Demoness, Stop! - Chapter 20 - Chapter 20 – I Am

On the raised platform, Elder Sun showed a moment of puzzlement upon seeing the four newcomers.

In the past, only two officials had come to select disciples, but today there were four—especially the identities of the last two, which shocked him deeply.

How did they end up here?

After a brief moment of doubt, he put aside his speculation and handed a slip of paper to the young man, saying, “Thank you all for your efforts on the journey. Here are the profiles of the nineteen Qi Refining stage disciples from Baiyun Temple. Please take a look.”

The slip listed the disciples’ names, ages, time spent gathering Qi, cultivation duration, and their current levels of attainment.

The young man glanced over it and said indifferently, “The talent of this group is surprisingly low; not one meets the entry requirements. Junior sister, why did you insist on coming here?”

The beautiful woman gave a faint smile and replied, “I was bored anyway. It’s a bit stifling to always cultivate inside the sect. It’s nice to get some fresh air.”

The young man said no more and passed the paper to the old man beside him, who after reading it, handed it to the plump woman.

After she finished looking, the young man said, “Among these dozen or so people, only one has broken through the second acupoint, and since it happened so soon after beginning to gather qi, it must be due to pill use. This does not meet the entry criteria; this visit is basically wasted.”

The Kunlun Sect’s entry requirements were to open the second acupoint within six months of gathering qi, or to open five acupoints within two years. None of the nineteen disciples from Baiyun Temple met these standards.

Though one had opened two acupoints, the time between breakthroughs was too short. If they had done it naturally, the sect would have known earlier and would not have waited until now.

When the young man finished speaking, the plump woman said nothing, and the old man, after a moment of silence, said, “We can’t be so strict. The entry requirements are just a reference. If they have other outstanding qualities, exceptions might be made. Let’s observe first.”

After saying this, he lightly floated down from the platform, walked among the crowd, inspecting the disciples carefully. The disciples all looked expectantly at him.

Finally, the old man stopped in front of one disciple, took his wrist to examine, and asked, “What is your name?”

The disciple’s face lit up, and he promptly replied, “Respectfully, senior, my name is Liu Dong.”

The old man returned to the platform and said to the other three, “He began gathering qi a year ago, the earliest among the disciples. I’m short one servant disciple and find this young man fits my taste. I want to make an exception and admit him. What do you think?”

This disciple began gathering qi a year ago but had yet to break through the second acupoint. It was uncertain whether he would reach Foundation Establishment this lifetime, so he obviously did not meet the entry criteria.

However, none of the three objected.

The Kunlun Sect’s entry standards were not rigidly fixed. Each official selecting disciples had one discretionary spot, providing some room for flexibility.

Some well-connected individuals could bribe the officials to gain entry.

The sect turned a blind eye to this, as they needed servant disciples who didn’t require high cultivation, just cleverness and obedience.

Though the Foundation Establishment officials weren’t high-ranking within the sect, they enjoyed certain privileges.

But such privileges could only be used once.

Liu Dong was successfully selected. Other disciples cast envious glances at him. After choosing Liu Dong, the old man made no further moves, and everyone turned their attention to the remaining three.

At this moment, the plump woman, somewhat impatient, flew down from the platform and walked straight to Li Yu. She asked, “What is your name?”

Li Yu’s heart skipped a beat, as if he suddenly thought of something, but he steeled himself and replied, “Respectfully, senior, I am Li Yu.”

The woman sized him up from head to toe, then licked her lips and said, “Li Yu, are you willing to become my dual cultivation partner? If you agree, within twenty years, I can help you reach the Foundation Establishment stage…”

Hearing her words, many male disciples’ faces showed expressions of envy.

They had heard Elder Sun’s story — compared to eternal life, dignity was nothing. As long as Li Yu nodded, he would be guaranteed to settle firmly at the Foundation Establishment stage and might even glimpse the Golden Core Dao…

Zhou Zixuan, upon hearing this, trembled slightly and bit her lower lip.

Li Yu looked at the woman and shook his head, saying, “Sorry, senior, I already have someone I like…”

This was a clear rejection. The woman did not press further and, disappointed, flew back up to the platform.

Since Li Yu did not agree, she naturally would not waste any more chances on him.

Li Yu sighed inwardly. Eternal life was indeed very tempting, but he simply could not convince himself.

Beside him, Zhou Zixuan quietly relaxed into a smile.

On the high platform, Elder Sun looked at Li Yu as if seeing his younger self. His gaze grew reflective. After a moment, his eyes cleared and he beckoned Li Yu over, saying, “Li Yu, come up.”

Li Yu was stunned for a moment, then walked up the steps onto the platform.

Elder Sun grabbed Li Yu’s wrist and said to the other three, “His name is Li Yu, one of the better talents among the Baiyun disciples. Although he started gathering qi late, he specializes in the Fire Spiritual Vein, with secondary cultivation in the Wood and Water Spiritual Veins. Otherwise, his cultivation would be even higher, and he can later develop along the alchemy path…”

As the steward of Baiyun Temple, Elder Sun had the authority to recommend disciples, but the final decision depended on several officials of the sect.

According to the rules, those who don’t meet the entry requirements but have outstanding qualities may be admitted as exceptions without using up extra slots, but this requires approval by the majority of officials.

If there are two officials, both must agree.

If there are four officials, at least three must agree.

The old man had achieved his goal, shrugged and said indifferently, “I have no objections; it’s up to the other three…”

The woman did not speak but had already made her stance clear.

Li Yu had embarrassed her in front of so many people, so of course she would not speak on his behalf.

The beautiful woman smiled and said, “I have no objection either.”

Among the three, two agreed, one opposed. The young man’s opinion became especially important, and all eyes turned to him.

The young man looked at Li Yu for a long while, shook his head and said, “The path of cultivation requires steady progress and acting within one’s limits. Those who reach too high too fast are destined for little success in the Immortal Dao. Letting him in would be a waste of resources and unfair to other disciples. Therefore, I disagree.”

The young man’s reasoning was sound and thorough; Elder Sun had nothing to say.

Thus, with two opposing voices among the four, Li Yu still could not be admitted to Kunlun Sect.

Moreover, the young man’s words essentially ended any future chance Li Yu had to enter Kunlun.

The young man looked at Li Yu with indifference. Whether the Kunlun Sect had one more disciple or one less didn’t really matter to him. If it had been anyone else here today, he likely would have agreed.

But not this one.

From earlier until now, his junior sister Xu had looked at this man seven times.

That reason alone was more than enough.

Besides, that face of his… was annoyingly good-looking.

Faced with this outcome, Elder Sun could only sigh in resignation. He couldn’t change anything, so he looked at Li Yu with regret and said, “You may step down.”

Li Yu turned around, about to leave, when a voice suddenly called out from behind him.

“Wait.”

He turned his head and saw the beautiful woman looking at him.

Xu Qingxin smiled gently at Li Yu and asked, “Are you willing…”

“I am,” Li Yu replied without hesitation.

Looking at her exquisite and elegant face, he couldn’t help glancing out of the corner of his eye at Zhou Zixuan, standing below the stage.

He had always known that Senior Sister Zhou had feelings for him.

Li Yu also felt something for her. After all, who wouldn’t like a gentle, warm, jade-like older sister? If the Immortal Dao truly had no hope for him, living out a normal life with her wouldn’t be so bad. It might even be a kind of redemption for his previous life.

But at this moment, he could only sigh inwardly.

I’m sorry, Senior Sister Zhou. Once I become a sect steward… I’ll come back for you.