"An assassin? Have you studied criminal law?" Lu Yang asked with interest.

"Slightly," Shen Jinyi said modestly. In reality, he had a deep understanding of criminal law, as an assassin naturally had to study how to evade the law.

"Then I ask you," Lu Yang continued, "the criminal law defines intentional homicide as 'intentionally depriving a person of life constitutes this crime.'"

"Does suicide constitute intentional homicide?"

Shen Jinyi was blindsided for a second time.

Seeing Shen Jinyi unable to answer, Lu Yang waved his hand in disappointment. "You can't even answer a question in your most proficient field. Go home."

In just five minutes, Shen Jinyi experienced the greatest setback of his life.

Could these even be considered questions that normal people would ask?

"Could it be that only those with abnormal thinking can join the Demonic Sect?"

...

This entrance trial was of great importance, so the branch leader would only feel at ease if he personally presided over it.

The branch leader specifically arrived half an hour early to prepare in advance.

On his way to the examination site, the branch leader saw many fierce-looking individuals leaving one after another, mumbling things like, "The interview is so hard," "The Demonic Sect is difficult to join," "So this is the true essence of the demonic path," and "I'll try again in thirty years." They seemed to have undergone a baptism, achieving great enlightenment.

The branch leader fell into deep thought.

He hadn't arrived yet, so who was presiding over the trial?

Then he saw Lu Yang and the other two, who were making waves and commanding the scene.