"What?"
Ye Yi's words were like a stone causing thousands of waves.
Falling into their ears, it was like thunder, making everyone present stiffen in place like pillars.
He actually died?
"Yi'er, what on earth happened?"
Ye Neng stared with eyes wide and hurriedly asked, "Did you get it wrong? Isn't Qie one of the Seven Great Martial Emperors? How could he possibly die?"
"That's right, who could kill him?"
"Also, how did you know about it?"
The others were also discussing back and forth, casting urgent gazes towards Ye Yi.
"You don't have to doubt it, because I witnessed their deaths with my own eyes."
Speaking to this point, Ye Yi took a deep breath. Involuntarily, the figure in white robes that he had seen back then surfaced in his mind, and he spoke reverently, "And the one who killed them was an unparalleled master with sky-high methods."
"An unparalleled master?"
Everyone stared with wide eyes.
"That's right, an unparalleled master."
Ye Yi affirmed solemnly.
"He transcended the mundane world, like a deity walking the earth. His strength is sky-high. Under his hands, the Qie organization was crushed like ants."
Recalling everything, Ye Yi recounted to Ye Neng and the others, point-by-point and in great detail, everything that had happened previously.
"Using ordinary human methods, he killed seven people."
"His methods were low-key, returning to simplicity. These methods are indeed those of an unparalleled master."
After hearing Ye Yi's description, Ye Neng and the others also showed their awe, as if they had witnessed the scene back then with their own eyes.
And the others also cried out wildly in excitement, the gloom on their faces disappearing without a trace.
They also never expected that the crisis facing the Ye family would be resolved just like this.
"Yi'er, where is that senior? You must take me to pay my respects to him, to thank him for the life-saving grace he has shown my Ye family," Ye Neng said urgently. He was already impatient to meet this senior.
"He seems to have gone to Guantang City." Ye Yi said softly.
"Guantang City. Good. Yi'er, let's immediately set off for Guantang City to pay our respects to this senior," Ye Neng said, his voice trembling.
After speaking, he didn't delay at all. Bringing Ye Yi along, they rushed towards Guantang City.
Two hours later.
The long queues lining up at the central square of Guantang City had finally finished their screening.
But even so, after Yi Feng, only a few more people had passed.
"Quiet."
Finally, a chief examiner walked onto the high platform, pressed his palm, and sent out rolling thunder.
The noisy square instantly quieted down.
"Congratulations to you all for becoming candidates."
"If nothing unexpected happens, you people will be absorbed into my four major sects and become disciples."
The chief examiner glanced at Yi Feng and the others, and spoke.
The group of candidates stirred, their young faces full of excitement.
"Stand properly and wait to be picked."
The chief examiner shouted, then respectfully turned to the sky behind him and bent down, "Please, the four major sect leaders, make your picks."
With his voice trailing off, everyone in the square raised their heads and looked towards the sky.
Suddenly they noticed that at some point, four figures had appeared in the sky above the square.
They stood in midair, their robes fluttering without wind.
Just their aura alone was full of momentum, attracting countless awed gazes.
However, one could only make out that there were three men and one woman. Their true appearances were obscured, blurred into indistinct shapes, apparently shielded by their own powers.
And they were the sect leaders of the North Sea's four major sects.
The four major sects were the hegemons of the North Sea, namely Canghai Mountain, Heng Tian Sword House, Cloud Dragon Valley, and Taiyi Valley.
Collectively known as one mountain, one house, two valleys.
"The disciples recruited this time are really..."
The Canghai Mountain sect leader swept his gaze over the candidates and shook his head.
"That's right. To think that our four major sects have declined to the point of recruiting these kinds of disciples," the Heng Tian Sword House sect leader also shook his head.
"Although the Divine River Continent has declined since the ancient upheaval, it shouldn't have deteriorated to this extent. But over the last few years, I've noticed fewer and fewer talented disciples in the North Sea. Something feels off," said the Taiyi Valley sect leader. As the only woman among the four, she was rather perceptive and voiced her concerns.
"I also feel something is off," the Cloud Dragon Valley sect leader agreed and said, "Looking back, we could at least still recruit some decently talented disciples a few years ago. But in the last two years, we haven't seen any at all. It's as if, due to some reason, the number of talented disciples is decreasing more and more. There's a feeling of the frog being slowly boiled."
The four fell silent.
They felt the North Sea was shrouded in a thick fog that prevented them from seeing through clearly.
"Let it be. No point discussing this. Let's talk about dividing these disciples," the Taiyi Valley sect leader said.
"I roughly looked over these disciples. Almost all have the lowest talent. Unless there's an accident, most will not amount to much, so there's no need for us to fight over them. Let's just divide them casually!" the Heng Tian Sword House sect leader said indifferently.
The others nodded, apparently having no objections.
Thus, the Heng Tian Sword House sect leader spoke first, solemnly declaring, "The first row shall join my Heng Tian Sword House!"
With his voice trailing off, people from Heng Tian Sword House began registering them.
The disciples in the first row immediately revealed excited expressions.
"The second row shall join my Taiyi Valley!" the Taiyi Valley sect leader spoke next.
"The third row shall join my Canghai Mountain!" the Canghai Mountain sect leader followed.
As their voices faded, the management of the two sects also started registering them.
"Oh my! So smooth!"
Standing in the last row, Yi Feng was extremely excited. He had thought they would pick one by one before he could join a sect. He didn't expect it to be so casual.
It seemed the last row, where he was, would also be directly assigned like the first three rows.
Sure enough, the Cloud Dragon Valley sect leader's voice also sounded.
"The fourth row shall join my Cloud Dragon Valley!"
The disciples in the fourth row revealed excited expressions, with Yi Feng being the most excited, of course.
He also didn't expect things to go so smoothly on this North Sea trip.
Now, the dust had finally settled.
Spending some time here and returning to Dongsheng later, he could obtain the qualifications to establish a sect. Then he could trick disciples to complete the system mission and embark on the path of cultivation, becoming a true superior.
"Wait!"
However, just as Yi Feng was planning out his future, the Cloud Dragon Valley sect leader's voice rang out again, "Except for the one in white clothes. He's not included."
"The one in white clothes?"
The disciples in the fourth row stirred, looking around for someone in white clothes.
Yi Feng searched but didn't see anyone. Then he noticed everyone was looking at him.
Yi Feng had a bad premonition.
Lowering his head for a look.
Gah!
The one in white clothes was himself!