Chapter 116 - 113: Murong Yun

Chapter 116: Chapter 113: Murong YunYang Hall, located southeast of the Heavenly Martial Hall, was surrounded by dozens of towering peaks forming a ring, with waterfalls rushing down from the mountain tops like dragons, emitting a thunderous roar that echoed through the entire sky. Atop these peaks, one could see countless large halls filled with dense crowds of people, who moved about energetically at times. Above them, nature’s spiritual energy formed a canopy-like fog layer, enveloping the mountain tops and even bringing down the Spirit Rain. Although Heavenly Martial Hall was only a Third Grade Sect, in Ye Xuan’s view, its grandeur was comparable to some Fourth Grade Sects he had seen before. "The entire Heavenly Martial Hall has five thousand disciples, of which Yang Hall has the fewest, only eight hundred, not even one-fifth." Feng Yuan and Ye Xuan walked side by side, and as they advanced, a large red hall also came into view ahead of them. "Five thousand disciples?" Hearing this, Ye Xuan’s eyes slightly changed, then he spoke with some confusion, "Heavenly Martial Hall only recruits disciples once every three years, not even a hundred each time, where do they get so many?" "There aren’t that many just from the inner and outer hall disciples. The Sect rule states, if one hasn’t reached the Martial Sect Master Realm by the age of fifty, they lose their disciple status and are sent out by the Sect to manage external affairs. Every year, quite a number of people fall into this category." Feng Yuan smiled, "However, besides the formal assessment every three years, Heavenly Martial Hall also recruits a batch of menial disciples annually to handle the various tedious tasks of the Sect. Those who perform exceptionally can be promoted to deacon disciples, but their system is different from yours, and at most, they might end up as a Deacon Elder." "I see." Ye Xuan nodded with a sudden realization. Such a vast Heavenly Martial Hall definitely deals with numerous tasks, if they only recruited so few, it would be impossible to manage, let alone cultivate. Having these so-called menial disciples certainly made things much easier. "Among the eight hundred disciples of Yang Hall, five hundred are menial disciples, over two hundred are outer hall disciples, but there are fewer than fifty inner hall disciples. Unlike Qian Hall, they alone have nearly two hundred inner hall disciples," Feng Yuan said somewhat wistfully. "Why so many?" Ye Xuan was startled for a moment. With only a couple recruited every three years, even if Qian Hall was powerful, the number of its inner hall disciples still seemed excessively more than that of Yang Hall. "Outer hall disciples only need to pass the assessment to gain the status of inner hall disciples, just like inner hall disciples, if they meet certain conditions, can become true disciples. Qian Hall has a large base of disciples and has always had the best sources of disciple talent, naturally being much stronger than our Yang Hall." Feng Yuan explained. Unbeknownst to them, the group had already reached the main hall. At this moment, a group of disciples, clad in black robes, waited at the front of the great hall. "We’ve arrived." Before reaching the hall, Feng Yuan and his group stopped. This place must be where Yang Hall was located. "Elder Feng." The leader among the black-robed disciples bowed respectfully to Feng Yuan. "Arrange the accommodations for these outer hall disciples," Feng Yuan gestured to the disciple then turned to Ye Xuan and another inner hall disciple of Yang Hall, "Ye Xuan, Xiang Qing, you two come with me into the hall." "Yes." Ye Xuan and the others nodded their heads, then followed Elder Feng into the large red hall. Inside the hall, the air was tinged with a slightly scorching vibration. They could see a two-person tall cauldron in the center of the main hall, and sitting on the main seat was a middle-aged man in a red robe. While he was sitting still, appearing utterly silent, the occasional vibrations emanating from his body were enough to make one’s heart tremble. This man in red was not a simple character. "Hall Master, these are the two Inner Hall Disciples recruited this year." After leading Ye Xuan and another person into the hall, Feng Yuan approached the man in the crimson robe and gave a respectful bow. This man in the crimson robe was the Hall Master of Yang Hall, Murong Yun. "Understood." The man in the crimson robe merely lifted his eyes slightly, glanced at Ye Xuan and the other person briefly, then redirected his gaze, appearing somewhat disappointed yet expressionless. Seeing Murong Yun’s indifferent reaction, Feng Yuan did not feel surprised. After all, every time they recruited, Yang Hall could only select the last two in the assessments. Initially, there would be some hope for the newcomers, but now, that hope had long vanished. At least superficially, the recruitment of Ye Xuan and the other looked no different from previous years, not outstanding, which naturally dwindled the man in the crimson robe’s interest. "Hall Master, among the disciples recruited by our Yang Hall this time, there is one who is extraordinarily outstanding. His strength is unparalleled among all the disciples who passed the assessment this time. He is the most exceptional newcomer I have ever seen," Feng Yuan said, his eyes flickering with a hint of brilliance. "What?" Murong Yun’s expressionless face suddenly shook. He was still somewhat incredulous, "The most exceptional one, how could he come to our Yang Hall, Elder Feng, are you joking?" If there was truly such an outstanding individual, according to the rules, wouldn’t he be snatched away by Qian Hall? There should be no way he would end up in Yang Hall. "It’s true." Knowing Murong Yun wouldn’t easily believe him, Feng Yuan immediately detailed the assessments. He knew clarity was necessary for his claims to be believed. "Just a Sixth Grade Martial Master Realm, and he has such skills?" After hearing Feng Yuan’s explanation, Murong Yun’s gaze fell on Ye Xuan, scrutinizing him closely. Then, his face showed increasing astonishment. A mere Sixth Grade Martial Master easily defeating others in the assessments was indeed surprising. He knew that in this batch of assessments, people like Deng Tianyu and Long Gudu were young individuals of considerable talent, yet Ye Xuan was able to overwhelmingly surpass these two, which was indeed rare. "Ye Xuan, who is only nineteen years old this year, I see not just in this batch of assessments, but also including the previous ones, there likely hasn’t been a more outstanding disciple," Feng Yuan said with a smile. "Hmm, not bad." Murong Yun’s interest was ignited, his eyes revealing fervor and excitement. It had been a long time since every recruitment saw the best talents taken by the other three halls, leaving none for his Yang Hall. Now, finally, a disciple with exceptional talent had appeared, how could he not be thrilled? "You have all traveled a long way today and must be tired. Go rest for now. Ye Xuan, come see me at Jade Sun Peak precisely three mornings from now," Murong Yun spoke seriously, his eyes gleaming as he seemed to make a decision. "Yes." Although unsure of Murong Yun’s intentions, as a new disciple, Ye Xuan was not in a position to ask too many questions. After nodding, he and Xiang Qing withdrew. Once the two had left the hall, Feng Yuan’s expression turned grave as he observed the man in the crimson robe and said, "You’re asking Ye Xuan to go to Jade Sun Peak, are you thinking of letting him cultivate in that place? You know, within Yang Hall, only the most outstanding disciples, who have also amassed enough contributions, qualify for that. Allowing a new disciple such privileges might lead to dissatisfaction among the others." "What dissatisfaction? The world is inherently unfair. Now is an exceptional time, and we cannot be hindered by such trivial factors. Ye Xuan has extraordinary talent and should be given focused training. Making an exception this time doesn’t matter," Murong Yun spoke indifferently, seemingly unconcerned. "You, as the Hall Master, naturally won’t face opposition, but I’m worried they might take it out on Ye Xuan," Feng Yuan said with a helpless smile. "That’s even better. Young people need to face more challenges. Letting fellow disciples test him might not be a bad idea. Since he’s reaped some benefits, he also has to pay a price," Murong Yun’s eyes flashed fiercely. "A jade uncarved cannot become a tool. This is no greenhouse. Only through fierce competition can one grow faster." Hearing this, Feng Yuan nodded. He was well aware of Murong Yun’s methods. If he had caught his attention, the trials that awaited Ye Xuan would be as fierce as a thunderstorm. PS: The author is still relatively new to the industry, so the writing may occasionally be clunky, and updates might be slow at times. Please bear with us.