121: Chi Yu

Xu Sanyan inquired about the location of his Immortal Cave and headed toward the back mountain.

Along the way, he occasionally encountered fellow Disciples, but they all turned a blind eye to him, and there was a distinct sense of wariness between them.

Crossing a small path, he looked at the cave entrance obscured by a milky-white light screen and couldn't help but exclaim, "It really is an Immortal Cave..."

Holding the token in his hand, he tentatively walked forward. The light screen rippled, and Xu Sanyan passed through smoothly, arriving at the cave entrance.

According to what the youth had said, every Immortal Cave had simple defensive and warning Formations that could be controlled with the token.

Pushing open the stone door, a cloud of dust rushed into his nostrils. Xu Sanyan waved his hand in disgust and looked inside. The cave was extremely crude, containing only a stone bed, a stone table, a stone chair, and a cage made of refined iron.

"This thing..." Xu Sanyan looked at the cage with curiosity, noticing residual dark red bloodstains on the iron bars, as if something had been kept there before.

Xu Sanyan tidied up the place hastily and took out the Sect rules to read. The first rule was that one must not extract the Divine Soul or essence of fellow Disciples to Cultivate.

The second rule stated that the Sect Master, Hall Masters, Saints, Saintesses, Elders, and others could not kill Disciples under their command at will.

The third rule stated that each peak had an Affairs Hall that oversaw all matters for the Disciples, including monthly tasks, task issuance, merit exchange, treasure recovery, team recruitment, and a series of other matters.

Just then, the token in his hand emitted a fluorescent glow. Xu Sanyan looked up and saw a figure standing outside the Immortal Cave.

"Is Junior Brother at home?"

Xu Sanyan stood up and walked out of the Immortal Cave. Through the Formation, he could see a handsome youth standing with a smile. He was dressed in a white robe, holding a cattail fan, and his hair was meticulously groomed—quite a flamboyant appearance.

"And you are...?" Xu Sanyan did not rush to open the Formation.

"Hehe... My name is Chi Yu, and I live not far from here. I heard a new Junior Brother had arrived, so I came specifically to meet you." The youth smiled and cupped his hands, acting very polite.

Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes and used the Qi Observation Art to observe him, but he could see nothing, which indicated that this person also practiced the Breath Concealment Technique.

He immediately opened the Formation and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Xu Sanyan. Greetings, Senior Brother Chi. Please, come in."

Internal fighting was prohibited within the Sect, so Xu Sanyan was not afraid of him doing anything untoward. It was a good opportunity to use him to learn about the Tongxin Demon Sect.

Xu Sanyan gestured a welcome with his hand. "Junior Brother has just joined the Sect, and many things have not yet been prepared. The Immortal Cave is a bit crude; please bear with it, Senior Brother."

"No matter, everyone has gone through this." Chi Yu did not seem to mind.

The two sat down by the stone table. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chi Yu steered the conversation to the main point. "Does Junior Brother know about the selection of the Saint on the first day of next month?"

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips. "To be honest, Senior Brother, I have already been selected."

"Senior Brother has come precisely for this matter." Chi Yu lightly waved his fan, gazing at him with a smile.

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Senior Brother?"

"Have you heard of the title 'Saint Sect Ten Heroes'?" Chi Yu said.

"I have heard a little." Xu Sanyan had accidentally heard a mention of it at the Affairs Hall; it was said to be the list of candidates within the Sect most likely to become a Saint or Saintess.

"Could it be, Senior Brother, you..." Xu Sanyan looked at him in surprise. Could he also be one of the Ten Heroes?

Chi Yu's smile faltered for a moment before returning to normal. He shook his head and laughed, "I don't have such ability. However, our Chixin Lineage has two people. One is named Luo Yu, only fifty years old, who has already reached Foundation Establishment Completion and is one step away from breaking through to the Mystic Path Realm."

"How impressive!" Xu Sanyan said with admiration.

Chi Yu nodded in agreement. "Indeed, his talent is outstanding. The other is named Zhou Longsheng, over sixty years old, and is also at Foundation Establishment Completion. Although he is older, his methods are strange and insidious, and he is deep in schemes. He is also one of the Ten Heroes."

Xu Sanyan curled his lips inwardly. So he had come to be a lobbyist. Listening to his introduction, he was definitely in Luo Yu's camp.

Sure enough, Chi Yu wore an expression of "I'm doing this for your own good." "In this Saint selection, one must band together to survive; that is the only way to have a glimmer of hope. Senior Brother Luo is kind-hearted and upright, and he is very friendly toward Junior Brothers. Why not consider it?"

Kind-hearted? Upright? Are these adjectives one can hear in a Demon Sect?

Xu Sanyan suppressed the corner of his mouth, while also feeling puzzled. "Dare I ask, Senior Brother, I heard that in the end, only five people survive the Saint selection. So this banding together... seems useless, doesn't it?"

In the end, only five people would remain regardless. Even if one banded together to form an alliance at the beginning, eventually, they would have to turn blades against each other. So what was the point of an alliance?

Chi Yu shook his head. "Junior Brother knows only one thing but not the other. A Saint can choose five people as followers. The five Saints plus their followers make a total of thirty survivors."

Chi Yu was working so hard, running around for Luo Yu and recruiting people, for the purpose of this follower position.

The Saint selection had already begun from the moment the news was announced.

Xu Sanyan nodded slowly. "May I ask how many people have gathered around Senior Brother Luo now?"

"Seventeen people." Chi Yu did not hide it.

"So many?" Xu Sanyan was surprised. "But in the end, there are only five spots. Wouldn't there be internal fighting then?"

"Hehe..." Chi Yu shook his head with a bitter smile. "This is already quite good. For us, the probability of survival is greatly increased. Besides, how could there be a perfect solution for such things? Everyone is risking their lives. Even the so-called 'Saint Sect Ten Heroes' will lose five people, let alone us ordinary Disciples."

Xu Sanyan nodded; what he said did indeed make sense.

"Dare I ask, Senior Brother, among the Ten Heroes, what is Senior Brother Luo's ranking?" Xu Sanyan asked with some curiosity.

"Sixth." Fearing that Xu Sanyan might misunderstand, Chi Yu explained further, "The ranking of the Ten Heroes is not accurate. The specific strength can only be known after fighting."

Xu Sanyan nodded and asked again, "What is that Senior Brother Zhou's ranking?"

"He is ranked fourth. Because he is older, if the Saint selection were a few years later, he would have no chance." There was a hint of disdain hidden in Chi Yu's tone.

The Saint selection was limited to those under seventy years old, and the Ten Heroes had all broken through to Foundation Establishment Completion before the age of seventy to have a chance to compete for the position of Saint.

These ten people were all proud sons of heaven in terms of talent. Xu Sanyan had once read the diary of the State Preceptor of the Liang Kingdom. The State Preceptor came from Shangyin Mountain, one of the five great upper Sects, and only broke through to Foundation Establishment at over a hundred years old, which was already considered quite talented.

Comparing the two, one could see the value of the "Saint Sect Ten Heroes."

But even with such high talent, the Tongxin Demon Sect did not care. In this Saint selection, at least five people would still have to die.

Chi Yu stood up and said, "How about it, Junior Brother? Would you like to go with me to meet Senior Brother Luo?"

Xu Sanyan pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons in his heart, and felt that it was worth a visit.

He was also very interested in the position of Saint. The Mad Daoist had said before that in the Saint Sect, one could Cultivate the Sect's "Saintly Book," which must be much better than "The Supreme Truth and Serenity Scripture of Eliminating Illusion and Attaining Reality."

Moreover, there were many other benefits.