Chapter 25

Although Liu Ming felt a bit strange in his heart, he didn't take it to heart and glanced far at the high platform.

He saw that a group of spirit masters surrounded the tall young man, seemingly talking about something. However, due to the great distance, it was impossible to hear the conversation, and he could only vaguely sense that the atmosphere there was somewhat tense.

At the same time, on other circular platforms, many small groups were discussing the matter.

"Senior Brother Sima, our days ahead will probably not be easy. Hehe, this year, three great genius disciples have appeared simultaneously: the Nightmare Body, the Nine Spirit Lightning Vein, and the once-in-a-century Earth Spirit Vein. These junior brothers and sisters will likely be far more favored by the senior masters than we are," said a tall, thin youth in a green robe, with several bone spears on his back, smiling at another man who exuded a chilling aura.

"Hmph, so what if they have great talent? When Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Sister Lan were around, none of them had talent far surpassing ours, but where are they now? Our sect has always valued talented disciples, but it also promotes free competition and the survival of the fittest. Otherwise, what would the annual minor competition, the triennial major competition, and the life-and-death trials be for? These three junior brothers and sisters, no matter how talented, will only pose a threat to us after a few more years of cultivation. Besides, even if someone is worried about them taking their positions in the sect, it's not our concern. Senior Brother Yang and Senior Sister Qian should be more troubled by this," the man with a cold demeanor replied with a sneer, his eyes narrow.

"Haha, that's true. They have always dominated the top ten core disciples. Now, with so many formidable junior brothers and sisters appearing, they must be quite restless," the tall, thin youth laughed lightly after hearing this.

At the same time, on the other side of the circular platform, two women surrounded by a group of female outer disciples were also discussing the topic.

"Earth Spirit Vein, I never thought it would appear in our sect. Cuier, it looks like you'll face strong opponents in the future. In the past, when it came to cultivation speed, no one could match your Spirit Marrow Body. In just three years, you advanced from a low-rank spirit disciple to a high-rank spirit disciple. The Earth Spirit Vein has twelve spirit veins, and its ability to absorb and convert elemental energy is several times that of ordinary disciples, possibly even faster than yours. Moreover, it's much easier for the Earth Spirit Vein to advance to the spirit master realm than the Spirit Marrow Body," the slightly older woman in a yellow robe sighed and said to the green-robed girl, who was only about fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Is the Earth Spirit Vein really that great? I don't believe my Spirit Marrow Body is slower. I'll just play less and focus more on cultivation," the green-robed girl, with her hair in many small braids and a doll-like face, stuck out her tongue and said, looking very cute.

"I knew you didn't put in your full effort before. From now on, you'll move in with me, and I'll personally supervise your cultivation," the blue-robed woman, with a slender face and a rather beautiful appearance, said with a smile.

"Senior Sister Qian, please don't..." The green-robed girl's face turned bitter.

The other outer disciples standing behind them couldn't help but secretly laugh.

...

"Everyone, what do you think of this Earth Spirit Vein junior brother?" A muscular man in a tight-fitting outfit, after retracting his gaze from the high platform, asked his companions calmly.

The people standing beside him were all spirit disciples in their thirties or forties, and among them was an elderly man with white hair.

"Senior Brother Wu, your words are strange. We have already passed the age for competing for core disciple positions, and our chances of advancing to the spirit master realm are slim. What does this junior brother's talent have to do with us?" A thirty-year-old, dark-faced, muscular man asked in surprise.

"That's not necessarily the case. Senior Brother Feng, what do you think?" The muscular man shook his head and turned to the elderly man with white hair.

"Senior Brother Wu, just say what you want. We have known each other for a long time, so there's no need to beat around the bush," the elderly man replied expressionlessly.

The others also showed puzzled looks upon hearing this.

"Ha ha, since Senior Brother put it that way, I'll be straightforward. I plan to lead us to join this 'Junior Brother Gao'," the muscular man laughed and said frankly.

"What, join this newly-made spirit disciple?" Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Exactly. Have any of you thought about our situation as spirit disciples? Due to our age, we can no longer compete for core disciple positions, and the cultivation resources provided by the sect have been greatly reduced. We can only rely on completing tasks in the steward hall to earn contribution points to exchange for a little bit of resources to continue our cultivation. In this situation, do you think we have any real chance of advancing to the spirit master realm? As far as I know, those who become spirit masters after the age of thirty in other sects have all spent a huge amount of resources and received personal assistance from other spirit masters to barely enter the spirit master realm," the muscular man said slowly.

"Oh, so you mean we should bet on this Earth Spirit Vein junior brother becoming a spirit master and join him now to gain his future assistance," the elderly man's eyes flickered, and he understood the muscular man's meaning.

"Senior Brother Feng, you are insightful. That is indeed my intention. Although the sect strictly prohibits us older disciples from interfering in the new disciples' affairs, rules are dead, but people are alive. If we provide some indirect assistance, I don't think this junior brother would refuse. And such things have been done before," the muscular man replied confidently.

"Hmm, that's a good idea," the others, understanding the muscular man's intention, were greatly moved.

Given the current situation, relying on their own strength to advance to the spirit master realm is impossible, but with the help of a spirit master, there would be a glimmer of hope.

"I'll leave this matter to you. I won't participate," the elderly man said slowly after a moment of thought.

"Senior Brother Feng, why?" Senior Brother Wu was greatly surprised.

"Senior Brothers are still young, but I lost a large part of my essence in a battle with a hundred-legged ghost to save my life, and even my appearance has become so old. Even with the help of a spirit master, I have no chance of advancing to the spirit master realm. So, a few days ago, I applied to the steward hall to leave the sect and establish my own family. Hehe, even if I can't become a spirit master, I can't let my lineage be cut off," the elderly man explained with a bitter smile.

The others' expressions darkened upon hearing this.

...

In a hidden chamber on a mountain of the Savage Ghost Sect, thick black mist filled the room, and a vague human figure was floating inside, meditating with closed eyes.

Suddenly, a small, hidden hole in the chamber door opened, and a piece of paper was quickly thrown in.

"These guys, didn't they say not to disturb me unless it's important!" The black figure was somewhat angry, but still extended a hand to catch the paper and quickly glanced at it.

"What, this year not only has Jialan's Nightmare Body, but also the Nine Spirit Lightning Vein and the rumored Earth Spirit Vein! Ha ha, this is wonderful. I was finding the so-called sect competition boring, but it seems I have something to look forward to in the next few years," the black figure laughed wildly after reading the note.

The laughter shook the entire chamber, and the black mist churned violently, revealing a massive skeleton standing straight behind the black figure.

...

Liu Ming watched coldly from outside the array. Encouraged by Liu Ming and others becoming spirit disciples, the third batch of family disciples was quickly assembled.

The matters on the high platform were finally concluded, and the spirit masters, including the Lei surname man and the Gui surname scholar, returned with somewhat gloomy expressions.

A short while later, the array hummed again, and the spirit-opening ceremony resumed.

Half a day later, as the sky grew dim, the last batch of surviving family disciples walked out of the array, their steps heavy and their expressions numb.

Among the eight batches of family disciples, only six successfully opened their spirit seas, and most of them had three spirit veins like Liu Ming.

Of the other two independent cultivators, only one red-haired youth became a spirit disciple.

However, the spirit masters present were not too concerned about the results. After hastily announcing the end of the spirit-opening ceremony, all but one flew back to the high platform, clearly still discussing the matter of Gao Chong.

The remaining spirit master slowly landed in front of the newly-made spirit disciples, the light halo around her body dissipating to reveal a woman in her forties, dressed in coarse cloth, with an ordinary appearance and an extremely cold expression.

"I am your Senior Aunt Li. Follow me. You will wait in the Ancestor Hall, and Senior Brother, the sect leader, will join you shortly," the woman said, then made a hand seal and spat out a thick black mist.

The black mist condensed into a thick black cloud about an acre in size, floating quietly like a flat surface.

Without a word, the woman stepped onto the black cloud, and the other disciples hurriedly followed.

Liu Ming stood at the edge of the black cloud, taking a deep look at the headless corpses still in the array, then the cloud trembled and rose into the air, carrying the dozens of newly-made spirit disciples to a distant giant peak.

(On the WeChat platform, there is now an image of Yan Ruyan from the Mortal World characters. Reply with 'Yan Ruyan' on the platform to see it!)

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