Chapter 65

As Instructor Yang led Xia Chenxi away, another middle-aged martial artist stepped forward. This martial artist looked fierce, and he held a ghost-head saber in his hand, exuding a formidable aura.

"Disciples who choose to join my Saber Sect, stand behind me and follow me to the Saber Sect."

After the core disciples were taken away, it was the turn for the nine major sub-sects to select their members.

After some hesitation, more than thirty martial artists stepped forward and stood behind this man.

This time, about three hundred martial artists came from Lin City. Seeing that only one-tenth of them had stepped forward, the martial artist's face showed a hint of displeasure.

"My Saber Sect is currently the strongest sect in the Wind Sword Sect. If you join the Saber Sect, the resources you receive each month will far exceed those of the other major sub-sects. You should think carefully about this," the martial artist said with a snort, then glanced at Elder Xu and coldly smiled, continuing, "I suppose you all want to join the Sword Sect, right? Let me tell you the truth: although our Wind Sword Sect is named after the Sword Sect, in reality, the Sword Sect only placed last in the last sect competition!"

"Elder Zheng, how the Sword Sect fares is none of your business!" Elder Xu's face darkened as he said.

"Ha, the facts speak for themselves. Are you saying I can't speak the truth? Or are you saying that my words have hit a sore spot for the Sword Sect?" Elder Zheng sneered, "In recent years, the Saber Sect has consistently ranked first in the sect competitions. I think the sect should have changed its name long ago. It's precisely because of the name 'Wind Sword Sect' that countless young martial artists have been misled, spending a lot of time practicing sword techniques before entering the sect, only to have to retrain once they join, wasting their precious time."

Seeing how arrogant Elder Zheng was, openly defaming the Sword Sect, Elder Xu could no longer contain his anger and shouted, "If it weren't for the fact that your Saber Sect has controlled most of the resources within the sect and suppressed the Sword Sect, how could the Sword Sect have come to this?"

Over the years, although the Sword Sect hasn't produced any exceptionally talented geniuses, it has had many disciples with good potential. If they had received sufficient resources, even if they couldn't win first place, maintaining a top-three position wouldn't have been difficult. However, due to the Saber Sect's full-scale suppression and resource control, the Sword Sect's talented disciples have been continuously lost, leading to a decline.

This is why Elder Xu was extremely eager for a genius to appear. He needed a true genius to help the Sword Sect win first place and reclaim the resources that should belong to the Sword Sect!

With sufficient resources, the Sword Sect could form a positive cycle and develop again. Without a doubt, Lu Xuan is now Elder Xu's only hope. He believes that in next year's sect competition, Lu Xuan will definitely lead the Sword Sect to rise again!

Ignoring Elder Xu's accusations, Elder Zheng just sneered and said, "The facts are clear, and there's no point in arguing."

He then turned to the martial artists and continued, "You've heard what I said. The status of the Sword Sect is far inferior to that of the Saber Sect. If you choose the Saber Sect now, it's not too late. Once you join the Sword Sect, you'll have to waste half a year before you can make another choice. The golden period for a martial artist's cultivation is limited. Wasting half a year means a lot."

After saying this, Elder Zheng didn't say more and just waited for the martial artists to make their choices. He believed that after his speech, some would make the right choice.

Sure enough, after some hesitation, nearly forty more people stepped forward and walked to Elder Zheng's side. More than half of these forty people were carrying long swords, clearly indicating they had originally planned to practice sword techniques.

Seeing this, Elder Zheng laughed heartily, his face showing satisfaction, "Very good, you will never regret your choice. After joining the Saber Sect, in half a year, your progress will far exceed that of other martial artists of the same level!"

As he turned to enjoy Elder Xu's angry expression, he found that Elder Xu was much calmer than he had expected.

"What's this old man up to? Normally, he would have been fuming by now," Elder Zheng couldn't help but feel suspicious, not understanding why Elder Xu seemed to have changed his nature this time.

However, he couldn't force Elder Xu to get angry. Not seeing the "beautiful scene" he had imagined, he could only coldly snort and throw out a flying device, leading the martial artists who chose the Saber Sect away.

"The other seven sects, come forward and take your people. Those who want to switch to another sect can choose now," Elder Xu said indifferently, seemingly not trying to retain anyone for the Sword Sect.

As Elder Xu spoke, the other seven sub-sects came forward one by one, but they were not as ostentatious as the Saber Sect. They just announced their sub-sect names and asked the martial artists who wanted to join to step forward.

"Old Xu, this doesn't seem like your style. You're actually letting that guy get away with it?" A martial artist holding a long spear stepped forward and asked Elder Xu in surprise.

This person was named Du Lin, an elder of the Spear Sect. The Spear Sect and the Sword Sect had the best relationship among the sub-sects because spear practitioners and sword practitioners shared some similarities. Martial artists who used these two weapons had a straight and unbending demeanor, which made the people of the two sects quite compatible. However, the Spear Sect's current status was far superior to the Sword Sect, having placed third in the last competition.

Hearing this, Elder Xu smiled with satisfaction, "Let him be strong; the clear wind blows over the mountain ridge. Let him be arrogant; the bright moon shines over the great river. Instead of arguing with him, it's better to use our strength to slap him in the face in the future."

Hearing this, Du Lin's face showed a hint of surprise, "You found him?"

"This time out, I made some gains. In seven days, at the sect entry test, you'll see. At that time, the Sword Sect will make a stunning debut!" Elder Xu stroked his beard and smiled slightly.

Du Lin laughed heartily, "Then I'll congratulate you in advance. I'll definitely come to see what kind of talent can make you so confident."

He didn't say more and stepped forward, shouting, "I am Elder Du of the Spear Sect. Those who choose to join the Spear Sect, stand behind me."

This time, fewer than twenty people stepped forward. Du Lin wasn't upset. As the saying goes, "a month for a staff, a year for a saber, a lifetime for a spear." The spear is the hardest to master, testing a martial artist's patience. To become a powerful spear practitioner, hard training is essential, which is why not many martial artists choose to practice the spear.

As the sub-sects took their people away, only about thirty people were left, most of whom had been deterred by Elder Zheng's words. This was the most embarrassing moment for the Sword Sect in a long time.

"After Elder Zheng's speech, you still choose the Sword Sect. Very good! This shows that you have your own sword path in your hearts. The Sword Sect needs people like you. As for those fence-sitters, they can't practice the sword and don't deserve to practice the sword. As for the resources, you don't need to worry. I let Elder Zheng take those fence-sitters away so that we wouldn't waste limited resources on them. Now that they're gone, the resources you will receive will be doubled! Even if they are slightly less than those of other sub-sects, they won't be much different."

Elder Xu's words made the remaining martial artists very happy. They were indeed devoted to the sword path, but the issue of resources was still a concern. Now that Elder Xu had spoken, their worries were greatly alleviated.

"Now, I will lead you to the location of the Sword Sect. The specific details will be explained to you later."

With that, Elder Xu led the disciples, including Lu Xuan, onto a giant sword and set off again. This time, their destination was the Sword Sect.