Pang Dahai said that someone would soon come to distribute some things to Lu Ye and the others, allowing them to make some choices. As a cultivator of the Righteousness Sect, he undoubtedly knew the subsequent rules.
Sure enough, not long after he left, all those who had passed the test and possessed a jade tablet were gathered in one place.
Of the thousands of slaves that had been rescued before, only a little over a hundred remained here now, a mere tenth or so of the original number.
The crowd stood there quietly as a cultivator came over and handed each of them a piece of paper. Lu Ye took it, looked down, and saw the names of ten sects listed from top to bottom.
The Righteousness Sect was at the top, followed by the Qingyu Sect, with some other sects that Lu Ye had never heard of. However, he did see Burning Moon Mountain and Hundred Flowers Valley, which Pang Dahai had mentioned before.
These must be the sects that had come to attack Evil Moon Valley this time.
Each sect's name was followed by its grade.
The Righteousness Sect and the Qingyu Sect were undoubtedly 1st grade, while the grades of the remaining sects varied quite a bit, mostly ranging from 4th to 7th grade.
And after the grade, there was another line that indicated the factions covered by each sect, which were all pieces of information previously mentioned by Pang Dahai.
At this moment, Lu Ye was somewhat grateful to Pang Dahai; otherwise, he probably wouldn't understand the content on this paper.
While he was carefully examining it, a cultivator at the front of the crowd spoke up, "Whichever sect you wish to join, come forward and draw a circle next to the name of that sect with a pen. You may choose up to three, but in the end, which sect you can join will depend on your luck and the decision of the managers of each sect. If you're lucky, you might even be admitted to two top-tier 1st-grade sects."
After he finished speaking, there was silence for a moment, and soon someone asked, "Does the senior mean that while we choose a sect, the sects are also choosing us?"
"That's the idea!" the cultivator responded indifferently, "So don't expect to ascend to the heavens in a single step. If you don't have enough talent and aptitude, even choosing a 1st-grade sect will be futile."
Another person asked, "What if none of the three sects I choose selects me?"
"Then you'll have no fate with the path of cultivation and will be settled along with those who don't have the aptitude for cultivation!"
Upon hearing this, many who harbored thoughts of taking a chance sobered up.
Just now, many had the idea of choosing both of the top 1st-grade sects, but actually doing so definitely wouldn't lead to any good outcome. Since neither the Righteousness Sect nor the Qingyu Sect would have low requirements for accepting disciples, being eliminated by both would only leave them with one last chance. If they failed to seize that last chance as well, they would miss out on this opportunity.
For Lu Ye and his group, being admitted into a sect for cultivation was undoubtedly the best path out, and no one wanted to miss it.
This made everyone's expression become much more serious.
On the other hand, holding the paper in his hand and listening to the words of the cultivator, Lu Ye's expression became extremely odd.
How was this like filling out college applications?
During the talent testing, the third senior brother of the Qingyu Sect had recited an introduction to recruitment, the jade tablet obtained after the testing was akin to exam results, and each sect seemed like a university with the factions representing different majors. Now everyone was filling out their college applications.
There were even first choices, second choices, and third choices...
Looking again at the various sects listed on the paper, those ranking in the top two outright were akin to the top-tier academic institutions, while the 4th-5th grades below were comparable to ordinary first-tier universities? And the 6th and 7th grades towards the back were second and third-tier universities?
Lu Ye's gaze then dropped to the very end, and he was startled.
Was there even a diploma mill included?
The Righteous Blood Sect, which ranked last, was a 9th grade sect—he had somehow missed that earlier.
The situation now was clear - the hundred or so people who had passed the test needed to choose three sects from among these, and while the task was not difficult, there was a silent competition happening.
If too many people choose the same sect, there will definitely be a batch eliminated.
Clutching his jade tablet, Lu Ye sighed in his heart. His talent, merely Yiye, had no competitive edge in this matter.
But he still had to try.
Taking into account his primary element fire and secondary element metal, Lu Ye gradually formed a plan in his mind.
The cultivator who had been speaking had set up a desk in front, with several pens and an inkstone on it.
People came forward one after another, took a pen and sketched on their sheets of paper, and handed them in with their jade tablets to the cultivator.
Soon, the crowd of over a hundred people dwindled to around half.
Yu Xiaodie came over, "Big Brother Lu, have you made up your mind?"
"Um… Yes, I have."
Yu Xiaodie said, "Shall we go together?"
"You go ahead, I'll think it over some more," Lu Ye replied. Although he had already made a decision, the thought of his Yiye talent still left him uncertain.
With ten sects and over a hundred people, the average would allow for each sect to take in over ten people, but this was just the ideal distribution. Lu Ye was sure that Righteousness Sect and Qingyu Sect would at most take two or three people as a token gesture, certainly not more.
This meant the other sects would need to take in more people.
Lu Ye didn't expect to be admitted into the two grand 1st grade sects. However, if the competition was too fierce, even opting for those 6th or 7th grade sects would likely result in his elimination.
After arriving in the Nine Provinces over a year ago and being a mining slave in Evil Moon Valley for a year, although he had succeeded in opening his spiritual orifice, he couldn't find his 2nd Spiritual Orifice—how could he speak of cultivation?
But entering a sect would be different. He could then seek guidance from the powerful figures within the sect. So, no matter what, he didn't want to miss this opportunity, even if he had to start from a lower point.
Thinking this, he stepped forward toward the desk, took a pen, and first drew a circle around Righteous Blood Sect. As the lowest grade sect, Lu Ye guessed that nobody else would choose it aside from himself, making it a safety choice to ensure he could enter a sect.
After picking Righteous Blood Sect, he lifted his pen towards Burning Moon Mountain.
As the pen touched the paper, he suddenly recalled the last words Pang Dahai had said to him.
He had advised him to set his expectations at the lowest, to not be distracted by other choices, so that he might achieve his wish.
At the time, Lu Ye didn't quite understand, thinking it was just advice. But now, it seemed clearly suggestive.
Moreover, Pang Dahai wasn't optimistic about him; when Lu Ye asked him which sect to choose, he bluntly said that none would likely take him.
As a cultivator from Righteousness Sect, although a bit greedy, he had no reason to mock him; meaning, if he chose any other sect, the chances were he would not be accepted.
Lu Ye closed his eyes. Every choice at the crossroads of life was incredibly important, especially the one at hand.
He suddenly looked up at the cultivator in front of him and asked, "Excuse me, senior brother, what would happen if I only choose this one sect?"
The cultivator was eyeing him with interest since before Lu Ye, no one had chosen Righteous Blood Sect. Predictably, no one would choose it after him either, due to its low grade.
But to the cultivator's surprise, not only had Lu Ye chosen Righteous Blood Sect, but he had also posed such a question.
The cultivator, stroking his pencil mustache and flashing a grin, said, "You'll know once you choose it."