Chapter 595: Creating "Little People"

The old True Immortal had a truly hard time. Holding a cyan immortal skirt, he jogged past more than a hundred cultivators in the venue, his whole face practically beaming with glee.

An immortal skirt?

Wang Sheng was momentarily surprised. He knew that top-tier immortal treasures for defense were extremely difficult to find because refining them was far more complex than ornaments like hairpins and bracelets. Unlike accessory-type treasures, many runes had to be carved onto the garment's countless thin threads.

Earlier, the Pineapple Sect's[1] four immortal maidens had taken out five immortal treasures, yet none were defensive artifacts. It slightly disappointed Wang Sheng at the time.

Now, though, Linyuan perfectly filled the gap.

When Linyuan and Wang Sheng carefully spread out the piece of clothing, Wang Sheng's eyes lit up.

The skirt's overall design was quite conservative, with long sleeves and a long hem. Moreover, a faint immortal light coursed through every thread of it. Though it looked plain at first glance, a closer inspection revealed that it was extraordinary.

On the left side was an embroidered luan that was so lifelike it seemed about to come alive. It also had patterns resembling rippling water along its hem. Considering how beautiful it was, Wang Sheng couldn't help but imagine how striking his senior sister would look wearing it.

Pride showed in Linyuan's eyes as he softly asked from the side, "Does it have enough spirituality?"

Wang Sheng and his senior sister, who had been drawn over, nodded repeatedly. Mu Wanxuan was clearly quite fond of the treasure as well.

Linyuan laughed. "I found this treasured garment just moments after it was finished. In fact, I even had to practically wear my mouth out before I managed to trade for it. It shouldn't give you any problems, Bu Yu, since you'll be the first to wear it."

Wang Sheng thanked Linyuan, who simply waved his hands repeatedly. He then revealed that he had already given the immortal sword to his disciple, which made the disciple extremely happy.

"Senior, do you have many disciples?"

Linyuan smiled. "I have six in total, including Lishang. Back when a heart devil had trapped me and made it difficult for me to break through, I decided to train a few disciples to contribute as much as I could to the Xinghai Sect's future. I have regained the ambition to continue forward now, though. On the immortal path, one can only gamble everything!"

"That's the spirit! Are all your disciples female?"

The elder's smile turned bitter. "

Mm.

It was simply a coincidence. Whenever I took in disciples, I always encountered clever and graceful girls."

Mu Wanxuan couldn't help but laugh softly. Wang Sheng also smiled and nodded, his expression seemingly saying that he understood him completely.

Finding female cultivators cute and clever was perfectly normal. If one found his fellow male cultivators delicate and handsome, it would be time to introduce the theoretical system of "double-yang explosion."

After having Mu Wanxuan put away the immortal skirt, Wang Sheng finally tended to official matters under Linyuan's guidance.

The two now had a say within the Xinghai Sect. Sitting behind the screen, they observed the cultivators outside through the screen's small openings. Though they couldn't judge a person solely based on their appearance, they could assess others' temperament based on their behavior and manner of speech.

Wang Sheng casually asked, "Why are celestial soldiers always male cultivators?"

Linyuan stroked his beard. "It's not that only male cultivators are accepted. Many celestial sects treat male and female cultivators equally. However, most celestial soldiers are off-heritage Ascended Immortals. If male and female cultivators are mixed, the atmosphere can quickly become chaotic."

"I still think it would be good to recruit some female cultivators. There are quite a few female disciples within the sect, and their residences are fairly close together. It wouldn't be bad to have a few teams of female celestial soldiers patrolling the area."

"We can take that into consideration, but we don't have to recruit them today. We have places specifically meant to train female cultivators."

Wang Sheng nodded and thought of the two maids who had been assigned to him when he first joined the sect. Most of the sect's maids were once Xinghai City residents who longed to cultivate but had no proper place to do so, or children who had ended up on the streets due to their parents' negligence and poor family planning.

After examining the candidates for a while longer, the two ended up choosing several applicants as Protectors. They also passed a few young men and women with decent aptitude.

Their requirements for celestial soldiers were much lower. As long as they had a deep enough cultivation, were not entangled with fiend-blood energy, and didn't have a malicious look in their eyes, they could take on the role.

Half a day later, the first batch of selected individuals was led behind the screen.

After discussing it with Linyuan, Wang Sheng recruited ten True Immortal Realm Protectors, six young cultivators with shallow cultivation, and roughly a hundred celestial soldiers.

The recruitment pavilion would still be open for three more months, yet many who had intended to join had rushed to arrive on the very first day.

Wang Sheng gestured for them to come in. "Please, take a seat."

The ten True Immortals all cupped their hands toward him and sat down on the two rows of cushions before him. Wang Sheng then motioned for the four male and two female disciples, who had come to Xinghai Sect to seek a master, to stand to the side and wait.

Linyuan and Mu Wanxuan watched from the side, unsure how Wang Sheng intended to conduct the third trial.

"The Xinghai Sect is honored to know that you have set your sights on joining us," Wang Sheng remarked for the sake of politeness, then went straight to the point. "Some of you should know that back then, I only wished to enter the Xinghai Sect to obtain the sect's protection. Just like you all, I served as an off-heritage sect member and a Protector.

"According to the thirteen qi stars' customs, off-heritage Protectors essentially lend sects their strength in exchange for salary. However, if a celestial sect faces a crisis, they may not necessarily be willing to sacrifice themselves in a desperate battle. This is simply human nature."

The ten people immediately felt somewhat awkward. Nodding felt wrong, yet arguing back would seem even more hypocritical.

Wang Sheng smiled. "You're all joining a Xinghai Sect that is no longer in decline and has established a firm rule on Fengmo. Nevertheless, should the sect ever fall into danger, I hope you lend us a hand if you feel it deserves to endure. Without trust, one cannot stand. Cultivators should be no different. Please, take a look!"

The ten almost instinctively looked into Wang Sheng's eyes. Lightning flashed within his pupils; arcs of electricity appeared around him; and an indescribable pressure rippled outward, causing their Dao Hearts to tremble simultaneously. It was as though a thunder god had descended!

Along with two clear sword cries, a sword phantasm radiating dazzling brilliance appeared before Wang Sheng. His sword heart had attacked their Dao Hearts directly.

Even though the new Protectors were at the same major realm as Wang Sheng, they still felt as though his sword heart suppressed their Primordial Spirits. One by one, their expressions drastically darkened.

"I have a sword that was forged to slay evil and eradicate wickedness. It can also purge traitors and kill the treacherous! Not only do I hope you all cultivate diligently within the sect, but I also wish to never see the day this sword leaves its sheath!"

Wang Sheng's sword heart then slowly dissipated. The ten True Immortals all breathed a sigh of relief. Two of them couldn't stop cold sweat from beading across their foreheads, but that didn't necessarily prove anything or mean that they harbored ill intent. Their Dao Hearts could simply be too unsteady.

Wang Sheng looked at each of the Protectors, who in turn did their best to appear calm. Afterward, he apologized. With a genial smile, Linyuan walked over and led the True Immortals to wait off to the side.

The six new disciples then sat before Wang Sheng. He used his sword heart to put them under pressure again, though it was much gentler this time.

Wang Sheng seemed to be merely giving them a verbal warning not to betray the sect in the future. In truth, however, the sword heart had imprinted itself in their Dao Hearts. If they ever attempted to do anything that would harm the sect, their Dao Hearts would naturally reflect the sword heart that they had seen today, adding an extra layer of inescapable hesitation and unease.

Once done, Wang Sheng brought Mu Wanxuan to the venue and issued the same warning to the one hundred celestial soldiers. He and Linyuan then led the first batch of recruited cultivators back to the sect.

Lishang, who had naturally been informed ahead of time, had already emerged from seclusion and was preparing the first stage of the internal trial.

Instead of following the group to the front palace, Wang Sheng quietly pulled his senior sister away and slipped off after he had guided them into the mountain gate. The two still had to attend to an important matter: making a batch of "little people."

Upon returning to his small pavilion, Wang Sheng activated several layers of arrays inside and outside the courtyard. He then had Yaoyun set up another layer of barriers, completely isolating the area. Only then did he sit before his senior sister and take out the five top-tier immortal treasures that they had obtained today.

Wang Sheng wasn't certain if they could give birth to an artifact spirit through Dawnlight's transformative power. After all, there was no fixed probability for such things. He had to rely entirely on luck and on whether the treasures themselves were up to the task.

Hesitation would lead to defeat; decisiveness would lead to free gains!

Wang Sheng grasped the jade flute first. Without the slightest hesitation, he guided one or two units of Dawnlight to his fingertips and injected them into the instrument.

Even if the immortal treasures failed to give birth to artifact spirits, there was a high chance that they would advance into quasi-spiritual treasures or even spiritual treasures, which would still be perfectly suitable for Mu Wanxuan's protection.

Having only seven or eight spiritual treasures would simply be unacceptable for the Pure Yang Sword Faction's eldest disciple and reincarnation of a Heavenly Court deity.

Less than one or two units of Dawnlight had been used when brilliant jade light erupted from the flute. Wang Sheng frowned slightly, already certain that it would not give birth to an artifact spirit. The amount of Dawnlight it could absorb was simply too little.

He handed over the flute. "Senior Sister, please accept this."

The flute was now nearly transparent. Strands of spiritual light flowed in its crystal-like body, making it look dazzling and extraordinary. It was utterly different from its previous appearance.

Mu Wanxuan accepted the gift without standing on ceremony.

Wang Sheng laughed. "You can use this to bonk people."

He spread the long skirt out before him and once again took out one or two units of Dawnlight. To his delight, the skirt absorbed all of it and conveyed a faint sense of desire for more.

Wang Sheng's spirit was lifted. After imbuing it with another one or two units of Dawnlight, the immortal skirt filled every corner of the quiet room with powerful immortal light, almost as if it were about to overturn the space. He thoughtfully wrapped his senior sister in immortal power to protect her from it.

Within the light, a clear cry rang out. A cyan bird with quite an abundant spirituality spread its wings, flew out, and circled the martial siblings twice. Right after, it shot upward and dove down.

It worked!

Overjoyed, Wang Sheng clapped. Yaoyun also appeared on his shoulder to witness the birth of a forged spiritual treasure with a complete artifact spirit.

After a short while, the immortal light receded. The cyan bird flapped its wings before Wang Sheng, then said in a human language, "Greetings, Master."

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Wang Sheng smiled. "I'm gifting you to my senior sister, who'll be wearing the skirt. From now on, protect her at all times."

The little cyan bird nodded. It then turned and flew to Mu Wanxuan.

The light in Mu Wanxuan's bright eyes was almost enough to melt both the cyan bird and the immortal skirt. She carefully opened her slender hand and let the artifact spirit land in her palm.

The cyan bird tilted its head and examined its new master. "Greetings, Master."

Mu Wanxuan pressed her lips together into a soft smile. "

Mm.

"

She then began to think about whether the bird had to be fed treasures.

Wang Sheng gazed at the remaining three treasures and pondered how to make an artifact spirit take on a human form.

1. A call back to the Fengli = Pineapple in Chinese joke. ☜