Yi Ling sent Jin Minzhe as the envoy of her newly formed sect. She named it after the Blue Rose Pavilion, which held special meaning for her as it was her refuge. She wanted her sect to rise to prominence in Huaxia, knowing that the more people joined her sect, the more connections she would have. This would help her find her mother and settle a debt with an old lewd man she hadn't forgotten.
Xiang He was the first to contribute to her sect. Yi Ling boosted him to greater heights, providing him with concoctions made from spiritual herbs, spiritual water, and the Eternal Oak's leaves. This tripled the results, propelling Xiang He up three ranks.
Xiang He couldn't be more grateful to his new master. He would never regret following him. During their interactions, he noticed a new masked man alongside his master. This man's mask only covered half of his face, unlike the others. Xiang He could sense his power but didn't know to what extent. However, anyone who followed his master must be powerful.
When Yi Ling told Xiang He about her newly formed sect, she tasked him with spreading the news. Xiang He and Elder Zhen did their best to create as much buzz as possible. Although the mid-rank kingdoms didn't send many people, they were happy with the results.
When the time came, Xiang He stood next to Yi Ling, observing from a distance. Linyu and the Viridis stood behind Yi Ling, tasked with observing the crowd for any talented individuals or possible enemies.
Due to Yi Ling's continuous concoctions for Linyu and Tefei, Linyu silently broke through to the 5th rank of Nascent stage the previous night. Tefei, on the other hand, reached the 7th rank of Dawning stage, progressing faster due to being inside the Ring, where the spiritual energy was much denser.
Tefei needed external help to break through to the Nascent stage. Yi Ling planned to bring him to the Spiritual Beasts' territory, allowing him to be outside with her rather than stuck inside the Ring.
-----------------------------------
Floating in the air, Jin Minzhe surveyed the crowd. He was happy to follow his mother's wishes. As he scanned everyone, he released a powerful aura, enough to make anyone below the Emergent stage fall to their knees. Some of the weaker ones even coughed up blood.
Everyone felt the powerful pressure from the man in the air, puzzled by the sudden attack. Some fainted, looking up at the man in purple robes, wondering if this was some kind of test.
Jin Minzhe smirked at their puzzled faces.
"Those who fainted, wake them up. Tell them to stay here and wait for further instructions. The rest, follow me," Jin Minzhe commanded before turning and floating away.
The crowd, realizing it was a test, followed his instructions. Half of those who were awake woke up the fainted ones. Yi Ling and her group observed this closely. When the people woke up, Yi Ling signaled to Linyu and the Viridis.
Before the crowd could follow Jin Minzhe, two masked men appeared. One wore light blue robes, and the other wore green.
"The ones who fainted, follow me. The ones who helped wake them, follow him," the light blue-robed man pointed to his partner. Linyu started walking to the right, while the Viridis went to the left.
The people, though confused, followed the instructions. Yi Ling had carefully planned this to separate the weaker ones from the strong, as well as the honest from the opportunistic. She smiled behind her mask. Humans always harbored greed in their hearts. If power was offered, they would do anything for it, even kill. She had learned this the hard way.