Who Brought Him into the Cultivation World?-Chapter 377 - 319: All-Comers Accepted at Luoxing Sect
Exiting Nanling City, we travel west over ten thousand miles from the East Sea Realm.
The area around the Sea Domain is sparsely populated, but moving away from the East Sea, the State Prefectures gradually increased in number.
In the past three days, it’s hard to say how many State Prefectures we’ve flown over, but we haven’t stopped.
Because they are too small.
It sounds pitiful, the Imperial Court supposedly has countless State Prefectures, which sounds immensely grand, but actually, between these State Prefectures, the larger populations only count by the tens of thousands, the smaller barely in the thousands, everywhere you look.
Even a Prefecture City like White Emperor City only has a population just over ten thousand at most.
This pattern has an inseparable connection to cultivators.
The battles of cultivators, at the least, could collapse houses, at worst, could bring disaster to a city.
For someone like Han Yu, destroying a Prefecture City would be incredibly easy.
Even if a cultivator from the Divine Gaze Realm were to fight wantonly in a city, the casualties would be terrifying.
Over time, it formed a pattern of scattered populations among many Prefecture Cities.
A city of ten thousand, compared to a giant Prefecture City of hundreds of thousands, is easier to evacuate or reduce casualties if something happens.
Ultimately, this is because cultivators have no constraints, and power is dictated by their own morals.
And morality, often, is the most unreliable thing.
Therefore, if the Imperial Court were to intervene in the Cultivator Realm, just by restraining cultivators, they could easily win the hearts of the people.
Xiahou Jie, Sect Leader of the Luoxing Sect, is now very troubled. Pingyang Prefecture City’s actions have been growing more pronounced in recent years.
When the run-down Guardian Mansion first stationed in Pingyang Prefecture, that Guardian Du Nanyuan even came with the demeanor of a grandson to pay respects at the mountain gate.
As the Imperial Court’s Fifth Tower developed over the years, the strength of Pingyang Guardian Mansion grew stronger too.
Even Du Nanyuan’s attitude towards him has greatly changed, making him increasingly uncomfortable with the disparity.
The Luoxing Sect’s annual disciple recruitment never needed to report to the Guardian Mansion. Not before, nor since the founding of the Luoxing Sect, has there been such a thing.
But this year, it’s different. Pingyang Guardian Mansion sent someone to inform them, requiring all activities of Luoxing Sect to be reported in advance, and all candidates from various places must stay in Pingyang Prefecture, departing only on the day of the ceremony.
It’s said that the Imperial Court’s reach has been extending farther. He once scoffed at it, but now that it concerns him, it’s more than just far reaching, it’s practically reaching into his pants.
The opening ceremony of the mountain is tomorrow, and all those candidates who came from far and wide are detained in Pingyang City.
"That bastard changes his face faster than flipping a page."
Thinking of Du Nanyuan’s expression, Xiahou Jie couldn’t help but curse aloud.
Meanwhile, within the Guardian Mansion of Pingyang City, a middle-aged man was also gnashing his teeth.
"Those bastards, claiming to be here out of admiration."
Others may not know, but he knows full well that the Luoxing Sect is nothing but a second-class Sect, so why should it have so many candidates? It’s because that bastard accepts anyone!
The reason he’s blocking them is that among these candidates, many have committed crimes and are trying to escape earthly laws by becoming cultivators.
Moreover, he’s endured this old man for many years, but now that things are improving, he no longer wants to tolerate it.
Luoxing Sect has been entrenched at Gap Tooth Peak, thirty miles north of Pingyang City, for nearly two hundred years.
In earlier years, when the Guardian and Inspectorial Offices were weak, they had to tread carefully around any Sect with some influence.
Now that the timing is right, they no longer need to indulge them so.
Luoxing Sect accepts all disciples except wastrels, never considering their character, resulting in disciples who are aggressive and ruthless.
While they may not turn Pingyang City upside down, their presence causes endless complaints.
Considering what kind of people would come for their examination, it’s no surprise they gave the Guardian headache.
Head shaking with a sigh, Du Nanyuan gave orders to the Palace Guard.
"Investigate all of the candidates’ backgrounds. Take in anyone on the wanted list."
The Palace Guard hesitated, seeming to have more to say.
"Is there something else?"
Du Nanyuan frowned and asked.
The issue wasn’t a big one, just that the Palace Guard had hit a snag.
So, after some thought, he slowly explained.
"Boss, among this group of people, there are several junior cultivators, disciples of small evil sects, claiming they want to change their affiliation."
The difficulty lies in that they couldn’t decide whether to arrest them.
If they do, they may find no immediate criminal acts among them, and arresting them just for being from evil sects could make it hard to justify the Imperial Court’s stance in the future.
For the Imperial Court, right and wrong are like morality, open to interpretation, with righteous sects often no cleaner than others, as exemplified by Luoxing Sect.
"Judge not by right or wrong, but by law."
But if they don’t arrest them, these questionable characters might use the opportunity to "cleanse" themselves and possibly cause trouble in Pingyang City under the name of Luoxing Sect.
It’s no wonder the Palace Guard was indecisive, as this touched upon Du Nanyuan’s blind spot as well.
Playing the game thinking they’re mere martial artists who can change Sects.
"So... do we arrest them?"
The Palace Guard cautiously asked.
"Don’t arrest them!"
Du Nanyuan, agitated by the question, replied irritably, then added, "If they cause trouble in Pingyang City later, execute them."
Now, he has the confidence to say this, daring anyone to make trouble in the city, and he will turn on them.
...
"Hey! Who are you turning on?"
As soon as Han Yu landed, he put away Iron Eagle under the watchful and curious eyes of wary civilians.
The Artifact Spirit chattered mockingly.
Usually, in such situations, mischief was afoot.
But this time, it wasn’t the Artifact Spirit causing trouble; it was the usually silent Ping who caused it.
When Ping first revived, they were busy fighting monsters, so Han Yu didn’t notice.
Until the second day, he realized something was wrong. Where are the pills? His pills?
The authority had clearly been given back, yet Ping showed no response whatsoever.
It wasn’t until the stroke of midnight on the third day that Ping slowly spat out pills.
Pills once in three days?
Han Yu was dumbfounded. How could things get worse without advancing?
From once a day to once in three days?
"Brother Ping, have you gone astray?"
Han Yu couldn’t help but speak in his Sea of Consciousness.
He couldn’t understand how, at this efficiency of one pill every three days, Ping could recover.
Is Ping not planning to recover, completely giving up?
He really wanted to get a clear answer, but Ping paid him no attention, standing there like a dead thing.
Glass was delighted, previously being the only one backstabbed by the innocent Artifact Spirit under Ping’s one-person reign.
Now Han Yu finally tasted the sting of Ping’s betrayal.
It gleefully applauded beside him.
"You think it’s only affecting me? Ping is already sixty percent recovered, and I’ve at least reached a level to contend with the Realm of Transcendence, and you?"
Han Yu looked at it as if it were a fool.
A Spirit Body with a head and limbs but not even a neck, and it dared to laugh at him?
The Artifact Spirit’s laughter abruptly stopped, leaving it completely stunned. Indeed! It was the most disadvantaged one.
Ping wasn’t anxious, and neither was Han Yu, but it was.
"Dead Ping! Die already!"
Screaming, the Artifact Spirit charged at Ping.
"Make it spit, make it spit now..."
