The events at Qingzan Tower quickly spread throughout Ice City.
When people first heard that Zhang Dongkui had been taken down, many gasped in shock.
Zhang Dongkui was a notorious figure in Ice City. If you said he was dead, plenty would probably set off fireworks in celebration. But the problem was, Zhang Dongkui's strength was undeniable.
After all, he was a Seventh Grade Martial Saint.
He didn't even have time to react, didn't even have the chance to fight back before his head was chopped off?
Doesn't that sound a bit too outrageous?
But as soon as people found out who was behind it all, no one thought it was outrageous anymore.
The name Chu Xinghe was now known across the entire Blazing Sun Continent. There wasn't a person who hadn't heard of him or didn't know who Chu Xinghe was.
So when they heard it was all Chu Xinghe's doing, many suddenly felt it made perfect sense.
And the news of Chu Xinghe's arrival in Ice City caused quite a stir among everyone.Especially those who had come to Ice City to participate in the first round of the Grand Sky Sect's assessment—they were all thrilled.
Who didn't know Chu Xinghe's status in the Grand Sky Sect? If they could pass this assessment and catch Chu Xinghe's eye, wouldn't that be like ascending to the heavens in one step?
Deacon Yang had originally planned to host a banquet to welcome Xinghe and the others.
But Chu Xinghe declined.
Deacon Yang could only personally arrange the best accommodations for the three of them.
After a night's rest, Chu Xinghe got up the next day, had breakfast, and planned to take a stroll around Ice City.
But before he could even step out, he was shocked by the situation outside the Grand Sky Branch.
Goodness... the area outside the Grand Sky Branch was packed with people... surrounding the branch so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.
Fortunately, Deacon Yang reacted quickly, explaining the situation outside to Chu Xinghe with a wry smile.
There was no helping it... it was the time for the first round of disciple selection for the Grand Sky Sect.
This first round was different from the second round conducted in Grand Sky City.
The first round was open to everyone on the Blazing Sun Continent, regardless of their level. As long as they were willing, the Grand Sky Sect would give them a chance to be assessed.
Of course, most people came to the first round just to join in the fun.
After all, passing the first round of the Grand Sky Sect's assessment was no easy feat.
Deacon Yang explained that this year, because of the Millennium Grand Festival you initiated, spiritual energy had revived across the world, giving many who previously had no chance to cultivate an opportunity.
The number of disciples heading to various sects for assessments was much higher than in previous years.
The major sects were fine, but the smaller ones were laughing their heads off.
In previous years, they had to wait for the major sects to pick their fill before they could pick up the leftovers, but this year, there were clearly many more disciples to choose from.
The number of disciples heading to the Top Ten Sects for assessments was countless, and as for our Grand Sky Sect... well, that goes without saying.
The Sect Master has stepped into the Martial God realm, becoming the first Martial God in a thousand years, and Xinghe, you have become the idol of the younger generation across the world.
Originally, there were already many people coming to Ice City for the assessment, and now that they've heard you're here, it naturally explains everything before us.
Standing inside the branch, Chu Xinghe looked out at the dense crowd, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Goodness, they're so enthusiastic, it's like they want to devour me... What? Do I look like I'm good for kidney health?
The young people coming for the assessment were manageable, and Deacon Yang quickly arranged for Grand Sky Sect disciples to maintain order, allowing everyone to proceed with the assessment in an orderly manner.
But the families with ties to the Grand Sky Sect were a bit more troublesome.
Now, a whole bunch of visiting cards had been sent into the Grand Sky Branch.
Looking at the numerous cards requesting to see Chu Xinghe, Deacon Yang could only smile wryly.
When Deacon Yang brought all the cards to Chu Xinghe, Chu Xinghe's first reaction was to throw them all away...
With so many cards, even if I said one sentence to each person, how long would I have to talk to them?
But Deacon Yang insisted they couldn't be discarded...
"Xinghe, you might not know, but many of these families who sent cards have deep ties with our Grand Sky Sect, and some have even helped us in the past... so..."
Deacon Yang's meaning was simple... so you have to meet them.
Chu Xinghe could only smile wryly at Deacon Yang's reasoning, but as he was pondering how to refuse these families' requests, Deacon Yang spoke again.
"Xinghe... there's something I need to tell you in advance."
"Please go ahead, Deacon Yang..."
"Ahem... it's like this... our Grand Sky Sect is indeed very strict in recruiting disciples, but... there are always exceptions... you know, even though we are the number one sect in the world, we got here with the help of many people, and we dare not forget our roots. So even though we are the number one sect now, sometimes we still have to open the back door for some friends when recruiting disciples."
As Deacon Yang spoke, he looked at Chu Xinghe.
After all, Xinghe was here representing the Sect Master to inspect the sect, and if the Sect Master were here today, Deacon Yang wouldn't need to explain much, as the Sect Master knew these things better than anyone.
Who doesn't have a few connections?
But Xinghe was still young... so it was better to explain in advance.
But when Deacon Yang said this, the previously uninterested Chu Xinghe's eyes lit up.
What? Connections?
So Deacon Yang, you're saying that those who sent cards are trying to use connections to get their disciples into our Grand Sky Sect?
Deacon Yang, if you're talking about this, then I'm all ears!
At the beginning of the year, during the disciple selection in Grand Sky City, I, Chu Xinghe, tried my hardest to find some useless ones, but look at what I found...
Muyue Nation, your damn alchemy talent is terrifying enough... but why do you also have such high cultivation talent?
And now, with the Crystal of Xinghe developed by Muyue Nation, the Grand Sky Sect has no rivals in the low-end pill market, not even teammates!
It's a complete monopoly.
Although the other disciples aren't as dazzling as those from Muyue Nation, each one of this batch entering the Grand Sky Sect not only has exceptional talent but also a firm will and cultivates so quickly that even I, Chu Xinghe, am speechless.
But thinking carefully, is the problem in selecting these disciples with me?
The main issue is with the first round...
Deacon Yang, you made the first round so strict that no useless ones could make it to the second round.
I, Chu Xinghe, wanted to pick some useless ones in the second round, but the conditions simply didn't allow it!
And now the opportunity has come, if we can send a large batch of connections through the first round, by the time of the second round selection, even if we don't talk about other disciples, just selecting these connections, you tell me if it's stable or not.
So Chu Xinghe earnestly stated, Deacon Yang, please inform those families who sent cards that I, Chu Xinghe, will meet them one by one!
Deacon Yang was relieved to hear Xinghe's response.
Just now, he was worried about how to reasonably explain it to Xinghe, in case Xinghe didn't understand.
But it turned out, Xinghe really got it...
Every year during the Grand Sky Sect's disciple recruitment, some connections would come, and the Grand Sky Sect's way of handling these connections was very simple.
You helped the Grand Sky Sect in the past, right... this favor we must return, don't just talk about sending disciples, even if you send a pig, we will definitely let it pass the first round of assessment.
But the second round is different... the second round tests hard skills, and if your family's disciple doesn't have the hard skills to pass, you can't blame the Grand Sky Sect, right?
And the families naturally understood, letting you pass the first round was the Grand Sky Sect giving you face, but if you don't have enough talent to pass the second round and still want to use connections, then you're being unreasonable.
So even if some connections were really squeezed into the first round, it wouldn't affect the quality of the Grand Sky Sect's disciple assessment, at most just increasing the numbers a bit.
Soon, under Deacon Yang's arrangement, Hu Buqi, the head of the Hu Family from Central State, brought his chubby son Hu Wenhai to be the first to enter the Grand Sky Branch.
Hu Buqi walked in with his head held high.
As if afraid people wouldn't know he was the first to get in.
But there was no helping it, the Hu Family made their name with Talismans, and back in the day, they were one of the many great families in the world. Before the Grand Sky Sect rose to prominence, the Hu Family had sponsored the Grand Sky Sect quite a bit.
So even though the Hu Family had started to decline, the Grand Sky Sect still took great care of them due to past reasons.
This time, coming to Ice City, Hu Buqi originally planned to meet Deacon Yang and then get his son Hu Wenhai a chance to pass the first round of assessment.
As for the second round... Hu Buqi had his ways, if it really didn't work, he'd go to the Grand Sky Sect and cry. With the relationship between the Hu Family and the Grand Sky Sect, even if his son didn't pass the second round, he could find a way to get him into the Grand Sky Sect.
But Hu Buqi didn't expect to hear that Chu Xinghe was in Ice City as soon as he arrived.
This made Hu Buqi truly excited.
Who is Chu Xinghe? The number one of the younger generation, the future master of the Grand Sky Sect.
Those titles were fine, but what excited Hu Buqi the most was Chu Xinghe's ability to turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
Muyue Nation was once called a nation of useless ones, but after being discovered by Chu Xinghe...
Before, you were indifferent to Muyue Nation, but now you can't even reach them.
The Hu Family was once a thriving Talisman family, but as the descendants weren't outstanding, the Hu Family declined with each generation. Now, Hu Buqi, as the head, could barely maintain the family with the Grand Sky Sect's support. But Hu Buqi accidentally discovered his son's great talent in Talismans!
With Hu Buqi's strong support, over the years, his son's assessment scores could reach six points...
Such an outstanding son, wouldn't it be the Grand Sky Sect's loss not to send him there?
Without any extra words, Hu Buqi brought his son to meet Chu Xinghe and immediately told him everything.
After hearing Hu Buqi's words, Chu Xinghe was moved to tears.
Master Hu, you're absolutely right!
Your son scored six points in the assessment... if he doesn't join our Grand Sky Sect, it would be a waste of his talent!
This waste... ahem, this genius, we must have him in our Grand Sky Sect!