Demoness, Stop! - Chapter 21 - Chapter 21 – Self-Recommendation

On the high platform, the young man’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately said, “Junior Sister, isn’t this against the rules?”

The beautiful woman replied, “How is it against the rules? Don’t forget, I also have one quota for an inner disciple. I hadn’t planned to use it, but since you all disagree, I don’t have any other choice.”

The young man opened his mouth as if to speak but ultimately chose to remain silent.

Each deacon had one personal quota for admitting a disciple, which required no justification. Since Junior Sister Xu had exercised that special privilege, there was nothing he could do to oppose it.

Li Yu was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood what had happened.

It seemed he had misunderstood earlier—she hadn’t been inviting him to dual cultivate.

He blushed slightly, then glanced down at Zhou Zixuan with a twinge of guilt. He had promised to inherit the Foundation Establishment elder’s legacy and support her, but now that likely wouldn’t happen.

Xu Qingxin noticed Li Yu’s gaze and looked at Zhou Zixuan. Then, meeting Li Yu’s eyes, she subtly glanced at Zhou Zixuan again and raised her brows slightly.

Li Yu immediately understood and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

If I ever rise to power, I won’t forget those around me. Naturally, if he could help a friend, he would.

But still—what was going on? Why would this Foundation Establishment senior, whom he’d never even met, be willing to help him like this?

What happened next only confirmed Li Yu’s suspicions.

The beautiful woman pointed at Zhou Zixuan below the stage and said, “I propose that young lady for entry into the sect. Do any of you have objections?”

She had already used her personal quota on Li Yu, so this proposal required agreement from at least two of the remaining three deacons.

The young man asked in confusion, “Junior Sister, why her? She clearly doesn’t meet the entry requirements and has no outstanding qualities…”

The beautiful woman replied, “But she’s very pretty.”

The young man frowned. “Being pretty counts as an outstanding quality?”

The beautiful woman shot back, “Doesn’t it?”

Looking at her flawless face, Lu Xingzhou was left speechless. He could only say, “As long as the other two have no objections, I don’t either.”

The old man spoke up at the right moment, “I have no objections.”

The plump woman followed right after, “Nor do I.”

Whether the girl was admitted or not had nothing to do with them. There was no need to offend one of the Seven Prodigies of Kunlun over such a trivial matter. Although their cultivation levels were the same—Foundation Establishment—their status within the sect was worlds apart.

Out of the four, three had agreed to Zhou Zixuan’s entry. The young man’s opinion no longer mattered.

No one said anything further, and the sect entrance selection was essentially complete. Of all those from Baiyun Temple, three had been chosen. The rest could only look on with overwhelming envy.

Becoming a formal disciple of the Kunlun Sect meant access to sect resources and nurturing. From this moment on, those three would soar, leaving the others far behind.

Just as Elder Sun was about to declare the selection over, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd below.

A figure stepped forward and looked up at the plump woman on the high platform. “Senior, look at me! I’m willing to become your dual cultivation partner!”

That familiar voice left Li Yu dumbfounded.

The one who stepped out from the crowd and offered himself… was Chen Ming.

His shout left not just the disciples of Baiyun Temple stunned, but even the Foundation Establishment cultivators on the platform were taken aback.

Elder Sun looked at Chen Ming with a complex expression—there was mockery in his gaze, but also a hint of appreciation.

The beautiful woman looked surprised, the Foundation Establishment elder had a playful glint in his eyes, while the young man looked utterly disdainful and disgusted. He sneered, “I didn’t know there were people so shameless in this world.”

Only the plump woman hesitated briefly when she looked at Chen Ming, then asked, “Are you truly willing?”

Chen Ming met the woman’s eyes and said firmly, “I am!”

The Foundation Establishment woman fell silent.

She knew that with her talent, she had no hope of forming a golden core in this lifetime. Having devoted herself entirely to cultivation and wasted her years, she was now running out of lifespan. She had come to terms with it—rather than futilely continuing to cultivate, she might as well give it up and find a dual cultivation partner to enjoy the pleasures of life.

As a cultivator, of course she wouldn’t choose a mortal. The formal disciples of the Kunlun Sect were all proud and arrogant; they would never accept her. The best candidates were the new disciples.

Originally, her ideal choice had been that Li Yu—his looks were outstanding, and among the crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

Unfortunately, Li Yu had rejected her. She had planned to look elsewhere, but unexpectedly, someone from Baiyun Temple had volunteered for her bed.

Though that man wasn’t as handsome as Li Yu, he looked decent enough and didn’t make her feel repulsed. After thinking it over for a moment, she finally nodded and said, “Very well. You have half an hour to gather your things and come with me back to the sect.”

Only then did some of the other disciples show deep regret.

“Damn it! He beat me to it!”

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. If only I’d stepped forward!”

“I regret it so much!”

…

Feeling the regret around him, Chen Ming sneered inwardly. Fools. Life in the royal court had already taught him one truth: Heaven doesn’t drop meat pies. Opportunities must be fought for!

That Foundation Establishment elder gave her personal quota to Chen Ming. With that, a total of four people from Baiyun Temple were accepted this year—a relatively high number.

Those selected would immediately enter the sect. They had half an hour to pack their things before they would follow the deacons back to Kunlun.

Li Yu didn’t have much to pack—just a few clothes and a little over a hundred spirit coins.

As he was packing, someone entered from outside.

Li Yu turned around, quickly stood up straight, and cupped his fists. “Thank you, Senior…”

Xu Qingxin waved her hand and said, “No need to thank me—I’m only doing this on someone else’s behalf.”

Li Yu was briefly stunned, but then a figure appeared in his mind. He smiled and asked, “How is Jiang Li doing now?”

At the mention of Jiang Li, Xu Qingxin also smiled and said, “Junior Sister Jiang is now our master’s most beloved disciple. She can’t leave the sect, so she asked me to bring you back. She was worried I’d mistake someone else, so she told me, ‘The best-looking one in Baiyun Temple is him.’”

Only then did Li Yu understand why she had been watching him from the start. He replied modestly, “Senior, you are too kind.”

Xu Qingxin said, “I’m not much older than you. You and Junior Sister Jiang can just call me Senior Sister Xu.”

A moment later, after packing everything, Li Yu took out a bundle from his cabinet and handed it to her. “These are Jiang Li’s things. She left in a hurry last time and didn’t get to pack. Please give them to her.”

Xu Qingxin accepted the bundle, and in the next instant, it vanished from her hand.

It was the second time Li Yu had seen a spatial magic treasure. Clearly, this Senior Sister Xu held no small status in the sect. Even Elder Sun, also at Foundation Establishment, didn’t have such a fine item.

As the two walked out of the room, Zhou Zixuan, who had also finished packing, approached them. Upon seeing Xu Qingxin, she immediately bowed respectfully and said, “Thank you for earlier, Senior…”

Xu Qingxin smiled and replied, “No need to thank me—thank Junior Brother Li instead.”

With that, she didn’t explain further and drifted away gracefully.

Zhou Zixuan looked at Li Yu and murmured, “Li Yu, you…”

Li Yu lightly patted her shoulder and said, “If I ever achieve wealth and glory, I won’t forget you. And since we’re on good terms, if you come across some great fortune in the future, just don’t forget the benefits I’ve given you.”

After packing, there was still some time before departure, so Li Yu went to visit Elder Sun’s small courtyard.

Elder Sun was still lying in his rocking chair. Li Yu walked over, cupped his fists, and bowed. “Thank you, Elder Sun, for your recommendation.”

Even though the recommendation hadn’t worked out, Li Yu still acknowledged the favor.

Elder Sun waved his hand and said, “No need to thank me. I nearly forgot—she’s Jiang Li’s personal senior sister. Given your relationship with Jiang Li, what I did just now was completely unnecessary.”

“Still, a favor is a favor. I’ll remember Elder Sun’s kindness,” Li Yu replied with a smile. “I’ll be leaving soon. I hope that next time I see you, you’ll have already succeeded in forming your golden core.”

Those words made the wrinkles on Elder Sun’s face bloom like a flower.

He chuckled and said, “Well, thanks to you all, I now have a break-through pill. This time, I’ve got a sixty percent chance of reaching the Golden Core stage. Who knows—we might meet again in the future.”

With that, he walked back into the house with his hands behind his back. When he came out again, he had a handful of talismans, which he handed to Li Yu. “Who knows when we’ll see each other again. These are some low-grade talismans—take them for self-defense.”

Li Yu’s eyes lit up. Talismans were valuable items—only a small amount of spiritual power was needed to activate them, and they could unleash spells beyond one’s current cultivation level. In a critical moment, they could save a life.

He quickly stuffed the talismans into his robe, and then, after a moment of consideration, said a little sheepishly, “Thank you, Elder Sun. Since you’ll soon be forming your golden core, I imagine you won’t need these low-level items anymore. They’d just take up space, so… why don’t I help you deal with them?”

Elder Sun shot him a glance and said, “I don’t have a spatial treasure. I already converted most of that junk into spirit coins long ago. Only these low-grade talismans remain. What more do you want?”

Li Yu thought for a moment, then asked, “What about that expanding flying boat from last time—do you still need it?”

“Scram.”

“If not the flying boat, what about that magical conch…”

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