The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Chapter 169: Citywide Event

“This place doesn’t seem to be any different from Xiang Yang,” Long Yi commented.

“Yes, nothing is wrong with that. It may be one of the largest cities, but the sects like to hang around their own places. Still, there should be plenty to see with a city this big. With the extra day we’ll be spending here, you should be able to squeeze out some time to go sightseeing.”

“Umm, extra day? Why? I thought we weren’t going to stop until we reached Changjiao City?”

“W-were you not listening a-at all last night?” Wei Ping interjected.

“Haha, I may have been too preoccupied with the food,” Long Yi shamelessly admitted as he scratched the back of his head.

Li Lang chuckled and held up a hand to tell Wei Ping not to worry about it.

“We’ve decided to stay after our discussion with the mayor. We’ll be going to several villages around here today to gather up any potential candidates, and then do one big test here tomorrow. Then we’ll leave the day after that.”

“Isn’t there already a huge amount of people living here? You really want to go to the trouble of gathering more kids from some remote villages?”

“Hey, there could be some buried talent hiding in them. While we’re here, might as well do a thorough job.”

“Well, up to you two. It’s not me who has to put in the work.”

“A-Actually, we’ll need you t-to round up the children in the city for us.”

“What?!”

“What did you expect?” Li Lang quipped. “You’d get to just laze around forever? We happen to have two Skyrunners, so unless you want to go around to various villages, it’s your job to spread the word around here.”

“Umm, I don’t really know how to go about it. You want me to just go around the markets, screaming about it?”

“You’re g-good at dealing w-with kids, right? Just have them s-spread the news and set up a p-place for them to gather.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll do it.”

With the matter decided, the trio quickly split off to complete their own tasks. The two kids, Wu San and Xiao Dong, also split up, with one tagging along with each Skyrunner. Having a kid tag along allowed them to disarm the villager’s suspicions faster, so they could save some time.

Even so, by the time they returned to Qinglong City, the sun had turned fully orange.

Both Li Lang and Wei Ping’s teams came back with their vehicle full of prospective candidates. They even had to cut down on the numbers by administering the first test of running at the village, so they could fit them.

When they arrived, they quickly spotted a large platform just outside the city gates. It looked hastily assembled by just slapping a layer of stone above the dirt, but it was noticeable enough.

When the three finally reunited, they were immediately faced with a new problem. They stared blankly at all the kids in the distance, who were chatting away with each other on their newly erected platform.

“You two all together bought back twenty kids. Are you planning on having them camp out here or getting a room for them?” Long Yi asked.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to oversee them if they get split up into several rooms. We may have to settle on camping out here,” Li Lang responded with a frown.

“E-either should work. We h-have enough funds to rent a-a house or get enough camping equipment.”

“It’s just for one night. We’ll just stay here so we can stand guard over this platform as well.”

“Hey!” Long Yi yelled. “I worked hard on this. Do you have any idea how tiring it is to fire off so many Terra Moon slashes consecutively to make this?”

“If y-you do another round after dinner and t-tomorrow’s breakfast, it should shape up decently.”

“No need to wait that long,” Li Lang grinned as a pill bottle appeared in his hand. “Just take a few Qi Replenishment Pills and you’ll be able to get it done before dinner.”

“You guys…are you trying to get back at me for not helping out before this? Because I’m helping out now, aren’t I? Can’t you cut me some slack?”

Instead of answering him, Li Lang turned to Wu San and Xiao Dong, who were listening quietly behind him.

“Listen up, you two. Don’t grow up to be someone like him. You won’t get anywhere if you only know how to whine and complain.”

The two glanced over at Long Yi for a brief moment and nodded in unison.

“Hey! I’m not that bad. Instead, don’t learn to bad-mouth people like him!”

While they exchanged some playful banter, Wei Ping soon went and bought some tents and bedding for their large group. He even got a huge pot and several sacks full of ingredients, and carefully instructed the kids on how to cook.

All of them worked seriously, thinking it was part of the test. It was also because their enthusiasm was at its highest, having been exposed to so many new things in such a short time. It even drew the attention of the guards on the wall, but they knew better than to interfere with powerful cultivators.

Like that, the night ended uneventfully and the next day came.

Before the group even finished eating breakfast, a ruckus could be heard by the gates. When the morning bell rang and the gates opened, they found a large crowd rushing out in a disorderly fashion, to the helplessness of the guards.

“Umm, what did you do yesterday?” Li Lang asked the tallest member of his group.

“I’m not sure. I think I just said I was looking for hard workers and the other things you told me to say. Like how anyone between the age of eight to twelve is welcomed.”

“And you caused that stampede over there…?”

Long Yi simply shrugged in response.

Seeing the scene slowly getting more and more out of control, Li Lang quickly boarded his Skyrunner and flew above the crowd. He then projected his voice across the entire area.

“Everyone, please do not rush. The tests aren’t going to begin until noon. Those who can’t even properly behave until then are not welcomed!”

Instantly, Li Lang’s speech produced an effect. The rumbling heard from behind the walls subsided in an instant, but the flow of traffic didn’t. Curious about what had worked them up so much, Li Lang then brought his vehicle lower so he could eavesdrop.

“Look at that Skyrunner up there! It looks expensive. I told you that menacing cultivator must be from a great sect.”

“That’s yet to be seen. He seemed to be only a teenager, and he didn’t seem to be from any sect around here. I say he’s quite suspicious, with how he kept repeating any children between the ages of eight and twelve are welcome. Everyone knows the sects around this area recruit ten-year-olds. Why in the world would he want those who had been passed up by other sects to come?”

“Yeah, he got my dumb kid all fired up about being a cultivator again. He wasn’t paying any attention during my lesson yesterday. Malicious or not, they’re bad news.”

“Shh, are you crazy? Stop badmouthing them. Experts are known to have an unimaginable hearing.”

The crowd went unabated for an entire hour before they finally passed through the gate. Thousands upon thousands had gathered, but the majority of them were adults looking for a good show.

Entertainment was sparse in this world. They made a spectacle out of the sect recruitments every year, but having another one was a welcomed change for them.

The spectators tactfully knew not to get too close, staying a distance away from the makeshift stone platform that Long Yi had painstakingly created.

The number of candidates swiftly grew from the two dozen to the hundreds. It was even approaching the thousand mark, thanks to their lenient age range. It was especially easy to tell who the older kids were, as they were the most excited at having received a second chance.

The ten-year-olds and below were skeptical, as they already had a preferred sect in mind. Their dream had yet to be crushed, so they all arrogantly thought they had good chances of getting into their first choice. They only treated this recruitment as a test run. Some even only planned to participate in the aptitude test and leave after obtaining their results.

Meanwhile, Li Lang and his companions were whispering quietly within their Skyrunner.

“Umm, d-do we even have enough paper tests to administer to s-so many people?

“We’re just going to have to eliminate more people in the first round, and then have the pain resistance round come second, so we can save the written test for the end,” Li Lang answered with a sigh.

“Why don’t you guys just add another round to it? Like duels or some group activity,” Long Yi suggested. “You can test out their teamwork and how adaptable they are.”

“Good idea. I might have a few team games they could play.”

The turnout had been much greater than anything Li Lang and Wei Ping had expected. It made the trio scramble to adjust their tests to suit the number of contestants. Li Lang was even deliberating whether to bring out some sports for these kids to try out. None of them would have heard about what he had in store. It would even test their ability to learn and adjust to new things.

Just as Li Lang was preparing to address the crowd. The clamor from the audience suddenly grew in volume. It didn’t take Li Lang long to realize they were all looking at something behind him. He turned around and found a Skyrunner approaching, flying with a banner of some sort.

Straining his ears, he quickly found out the newcomers’ identity.

“Look, it’s people from the Rigid Squall Sect!”