Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Master Qingfeng was the first to ask a question.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, is the sect you once apprenticed to the same one you now belong to, the Flowing Cloud Sect?"

Master Yunbai lowered his chest slightly, took a deep breath, his expression solemn and sorrowful, and nodded heavily: "It is indeed the Liuyun Sect."

Following closely behind, the rat demon Xu Gu Zi pressed on, "As far as I know, orthodox human cultivation sects prioritize spiritual root aptitude when recruiting new members, employing rigorous screening at every level."

"Why did your Flowing Cloud Sect's selection process back then involve rules like snatching jade from the desolate forest and children fighting each other?"

"Such barbaric and childish behavior is completely unlike what a righteous sect would do."

Master Yunbai's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was calm and even, as if he were recounting an old story that had nothing to do with him.

"The elder who was in charge of recruiting people down the mountain back then was eccentric and had a penchant for watching mortals compete for opportunities. He specially set up this trial of seizing jade in the desolate forest for his own amusement."

"After the ten of us who won arrived at the sect, our spiritual roots were re-examined, and we were then divided into servants, outer disciples, and inner disciples based on our talent."

Old Yang Qingmianzi stroked his beard and slowly asked, "When your dear friend risked his life to protect you, how many children did he stop from fighting over the food?"

Upon hearing this, Master Yunbai gently shook his head, a deep weariness settling over his brows and eyes, as if unwilling to touch upon this painful past.

"More than three hundred years have passed, and time has left its mark. I can no longer remember the exact number of people, but there were at least five or six people who surrounded us."

The raven demon Xuan Yuzi's eyes were deep and dark as he coldly questioned, "The righteous sects have always been extremely selective in their recruitment, choosing only the best among the best."

"Sometimes, it's even harder to find one out of a thousand!"

"Your selection of ten out of a hundred is far beyond what is expected, which is far too lenient and does not conform to the usual regulations of cultivation sects."

Faced with the crowd's persistent questioning, Master Yunbai calmly replied, "I only learned the details of this matter many years after I joined the sect."

"That elder came down the mountain just to make up the numbers at the last minute, which is why he casually set up this farcical trial."

"What are you trying to make up?" Gou An asked at the opportune moment.

Master Yunbai nodded, giving a detailed and reliable answer: "Our Liuyun Sect has a fixed quota for recruiting new members every year. That year, as the end of the year approached, there were still ten vacancies. That's why the elders came down the mountain at the last minute and casually started this selection, just to fill the gaps in the sect's regulations."

After a round of questions and answers, all five people received their information, and the atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense and stagnant.

The lingering soul in mid-air spoke indifferently, its voice echoing through the empty palace: "The Q&A session is over. Voting will begin immediately."

"Raise your left hand, and the story is deemed false."

"Raise your right hand, and the story is deemed true."

"Voting begins!"

In an instant, five thoughts raced through their minds, and no one dared to make a rash move.

Gou An calmed his mind and carefully reviewed the entire process.

When Yunbai Zhenren recounted his past, he was filled with emotion, his expression was sorrowful, his words were choked with sobs, and the details were extremely rich, making the audience feel very immersed.

He was clearly acting out a show of guilt and self-blame, intending to make everyone believe the story was true.

Upon closer inspection, however, numerous flaws and inconsistencies are found.

The sect selection process was a farce, the acceptance rate was outrageous, and the far-fetched excuses used to make up the numbers at the end of the year.

Every detail felt forced and contrived, completely contradicting the orthodox rules for recruiting new members to a sect.

But the game of human nature is the most unpredictable. Perhaps Master Yunbai deliberately told this illogical story, going against the grain and intentionally leaving flaws in order to mislead everyone into believing that he was lying.

In fact, every word of this bizarre story is true.

The others also frowned, caught in a dilemma, unsure of Yun Bai Zhenren's true intentions. The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Seeing that everyone was still hesitant, the remnant soul suddenly urged, "The countdown has begun! Anyone who doesn't raise their hand before the time limit will have one point of mental energy deducted!"

"ten!"

"Nine!"

"eight!"

The countdown echoed throughout the hall, instantly creating a sense of oppression.

No one dared to hesitate any longer and made their choices one after another.

Master Qingfeng was the quickest to act; almost without hesitation, he raised his right hand first, confirming that everything Yunbai said was true.

The rat demon Xu Gu Zi, who was standing to the side, wanted to determine that the story was false, so he slightly raised his arm.

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Master Shiqingfeng had already chosen the truth, and his heart wavered for a moment.

The rat demon, being cautious and profit-driven by nature, immediately changed its stance and raised its right hand, confirming that it was real.

Old Sheep Qingmianzi and two others have already chosen the truth, and he also raised his right hand to follow the trend.

This choice minimizes risk, as even if the judgment is wrong, everyone will be punished together.

In the blink of an eye, the three players on the field had made the same choice.

Only Gou An and Wu Ya Xuan Yu Zi remained, staring at each other as the countdown continued.

"three!"

"two!"

Crow Xuan Yuzi surveyed the entire scene. Seeing that the situation was already decided, and unwilling to go against the tide alone, he finally raised his right hand.

"one!"

Just as the countdown reached zero, the only variable in the entire event suddenly appeared.

Gou An defied the odds and raised his left hand steadily.

This story is definitely fake!

After everyone had made their choices.

The remnant soul spoke: "The voting is over! True Master Yunbai, you should tell everyone whether what you just said is true or false."

Five pairs of eyes locked onto Master Yunbai.

Just moments ago, his face was filled with sorrow, his voice choked with sobs, and he looked as if he had a deep-seated guilt that had been etched into his heart for centuries. But now, that image has completely vanished.

As everyone watched, a cool, detached smile slowly curved his lips upwards, all his pain vanishing, leaving only a sense of relief.

"I apologize, everyone." Master Yunbai gently raised his eyes and frankly admitted, "I lied just now."

These words caused a slight pause in the room.

Master Qingfeng's brows furrowed suddenly, and he immediately spoke up in disbelief: "Impossible! I heard about your story of entering the Dao years ago when I was discussing Dao with the elders of the Liuyun Sect. The details are exactly the same as what you said. How can it be a lie?"

"That's right."

Master Yunbai suddenly chuckled, his smile slightly cold, carrying a hint of smug mockery. "The framework, the process, the beginning and the end of the story are indeed exactly the same as what you heard."

"But Fellow Daoist Qingfeng, you have overlooked the most crucial point from beginning to end."

"Are you sure the elder who told you this story is telling the truth?"

"I've been telling this lie for three hundred years."

His smile deepened as he looked at Master Qingfeng, whose expression had darkened slightly: "You chose me to tell the story first, hoping to use my story to secure your favor."

Little did you know, you tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead.

"I deliberately chose an old story that you've heard before, so that you'd have a preconceived notion and be convinced it's true."

Qingfeng Shangren was unwilling to accept this and still couldn't believe it. He immediately looked up at the remnant soul in mid-air, cupped his hands, and asked in a deep voice, "Senior! The strange rule of the Liuyun Sect recruiting new members at the end of the year and seizing the jade in the desolate forest is indeed true. The two sects are on good terms, and I have personally verified this!"

"Everything he said is supported by evidence, so where exactly is the lie?"

The remnant soul silently looked down, its calm and undisturbed voice slowly rising: "He did lie, but not to the places you asked about."

As soon as he finished speaking, the remnant soul waved his sleeve.

A clear water mirror appeared out of thin air in the center of the hall, its surface shimmering and reflecting a scene from a hundred years ago deep in the wilderness.

All the long-forgotten events were reproduced and displayed before the six people.

The scene in the mirror was exactly the same as what Master Yunbai had described.

In the trials of the desolate forest years ago, a hundred children vied for the jade.

He and his childhood friend from the same village went together and successfully found a trial jade ball in the crevice of the rocks, which indeed attracted six children to surround and snatch it.

But what happened next completely overturned everyone's previous understanding.

Facing a group of six men surrounding and attacking him, the young Master Yunbai fought side by side with his childhood friend.

The two fought ruthlessly and worked in perfect harmony, managing to defeat six menacing children and force them to retreat in disarray, scattering and fleeing without ever harming themselves.

With the crisis over, there was no one else in the dense forest.

But at that moment, the young Master Yunbai quietly bent down, picked up a huge boulder with sharp edges at his feet, and smashed it down hard on his friend's head in the instant his friend was caught off guard and filled with joy!

A muffled thud, and blood splattered across the desolate forest.

It turns out that his childhood friend never died in a fight or brawl among others.

That life was ended by Master Yunbai himself.