Chapter 66: Those without Flexible Brains are Not Recommended to Enter the Demon Sect

The examiners command that no matter if you are Chi Xulong or a dragon crossing the river, you must stand properly and obediently.

If you anger the examiners, do you still hope to join the Demonic Sect?

Never mind how flourishing their lives seemed on the outside, no matter how well you fared, could you ever surpass the Demonic Sect?

The Demonic Sect possessed a Sect Master of unfathomable cultivation and a host of followers as thick as a forest of powerhouses; as for them, they had only themselves, with the highest among them merely at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

The three examiners bore unfamiliar countenances, unrecognized by anyone present, yet it was easy to understand, for the Demonic Sect was an existence far more mysterious than the wandering cultivators of the demonic path, never showing their faces lightly, so it was only natural that no one had ever seen them.

Although they had arrived a whole hour earlier than the appointed time in the notice, no one harbored any doubts.

This was surely one of the Demonic Sect's trials; those who arrived early proved their devotion to the Sect, while those who arrived precisely on the dot were unworthy of joining.

Lu Yang crossed his legs, produced paper and brush, and pointed at the first person, inquiring, "Speak up, why do you choose to join the Demonic Sect, what can you bring to us by joining, what are your plans for yourself, and what are your expectations for your stipend?"

"Ah?" The first man was utterly dumbfounded, stunned right from the start by this string of questions; could this truly be the entrance examination for the Demonic Sect?

Should they not be asking about one's cultivation level and techniques, or what wicked deeds one had committed?

Seeing the first man unable to utter a word for half a day, Lu Yang waved his hand with impatience, "What are you 'ah-ing' about? Stammering like this when faced with our questions, won't you just spill all the secrets of the Demonic Sect the moment the authorities capture you in the future?"

"You are disqualified, go back."

The second man was the chief of a small gang, a veteran of numerous prison sentences who, upon his frequent releases, would find his gang and his wife usurped by his subordinates, only to win them both back time and again—a chief of considerable and rich life experience.

"My name is Niu Mang, chief of the Azure Dragon Gang. I choose to join our Demonic Sect because I desire a better prospect for development; my principles regarding the demonic path share many similarities with our Sect, and I believe we shall get along most harmoniously after I join. Once inside, I will surely commit wicked deeds with utmost diligence, growing bigger and stronger alongside the Sect to forge greater glory!"

"My plan for myself is simply this: whatever the Demonic Sect requires of me, I shall do without a single word of complaint; after all, only when the Demonic Sect is strong can I be strong!"

"The Demonic Sect has given me a place to stand, so how could I demand a stipend from it? It should be me offering tribute to the Demonic Sect instead!"

As Niu Mang reached the height of his fervor, he even brandished his fist to show his resolve to conquer all hardships and welcome a bright future.

He spoke with great fluency, for this was exactly how he lectured the Azure Dragon Gang.

"You are disqualified, go back."

"Why?" Niu Mang was deeply indignant, believing his response to have been absolutely flawless.

Lu Yang berated him sharply, feeling that Niu Mang was a disgrace to the demonic path, "What is the demonic path? The demonic path is utter selfishness. How could a person like you, who desires only to serve the Demonic Sect without seeking anything in return, possibly be a cultivator of the demonic path? As a member of the Demonic Sect, one must always contemplate how to usurp power and rebel; if we do not engage in internal strife, how can we call ourselves a demonic sect?"

"Furthermore, did you not just say that you would do whatever the Demonic Sect requires of you? Right now, the Demonic Sect requires your disqualification, so beat it!"

Niu Mang departed crestfallen, and those behind him felt their eyes truly opened by what they had heard; so this was the philosophy of the Demonic Sect, truly worthy of an examiner, whose understanding of the demonic path was profoundly deep.

"Next," Meng Jingzhou called out.

"My name is Chi Xulong, at the Foundation Establishment stage," Chi Xulong emphasized his cultivation level heavily, wishing to make the examiners regard him with importance.

"Speak, what wicked deeds have you done?"

At this mention, Chi Xulong had much to say, "I was carried away and raised by wolves in the mountains from infancy. At the age of ten, I slew the wolf that took me with a bone knife and descended the mountain to live. In the great mountains, I took whatever I desired by force, a habit I maintained upon entering the cities; whatever I lacked, I robbed. Then the constables pursued me, so I robbed all along the way while they chased me all along the way. My stride is swift, none could catch me, and during the robberies I even bound hostages, casually killing a few who blocked my path."

Chi Xulong spoke with immense pride; surely a man who had exhausted all manners of evil like himself was qualified to enter the Demonic Sect?

Meng Jingzhou shook his head, "Presently, the righteous path holds great sway, and we of the demonic path must act with a low profile. Your style of doing things is far too ostentatious; sooner or later, you will trip over it. Look at you, how many people recognize you? Then look at the three of us, who recognizes us? That is the gap between us!"

"This is not hiding one's head and tail in fear, but a calculated concealment, the wisdom of the great hermit vanishing into the marketplace!"

Mangu looked curiously at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, wondering why Brother Lu and Brother Meng seemed so thoroughly acquainted with the ways of the demonic path?

Chi Xulong felt greatly inspired upon hearing this, realizing he had thought too simply of the demonic path, and took his leave voluntarily.

"This humble one is Shen Jinyi," the pale-faced scholar Shen Jinyi introduced himself with a beaming smile, believing he had already grasped their pattern after the previous exchanges.

Seeing the other dressed as a scholar, Mangu assumed he was a Confucian cultivator like himself and, with great delight, posed a question that had consistently perplexed him, one that even the Fourth Elder could not answer, "Since 'mother' and 'mama' mean the exact same thing, can I call a 'maiden' a 'maternal aunt'?"

Shen Jinyi froze for a long while, and with his forty years of life experience, he genuinely knew not what to say.

He had originally thought this foolish-looking examiner on the left was entirely unremarkable, having remained silent the whole time, never expecting to receive such a heavy blow from him right at the start.

Shen Jinyi did not directly admit his ignorance, but said instead, "I am an assassin, not a Confucian cultivator."

"An assassin? Have you studied the penal code?" Lu Yang inquired with keen interest.

"A slight study," Shen Jinyi replied modestly, though in truth he had researched the penal code extensively, for an assassin must study how to evade it.

"Then let me ask you: the penal code defines intentional homicide as 'intentionally depriving another of life constitutes this crime'."

"Does suicide, then, constitute intentional homicide?"

Shen Jinyi received his second heavy blow.

Seeing that Shen Jinyi could not answer, Lu Yang waved his hand in disappointment, "You cannot even answer a question in the field you excel at most, go back."

Within a mere five minutes, Shen Jinyi had suffered the greatest setback of his life.

Was this a question a normal person could even ask?

"Could it be that only those whose thinking differs from ordinary men can join the Demonic Sect?"

...

This entrance examination was of monumental importance, and the Helm Master felt he must preside over it personally to be at ease.

The Helm Master deliberately arrived half an hour early to make early preparations.

On the way to the examination site, the Helm Master encountered many fierce and evil-looking individuals leaving one after another, muttering sentences like "the interview is too difficult," "the Demonic Sect is hard to join," "so this is the true essence of the demonic path," and "I shall return in thirty years," as though they had undergone a baptism and achieved sudden enlightenment.

The Helm Master fell into deep thought.

He had not even arrived, so who was presiding over the trial?

Then, he beheld the trio of Lu Yang, wielding formidable power and dictating the realm.