Translator: Asuka
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
Pang Da Hai had said that someone would give them something and tell them to make a choice. As a cultivator from Righteous Sect, there was no doubt that he knew what would come next.
As expected, not long after he was gone, all those who had passed the test and possessed the jade tablets were gathered together.
More than a thousand slaves had been saved, but at this moment, only more than a hundred people were left, which was ten percent of the original number.
All of them were standing there in silence. A cultivator walked over and passed a piece of paper to every one of them. Lu Ye took it and had a look, only to see that the names of ten Sects had been written on the paper.
Righteous Sect was at the top while Green Jade Sect came next. There were also other Sects that Lu Ye had never heard of. Nevertheless, he saw Burning Moon Mountain and Hundred Flower Valley, which Pang Da Hai had mentioned.
These were supposed to be the Sects that had come over to launch an attack on Evil Moon Valley. The tier of each Sect was marked behind the name. There was no doubt that Righteous Sect and Green Jade Sect were First-Tier Sects. The tiers of other Sects were wildly different, which were mostly Fourth to Seventh-Tier.
Behind the tier of each Sect, there was also a note that stated the cultivation factions that the Sect focused on, which was the information Pang Da Hai had talked about.
At that instant, Lu Ye was somewhat grateful to Pang Da Hai. Without his introduction, he wouldn’t have been able to understand what was written on the paper.
Just when he was poring over the information, a cultivator in the front of the crowd suddenly said, “If you want to join any Sect, just take a pen from here and draw a circle around the name of the Sect. You can choose three Sects at most. However, which Sect you’ll eventually join will depend on your luck and the people in charge of taking in disciples for the respective Sects. If you’re lucky, you might be able to join one of the two First-Tier Sects.”
After he finished speaking, the place fell into silence for a moment. Soon, someone asked, “Senior, do you mean that while we’re selecting a Sect, the Sect will also choose us?”
“That’s right,” the cultivator replied dispassionately. “So, don’t expect instant success. If your aptitude and talent are not good enough, it’ll be pointless for you to choose First-Tier Sects.”
Another person asked, “What if all three Sects don’t take me in?”
“Then you’re not meant to cultivate, and you’ll be handled together with those without the aptitude to cultivate!”
Upon hearing that, the people who had intended to try their luck became alerted.
Many of them had the intention of choosing both First-Tier Sects. However, if they really did that, the outcome would be disappointing. Be it Righteous Sect or Green Jade Sect, they were strict when it came to taking in disciples. If these people were rejected by those two Sects, they would only have one chance left. If the last chance also slipped through their fingers, they would miss this opportunity to become a cultivator.
To people like Lu Ye and the others, joining one of the Sects would be the best outcome, so no one wanted to miss this chance. At that instant, all of them became serious.
On the other hand, as Lu Ye was holding the paper and listening to the cultivator, his expression turned awkward.
[Why does it look like we’re applying for a university? After we were tested for our talent, the Third Senior Brother from Green Jade Sect gave us an introduction to the Sect. Then, the jade tablets we obtained were like test results. These Sects are just like universities, and cultivation factions are like courses. Now, we’re all applying for our desired universities. We also have to choose our top three universities. As for the Sects written on the paper, the top two are undoubtedly the best universities. Fourth to Fifth-Tier Sects are like average universities while Sixth to Seventh-Tier Sects are like below average universities.]
When Lu Ye saw the last name, he was stunned.
[Why is there also a diploma mill here?] The last Sect on the list was Crimson Blood Sect, which was a Ninth-Tier Sect. He did not notice it at first.
The situation was pretty clear by now. The more than a hundred people here who had passed the test had to pick three Sects out of the ten. Although it wasn’t so difficult, there was some competition in secret. If too many people chose a particular Sect, a large number of candidates would be knocked out.
Clenching the jade tablet in his hand, Lu Ye secretly heaved a sigh. His one-leaf talent had put him in a disadvantageous position, but he still had to give it a try. Since his main attribute was Fire and his supporting attribute was Gold, he had a plan in his mind.
There was a desk in front of the cultivator who spoke earlier. Some pens and an ink slab had been put on the table. Then, some people stepped forward and picked up the pens to draw on their papers. After that, they passed the papers and their jade tablets to the cultivator. Soon, half of the more than one hundred people were done with it.
Yu Xiao Tiea walked over and asked, “Brother Lu, have you made a decision?”
“Well… yeah.”
She went on to say, “Why don’t we go together?”
“You’ll go first. I still need some time.” Lu Ye had actually made a decision, but when he thought about his one-leaf talent, he felt diffident.
There were ten Sects and more than a hundred people. On average, each Sect could accept more than ten people. However, that was just the ideal allocation. Lu Ye was certain that Righteous Sect and Green Jade Sect wouldn’t take in many disciples. Each of them would accept two to three people at most. In other words, the other Sects had to accept more people.
Lu Ye did not even think about applying for one of the First-Tier Sects. However, if the competition was too intense, he would still be knocked out even if he applied for those Sixth to Seventh-Tier Sects.
He had arrived at Jiu Zhou more than a year ago, but he had spent the past year as a mining slave for Evil Moon Valley. Although he had been enlightened, he couldn’t even find the second Spiritual Point. So, how was he going to cultivate?
Nevertheless, it would be a different story if he could join a Sect. By then, he could ask one of the top cultivators from the Sect to give him some guidance. Whatever the case, he wouldn’t want to miss this chance, even if his starting point was worse than that of the others.
With this thought in mind, he stepped forward and picked up a pen from the desk. First of all, he drew a circle around the name of Crimson Blood Sect. It was a Sect with the lowest tier. Lu Ye reckoned that he was probably the only one who would choose it. Hence, this was a safe choice for him to ensure that he could join a Sect.
After that, he attempted to draw a circle around the name of Burning Moon Mountain. However, as soon as the tip of his pen came into contact with the paper, he suddenly recalled what Pang Da Hai had said to him. The fatty told him that he should lower his expectations and should not be irresolute. Only by doing so could his wish be granted.
At that time, he didn’t understand what Pang Da Hai meant. He thought that it was just a piece of advice for him. However, now it seemed that there was a hidden message in his words. Furthermore, Pang Da Hai did not have any high hopes for him. When Lu Ye asked him which Sect to choose, he directly told Lu Ye that none of the Sects would choose him.
After all, he was a cultivator from Righteous Sect. Although he was greedy, there was no reason for him to mess with Lu Ye. In other words, even if Lu Ye also chose other Sects, he probably wouldn’t get into any one of them.
Then, he closed his eyes as he knew that every decision at the crossroads of life was utterly important, especially the one right in front of him. Suddenly, he lifted his head and gazed at the cultivator before asking, “Senior Brother, what if I only choose this Sect?”
The cultivator looked curiously at him because no one had chosen Crimson Blood Sect before Lu Ye did, and it could be expected that no one would pick the Sect after him. That was because the Sect was of the lowest tier. What the cultivator hadn’t expected was that not only did Lu Ye choose Crimson Blood Sect, but he had also asked such a question. The cultivator stroked his moustache and grinned. “You’ll find out about it after you do it.”．