Chapter 143: Qian Chongyi of the Late Nascent Soul Stage

The next morning, a disciple of the Myriad Forms Sect came to report that another group of applicants had arrived outside the mountain gate, requesting entry into the sect.

Liu Junhuai immediately flashed to the gate. Several thousand cultivators had already gathered there, and among them was even an elder in the early Nascent Soul stage.

He stepped forward and approached an elder in the late Nascent Soul stage. “Senior, have you also come to participate in the Myriad Forms Sect’s recruitment assembly? I am Liu Junhuai, the current sect master.”

Upon hearing his introduction, the elder in the early Nascent Soul stage laughed. “They say the master of the Myriad Forms Sect is young and promising. Today, I have finally seen it for myself. Sect Master Liu, I have indeed come to attend the recruitment assembly. Surely you will not reject me because of my age?”

“Of course not! I was merely wondering why you came to apply. With your cultivation, you could already rule over an entire region!” Liu Junhuai replied with a smile.

The old man scrutinized Liu Junhuai carefully, his gaze carrying the unmistakable air of a father-in-law examining a prospective son-in-law. “My precious granddaughter sent me a communication jade token. I have also heard quite a lot about you. It seems that many of these young people have come here because of you!”

“Your granddaughter?” Liu Junhuai asked in surprise. “Has she joined the Myriad Forms Sect?”

“She was directly invited into the sect by you. Have you already forgotten, Sect Master Liu? You saved her life. She and I have depended on each other for many years. Now that she has become a disciple of the Myriad Forms Sect, there is no point in my remaining at home alone. I might as well join the sect together with my little granddaughter! By the way, my name is Qian Chongyi, and I come from Layered Wave Island in the Endless Sea!”

Liu Junhuai hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting. “Senior Qian, you may come in with me shortly. I will take you to see your granddaughter. Please wait a moment, though. I must first arrange matters for these cultivators.”

As he spoke, Liu Junhuai spread his spiritual sense over the thousands of cultivators. More than forty of them caught his attention, and one child of twelve or thirteen stood out in particular.

The boy looked clever and mischievous. His plump face held a pair of impish eyes, their lids blinking rapidly. Whenever those eyes, black as polished jewels, shifted, some new trick seemed to spring into his mind. On his dark, sun-browned face, his bulging cheeks, thin lips, and slightly upturned nose all gave him a comical, endearing appearance.

Liu Junhuai beckoned the child over. “Did you come with your family? Point your father out to me. I would like to speak with him.”

The boy spoke with an innocence far greater than his actual age would suggest. “You mean my father? He is a martial arts fanatic. Everyone at home calls him that. If you can teach him martial arts, I can call him over for you!”

Liu Junhuai burst out laughing. “Then you will have to let me meet him first. I need to examine his physical condition!”

The child nodded vigorously, turned around, and waved. “Father, this big brother wants you to come over!”

A middle-aged man at the fifth level of Qi Refinement hurriedly squeezed through the crowd. He was tall, broad-faced, and powerfully built, giving an impression of both ruggedness and sharpness.

Yet in the presence of a legendary high-level cultivator, he was visibly nervous. He did not even dare meet Liu Junhuai’s eyes. “Senior, did you ask me to come over for something? Has the child caused trouble?”

Liu Junhuai smiled and waved his hand. “Not at all. I like this child very much. May I ask why you came here? The Myriad Forms Sect only recruits cultivators, and it seems you have not yet reached the Xiantian realm. I have taken a liking to your son. He says you are obsessed with martial arts. Have you ever considered cultivating?”

Qian Chongyi, standing nearby, found Liu Junhuai’s actions rather strange. The middle-aged man clearly had no aptitude for cultivation. What did this young sect master intend to do?

The man hesitated for a long while. He opened his mouth several times, yet seemed unable to find the right words, his expression filled with uncertainty.

Liu Junhuai smiled. “Are you trying to say that you have no spiritual root and cannot cultivate? Do not worry. If your child is willing to stay, I will find a way to help you!”

The man’s eyes lit up, and a surge of wild joy immediately filled his heart. Trembling, he asked, “Senior, can you truly repair my spiritual root? If so, you will be my second parents! Please accept my bow. My name is She Qinshan!”

He was about to kneel when Liu Junhuai hurriedly supported him. “There is no need for that. Besides, you have not yet agreed to my request concerning your child.”

The quick-witted boy immediately tried to kneel beside his father, but Liu Junhuai pulled him back up as well.

The child said, “If Senior is willing to accept my father, then I will stay and become your disciple!”

Qian Chongyi’s expression grew increasingly cold. Before anyone realized it, the powerful aura of a late-Nascent-Soul cultivator began to spill from him. The father and son instantly felt an immense pressure descend upon them, their faces turning deathly pale.

Liu Junhuai reacted in time. His true essence surged into motion, forming a protective barrier around the two of them. “Senior Qian, please do not be angry. Allow me to explain everything!”

Qian Chongyi realized that something unexpected had happened and hurriedly withdrew his aura, though he still glared at Liu Junhuai angrily.

Liu Junhuai smiled helplessly. The old man certainly possessed a strong sense of justice. “Please calm yourself, Senior. I truly do possess a secret technique capable of repairing spiritual roots. Your granddaughter heard me explain it earlier today. I can even refine pills that implant spiritual roots. I will explain the details to you later. For now, please do not assume that I am deceiving these two.”

Qian Chongyi remained doubtful, though the anger had already vanished from his face. He lowered his voice and asked, “Is that really possible? I have lived for nearly a century, yet I have never heard of such a method.”

Liu Junhuai extended his arm toward him. “You may examine my pulse yourself, Senior. I possess a mixed five-element spiritual root, the same constitution as this child. That is why I was so eager to help him.”

Filled with questions, Qian Chongyi placed two fingers against Liu Junhuai’s wrist. With his cultivation at the late Nascent Soul stage, he could normally use his spiritual sense to determine the quality of a cultivator’s spiritual root, but physical contact was still necessary.

As Qian Chongyi’s spiritual sense entered Liu Junhuai’s body, his expression grew more and more astonished. At last, his face changed completely, and he released Liu Junhuai’s wrist.

His eyes were filled with disbelief. He simply stared at Liu Junhuai, unable even to speak.

Liu Junhuai shook his head with a smile. “Senior, whatever questions you have, I will explain them in detail after we return to the Myriad Forms Sect. These cultivators are still waiting.”

Without paying further attention to Qian Chongyi’s shock, he turned to the father and son. “Since you have made your decision, stand aside for now. Once I have said a few words to everyone, I will take you into the Myriad Forms Sect.”

Only then did She Qinshan stand beside Qian Chongyi, his eyes brimming with tears as he repeatedly offered his thanks.

Looking toward the thousands of cultivators, Liu Junhuai raised his voice. “Fellow daoists, you have traveled a long way and endured much hardship. The Myriad Forms Sect filled all one thousand of its places last night. However, since it was not easy for any of you to come here, enter the sect with me shortly. Once inside, take a numbered token and wait in line. Thirty thousand people are already undergoing recruitment by the various sects within the Myriad Forms Sect, so you will have to wait a little longer.

“All the major sects are currently recruiting disciples. Your chances remain quite good. Even if you do not enter the Myriad Forms Sect, it is no great matter. After the sects finish recruiting, they will cultivate at the training grounds established within the Myriad Forms Sect. If you still wish to join our sect at that time, we can discuss it then.”

By this time, the Sect Alliance had already received word and hurried over. Together with Liu Junhuai, they led the thousands of cultivators to the platform to collect their numbered tokens.

There was no need for Liu Junhuai to concern himself personally with such trivial matters. He simply led Qian Chongyi and the father and son into the council hall.

The female cultivator who had received the message also arrived to visit her grandfather. Liu Junhuai briefly recounted what had happened at the mountain gate. The female cultivator, Qian Xueying, burst into laughter and patted her grandfather on the shoulder.

“Grandfather, even at your age, you are still so willful. At least let Sect Master Liu finish speaking.”

She then turned toward Liu Junhuai. “My grandfather has always been upright and incorruptible, and his temper is exceedingly blunt. I apologize for making you endure his displeasure, Sect Master.”

Liu Junhuai laughed heartily. “Not at all. I rather like Senior’s temperament. We get along quite well! By the way, Senior, since you have humbled yourself to join the Myriad Forms Sect for your granddaughter, what position would you like? We have two Supreme Elders, both in the late Nascent Soul stage. I will call them out so that you can meet them.”

Qian Chongyi was astonished once again. He had not expected the Myriad Forms Sect to possess such profound foundations. Although it was a newly established sect, its strength was scarcely inferior to that of the old super-sects.

Before long, Fang Keyin and Bian Yanshan arrived. The three old men naturally found plenty to discuss, and as their conversation continued, Fang Keyin brought out a jar of Sanggan fruit wine, shocking Qian Chongyi yet again.

At that moment, Wan Xingyun approached. “Sect Master, when should we hold a welcoming ceremony? Afterward, we will distribute cultivation manuals. Please select suitable techniques according to each person’s aptitude so that I can have them engraved in advance.”

Liu Junhuai replied, “Let us wait a few days. Several thousand more cultivators arrived today. We can select more candidates and handle everything together.”

Wan Xingyun walked a few steps, then returned and asked, “There is one more matter. I have crippled the cultivation of the disciple who colluded with Huo Shaoying. How do you think we should deal with him?”

Liu Junhuai lowered his head and pondered for a moment. “Forget it. His attitude was fairly sincere. Since his cultivation has already been abolished, I think we should let him leave.”

Wan Xingyun’s feelings were complicated, but he was also somewhat relieved. That disciple had spent more than a decade at the Yanfu Palace, and deep down, Wan Xingyun had been unable to bear treating him harshly. Fortunately, Liu Junhuai had chosen not to pursue the matter further.

As soon as Wan Xingyun left, Wu Yaohan came looking for Liu Junhuai.

“Junhuai, the numbered tokens have already been handed out. Come quickly and select the numbers. We can begin testing their spiritual roots now. More people will arrive over the next few days, and I am afraid we will become too busy to manage everything later. It would be a pity to overlook a few promising talents.”

Liu Junhuai could not help laughing bitterly inwardly. When would these exhausting days ever end? Still, everyone in the Myriad Forms Sect had been working just as hard. He had done little more than issue instructions.

At that thought, Liu Junhuai suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly called out to Wu Yaohan, who was walking away.

“Granduncle Wu, everyone in the Myriad Forms Sect has been working tirelessly these past few days. Should we give the disciples some kind of reward? We cannot keep making the ox work without feeding it, can we? How about giving each person an additional one hundred low-grade spirit stones?”

Wu Yaohan thought for a moment, then nodded. “That would be good. It would also leave a favorable impression on the new disciples. Let us do that. When the spirit stones are gone, I will simply ask you for more.”

With that, the two men headed toward the platform, unaware that the three old men, Fang Keyin, Bian Yanshan, and Qian Chongyi, were deep in conversation in the distance, occasionally pointing toward him as they spoke.