Chapter 200 - Secret Realm
Hearing Xie Zhao's complaint, he did not stop his movements, but swept his cold eyes over Xie Zhao's "dying" appearance, and said lightly: "Yeah."
The light of the runes under his hand seemed to be more condensed, speeding up the progress a little.
"Well, is that all?" Xie Zhao said with a carp.
Tie Niu, who was squatting nearby and grinding the floor, suddenly raised his head, his huge eyes sparkling as he looked at Luo Hongyi, and in a muffled voice, he volunteered, "Senior Sister Luo! I'm thick-skinned! I can test the medicine!"
"Shut up!" Luo Hongyi glared at him unhappily. "Haven't you tried enough medicines? Last time, the Seven Apertures Flowing Fragrance Powder almost turned you into a human incense burner. Have you forgotten?"
Tie Niu lowered his head in grievance and continued polishing the floor, muttering softly: "That's good too...it smells good...as long as Senior Sister Luo likes it..."
Su Tang came over holding the photo stone, her psychic eyes sparkling. "Recruiting? Sure! I can do a live interview!"
Little White Deer held the rabbit and whispered, "We need to... we need to recruit someone who likes small animals... and isn't afraid of rabbits..."
After Chu Linyuan finished carving the last stroke, the entire Myriad Poisons Extraction Hub shook slightly, and rune lights intertwined with dark blue and dark green flowed on its surface, emitting a cold chill.
He put away the Frost Silence Sword and glanced at the crowd.
"Yes." He finally uttered two words, which was considered the final decision.
He turned his gaze to Xie Zhao, "You will draft the bylaws. Su Tang will assist in publishing them. Luo Hongyi will set the assessment standards. Tie Niu... will maintain order."
The division of labor is clear and everyone has their own responsibilities.
"Understood!" Xie Zhao instantly perked up, his Jinghong Fu pen scribbling on the animal skin paper. "The salary is excellent, food and accommodation are provided, and the working environment... uh, extremely challenging. I can be exposed to the cutting-edge technology of the Abyss and the latest achievements in body refining..."
Su Tang immediately began to think of recruitment advertisements.
Luo Hongyi touched his chin and began to think seriously about which poisons could effectively screen out employees with strong drug resistance.
Tie Niu gripped the Guixu Dragon Spine tightly, thinking about how to "maintain order" so as to appear majestic.
The recruitment notice was quickly spread through Su Tang’s live broadcast room and Xing Yinling’s channels.
The story of Guixu Sect defeating the Immortal Alliance and Heaven bestowing the Golden Rain of Light had already spread, and now that they were open for recruitment, it immediately caused a huge sensation in the world of cultivation.
Countless independent cultivators, children of small families, and even some cultivators who are tired of the infighting among the big sects are eager to try.
A few days later, the assessment area temporarily set aside on the edge of the Immortal-killing Square was crowded with people, and it actually looked quite lively.
The cultivators from all directions looked at this legendary dangerous place with curiosity and nervousness, as well as the tall and ferocious Talisman Array Tower and the Baicao Dan Pavilion that was beginning to take shape next to it.
The assessment is led by Luo Hongyi.
The first level is the simple and crude "smell the scent and identify the poison".
A row of poisonous smoke of various colors and strange aromas rose up.
Many people turned blue in the face, foamed at the mouth and fell to the ground after taking a sip. They were dragged aside by the talisman puppets with an expressionless face to detoxify.
Only those who can last for one stick of incense are considered to have passed.
The huge body of Tie Niu stood on the side like a door god, with the Guixu Dragon Spine touching the ground. Its bronze skin and fierce aura effectively deterred some guys who wanted to take advantage of the situation or cause trouble.
But his eyes always drifted involuntarily towards the enchanting red shadow on the platform.
Su Tang's photo stone flew in the air, broadcasting this unique job fair live in all directions.
"Did you see that, family members? This is hardcore recruitment! Education and experience aren't important; strong resistance to poisons is key! Congratulations to this fellow... uh, for making it through the first incense stick! Even if his face is a little green!"
Xie Zhaoze moved a chair and sat next to Chu Linyuan, eating melon seeds while commenting:
"Tsk, this won't do. It's obvious that he has kidney deficiency and can't withstand Junior Sister Luo's strong medicine."
"Oh, this female cultivator is quite interesting. She actually uses her own natal Gu worm to absorb drugs? But the Gu worm is a bit ugly..."
"Brother, look at that big guy! He's almost as big as a stupid cow! He's perfect for digging for evil crystals in the mines!"
Chu Linyuan sat quietly aside, with the Frost Sword across his knees, his cold eyes sweeping over everyone in the field, like the most sophisticated scanning device, instantly able to judge the other party's cultivation, character, and even hidden intentions.
Occasionally, he would utter a few words very briefly: "Evil intentions." "Yes." "Next."
Anyone who was pointed out by him as having "evil intentions" would be asked to leave immediately, no matter how well they performed.
No one dared to object - the pressure from the peak of the Divine Transformation Realm and the residual power from the day when the Immortal Alliance was repelled were enough to shock everything.
After several rounds of rigorous assessments, only a dozen people passed the screening.
Most of these people came from independent cultivators or small families. Their cultivation levels were mostly in the foundation-building to golden elixir stages. They had different personalities, but their eyes revealed a yearning for the Guixu Sect and a hint of relief at having survived the calamity.
Xie Zhao stood up, patted the melon seed crumbs on his hands, and swept the Jinghong Talisman Pen across the air. Streams of light penetrated into the identity jade cards of those who passed.
"Congratulations everyone, from now on, you are the outer disciples of Guixu Sect!"
"There aren't many rules, just a few: 1. Be obedient; 2. Be patient; 3. Don't mess with Elder Luo; 4. Work diligently; 5. Take care of your life, the sect won't be responsible if you die!"
"As for the treatment, there's plenty of spirit stones and elixirs... depending on Elder Luo's mood, you can even use the evil spirit from the tower base to practice! Well done, promotion to the inner sect in the future is not a dream!"
The simple, crude yet tempting induction speech made the new disciples excited and a little nervous.
At this time, Uncle Chen, who had been sweeping the floor slowly as if he was not involved, walked over dragging his broom.
His cloudy old eyes swept over the group of new and trembling disciples, then looked at Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao's eyes turned, and he suddenly came over with a smile. He lightly touched Chen Bo's worn broom handle with the Jinghong Talisman Pen, leaving a faint golden "Dan" mark.
"Uncle Chen, you are highly respected and knowledgeable. These new kids need an elder to look after them. There are a lot of things to do in the Baicao Pill Pavilion. How about you condescend to take on the title of the Pavilion's deacon elder and help Junior Sister Luo with the work? And teach these little brats the sect's rules, too?"
Uncle Chen paused in sweeping the floor.
He raised his cloudy eyes and looked at Xie Zhao, who had a playful smile but a serious look in his eyes, and glanced at Chu Linyuan who had an expressionless face beside him.
There was still no expression on his wrinkled face, only a barely audible hum came from his nose.
He neither agreed nor objected, but just dragged the broom with a golden mark, turned slowly, and walked towards the Baicao Dan Pavilion.
The rustling sound of sweeping the floor seemed to be the default response.
"Done!" Xie Zhao clapped his hands and raised his chin proudly towards Chu Linyuan, "Look, we have an elder too! Even though he's just a floor-sweeping elder..."
Chu Linyuan nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Uncle Chen's hunched back, a barely perceptible understanding flashing in the depths of his eyes.
The addition of new disciples made the Immortal-killing Square instantly much busier.
Under Tie Niu's gruff command and Luo Hongyi's occasional guidance, the new disciples began to take over some basic construction work, such as carrying materials, carving simple runes, and taking care of ordinary herbs outside the medicine garden.
Although he was clumsy and made many mistakes, often drawing Luo Hongyi's sharp rebukes and Tie Niu's even more confusing commands, he finally gave Xie Zhao and others some relief from the tedious affairs.
Under the setting sun, I watched the square gradually become more crowded, watched the new disciples work diligently despite their fear, watched the strange aroma of medicine wafting from the Alchemy Pavilion, watched the eternal glow of the Heart Lamp on the top of the tower...
Xie Zhao stretched and leaned towards Chu Linyuan beside him as usual.
"Tsk, it finally looks like a sect."
Chu Linyuan's arms naturally wrapped around his waist, holding him steady.
The cold voice seemed to carry a ripple of warmth when it fell into the ears.
The last dark wooden tile on the roof of Baicao Dan Pavilion was fastened tightly by the talisman puppet, marking the official completion of this complex building.
After going through the first few days of a tough adaptation period with "poisonous smoke everywhere", "explosion at any time", "Elder Luo's murderous eyes", and "Coach Tie Niu's commands by shouting", the dozen or so newly recruited outer disciples finally figured out how to survive in Guixu Sect. Although they are still nervous, they can finally share some basic chores.
As a result, the Immortal-killing Square became more and more lively and popular.
Every morning, you can see new disciples either practicing hard at the edge of the square, stirring up a tiny amount of evil energy.
Either he carefully fertilized the poisonous weeds under Luo Hongyi's cold gaze, or he grunted and helped Tie Niu carry building materials.
Today is the monthly open recruitment day.
Many cultivators who heard the news gathered at the edge of the square again. Their number was even greater than the first time. Among them were even a few wandering cultivators who were dressed in fancy clothes, had a distinguished aura, and had a bit of arrogance in their eyes.
The assessment is still presided over by Luo Hongyi.
The poisonous smoke in the first level, "Smell the Poison", seems to be more colorful and strange than last time.
Most of the cultivators were still defeated within the first incense stick and were dragged away by the puppets.
A young man dressed in luxurious clothes, holding a folding fan, claiming to be from a branch of a certain immortal cultivation family, took a puff of the pink poisonous smoke and his face suddenly changed. He pointed at Luo Hongyi and screamed, "Witch! What kind of poison is this?! How dare you plot against me! Do you know who my uncle is?!"
Before he could finish his words, a dark green poisonous mist hit his mouth like a whip, instantly making his mouth swell up like a sausage, and he could only make a "woohoo" sound. Tie Niu picked him up like a chicken and threw him directly out of the square barrier.
"Shut up." Luo Hongyi retracted her finger without even giving you a glance.
At this time, a one-eyed cultivator with a long sword on his back, a sharp aura, and cultivation reaching the late Golden Core stage walked forward.
He glanced coldly at the plumes of poisonous smoke and snorted, "Is this all the Guixu Sect has? Relying on unorthodox methods to select disciples? True strength should be revealed with the sword!"
He seemed extremely confident in himself and even wanted to bypass the poisonous smoke test. His eyes were directly cast at Chu Linyuan, who had been closing his eyes and regulating his breathing on the podium, with a hint of provocation.
On the high platform, Xie Zhao was leaning in a chair next to Chu Linyuan, using a Jinghong Talisman Pen to modify the internal ventilation array diagram of the Dan Pavilion. Seeing this, he sneered and said to Chu Linyuan without looking up, "Senior Brother, another one trying to take shortcuts to improve your impression. Tsk, the quality of this group of independent cultivators is not good enough. They can't even withstand Junior Sister Luo's entry-level 'Seven Emotions Powder', and you still want to compete with you?"
Chu Linyuan didn't even raise his eyelids, and the Frost Silence Sword in front of his knees made an almost inaudible sound.
An invisible yet mountain-like sword pressure swept across the entire assessment area in an instant like an icy tide!
The arrogance on the one-eyed cultivator's face froze instantly, replaced by huge horror and fear!
He felt as if the blood in his body was frozen, the circulation of the golden elixir in his dantian was sluggish, and even the sword behind him was wailing!
He groaned, took several steps back, his face pale as paper, and he didn't dare to say another word. He retreated awkwardly into the crowd waiting for the test and began to "smell the fragrance" honestly.
In the end, only seven or eight of this group of cultivators passed all the tests and became new outer disciples.
They are all people with strong character, some special abilities, and the ability to judge the situation.
As usual, Xie Zhao conducted a "threatening" induction training, and then handed the newcomer over to Chen Bohe's former disciples.
Uncle Chen dragged the broom and walked slowly in front of the new disciples. His cloudy old eyes swept over them and he said in a hoarse voice: "Follow the rules. Sweep the floor clean." He said no more.
However, it made the new disciples feel an inexplicable pressure that was even more frightening than Luo Hongyi's poison.
The construction of the sect is on the right track and everything seems to be moving in a good direction.
That afternoon, Su Tang was directing several new disciples to debug the light screen at the entrance of Dan Pavilion, which was driven by the photo stone and played the "List of Specialties of the Abyss" in a loop. Suddenly, the Star Attraction Order on her waist burst out with unprecedented bright starlight!
Mo Chen's usually gentle voice now carried a rare hint of urgency and solemnity, and it rang directly in her sea of consciousness:
"My friend! Urgent news! Abnormal spatial fluctuations are occurring on the edge of the southern border of 'Yunhuang Province,' suggesting a passage to an ancient secret realm is about to open! Based on star trajectory deductions, this secret realm is extremely large, possibly involving the remains of an ancient sect! The Tianyan Sect, the Divine Weapon Pavilion, and even several hidden demon clans have been alerted and have dispatched their elite troops! If the Guixu Sect is interested, they must make plans early! The passage is expected to be initially stabilized in ten days!"
Su Tang was stunned for a moment, and then her psychic eyes burst into a light of extreme excitement!
"Ancient secret realm?! Ancient sect ruins?!" She screamed, and rushed towards the tower base with the Star Guiding Order in hand! "Big Brother! Second Brother! Big news! Here's your chance to make a fortune!"
After listening to Su Tang's incoherent report, which was filled with a lot of exclamation marks, the square suddenly became quiet.
The new disciples looked at each other, curious but not daring to ask more questions.
Tie Niu scratched his head and said in a muffled voice, "Secret realm? Is there a fight in there?"
A hint of interest flashed across Luo Hongyi's beautiful face. "Ancient ruins? Perhaps there are lost poison scriptures or rare poisonous herbs..."
Bai Xiaolu hugged the rabbit tightly, with a hint of worry in his clear eyes.
Xie Zhao suddenly sat up from his recliner, the Jinghong Talisman Pen spinning rapidly between his fingertips, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with shrewdness and excitement. "An ancient secret realm?! There must be a lot of good stuff! The Immortal Alliance has collapsed, who wouldn't want a bite of this fat piece of meat? Our Guixu Sect has just established its prestige, so it's time to strike while the iron is hot, make a name for ourselves... uh, search for resources!"
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