The Golden-Haired Youth, covered in wounds and with his clothes torn apart, was only a few steps away from the Mountain Gate. Hearing those words, he almost fainted from rage. He had been utterly ruined by Qin Tian.
Thrown several hundred meters away by the Rainbow Swallowing Toad, he had struggled through the dense forest for a long time before barely crawling out. His injuries were severe, greatly slowing his movements.
The Golden-Haired Youth, who had fallen into complete despair, happened to see Qin Tian standing not far away, shaking his head as if watching a show.
His anger instantly surged.
Along the way, he had figured it out. That Demon King’s Offspring originally had no malice toward them.
Otherwise, how could someone like Qin Tian, who had no cultivation at all, possibly kick it away?
A creature with no malice had been enraged by Qin Tian’s kick, and he had simply been the one standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Damn bastard, you caused the trouble, yet I’m the one taking the blame.” The Golden-Haired Youth wished he could beat Qin Tian to death right now.
“We have crossed mountains and rivers, enduring countless hardships to get here. We beg the Venerable Immortal to show mercy and give us a chance.” The young men and women on the steps knelt down, pleading desperately.
The Absolute Righteous Sect only recruited disciples once every three years, and there was an age limit. Missing this chance meant they might never touch the fate of immortality in their lifetime. Traveling to another Blessed Land to seek immortality held even slimmer chances of success.
The Southern Mountain Region was vast, claimed to hold a Hundred Thousand Mountains. Each mountain alone would take ordinary people an extremely long time to cross.
Not to mention the dangers along the way, even just the sheer distance was something mortals could hardly overcome.
All the hardships of life and their desperate pleas did not move the young man seated before them at all. He did not even spare them a single glance.
“If you missed it, then you missed it. The Dao is ruthless. There is no medicine for regret.” Senior Brother Tang’s gentle voice was like a sharp blade, cutting away the last thread of hope in the late-arriving youths.
“Today, if I cannot obtain the Fate of Immortality, I will jump from here.” A youth around eighteen or nineteen stood at the edge of the Cliff, his face filled with despair. Joining the Absolute Righteous Sect was his only hope. If he could not walk the Road to Heaven in this lifetime, he would rather die.
“Senior Brother Tang, how about extending the time a little?” Among the six disciples present, a girl with a melon-seed-shaped face could not bear it and pleaded to the seated youth.
“Let him jump.” Senior Brother Tang’s indifferent tone extinguished the last glimmer in that young man’s eyes.
Losing all hope, the young man did not hesitate. He leapt from the Cliff.
“So cruel.” Qin Tian could not help sighing.
So this was the path of immortality?
Ruthless, cold, and brutal.
He had grown up in comfort and didn’t like such scenes, but he wasn’t a saint either.
Whether he himself could join the sect was still unknown, so he naturally wouldn’t meddle. And now that he had the System, joining or not wasn’t even a big deal.
The young man’s leap shattered what little hope remained among those behind him. No more people tried to kill themselves; after all, staying alive was better than dying for nothing.
“Damn it, it’s all because of that bastard.” The Golden-Haired Youth glared at Qin Tian with hatred. He, too, had completely lost hope.
Qin Tian felt the stare and thought, Why is this guy looking at me with such a sinister face? Ridiculous. Is it because I sneered at him earlier? He’s that petty?
This is bad. These people were either cold and ruthless, petty, or didn’t even fear death. Seems I have to learn to eliminate problems at the root in the future.
But he didn’t take it too seriously.
Someone who couldn’t even join the Absolute Righteous Sect would remain an ordinary person and could never threaten him. If that guy stayed hidden, fine. If he dared show up later, Qin Tian would get rid of him.
“It’s going too far. This Tang brat is too heartless.”
Above the Mountain Gate, three elderly men in Daoist robes, exuding immortal bearing, shook their heads. “It’s all because the Sect Master suddenly felt playful and actually let the most ruthless and cold Tang brat handle the Sect Selection. How can this be?” The stern-looking elder in red robes spoke.
“How is that my fault? The sect’s atmosphere is becoming too relaxed. The disciples are becoming soft like White Lotus flowers. They don’t understand how dangerous the cultivation world is. I just wanted to bring back a sense of urgency to the new disciples.” The old man in gray Daoist robes raised his hands innocently.
“Enough, stop him now.” The last elder spoke. “There are still tens of thousands on this Heaven-reaching Stairway. If we miss a true genius, it would be a huge loss.”
“Unreliable, all of you.” The elder sighed helplessly.
The three of them were the gray-robed Sect Master, the red-robed Vice Sect Master, and he himself was the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder waved his robe, and the young man who had just jumped was pulled up from under the Cliff. The Absolute Righteous Sect was a righteous sect. They could not allow mortals to die at the Mountain Gate.
“No, stop! If we stop now, we lose the chance to show these new disciples the cruelty of the path!” The Sect Master immediately objected.
“Enough. They’ve learned enough. If we scare them too much at once, it won’t be good. Step by step.” The Grand Elder said.
“Fine, we’ll do as the Grand Elder says.” The Sect Master quickly agreed.
“You old fool, you were waiting for me to say that, weren’t you?” The Grand Elder was speechless.
“The disciples’ softness is half your fault.”
“Our Absolute Righteous Sect is a righteous sect. We follow the teachings of the Sage, valuing benevolence, righteousness, and virtue. It’s good that our disciples possess truth, goodness, and beauty. As Sect Master, I deserve the credit.” The Sect Master’s tone shifted. “Grand Elder, go handle it.”
The Grand Elder sighed.
Clearly, the Sect Master considered this some kind of achievement.
He stepped forward and appeared above the crowd.
Senior Brother Tang immediately stood and bowed, “Greetings, Grand Elder.”
Several female disciples also bowed. “Greetings, Venerable Immortal.”
The mortals seeking immortality all saluted respectfully, Qin Tian included.
Floating through the air unseen—so this was a true expert.
Qin Tian felt genuine admiration. He had heard that cultivators lived freely and decisively, killing when they wanted, acting purely on their whims.
A single thought could make them demons, a single thought could make them Buddhas. This was the life Qin Tian longed for.
The Grand Elder’s absolute freedom to decide others’ futures made Qin Tian secretly excited. He even made a small goal for himself: Become the Grand Elder.
“Heaven cherishes life. Considering your hardships in seeking immortality, those who came later may also participate in the Absolute Righteous Sect’s selection.” The Grand Elder’s voice was like heavenly music to the youths.
Even the young man who had jumped was pulled back up.
“The Absolute Righteous Sect truly is merciful.”
The crowd praised.
“Great!” The Golden-Haired Youth cheered loudly while glaring fiercely at Qin Tian again.
The Grand Elder nodded. “Perhaps the Sect Master was right.” Then he said, “Tang Xuan, continue presiding over the selection.” After speaking, he vanished.
“Amazing. He disappeared instantly.” Qin Tian admired, “This is what a cultivator is—acting according to mood. If I want you to join, then you join. If I don’t, you can beg until your head breaks and it’s useless.”
Wonderful. Everyone wants to be free and unrestrained.
Qin Tian felt he had grasped the Absolute Righteous Sect’s way of doing things.
“Yes, Grand Elder.” Although Tang Xuan wanted to uphold the rules, he did not dare disobey the Grand Elder. His expression remained cold as he faced the crowd.
“Next, I will explain the rules of the Absolute Righteous Sect’s selection.”