Chapter 140: Suoyang Takes Up the Guard Duty

Re-summoning the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, Liu Junhuai turned his head and said to Bian Jingzhong, "Big brother, your realm needs to be elevated as well. Second brother has already pulled ahead of you. Once the Myriad Phenomena Sect stabilizes, you will need to go into seclusion for a period of time."

Bian Jingzhong replied, "We shall see. This period is precisely a time of great bustle. It would be a lie to say I am not eager, given your rare heavenly treasures, but I am confident of advancing to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm within a month."

"That is good. Let me know whenever you wish to break through, and you can spend some time in the Chaotic Space." Liu Junhuai did not press the matter, knowing full well that the Myriad Phenomena Sect was currently in its founding phase.

Returning to the Myriad Phenomena Sect, Suoyang Fengxu was standing beside the main podium, accompanying a delicate woman with flushed cheeks. Upon seeing Liu Junhuai's arrival, the two of them hurried forward.

"Sect Master Liu, this is my wife, Zhang Yunyi. Yunyi, this is the current Sect Master of the Myriad Phenomena Sect whom I told you about. Quickly greet Sect Master Liu!" Suoyang Fengxu pulled Zhang Yunyi closer.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Liu Junhuai used his heavenly sense to probe and confirmed that Zhang Yunyi indeed possessed no spiritual roots. He then invited the two of them to enter the assembly hall.

Once they were seated, Liu Junhuai said, "Fellow Daoist Suoyang, I can repair your wife's spiritual roots. Have you now decided to remain with the Myriad Phenomena Sect?"

Suoyang Fengxu hurriedly stood up and said respectfully, "I dare not accept the title of 'Fellow Daoist.' Sect Master Liu may simply call me Suoyang; my name is rather cumbersome. To be honest, Sect Master Liu, it has been my utmost desire to enter your sect. Not just me, but the vast majority of the thirty thousand people present wish to join the Myriad Phenomena Sect. Because of my wife's condition, I had been hesitating, but now you have resolved it completely, Sect Master Liu."

Liu Junhuai stated, "There are two methods to resolve your wife's condition, but both of you must guarantee that this matter will never be leaked. After all, I am employing a secret technique, and if word gets out, it will bring quite a bit of trouble!"

Suoyang Fengxu and his wife anxiously declared, "We are willing to swear a blood oath to guarantee not a single word is revealed to the outside!"

Liu Junhuai waved his hand. "That is unnecessary. There are two methods. The first is that my wife can refine a medicinal pill capable of cultivating earth spiritual roots. I observe that you, Suoyang, possess dual earth and metal spiritual roots; this pill would be quite suitable for your wife to ingest before practicing your earth-attribute cultivation techniques.

"The second method is that I can impart a technique for cultivating spiritual roots. This method is slower to yield results, but once the spiritual roots are cultivated, your cultivation speed will increase rapidly, and your foundation will be much firmer. You may choose one of these two. Our Myriad Phenomena Sect possesses numerous cultivation techniques and martial skills, more than enough for you to select the one that suits you best."

After a low-toned discussion between the couple, Zhang Yunyi said, "I shall take the medicinal pill. The sooner I can begin cultivating, the sooner my heart will be at ease. I only trouble your wife."

Liu Junhuai smiled and said, "We are not yet wed; her name is Mo Sitong. You may simply call her by her name henceforth." Turning his gaze to Suoyang Fengxu, he asked, "What are your thoughts upon joining the Myriad Phenomena Sect?"

Suoyang Fengxu's expression turned somewhat hesitant. "I wish to enter Sect Master Liu's sect. I know this wish may seem overly ambitious, but I truly admire the Sect Master's unfathomable, ghostly-divine techniques. What the Sect Master displays diverges vastly from my understanding. Hearing the Sect Master lecture that day felt like a beam of light cutting through a thick fog, though unfortunately, that light flashed past too quickly for me to comprehend it."

Liu Junhuai gently shook his head. "You must understand that the teleportation divine ability I displayed that day was not something attained through ordinary cultivation; it shares the same nature as perceiving the Dao, requiring a flash of instant enlightenment. Perhaps a year or two, or perhaps you will never comprehend it—you must mentally prepare yourself!"

Suoyang Fengxu hastily replied, "I understand all of this. This is precisely my ultimate goal in wishing to take you as my master, because the Sect Master's philosophy of cultivation differs greatly from traditional methods. Blindly burying oneself in bitter cultivation does not necessarily lead to great achievement; many things require the guidance of a single flash of insight. Am I correct in this understanding?"

Inwardly, Liu Junhuai felt a surge of delight, though he kept his expression neutral. "You must also know that following me from now on means frequently wandering between life and death. My feud with the Blood-Slaying Alliance is irreconcilable. Consequently, your wife's reliance upon you will entail a great deal of risk."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunyi hurriedly interposed, "Please set your mind at ease, Sect Master. As long as I am able to cultivate, I shall be content, and I believe there will come a day when I can catch up to him. The world of cultivation is inherently fraught with countless crises; only through continuous tempering can one grow more swiftly. Furthermore, the Myriad Phenomena Sect is locked in struggle against the Blood-Slaying Alliance. Although this humble woman lacks the strength to truss a chicken, I still understand the righteousness involved. Even if Fengxu should fall in battle one day, I would do so willingly."

Liu Junhuai was reasonably satisfied with the couple. "Discuss this further between yourselves. Wait until the newly recruited disciples of the Myriad Phenomena Sect have all arrived, and we shall speak of planting your wife's spiritual roots then! Come, let us go outside and take a look; today's recruitment will continue until very late."

Upon reaching the main podium, the Myriad Phenomena Sect had already recruited no fewer than six hundred people.

Knowing that the Myriad Phenomena Sect's quota was rapidly dwindling, the queue of cultivators waiting to have their spiritual roots tested grew even larger.

Fortunately, the six hundred cultivators who had already secured their entry into the Myriad Phenomena Sect had joined in assisting with the recruitment, easing the severe shortage of manpower.

Seeing Liu Junhuai appear, Wu Yaohan walked up to him and said, "The newly recruited disciples already exceed half of our target, all handled according to your list—every single one possesses superior spiritual roots. Junhuai, it seems you possess a secret technique for appraising aptitude as well! Can you teach your Grandpa Wu?"

Liu Junhuai smiled. "I cultivate the Heavenly Eye Vision, as Grandpa Wu well knows. This cannot be taught; one would likely need an immortal's baptism of enlightenment to practice it."

Wu Yaohan laughed heartily. "Wait until you become an immortal before speaking of such things! The Sect Alliance is rather tense. Ever since our Myriad Phenomena Sect began recruiting, people have constantly come to observe. Finding us too busy yet embarrassed to meddle, if you turn around and look—there they are again!"

Liu Junhuai turned to look and indeed saw Ren Yinhuai leading several allies from the Sect Alliance strolling over. "I say, Uncle Ren, there is no need to be so high-strung, guarding us as if we were thieves! To make room for the Sect Alliance, our Myriad Phenomena Sect intends to recruit right through the night; it should conclude around midnight, at which point we will assign a batch of disciples to help you out."

Ren Yinhuai smiled and nodded. "That's not bad at all—knowing how to respect the elders and not having the heart to watch a bunch of old fellows pull an all-nighter. But truthfully, I've observed for a long time: skimming through the spiritual root examinations the way you do, isn't it a bit rushed? Or did you have everything pre-arranged all along, merely putting on a show of testing to hoodwink the Sect Alliance?"

Liu Junhuai pulled a mournful face. "If the Sect Alliance feels our speed is too fast, then we shall slow down and examine everyone thoroughly. Now, which one of you over there, increase the inspection steps, we..."

Ren Yinhuai hurriedly stopped him. "Forget it, forget it. Is it not enough that I believe you? Ah, one who eats another's food grows soft-mouthed!"

Liu Junhuai let out a chuckle, stepped forward, and threw an arm around Ren Yinhuai's shoulders. "Uncle Ren, these newly recruited disciples will all cultivate within the Myriad Phenomena Sect from now on. If you take a fancy to any of our disciples, just say the word! Of course, if I take a fancy to yours, you must give clearance as well. We are all part of the Sect Alliance; only by supporting one another can we progress together, no?"

Xiao Qingtian, standing behind Ren Yinhuai, laughed and said, "Junhuai, what you say sounds pleasant enough, but why is it the more I ponder it, the more unsettled I feel?"

Wu Yaohan's expression turned stern. "Sect Master Xiao, your words carry the suspicion of deliberately sowing discord between the two parties. It seems the Myriad Phenomena Sect's accommodation of the Sect Alliance has caused dissatisfaction? In that case, I believe the Myriad Phenomena Sect should alter some of its practices regarding our allies."

Xiao Qingtian wore a wry smile. "It appears I have offended Sect Master Wu. Tonight, I shall pour wine for Sect Master Wu to apologize!"

Ren Yinhuai also bowed deeply to Wu Yaohan. "Sect Master Wu, please do not be impatient; Sect Master Xiao was merely joking with Junhuai! Who does not know that Junhuai holds great jade within his bosom and possesses an endless succession of marvelous techniques?"

Standing nearby, Liu Junhuai felt a secret surge of delight. Grandpa Wu sure knew how to read the situation quickly, and his mind was exceptionally sharp. Sect Master Xiao and Alliance Leader Ren had clearly conspired to come and test the waters; one must not be carried away by their flummery—the Myriad Phenomena Sect had already made more than enough concessions.

At that moment, a commotion broke out in the queue of cultivators waiting to have their aptitude tested below the main podium, as a cultivator in the early Golden Core stage and one in the middle Foundation Establishment stage began shoving each other.

Liu Junhuai swept them with his heavenly sense, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold sneer.

The numbered tag in the possession of that early Golden Core cultivator—number ten thousand and thirteen—was precisely the dual-spiritual-root cultivator Liu Junhuai had previously set his sights on. However, this person was not the middle Foundation Establishment cultivator Liu Junhuai had originally observed; the one engaged in the dispute *was* that very dual-spiritual-root cultivator.

Giving a light shout, Liu Junhuai walked toward the crowd, and the onlookers, seeing the Sect Master of the Myriad Phenomena Sect step forward, quickly cleared a path.

"What is the meaning of this? All these fellow Daoists have been waiting for hours; we cannot let the two of you delay things for too long. You, speak first!" Liu Junhuai pointed at the early Golden Core cultivator.

A trace of smug confidence lingered on that cultivator's face. Confident that his cultivation realm surpassed his opponent's, he assumed the Myriad Phenomena Sect would favor him. "Reporting to Sect Master Liu, I was queuing up for the inspection when this fellow Daoist suddenly came over and slandered me for stealing his numbered tag. I beg Sect Master Liu to judge fairly!"

Liu Junhuai looked at the middle Foundation Establishment cultivator, who defended himself, saying, "Sect Master Liu, I had been queuing here the entire time; the people immediately in front of, behind, and beside me can all testify for me. Just now, someone called me away for a few words, and upon returning, I found he had usurped my original spot, and my numbered tag had ended up in his hands."

A wisp of gloom flashed in Liu Junhuai's eyes as he looked at the Golden Core cultivator.

The Golden Core cultivator remained entirely unruffled. "This numbered tag was mine to begin with; I merely had matters to attend to temporarily and have only just arrived. Sect Master Liu, this fellow Daoist's number must be too far back, and he is simply trying to take a shortcut!"

A female cultivator in the middle Foundation Establishment stage beside him spoke up: "Sect Master Liu, that is not true. Qu Shige has been queuing in this exact spot for hours; we all verified each other's numbered tags beforehand."

The Golden Core cultivator's expression tightened. He glared at the female cultivator, a flash of ferocity crossing his eyes.

The female cultivator met his gaze without a shred of fear, biting her lower lip into a stubborn arc, her tightly clenched fists trembling slightly.

Looking at the Golden Core cultivator, Liu Junhuai asked, "Do you have any collateral witnesses to prove this numbered tag truly belongs to you? Fellow Daoist Qu here has quite a few witnesses present."

Panic flickered in the Golden Core cultivator's eyes. He had not expected Liu Junhuai to lean toward the low-tier cultivator, especially since he was already at the Golden Core realm at such a young age.

He wanted to argue forcefully once more, but the chilling majesty in Liu Junhuai's eyes made him lose his nerve. "Sect Master Liu, to be frank, I picked up this numbered tag. My previous number was rather far back, and since the Myriad Phenomena Sect is only recruiting one thousand disciples, I grew anxious and hoped to advance my position."

Liu Junhuai's expression remained completely unchanged. "Return his tag to him, hand over your own tag, and you may leave!"

Seized with panic, the Golden Core cultivator cried out loudly, "Sect Master Liu, I am at the Golden Core realm! It matters little if you reject me; there are plenty of sects scrambling to recruit me! I am willing to relinquish this spot—why must you strip away my own numbered tag as well?"

Looking at him coldly, Liu Junhuai said, "I am not only the Sect Master of the Myriad Phenomena Sect, I am also an ally of the Sect Alliance. Your behavior fails to meet our recruitment criteria, and I advise you to try your luck with the Blood-Slaying Alliance—that place would suit you quite well!"

As Liu Junhuai's words fell, a burst of uproarious laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd, mingled with sounds of cheering.