The Ceremony of Accepting Disciples

The next day at dawn.

The sky was tinged with a hazy, pale light, and the rising sun was still obscured by several mountain ranges.

The disciples of the Zhaoye sect cleared a space in front of the mountain gate.

Two test stands were placed in the center.

A stone tablet is placed on a platform to the left.

A copper bell hangs on a platform to the right.

Each one is about the height of a person and was placed steadily in the very center of the platform.

Further in front of the testing platform was a row of temporary stands.

Elder Zhaoye Zong, the steward, and several people from the government office were sitting in the stands.

In the very center sat the sect leader, Lu Guang.

He changed into a dark blue sect leader's robe, his hair was neatly tied up, and his expression was calm, showing no signs of coughing up blood last night.

Shen Gui stood at the edge of the crowd, glanced at him, and then looked away.

The toad squatted at his feet, its short hands covering the guarantee letter in its arms, and kept reciting it.

"It's alright, it'll definitely be alright. It's the demon-revealing bell, after all. Let it clear away the demonic energy, and my demonic energy will be perfectly clear."

After reading it, it looked down at the mud spots on its body.

It reached out and rubbed the mud off its face.

It wasn't rubbed off.

The toad rubbed itself against the hem of its clothes again, and then realized that the hem was also dirty, so the whole demon was stunned for a moment.

"Senior Shen."

The toad, with its drooping mouth, said, "Do you think they'll think I'm ugly and won't let me take the test?"

"Won't."

"What if?"

"Just in case."

Shen Gui handed it the last piece of dried biscuit from last night.

Lai Ge Bao took it, took a bite, and only after finishing did he realize that he was too nervous to swallow. He rolled the pancake out with his tongue and put it away.

It looked up and asked again, "Senior Shen, what if that bell doesn't ring?"

Shen Gui said, "Then let's go down the mountain."

"What happens after we come down the mountain?"

"Keep living."

The word "live" is too abstract, and Lai Ge Bao didn't know how to respond for a moment.

To it, this statement sounds reasonable, yet also somewhat unreasonable.

It came here so that it wouldn't have to live in hiding.

If it hadn't joined the Zhaoye Sect, it still wouldn't have had a certificate, wouldn't have been able to enter the city through the main gate, wouldn't have been able to buy Yangchun noodles, and wouldn't have been able to repay the debt of gratitude for being a guarantor.

At the mountain gate, the deacon walked onto the stage with the roster in hand, his voice carrying out the ceremony.

"Today's first test: to assess physical strength and detect demonic energy."

"Human candidates, go up to the left platform and touch the stone tablet. If the stone tablet glows, proceed to the next test."

"Demon candidates, ascend the right platform and pass through the Demon-Revealing Bell. Once the bell rings, proceed to the next test."

"No noise or commotion is allowed, and no one is allowed to fight for their place. Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to start a fight will be expelled from the mountain gate."

The crowd quieted down considerably.

Soon, the first boy was called up.

The boy was wearing a coarse cloth shirt, and his shoes had a tear in the front.

His parents squeezed outside the crowd, their lips constantly moving, as if they were praying to all the gods and Buddhas.

The boy walked up to the stone tablet, his whole body trembling with nervousness.

The butler reminded him: "Place your palm firmly. This is your only chance."

The boy placed his hand on it.

The stone tablet fell silent for a moment.

Then a faint light appeared.

The light was faint, like a dying ember in a stove.

That's enough.

The steward glanced at it, picked up his pen, and wrote: "Personal record: Zhang Erhe, feeling strength and vitality, pass."

The woman burst into tears, nearly dropping the eggs in her hand.

The man quickly caught it, scolding, "Why are you crying? The baby's out of the womb, that's a good thing."

But his own eyes also reddened.

Some people nearby were envious, while others applauded.

Another child asked his father, "Dad, does even a glimmer of light count?"

The father immediately said, "Fine, even showing it once is a skill. If you can show it, I'll kill a chicken for you when we get back."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, adults filled with anticipation, children with nervousness.

Shen Gui stood at the back of the crowd and gently touched the stone pendant on his chest with his finger.

When the stone pendant didn't react, he put his hand down and continued watching.

Then a few more people went up.

A young boy from a county town produced half a foot of light, and the servants in his household immediately shouted "Bravo!" Anyone who echoed this shout received a reward.

There were also tall boys of sixteen or seventeen who had been pressing their hands on the stone tablet for a long time, but it remained dusty and gray.

His father stood in the crowd, carrying a bundle on his back, which probably contained new clothes and dry food prepared for him.

When the deacon said "incompatible," the boy's face turned pale, and he stood on the stage for a long time.

His father squeezed through, pretending not to care: "It's okay, go back and learn carpentry from me. You have a steady hand, you're not bad either."

The boy kept his head down and didn't say a word.

The father and son walked out, and the crowd quickly obscured their figures, making them indistinguishable from the crowd.

Shen Gui recalled a long time ago, there was a dilapidated Taoist temple, and there was also a bone-measuring stone.

He was young then, and when he pressed his hand against it, it only lit up a little bit.

The old Taoist priest in charge of measuring the bones shook his head and said, "He can train, but not to a high level."

A child nearby lit up the room with white light and was surrounded by people praising him.

Shen Gui was standing on the side at that time, his palms were sweaty, and he felt that this was how his life would be.

Now, those who took the test together back then are all dust, the most promising of whom is only at the Observation Realm, and the genius who filled the room with white light died before even reaching adulthood...

These are all things from a long time ago.

So far back that Shen Gui could barely remember the name of the Taoist temple.

The toad suddenly looked up: "Senior?"

Shen Gui regained his senses.

"Um."

"Your eyes were acting strange just now."

"I just remembered something."

"What's up?"

"Bone measurement".

Lai Gebao immediately perked up, forgetting half of his nervousness: "Senior, you've done this before? It must be amazing! Did the stone tablet just explode? Or was it so bright that everyone couldn't open their eyes?"

Shen Gui looked at the stone tablet on the platform: "Mediocrity."

The toad blinked.

"mediocre?"

"Um."

"Senior, that's not very interesting. If you're just average, then what am I? A crooked weed growing in the mud?"

Even grass can grow in mud.

"Quack?"

The toad tilted its head, not understanding, but suddenly it wasn't so panicked anymore.

Suddenly, the surroundings quieted down, and the crowd parted to both sides.

Hu Zhaoying has arrived.

He didn't take a car; only Hu Yanshan followed behind him.

He was still dressed in a moon-white robe, his fox tail hanging halfway down, and wherever he went, the noise level dropped.

News of him speaking up for the snake demon yesterday has spread, and many lesser demons are now looking at him differently.

There was envy, and there was also respect.

Hu Zhaoying stepped onto the demon clan's platform.

The steward's attitude was much more polite than before: "Hu Zhaoying, of the Hu clan of Qingqiu, here to examine your demonic aura."

"Thank you for your trouble." Hu Zhaoying cupped his hands in greeting.

He stood in front of the wooden frame, glanced at the copper bell, and then walked away.

first step.

The copper bell rang softly.

The second step.

The ringtone became brighter.

As the third step was taken, the copper bell rang three times in succession, its clear and resonant sound carrying far to the front of the mountain gate.

The crowd erupted in chaos.

Three times!

"The highest note you heard just now was only one and a half, right?"

"The Hu family of Qingqiu is indeed formidable."

The deacon picked up his pen, raising his voice slightly: "His demonic aura is pure and upright, and his aptitude is top-notch."

Hu Zhaoying didn't show much joy. He had done this kind of testing since birth, and after years of soaking in medicinal baths, he would only get better.

After the test, he turned around and bowed to Lu Guang.

Lu Guang sat in the stands and nodded slightly.

Toad's mouth gaped slightly as he looked on.

"Excellent quality."

It touched the bumps on its back and said, "If I don't ask for the best, I'll be happy with the worst."

Shen Gui said, "Some things, you have to try."

"Yes, what if I'm also of the highest caliber!"

The toad took a deep breath, but it inhaled too quickly and choked, coughing loudly.

The deacon at the front flipped through the roster.

"Temporarily recorded in the demon register, name... uh... Lai Ge Bao."

As soon as the sound faded, many people nearby turned to look.

Toad bravely took a step forward, and then... retreated.

"Senior, am I dirty?" It wiped its belly with its sleeve.

The mud wasn't wiped off; instead, it spread out.

It got impatient and squatted down, grabbed a handful of dry soil and rubbed it on its body, trying to absorb the wet mud. But it looked even more like it had just rolled out of a hole in the dirt.

People around were laughing.

Shen Gui reached out and straightened Lai Ge Bao's askew hood.

The toad looked up.

Shen Gui nodded.

Lai Gebao nodded vigorously, saying, "Don't worry, Senior Shen, I won't embarrass you."