Chapter 2: Manipulative Mortal

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Sword Request Sect’s Sword Request ceremony was held every few years. It was not a particularly important ceremony.

After all, every sect had a disciple soliciting ceremony, so it was not necessary for an entire audience to watch this particular ceremony.

This time, the Hidden Edge Sect was also present to view the sect’s basic strength.

As the Abbot of Qing Cang and the elders of the Sword Request Sect greeted each other, Ye Changge surveyed the situation nearby.

A young man at the gate of the Sword Whisper Sect caught his eye as it passed.

That young man had a tanned face and a robust body. The moment he saw him, he was reminded of the farmers who worked in the fields day and night.

At that moment, his face was lined with fatigue and he was anxiously arguing with some disciples of the Sword Whisper Sect.

An elder of the Sword Whisper Sect came over and exchanged a few words with him. He appeared to say something to the young man. The young man knelt down determinedly and appeared to beg for something.

His kneeling quickly attracted the attention of many people around him.

The elder in charge of ushering from the Sword Whisper Sect and the Abbot of Qing Cang both possessed profound cultivation. They cast their gazes over.

The elder in charge of ushering signaled a disciple over and asked, “What happened to that young man? Why did he kneel down?”

The disciple replied, “Elder, this is what we’ve gathered. The young man at the door is a mortal who came seeking a master.”

“He took advantage of the wisdom stone and is a mortal. He hasn’t reached the entry-level requirements for discipleship, but he passed the trial road and is now kneeling there, begging the sect to take him in.”

The elder in charge of ushering looked at the members of the Hidden Edge Sect and said, “This is all happening in view of our distinguished guests. Now that we have disturbed them, please explain the situation to them in detail.”

The reporting disciple looked at Ye Changge and nodded. “One of the requirements of the Trial Road of the sect is that they have to pass through the trial road that stretches from the foot of the mountain to the front of the sect.”

“This trial road is merely composed of ordinary stone steps. Only during the sword reverence ceremony would the formation be activated, becoming one of the trials for those prospective disciples.”

“There is a test involving the wisdom stone. On that stone, there will be engravings and ever-changing divine patterns. A disciple attempting the trial has to memorize the divine patterns within the stipulated time and then draw the memorized divine patterns at the front gate.”

“An ordinary mortal could not have the memory capacity for that, but that youth had a trick up his sleeve. He used all his strength to imprint his palm on the stone, almost to the point of imprinting a bloody mark. The lines of the divine inscriptions became embedded in his palm.”

“When he reached the entrance, all he needed to do was to draw the divine inscriptions on his palm. It was nothing but a trick and does not represent the actual aptitude to pass the trial.”

“To achieve this however, he had to apply great force on his palm against the divine inscriptions. It would break skin and draw blood. It is extraordinary for a mortal like him to have such great willpower.”

“After that, the cliff path leads to a narrower path at the edge of the cliff. With the spiritual pressure path in play, every step only yielded even more pressure. This Mortal relied on his own willpower to walk all the way here.”

“With his willpower, even the slightest bit of talent would be enough reason for elder Lu, the one in charge of the trials, to have allowed him to pass and accepted him into the sect. Unfortunately, his talent was far too lacking. He was just a mortal.”

“He’s already over twenty years old, but he has not even reached the most basic body tempering stage. Elder Lu took a look at him. I’m afraid that he has deficient meridians, so it’s impossible for him to perform qi circulation.”

“Right now, he’s kneeling in front of the door, unwilling to leave.”

The elder in charge of ushering mused, “Such willpower is indeed rare. Is he really a mortal without any talent?”

“Yes, elder Lu has carefully examined him. I’m afraid that the young man’s meridians are all shriveled up. There’s no possibility of him exercising his qi and vigor.”

Ye changge carefully sized up the young man by the side. Indeed, he could not detect a trace of spirit in his body. He was just an ordinary mortal.

With Ye Changge’s current cultivation, it would be very difficult to hide from him. A person with a cultivation much higher than his could do it. If that was the case, that young man did not need to come to the Sword Whisper Sect to acknowledge him as his master.

A mortal in his twenties who had not even reached the body forging realm.

A mortal who had missed the best opportunity to lay his foundation also wanted to participate in the Sword Whisper Sect?

Moreover, he had been permitted to pass the trial, relying on his own willpower and trickery. This trial road had stumped many young talents.

After all, the Sword Whisper Sect was one of the top ten sects in the eastern region, so it was very strict in accepting disciples.

“Ding! The system has activated the automatic detection function and discovered a strange genius. Do you want to check the details?”

Ye Changge was surprised to see the notification. “Check!”

[ Name ] : He Xiuxing

[ Age ] : 28

[ Innate Bone ] : Bad

[ Aptitude ] : Bad

[ Cultivation ] : none

[ Talent ] : None

[ Faction ] : None

[ Remarks ] : Seems to be comprehending the path of mortals’ cultivation on his own.

Ye Changge’s heart skipped a beat when he heard that. The path of mortals’ cultivation? What was that?

“System, explain the path of mortals’ cultivation in detail.”

“Where are you not cultivating? When are you not cultivating? What are you not cultivating for?”.

“Comprehending the path of mortals’ cultivation and doing what mortals do is to comprehend the Heavenly Dao of Heaven’s will.”

This young man had such perseverance, which was of great benefit to his cultivation.

Although his aptitude was not good, the system had found out that he had comprehended his own path of cultivation, which meant that he was definitely a good hidden potential disciple.

Ye Changge’s eyes light up. His mission had been accomplished.

It was also true that the first disciple of the founding sect had to be an extraordinary person. Extra from ordinary, which was exactly what he wanted.

Beside him, Abbot Qing Cang was still lamenting that young man’s talent with the welcoming elder.

“In spite of his perseverance, such a shame. But he doesn’t have talent, and it’s impossible for him to use his skills and luck to enter the sect. Why don’t we make such facts clear to him and let him live his life as an ordinary person?”

“What elder Qing Cang said makes sense.” The ushering elder nodded.

He turned around and said to the disciple, “Let’s proceed according to elder Lu’s previous arrangements. He won’t be able to cultivate even if he stays in the sect. It’s better to send him back to whence he came.

“There’s no need to waste time. I’ll bring the honored guests into the mountain gate first.”

Ye Changge a man who would not even let food scraps pass, wasn’t willing to leave it at just that.

“Elder, I’m very interested in the method of accepting disciples for the sword solicitation ceremony. After all, I was a disciple that the master took in directly when he was traveling outside. I’ve never seen a sect accepting disciples with my own eyes. “The Sword Request Sect is accepting disciples and I find it all very interesting. Can I stay here and take a good look?”

Abbot Qing Cang considered Ye Changge’s situation. The ushering elder seemed almost redundant. Seeing that, he nodded to Ye Changge and led his people to follow the ushering elder into the Sword Whisper sect.

Elder Lu did not seem pleased to have the young man remaining in front of the sect on his knees. More guests would be coming to watch the ceremony. It would not look good kneeling like this. He called out to a disciple and had him cast a spell to bind the young man before sending him down the mountain.

Ye Changge quickly followed him when no one was looking.