Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 175 Poaching in person

When Chen Ye fully entered the maze, the bronze bell on Yu Xing's body disappeared, as if it had followed Chen Ye to another place.

Suddenly losing his footing, Yu Xing stumbled and fell to the ground in a rather disheveled manner. After getting up, Yu Xing wanted to curse a few words, but found that Chen Ye had already disappeared.

"Where is that kid?!" Yu Xing, not even bothering to brush the dust off his clothes, hurriedly shouted to the surroundings, "Did he admit defeat and run away?!"

However, the surrounding cultivators glanced at him indifferently or with disdain before turning their gazes away, ignoring him completely. Some people's behavior was so repulsive that even disciples of the Mirage Sect couldn't earn the respect of others.

As for Chen Ye, as soon as he stepped into the entrance light curtain, he felt the light flowing before his eyes, and the scene before him was completely changed.

He thought he was about to enter a real maze, but to his surprise, he found himself in an elegantly decorated hall with faint sounds of people.

Before I could get a good look at him, a young cultivator in an elegant wheelchair came up to me. He was wearing a Taoist robe from the Yunlu Immortal Sect and had a gentle smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Chen, on successfully breaking through the maze. I am Yu Shenxing from the Yunlu Immortal Sect."

Upon hearing the name "Yu Shenxing," Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he almost connected him with the arrogant and domineering Yu Xing from earlier. But then he thought about it again, and realized that the Yu Shenxing before him was gentle and refined, with a calm demeanor, completely different from Yu Xing. They didn't even look alike, so it was probably just a coincidence and had no connection whatsoever.

Chen Ye's gaze unconsciously fell on the wheelchair, and he was somewhat surprised.

Cultivators rarely suffer from disabilities, as those with profound cultivation can easily reshape their bodies and regenerate severed limbs. Moreover, how could a top-tier sect like the Yunlu Immortal Sect possibly fail to heal its disciples of physical disabilities?

As if sensing Chen Ye's surprised look, Yu Shenxing smiled frankly and took the initiative to explain: "I was born with a leg ailment, a problem I was born with. My legs are weak and powerless. My master has also searched far and wide for a good remedy for me, but unfortunately, this is a congenital deficiency that cannot be easily remedied by acquired means."

Chen Ye quickly cupped his hands and said, "It was my rudeness, Brother Yu, please forgive me."

Yu Shenxing waved his hand and laughed, "It's alright, it's alright. It's indeed rare for cultivators to have physical disabilities. It's only natural for others to be curious when they first see them. I'm already used to it. Besides, physical disabilities don't affect cultivation. With this magic wheelchair, I'm no different from an ordinary person."

"Brother Yu is broad-minded and magnanimous, which I admire greatly." Chen Ye's words came from the bottom of his heart.

It is already difficult to find someone in this world who can calmly face their own shortcomings, and it is even rarer to find someone who can talk about them so lightly and even with a sense of ease.

Yu Shenxing's composure is truly admirable.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Yu Shenxing smiled slightly and changed the subject, saying, "I also greatly admire you, fellow Daoist. I wonder if you, Fellow Daoist Chen, would be interested in joining my Yunlu Immortal Sect?"

"what?"

Chen Ye was stunned for a moment, almost thinking he had misheard.

The topic changed so quickly. How did we suddenly start talking about recruiting people?

Seeing Chen Ye's astonished and puzzled expression, Yu Shenxing quickly explained, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be surprised. The purpose of this Dharma Assembly is to exchange and learn from fellow Daoists across the world. At the same time, it's also an important opportunity for our Yunlu Immortal Sect to select outstanding talents. Fellow Daoist, you solved the maze in an extremely short time, making you one of the fastest in the history of the Dharma Assembly. Such comprehension and talent are truly rare. Naturally, our Yunlu Immortal Sect hopes to take such a talented person into our sect and nurture them with care."

After Yu Shenxing said this, Chen Ye suddenly remembered that he had indeed heard that those who performed outstandingly at the Dharma Assembly had the opportunity to be chosen as disciples by the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

He had been so focused on the conference itself that he never imagined such a good thing would happen to him.

"What a pity, what a real pity," Chen Ye sighed inwardly.

If Chen Ye had never been to the Northern Frontier, he probably would have accepted this god-given opportunity without hesitation. The Yunlu Immortal Sect was renowned for its expertise in magic, which perfectly suited his cultivation path. If he could join them, he would surely benefit immensely.

But times have changed. Now he is the sect leader of the Yellow Springs Sect, with an unfathomable lord behind him. If he dares to agree to join another sect, that lord will probably hunt him down to the ends of the earth and personally twist his head off.

Offending an old monster at the Void Returning Realm? That's practically asking for trouble.

"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Yu. It's a pity that I already belong to a sect and cannot join the Yunlu Immortal Sect. Please forgive me, Brother Yu."

Yu Shenxing was genuinely surprised to hear Chen Ye's refusal. He had expected Chen Ye to hesitate for a long time before declining, given that it was an invitation from one of the five major sects. But Chen Ye refused almost without hesitation. Was his Yellow Springs Sect really that good?
Although he couldn't figure it out, Yu Shenxing was polite, so he exchanged a few pleasantries and then forgot about the matter.

"Although it is a pity that we cannot become fellow disciples, it is fate that we met today. I will take the liberty of calling you my virtuous brother. Originally, the one who deciphers the maze can choose one treasure, but since we met too late today, I will make the decision for you to choose two."

As Yu Shenxing spoke, he pointed his hands into the air, and many lights and shadows flew out from between his fingers, turning into many objects that floated in front of Chen Ye.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Ye noticed that the rewards were diverse, mostly jade pendants for recording spells, a few magical artifacts of various forms, as well as various precious natural materials and two bottles of pills that looked extraordinary.

The Yunlu Immortal Sect is truly wealthy; the treasures they casually give away are probably something that independent cultivators could never obtain in their entire lives.

Chen Ye didn't stand on ceremony. He was indeed much younger than Yu Shenxing, so his address of "Brother Yu" was completely sincere. A simple title could earn him an extra treasure, which was a huge win.

Chen Ye carefully examined the rewards. The magic jade pendants were undoubtedly of high quality, and the various magical effects written on them were quite tempting to him.

As for magical artifacts, although each had its own unique uses, Chen Ye felt they were not very useful.

The orb that can gather the spiritual energy of the five elements and unleash multiple spells at the same time seems very powerful, but Chen Ye currently relies on two Hellish Divine Powers to fight enemies, which is almost enough for him. He'd probably be too busy to use another magic weapon.

The other magical treasures were similar; they were all valuable items in other people's hands, but they were not what Chen Ye lacked.

As for the two bottles of pills, one is the Baosheng Pill produced by the Fenxiang Sect. This is the best pill for replenishing spiritual energy in the Tongxuan Realm. When fighting with others, if the spiritual energy in the body is exhausted, swallowing one pill can immediately restore most of it.

Chen Ye once had a bottle of it, but because cultivators with low cultivation levels would die from overeating it, he gave it to Su Chunyi.

Now that we've met again, I might as well take a bottle; it might just save my life in a critical moment.

The other bottle contained a longevity pill, but it was not produced by the Incense Burning Sect. It was a rather precious treasure. Ordinary cultivators who took it would have their lifespan extended by several decades or even a hundred or two hundred years, which was almost equivalent to the effect of the Gang Sha Body Refinement.

However, it's useless above the Profound Realm, and Chen Ye estimated that he wouldn't need it either.

He underwent a complete transformation, inside and out. The combined effects of the Qi Refining Body and the ginseng fruit had already reached the limit of his lifespan extension. Taking this kind of elixir would probably not be very effective and would be a complete waste.

As for giving it as a gift, it would be a decent present, but Chen Ye still wanted to choose another more useful item.

Chen Ye carefully selected for a long time, and then chose a magical jade pendant and a rare and precious material.

The jade pendant contained mechanical techniques that Chen Ye had never seen before, while the precious material was a bamboo shoot, which appeared to be a rare species occasionally cultivated by the Yunlu Immortal Sect, capable of growing golden bamboo that could attract heavenly lightning.

The art of mechanical engineering can utilize this golden bamboo as a material to mass-produce artifacts usable by the sect.

Chen Ye should be prepared. If he doesn't find a suitable disciple on this long journey, he can't very well serve tea and water himself on the day of the sect's opening ceremony. The puppets created by mechanical arts can solve this problem perfectly.

Yu Shenxing seemed surprised that Chen Ye would choose these two items, but he had no objections. With a flick of his finger, the two rewards transformed from phantom images into physical objects and flew into Chen Ye's hands.

This technique of turning illusion into reality was so beautiful that Chen Ye was filled with admiration.

Yu Shenxing continued, "Brother, you might as well take a stroll around this Dharma Assembly. There are still several riddles that no one has solved yet. With your abilities, you might just be able to come out on top."

"Thank you for your kind words, I will definitely go and see for myself." However, Chen Ye changed the subject and asked, "I have a question for you, Brother Yu, but please forgive me if it is a bit presumptuous."

Yu Shenxing smiled and said, "Brother, please speak freely."

Chen Ye quickly said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'd like to ask if there are any people who wanted to join the Yunlu Immortal Sect but were rejected by your sect? Could you introduce them to me? My Huangquan Sect is in dire need of disciples."

Yu Shenxing looked at Chen Ye in surprise; this was blatant poaching.

(End of this chapter)