Sage of Humanity

The Three Saints Sanctuary's disciple recruitment ceremony is basically held once every two years, which is not a very frequent occurrence; some sects in the Nine Provinces even take in a batch of disciples every year.

Because the mortality rate among cultivators at the Spirit Stream Realm is very high, even if one survives the Spirit Stream Realm, there are no guarantees of safety when reaching the Cloud River, True Lake Realm, and even the Divine Sea Realm.

The constant confrontation between the two main factions means that the Nine Provinces are destined to experience unending strife.

To ensure that a sect has sufficient heritage to continue its legacy, it must constantly absorb new blood.

Generally speaking, the recruitment ceremonies of sects of the 2nd and 3rd grade not only involve themselves but also concern nearby sects of slightly lower grades.

The standards for recruitment by 2nd-3rd grade sects are very stringent; each session only takes in a limited number of people, but many apply. Those who are eliminated are not necessarily unworthy of being cultivated; many excellent talents are unearthed this way.

Therefore, whenever there is a recruitment ceremony held by a 2nd-3rd grade sect, the minor sects are happy to attend the event for two reasons: first, as a show of support and second, to prospect among those eliminated and see if they can find any potential candidates worth nurturing.

Essentially, as long as one demonstrates one's abilities in such ceremonies, it is possible to be accepted into a sect, whether large or small.

The people who come to participate in the ceremony are different from the situation Lu Ye encountered in Evil Moon Valley. Many in Lu Ye's original group had not even opened their spiritual orifice and were merely tested for their potential to cultivate.

Many of those who come here have some foundation in cultivation, which makes it easier to assess their future potential.

For the Three Saints Sanctuary, this recruitment ceremony is destined to be a fruitful one, for even in the registration phase, they have already discovered quite a few promising candidates, making the cultivators overseeing the event very happy.

As guests arrived one by one, they were warmly received.

When news came that Sect Master Thang Yifeng of the Righteous Blood Sect had personally arrived, even the Three Saints Sanctuary had to treat him with great solemnity.

After all, more than thirty years ago, the Righteous Blood Sect was a banner of the Haotian Alliance.

Though it declined over the past thirty years, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and recently, with Lu Ye's actions, the Righteous Blood Sect clearly showed signs of resurgence.

Upon hearing the news, Yooi Ganju, the Sect Master of the Three Saints Sanctuary, personally came forward to receive the sect master, as they were old acquaintances, and there was thus no need for excessive formality.

"Brother Thang, what brings you to our sect for the ceremony this time?" Yooi Ganju was somewhat puzzled.

"What, am I not welcome?" the sect master asked with a light chuckle.

"How could that be? It is our sect's honor to have Brother Thang here. It's just that you haven't been involved in such minor affairs in these years."

The sect master then heaved a soft sigh, "The times have changed. Before, I thought that if the Righteous Blood Sect was to be renounced, then so be it. After all, there weren't many of us, and it wasn't so bad to live a peaceful life thereafter. But now, with some young ones to consider, the Righteous Blood Sect can no longer afford to disband. We can't disband, so we might as well develop it properly. Yiye suggested that I recruit more disciples for the future. But you know, it has been more than thirty years since the Righteous Blood Sect recruited anyone, and I've never been involved in it, so I'm completely ignorant about the ins and outs and the processes. I'm here to observe while you are organizing the event."

"I see," Yooi Ganju realized, finally understanding why the sect master had come to the Three Saints Sanctuary to observe.

"So go ahead with your affairs, I will just walk around and observe; no need to mind me."

Despite his words, the sect master was, after all, a leader of a sect and also a strong cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm. The proper respects had to be given. Yooi Ganju immediately ordered a True Lake Realm servant to accompany and take care of him throughout the event.

The recruitment ceremony was not considered a major event for a sect like the Three Saints Sanctuary; it generally didn't require the involvement of strong cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm level, and even those of the True Lake Realm were seldom called upon. At most, four or five were responsible for receiving guests and ensuring the smooth running of the ceremony, with all the miscellaneous tasks naturally handled by cultivators of the Cloud River and Spirit Stream Realm levels from the Three Saints Sanctuary.

While the sect master was being accommodated by the Three Saints Sanctuary, Lu Ye was struggling for survival in the Mirage Realm.

After being killed seven times in a row by that scoundrel from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, Lu Ye waited an hour before daring to enter again, and the person was indeed gone.

Spending fifty merit points to enter the Mirage Realm to refine his method of weapon control, Lu Ye cut down several cultivators shrouded in mist, which greatly unburdened his mind.

After two hours, Lu Ye was killed out of the Mirage Realm feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

This experience had improved his skill in weapon control, but most importantly, Lu Ye had tested the limits of his current abilities.

After taking some time to rest and replenish his energy,

Lu Ye appeared beside Moon Lake shortly after, caught a few fish, brought out his spirit ark, and headed straight for Bright Heart Peak.

Upon reaching Bright Heart Peak, he descended his fleeing light, strolled up to Madam Yun's dwelling, and before he could speak, the mute maid came out, flashed Lu Ye a smile, and gestured with her hand.

Lu Ye looked at her, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

When he had encountered this mute maid before, he simply found her a bit odd, but couldn't put his finger on what exactly was strange until his psyche grew significantly stronger today, finally noticing something peculiar.

No wonder she had never spoken; it seemed that there was more to this mute maid than met the eye.

After passing the fish he had brought to her, he followed the maid through a corridor and came to the place where he often discussed and learned matters with Madam Yun.

Madam Yun was reading a book.

"I have seen Madam Yun," Lu Ye stepped forward to greet her with a bow.

Madam Yun sized him up, smiling warmly, "Not bad, you've returned completely unscathed."

"The two treasures you bestowed upon me were a great help," he said.

"No matter how good the treasures are, they are merely external objects. I've heard about your situation. It's rare for someone to have such a talent in the Array Path as you do. You've certainly caused a lot of trouble for Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. Do you have any intention to focus on mastering the Array Path in the future?"

"I'll leave it to fate. I didn't expect things to turn out this way. It was mainly because I gained too much from the Hundred Arrays Pagoda," the Disciple responded.

"The Hundred Arrays Pagoda is a good place; I've been there too. But back then, I was too young to understand its mysteries. Although I made some gains inside, they were not considerable. So, you still want to focus on the Path of Spirit Runes?"

Lu Ye said, "The Path of Spirit Runes encompasses various domains. I have a legacy in this area, so I want to put more effort into it."

"That's a fair point. Once you learn the Path of Spirit Runes well, learning anything else will be much easier, just like your recent achievements in the Array Path. Let's begin. I want to see how proficient you are in the Path of Spirit Runes now."

While saying this, Madam Yun took out a jade tablet and handed it to Lu Ye.

Having undergone such tests frequently before, Lu Ye knew exactly what to do. He immediately began channeling his spirit force, doing his utmost to construct spirit runes on the jade tablet.

The spirit runes he chose were not those acquired from the Talent Tree but learned from books.

A moment later, looking at the dense Yin-Yang Dual Origins runes on the jade tablet, Madam Yun nodded her approval, "You've made significant progress."

Lu Ye also felt that he had made great strides. Although he had been focusing on the Array Destruction Path recently, the enhancement of his own strength, the increase of his psyche power, and his exquisite control over his spirit force had all invisibly elevated his mastery of the Path of Spirit Runes.

The more he delved into spirit runes, the more he realized the profundity of this path.

Having gained a certain understanding of Lu Ye's current proficiency in spirit runes, Madam Yun made some preparations before starting the lecture. Lu Ye sat upright and listened intently, occasionally answering Madam Yun's questions or solving the difficult problems she posed.

It was as if time had reverted to the past when Lu Ye would study the Path of Spirit Runes with Madam Yun during the day, and at night he would take some books back to read.

He had finished all the books he previously took from Madam Yun, so this return was a good opportunity to exchange them for a new batch.

Days passed by.

The recruitment ceremony at the Three Saints Sanctuary was coming to an end. It was never considered a major event, so the results were available within a few days. The True Lake Realm Dean in charge of this year's ceremony had ranked the participating Disciples based on their performance.

The top fifty ranked would undoubtedly be accepted into the Three Saints Sanctuary. As for the rest, it would depend on whether the visiting sects were interested in taking in disciples.

Generally speaking, those ranked within the top five hundred could find a place in a suitable sect, provided they weren't too ambitious.

Night fell, and the youngsters who participated in the ceremony were both excited and anxious, for tomorrow the results would be announced!

The next morning, everyone was waiting, but the Three Saints Sanctuary did not announce the results on time. Moreover, it seemed that something major had occurred. Figures of strong cultivators at the True Lake Realm could be seen shuttling back and forth between the Three Saints Sanctuary's sect headquarters and its outer courtyard.

The visiting guests from various sects were confused until, after two hours, concrete news finally arrived.

In this year's ceremony, the fifty young people who had performed excellently and ranked in the top fifty had all disappeared!

This news frightened everyone considerably. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

Over the years, recruitment ceremonies held by major sects had occurred numerous times, but such an incident had never happened before. Some speculated whether this could be the work of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, but after careful consideration, it seemed unlikely. To silently abduct fifty people overnight would require at least the capability of someone at the Divine Sea Realm.

Ten Thousand Demons Ridge's Divine Sea Realm cultivators coming over to the Three Saints Sanctuary for such a deed just didn't make sense.

Meanwhile, within the Three Saints Sanctuary, Yooi Ganju's face was grim as he looked over the reports coming in from all directions, his eyelids twitching, "That old scoundrel, Thang Yifeng, has gone too far!"

While outsiders were still unclear about what happened to those fifty youngsters, the Three Saints Sanctuary initially didn't know either. However, as a 2nd grade sect, they quickly ascertained the whole story.

Those fifty had been abducted, and the abductor was none other than Thang Yifeng, the Sect Master of Righteous Blood Sect, who had attended the ceremony a few days ago.

Recalling the conversation he had with Thang Yifeng that day, Yooi Ganju belatedly realized why that old man had come to witness the ceremony.

What a farce his visit was – he came to steal talents! And he had gone too far. The rankings had been out only yesterday, and today, all the disciples who made the top fifty were abducted without a trace.

He had never seen a Divine Sea Realm master so shameless!