Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 236 - 163: Nine Peaks Takes in Disciples, Demons Dance in Chaos

Chapter 236: Chapter 163: Nine Peaks Takes in Disciples, Demons Dance in Chaos

Purple Cloud Palace’s Main Peak.

A quiet and elegant hall seated about ten people.

This was not the main hall but a side one, located to the right of the whole Purple Cloud Mountain’s Main Peak, where matters of importance were usually discussed.

Roughly equivalent to a conference hall.

Those present were actually quite relaxed, since they were all fellow disciples from the same sect, especially this group who had all participated in great wars and martial arts competitions, sharing both life-and-death situations and centuries of camaraderie.

One might be more restrained in front of outsiders, but in private...

"Sect Master, it has to be my turn to pick first this time. I haven’t had a turn in four sessions—there’s bullying, but this is too much. Are you going to leave us from Zhu Mingfeng to pick up scraps every day?"

"Wei Buyue, are you saying this without any shame? Divine Wood Peak has also been waiting grievously for more than twenty years, when have we ever complained? Moreover, in the last martial arts competition, our Divine Wood Peak contributed more than you did."

An older gentleman, though aged, was dressed very meticulously and spoke directly in rebuttal.

He leisurely took a sip of tea, his grey-white hair coiled into a neat bun, exuding an air of stability just from his appearance.

"Zhang Fengzi, you’d better make yourself clear. Both our grandchildren took two cities; are you suggesting your two cities are more noble than mine? Didn’t we tie? Where do you get the face to ask this senior brother for disciples?"

"Your Zhu Mingfeng had seventy-nine contestants in the last session, while our Divine Wood Peak had sixty-two, seventeen more. To say that you measure up to my Divine Wood Peak—what exactly have you been teaching? Misleading the young, where do you get the face to ask your senior brother for people?"

His expression was calm, but the words that came out were extremely aggressive, causing the Peak Master of Zhu Mingfeng to turn red, slamming his palm down on the table!

Bang—

A crisp sound.

Yes, crisp, not dull.

Even this palm strike didn’t make the long table in front of him shake much, which clearly didn’t match the old man’s Cultivation Realm—but if one looked closely...

This table was forged from pure refined iron, weighing a thousand pounds.

Moreover, there were many palm prints on the table, obviously left from debates among fellow disciples.

"Okay, stop arguing."

A beautiful and graceful woman gently stroked the small and cute Jade Rabbit in her arms, playfully teasing the rabbit’s mouth with her delicate and slender fingers, wearing a smile that naturally started admonishing the two brothers.

"Both seniors exerted a lot of effort in the last World Martial Arts Competition. As your junior sister, Wen Shu has seen it all. How about this: you two go to the back mountain and have a fierce battle. After you finish and determine the winner, then we can discuss, how’s that?"

Sweating bullets.

If Jiang Feng were here, he’d probably spit out his drink. He thought the lady holding the pet was there to break up the fight, but it turned out... she was actually fanning the flames!

Surprisingly, the two men confronting each other suddenly stopped at this moment, not only that, but they also looked indignantly at their youngest junior sister and snorted in unison.

Because it was Wen Shu fanning the flames five years ago that led them to actually fight a battle in the back mountain. With their level of cultivation and understanding of each other as sect brothers, how could they possibly determine a winner in a short time?

They also realized they had been tricked halfway through the fight and immediately ran back, only to find that the people had been completely divided up.

The more promising candidates were all picked by her for Jade Gate Peak, almost driving the two of them mad with frustration.

The middle-aged man sitting in the highest position, however, remained silent.

With a jade-like appearance and an extraordinary demeanor, he had an approachable look, and faced the quarrels of his disciples without anger. Small bickering and even big fights among sect members were common.

Such a scene basically appears once every five years, after all, the sect conducts a major recruitment every five years, and they are all just trying to pull the best saplings into their own ranks.

Among them, about a hundred quotas are open to outsiders, and there are dozens of internal quotas. It may seem like a lot, but don’t forget, not everyone is qualified to become an Inner Sect Disciple.

The vast majority are just mediocre talents with flat aptitudes; just this fact alone would eliminate half, and the remaining individuals would have to be divided among the Nine Peaks, meaning in reality each Peak would only get about five or six people.

Especially, the Sect Master born from Dragon Head Peak would certainly pick his favorites first.

Cultivators of Purple Cloud Palace may seem glorious in the eyes of the outside world, but in reality, as long as one is a cultivator, they must bear great risks.

Whether it is encountering unforeseen events while traveling outside, the World Martial Arts Competition that occurs every few decades, or undertaking missions, power conflicts...

They are pained over this, after all, these are disciples they have nurtured themselves, but they can’t just keep them all at home. Fledglings must learn to fly.

Just as the entire hall fell into a brief silence, the Sect Master at the highest position finally spoke up, but he did not look at the brothers and sisters who were arguing.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward the woman silently drinking tea in the corner, who, by appearance and bone age, was the youngest among them.

"Niece Liu, long time no see. I heard that during your recent patrol, you accepted a Direct Disciple. With this, Swordmaster Peak will have a successor, which is truly a happy occasion."

The person who is the Sect Master is naturally different. He needs to take care of everyone’s feelings, balance the strength of each peak, looking like there’s a bit of an emperor’s scheming involved.

Since the incident at Swordmaster Peak, Liu Tangxi, Liu Jian’s disciple, took over as Peak Master, this newly promoted Peak Master has never been involved in recruiting disciples.

In her own words, she is pursuing further progress and has no intention of focusing her attention on disciples for the time being; everyone quite understands Liu Tangxi’s thinking.

Like for people of their generation who are old and see little hope for breakthroughs, they only choose to place their hopes on the next generation after exhausting their talents, passing on their skills with the wish for their disciples to surpass the teacher and go further.

But Liu Tangxi is very young, and her potential is far from being so limited.

At this moment, they also noticed Liu Tangxi, who had never appeared at so many past sessions, was today just silently sitting in a corner drinking tea, and their faces suddenly looked a bit uglier.

Another competitor for recruits.

"No matter how long the time apart, at least Mountain Gate still has fresh blood, and Swordmaster Peak hasn’t recruited disciples for nearly fifty years. No matter how you look at it, Swordmaster Peak should be taken care of. This time, let her pick first."

The tone was very gentle, looking at Peak Master Liu with a gaze more like looking at one’s own younger family members, and although others frowned, no one spoke up in opposition. This was not only due to the face of the Sect Master.

It was also due to Liu Tangxi’s own formidable strength; no one present dared to underestimate her.

"Blessings from the Sect Master."

She nodded slightly, maintaining a calm demeanor towards everyone as they had already grown accustomed to.

But at this moment, a voice rose.

"Niece Liu is still young and needs more tempering outside to pursue a higher realm. If disciples are entrusted to your Swordmaster Peak, I’m afraid it would waste their talents and aptitudes. Moreover, according to the rules..."

A man with a powerful presence and strong physique said so, clearly dissatisfied with Liu Tangxi being able to directly pick disciples.

After all, among them, Liu Tangxi had the lowest seniority. It would only be proper for her to pick people at the end if at all.

But Liu Xianzi also spoke up.

"Junior Master He, please rest assured, I am naturally aware of the rules."

Upon hearing this sentence, the person called Junior Master He immediately smiled. It seemed that this young lady was not as mad as her master, and was quite sensible, knowing how to respect her elders.

But the next sentence immediately petrified the smile on his face.

"According to the rules of the sect, if there is a dispute between the two sides, we shall meet at the back mountain’s Trial by Combat Platform. Junior Master He, please."