Chapter 446 - 427: This, Is Your First Trial
The sky was just beginning to show the pale light of dawn. In the NPC residential area, all was silent.
Su Ling'er hovered in mid-air, her Sword Control keeping her aloft. The hem of her crimson dress fluttered gently in the cold wind.
She looked down at the dozen or so ramshackle, dilapidated straw huts below and sighed inwardly.
'I went through the same thing back then.'
'But for this group, even after such cruel exploitation and oppression, they can still sleep so soundly.'
'The demonic roots run deep.'
'It seems their yearning for and obsession with the demonic path are carved into their very bones. Ordinary hardship can't shake them at all.'
'It looks like I'll have to use even more diligent labor and more severe trials to slowly cleanse their tainted souls, forcing them to retreat in the face of difficulty and return to the mortal world.'
She hesitated no longer. Her Dantian's Spiritual Power began to circulate.
"All disciples, assemble outside within three breaths' time!"
Her sharp cry, carrying the pressure of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, crashed down with a BOOM.
Instantly, terrified shouts erupted from the dozen or so straw huts.
Bits of straw flew everywhere, and wooden doors were slammed open with a CREAK.
Figure after figure, bleary-eyed and faces filled with terror, rushed out of the huts.
In just two breaths' time, the ten-plus undercover agents were already standing in a perfectly straight line in the open space outside.
After yesterday's "baptism," they had developed a bone-deep psychological trauma regarding this capricious and ruthless Miss Su.
Being even a step too slow, they feared, would result in something far worse than a simple scolding.
The spines ripped out, the skulls refined into Magical Artifacts, the bodies turned into "flower fertilizer"—they definitely didn't want to meet the same fate.
In the line, several undercover agents from the righteous path lowered their heads, their eyes glinting with humiliation and vigilance.
The agents from the demonic path, however, were the exact opposite. Their eyes... were filled with feverish anticipation.
'Here we go again!'
'What cruel demonic law is Miss Su going to teach us now?!'
'Yesterday was physical exhaustion. Is today a mental trial?'
Su Ling'er stood with her hands behind her back, her icy gaze sweeping over the crowd, taking in all their different expressions.
'Fear is the first step to their awakening.'
She dropped a bombshell.
"In one month, the sect will participate in the Yunzhou Sword Testing Conference."
"Location: Broken Sword Ridge."
As her voice fell, the crowd was dead silent.
The Sword Testing Conference?
The undercover agents exchanged glances, not understanding why Miss Su would suddenly bring this up.
'Wasn't the Sword Testing Conference held not long ago? Did those mainstay sects in the Yunzhou Realm already manage to piss off the high sects so quickly?'
'Is the Guixi Sect planning to get a piece of the pie? But isn't this a conference for the righteous path? Does the Guixi Sect even participate?'
'Still, I've heard the rewards for the Sword Testing Conference are always quite good. I wonder what this one in the Yunzhou Realm will be like.'
"For this expedition, aside from myself as the leader and two core disciples who have already been chosen…"
"…there are three remaining spots."
"They will be chosen from among you."
BOOM!
Those words exploded in the minds of the crowd!
Everyone's breathing instantly grew heavy.
Remaining spots!
Chosen from among them!
What did this mean?
It meant they had a chance to escape this sunless life of hard labor and become core undercover disciples representing the sect in battle!
'Does this mean we can rise up from the oppressed bottom and become the oppressors?!'
Just as everyone's hearts were surging with emotion, a figure at the back of the crowd suddenly looked up.
Lu Ping.
In his eyes, usually half-closed and exuding a lazy indifference to the world, something shattered.
Broken Sword Ridge.
That name, like a thunderclap that had traveled over a decade, struck his sea of consciousness, shattering the facade he called "going with the flow" to pieces.
Qinghe Town.
The terrifying and bizarre plague that had claimed countless lives.
The look in his father's eyes before he left home—resolute, yet tinged with fear.
And that snow-white monkey, the one that had tried to help him escape, only to disappear deep into the mountains after Mr. Huohua of the Celestial Furnace Sect appeared.
All this time, he had used laziness and indifference as an escape, telling himself that his parents had merely "gone to seek immortality."
But the Heart Demon Illusion Realm on the Asking Dao Ladder had already torn an unhealable wound in his heart.
He had to go back!
He had to go to Broken Sword Ridge!
He had to participate in this Sword Testing Conference!
Regardless of whether it held some so-called "immortal opportunity" or the truth he had never dared to face.
He had to go!
In an instant, the obsession that had driven him to break through to Foundation Establishment on the Asking Dao Ladder reignited in his heart like a wildfire, burning so intensely that his eyes turned slightly red.
The change in his eyes went unnoticed by the others.
At this moment, the minds of all the undercover agents were buzzing with activity.
One of the righteous path agents felt his chest heave, his original humiliation and resentment replaced by intense greed.
'An opportunity! This is a heaven-sent opportunity!'
'The Sword Testing Conference is a grand event for the entire Yunzhou Realm! The winners receive massive rewards!'
'As long as I can place and get a reward, this demoness probably won't be able to exploit me for it, right?'
'That would be a slap in the face to the high sects!'
'Maybe... I could even get a cut from exploiting others!'
'This is reclaiming resources for the righteous path that were stolen by the demonic path! I'll just be holding onto them temporarily. Yes, just temporarily!'
He found a high-sounding justification for his burgeoning greed, and his conscience was instantly cleared.
'I have to perform well from now on!'
On the other side, the thoughts of the demonic path agents were much more direct.
'Let's do this!'
One of the demonic agents licked his chapped lips.
'As long as I can represent the Guixi Sect, even if it's just to make an appearance, I'll surely win the favor of the Guixi Sect's upper echelon! Whether as an undercover agent or a loyal believer in the Guixi Sect, this is a golden opportunity to rise to the top!'
'My original sect is a piece of shit, just a poor beggar compared to the Guixi Sect! If it weren't for the restrictive seals binding me, I'd swear to stay here forever!'
In an instant, the team, once listless from oppression, was now surging with fighting spirit.
Everyone straightened their backs, their eyes burning with the flames of desire.
They all wanted to win.
They all wanted to be chosen.
They all wanted to go to Broken Sword Ridge!
Su Ling'er caught the "killing intent" and "ambition" in their eyes.
She stood in the morning breeze, her crimson dress whipping about, but her heart was ice-cold.
'As I expected.'
'They really are a bunch of demonic spawns who'd love nothing more than to see the world burn!'
'After such cruel oppression, not only did they show no sign of backing down, but the spots for the "Sword Testing Conference" have ignited an even stronger desire within them.'
'If I take a group like this to compete, they'll likely just stir up trouble. And while making enemies for the Guixi Sect everywhere is a good thing, it would completely go against Senior Brother's good intentions to straighten them out one by one.'
'No.'
'The selection criteria must be adjusted.'
'Combat strength is important, but if their hearts are crooked, then the stronger they are, the more havoc they'll wreak.'
'This trip is about settling scores. It's about seeking justice for the wronged souls who died in Anhe City. I absolutely cannot let these corrupt individuals tarnish this war of vengeance!'
Her mind made up, she resolved to use the next month to implement her Senior Brother's "righteous labor-based reformation" and screen for those with pure hearts.
"You want a spot? Fine."
The corners of Su Ling'er's lips curved into a meaningful smile.
In her mind, the smile was probably one of kindness and expectation, like an elder looking upon the younger generation. But to the dozen or so undercover agents below, it was no different from a demon's whisper, sending a collective shiver down their spines.
"But before that, you must first learn how to 'love.'"
Love?
The undercover agents froze, their minds unable to process it.
Su Ling'er didn't give them much time to think. With a wave of her sleeve, she pointed toward the depths of the sect.
"Everyone, follow me to the Cultivation Hall at once to receive your special assessment tasks!"
...
Filled with doubt and apprehension, the group followed Su Ling'er, once again arriving at the Cultivation Hall.
They had assumed that the so-called "special assessment" would be nothing more than continuing high-intensity monster-grinding tasks like in the Demon-Locking Tower, assassinating a figure from a rival power, or perhaps cultivating some vicious demonic technique.
After all, in their eyes, nothing the Guixi Sect did had anything to do with the words "benevolence" and "love."
However, when Su Ling'er tapped her slender finger, pointing to the massive mission board inside the hall, everyone was petrified.
On the board, written in bold, powerful calligraphy, was a list of tasks that they found utterly baffling:
"Spirit Beast Postnatal Care (Advanced)"
"Assist in Cleaning Three Tons of Adult Armored Rhinoceros Dung"
"Trim the Claws of a Rampaging Demon Ape"
"Incubate an Unknown Giant Insect Egg"
...
Looking through the series of tasks, not a single one had anything to do with fighting or killing. They were all trivial, almost absurd chores.
An agent rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he was hallucinating from lack of sleep.
'What in the world is all this?'
'We're supposed to be nannies and poop-scoopers for the sect's spirit beasts? But these are the sect's beasts, not our own! Is this "love"? Are we supposed to have a caring heart for the sect's spirit beasts and demon beasts?'
Su Ling'er took in the dumbfounded and bewildered expressions on their faces, which only strengthened her conviction.
She cleared her throat and began her "enlightenment."
"All things have a spirit; all living beings are equal."
"To cultivate the supreme Great Dao, you must first possess a compassionate heart that can empathize with all things. To learn to kill, you must first learn to protect. These spirit beasts are the foundation of our Guixi Sect. They are our fellow disciples and our family."
"From this day forward, you must care for them and love them as you would your own family. This is your first trial!"
She believed that by caring for these small, innocent lives, she could surely awaken the last vestiges of conscience in these demonic spawns.
'Whoever is the most meticulous, whoever is the most loving... only then will I even consider them!'
However, these words, which sounded so philosophical and benevolent to her, instantly took on a different meaning in the ears of the scheming undercover agents below.
The corners of several righteous path agents' mouths twitched.
'Wait, are you sure you consider them fellow disciples and family?'
'Do you make your family work around the clock without a break? Make them do nothing but breeding work once they're valuable? Your family has it rough!'
'Besides, this bunch doesn't look very easy to get along with. I bet they take out the frustrations they get at the Spirit Beast Garden or Beast Taming House on us grunts, don't they?'