From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Those who are unwilling to join are fine too. But if they dare to oppose the Zheng family or respond to the calls of those so-called righteous sects, they will bear the consequences themselves."

This move can be described as cutting off the enemy's supply lines. Zheng Yi used generous offers to attract independent cultivators and small sects, expanding his own influence. At the same time, it served as a warning to those who were easily swayed, lest they choose the wrong side.

"The patriarch is wise!" everyone exclaimed in unison.

Zheng Yi instructed, "Hongzhi, go and reply personally. Be firm and don't show weakness."

"Yes, Master." Zheng Hongzhi accepted the order and left.

A few days later, the reply was delivered to sects such as Qingyun Sect, Xuantian Sect, and Chixia Sect.

Inside the main hall of the Qingyun Sect, Sect Leader Yun Xuzi was furious and his face turned ashen after reading the reply.

"Arrogant! Utterly arrogant!" He slammed the letter onto the table. "This Zheng Yi, how dare he be so cocky!"

The elders standing nearby were also filled with righteous indignation.

"Sect Leader, we can't just let this go!" an elder said. "If Zheng Yi continues to be so arrogant, who will respect our Qingyun Sect in the future?"

“Excellent!” another elder chimed in. “We should unite with other sects to put pressure on the Zheng family!”

Yun Xuzi pondered for a moment and said, "Send someone to contact the Xuantian Sect and the Chixia Sect to see their attitude. If they are willing to join forces, then..."

Before he could finish speaking, a disciple rushed in, panicking: "Sect Leader, something terrible has happened!"

"What's the panic?" Yun Xuzi asked, frowning.

"Sect Leader, a man has arrived outside our Qingyun Sect's gates," the disciple said, trembling. "He says he's an envoy sent by the Zheng family and requests to see you, Sect Leader."

"An envoy from the Zheng family?" Yun Xuzi was taken aback. "What brings them here?"

“He said… he said…” The disciple swallowed hard. “He said if the sect leader dared to say another word, the Zheng family head would personally come to visit.”

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Yun Xuzi's expression changed repeatedly. Although he spoke toughly, he knew very well that Zheng Yi was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and if they really fought, the Qingyun Sect would be no match for him.

"Furthermore," the disciple continued, "in the past few days, more than a dozen outer disciples from our Qingyun Sect have defected to the Zheng family. They say the Zheng family offers them much better treatment than we have."

Yun Xuzi's heart sank. Only a few days had passed, and a disciple had already defected? If this continued, wouldn't the Qingyun Sect be slowly devoured by the Zheng family?
He gritted his teeth, but finally gave in: "Go tell that envoy that I, Yun Xuzi, am aware of the situation. Our Qingyun Sect will no longer concern ourselves with the Zheng family's affairs."

The elders exchanged glances, wanting to offer some advice, but ultimately remained silent. They all knew that in the face of absolute power, any words were futile.

Coincidentally, the Xuantian Sect and the Chixia Sect also received similar warnings. Their reaction was the same as the Qingyun Sect's—to back down.

There was no other way; they had a Nascent Soul Realm expert among them, and Zheng Yi's domineering presence and strength instilled fear in them. If they were to truly anger Zheng Yi and be subdued like the Taixu Sect, it would be a huge loss.

What terrified them even more was that after Zheng Yi made his announcement, quite a few independent cultivators and small sects did indeed flock to the Zheng family. The Zheng family's power was growing at a visible rate.

Those sects that had initially wanted to criticize Zheng Yi fell silent. Everyone understood one thing—in the face of absolute power, so-called justice and morality are meaningless.

Zheng Yi used the simplest and most direct method to intimidate all the surrounding sects.

Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

On Mount Taixu, the Zheng family has settled down completely. The buildings that originally belonged to the Taixu Sect have been repaired and renovated, and now look brand new. The plaque in front of the mountain gate, engraved with the words "Zheng Family," shines brightly in the sunlight, exuding a faint sense of awe.

In these three months, the Zheng family has undergone tremendous changes.

First, there was the integration of personnel. Initially, there was some distance between the Zheng family's disciples and the original Taixu Sect disciples, with each secretly competing with the other. However, under Zheng Yi's deliberate arrangement, the disciples from both sides were frequently assigned to perform tasks and cultivate together. Gradually, they began to get to know each other, and the barriers slowly disappeared.

Now, it's difficult to distinguish who were originally members of the Zheng family and who are disciples of the Taixu Sect. Everyone calls themselves a disciple of the Zheng family and strives to cultivate for the glory of their clan.

Secondly, their strength has improved. With ample resources, the Zheng family disciples have made astonishing progress. Zheng Haoran, Zheng Qingyue, and Zheng Yunfei have made particularly rapid progress. Zheng Haoran has broken through from the early stage of the Golden Core realm to the middle stage, Zheng Qingyue has reached the peak of the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and Zheng Yunfei has made the fastest progress, breaking through directly to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage.

This was largely thanks to his frequent visits to forbidden areas to study the sword intent of the Taixu Divine Sword. Although he still couldn't draw the divine sword, the sword dao insights contained within it allowed his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.

As for the elders who were originally at the Nascent Soul stage, they have all made progress to varying degrees. Elders Zheng Hongzhi and Zheng Bowen have already touched the threshold of the late Nascent Soul stage. Given time, they will surely be able to break through.

Furthermore, there was the expansion of their influence. After Zheng Yi made his announcement, a number of independent cultivators and small sects came to join them. Some of these people genuinely pledged allegiance, while others were drawn by the Zheng family's resources. Regardless of their reasons, the Zheng family welcomed all who came.

Now, the Zheng family has more than a dozen subordinate forces, and the territory they control has expanded from a radius of a hundred miles to a radius of a thousand miles. It can be said that the Zheng family has become the veritable overlord of this area.

On this day, Zheng Yi was cultivating in a secret chamber. After breaking through to the Integration Realm, he did not slack off; on the contrary, he worked even harder. Because he knew that the path of cultivation had no end, and the Integration Realm was just a new starting point.

Just as he was about to continue comprehending the laws of space and time, Zheng Bowen's voice came from outside: "Patriarch, I have something important to report."

Zheng Yi opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air: "Come in."

Zheng Bowen pushed open the door and entered, followed by Zheng Hongzhi and Xiao Tianxing. All three wore thoughtful expressions, as if they had encountered some problem.

"What is it?" Zheng Yi asked.

Zheng Bowen organized his thoughts and said, "Patriarch, in the past three months, our Zheng family has developed rapidly, with significant improvements in both strength and sphere of influence. However, we have also encountered a new problem."

"explain."

“Tai Xu Peak is too large,” Zheng Bowen said with a wry smile. “This was originally the residence of thousands of people from the Tai Xu Sect, but even including the original disciples of the Tai Xu Sect, our Zheng family only has a little over two thousand people. The entire mountain peak seems deserted, and many places are abandoned.” Zheng Hongzhi added, “More importantly, the spiritual veins at the foot of the mountain produce too many spirit stones, which our current population simply cannot use. Every year, a large number of spirit stones are left idle, which is a huge waste.”

"So what you mean is?" Zheng Yi seemed to have guessed their thoughts.

Xiao Tianxing cupped his hands and said, "Patriarch, I suggest we consider recruiting some disciples from other families. The Taixu Sect did just that back then, welcoming talented people from all over the world; as long as they had cultivation talent, regardless of their background, they could join."

Zheng Bowen added, "That's right. The Zheng family is now the dominant force in this area, with a well-established reputation. If we openly recruit disciples, a large number of young people will surely apply. We can select the most talented among them, train them, and they will undoubtedly become the pillars of the family in the future."

"Furthermore," Zheng Hongzhi added, "recruiting disciples from other families can strengthen our ties with surrounding forces. If the children of those small sects and independent cultivators can cultivate within the Zheng family, their families will naturally become closer to the Zheng family."

After listening, Zheng Yi pondered for a moment.

What they said makes sense. Although the Zheng family has grown rapidly, its core strength is still limited. The number of Zheng clan members is limited, and relying on natural reproduction to increase the population would take a very long time. Recruiting disciples from other clans, however, can quickly expand their power.

More importantly, the cultivation world values ​​strength and talent, not bloodline. With sufficient talent, even disciples from other clans can become powerful. Historically, many major sects expanded their power by recruiting disciples from outside their own clans.

"That's a good suggestion," Zheng Yi nodded. "However, there must be rules when recruiting disciples from outside the family. We can't just accept anyone; otherwise, the mixed quality will damage the family's foundation."

“The patriarch is absolutely right,” Zheng Bowen said. “Therefore, we need to establish strict selection criteria.”

Zheng Yi pondered for a moment and said, "How about this? Recruitment will be divided into two levels. The first level is for outer disciples, with relatively lenient requirements. As long as you have talent for cultivation and good character, you can join. These disciples will cultivate in the outer sect, and those who perform exceptionally well can be promoted to inner disciples."

"The second level is the inner sect disciples, with extremely strict requirements. Not only must one possess exceptional talent, but they must also pass numerous tests to confirm their loyalty before entering the inner sect. Inner sect disciples can cultivate the family's core techniques and enjoy the best resources."

"As for core disciples," Zheng Yi paused, "only members of the Zheng clan, or disciples from other clans who have made significant contributions to the family, are eligible."

This plan not only ensures that the Zheng family's core interests are not harmed, but also attracts a wide range of talented people, achieving two goals at once.

"Brilliant!" Zheng Hongzhi clapped his hands in approval. "This way, we can recruit a large number of disciples while ensuring the purity of the family."

“Then it’s settled,” Zheng Yi said. “Bowen, you’ll be in charge of drafting the detailed recruitment guidelines. Hongzhi, you’ll be in charge of arranging the assessments. As for the tests for the first batch of applicants, I will personally oversee them.”

"Yes, Master!" The two accepted the order.

"Furthermore," Zheng Yi added, "the recruitment news must be widely disseminated, so that young people within a radius of thousands of miles know. Tell them that the Zheng family doesn't care about background, only talent and character. Anyone aspiring to cultivate the Great Dao is welcome to apply."

A hint of emotion flashed in Xiao Tianxing's eyes. The Taixu Sect recruited disciples in the same way back then; he never expected the Zheng family to follow the same path now. However, given Zheng Yi's strength and ambition, the Zheng family's future would likely be far more glorious than the Taixu Sect's.

Three days later, the news of the recruitment spread for thousands of miles around.

"Have you heard? The Zheng family is going to publicly recruit disciples!"

"What? Doesn't the Zheng family only accept members of the Zheng clan?"

"That was true before, but things are different now. The Zheng family recruits openly, regardless of background, only based on talent!"

"Is this for real? The Zheng family is a powerful clan with a Nascent Soul Realm expert!"

"It's absolutely true! I've seen the recruitment notice. As long as I pass the assessment, I can join the Zheng family, cultivate advanced techniques, and receive pills and spirit stones!"

"Great! This is a golden opportunity!"

The news caused an immediate sensation in the surrounding area. Countless young people and their parents were thrilled.

For independent cultivators and disciples of small sects, joining a powerful force like the Zheng family is an incredibly auspicious event. Cultivating in a small sect means scarce resources, rudimentary techniques, and extreme difficulty in achieving anything significant. But joining the Zheng family changes everything.

Moreover, the Zheng family's reputation is currently at its zenith. Three months ago, Zheng Yi swiftly subdued the Taixu Sect and responded forcefully to those so-called righteous sects, earning widespread renown. To be a disciple of such a powerful family is an honor in itself.

As a result, countless young people began to flock to Taixu Peak.

Some were disciples from nearby small sects, who had received support from their family elders and came specifically to register. Some were children of independent cultivators, who had exhausted their family fortunes just to have a chance. Others were children from ordinary families who, upon hearing that the Zheng family was recruiting, wanted to try their luck.

In just ten days, more than five thousand people came to register. At the foot of Taixu Peak, the temporary registration area was packed with people and bustling with activity.

Zheng Bowen was both excited and a little troubled by the large number of people who had signed up. He was excited because the Zheng family's influence had exceeded his expectations, but troubled by how to select from so many applicants.
"Master, there are too many applicants," Zheng Bowen reported to Zheng Yi. "We need to develop a more detailed selection process; otherwise, just testing these people's talents will take a lot of time."

Zheng Yi thought for a moment and said, "How about this, let's do a preliminary screening first. Those over twenty years old will be eliminated directly. Cultivation should begin early; once you're too old, your innate abilities are already set, making it difficult to achieve great things."

"Furthermore, those with serious character flaws, such as committing crimes, betraying their teachers, or disrespecting their ancestors, will also be eliminated. We need disciples, not trouble."

"After these two rounds of selection, the number of people should be significantly reduced. Those remaining will then be tested one by one on their spiritual roots and talents."

Zheng Bowen nodded: "The patriarch is wise. This should eliminate more than half of the people."

Thus, the first round of selection began.

The elders of the Zheng family, responsible for the screening, strictly adhered to Zheng Yi's requirements. Those who were too old were directly advised to leave. Those with questionable conduct were expelled immediately upon verification.

After a day of selection, more than 3,000 out of 5,000 people were eliminated. Only less than 2,000 people were qualified to enter the next round.

The second round is to test one's spiritual roots.

The Zheng family produced a spirit-testing stone, a magical artifact specifically used to test spiritual roots. Simply placing one's hand on the stone would reveal the test subject's spiritual root attributes and quality. (End of Chapter)