Chapter 11 – Barbarian Ghost Sect
The place where the platform landed was a grassy plain. Not far from the plain was a sparsely filled forest that hid a couple of rock houses.
Liu Ming took a couple of looks at the rock houses before glancing around the plain.
Another forty to fifty meters away from him was another platform that many youths also stepped down from.
“Go down. How much longer are you going to stay?” An impatient voice came from behind Liu Ming and when he looked, the middle-aged man was darkly rushing toward him.
At this time, almost everyone had left the platform and his pause at the edge of the platform was a little eye-catching.
Liu Ming lowered his head and apologized before walking with the crowd in front of him. Finally, he gave the mountain in front of him a look.
The mountain was incredibly tall and the bottom half was covered with varying structures. A long, deep path twirled around the mountain like a serpent and led straight to the top of the mountain.
The top half of the mountain was hidden behind white clouds and couldn’t be seen well.
Blobs of gray clouds flew down from the top half of the mountain. On top of these clouds were single or multiple people that had varying attire. They were young and old, male and female, and because of their height, their faces were indistinguishable.
These people were obviously Spirit Apostles in the Barbarian Ghost Sect. When they passed over the plain, a few of the more curious ones took a peek while others just flew by without so much as glancing down. This demonstration of power created an excited buzz among the waiting youths.
There were even some that started daydreaming of their life after becoming a Spirit Apostle.
At this time, the middle-aged man left the platform. After seeing the messy and loud youths, he criticized them without reservation.
“This is Barbarian Ghost Sect, not your home. Everyone shut up and line up behind me.”
After this the man jumped onto a nearby path that led toward the rock houses. The few hundred youths quickly made a couple of questionable lines and followed him.
On the other platform, a female dressed in white led the other group of youths down another path.
A little while later, the two groups met at an intersection in the forest.
Without any orders, the two groups naturally joined together and combined as they quickly walked out of the forest. What greeted them was a grass field with rows of stone houses.
At this time, there were about a dozen green-clothed people waiting there respectfully.
“I have brought the people with Senior Shun. You guys organize them. There is still half a month before the Opening Spirit Ceremony and during this time, they can wander around this hill but not leave it. If they do, their qualifications to attend the Opening Spirit Ceremony will be taken away.” The middle-aged man coldly glared at the green-clothed people before ordering coldly.
“Yes! Senior Zhang, Senior Shun. We will definitely take care of them.” Of them, a vicious-looking male, walked up and respectfully answered.
“Oh, Fang Xiong Junior’s work is quite reassuring. I’ll be going to the Administration Hall to get my reward.” The middle-aged man nodded and responded with an easy expression.
Then he and the white-cloaked female muttered a few words before gray clouds sprouted under their feet. With a shudder, they flew toward a mountain.
“Alright, you brats heard him. You will be living here for half a month and during that time, you are not allowed to leave this forest. If I find someone disobeying my orders and leaving this forest: the first time I find you will result in ten Snake Whips, second time will be thirty Snake Whips, and the third time I find you, I will take away your qualifications to participate in the Opening Spirit Ceremony.” The man named Fang Xiong waited until the middle-aged man left before he stood up straight and rudely yelled at the hundreds of youths waiting.
“What? Didn’t the person from before say that we could walk around a little? How did it become not leaving the forest? I came to participate in the Opening Spirit Ceremony, not to be imprisoned!” Hearing Fang Xiong’s words, someone in the crowd protested.
“Brat, what did you say!”
Fang Xiong’s face darkened as he grabbed the air in front of him. Immediately, a well-built youth from the crowd was pulled out of it and stumbled to the front.
When the youth stood back up again, he had a knife in one of his hands. With eyes full of anger, he stared at Fang Xiong, but he didn’t actually run forward to vent his anger, knowing the difference in strength.
“I’ll tell you the truth. We were the same as you a couple of years ago. We were also participants of the Opening Spirit Ceremony. However, since we weren’t successful in opening our Spirit Seas, we were forced to adhere to the rules and work for twenty years. Seeing that there are seven to eight hundred of you here right now, you guys would be lucky if even ten people become Spirit Apostles. In the Opening Spirit Ceremony, at least two-thirds of you will die and the rest will become Outer Sect Members like us. Therefore, don’t even think of being all arrogant. If you guys don’t listen, we won’t hesitate to use force. What Senior Zhang said before was out of respect. This place is way too big for us to let you brats run amok. One more thing, the weakest of us is a High Tier Practitioner and I’m an Elite Practitioner. If someone says that they don’t agree with my conditions, they are free to come and fight with me. If someone beats me, I’ll let him or her do whatever he or she wants.” Fang Xiong looked at the youths and spoke savagely.
TL: Ranks of Practitioners and most things go like Low Tier, Middle Tier, High Tier, Elite Tier
When the youths heard this speech, their excitement from earlier left them, and was instead replaced with fear and sadness.
Seeing that Fang Xiong was an Elite Practitioner, the youths who were at most Low Tier Practitioners didn’t do something as dumb as challenge Fang Xiong.
When Liu Ming heard the speech, no expression was shown on his face. However, when he heard that Fang Xiong was an Elite Practitioner, his heart gave a violent beat.
Fang Xiong was at most thirty and already so powerful. Even if Liu Ming failed the Opening Spirit Ceremony, staying at the Barbarian Ghost Sect wasn’t a bad option.
However, he had to live through the Opening Spirit Ceremony first.
“Listen up. Now, we will be dividing the rooms. If you’re called, step forward.” Seeing the effect of his words on the youths, Fang Xiong smiled.
Of course, there were still a few youths with great backgrounds that didn’t care, but it did not matter to Fang Xiong. As long as most of the youths would accept management, it was fine.
Those youths with special backgrounds were people that even Fang Xiong didn’t dare offend.
Even taking away their backgrounds, these youths had a much greater chance to pass the Opening Spirit Ceremony and thus become Fang Xiong and his group’s boss.
At this time, a thirty year old female walked forward and took out a light yellow book. Quickly, she started to call out names.
Soon, at least a hundred youths were called and taken to one of the stone houses by the female.
Like this, each Outer Sect Member brought a group of youths to each stone house. Almost instantly, the field was left with about seventy to eighty youths.
Liu Ming, Gao Chong, Mu Ming Zhu and Lei Zhen were all in this group.
“No need to call names anymore. All of you follow me, I’ll personally see to you brats.” Fang Xiong looked at the rest of the youths and spoke decisively.
Hearing this, the other Outer Sect Members all showed carefree expressions and left.
When the youths heard that Fang Xiong, who was like a Vicious Thug, was going to arrange their living quarters, at least half of their faces paled.
Fang Xiong ignored them and turned around to walk toward a group of stone houses.
With a laugh, a youth, walked out of the crowd and followed Fang Xiong.
It was Lei Zhen from the Lei Clan.
When the rest of the youths saw that someone else was already following Fang Xiong, they also started walking forward.
Liu Ming walked among them, not attracting any attention.
When the youths disappeared out of sight, a nearby tree rippled and transformed into two shadows.
The first person had a face that was slightly yellow with a gown. He had a yellow wood hairpin in his hair and both of his hands behind his back. The other person had messy hair, bare feet and a bare chest with a scarlet gourd at his waist.
“Junior, how do you feel? Do you think that there is any talent in these youths?” The gowned person watched the disappearing youths and asked.
“Hmph, Senior Gui is asking when he knows the answer. How am I supposed to know now? Don’t we pick our division members after the ceremony? Does senior want to place bets on these kids early this year?” The messy-haired man with a smiling round face muttered after hearing the question.
“It’s not like you don’t know how our division is. If there really are Nine Spiritual Pulse Sect members, the other division would get first pick. If we want to get some talent, we have to look in these outside youths. I heard that there are some Loose Practitioners joining this year, maybe they are decently talented.” The gowned man slowly said.
“Even if senior is right, how are we supposed to glean anything right now? When the Opening Spirit Ceremony finishes, the other divisions will definitely steal the talents.”