Chapter 00159: Seizing the Body
# Seizing the Body
Chapter 159
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 159: Seizing the Body
Ding Huan and Lou Bu Zhi were sleeping with a monkey in a street corner, which was not at all out of place.
In the entire Da Ye City, there were people from all over.
Almost every street was bustling with people at night.
Those lucky enough could find a corner to rest, while the unlucky ones had to sleep on the main road.
Ding Huan and Lou Bu Zhi were relatively fortunate, having found a corner as soon as they arrived.
Ding Huan knew this place might have some talismans for sale, but he had little money on him and felt too lazy to wander around the market, so he squatted in the corner to study a method of calculations.
Lou Bu Zhi, unable to sit still by nature, greeted Ding Huan after a while and set off to explore the streets.
Few remained motionless like Ding Huan, but it didn’t mean they didn’t exist.
Nearby, there was another young man who also kept watch over a different corner, facing Ding Huan from afar.
Ding Huan didn’t want to move because he had no money to buy anything.
The guy across from him was likely unwilling to let someone else take over the corner he had worked hard to find.
Ding Huan arrived a few days earlier, so it was not surprising that he managed to occupy a corner first.
With only a day to go before the Dao Cultivation Sect came to select disciples, securing a corner was indeed quite valuable.
As Ding Huan watched others hurriedly claiming corners, he wondered to himself what was so great about it.
Would sleeping on the street for one night truly prevent someone from participating in the disciple selection the next day?
Strangely, despite there being two people in Ding Huan's corner, no one came to claim it.
It wasn’t just Ding Huan's corner that remained untouched; the space occupied by the young man opposite him was also left alone.
The next morning, after performing a Dust Removal Technique to rise, Ding Huan noticed the young man across from him was also awake.
When their eyes met, the young man smiled and said, “Good morning, friend.”
Ding Huan nodded, “Good morning.”
“Oh, so you’re not from our Chang Jue Manor, yet you’re occupying such a prime spot here,” came a sudden voice, interrupting their conversation.
Ding Huan turned to see a young boy staring at them, looking displeased.
“Ku Yue, don’t talk nonsense. This friend came here first,” the young man quickly admonished.
After scolding the boy, the young man turned back to Ding Huan with an apologetic tone: “My name is Ku Qi, and this is my younger brother, Ku Yue. My brother doesn’t know how to speak properly, so please don’t take offense.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Ding Huan waved his hand, having noticed the group of people behind Ku Qi.
At that moment, Ding Huan understood that the corner he occupied belonged to the Chang Yu Manor, which explained why no one had come to challenge his spot.
Ku Qi hadn’t been wrong; he really had arrived here before Ku Qi.
“Are you also here to participate in the Dao Cultivation Sect's disciple selection? Why don’t we go together?” Ku Qi seemed friendly, extending the invitation.
Ding Huan replied, “Sure, let’s head over together. I’m Ding Huan, and this is my friend, Lou Bu Zhi.”
While they said they would go together, Ding Huan noticed that Ku Qi had brought along a large entourage of at least ten people.
Were they all from the same village, coming to participate in the disciples' selection?
……
Da Ye City was truly the capital of the Zhen Ye Empire, and since Ding Huan had never explored it before, he had no idea how grand it was.
However, the Xian Yuan Square in Da Ye City was undeniably vast.
Ding Huan didn’t dare to use his divine sense to scan it.
Just from a rough glance, it seemed that if millions were to be thrown into this square, it wouldn’t feel crowded at all; perhaps, it might even feel empty.
The order in the square was impeccable.
Ding Huan suspected that it wasn’t just due to the patrolling officials but, more importantly, because the Dao Cultivation Sects were here to select disciples.
Who would dare to cause trouble in matters concerning the Dao Cultivation Sects?
The signs of major sects were erected throughout the square.
Looking around, the scene resembled a talent recruitment fair on Earth.
The sprawling sects were the bigger ones, while the smaller ones occupied less land.
“Brother Ding, do you have a sect in mind?” Ku Qi asked, noticing Ding Huan looking around without a clear direction, indicating he might not have chosen which sect to join.
Ding Huan shook his head.
Lou Bu Zhi, who was keen on joining an alchemy sect, had already bought some sect introductions from nearby shops.
Ding Huan glanced at the brochures but knew nothing about those sects.
However, he wasn’t too concerned.
Ultimately, the choice of sect did not rest with them but with the sects themselves.
If he did not meet the requisite qualifications, it wouldn’t matter which sect he chose.
For him, entering a sect was what counted.
He didn’t care which one, as long as he could be part of the Dao Cultivation world.
Lou Bu Zhi could tell from Ding Huan’s expression that he hadn’t put much thought into it.
He took the initiative to explain: “Brother Ding, the largest sect recruiting disciples this time is said to be the Yan Yue Sect. This sect has very high requirements for qualifications, and ordinary people are unlikely to get in. I also wouldn’t recommend going to that sect, as larger sects don’t always focus on cultivating their disciples.”
“The sect that offers the best training for disciples here is the Shuang Hun Sect. As long as you enter this sect, they invest all their efforts into cultivating their disciples. I plan to join the Shuang Hun Sect,” he continued.
Before Ding Huan could respond, Lou Bu Zhi chimed in: “Yes, Brother Huan, I’ve heard about that too. The introduction I bought mentioned that this sect spares no effort in nurturing new disciples. It’s famous for even promoting a new disciple to an elder within a year.”
Such a caring sect? Ding Huan was puzzled.
Wasn’t it said that even if a newcomer had top-notch qualifications, they still had sect tasks to complete upon joining? How could they nurture newcomers so generously? Wasn’t the sect’s resources meant to be scoured by the old-timers while the newcomers merely enjoyed the benefits? That didn’t make sense.
Ding Huan felt a sense of confusion.
He subconsciously tried to divine Ku Qi’s fate, and to his astonishment, he seemed to see a future where Ku Qi struggled fiercely, as if his body were being contested by others.
That was truly bizarre.
One’s own body should be in one’s control; why would others contend for it? Alas, his calculations faced a formidable challenge, and although he could vaguely perceive Ku Qi’s situation, the rest became incredibly blurred.
Seizing the Body?
Suddenly, Ding Huan realized.
Ding Qi had previously reminded him that those powerful beings scouting for talented disciples in the Four Directions Star Land were doing so to seize bodies.
Clearly, the Shuang Hun Sect was after this as well.
Realizing this, Ding Huan couldn’t help but speak up: “Brother Ku, I have some insight into matters. If you trust my words, try not to join the Shuang Hun Sect…”
“Why?” Ku Qi looked at Ding Huan in surprise.
Ding Huan patted Ku Qi's shoulder without answering and turned to leave with Lou Bu Zhi.
He had made himself clear; explaining further could put him in danger.
“What did that guy say just now?” Ku Yue followed behind and asked while looking at Ding Huan’s retreating figure.
Ding Huan’s voice had been low, and since he was behind, he had not heard it clearly.
Ku Qi shook his head: “Nothing much, just hoping we can find a good sect.”
Yet he couldn’t shake off the thought; why did Ding Huan suggest that they shouldn’t join the Shuang Hun Sect if they trusted him? To be honest, both he and his brother aimed for the Shuang Hun Sect.
Though he didn’t understand, he felt that Ding Huan had no reason to deceive him.
“Brother Huan, I think the Shuang Hun Sect is quite good. Why…” Lou Bu Zhi’s words were cut off by Ding Huan.
“That sect is indeed excellent, and you are likely to qualify. As for me, my qualifications probably don’t meet the standard to enter,” Ding Huan replied.
Talking about the Shuang Hun Sect so openly in such a crowded place was a risky move.
If someone from the sect overheard them, it would be akin to courting death.
After saying this, Ding Huan quickly left, unwilling to be seen with the foolish Lou Bu Zhi any longer.
Seeing Ding Huan walk away, Lou Bu Zhi hurried after him, feeling Ding Huan’s words carried some negative undertone.
Still, his first choice was an alchemy sect.
A striking young woman watched Ding Huan and Lou Bu Zhi’s figures as they left, a subtle smile gracing her lips.
It seemed the Shuang Hun Sect had quite a solid reputation, drawing many hopefuls.
Of course, that young man revealed great insight.
The Shuang Hun Sect certainly wasn’t a place that just anyone could join.
To enter the Shuang Hun Sect, two requirements must be met: first, you had to have top-tier qualifications; the higher, the better.
Second, you needed to be exceptionally attractive.
Just then, the sound of three booming firecrackers echoed from the direction of the palace in Da Ye City.
This signified that the Dao Cultivation Sect's disciple selection had officially begun.
The first step in participating in the sect selection was obtaining a qualification certificate.
The process was relatively simple; one only needed to pay a thousand true industry coins at the edge of the Xian Yuan Square to have their qualifications assessed.
After the assessment, they would receive a qualification certificate.
With that certificate, one could go to their desired sect to participate in the selection.
This created a division: for those wishing to join a major sect like the Yan Yue Sect, there were prerequisites to meet their minimum qualification standards.
For instance, if the Yan Yue Sect required a minimum dual spiritual root qualification with a purity level above eighty, and you only had a three spiritual root with a purity of sixty, you wouldn’t even qualify to participate in their selection process.
Ding Huan and Lou Bu Zhi entered the Xian Yuan Testing Hall.
Many came to get their qualifications assessed, so there were numerous testing points.
The two only waited for about half an hour before it was their turn.
The devices used to test spiritual root qualifications were similar to what he had seen previously in the Four Directions City, but the only difference was that the ones here were larger, reaching about ten feet in height.
When it was Lou Bu Zhi’s turn, he stepped onto the device and placed his hands into the depressions.
The device emitted a beam of light that shot up to a height of around twenty feet.
This beam was made of two colors, one blue and one red.
The tester handed a piece of assessment paper to Lou Bu Zhi, calling out, “Next!”
(End of Chapter)