Chapter 345: 345, [Center of Attention]
The Demon Sect was bustling once again, as lively as it had been in a long time.
The reason was simple: the advancement exam for the Inner Sect was about to start.
For any sect, making it into the Inner Sect was similar to being part of the elite of a faction, not only would there be experts to guide them, but the resources they obtained could be several times better.
As one of the seven great sects, the quality of Demon Sect’s Inner Sect Disciples was quite high, and ordinary Outer Sect Disciples had no chance to enter the Inner Sect.
Early in the morning, Lu Xun got out of bed early, put on a low-key luxurious black robe, and prepared to go to Yanwu Peak to watch the ceremony.
He was representing the back mountain to show the importance it attached to the advancement exam of the Inner Sect.
In the past, the third senior brother was responsible for watching the ceremony, but he disliked such trivial matters.
Now that Lu Xun shared his worries, he gave Lu Xun a storage ring containing 20,000 spirit stones with a smile, as a token of his appreciation.
The little black cat sat on the rattan chair, staring wide-eyed as Lu Xun cheerfully declined a few times before accepting the ring.
That smile in the sunlight was indeed radiant.
“It turns out that the money is still what my damn junior brother likes most!”, Mao Nanbei thought to herself.
After Lu Xun put away the storage ring, he turned his head and asked, “Fourth senior sister, are you going to go join the fun?”
Mao Nanbei shook her head, lowered it to lick her paw, indicating that she wouldn’t go.
If it were in the past, even if Lu Xun didn’t let her go, she would still insist on going.
But now that her transformation had been broken and her strength was still slowly recovering, she felt somewhat embarrassed. It was better to honestly stay at home.
She was very much like a girl who suddenly gained weight and refused to go out and meet people until she slimmed down.
“Well, this is really rare.” Lu Xun chuckled and then asked Lin Chan, “Does little Chan want to go?”
Lin Chan didn’t really care, but since her master asked her, she nodded her head in agreement to go.
After all, compared to staying in the back mountain, she preferred to be by her master’s side.
“Alright then, let’s go.” Lu Xun said.
Before taking out the paper crane, he didn’t forget to grab a couple of oranges from the wooden table.
When watching the ceremony later, you’re idle anyway, it’s better to bring something to snack on.
The paper crane was slowly flying in the sky. As it wasn’t flying fast, Lu Xun didn’t activate the wind protection feature of the paper crane.
It was like going for a leisurely drive.
The wind lifted Lin Chan’s black hair, and because the two were sitting close together, her hair would occasionally touch Lu Xun’s neck and cheeks.
It tickled.
Lin Chan seemed to notice this and gathered her hair behind her head with both hands, tying it up.
You had to admit, the actions of a good-looking girl tying her hair up were pretty pleasing to the eye.
Those slender, fair arms that lifted up, that chin that was slightly raised, that hair that randomly swayed after being gathered by both hands, they were all very beautiful.
Lu Xun glanced at Lin Chan and smiled, “From now on, you should keep your hair tied up or use a hairpin to roll it up, you look better like this.”
Lin Chan lowered her head, her little face immediately turned red, and her little ears were the first to turn red.
Even though she was a bit shy, she still gently nodded her head.
Looking at her blushing ears, Lu Xun found it amusing. The reason he preferred Little Chan to tie up her hair was that he could see these little ears without any obstruction.
“When they turn red and hot, they’re just too adorable.” The certain dog-like person sighed in his heart.
Although the paper crane was not flying fast, it arrived at the top of Yanwu Peak quickly.
The moment the paper crane landed, there were salutations all around.
“Greetings, Young Elder!”
“Greetings, Junior Uncle Master!”
Compared to the rather reserved Young Elder Lin Chan, our Junior Uncle Master of the Demon Sect showed off a professional male idol-like smile and slightly nodded to the Disciples of the Demon Sect around him.
It was like a fan meeting.
The Disciples of the Demon Sect who were swept by his gaze would straighten their backs even more, and many female and even male Disciples would shout in their hearts: “He’s looking at me, isn’t he? Junior Uncle Master was looking at me just now, wasn’t he!?”
The players were more straightforward: “Ah I’m dying!”
Lu Xun then, with Lin Chan, seated himself in one of the highest positions.
People like Shen Yan had already arrived, only the atmosphere wasn’t as harmonious as in the past.
After all, today was the day to snatch disciples!
Once the exam was over, if several high-ranking individuals picked the same disciple, it would be the students’ turn to choose.
Who wouldn’t want to vie for an outstanding disciple?
Look at Lin Chan beside Young Elder, isn’t it quite impressive to have her by his side?
“The atmosphere seems a bit delicate!” Lu Xun joked with a laugh.
Gongshu Pan spoke first, “Hmph! Everything must be done according to the rules, fair competition!”
This stern-faced Law Enforcement Elder was the first to make a stand—Sect rules are sacred!
“Tsk! Brother Gongshu, stop pretending, haven’t you been out there making your presence known these past few days?” The Charitable Gambling King, Yue Heshan, the youngest among them and the most outspoken, was the first to speak up.
“Which Sect rule does that violate? Besides, isn’t the Sect Master more diligent than me?” Gongshu Pan’s eyes were glaring like brass bells.
It was the brink of a verbal battle.
Soon, these shameless old folks started quarreling.
“Ah, when can our Demon Sect be high-end for once? Why can’t we have a meeting like a large corporation?” Lu Xun grumbled in his heart, then cleared his throat a few times.
He reminded, “Well, ahem, it’s time for the evaluation.”
After a few old guys glared at each other, they fell silent.
Sitting on the platform, Lu Xun quickly spotted Ji Li in the crowd.
Ji Li must have been desperately tiptoeing in the crowd to make it easier for Lu Xun to spot her.
This silly girl is the most sought-after among this batch of disciples.
The next part of the program was like a school sports day, with Sect Master Shen Yan giving a simple speech.
Of course, Shen Yan, with his thick skin and sharp tongue, wouldn’t deliver a long and scholarly speech.
After finishing his words, he asked Lu Xun, “Would you like to say a few words, Young Elder?”
These old guys knew about Lu Xun’s popularity. He was considered an unrivaled genius by the disciples of the Demon Sect, and his words could directly inspire everyone.
Lu Xun let out a stifled laugh, muttering in his heart, “And I thought Third Brother’s job was easy, but it turned out I have to deliver an impassioned speech!”
What’s more annoying is that the group of silly players below cut off Lu Xun’s path to plagiarism. Otherwise, he could still steal a few lines like “A strong youth leads to a strong Sect” or “If there is no torch, I am the only light”.
However, he wasn’t nervous, after all, his charisma is a 10. Even if he sits here and says a bunch of rubbish, the audience below would still listen attentively.
After casually speaking a few clichéd lines like “everyone perform well,” his eyes swept across everyone and landed on a familiar face.
—Xu Zhongcheng.
He wasn’t standing among the others lined up. Having lost all his cultivation base, he was starting from scratch and failed to pass the initial selection; he did not even qualify to participate in the Inner Sect promotion examination.
Remember, he was once a genius comparable to Ji Li.
Today, he too would have been the centre of Shen Yan and the others’ competition.
Today should have been his day in the limelight.
But he didn’t even qualify to line up now.
Many of those brothers and sisters he saved were participating in the examination.
Xu Zhongcheng, with his expressionless face, had his head slightly lowered with complex emotions in his eyes.
He didn’t regret protecting his fellow disciples in the Secret Realm that day, but he was still a young man, and at times like this, he would feel disappointed.
More precisely, very disappointed.
It was human nature.
Everyone knew he was a hero, but wouldn’t a hero who lost everything feel a sense of loss?
Lu Xun looked at him and suddenly said, “Xu Zhongcheng, step forward.”
Xu Zhongcheng, who had adopted an expressionless face, looked up abruptly. He was speechless, but there was a shocked look in his eyes.
Hearing it was Lu Xun calling for him, he hurriedly stepped forward.
“Yes, Young Elder.”
The disciples around him cleared a path for him.
Under everyone’s gaze, Xu Zhongcheng walked forward, feeling nervous.
He did not understand why the Young Elder suddenly called his name, nor did he know what the Young Elder wanted to do.
It felt as if time was back to the past.
In the past, whenever it was his turn to perform, everyone’s eyes would gather on him, just like now…
All eyes were on him.
(Second release, asking for the monthly ticket!)