8 Chapter 8

After being reminded by the people around them, everyone suddenly came back to their senses and realized that they had been distracted and almost missed the most curious evaluation rules. So they quickly looked up to see Fairy Bai Xuan speaking on the screen. Fortunately, everything was still in time.

"...Every disciple who comes to participate in the selection will have one stick of incense to perform. Please demonstrate your strongest talent. Whether it's playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, opera, singing, or dancing, as long as this disciple can impress any of us with their talent within the time of one stick of incense, we will shake the golden bell in our hands. This means that you have passed the audition and can officially join our Hehuan Sect."

As she spoke, she picked up the golden bell in front of her desk and shook it gently. Suddenly, a fairy-like zither tune came from somewhere, and the light spots in the entire room began to emit soft and lustrous golden light in time with the rhythm. There were bursts of clouds and mist floating up from under the stage. The whole scene looked as if someone was about to ascend to heaven.

"All contestants who have passed the auditions can come and take a seat on the Ascension Steps and await our subsequent arrangements. A brighter future awaits you here!"

Ning Shu pointed to the archway on the wall behind him, which had a strong presence. The camera moved up with it, and everyone realized that behind the golden-looking archway was a staircase leading to the upper level. On the second floor were solid wooden Eight Immortals chairs arranged in a staggered manner, eight in a row, arranged in five rows, exactly forty places.

"On the contrary, if the contestant's talent fails to impress any of us, the bell will not ring, which means that you have no fate with the Hehuan Sect." Fairy Bai Xuan's tone was gentle, but her words left no room for maneuver.

"By the way, it's not okay to do anything inappropriate in public. Please be mindful of your words and actions and focus on performing the proper show."

Fearing that these women would risk everything in their quest for immortality, and that, based on their stereotypes about the Hehuan Sect, they would do something inappropriate for children, Ning Shu impatiently walked to his seat as a judge and added a sentence.

As if worried that the contestants weren't paying enough attention, Ning Shu held up a red bell on the table and said, "If we feel someone's performance is too extreme, we'll ring this red bell. Your performance will be terminated immediately, and you will be eliminated."

As she spoke, she gently shook the bell in her hand, and the entire studio immediately flashed with a dazzling red light. Along with a sharp and piercing alarm, a special fence rose in the center of the stage to block people's view.

"We're a serious talent show." Ning Shu's fair face tightened seriously as she emphasized, "All pornographic content will be mosaiced out by a mysterious force."

"Oh my, is it really necessary to go to this extent?" Ning Shu covered her face with the purple fan behind her and yawned lazily: "If there is a guy with extraordinary talent, I am actually very interested~"

Ning Shu immediately turned around and argued seriously, "You can't do this, Sister Zixiao! Our show is for all ages!"

"Eh? We are clearly the Hehuan Sect..."

"No means no! No!"

"Tsk! Boring!"

"It's not boring at all! The excellent song and dance performance is very attractive!"

"Um, Young Sect Master, Zixiao, didn't you say you're not allowed to quarrel in front of the camera..."

"Oh! I forgot! I'll cut this out later."

"The Spirit Shadow Stone... there's no way to cut it off from the middle..."

"Eh? I can't? Then stop arguing!"

What followed was a period of inexplicable mumbling and quarreling, and the people on the screen seemed to have some dispute due to different ideas.

People outside the screen couldn't help but talk about it, and many monks felt that this selection method was ridiculous.

"How can you select disciples this way? Are the people from the Hehuan Sect just trying to attract attention?"

"That's right, it's absolutely laughable! Even if you don't consider spiritual root talent, you should at least select disciples whose combat power and perseverance far exceed those of ordinary people. But in the end, they're looking at singing and dancing? How ridiculous!"

"After all, they're a sect made up of women, yet they're willing to make a fuss over such irrelevant details!"

"It's far inferior to a big sect like Tianyan Sect!"

Many monks expressed great confusion at such strange selection criteria, and some even laughed out loud, causing an uproar in the entire hall.

"Hahahaha, these female cultivators from the Hehuan Sect are really weird. Could it be that they're planning to open a dance studio... Immortal Master Hengwen, why are you so silent?"

A monk was holding his stomach and laughing so hard that he fell backwards. Suddenly he noticed that his companion next to him was frowning in thought, so he asked with some respect.

This cultivator with the Taoist name "Heng Wen" looked to be about thirty years old. Although he was a casual cultivator, he had a gentle and elegant temperament. His bright eyes revealed a hint of depth, and his cultivation had reached the late Nascent Soul stage.

Unlike other guys who just come to watch the fun, a casual cultivator can rely on his own efforts to reach the late Nascent Soul stage. It is impossible to do it without some scheming and courage.

He stroked the small wisp of beard on his chin and said what he was thinking thoughtfully: "No, I think that the Hehuan Sect's method of selecting disciples is actually quite clever."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Several casual cultivators around turned around curiously after hearing this.

"Whether it's combat power or perseverance, these are things that can be cultivated. Although they are indeed important for the path of immortal cultivation, they are not indispensable.

Don't forget, the He Huan Sect's cultivation method is different from that of ordinary people; they cultivate the Way of Compassion."

"You mean, the requirements of the Way of Love for cultivators are different from those for other cultivators?" A nearby cultivator followed Immortal Master Heng Wen's thoughts and continued:

"But it's still not right. Aren't those women from the Hehuan Sect the best at... ahem, dual cultivation? But that young sect leader just said that those disciples are forbidden..."

"This is exactly how clever those female cultivators are!" Immortal Master Heng Wen slapped the table lightly, as if he had figured out the key:

"Think about it, who wouldn't do that? What's there to consider? Since we're selecting disciples, of course we should choose women who are truly suitable for cultivating the Way of Compassion!"

"A truly suitable woman? How can we tell?" The monks around him were still confused.

"You guys!" Heng Wenxianzun was speechless and choked. "You are a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage after all, why do you only look at women and not use your brain!" He twirled his beard and shook his head, looking confident and keeping the secret.

"Let me ask you, what do the women of the Hehuan Sect like to do most when they are out training?"

"This...talking about love?"

"Exactly! To be precise, they like to arouse the love and pity of others. Although I don't know the specific reason, it is very likely related to their cultivation method.

Think about it carefully, if there are all beautiful female cultivators, how can they arouse the love of the most people in the shortest time?"

"It's not easy to show your personality or temper when you first meet someone. But if you have some talent... I see!" The surrounding monks suddenly realized. The more they thought about it, the more they felt it was true: "With peerless beauty and unparalleled talent, why worry about no one loving you?"

"That's exactly the point!" Immortal Master Heng Wen smiled as he twirled his beard. "Furthermore, for those women participating in the selection, they have to perform their talents in such a highly anticipated environment. Isn't this a cruel test of their state of mind?

Therefore, those who can stay must be those extraordinary women with stunning beauty, charming talents and the ability to remain calm in the face of scrutiny."

"If a woman like this were to be cultivated in the Way of Compassion, how many cultivators would be able to remain calm if they really encountered one?" One of the cultivators began to feel a tingling sensation on his scalp as he spoke.

"Hiss, the Hehuan Sect is really terrifying..." Someone couldn't help but sigh in a low voice.

"Then...should we leave now?" A timid cultivator's face turned pale. He turned to look at his fellow Taoists who had come with him. "If we stay any longer, they'll start the selection process. If they really get aroused and become unstable..."

"That's wrong. We should stay here to watch their routine and process of selecting disciples so that we won't be unprepared when we meet the disciples of the Hehuan Sect in the future!" A cultivator refuted him.

"But what if..."

"Don't worry! These women who have signed up are just mortals. Even if they are gifted, it's not enough to disturb our minds." Heng Wenxianzun calmly reassured the coward, appearing to be very confident in his own Dao heart.

"Even if we continue to watch, we will definitely not fall in love with these mortal women."

The others looked at each other, and they all felt that what the Taoist priest said made sense, so they sat down again and continued to read with curiosity.

During their discussion, the host on the screen also explained the rules of the competition and selection to the contestants waiting in the candidate room through the Spirit Shadow Stone. Without giving these contestants much time to prepare, Ning Shu soon took his position and announced that the auditions had begun:

"Alright! After a short while, I believe all the contestants are ready!" She waved her hand in a cheerful tone, "Next, please welcome our number one contestant - Ms. Liu Dandan!"

And the fact was just as Immortal Master Hengwen had expected. Most of those who came to participate in the selection were very ordinary women. They had only heard that the Hehuan Sect had unpredictable spiritual roots, so they came to join in the fun with the mentality of giving it a try. Now, when they suddenly heard that they had to perform their talents in front of many immortal elders, many of them were directly panicked.

This was the case with Liu Dandan. Her face was artificially blurred on the screen. She almost trembled as she walked onto the stage under Xiao Cui's guidance. As soon as she saw the three judges sitting there, she began to stutter: "I, I am, yes, Liu Dan, Dan, Dan Dan Dan..."

Ning Shu still maintained a proper smile on her face: "Please start your performance."

Most of the contestants who performed first were too nervous. Some of them managed to make a ballad with a very slow rhythm sound like rap; some of them almost interpreted the term "broken voice" to everyone personally; some of them danced so fast that they forgot how to walk; some of them had so stiff limbs that their water sleeve dance gave off a "post-modern artistic feel" of mechanical dance.

But obviously, this is still too advanced for those who practice Taoism.

"Red makeup - graceful - turns -" A very confident contestant was singing the high notes with his eyes closed and a look of ecstasy. A familiar song was sung with a completely new feeling.

"Puchi!" Ning Shu heard a light laugh coming from beside him.

She turned around and looked at Zixiao, who was sitting on the chair and trembling all over, and signaled her with her eyes to hold it back.

Ning Shu: Didn't I tell you all this? We are professional and understanding judges. No matter how funny the scene is, we must not laugh!

Zi Xiao, who was shaking like he had been electrocuted, said: ...

I tried my best! I even thought about all the breakups and heartbreaks I've experienced in the past twenty years!

Ning Shu's eyes were fierce, and he motioned her to look at Bai Xuan, who was still dignified and elegant: "Look at her! She can even pretend to be intoxicated!"

Zixiao covered his cramped stomach and stepped aside to show Ning Shu the scene of Bai Xuan secretly twisting her thigh hard.

Ning Shu: ...

Sister Bai Xuan, I will report your work injury later.

“Hahahaha, hahahaha, hahahaha!”

Compared to the judges who were still trying hard to appear serious, the audience outside the screen were not polite at all. They were all amused by the jokes made by the contestants. They held on to the table and covered their stomachs, laughing so hard that they fell over.

"Hahahaha, ouch, ever since I started practicing, I've never seen anything so funny..."

“Hahahahahaha, I can’t take it anymore…hahahahaha…”

"Interesting, interesting! I really came to the right place this time, hahahaha!"

Amidst the peaceful laughter and cheers, Ning Shu cleared his throat, maintaining a calm expression: "Please welcome the next contestant, Miss Liu Pianpian!"

【Author’s words】

It seems that there are no auditions in talent shows nowadays. In the past, talent shows like Super Girl had audition clips (revealing my age). Although I can’t even remember the champion and runner-up, I still remember some of the contestants who were really good at causing trouble. They were really funny. I wonder if you have seen it [laughing and crying]