From the fake emperor to the concubine

The cultivator who was taken away by the Zheng family members was not weak, even though he was a rogue cultivator.

At least his cultivation level is still above those two Zheng family disciples.

Logically speaking, even if it were two against one, these two members of the Zheng family would have to put in a lot of effort to defeat this rogue cultivator.

However, the rogue cultivator, who clearly had ill intentions, was easily subdued by the two Zheng family members before he could even put up a proper resistance.

This process was completed in the blink of an eye, and many people didn't even understand what happened.

Such unpredictable and mysterious methods moved many who witnessed this scene.

A collective gasp of cold air immediately followed.

"Wow! The Zheng family's scions are quite formidable."

"Have you noticed that they didn't even use any magic weapons?"

"Something's not right. Based on my understanding of the Zheng family, the current generation of their family members shouldn't be this strong," a middle-aged man in the crowd said, frowning.

A young man with triangular eyes standing next to him immediately retorted, "This fellow Daoist is quite arrogant. They easily subdued a cultivator stronger than themselves with a mere flick of their wrists. Is that not strong?"

The middle-aged man clearly hadn't expected that simply expressing his opinion would lead to someone openly mocking him.

As cultivators, they couldn't possibly hold back. They retorted without hesitation, "What do you know? I'm talking about the former Zheng family members. I've had many interactions with the Zheng family. Do you think I don't know what level their clansmen are at?"

The man with the triangular eyes remained unfazed: "Tch, who knows if what you're saying is true or false. Besides, how could I easily show such a method, which can subdue cultivators with higher cultivation levels than myself, to outsiders?"

Good heavens, this is practically pure sophistry.

The middle-aged man was so angry that his beard was crooked, but he couldn't do anything about this guy.

Some people saw the opportunity for the Zheng family to take action against these people and angrily accused them, saying, "Did everyone see that? This is the true face of a big family like theirs."

"Some people only said a few unpleasant words, and they immediately showed their true colors and took action."

"They say we're free to come and go, but in reality, they don't give us any choice at all."

"Fellow Daoists, instead of waiting to die here, let's fight the Zheng family to the death! Kill them!"

The anticipated scene of public outrage did not materialize. Instead, as he indignantly accused the Zheng family, everyone instinctively distanced themselves from him.

Suddenly, he was left all alone in the middle.

After what just happened, anyone with a modicum of intelligence could see that someone was definitely targeting the Zheng family on purpose.

These independent cultivators are different from the disciples of major sects and the scions of aristocratic families.

Every step on the path of cultivation is like walking on thin ice, extremely difficult.

It's fair to say that anyone who wasn't a little less cunning would have had a hard time getting to where they are today.

People like them are all too familiar with being instigated and used as pawns.

If those people were merely stirring up discontent against the Zheng family in secret, they might not feel anything at all.

But now, this guy actually wants to incite them to start a war with the Zheng family right there at the Zheng family's apprenticeship ceremony...

This scene feels incredibly familiar.

Countless times, while exploring secret realms in search of cultivation techniques and facing demons.

Someone used incredibly tempting words to entice them to go up and fight desperately first, while they themselves secretly hid behind, ready to reap the benefits.

Many of them had even done such things themselves.

"Fellow Daoist, it seems you have many misunderstandings about my Zheng family." Zheng Tianhao's cold gaze pierced through the crowd and locked onto the guy who was inciting them.

Two men from the Zheng family rode on flying swords and arrived in front of this person in the blink of an eye.

He had a very polite demeanor.

“Fellow Daoist, my clan patriarch wishes to meet with you to clear up any misunderstandings you may have about the Zheng family.”

"I would be grateful if you would grant me this favor."

It seemed polite, but it carried an unquestionable tone.

The man tried to resist, but then the two members of the Zheng family exchanged a smile and casually tapped around him a few times.

The cultivator, whose momentum had already surged and who was ready to make a move at any moment, suddenly went limp and fainted.

Before he fell, two members of the Zheng family had already caught him from both sides.

"Thank you for your gracious invitation, fellow Daoist. My Zheng family will certainly do our best to entertain you."

Many people couldn't help but shudder when they heard him say that.

Anyone who isn't an idiot can probably figure out what this so-called "hospitality" really means.

Someone in the crowd snorted in dissatisfaction: "How domineering!"

Those around him scoffed, "So, according to you, when people come to our doorstep, we not only can't fight back, but we should also treat them well and treat them like royalty?"

Zheng Tianhao did this, of course, to show off his muscles.

Both he and Zheng Hui knew that the more difficult the situation, the less they could afford to appear weak.

Retreating continuously will not lead to a brighter future; it will only make others think that the Zheng family is weak and easily bullied, thus emboldening them to take advantage of the situation.

Sure enough, after dealing with these troublemakers, the cultivators who wanted to join the Zheng family did not feel that they had done anything wrong.

On the contrary, most people felt that this was the proper way; since these people dared to come and provoke them, they should naturally bear the consequences.

Those hiding in the shadows shook their heads in disappointment when they saw that their arrangements had failed.

"This Zheng Tianhao is quite capable; I really underestimated him before."

“But I don’t think this is Zheng Tianhao’s doing. Based on my understanding of him, he is definitely not that shrewd.”

"Don't underestimate him. He's the head of a family, after all. If he couldn't even handle this small situation, the Zheng family wouldn't have survived until today."

"What does it matter to us whether he's powerful or not? Now that things have come to this, is there any way back for us?"

"That's not quite right. As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' We need to understand our enemy in order to deal with him better."

"Research my ass! I'm certain Zheng Tianhao is an absolute idiot. If he had the ability to handle this matter properly, I'd eat this table!"

Seeing that the group was getting more and more agitated, an old voice stepped in to smooth things over: "Everyone, calm down. There's nothing to argue about. The Zheng family is a large family after all, and Zheng Tianhao is just the nominal patriarch. We don't know who else is behind the Zheng family besides the patriarch. Maybe it's this person who is giving Zheng Tianhao advice from behind the scenes."

Just then, the organizer chuckled and said, "Coincidentally, I just received some information."

The shadows of everyone present involuntarily tensed up.

"The patriarch of the Zheng family went into seclusion not long ago, so everything that is happening in the Zheng family now is indeed being handled by Zheng Tianhao."

"The Zheng family began to decline hundreds of years ago. Although it is still considered to be a large and prosperous family, most of the old monsters who were hiding behind the scenes are dead. It can be said that they have almost no hidden power." "As for what happened today, it is said that a junior member of the Zheng family was giving Zheng Tianhao advice."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a figure suddenly stood up: "Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could a junior like Qu do such a thing?"

"No matter how foolish Zheng Tianhao is, he is still the head of a clan. How could he possibly obey a junior without question?"

Seeing their incredulous expressions, the organizer secretly curled his lip.

Such situations are most likely to occur in forces that dominate a region.

They always tend to prioritize ability and competence over seniority, which is considered useless.

They probably don't know that they are hiding a huge secret, which is the cultivation technique created by the Zheng family patriarch.

Zheng Tianhao and the patriarchs of the Zheng family racked their brains to find a way to prevent their ancestor's cultivation techniques from being passed on.

Unfortunately, there are no walls that cannot be sealed.

No matter how well you try to keep it secret, you can't completely prevent all kinds of tricks if you're willing to put in the effort.

The organizers obtained two parts of the cultivation techniques created by that ancestor through some special channels.

They are "Beginner Level" and "Advanced Level".

When the organizers saw the name of this cultivation method, they were shocked. What kind of weirdo could give a cultivation method such a name?

However, when he saw the contents of these two cultivation techniques, he was immediately amazed.

He had never even heard of such a simple and straightforward cultivation method, which was also very easy to practice.

However, when the organizers tried to practice according to this method, they were surprised to find that...

He simply had no way of cultivating these two techniques.

These are all very simple and straightforward things, but when he practices according to the energy circulation path in the technique, he immediately feels as if his meridians are about to boil.

If he hadn't taken timely control, he might have gone mad from practicing qi cultivation.

The most terrifying thing was that, even after he wanted to stop cultivating, the contents of those two cultivation techniques seemed to be deeply imprinted in his mind.

Even when he was practicing his original cultivation method, he would often be unintentionally influenced by the "Beginner Level" technique, which greatly increased his cultivation speed.

God knows how much effort he put in to finally get rid of most of that messy stuff.

However, there are still some that I simply can't forget.

It's practically no different from mental pollution.

The guy who created this technique is truly terrifying.

He was even wondering who this so-called ancestor of the Zheng family really was.
While these people were making a ruckus, the organizer secretly sneered, "But this is not bad either. Making you evenly matched is more in line with what that person wants."

Meanwhile, in front of the Zheng family's gate, after dealing with those troublemakers, the situation was completely under the Zheng family's control.

"Fellow Daoists, I will give you ten more breaths. If you wish to leave, you may do so now."

"I can guarantee that as long as you are not a fellow Daoist who is deliberately targeting my Zheng family, you will not be treated unfairly."

"If you choose to stay, please participate in the Zheng family's disciple-acceptance ceremony according to the rules. If anyone intentionally disrupts the ceremony, don't blame the Zheng family for taking swift and decisive action."

As he spoke, Zheng Tianhao began to count down.

"Ten...nine...eight...one!"

While Zheng Tianhao was reading the numbers, quite a few people secretly weighed their options and quietly withdrew from the crowd.

As Zheng Tianhao predicted, no member of the Zheng family stood up to make things difficult for these people.

Even though most of them were troublemakers, the Zheng family members pretended not to see them.

Many people leave, but compared to those who stay, they are just a drop in the ocean.

Only then did Zheng Tianhao finally breathe a sigh of relief.

With so many people participating, there are bound to be many promising talents who will emerge. Their talent, combined with the techniques given by our ancestors, makes them incredibly promising.

Zheng Tianhao and several elders of the Zheng family stood in the positions according to the five elements.

Several people simultaneously formed hand seals and chanted incantations in unison.

As time went by, everyone was surprised to find that a gourd the size of a house was slowly emerging from the void right in front of the Zheng family mansion.

There is a staircase connecting to the mouth of the gourd.

When the incantation was finally finished, the gourd itself appeared before everyone.

The gourd is neither gold nor jade, but the golden patterns carved on it are smooth and full of spiritual energy.

Just one glance at it seems to give one a refreshing feeling.

"Fellow Daoists, this is a blessed land left behind by my ancestor, the Zheng family."

"The first test of the disciple-acceptance ceremony is very simple. As long as you can enter the blessed land inside the gourd, you will have passed the test."

"Please come forward one by one. This selection is only based on qualifications, so you may not take any pills or use any magical artifacts or treasures."

If this step is taken before dealing with those troublemakers, it will likely raise alarm among many people.

However, those who remain are all people with strong wills.

Regardless of the outcome, they will not easily change their minds.

So it was actually quite peaceful, without many troubles.

The gourd's entrance was only the size of two doors, just big enough for two cultivators to walk in side by side.

Almost everyone can walk into the gourd without any hindrance, as if there are no obstacles at all.

In no time, more than two hundred people had gone inside.

Such a smooth process, ironically, has raised many people's doubts.

"That's strange. Wasn't it supposed to be a test of qualifications? But it seems like anyone can get in."

"Nonsense, everyone who dared to come to the Zheng family today is a cultivator with exceptional talent. Of course, they couldn't possibly be stopped by Qu Yi Dao Sect."

"That's not how it works. Cultivation level isn't absolutely related to aptitude. Some people may not have great aptitude, but if they get a suitable cultivation technique, they can still achieve something. Others may have exceptional aptitude, but unfortunately, they're unlucky and can't find suitable cultivation resources, so their strength improvement is limited."

Another person nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. It is indeed a bit illogical for everyone to be qualified. Could it be that..."

Just as speculation began to spread, a giant lotus flower suddenly bloomed from the lotus pattern on the gourd, revealing a bewildered cultivator inside. (End of Chapter)