"Big Brother Lu, have you opened your spiritual orifice?" Yu Xiaodie asked.
"Why do you ask?" Lu Ye didn't answer but asked in return.
Yu Xiaodie pointed at the storage sack on Lu Ye's waist.
Lu Ye understood and nodded, "Indeed." Then he asked back, "What about you?"
Yu Xiaodie raised one hand, a faint brilliant light blossoming in her palm.
She had obviously also opened her spiritual orifice; however, Lu Ye was not sure how many orifices she had opened as a cultivator—it wasn't appropriate to ask about such things, as they were not very familiar with each other.
As cultivators who had both opened their spiritual orifices, there were now many common topics between the two of them. Nearly a thousand people were gathered here, but among them, very few had opened their orifices, and those who had were of very low cultivation levels.
The ones with some cultivation to their names had already been absorbed by Evil Moon Valley and become disciples long ago; their situation now could be imagined.
Yu Xiaodie lowered her voice, "Tomorrow's opportunity is extremely important. You must not miss it. If you have any special talents, Brother Lu, feel free to display them. This relates to your future."
She seemed to know something.
Lu Ye replied, "Understood."
Speaking of which, he didn't have any special talents, except for a Talent Tree that others couldn't see. But of course, he definitely couldn't show that to others.
It was ultimately not too good to stay amidst a group of women, so after a few more words with Yu Xiaodie, Lu Ye took his leave.
There were quite a few enslaved people gathered here, with limited room for movement. Lu Ye looked left and right, then headed straight for a corner.
There, the Liu Brothers were cowering behind the crowd, their faces pale as they saw Lu Ye approaching.
By the time Lu Ye stood before them, the expressions on both men's faces grew even more frightened.
"What... what do you want?" Leader Liu shouted, his ferocity belying inner timidity; as he spoke, he kept glancing in the direction of the fat cultivator, seeming to seek help.
The response he got was a fist that kept enlarging in his view. With just one punch, Leader Liu's nose was broken, and he fell to the ground. Lu Ye then kicked Second Liu in the stomach, grabbed his hair before he fell, and said, "It seems like you do not recognize me?"
Second Liu's face was full of pain, seeing stars in front of his eyes, unable to answer.
Lu Ye snorted coldly, grabbed Second Liu with a strong hand, and flung him behind, making him face-plant the ground, losing two teeth in the process.
Taking the place originally occupied by the Liu Brothers, Lu Ye sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes to refresh his spirit.
Right now, his first orifice was full, but he couldn't find the location to open the second one, so it was not good to continue with cultivation, lest he wasted his blood Qi pills.
By evening, people from Haotian Alliance came to distribute food and bedding. After everyone received some, Lu Ye, who had not had his fill, was fortunate that Zhou Cheng's storage sack also contained food, so he took it out and ate heartily.
The others nearby watched him eat, swallowing their saliva, but no one dared to come forward and disturb him.
Ever since Lu Ye had taught the Liu Brothers a lesson, he occupied a large space for himself, which saved him a lot of trouble.
After Essence Refinment-Qi Conversion, his appetite grew larger by the day, and he was able to enjoy the dried beast meat with relish.
A night passed without words, and on the next day, Lu Ye was full of energy, awaiting that so-called opportunity.
Not until after breakfast did a dozen or so cultivators with various attires come before the crowd. The leader, a middle-aged man with his hands clasped behind his back, stood in the front, swept his eyes over the crowd, and spoke with a slight smile, "You young people come from various sects and families and have been enslaved here, suffering for many days. However, those days are over. The sects of Haotian Alliance are widely recruiting talented individuals. Those among you who have opened orifices and possess cultivation aptitude all have the chance to be accepted into the sects. Be sure to seize this opportunity well, as you may stand side by side in battle in the future, eliminating demons and eradicating evils."
After finishing his speech, he lightly waved his hand.
The cultivators behind him, dressed variously, stepped forward. The first one stretched out his hand and swept it across, "You people, come with me."
With that sweep, a surge of spirit force wrapped around almost a hundred people.
Once the crowd had left, the cultivator led them aside.
The second person did the same...
There were about a thousand slaves, just enough for the ten cultivators to divide up.
Because Lu Ye was at the very back, he ended up with the last cultivator.
He hadn't walked far with him when they reached a place where cultivators dressed like him came to maintain order, prompting everyone to form a line.
Lu Ye, standing in the middle of the line, looked around and saw that the slaves who had been led away before him were all in the same situation.
He realized they were probably going to be tested to see if any of the slaves had opened their spiritual orifices and were suitable for cultivation.
From what the middle-aged cultivator had said before, those who had opened their spiritual orifices probably had a great advantage.
As for those who hadn't opened their orifices and had no talent for cultivation, they would likely be overlooked.
After the line was formed, the cultivator who had brought them over took out a desk from his storage sack and sat behind it, then lifted his head and said, "Begin."
The first slave, following his gesture, walked up to him.
The cultivator asked, "Have you opened your orifice?"
The slave shook his head, "I have not!"
"Hmm." The questioning cultivator pushed the previously fetched Crystal Ball towards him, instructing, "Cover it with both hands."
The slave did as he was told, but the Crystal Ball showed no response.
The cultivator behind the desk shook his head, "No cultivation aptitude, next!"
The slave suddenly looked dispirited and hurriedly said, "I wasn't ready. Let me try again."
"Next!" The cultivator waved his sleeve, and the incessantly talking slave was swept aside, tumbling to the ground.
This scene struck a chord with all the slaves still in line, knowing that the Crystal Ball would determine whether their fates could change, and immediately they all steeled their resolve.
One by one, the slaves stepped forward, all without the aptitude for cultivation.
It wasn't until the thirteenth person covered the Crystal Ball with his hands that the previously unresponsive Crystal Ball suddenly lit up with a pale cyan light.
"Finally, we have one!" The cultivator behind the desk smiled and looked at the slave, "Name."
The slave, flushed with excitement, answered truthfully.
The cultivator behind the desk took out a piece resembling a jade tablet. With spirit force activated in his hand, the name of the slave soon appeared on one side of the tablet.
He handed the jade tablet to him, instructing, "Keep it safe. You'll need it later. Now go to that tent over there and find my third senior brother to check your talent."
"Yes, yes, thank you, sir." Holding the jade tablet as though it were the most precious treasure, the slave trotted towards the back, where a simple tent stood.