The night of feasting and food was very pleasant and satisfying, and in the end, Aotian and Rihai returned to their temporary cave dwelling after saying goodbye to the two girls, who had also greatly enjoyed the evening.
"It was fun, right? The food was delicious."
Aotian smiled at Rihai, standing at the entrance to her room.
"Well, I have to admit your idea wasn't so bad. And the other disciples seemed to enjoy themselves too, from what I saw."
She smiled, stepping forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, hanging onto him.
"Of course, who do you think I am? I calculated everything down to the millimeter."
He joked, hugging her waist gently, unfazed by the small weight of her hanging on him.
"Yeah? I don't believe you."
She shot back, resting her chin on his chest and looking at him playfully.
"Well, you should. I plan everything... just like this kiss..."
He smiled and lowered his head to take her lips.
…
"This is the second and final day of our sect's recruitment on Black Rock Mountain. Those planning to enroll, gather in front of one of the sect's outer elders."
Lie Zheng spoke calmly and authoritatively, directly and simply, keeping his hands clasped behind his back before the crowd.
Among those present, observing once again, was Shen He.
'Master, should we go?'
He asked, after glancing at the people gathering before the elders of the Infinite Dao Sect.
Before, he would've been one of those people, filled with hope and illusions about the future. But now he didn't need to live on hope and illusion — he had something concrete in hand… the Taboo-Tier technique his master had given him.
Even though he hadn't yet been able to use the difficult and complex technique, it had already brought him great hope. He knew that in just a few months under his master's guidance, he would be able to start using the technique, and at that point, his talent would already improve greatly, as he'd be able to nurture two elements at once.
Not to mention, it wasn't the only good thing his master had given him — he had also provided him with a cultivation technique far beyond anything he had ever seen in his life. His confidence in the future was nearly overflowing.
Inside the pendant, Grandpa Liu did not share his disciple's joy.
He couldn't see Rihai there.
In fact, neither she nor most of the disciples from the previous day were present. Only a few had come to watch the recruitment out of interest or boredom; the rest had preferred to continue cultivating or chatting with the new friends they had made.
Remaining silent for a moment, the old man in the pendant sighed lightly before agreeing to Shen He's earlier request.
"Yes, let's go. There's no point in staying here."
He spoke with a slightly reluctant gaze in the direction of the Infinite Dao Sect and allowed his disciple to leave.
Shen He, upon receiving permission, turned with a determined look and, without hesitation, set off, intending to return home.
As for Grandpa Liu, although he didn't want to abandon the girl, his rational side knew it would be worse to have his disciple infiltrate the Infinite Dao Sect as a new member.
That sect had already shown signs that, somehow, it was aware of his existence and had been observing Shen He from the start — beginning from the moment he, within the pendant, had looked at them and received a look in return.
Uncertain of what obstacles the boy might encounter if he entered, he concluded it would be better to let him grow stronger outside that sect, while he himself gradually recovered some strength to rescue the girl as soon and as safely as possible.
With their departure, the old man immediately sensed Bao Wuji's gaze from the sky, only reinforcing his decision.
Meanwhile, Aotian, through Bao Wuji, also noticed the departure of the boy who possessed the powerful treasure, and immediately grew serious.
Using his avatar in the Mission Pavilion, he pulled a strip of jade.
[Mission: Continue Recruitment
Description: Continue recruitment while the high-level artifact holder on Black Rock Mountain departs.
Participants: Half of the sect's inner and outer elders, Ancestor Bao, all disciples.
Danger Level: Safe]
'Safe, but let's try something else...'
Aotian assessed, feeling more at ease, but not satisfied.
[Mission: Follow Artifact Holder
Description: Follow the holder of the high-level artifact on Black Rock Mountain as he departs.
Participant: One inner elder of the Infinite Dao Sect.
Danger Level: Dangerous]
'Uhmm... the level shown isn't fatal, but dangerous. Probably because I set it only as "follow," and not "steal" or "harm." Small change in objectives that determines life and death, huh... I better remember to stay alert and never take these nuances lightly in the future when using this ability.'
He thought calmly.
After pondering and testing a few more things, Aotian finally let the boy go in peace, while also feeling more at ease without a ticking time bomb nearby.
With his departure, nothing noteworthy happened, and the recruitment gathering slowly came to an end.
Total disciples recruited today: 283 people
Total disciples recruited during the expedition: 558 people
Total overall disciples in the sect: 681 people (123 originally)
The number of disciples received was a pleasant surprise for Aotian.
Even though he didn't seek absolute perfection in personalities — something nearly impossible — he still maintained fairly strict requirements regarding the disciples' hearts, which eliminated many people during the process.
Basically, selfish people, traitors, heartless ones, those indifferent to evil, or without moral principles were rejected.
And apparently, his words had been taken seriously this time. No one with heavy crimes showed up seeking recruitment, so he didn't need to kill anyone during the recruitment.
Looking at the crowd, where no more candidates were stepping forward, and at the darkening sky, Aotian knew it was time to bring things to a close.
With a step forward, Lie Zheng addressed the crowd.
"Since it appears there are no more candidates coming forward, I hereby officially declare that the recruitment on Black Rock Mountain is concluded."
He announced with authority.
At that exact moment, as if calculated, a massive black ship arrived, hovering over the square, coming from the peak of the mountain. The crowd parted as it gently landed at the center of the square.
On the ship's railing, some elders and hundreds of disciples watched the scene unfolding below.
A ramp of energy descended from the ship, connecting directly to the square.
"All new disciples, follow me. We are departing."
With that, without even glancing back at the crowd, Lie Zheng proceeded forward and stepped onto the energy bridge, followed by the disciples, who walked nervously toward their futures but also filled with anticipation.
As for the newly recruited disciples, there was no need for farewells. Everyone who participated had already said goodbye to family and friends before the recruitment. That was the custom in the cultivation world — when choosing to enter a sect, one had to be ready to depart immediately and not return for many years.
The crowd silently watched the departure as the massive black ship slowly lifted from the ground and, with a flash of light, disappeared into the horizon.
Farther away, outside the city, inside the pendant, old Liu observed the ship retreating with ease, his eyes seeing miles into the distance. His gaze was complex.
'Haah, girl... I don't know why I feel so conflicted leaving you, but don't worry. It won't take many years. I will return to rescue you. Infinite Dao Sect... mark my words. If even a single harm befalls that girl, I'll tear you all apart and bury you so deep no one will ever remember your name.'
The old man's thoughts turned dark, his gaze grim.
…
"Elder Zhao, where are we going now?"
On the ship, holding and tugging at Elder Zhao's sleeve, was the lively little girl Lin Xiaoxue, who asked with wide curious eyes.
Helpless, Zhao raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair.
"Little girl, we're heading to the Gu family's mountain, one of the 16 great cities under the Bamboo Sword Sect's domain."
He replied with a slight smile.
"Ohh, so we're going there... Elder, I was thinking, if that's Bamboo Sword Sect territory, then... are we stealing disciples from them? Hehe..."
She asked with a curious and slightly mischievous look.
The hand stroking her little head suddenly turned into a palm and gave her a light tap on the forehead.
"Owww!"
She quickly let go of his sleeve and raised both hands to protect her forehead, pouting in displeasure.
"Little girl, don't talk nonsense."
Shaking his head and smiling at her irritated expression and puffed cheeks, he explained,
"Most of the disciples we take in aren't the type a Golden Core sect would normally accept. And sects like Bamboo Sword usually recruit at the foot of their own sect mountain, meaning people have to go there, not the other way around. Plus, they usually make it an annual event. For all these reasons, they won't lose many disciples because of our recruitment this year, so it can't be considered stealing."
He finished with a sly smile.
The little girl pouted, unconvinced, but she still agreed that it probably wasn't harming that sect too much. Not that she cared — she was just curious.
"Besides, even though you all live in this region, you're not their property, so calling it stealing isn't accurate. Stealing would be taking disciples directly from them."
Elder Zhao concluded wisely, stroking his beard with a thoughtful look.
Lin Xiaoxue adorably tapped her chin with her pinky as she listened to him and, upon reflecting, figured it made sense. She then dropped the topic and moved on to annoying Elder Zhao with other things.
Of course, despite the light tone he used to explain it, this was indeed a real concern for the Bamboo Sword Sect — so much so that Aotian had to send Tian Zhu, the sect leader, to speak with Jian Huiyin and clarify the situation.
Even after being informed that their stay would last no longer than five years, the Bamboo Sword Sect still wasn't sure whether that would truly be the limit. And if the Infinite Dao Sect kept recruiting within their territory and taking talents for many years, it could cause major long-term losses, even threatening their very foundation.
That's why, through Tian Zhu, Aotian gave his word to Jian Huiyin that he would not let things reach that point — which helped ease her and her sect's concerns. The strength of the Infinite Dao Sect, capable of easily suppressing the Bamboo Sword Sect, gave great weight to its leader's word, so he was able to reassure them significantly with that alone.
Thus, the recruitment continued and would soon conclude — and with it, unbeknownst to all, a new conquest campaign by the Infinite Dao Sect was about to begin.