Surprisingly, Qiu Wen didn't immediately get angry. Instead, he slowly posed the question, seemingly waiting for the three to change their minds.

But the result was going to disappoint him.

The three seemed to have made up their minds, and were very determined to leave.

The sect has a rule that if an outer disciple voluntarily withdraws from the sect, he must return all the cultivation techniques, books, pills, magic weapons, etc., obtained from the sect within three days, and he will never be allowed to enter the sect again in his lifetime.

They had already made up their minds when they said those words.

Rather than saying that, it's more accurate to say they were gambling.

Bet on two things.

One is that you can enter the secret realm without leaving the sect.

The other option is to leave the sect and enter the secret realm.

They were gambling on whether they could open that window without losing anything...

However, as the saying goes, "you can't have your cake and eat it too," and they have to bear the consequences of their gamble themselves.

...

"Elder...we..."

Xingtai was secretly relieved that it was someone from the Armor Guard Sect who spoke, thinking that their Sword Control Sect was more united. He was just about to feel smug when, to his surprise, what he feared most came to pass.

And so, it's the Sword Control Sect's turn again...

Perhaps having already prepared what he was going to say to his disciples, he spoke first:

"Everyone, I know that the temptation of the early opening of the secret realm is extremely strong for you given the current situation. I also know that some of you will be very tempted by it, and may even have some ideas that have not been thought through."

“I understand you. If I were in your shoes, I would also be tempted. I would also find the allure of the secret realm very strong… But! Temptation is temptation. You are all elite disciples who have gone through layers of trials to enter our sect.”

"Of course, the outer disciples too. You are already far superior to others. What has enabled you to get this far? It is because of your courage, your perseverance, your confidence, and your loyalty to the sect!"

"Now that the secret realm has opened ahead of schedule, I believe many of you have had the same thoughts as the disciples of the Armored Sect,"

Qiu Wen glanced at Xing Tai, seemingly trying to tell him not to bring up his own sect.

Xingtai ignored him and continued talking to himself:

"However, that idea is just an idea. You are all still disciples of my Imperial Sword Sect now, and you will only go further in the future..."

Upon hearing this, many disciples began to waver, their previous thoughts gradually fading away, and a glimmer of light appeared in their eyes.

Upon seeing this, Xingtai further emphasized its position and simply made a promise:

"Today, in the name of an elder of the Imperial Sword Sect, I promise that if any disciple can accompany me to the Dragon Realm and safely return the Dragon Maiden, upon our return to the sect, I will recommend those outer disciples who have not yet entered the inner sect to the sect leader. At that time, you will all have the opportunity to enter the inner sect and become inner disciples! As for inner disciples, I will have the sect leader grant you additional privileges—cultivation techniques, elixirs, spiritual treasures, and even… the status of a personal disciple. These will all be the testament to our return!"

He spoke with passion and eloquence, every word a gem.

It must be said that Xingtai truly possesses excellent oratory skills, which moved the disciples below to tears of gratitude and immense excitement.

However, these were just excuses he used.

After all, he wasn't the sect leader, and he didn't know what the sect would give them in return.

However, this is the best way to stabilize public sentiment right now.

Qiu Wen, who was standing to the side, was stunned.

He had never seen Xingtai speak so eloquently before. His imposing manner and words had truly given the disciples a firm grip on him. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret; why hadn't he tried to persuade his disciples to stay, or even offered some rewards…

Now he can only be envious.

but……

Although Xingtai's words were very tempting, there were still some who had made up their minds from the beginning to leave the sect and go to the secret realm.

The reason he took the initiative to leave the sect was because leaving and being expelled from the sect were two completely different lives.

If you leave, you only need to return what you obtained from the sect to leave. You can also join other sects to develop your career in the future, so you have a way out.

But if it's being expelled...

No sect would be willing to accept someone who had been expelled from the three major sects.

This is like a magnifying glass; a tiny blemish will be magnified many times in the magnifying glass's field of view.

Their departure will not be celebrated, but condemned...

Those who decided to leave the sect were all outer disciples, because they themselves didn't have many opportunities.

Even though Xingtai said they would be given another chance later, they weren't stupid enough to give up such an easy opportunity just because of a few limited spots.

Faced with uncertainty on one side and certainty on the other, they would definitely choose the latter.

Some left, some stayed.

Before long, only a dozen or so people remained from the two major sects, which had numbered around a hundred. Besides the inner disciples, only Qiu Wen from the Armored Armor Sect and Elder Xingtai from the Sword Control Sect were left…