Devouring Soul Emperor

After they went through the gate.

Chu Qingyun's trio walked straight ahead.

Soon, they arrived at a wide, open field where some people had already arrived and were undergoing various trials.

Surrounding them were people from the fifteen sects, observing, recording the participants' results, and assessing whether they were qualified to join their respective sects.

Chu Qingyun's group could skip this process.

So, they went directly to find the people from the Saint Extreme Sect.

The person in charge for the Saint Extreme Sect here was an Inner Sect Disciple at the Martial King Realm.

After Chu Qingyun's group stated their purpose, he smiled and said, "The three of you have indeed been recruited by our Saint Extreme Sect in advance. Qi has also arrived in Celestial Martial City and has already submitted the list of names."

"But don't be in a hurry. I still have to handle the candidates participating in the regular trials."

"Please wait for a moment. Once things are finished here, Elder Huang will personally receive you. He will issue the Saint Extreme Sect's Tokens to you and the disciples selected from the trials at the same time."

The sect was also very friendly toward those who were recruited in advance.

This was because early recruitment wasn't just some random, unconditional process.

For instance, back in Celestial Martial City, Qi Hao and Chen Yuqi had recruited geniuses from the Celestial Spirit Realm dynasties for the Saint Extreme Sect and the Celestial Sword Sect.

Anyone from the Land of Hundred Dynasties who could break through to become a Celestial Spirit Realm expert before the age of twenty-five was definitely considered a genius.

Although they would basically all bring along a few others from their own dynasties.

But it was completely acceptable for a true genius to bring along a few less-talented individuals.

After all, new recruits joining the sect had to enter the Outer Sect first. Only those who performed exceptionally well and demonstrated outstanding strength in the Outer Sect could advance to the Inner Sect.

Most of those lesser geniuses would end their journey in the Outer Sect, so they wouldn't waste too many of the sect's resources.

Chu Qingyun's trio found this explanation reasonable.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

After thanking him, the three of them found a spot to the side to watch the other candidates' trials.

However, none of them noticed that after they turned away, the Inner Sect Disciple's face twisted into a smirk, like a scheme had just succeeded.

The sect's trials continued.

Over the past month, a considerable number of Martial Spirit Realm experts holding Golden Orders had gathered in Celestial Martial City.

Some of them looked like nobles or geniuses from the various dynasties, their bearing and speech revealing hints of their status.

Another significant portion, however, emanated a faint but palpable Evil Qi.

Although they tried their best to conceal it, a ferocious glint would still flash in their eyes from time to time.

One look at these guys, and it was obvious they were from the Blood-soaked Land and had stolen the Golden Orders from candidates from the Land of Hundred Dynasties.

However, the people from the sects turned a blind eye to this, not even bothering to ask which dynasty they came from. Everyone was treated equally.

The sect trials lasted from morning until mid-afternoon.

The talented individuals who performed exceptionally well and were chosen by the Three Major Sects, or by the Tianya Sect and Purple Cloud Sect, were naturally beaming with joy.

As for those who joined the nine smaller sects, while they might have felt a bit of regret, they were generally still very excited and happy.

Joining even the weakest of sects offered far better training than what they could receive in their respective dynasties.

Among these candidates, Chu Qingyun also saw Princess Qingyou and Yin Feiyang.

Back at the Blood Sect ruins, Chu Qingyun had saved the two of them from Mutants. They had gone down the mountain right after and waited at the edge of the ruins.

The moment the seal shattered, the two of them left the Blood Sect ruins immediately.

They had both witnessed the terror of the Mutants firsthand, and neither of them was an idiot. So, after leaving the ruins, they didn't linger for a moment. They didn't even enter the nearby city, flying straight for Celestial Martial City instead.

On the final leg of their journey, the two were quite lucky. Yin Feiyang broke through to become a sixth-level Martial Spirit on the way, and they arrived safely in Celestial Martial City.

However, among the candidates from the Great Xia nation, their strength and talent were only considered slightly above average.

Now, compared to the Martial Spirit Realm geniuses from the Land of Hundred Dynasties and the Blood-soaked Land, they were at the bottom of the pack. They didn't perform very well in the trials and ended up joining a sect called the Boqun Sect.

Princess Qingyou and Yin Feiyang were so focused on the trials that they didn't notice Chu Qingyun in the distance.

And Chu Qingyun had no intention of greeting them, so they essentially passed each other by.

Mid-afternoon passed, and the final candidate at last completed the trials, joining the Talisman Puppet Sect.

This month of trials had finally come to a close.

The Inner Sect Disciples from the fifteen sects, each in charge of the trials, led their newly recruited geniuses to their respective sect's area within the estate.

"Junior Brothers and Sisters, my surname is Mo, and my given name is Guang. You can call me Brother Mo. From now on, in the sect, we must all look out for each other, haha."

On the way, the Inner Sect Disciple, Mo Guang, had briefly introduced himself.

From this month's candidates, the Saint Extreme Sect recruited a total of thirty-two new disciples. Adding Chu Qingyun, Mu Xiaoxiao, and Dai made for a total of thirty-five.

The number wasn't large, but among the several hundred geniuses who came to participate in the trials, their strength and talent were absolutely top-tier.

"Junior Brothers and Sisters, please wait here for a moment while I go get Elder Huang."

After entering a spacious courtyard, Mo Guang had the thirty-five of them wait while he went inside first.

Soon, an old man with a white beard and white eyebrows walked out, leading several young and middle-aged men.

Mo Guang was among them.

Chu Qingyun couldn't sense any trace of an aura from the white-bearded, white-eyebrowed old man. And though he wore a smile, the glint in his eyes gave off a somewhat chilling impression.

As for the young and middle-aged men behind him, every one of them had a restrained aura, giving off an unfathomable feeling.

They were all Martial King Level experts, likely Inner Sect Disciples of the Saint Extreme Sect, just like Qi Hao and Mo Guang.

"Junior Brothers and Sisters, this is an Outer Elder of our Saint Extreme Sect, Elder Huang. Elder Huang is a Martial Emperor Level expert, so you must not be disrespectful!"

Mo Guang stood behind Elder Huang and made the introduction with a smile.

Hearing he was a Martial Emperor Realm expert, many of them curiously sized up Elder Huang, but they didn't dare to be too brazen, appearing somewhat reserved.

A Martial Emperor Level expert was a top-tier powerhouse among the major dynasties in the Land of Hundred Dynasties.

For an ordinary person, even a so-called genius, it was an incredibly rare sight to behold one.