Chapter 20

"Since Junior Brother Lin has spoken thus, I have no qualms about revealing it. I also believe that even if you, my fellow junior brothers, love talent so much, you wouldn't compete with the disciples of the noble families for our Nine Infants lineage, or else wouldn't you be completely shameless?" The scholar paused for a moment, then said with a mocking tone.

Upon hearing these words, Junior Brother Chu and the others couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed.

Although the Nine Infants lineage had been in decline for a long time, the directness of the other party's words naturally made them feel as if they had been slapped in the face.

"Junior Brother Gui, rest assured. Just name the disciples you have your eye on, and if they really compete with you, I will take responsibility. This time, no matter what kind of talented individuals emerge from the noble families, they will be selected first by your lineage." The sect leader of the Savage Ghost Sect seemed to feel somewhat guilty towards the Nine Infants lineage and immediately said in a solemn voice.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sect Leader!" The scholar was delighted and bowed to the sect leader in gratitude.

Seeing this, the others exchanged glances.

"In fact, among the outer disciples this time, I have only found a few with some potential. Whether they can truly pass the Spirit Opening Ceremony is still uncertain, and they absolutely cannot compare to the spirit-vein disciples of our sect like Junior Sister Lin. Among the three independent cultivators, I have already made contact with Junior Brother Zhu. Initially, I judged that a disciple named Gao Chong has a considerable chance of being a nine-vein spirit, while another independent cultivator named Yu Cheng possesses a certain talent for spirit eyes, which allows him to cultivate our lineage's Ghost Dove Technique, potentially reviving the Dove Eye Technique in our sect. The last independent cultivator has average talent, but he once consumed a poisonous spirit herb in his childhood, giving his innate essence a certain corrosive poison. If he can pass the Spirit Opening Ceremony, there might be some pleasant surprises. As for the other noble family disciples, I have also made contact with a few, but only a disciple named Lei Zhen from the Lei family is worth noting. This disciple also has a considerable chance of being a nine-vein spirit, and I believe he has inherited a significant amount of the Lei family's special bloodline power."

The scholar stated his judgments one by one, making Junior Brother Chu and the others feel their hearts race, but the sect leader's words made it difficult for them to say anything more.

"Senior Brother Gui, Lei Zhen is my nephew. I'm afraid I cannot hand him over to your Nine Infants lineage. I plan to personally train him," a figure who had been silent all along suddenly said in a low voice.

"I guessed you would say this, so I only observed Lei Zhen and did not actually make contact with him," the scholar said without any surprise, instead sighing with a hint of regret.

"Thank you for your understanding, Senior Brother Gui!" Junior Brother Lei said with a slight sense of apology.

"Does this mean, Junior Brother Gui, that you plan to use all three designated spots on these three independent cultivators?" Junior Brother Chu couldn't help but interject.

"Indeed. How about it, Junior Brother, do you plan to change your mind and exchange the spirit-vein disciples you previously selected with those chosen by our lineage?" the scholar said with a faint smile.

"Haha, since Senior Brother has already chosen them, I won't take what you love," Junior Brother Chu yawned and quickly responded.

Although the three independent cultivators, Gao Chong and the others, were good, they were clearly inferior to the disciples they had their eyes on, so they were unwilling to exchange them.

"Very well, these three independent cultivators will belong to the Nine Infants lineage if they can pass the Spirit Opening Ceremony. I also hope that the Nine Infants lineage can regain its former glory. Only by the eight lineages working together can the entire Savage Ghost Sect become even stronger." The sect leader of the Savage Ghost Sect, seeing this, also softened his tone.

Hearing this, some of the others nodded slightly, while others remained indifferent.

The sect leader of the Savage Ghost Sect frowned, about to say more, when a spirit disciple already rode a gray cloud from the square and bowed, saying:

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, the Spirit Gathering Array is ready and can be activated at any time."

"Since the preparations are complete, activate it," the sect leader said without hesitation.

"Yes, Sect Leader!" The disciple bowed and turned to fly back to where he came from.

At the same time, Liu Ming, among the many noble family disciples, was staring at a young girl among the Savage Ghost Sect's spirit-vein disciples.

In fact, it wasn't just him; countless eyes were already scanning the girl.

Even among the Savage Ghost Sect disciples, many would occasionally steal glances at the girl.

This young girl from the Savage Ghost Sect was truly stunning.

She looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, with a delicate nose, almond-shaped mouth, skin as white as snow, and long black hair that reached her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with an indescribable allure, and every movement made people's hearts race in admiration.

The girl seemed to be used to being stared at, smiling and seemingly unfazed by the many gazes on her.

Liu Ming stared at the girl for a while before suddenly biting his tongue and forcibly tearing his gaze away from her face, muttering to himself, "So powerful."

Could this be the legendary innate charm? At such a young age, she already has this effect on people. If she were a few years older, wouldn't she be even more devastating?

What puzzled him was that she should have been in the opposite team, yet no one had noticed her presence until now. How did such a bewitching girl suddenly appear?

Even more chilling was that not only the young men but also some young women were looking at her with a hint of admiration.

This girl is truly sinister; it's best to stay far away from her.

Liu Ming quickly made up his mind.

The others didn't have Liu Ming's self-control. At first, they were all secretly glancing at her, but when they realized she didn't mind, they became bolder, their gazes becoming more blatant.

After some time, the girl finally frowned and glanced at the noble family disciples with a faint, indifferent look.

All the young men who met her gaze blushed and looked away, but a few, like Lei Zhen, who were more confident, returned her gaze with even more intensity.

When the girl's gaze passed over Liu Ming, she noticed that he wasn't looking at her like the others but was instead looking at the array in the square. Her gaze paused for a moment, seemingly surprised, but then she quickly moved on.

With a loud rumble, a milky white light column suddenly shot up from the silver array, reaching into the boundless void.

The clear crystals embedded in the square also lit up with blinding white light, and the entire array began to emit a low hum, with silver spirit patterns flickering on and off.

Almost simultaneously, Liu Ming felt the air around him thicken, as if something had suddenly appeared in the nearby void.

After a brief hesitation, he took a deep breath and immediately felt a refreshing sensation throughout his body, invigorating his spirit.

This sudden change finally woke the young men and women who were still entranced by the girl's charm, and they all looked at the silver array in the square with surprise.

On the large platform, the sect leader of the Savage Ghost Sect, seeing the array activated, immediately gave instructions to the others.

"Junior Brother Lei, as we agreed, you will preside over the ceremony, with the other junior brothers assisting. The Spirit Opening Ceremony is crucial for the future of our sect, so you must not be careless."

"Yes," the scholar and others all bowed in acknowledgment, feeling a sense of solemnity.

The young men and women saw the few figures on the platform, who were clearly of high status, suddenly rise into the air and fly towards the center of the square as if riding the wind.

The noble family disciples were all in a commotion.

On the opposite side, the Savage Ghost Sect's spirit-vein disciples, as the figures approached, suddenly knelt on the ground and said in unison:

"Greetings, Senior Uncles!"

"You may rise. Listen to our instructions. Everyone will enter the Spirit Gathering Array in batches of a hundred. Heh heh, once inside, your fate is in your own hands. Once the spirit sea is opened, the boundary between mortals and immortals will be crossed! Now, is there anyone who does not wish to take the risk and wants to withdraw?" a figure said in a low voice, the same Junior Brother Lei who had been quiet on the platform.

Upon hearing this, neither the Savage Ghost Sect's own disciples nor the noble family disciples spoke up.

At this point, no one would be foolish enough to back out.

"Good, very good!" Junior Brother Lei said from the air, nodding in approval and then saying no more.

Liu Ming, in the crowd below, looked up at the figures in the air with curiosity.

Despite his best efforts, he couldn't see the true faces of the figures enveloped in the light, feeling somewhat frustrated.

But when he absentmindedly glanced at the Savage Ghost Sect's spirit-vein disciples, he was shocked to find that the bewitching girl was no longer there, and he couldn't even clearly remember where she had been standing.

Liu Ming, who was usually quite bold, felt a chill down his spine, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

On the noble family disciples' side, some had also noticed the disappearance of the bewitching girl, causing another commotion, with many looking incredulous.

On the platform, the sect leader of the Savage Ghost Sect, seeing this, glanced at a slightly more delicate-looking girl among the Savage Ghost Sect's spirit-vein disciples and smiled at Junior Sister Lin, who had also stayed to oversee the array:

"Jialan's Nightmare Body is indeed astonishing. Even before her spirit sea is opened, she has such a powerful effect. Once she becomes a spirit disciple, who knows how much power she will wield."

"Hmph, if it weren't for that, why would I have competed so fiercely with Senior Brother Chu for this child? Unfortunately, although this spirit body is rare, it also makes cultivation extremely difficult. And the Nightmare Body is not very effective against opponents who are clearly more powerful," Junior Sister Lin said with a hint of reluctance.

(Tonight's grand prize winner on the WeChat platform is a WeChat friend named 'Liu Jinhu.' Please check your WeChat messages on the platform. Additionally, Wang Yu will release an image of the main character 'Han Li' on the WeChat platform. You can reply with 'Han Li' to view it. Haha, see if it looks like him!)

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