Chapter 71: Evaluation

"Who exactly borrowed my power?" Yunzhi wondered. The Immortal Cult had fled with all its members, leaving no one behind, only the Mountain River Cauldron, which was valuable enough to purchase a first-grade sect. Now, there was no way to find out who had borrowed her power.

Among spells, there was a category called "Divine Descent," which allowed one to borrow power with the other party's permission. However, this spell was on the verge of being lost, and its learning difficulty was immense. Yunzhi hadn't seen it used in a very long time. Furthermore, who could borrow her power without her consent?

Yunzhi felt that the person who borrowed her power seemed to bear no ill will, so, acting on instinct, she hadn't stopped the power from leaking out just now. Yunzhi could probably guess who it was.

"But where did he learn Divine Descent?" Yunzhi didn't recall ever teaching Lu Yang a similar spell.

First place: Lu Yang.

"Huh? The first place changed?" the Deputy Cult Master wondered. They had been too busy fleeing for their lives earlier to notice what Lu Yang had done.

The Mountain River Cauldron was shattered, so they couldn't review the events.

"But the Immortal Eye cannot be wrong; these three individuals are the most destructive!" the Cult Master stated confidently. He also couldn't guess what Lu Yang had done. The previous first-place contender had killed hundreds of people in a short time and left thousands more with hidden dangers, destined for a short life. For Lu Yang to suddenly surpass this person and take first place was truly unbelievable. But there was no need to guess; the Immortal Eye was a treasure of Immortals, even more advanced than the Mountain River Cauldron, and absolutely infallible.

Indeed, Lu Yang had summoned Yunzhi, who then destroyed the Mountain River Cauldron and the Immortal Cult's headquarters. The destruction caused to the Immortal Cult could rank among the top three in its history. In terms of damage inflicted directly on the Cult Master, it ranked first.

The Cult Master said, beaming with pride and forgetting his physical pain, "See? I told you so! This Lu Yang has great wisdom. Don't let his temporary low ranking fool you; if you're not careful, he'll pull off something big. Look, he's ranked first now."

"Don't mind that Meng Jingzhou and your favored Man Gu performed just average. That's because there wasn't enough time. If there had been, I guarantee they would have landed second or third."

The Deputy Cult Master was thoroughly convinced of his defeat. The Cult Master was indeed the Cult Master; not only was he cautious in his actions, but his insight was also exceptionally keen. No wonder he was merely the Deputy Cult Master while the other was the true leader.

"So what's your evaluation of Lu Yang?"

After a moment of thought, the Cult Master slowly replied, "In the first trial, Lu Yang took an unconventional path, revealing his martial arts talent and entering the Dao through martial arts, which is exceptionally rare in the world. In the second trial, he meticulously observed and summarized patterns, then bought up all the potatoes, preventing subsequent interviewees from being tested. This demonstrates his immense destructiveness. This characteristic became even more prominent in the third trial; calling him a 'Born Demonic Seed' is not an exaggeration."

The Deputy Cult Master was astonished. He had known the Cult Master for so long and had never heard anyone receive such a high evaluation.

"What about Meng Jingzhou?"

"In the first trial, Meng Jingzhou gained power after being bitten by a spider, which is a manifestation of luck. In this vast world, he is a 'Dao Seed Born of Fortune.' In the second trial, he meticulously studied the test questions and thought about the problems from multiple angles. While seemingly arrogant and overbearing, he was in fact strategically securing each step, planning well, and ultimately breaking through the examiner's psychological defenses to successfully pass the trial."

"Unfortunately, the third trial ended before he could fully leverage his strengths, making him slightly inferior to Lu Yang. Let's call him a 'Dao Demon Incarnate.'"

The "Dao Demon Incarnate" evaluation was also extremely rare; few among the younger generation received such praise from the Cult Master. It seemed Meng Jingzhou had a boundless future.

"And Man Gu?"

"In the first trial, he showed comprehension, persistence, and strategy. In the second trial, he considered problems quite thoroughly. However, in the third trial, he lacked initiative. In previous trials, he would have been considered exceptionally outstanding, but unfortunately, with such brilliant individuals present, I can only give him the evaluation of 'Demon at Heart.'"

"Demon at Heart." Based on past experience, anyone with this evaluation would become a high-ranking member of the Immortal Cult, provided they didn't perish.

"Should we transfer them to the headquarters for careful cultivation?" the Deputy Cult Master asked.

The Cult Master shook his head, sharing his wisdom: "Don't be so eager. Let them start at the grassroots level; they should have at least two years of basic experience. Trust me, grassroots experience is very beneficial for future growth; that's how I rose through the ranks."

"Moreover, I have another plan. This Lu Yang is imaginative, full of ideas and destructive power. Once he grows stronger, we'll see if he can infiltrate righteous sects, such as the Dao Inquiring Sect."

The Deputy Cult Master chuckled, feeling that the Cult Master truly overestimated them. While they might find ways to infiltrate other sects, the Dao Inquiring Sect was far too difficult. Few could keep up with the way Dao Inquiring Sect disciples thought; anyone who infiltrated would soon be exposed due to their incongruity. Infiltrating the Dao Inquiring Sect was easier said than done.

"I'm going to heal my injuries now," the Cult Master said, then went to a secret chamber to meditate and recover.

The Deputy Cult Master had no intention of usurping power, then or ever. Today served as an example: even if killing the Cult Master meant he could rise a step, what then? What if the righteous path attacked again? Could he make the correct decisions? Once he made a wrong judgment, he would surely die by the righteous path's techniques, and by then, regretting his usurpation would be too late.

Yanjiang Branch.

"A total of ten people passed the trials, and three of them received evaluations of 'Born Demonic Seed,' 'Dao Demon Incarnate,' and 'Demon at Heart'?!" The Branch Master's eyebrows shot up in delight upon hearing the message from the Cult Master. This was even better than his best-case scenario! A promotion opportunity was clearly at hand!

While the rogue demonic cultivators who failed the first and second trials were unconscious, the eleven deacons scattered to various locations and dispersed them. When they awoke, they would forget the location of the Yanjiang Branch, dismissing their recent experience as merely a dream. The most secure method would have been to kill them, ensuring the Yanjiang Branch's location would never be exposed. However, the Immortal Cult, considering the broader implications, did not do this. These rogue demonic cultivators caused trouble in various regions, attracting the attention of the righteous path. Amidst the chaotic information, the righteous path would be unable to distinguish between acts committed by rogue demonic cultivators and those by the Demonic Cult, thereby achieving the effect of disturbing public perception.

Lu Yang and the other two slowly awoke, their minds a bit disoriented from experiencing too much. The last image they saw before losing consciousness was... Senior Sister descending from the sky?!

Lu Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He hoped Senior Sister hadn't seen him transform into her. If she had, he'd surely be flayed alive.

Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu also recalled what had happened: Lu Yang's Pictographic Fist had summoned the real Senior Sister. Lu Yang warned them with his eyes not to leak the information, and both quickly nodded understandingly.

The Branch Master suppressed his excitement and said in as calm a voice as possible, "From today onwards, the ten of you are members of my Immortal Cult."

"Normally, we would hold the initiation ceremony first, but today's three rounds of trials have exhausted everyone, including myself. To worship the Immortal Immortal in this state would be disrespectful to him. Come back here tomorrow for the official initiation ceremony."

Lu Yang could tell that the Branch Master's tone and the expressions of the eleven deacons changed when the Immortal Immortal was mentioned. This indicated that their belief in the Immortal Immortal was not a facade, but a genuine conviction in his existence.

"No wonder they're called a 'Cult'," Lu Yang thought.

The Branch Master continued, "However, with new members joining today, it wouldn't be right not to celebrate. So, let's go out for a meal."

"I heard a new BBQ restaurant just opened in the county called 'Come Again.' The food is good and highly praised. Let's gather there in a bit; it's on me."

Lu Yang: "..."Meng Jingzhou: "..."Man Gu: "..."

So, no rest, huh?