Chapter Sixty-Eight: First Come, First Served

In the days that followed, Liu Pan and Liu Kuang came to deeply appreciate the bustling prosperity of Yunliu City. Naturally, they also learned the exact date when the Yunliu Sect would be recruiting new disciples: the second day of the next month, which left them with less than ten days. Liu Pan felt fortunate to have arrived just in time; had they been any later, they might have had to join a less reputable three-star sect with fewer rules.

Now, Liu Pan was convinced that becoming an outer disciple of the Yunliu Sect would not present any surprises for him. After a month’s journey, though there hadn’t been much time for cultivation, Liu Pan had advanced to the eighth rank of Martial Apprentice. As for Liu Kuang, he had already reached the peak of the ninth rank.

Wandering through Yunliu City, Liu Pan realized that to reach the summit of cultivation, talent, resources, and opportunities were all indispensable. Take Liu Kuang for example: though he possessed the bloodline of the Wild Flame, while among the Liu clan he had neither resources nor opportunity, and only practiced low-level techniques. It took him three years of diligent effort to barely break through to the seventh rank of Martial Artist.

After leaving the Liu clan, though resources remained scarce, luck favored him. He obtained a technique perfectly suited to him and someone to guide his cultivation. In just half a year, his progress surpassed the three years he had endured within the Liu clan—a fact that spoke volumes.

If Liu Kuang hadn’t been fortunate enough to acquire the Wild Desolation Blade, he might still be struggling in the Baiyang Sect, with even his advancement to Martial Apprentice uncertain.

Within Yunliu City, a casual sweep of Liu Pan’s spiritual sense revealed many cultivators, both strong and weak. Generally, the older the cultivator, the higher their cultivation. Liu Pan understood that, regardless of their current age or cultivation, most were destined for mediocrity.

So many people living in obscurity—was it because they lacked talent, or because they didn’t work hard enough? Liu Pan believed it wasn’t as simple as that; at least, not entirely. Everyone has the potential to reach the peak, but the conditions required differ for each person. Fulfillment of these conditions depends on opportunities.

Opportunities are not like cabbages on the street—available to anyone. Even when such luck presents itself, few are able to grasp it, which inevitably limits the number who can ascend to greatness. Liu Kuang was merely a lucky one among countless cultivators.

Ten days later, the Yunliu Sect began recruiting disciples. In the enormous central plaza of Yunliu City, countless people were gathered.

In truth, it was the first time Liu Pan had witnessed such a vast crowd. The scene when the Baiyang Sect recruited disciples had been lively, but compared to this, it was insignificant.

Despite the extraordinary excitement, the recruitment process of the Yunliu Sect wasn’t much different from that of the Baiyang Sect: testing cultivation, bone age, and spiritual roots.

Moreover, Yunliu Sect was recruiting not only outer disciples but also labor disciples—an indispensable part of any large sect, responsible for managing mundane affairs within.

Given the sheer number of participants, there were multiple testing stations. A sweep of Liu Kuang’s spiritual sense easily revealed over a dozen cultivators at the Martial Master stage, giving him a sense of being a mere drop in the ocean; after all, he was still so insignificant.

For the first few days, Liu Pan and Liu Kuang merely circled the recruitment plaza, then returned to the inn to eat and drink as they pleased. Both were easygoing, preferring to wait rather than queue. Compared to most applicants vying to join Yunliu Sect, they appeared quite leisurely.

They waited until the final day of recruitment before getting down to business. The crowd in the plaza had thinned considerably, but there were still many waiting in line for the tests. Since it was the last day, they had no choice but to queue.

A sweep of spiritual sense told Liu Pan how many people were waiting at each testing station. He called out to Liu Kuang and headed towards the station with the fewest people.

“Hey, you two—don’t you know about first come, first served?”

Just as Liu Pan and Liu Kuang joined the queue, an irritated voice sounded behind them.

Without turning, Liu Pan’s spiritual sense had already taken in the speaker: a youth of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in fine clothes, rubbing sleep from his eyes, clearly just awakened.

As for why this young man spoke up, Liu Pan could guess. As he and Liu Kuang approached the queue from the side, the sleepy youth emerged from the crowd to queue as well, but from the front. While he was yawning and rubbing his eyes, still three meters from the line, Liu Pan and Liu Kuang had already stepped into place. In the blink of an eye, two people had appeared ahead of him. Naturally, he would be in a foul mood.

“I do know. And you—don’t you?” Liu Pan turned with a smile.

This youth, clearly from a wealthy and influential family, had a cultivation at the peak of Martial Apprentice, slightly higher than Liu Pan. If Liu Pan hadn’t detected the faint instability in the youth’s internal energy with his powerful spiritual sense, he might have regarded him differently.

Hearing Liu Pan’s retort, the youth froze, his expression darkening. He found it hard to answer: admitting ignorance would make him look foolish, while claiming to know would make his earlier question seem stupid. Either way, it put him at a disadvantage.

His eyes flickered dangerously, but he said nothing, turning and striding away.

Watching the youth’s retreating figure, Liu Pan raised an eyebrow; the behavior was indeed odd. This was the final opportunity for Yunliu Sect recruitment—why queue only to leave? Even if he was annoyed by Liu Pan’s reply, shouldn’t he join another line? Yet the youth departed without a second glance.

What was that about? After a moment’s confusion, Liu Pan dismissed the matter. Shifting his attention, he focused on the higher-ranking cultivators overseeing the tests.

He knew little about Yunliu Sect. If he’d followed the novel’s plot, he could have ignored the details, but now he had to pay attention since he intended to join.

The assessment proceeded quickly, and soon Liu Pan and Liu Kuang had moved a good distance forward. After the youth left, no one else joined their queue, confirming they’d arrived near the end.

Liu Pan’s attention now shifted from the overseers to those being tested. Among those participating, the “experts” were most numerous on the first and last days. By paying attention to the standouts, he could better prepare for interactions within the sect.

Another cultivator at the seventh rank of Martial Apprentice passed the outer disciple test. Suddenly, Liu Pan’s heart stirred; he frowned imperceptibly, a strange light flickering in his eyes.