Chapter 141: Liu Junhuai's Angry Youth Side

The Golden Core stage cultivator, overcome with rage and embarrassment, slammed the tenth thousand and thirteenth registration token onto the ground, turned on his heel to leave, and deliberately barged his shoulder hard against the female cultivator who had just served as a witness.

Taking in everything before him, Liu Junhuai allowed a sneer of contempt to touch the corner of his mouth. With a flicker of his thought, the Sky-Covering Seal appeared in his palm. As he flipped his hand, a massive, sky-shrouding palm print materialized high in the air.

The surrounding spectators all changed color in alarm, hastily retreating to clear a large open space.

The furious Golden Core cultivator was still muttering curses under his breath when he abruptly sensed the strange phenomenon above him. Whirling around in shock, he saw the colossal palm print descending directly toward his head.

Filled with sudden terror that shattered his courage and soul, the Golden Core cultivator involuntarily let out a desperate plea for mercy, "I wouldn't dare! Sect Master Liu, this humble one will never dare again!"

Yet Liu Junhuai, his expression utterly cold and indifferent, remained unmoved as the gigantic palm continued its descent. With a muffled crunch, the Golden Core cultivator was instantly reduced to a pulp of flesh and blood.

The watching cultivators witnessed this scene with exceedingly complex emotions.

Some approved, some remained indifferent, but the majority were struck with profound awe, silently marveling at Liu Junhuai's decisive ruthlessness and formidable methods.

The common reaction was that the display of the Sky-Covering Seal left them deeply shaken by Liu Junhuai's true strength.

As if sensing the inner thoughts of the crowd, Liu Junhuai spoke in a calm and collected tone, "I believe many fellow practitioners are silently criticizing my harshness and cruelty! Someone as despicable and shameless as him naturally ended up embracing the Blood-Slaying Alliance without a hint of surprise. For millions of years, the cultivation world has revered the unwritten rule that might makes right, while neglecting the profound influence that the strong exert upon the cultivation realm. Do not slaughter the innocent, do not seize others' possessions by force, and you are truly a mighty cultivator! Conversely, those who do are merely overlords of ambition!

"The greatest distinction between a true cultivator of strength and an ambitious overlord lies in this: the legacy of the former can be passed down righteously and openly, though few may remember their names; the transmission of the latter may endure, yet most of it remains hidden in darkness, but their names will command awe for millennia.

"Such is the reality of the cultivation world—a malformed cultivation environment forged by practitioners who prioritize self-preservation above all else. Take the Blood-Slaying Alliance for instance. Had someone stood up the very first time they committed an evil act, at the very least, the Blood-Slaying Alliance would not have been able to conceal themselves so thoroughly! Stifling dark intentions in their infancy is done for one's own safety, as well as to ensure a normal cultivation space for future generations.

"Just imagine, if there were no power present to suppress that Golden Core cultivator just now, or if he had been allowed to leave unhindered, how much longer could this female fellow cultivator have survived? I am merely a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, and there are countless individuals here whose cultivation surpasses mine. Yet he dared to openly threaten this female cultivator—what caused him to act with such unbridled arrogance? Because in his mind, he was the strong one; his cultivation was superior to hers, and obliterating someone of lesser strength was a matter of course. This is the so-called rule of might makes right that currently plagues the cultivation world!

"Perhaps some practitioners believe that if that Golden Core cultivator's cultivation were higher than mine, Liu Junhuai, would I still have stepped forward? To be honest, I would still step forward, though my approach would be different. Not everything in this world can be resolved solely by force; to knowingly charge into overwhelming odds is sheer foolishness.

"Even if I could not stop him at the time, I would remember it for the rest of my life. Once my cultivation surpassed his, I would return to tell him that he was wrong! This is my code of conduct, Liu Junhuai, and the future developmental direction of the Myriad Manifestation Sect. I shall attempt to reform some of the corrupt practices of the cultivation world, but not the entire realm, for I have no desire to be an ambitious overlord!"

Having finished this lengthy discourse, Liu Junhuai pointed at the female cultivator and declared, "Go directly to the Myriad Manifestation Sect to submit your token. From now on, you are a disciple of the Myriad Manifestation Sect!" Without sparing another glance at the gathered crowd, he turned and strode away.

This time, there were no cheers or applause from the onlookers—only a profound silence and an even deeper coldness and disdain in the hearts of many.

Ren Yinhuai and Xiao Qingtian exchanged glances, both filled with lingering questions, before chasing after the direction in which Liu Junhuai had departed.

Inside the assembly hall, the three of them engaged in a serious discussion.

Ren Yinhuai voiced the questions weighing on his mind, "I fail to see the significance of your words just now. Do you seriously intend to save the entire cultivation world by your single strength? Everyone, myself included, thinks this is a glaring example of thankless exertion! Not only will your words fail to touch the hearts of others, but they will also cause even more people to grow cold toward you, for they saw your arrogance and unruliness—qualities which they themselves do not possess."

Liu Junhuai laughed brightly, "Then I have achieved my goal! I did not utter those words to reform anyone, nor was it mere preaching. I have been exceedingly busy these past few days; I have no idle time to lecture others! My purpose was simply to weed out those who lack the mettle to persevere. If they cannot maintain the same mindset as I, what use is there in keeping them?

"Just like the fellow I struck down, what was his purpose in joining the Myriad Manifestation Sect? Simply to ride the coattails of the powerful. Rather than wasting precious cultivation resources on him, it is far better to block him from our gates early on. I believe that those disciples who still choose to join the Myriad Manifestation Sect after hearing my words will no longer be mere parasites clinging to trees! Among today's crowd, those who look down on me shall not be accepted, no matter how high their cultivation. Those who remain will surely comprehend the purpose behind my words. Such cultivators, even if their innate talent is modest, possess a sense of justice and are worthy of vigorous cultivation by the Myriad Manifestation Sect!"

Ren Yinhuai and Xiao Qingtian remained silent for a long time before Ren Yinhuai finally spoke, "Junhuai, I must admit, becoming your enemy would mean being completely devoured without even knowing where one went wrong! Your scheming and foresight are truly terrifying. I believe your actions were not pre-planned, but improvised according to the situation. I am immensely grateful that I am not your enemy!"

Xiao Qingtian let out a deep breath, "Old Xiao is thoroughly convinced. At your age, to be able to seize every opportunity so flexibly and turn it to your advantage—Old Xiao cannot do it. Even if I thought of it, it would require a process of deliberation. Right in front of so many people, you executed a brilliant stratagem, yet no one was able to detect it. This is an open plot—righteous, above board, and entirely under your control."

Liu Junhuai could well imagine the situation outside; the flood of applicants had undoubtedly decreased significantly. Yet he felt not a shred of regret, even feeling that he had spoken rather too late and should have delivered those words before the recruitment even began.

As for the thousand or so cultivators he had secretly marked out, Liu Junhuai intended to pay special attention to those among the newly recruited disciples whose cultivation was at the Golden Core stage or higher. At the first sign of any anomaly, they would be resolutely weeded out, leaving no hidden dangers for the Myriad Manifestation Sect.

"Two great sect masters, let's go outside and see just how many cultivators still place their confidence in the Myriad Manifestation Sect!" Liu Junhuai invited them with a smile.

When the three of them returned to the elevated platform, the queue of applicants below had indeed thinned out considerably. Those who left believed that following such a headstrong sect master would bring crisis to both the sect and themselves. They had come here seeking a powerful, reliable backing for life, not an impulsive young man who stirred up trouble everywhere, no matter how formidable his strength.

A smile touched the corner of Liu Junhuai's mouth, for the greater majority of the top-tier talent he had earmarked had remained in the queue, unshaken by his seemingly misanthropic words.

Ren Yinhuai looked over at Xiao Qingtian, "Junhuai was spot on. Many have indeed changed their minds. It seems our Sect Alliance must also keep a sharp eye out for those with impure motives. In my view, our Sea Heaven Pavilion and Heavenly Mystery Sect should first select from these remaining cultivators; at least they have endured the initial test."

Wu Yaohan stepped forward and said, "Junhuai, your words caused nearly half of the applicants to leave! Should we take some measures to bring them back?"

Liu Junhuai laughed, "Grandpa Wu, let them leave if they wish. My purpose in speaking those words was precisely to drive away certain people. Those who remain are the true wealth of our cultivation world! Besides, almost none of the ones I pre-selected have left. It seems my eye for talent is still quite reliable."

Wu Yaohan nodded, "Though I do not know your ultimate goal, both I and the Myriad Manifestation Sect trust you. Things will move much faster this way; it shouldn't be long before we gather a full thousand disciples."

True to his word, in less than three hours, the thousand disciples envisioned by Liu Junhuai were fully recruited before midnight.

The various sects of the Sect Alliance, waiting eagerly on the sidelines, immediately took over the recruitment process. The cultivators who had left earlier rushed back to rejoin the lines, only for a single sentence from Ren Yinhuai to fill the nearly ten thousand returning individuals with a sense of foreboding.

Ren Yinhuai had declared: "Attention all cultivators present: to accelerate the recruitment process, those who were not in the queue just now shall not join for the time being. Once this batch of personnel has been tested and approved, further instructions will be issued to you!"

Before those ten-odd thousand cultivators could react, Ren Yinhuai had already turned and walked away.

The crowd instantly erupted into chaotic murmurs. The quick-witted among them immediately connected the situation to Liu Junhuai's previous speech, but an old man quickly dispelled such thoughts, "What did we do wrong? It is with steady and down-to-earth people like us that a sect's existing status can be truly secured. The people of the Sect Alliance have discerning eyes; they are not like that reckless young upstart from the Myriad Manifestation Sect. I, Wang Shanju, have lived for quite some years. I merely wanted to find a reliable place—if I wanted blind impulsiveness, I would have stood in that other queue long ago. Based on my years of experience, the Sect Alliance's move has profound meaning. No sect permits its disciples to act wildly and recklessly; stability represents everything."

Those around him nodded repeatedly. Being mature and steady individuals, their perspective on the matter was far shrewder than that of the youth.

However, as time passed, the two thousand cultivators on the other side were continually selected by various sects, with even female disciples and Qi Condensation stage cultivators being chosen. The ten thousand cultivators on this side gradually sensed that something was amiss.

The mature and steady Wang Shanju also wore a trace of panic in his eyes. It seemed the situation was turning unfavorable; there were signs that their group of cultivators was being left out in the cold.

Many cultivators had already run over to the other side to secretly gather information, and as the reports piled up, they finally understood the whole story.

A young cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage spoke up, "The matter is basically clear. Sect Master Liu's speech was not just the venting of a rash young man; he was testing our hearts for the Dao. What is the Sect Alliance? It is a righteous force established to fight against the Blood-Slaying Alliance, a united front of orthodox powers against evil organizations. Would they ever have any use for cowards like us who turtle up and prioritize self-preservation for our own safety? Father, this time I will not listen to you no matter what. If you hadn't forcefully dragged me away, I might have joined the Myriad Manifestation Sect long ago!"

Without waiting for the middle-aged man beside him to dissuade him, the youth turned and ran toward the Sect Alliance's recruitment area.

Similar scenes played out continuously as more and more young cultivators, who had been forcibly dissuaded, chose to leave. Mature and steady individuals like Wang Shanju—those who had previously despised Liu Junhuai for his youth and arrogance—looked at one another in utter bewilderment. In their hearts, they found it hard to comprehend: could it be that the teachings of their predecessors for hundreds and thousands of years were truly no longer suited to the modern cultivation world?