41: Chapter 41 Recruitment and Assignment

His white robes were mostly soaked in blood, his face was pale as paper, and his aura was extremely weak.

Clearly, he had suffered severe internal and external injuries, unable to even maintain flight.

The "autumn water sword" had dimmed, with several fine cracks appearing on the blade, wailing incessantly.

Opposite him, that Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator was in an even worse state.

The bone banner had completely shattered, turning into black ash that drifted across the sky.

In his chest, there was a terrifying, gaping bloody hole, its edges charred black, with sharp Sword Intent lingering within.

He had been pierced by the sword rainbow formed by Liu Qingchen's human-sword unity.

He stared fixedly at Liu Qingchen, his eyes filled with unwillingness, resentment, and horror.

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he only opened his mouth before falling straight from the sky like a puppet with cut strings, crashing heavily into the mountain forest, dead.

Liu Qingchen... a pyrrhic victory.

"Cough, cough."

Liu Qingchen coughed violently, hurriedly covering his lips with his hand. When he opened his palm, it was crimson red, containing several small clots of congealed blood.

Liu Qingchen laboriously took out a few Medicinal Pills for healing and swallowed them.

After adjusting his breathing for a moment, he swayed back to the teetering qingyun shuttle.

Seeing that the four people inside, though disheveled and vomiting blood, were still alive, Liu Qingchen's tightly strung heartstrings finally relaxed slightly, followed immediately by a wave of dizziness.

"Senior Brother Liu!"

Li Changsheng hurriedly supported him.

"It's fine... I won't die."

Liu Qingchen's voice was hoarse and weak.

"This place is not suitable for a long stay..."

"The Demonic Path ambush might not just be this one wave..."

"We must leave immediately and hurry... back to the Sect."

He forced himself to endure his injuries and resumed control of the severely damaged qingyun shuttle.

The shuttle's flight speed was greatly reduced, its stability was much poorer, and it could no longer fly very high.

The group of five, bearing their injuries, traveled cautiously at low altitude like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow.

The journey ahead became exceptionally long and agonizing.

They dared not take the direct main route again, only choosing remote and desolate paths as much as possible.

Moreover, the daily flight time was greatly reduced, as they spent most of the time stopping to hide, heal, and recover their Qi.

Liu Qingchen's injuries were the heaviest, and his recovery was slow, so he guided Li Changsheng in operating the shuttle.

Fortunately, Li Changsheng's Mental Energy was strong, and he had a rough understanding of Qi circulation, barely managing to maintain the qingyun shuttle's minimum flight requirements.

Food and water gradually became scarce, relying entirely on Li Changsheng identifying edible wild plants and finding water sources.

Shi Tiezhu was strong and responsible for heavy labor.

Li Changqing was attentive, taking care of the heavily injured Liu Qingchen and the youngest, Li Xiaocao.

Although young, Li Xiaocao was very sensible, not crying or making a fuss, and tried her best to help.

This difficult journey allowed the four young people from Qinghe Town to grow rapidly.

Their trust and bonds also deepened amidst the hardship.

They witnessed the cruelty and danger on the road of cultivation with their own eyes, and also experienced the warmth of helping each other in the same boat.

More than a month later.

The silhouette of a massive mountain range, towering, shrouded in clouds and mist, with countless sword-shaped peaks piercing the firmament, appeared on the horizon.

At this moment, even with Liu Qingchen's composure, a look of relief appeared in his eyes.

"Ahead... is the Qinglan Mountains."

"Qinglan Sword Sect... where the mountain gate is located."

He pointed at that magnificent immortal blessed land, his voice still weak, but carrying a hint of peaceful belonging.

However, when they finally arrived at the reception platform on the outskirts of the mountain gate and landed the dilapidated qingyun shuttle, its spiritual light almost completely extinguished, they found the platform quite desolate, with only a few scattered Disciple deacons on duty.

In previous years, when the Sect held centralized recruitment for Disciples, the bustling, crowded scenes were nowhere to be seen.

An Outer Gate Deacon on duty came up to meet them.

Seeing Liu Qingchen's miserable state and the damaged qingyun shuttle, he was shocked.

"Junior Brother Liu? You are..."

Liu Qingchen managed a bow and quickly explained the situation.

"We encountered an ambush by remnants of the Blood Fiend Sect on the way, which delayed our schedule."

"These four are Disciples I brought back from Qinghe Town, among whom Li Changsheng once received the approval of Elder Yunyin."

The deacon looked at the disheveled group, calculated the time, and revealed a difficult expression.

"Junior Brother Liu, you have come too late."

"This year's large-scale centralized recruitment has completely ended a week ago."

"The preliminary screening and distribution of new Disciples by each peak and hall have basically been completed."

Upon hearing this, Li Changqing, Shi Tiezhu, and Li Xiaocao all showed disappointment and unease on their faces.

They had endured such hardships, only to miss the most important Opportunity?

Liu Qingchen frowned.

"Senior Brother, can you make an exception?"

"These few have decent Aptitude, especially Li Changsheng..."

The deacon sighed.

"Junior Brother Liu, the Sect's rules are strict; once the centralized recruitment period is over, applications are no longer accepted uniformly. However..."

He looked at Li Changqing and the others, then took out a Jade Slip and checked it.

"Since you, Junior Brother Liu, brought them back personally, and they indeed have Spiritual Roots, it can be processed according to the 'special recommendation' procedure, to be reviewed by the relevant halls."

"If a hall is willing to accept them, they can still enter, but..."

"They will need to start from the lowest level of Outer Gate Utility Disciple or Named Disciple, and their treatment will be different from Disciples who passed the regular selection."

He looked at Li Changsheng again.

"As for this Li Changsheng... the situation is special, and he has received the attention of Elder Yunyin; this matter is not something I can decide."

"I will arrange for you to stay first."

"Wait until Junior Brother Liu's injuries have recovered slightly, and report to the Outer Gate Deacon Hall or even higher-level Elders to make a final decision."

This was already the best result.

Liu Qingchen knew that the Sect's rules could not be lightly disregarded, and being able to stay was already a stroke of luck, so he nodded and thanked him.

Over the next few days, Liu Qingchen was sent to a special place to heal.

The four of Li Changsheng were temporarily placed in a simple guest house in the Outer Gate to wait.

A few days later, a deacon came to announce the results.

Li Changqing, because she possessed a Metal Spiritual Root and had a resilient Heart-Nature, was scouted by the "Outer Gate Sword Guard Hall" under "Heavenly Sword Peak," which is in charge of combat, protection, and disciplinary matters, and was accepted as a Named Disciple.

She needed to start as a Sword Attendant and undergo strict swordsmanship and combat training.

Shi Tiezhu, with a solid Earth Spiritual Root and a robust physique, was accepted by the "Hundred Crafts Academy" under "Houtu Peak," which is in charge of the Sect's infrastructure, mining, and defensive Formation maintenance, becoming an Outer Gate Utility Disciple.

He mainly engaged in physical labor and basic Body Refining, while also learning some Earth-element Spells and craftsmanship skills.

Li Xiaocao, with a gentle and pure Wood Spiritual Root, young but simple-hearted, was scouted by the "Hundred Herb Garden," which is in charge of Spiritual Plant cultivation and assisting in Alchemy, and was accepted as an attendant to care for Spiritual Plants.

Although she was also a Utility Disciple, the environment was relatively gentle, and she had the Opportunity to be exposed to the basics of Alchemy.

Although the three had different destinations and low starting points, they had finally officially stepped into the gates of the Qinglan Sword Sect.

As for the future, it all depended on their own efforts and Opportunity.

As for Li Changsheng, he was told to continue waiting in the guest house, and someone would come to receive him.

His path was clearly different from the other three.

At the time of parting, the four young people from the same homeland encouraged each other at the foot of the strange immortal gate mountain, agreeing to work hard and meet again someday.

Li Changsheng watched as Li Changqing, Shi Tiezhu, and Li Xiaocao walked toward mountain paths in different directions under the guidance of their respective hall receptionists, disappearing amidst the cloud-shrouded peaks.

He stood alone in front of the guest house, looking at the magnificent yet strictly ranked colossal immortal Sect before him.

The new starting point was right beneath his feet.