Life is full of its wonders.
Filled with mysteries, and countless interesting stories.
It was common for people to say that life was the prettiest thing that could ever exist, however, was death not?
The pitiful cries, mourns of regret, and flashes of what they could have done differently, they could die with all kinds of feelings, hate, regret, joy and even peace.
To see such a turbulent mix of emotions that had absolutely no coherence, was something you could only see in dying people.
Death feeds life, was a law that all cultivators abided by.
To live, sacrifices are made.
That was exceptionally true, especially in such a sect.
After all, I sacrificed my 'humanity'.
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Demonic Heaven Sect, Soul Extinction Mountain.
A sky of dark clouds covered the entire mountain, rain was pouring down as heavily as one could imagine, and on that mountain, it was merely dyeing the rain water into a rather lovely shade of red.
Ka-boom!
On the mountain however was a large group of people, despite the pouring rain, such a gathering wasn't abnormal for this time of the year.
It was a unique once in a year grand fest
The disciple recruiting event!
Such a great event! To be able to gain a chance to cultivate!
To become an immortal!
Except, not a single person there looked happy, or at least excited.
They were sent here as Outer Disciples, a title way too prestigious for what it actually was, to be here, only meant two things:
Either work in their resource points until you die and if you are lucky, get killed for absolutely no reason by some random disciple, or just get killed and get your body sent to make pills, human skin books and other demonic objects.
The first method could indeed let you live a little longer, but truth to be told, the second and third option was usually better, imagine suffering from slave work to simply prolong your death.
The average outer disciple doesn't last more than two years, and most die before they even reach 20.
It wasn't really exciting for your only ending to be death.
"As all of you know, our sect is extremely kind! Everyone has a place, and everyone has value!"
The one standing on top of a boulder shrieked at the top of his lungs, holding his sword up in the air, as if giving a motivational speech.
Not a single person looked motivated.
Place? You mean in one of your stomachs as a pill?
Value? Value in pill refinement?
Kind? To be killed for being sick or late for work in one of the resource points?
I suppose death at that point is the biggest show of kindness they can perform.
Seeing that no one seemed to have an inch of joy on their faces, the man was visibly displeased, drawing his blade from the sword sheath, he sliced the attendant nearest to him, as his head flew onto the sky and hit the damp ground with a 'thud'.
That was a prime example of getting killed for absolutely no reason, with a raise of his hand, the other attendants immediately appeared to drag the body away, perhaps for pill refinement?
Seeing this, the crowd went even more silent, the thunder strikes were becoming increasingly more ominous and one dared not to even breathe.
"All hail the sect!"
One of the soon to be disciples suddenly cheered, clapping with all his might, if one focused hard enough, the only emotion on his face was fear.
The crowd immediately erupted into a sea of cheers, clapping and the atmosphere had an ominous liveliness.
Who would want to be the next to die?
Looking at this, Qi Chen couldn't help but flinch, gulping down his saliva, he raised his hand into the air as he acted excited like the others.
It was obvious that their faces were full of fear, these demonic cultivators are full of people who had abnormal tempers, they could kill you in a bad mood, kill you even when they were in a good mood, and in a normal mood, they might still kill you, the best ending in their hands was a painless death.
Qi Chen couldn't help but curse inwardly, the fuck is this place?
The last three years were bad enough.
Just thinking about the random attendant who was literally on his side dying for absolutely no reason, Qi Cheng couldn't help but feel a chill in his bones.
He was killed just to show his displeasure.
I don't want to die!
"The attendant just now has served his glorious purpose! To be able to have value in pull refinement and accelerate our dear fellow disciples cultivation is truly a great honor! As you can see, we at the demonic sect create value for every single one of you!"
Holding his hands up in the air, the man praised, one of his hands still holding the sword stained with blood, and his the blood on his face yet to have been washed away by rain.
Fuck!
I am really going to die!
Qi Chen, after ten years of studying for the Imperial exam, no matter rain or shine, no matter sick or not, has spent all his time studying.
He was born at the bottom of the barrel, the eighth child to an already poor farmer, despite his circumstances, he always had interest in books.
He spent all his time reading and studying instead of farmwork, and was greatly despised by his family for being a useless scholar.
Despite this, he was exceptionally intelligent and talented.
Hard work was nothing, talent was the most important
Everyone can work hard, but not everyone is smart enough.
Seeing his literary talent, the local provincial governor of his state recommended him to the capital, and he stayed there for five years, preparing for the Imperial exam, to become an official.
Yet in such a moment, Qi Chen who spent his whole life memorising and reciting Confucian poems couldn't help but curse.
At the peak of his life, he was going to die in some mountain, from what he had heard, those refined to pills don't reincarnate for eternity, he could only feel a chill in his bones.
Please don't let me be the pill.
Please!
"We will now admit the disciples one by one! We hereby welcome you to all lend a hand in building our beloved sect!"
The man was smiling, but under the heavy downpour, occasional thunder, it only made him look more sinister.
"Yu Chen!"
Silence filled the place, the first sacrifice was called.
"Where is Yu Chen! You better step up before I kill you!"
Hearing this, the young man beside Qi Chen let out a whimper, due to the rain it wasn't clear if he was crying, but his eyes were certainly red and his legs were trembling.
"I- I am Yu Chen."
Dragging his feet forward he stood in front of the examiner, his eyes fixated on the ground, not daring to even face the examiner.
"You got some guts letting me wait so long!"
The examiner snickered, his grip on the sword strengthening.
Seeing this the man called Yu Chen closed his eyes tight, his hands and legs were trembling as if waiting to be killed.
"I like you! Hahaha! Drip your blood on the stone tablet and claim your life token!"
"Hu- Huh?"
"What are you waiting for? Faster! We have a lot of people waiting."
"Oh o-okay."
His voice was dripping with joy, despite him trying to not let it show, he was clearly happy, after all escaping the grips of death was a revealing experience.
"How do I drip my blood? Do you have a knife?"
Maybe intoxicated by the joy of escaping death, Yu Chen was much bolder in asking questions.
"You can drop it like this!"
With a swift hand movement, before anyone even registered it, his head fell cleanly off his neck.
"Annoying bug."
Digging his ears, the examiner looked at the corpse with disdain, gesturing to the attendants to drag the body away.
"Next! Bai Rong!"
As more and more names were called, the tension in the air grew heavier and heavier.
About 50 names have been called and there were already over 5 casualties simply because one of the examiners did not like the person.
A 10% fatality rate, and entering the gates of the sect is a 90% chance of death.
It was simply prolonging the end.
Should I run for it?
Qi Chen asked in his mind, before quickly throwing it to the back of his mind.
Run?
These people are cultivators!
They can fly at the speed of sound! What can we mere mortals do?
Outrun them?
Calm down.
He chanted in his heart.
As long as I am lucky enough, it is not like there is no chance of survival!
9%?
Are you kidding me, what are these odds?
Qi Chen has always been far from lucky, and these odds simply guaranteed his end.
Fuck, maybe god will love me this once?
Please!
"Qi Chen! Come out!"
My heart stopped.
It was my turn.
At this moment, ten years of poem, mortal etiquette, moral classics, and even learnt how to drink…
It was all useless.
"Yes yes."
Qi Chen quickly moved forward, not daring to delay even a single second.
Looking at the boy, a slow smile crawled up the examiner's face, his yellowish teeth were exposed, his smile was as oily as it gets, radiating an extreme sense of greed.
Handsome brat…
He could already see the spirit stones falling into his pocket.
This kid would definitely be eaten by the Mortal Bliss Gate disciples, heh, I would even get to earn a few quick spirit stones!
Haha!
His eyes lit up like an old, seasoned fox stumbling upon an injured, helpless chick. He placed a hand on Qi Chen's thin shoulder, and the boy flinched so hard it made the smile on the examiner's face deepen.
"Ahem. Child, I will check your physique and root now."
First, the spirit root.
A jade root?
Pretty but useless, except for making the owner prettier.
He clicked his tongue. "Hmm. Passable."
"Relax boy, I will now do the physique test, regardless, you will still be part of our prestigious sect!"
But I don't want to?
Qi Chen inwardly muttered, not daring to voice his thoughts.
The instant he sent his qi into Qi Chen's meridians, the examiner froze. His pupils shrank. His breathing hitched.
Jackpot.
Absolute jackpot.
Mortal Bliss Gate? Earn a few scraps?
What a joke.
This boy had the Three Qi Harmony Physique, the kind of perfect, everlasting furnace the inner sect disciples and elders would go to war over.
He would be auctioned.
Auctioned high.
Auctioned for an amount that even ten of his lifetimes, working as an examiner until he dies would not be able to ever earn.
A furnace of this caliber only appeared once in several centuries.
And this one, this one even looked the part.
Even shaking from the cold, Qi Chen held himself like a fragile scholar who had lost both courage and certainty, his aura was certainly otherworldly.
His eyes were as clear as morning dew, despite being tinged with fear, retained the sense of intense purity that would make you want to defile it, it was as if he believed the world still had mercy left in it.
His posture was obedient, soft, resigned, a caged rabbit that knew exactly what fate awaited it.
Demonic women would claw each other bloody for him.
After all, working in a demonic sect for over a hundred years, he has always been one of those to clean up after they had 'fun', he knew too well how much they enjoyed the type of obedient but defiant looking men.
Five percent of the sale price goes to the examiner… five percent…
The last furnace, even remotely comparable, was sold seven hundred years ago.
The examiner who secured that one bought himself ten Superior Spirit Stones and retired comfortably.
Ten superior spirit stones!
TEN!
Even one is enough to let you enjoy a lifetime without worries!
Ten!
With ten I could buy everything I ever wanted!
I could buy any cultivation resource, who knows, I may even have a chance at foundation establishment!
Was what ran through the examiner's mind.
For it to be me, for it to be my luck…
Looks like the great heavens have yet to forsake me!
The examiner's face practically glowed with greed he could no longer hide.
"Truly… priceless."
The once timid young boy was now a walking treasure chest to him.
His gaze towards the young boy was increasingly pleasant.
"You will follow those things to the inner gate, they will settle everything from there! Welcome to the sect boy!"
"Do I need the life token?"
Qi Chen timidly asked, after all the examiner's face was as if a blossomed flower, and was quick in hushing him away.
"No no! You won't need such a thing! The inner sect would provide you with a much better one!"
Behind his kind smile and enthusiastic words, he couldn't help but sneer.
Yeah, a slave mark.
"Now go now! Don't keep the sect waiting! I am sure they would be overjoyed."
Qi Chen quickly obeyed as two attendants walked beside him, escorting him to the place.
"Fellow disciples, what is the inner gate?" Qi Chen asked the attendants, their faces flickered with emotions, yet in the end pointed to their mouths, before shaking their heads.
Qi Chen quickly understood, they were mute.
Moreover it seemed as if their tongues were ripped out.
This truly is a demonic sect, Qi Chen couldn't help but feel shivers up his spine.
However he could see a tinge of pity in their eyes.
Pity?
Shouldn't it be the other way round?
What is going to happen to me?
-End.