Belonging

The Barbarian Ghost Sect's mountain range has more than a dozen peaks of varying sizes, but most of them are occupied by the eight branches within the sect; only the largest peak remains unclaimed by any specific branch. Instead, important buildings such as the Deacon Hall, Scripture Pavilion, and Pill Concoction Chamber have been constructed upon it, and carefully selected disciples patrol and guard them day and night.

As the place where disciples of the Barbarian Ghost Sect worship their ancestral masters, the Ancestral Hall was naturally also built on this mountaintop.

A massive dark cloud descended onto a platform halfway up the mountain peak. As soon as it landed, several green-robed disciples sprinted from a nearby hall and, with great respect, bowed to the woman on the cloud, saying,

"Greetings, Uncle Master Li. Everything inside the Ancestral Hall is ready. We're just waiting for the Sect Leader and the other Uncle Masters."

"Good, lead these new junior brothers inside first. The Sect Leader and the others will arrive shortly," the woman instructed casually.

"Yes, Uncle Master." The green-robed disciples nodded in agreement, then beckoned to Liu Ming and the others, guiding the young men and women toward the distant great hall.

However, the woman stayed put, seemingly intent on waiting outside for the arrival of the Sect Leader and other members of the Barbarian Ghost Sect.

Mingled within the crowd, Liu Ming glanced up as he walked through the great doors of the hall.

Hanging there was a silver plaque several meters long with the characters "Ancestral Hall" written in large golden script, shimmering faintly with a glint of light that moved unpredictably.

Upon entering the door, many disciples couldn't help but inhale sharply.

What had seemed from the outside to be an ordinary hall built against the mountain was, in fact, a huge chamber that was over ten meters tall and covered a hundred acres.

On either side of the chamber, hundreds of black chairs were arrayed, and at the end of the hall, a giant painting hung on the wall, spanning about a meter in length.

The painting depicted a Taoist dressed in green, seen from behind, with a several-inch-long silver hairpin in his hair and an unsheathed longsword strapped to his back. His feet stood on the ferocious skulls of demons, and faint layers of black air swirled around him, creating an aura of profound mystery.

Below the painting, there was a five to six-meter-long silver altar table with a perpetually burning lamp at each end. In the middle, there were about fifteen or sixteen golden placards, each inscribed with black characters.

In front of the altar table stood a large bronze cauldron, into which several partially burned incense sticks were inserted, evoking an awe-inspiring atmosphere,

After the green-robed disciples had led the younger ones into the chamber and positioned them, they returned to the doorway and stood with their hands clasped, paying no further attention to the fresh recruits.

Seeing this, the young men and women exchanged glances, but influenced by the solemnity within the chamber, none dared to whisper. They could only stand obediently in place, waiting.

Having surveyed the great hall, Liu Ming's gaze inevitably fell on the ancient painting hanging in front.

Given the painting's prominent placement, the figure depicted within it was likely the Barbarian Ghost Sect's founder; however, the depiction of only his back struck Liu Ming as somewhat odd.

Liu Ming's pondering was fleeting, as, after the time it takes to eat a meal, footsteps were heard from outside. The green-robed disciples at the entrance bowed and announced loudly,

"We greet the Sect Leader and all the Uncle Masters!"

"Rise," said the Sect Leader of the Barbarian Ghost Sect in an indifferent tone. Following that, a hemp-clothed elderly man, a Confucian scholar with the surname Gui, a big man with the surname Lei, and other Spirit Masters of the Barbarian Ghost Sect walked in, with Gao Chong trailing behind as the last person to enter.

At this point, all the Spirit Masters had removed their protective auras and revealed their true faces.

Liu Ming and the other disciples hurriedly paid their respects.

This time, however, the Sect Leader did not instruct everyone to rise; instead, he led the others to the altar table. After lighting an incense stick and placing it in the cauldron, he then turned and allowed the young men and women to get up.

"I am Huang Shi, the Sect Leader. I believe most of you already recognize me, so I won't introduce myself further. Now that you have opened your spirit seas and worshipped our Ancestral Master, you are truly members of our sect. The person depicted in the painting being worshiped in the Ancestral Hall is our sect's founder, the 'True Man of Liu Yin.' Six of our current eight branches trace their lineage directly from our Ancestral Master. And the placards below are dedicated to our sect's predecessors who achieved the Crystal Formation stage. If not for their protection, our sect wouldn't have endured to this day. Now, one by one, step forward to offer incense to our Ancestral Master and predecessors, and state your names," the Sect Leader solemnly instructed.

"Crystal Formation stage? Could there possibly be a higher level above Spirit Master?"

This was the first time Liu Ming had heard this term, and his mind stirred slightly. Being someone who had stumbled into the cultivation world under false pretenses, he knew far too little about everything in the sect.

Seeing that the other disciples appeared unruffled, most likely being aware of these matters,

While Liu Ming was contemplating this, Gao Chong, the disciple with the Earth Spiritual Pulse, approached the altar under the Sect Leader's gesture, kneeling down and respectfully saying,

"Disciple Gao Chong is honored to be inducted into the Barbarian Ghost Sect today. I pray for the Ancestral Master's and the predecessors' protection, and vow to spare no effort in thriving and enhancing our sect."

Then, the tall youth rose, lit an incense stick, placed it in the cauldron, and retreated to his original position.

Once someone had led the way, the other young men and women followed suit, paying their respects and offering incense, with their pledges to the sect largely echoing Gao Chong's words.

After all the disciples had finished their worship, the Sect Leader of the Barbarian Ghost Sect stood before them again, his expression stern as he said,

"Our sect has three major precepts and thirty-six rules. If anyone violates any of them, the punishment is severe; transgressors could have their flesh destroyed and their souls extracted, or at the least, have their magical powers sealed and be sent to suffer the punishment of the Wind and Thunder in Black Wind Valley. You will be thoroughly briefed about these rules in a few days, so you must be wary!"

"Yes,"

the disciples replied solemnly in unison.

"Moreover, our Barbarian Ghost Sect is divided into eight factions: Ghost Dance, Yinsha, Mysterious Talisman, Jiuying, Poison Spirit, Corpse Refinement, Heavenly Mechanism, and Blood Transformation. As per tradition, the Uncle Masters of these factions will take turns selecting disciples. Do you have any objections?" the Sect Leader of the Barbarian Ghost Sect asked unhurriedly.

Naturally, no disciple dared to voice any objections.

Seeing this, the Sect Leader in sackcloth was very satisfied and continued to speak without changing his expression,

"Since that's the case, as representative of the Blood Transformation faction, I will select a disciple first. Gao Chong, you have good aptitude. Are you willing to join the Blood Transformation path? I am willing to personally take you as my direct disciple,"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Sect Leader narrowed his gaze sharply on the tall young man.

"Gao Chong wishes to take the Sect Leader as my master!" the tall young man replied without the slightest hesitation, stepping out of the crowd and bowing deeply to the elder in sackcloth.

"Good, child, rise. From now on, you are my seventh direct disciple. You will meet your fellow Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters when we return to my residence," the Barbarian Ghost Sect Leader laughed heartily and motioned for the tall young man to stand and follow him to the side.

The scribe named Gui, Junior Brother Chu, the burly man named Lei, and others nearby had grim expressions, but none of them spoke up to stop anything.

"I am Chu Qi, the mountain lord of the Yinsha faction. Jialan, you come here too," Junior Brother Chu promptly stepped forward and beckoned to a plain-looking beautiful girl in the crowd.

The person who revealed his true appearance was a dashing young man in his thirties, poised and proper.

"What, she's Jialan, the one with the Nightmare Physique?"

"Impossible, I know this girl, her name is Su'er, isn't it?"

"Idiot, she obviously used a fake name before!"

The disciples beside the beautiful girl stepped back in shock and began to whisper in surprise and confusion.

The girl, seemingly deaf to all the chatter, walked out of the crowd with a calm demeanor, gave Chu Qi a silent bow, and then stood up on her own.

Chu Qi smiled approvingly, nodded, and led the girl to the side as well.

"The Nightmare Physique!"

Liu Ming fixed his gaze on the girl for a moment and then remembered the enchanting woman who had appeared so fleetingly in the square earlier; he had a moment of realization.

"Lei Zhen, what are you waiting for? Come here," the burly man named Lei, who had remained in place, scowled and shouted directly at Lei Zhen in the crowd.

Lei Zhen raised the corner of his eye, seemingly reluctant, but he also helplessly walked over.

And so, with each faction selecting one disciple at a time, the eight most outstanding disciples were quickly chosen.

The scribe named Gui reluctantly selected a disciple with a Nine Spirit Vein in what seemed to be a concession made by the Sect Leader for him.

For the master of the Jiuying faction, acquiring a disciple with a Nine Spirit Vein would usually be a cause for celebration, but now that he had lost a disciple with an Earth Spirit Vein who should have been his, he was naturally far from happy.

The other factions chose the remaining Nine Spirit Vein disciples.

In the second round of selection, the focus turned to those with Six Spirit Veins and other disciples who had some talent in certain areas.

As a disciple with Three Spirit Veins, Liu Ming naturally was not chosen in these early rounds.

However, when the Six Spirit Vein disciples were almost all chosen, someone finally noticed Liu Ming.

'Junior Sister Lin,' whose full name was Lin Caiyu, a charming woman who appeared to be in her twenties, remembered something the Sect Leader had said about Liu Ming having stronger than average mental power when her gaze swept over him.

Their faction was also renowned in the art of illusions and just so happened to need disciples with good mental strength.

Therefore, she decided that when it came to her turn again, she must select Liu Ming.

However, after securing Gao Chong, a disciple with an Earth Spirit Vein, the Barbarian Ghost Sect Leader had largely shifted his focus onto the young disciple, hardly remembering the offhand mention of another one.

But in the next moment, something unexpected happened:

"Hmm, your name is Bai Congtian, right? Are you willing to join our Jiuying faction?" When it was the scribe Gui's turn to step forward again, he casually addressed Liu Ming.