Chapter 683: Dai Bufan Gives You Two a Task

"Using solar energy to generate light and heat sounds familiar. I've done that before," the Immortal Master said with a grin on the way back, stretching comfortably.

She had been cultivating her strength by sleeping on the bed, and now that she was awake, it signaled a temporary pause in her cultivation progress.

"Immortal Master, you've worked hard sleeping. Did you also use solar energy in ancient times?"

"I haven't heard of 'solar energy,' but I suppose the methods are similar."

"How did you use it?"

"For a while, I really enjoyed reading. I'd read during the day and then at night. Although my eyesight is excellent and I can see clearly even in complete darkness, there's no atmosphere that way."

"So I invited a Golden Crow. During the day, I'd let it rest and not emit light. Then, at night, I'd have it glow to illuminate my reading. You wouldn't believe it; it was as bright as day."

"Sometimes, when the cooking fire wasn't hot enough, I'd invite a Golden Crow to help fan the flames and provide heat. Of course, I wouldn't let it help for free; I always made sure it stayed for a meal afterward."

"...I don't think what we're talking about, using the power of the sun for light and heat, is the same thing."

"Oh, really? I think it's quite similar. Look, didn't I first store the sun's power?"

"Yes."

"And then release it after storing it?"

"Yes."

The Immortal Master clapped her hands. "There you have it! Exactly the same."

Lu Yang patiently explained the distinction to the Immortal Master: "The solar energy I'm talking about can not only generate light and heat, but also warm water, and even power vehicles, replacing horses."

"My sun power can do that too. I can have the Golden Crow boil water, or pull me around to fly."

Lu Yang remained speechless.

After successfully misleading the two cult leaders as planned, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou began their journey back to Wen Dao Sect.

Lu Yang was trying hard to explain to the Immortal Master that solar energy wasn't what she imagined.

Meanwhile, Meng Jingzhou was examining the cultivation manual gifted by the Blazing Sun Cult, learning how to absorb the power of the sun to its fullest extent.

The manual depicted a naked man facing the sun, arms spread wide, allowing sunlight to touch every inch of his skin. The illustrations were vivid, lifelike, and easy to understand.

In the margins, the Blazing Sun Cult had added a note emphasizing the need to remove all clothing, leaving not a single scrap of fabric, especially around the crotch. It stated that there was no shame in cultivation matters.

The reasoning provided was equally thorough: if other parts of the body cultivated, why should the crotch be exempt?

Additionally, various sunbathing postures were listed.

The Blazing Sun Cult was considerate, providing not only a male version of the cultivation method but also a female one.

Meng Jingzhou looked at the two books in his hands, silent.

The cover of the second book showed a naked woman in an alluring pose, seemingly excited by the sunbathing. He was contemplating whether to open it.

"No wonder no one practices your cult's techniques. Is this even a legitimate cultivation method?"

The four Guardian Heavenly Kings dropped Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou off at the sect entrance and returned to their respective peaks.

"Do you feel like there are fewer people in our sect?" Lu Yang asked. Both on the way back and in the Mission Hall, there were fewer disciples than usual.

"Now that you mention it, yes."

The two went to the Mission Hall to report the details of their mission to Dai Bufan.

"Senior Brother Dai, that's the overall situation regarding our interaction with the two cults... Senior Brother Dai?"

After Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou finished their report, they noticed Dai Bufan was somewhat distracted, seemingly thinking about something else.

Dai Bufan snapped out of his trance. "Ah, alright. You two did well. The money the two cults bribed you with was acquired through your own skill, so you don't need to hand it over to the sect."

Then, Dai Bufan looked at them with a troubled expression, as if battling an internal struggle, hesitating. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a significant decision: "You've come at just the right time. I happen to have a task that needs to be completed."

"A task?"

Dai Bufan pushed a small booklet towards them. It contained information about several mortals, none of whom were very old.

"These people are..."

"These are some candidates for the upcoming sect recruitment. The plan is to first observe their character before recruitment, to see if they are suitable for cultivation and if they meet our sect's standards. If they are, they will be invited to take the entrance exam here on the second day of the second month next year."

Except for disciples who were at cultivation bottlenecks, performing other tasks, remaining in the sect to maintain operations, or were at the Refinement Void stage, most of Wen Dao Sect's disciples had been sent out by Dai Bufan to observe candidates' character.

Observing character doesn't yield results in just a day or two; it takes at least a month, and sometimes even up to half a year. Therefore, those sent out might not have time to undertake a second observation task.

It was simply due to insufficient manpower that Dai Bufan had no choice but to assign Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to observe candidates' character as well.

This was precisely what he had been agonizing over.

If he hadn't been tied up, he would rather have done the task himself than ask Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to do it.

Who knows what mischief they might cause.

"So that's how it is." Lu Yang revealed a confident smile, patting his chest in assurance. "Senior Brother Dai, don't worry. Don't you know us well enough? We'll definitely complete the task!"

Dai Bufan sighed and, as usual, reminded the two before they left: "If you find anyone not on the list who also meets our sect's recruitment criteria, you can also recommend them to me."

"No problem."

"Oh, right. Do you know our sect's requirements for character when recruiting disciples?" Dai Bufan was still not entirely at ease.

"Be honest and upright."

"Cultivate diligently."

Dai Bufan nodded, feeling slightly relieved. "Good that you know. Go ahead."

In the carriage, the two reviewed the information in the booklet. There were three mortals, all around fifteen years old.

"Let's go to Jiulong City in Youzhou first. It's the closest to us."

Meng Jingzhou pointed to the mortal on the first page of the booklet.

The mortal on the first page was a young boy named Xie An, who had been discovered by a Senior Brother while on a mission in Jiulong City.

It was a mission to eliminate a fierce red-clothed ghost. The ghost had committed many evil deeds. After a thorough investigation, the Senior Brother finally located its whereabouts. Seeing that it was no match for the Senior Brother, and noticing that the Senior Brother hesitated to use his full power in areas with many mortals, the ghost concluded that he cared for mortal lives. Thus, it threatened a mortal's life to seek an escape.

The person being threatened was Xie An.

In that crucial moment, Xie An displayed exceptional mental fortitude. Even when threatened by the red-clothed ghost, he remained calm and even provoked the ghost with words. In its rage, the ghost revealed a weakness and was subsequently killed by the Senior Brother.

At that time, Xie An was still young, not yet old enough for spirit root testing, so his innate talent was unknown.

"It seems this boy, Xie An, is quite a promising candidate for cultivation," Lu Yang said with a laugh. Remaining calm in a crisis is something many cultivators struggle with. Only with such psychological resilience is survival possible in the face of danger.

He and Old Meng possessed this kind of mental fortitude.