The crowd buzzed with envy and awe, their voices a murmur that filled the air. Eyes widened as the weight of what had just transpired settled in.
Among them, Gui Lan stood rigidly, not far from Gui Yiyi, his face a sickly shade of green and pale. His usual confident demeanor had evaporated, replaced by a mask of barely contained fury and humiliation. In terms of talent and strength, he had always been regarded as the superior member of the Gui family. He had long been praised as Half Moon City's greatest genius, a title that seemed to belong to him alone. Yet now, it was not him but Gui Yiyi who had been selected to enter the Profound Sword Sect—by none other than Xuan Yi, the strongest elder in the sect!
Gui Lan's hands trembled as they clenched into fists, his nails biting into his palms. His heart churned with a storm of unwillingness, frustration, and confusion. This day, once filled with hope and expectation, had only brought him blow after blow, each one deeper and more painful than the last. And now, this humiliation—the final, crushing blow that shattered his pride.
On the other side of the square, the younger members of the Gui family stood in stark contrast to Gui Lan's despair. Their faces were filled with excitement, relief, and a deep sense of gratitude. From the very beginning, they had held little hope for themselves, knowing their talents could never match those of Gui Lan or Gui Yiyi. To them, it didn't matter who was chosen—it was enough that someone from their family had been selected to join the prestigious Profound Sword Sect.
But now, the situation was far greater than any of them had imagined. Not only had Gui Yiyi been chosen, but she had been taken as a personal disciple by Elder Xuan Yi—the strongest and most revered elder, second only to the sect masters themselves.
The implications were staggering. With Xuan Yi's support, the Gui family's status was destined to rise to unimaginable heights. The Duan family's thirst for revenge, and even the looming threat of the Witherwood Gate, would now seem insignificant. What was a mere eighth-level Soul Condensation cultivator in the face of a Nascent Soul expert? With Elder Xuan Yi's backing, the Gui family would become untouchable.
The Second Elder of the Gui family was beside himself with joy, his hands trembling so violently that it was a struggle to keep them steady. He had pinned all his hopes on Gui Lan's success, but fate had taken a different turn. It was Gui Yiyi who had seized the opportunity, and what an opportunity it was—a far greater one than anyone could have expected.
The Second Elder could already imagine the astonished faces of the Gui family back in Half Moon City as they heard the news. A new era was about to dawn for the Gui family, one that would rewrite their future in ways they had never thought possible.
However, while the Gui family reveled in their newfound fortune, Wang Fei stood alone on the other side of the square, his face as pale as death. His mind was a void, his thoughts scattered, struggling to process the overwhelming absurdity of it all. This was supposed to be his moment. His entry into the Profound Sword Sect had been hard-won, relying on an old favor owed to his family by Elder Mu. He had even used this connection to mock and threaten both Gui Yiyi and Gui Lan earlier, believing that his place in the sect was secured.
And now?
He wasn't even worth a passing glance. His dreams had crumbled in an instant.
A heavy silence fell across the square as Elder Xuan Yi, his expression cold and impervious, turned his gaze toward Wang Fei. His voice rang out like thunder, each word striking with unyielding force.
"Scram. Your quota has been canceled. A person like you is not worthy of becoming a disciple of my Profound Sword Sect."
The moment the words left Xuan Yi's lips, he turned away without a second glance, dismissing Wang Fei completely. His declaration had shattered Wang Fei's hopes with the finality of a hammer striking steel.
The oppressive pressure that Xuan Yi exuded descended once again, and Wang Fei collapsed under its weight, his body crumpling to the ground like a ragdoll. His eyes were empty, hollow—lost. It was as though all the life had been drained from him in an instant.
The elder from the Wang family, who had accompanied Wang Fei to the recruitment, dared not speak. His own body was trembling as the heavy presence of Xuan Yi's aura pressed down on him. With hurried steps, he reached down and roughly pulled the defeated Wang Fei from the ground, dragging him away like discarded trash.
Cold sweat soaked the back of the Wang Family elder's robes, his breath coming in shallow gasps. Even though the oppressive force was not aimed at him, the mere proximity to Elder Xuan Yi had nearly suffocated him. Only when the pressure lifted did the elder dare to release a shaky breath, grateful to be free from the overwhelming aura.
Meanwhile, Xuan Yi's gaze flicked to another elder standing nearby—Elder Mu, the one who had facilitated Wang Fei's entry into the sect.
"Elder Mu," Xuan Yi's voice was cool, yet it carried a weight that made even the seasoned elder shudder. "In the future, be more careful. Don't bring trash into the Profound Sword Sect."
Elder Mu's face drained of color, and he quickly bowed his head, his words trembling as he spoke.
"Elder Xuan, please rest assured. This sort of thing will not happen again."
Inside, however, Elder Mu was seething with resentment. The ungrateful brat, Wang Fei, had almost dragged him into disaster. The favor the Wang family had owed him, a favor carefully guarded and saved for years, had been entirely wasted on this worthless young man. Now, to be publicly reprimanded by Xuan Yi… the humiliation was something that would take time to wash away.
Within the Profound Sword Sect, although there were many elders, none dared to compare themselves to Xuan Yi. He was an exception—an elder whose power and influence were equal to those of a vice-sect master. Even an elder as experienced as Elder Mu could only silently accept the reprimand.
With the matter settled, Xuan Yi turned his attention back to Gui Yiyi.
"Two hours later, come to the Black Tortoise Peak and find me," he instructed her, his tone calm, as if the entire spectacle had been nothing more than a routine event.
He then nodded slightly at Sect Master Jian Nantian and the other elders, acknowledging them before saying, "Sect Master, Elders, I'll be leaving first."
Without waiting for a response, Xuan Yi turned on his heel and disappeared, his figure quickly vanishing into the distance as he made his way toward Black Tortoise Peak.
The entire square remained hushed, as if the air had frozen in place. Even the Sect Master and the Vice Sect Masters exchanged helpless glances, but no one moved to stop Xuan Yi or rebuke him for his abrupt departure. They were all too accustomed to his eccentric behavior.
In fact, this was not the first time Xuan Yi had acted in such an unpredictable manner during a recruitment ceremony.
The crowd could still recall the past ceremonies, when Xuan Yi had passed over the highest-ranking and most talented participants, choosing instead those who appeared ordinary, or even weak, compared to their peers. Lin Zhiyin, Wang Hu... and now Gui Yiyi.
Each time, his choices had baffled the onlookers. Gui Yiyi, in particular, had ranked near the bottom out of tens of thousands of participants. Yet, she had been chosen by the most powerful elder in the sect.
No one could understand the reasoning behind Xuan Yi's decisions. But no one dared to question them either. If Xuan Yi saw something in Gui Yiyi, that was enough.
No one else had the right to judge.
As Xuan Yi's figure disappeared completely, the disciple selection ceremony resumed its course. The remaining senior members of the Profound Sword Sect continued their careful deliberations, selecting disciples from the thousand or so who had passed the trials.
Not long after, Yang Hong was chosen as a personal disciple by Vice Sect Master Ye, one of the two Vice Sect Masters.
Bai Qingwu was selected by Vice Sect Master Yang.
Meanwhile, Sect Master Jian Nantian, as he had in previous years, chose not to personally accept a disciple in this ceremony.
By the time the sun sank below the horizon, the grand disciple recruitment ceremony of the Profound Sword Sect had finally come to a close.