Chapter 68: The Three Heroes of the Demonic Sect

Among the ten interviewees, Lu Yang was the sixth. He noticed that everyone who entered the examiner's room would immediately sprint out, then run back in, repeating this process several times.

"What kind of strange test is this?"

Lu Yang was someone who couldn't sit still. Although the rules prohibited candidates from asking about the interview content, they didn't forbid going out to observe.

Lu Yang asked a demonic rogue cultivator, who was meditating with closed eyes nearby, "Do you want to go outside and take a look?"

The demonic rogue cultivator gave Lu Yang a scornful glance, smiled coldly, and remained silent. Convinced it was a trap and that demonic cultivators would never act together, he refused to go.

When the other person didn't respond, Lu Yang felt a pang of pity. He thought the man was quite handsome, but it was a pity he was deaf. Lu Yang wondered how he would manage the interview if he couldn’t hear the examiner.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Lu Yang went outside.

Outside was a bustling market. Vendors hawked their goods from stalls or pushed carts, offering common foods like fruits, eggs, and pork.

"I'll take an apple," Lu Yang said, buying one. He wiped it clean and began to eat, observing the behavior of the other interviewees as he did so.

Just then, the third interviewee ran out to check for potatoes. Upon seeing a vendor, he immediately returned to report to the examiner.

Less than three minutes later, the third interviewee ran out again, asking the potato vendor the price per jin and the total quantity available.

Three more minutes passed, and it was still the third interviewee, who ran out to inspect the quality of the potatoes.

Then came the fourth interviewee. His process was largely identical to the third person's, the only difference being that he made four trips, indicating he wasn't as quick-witted.

Lu Yang ate his apple, deep in thought.

"Next, Fang Hao," the plump examiner called out.

Fang Hao was the very person Lu Yang had earlier asked if he wanted to go outside.

"Present!" Fang Hao replied. To Lu Yang's surprise, he wasn't mute after all.

"Go to the market and see if there are any potatoes for sale," the plump examiner instructed, repeating his usual strategy.

Fang Hao rushed out, and his prolonged absence greatly puzzled the plump examiner.

Just as the plump examiner was growing impatient, Fang Hao finally returned. "There are no potatoes for sale at the market," he announced.

"How many jin of potatoes... Wait, what did you say? No potatoes for sale?"

Not understanding the plump examiner's strong reaction, Fang Hao nodded. "That's right. I circled the market twice and confirmed there are no potatoes for sale."

"That's impossible!" Believing Fang Hao was lying, the plump examiner rushed out, with Fang Hao following closely.

The moment the plump examiner stepped outside, he saw Lu Yang pushing a cart laden with potatoes. A sign on the cart clearly read: "Potatoes Not For Sale."

The elderly vendor who should have been selling the potatoes was happily counting his silver nearby.

The moment Lu Yang spotted the plump examiner, he immediately pushed the potato cart and fled. The examiner was furious, realizing that if the potatoes were gone, it would disrupt the subsequent interviews.

"Stop right there!!"

Lu Yang passed the test.

"This is outrageous!" The Deputy Cult Master roared in fury, releasing an oppressive and terrifying aura that shook the entire hall. Ripples spread across the surface of the pool, blurring the view of the scene.

His meticulously designed test, now full of loopholes thanks to these two troublemakers, was an utter disgrace!

The Cult Master calmly intervened to suppress the Deputy Cult Master's aura. He had painstakingly built the grand hall in a secluded location, and it would be a laughingstock if it were discovered by the orthodox factions over such a matter.

The Cult Master advised, "Don't be so quick to anger. They've forgotten everything now, remembering only to find any way to pass the test. We are a demonic cult, our focus is on killing and resurrecting immortal beings. How can we kill someone over something like this?"

"Furthermore, these two have found unconventional methods. They are rare talents. The Immortal Cult has yet to achieve a major breakthrough, and I believe these two represent our hope."

The Deputy Cult Master, however, felt the Immortal Cult was beyond hope.

The Cult Master, slightly excited, remarked, "Speaking of which, this 'Savage Bone' fellow, along with Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang, they're all from Yanjiang County, aren't they?"

"To think that humble Yanjiang County could produce three such talents! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the Demonic Cult's Three Paragon. With these three, our Demonic Cult will be like a tiger with wings!"

The Deputy Cult Master muttered softly to the side, "Like a tiger with wings? Isn't that Qiongqi? Qiongqi couldn't defeat the orthodox path either."

The Cult Master shot him a glare. "Are you trying to show off your knowledge? Shut up."

The Deputy Cult Master promptly fell silent.

**Yanjiang Sub-branch**

Eleven deacons strained their might to maintain the grand formation. Nearly a hundred demonic rogue cultivators stood blankly in place, their eyes glazed over and their minds lost, as their spiritual consciousness underwent the test in place of their physical bodies.

Maintaining the grand formation was a tedious process, so the deacons chatted among themselves while consuming Qi-replenishing pills. "Qin Yuanhao has been missing for so long," one remarked, "I'm afraid he's already dead."

"He's definitely dead. We just don't know how. I always said that boy, always scheming and plotting, thinking he had everything under control, would eventually provoke an enemy to finish him off on a dark and stormy night."

"Qin Yuanhao's body still hasn't been found, even now."

"So an enemy killed him?"

"What else? Could a benefactor have turned on him and killed him? We don't have benefactors in our line of work anyway."

"But I heard Qin Yuanhao was having a grand time at a brothel with Big-Mouth Wang the night before he died?"

The deacons chuckled softly, their laughter echoing.

Just as Qin Yuanhao had hoped, Big-Mouth Wang went around proclaiming how Qin Yuanhao was "invincible" and had "dominated the brothel," going in and out seven times.

Then Qin Yuanhao died.

Consequently, a rumor spread throughout the Yanjiang Sub-branch that Qin Yuanhao had died of sheer exhaustion.

Surely, knowing this, Qin Yuanhao could rest in peace in the netherworld.

"I wonder how many from this batch will pass the test."

Although many participated in the initiation ceremony, it would be considered a good outcome if even one in ten managed to pass the test and officially join the cult.

As deacons, they had all undergone similar tests and understood the inherent difficulty.

This time, with the Deputy Cult Master personally presiding, the difficulty would undoubtedly be among the highest of all previous tests!

"Only the Sub-branch Master knows the results," they agreed, all eleven looking towards their Sub-branch Master, who was in deep meditation.

The Sub-branch Master had also used the grand formation to enter the mysterious space constructed by the Immortal Cult, where all sub-branch masters could observe the performance of their respective branches.

Lu Yang and the other two performed exceptionally well, making the Sub-branch Master's face beam with joy, as if a chrysanthemum had bloomed on it.

However, since he was wearing a mask, others couldn't see how overjoyed he truly was.

He excitedly muttered to himself, "If these three manage to pass the test and receive exceptionally high evaluations from above, the Yanjiang Sub-branch's year-end performance will definitely be top-tier! If I then leverage this and improve my cultivation, perhaps next year I could be transferred to a more prosperous region as a sub-branch master, or even directly promoted to a hall master!"

After the three tests, either the Deputy Cult Master or the Cult Master would assign a rating to new cult members who performed exceptionally well. For instance, Qin Yuanhao's rating was "demonic nature deeply ingrained."

The Sub-branch Master was confident that Lu Yang and the other two would receive a much higher rating than Qin Yuanhao.

Just one look at these three, and you could tell they were trouble!

(End of Chapter)