After explaining the precautions and with the bureau chief, who could read minds and communicate with people, in charge, Lu Heng was truly at ease returning to the other world.
The next day, at the hour of the Rabbit.
Wuchenzi came to find Lu Heng on time.
"Let's go, we'll eat together at the academy's canteen first, and then we'll go down the mountain together."
Wuchenzi looked at Lu Heng with a smile. This young friend Lu not only had extraordinary talent but also a rapid leveling speed. He was previously at the fifth level of Dao Comprehension, but in less than a month, he had broken through to the sixth level again.
"Oh? You're personally going to select disciples too?" Lu Heng was a little confused. He thought Wuchenzi no longer managed these mundane affairs of the academy and would only focus on the art of alchemy.
"Hehehe, it's because young friend Lu is also going. Old man doesn't participate in these matters anymore."
...
Outside the Danyangmen Academy.
Lu Heng looked at the giant birds perched on the open ground and turned to Wuchenzi to ask, "What are these demonic beasts?"
"Oh, these are the hawk-beaked beasts raised by our Danyangyuan. They are usually used to transport supplies when the academy goes up and down the mountain, or when the academy recruits disciples."
"Then why did we have to climb the mountain last time?" Lu Heng's mouth twitched. Last time, they had climbed for several hours. If they had ridden these, it would have been much faster, right?
"This... last time, old man was so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot about these mounts. Fortunately, the road up the mountain wasn't too far."
Lu Heng...
As he walked with Wuchenzi to a hawk-beaked beast, the giant eagle lay on the ground, over four meters tall. A manually woven seat was tied to its back, with space for four people.
Wuchenzi and Lu Heng shared one, sitting in the two rear seats, with disciples controlling the hawk-beaked beast in front.
Lu Heng's hawk-beaked beast had been looking at him since he approached it. The disciple controlling it had tried to guide its head forward several times, but the hawk-beaked beast was stubborn and kept looking back.
Lu Heng, with his perception activated, clearly heard its thoughts.
The hawk-beaked beast sensed the aura of another demonic beast on Lu Heng, and that demonic beast was of a higher level than itself, which was easier to tame. Therefore, it was a little uneasy.
Lu Heng understood; it was probably sensing the Blood Wolf's aura.
He took out a paper-wrapped package from his bag. Inside was a small piece of pork soaked in ancient well water. He handed it to the disciple in front, who was taming the beast, to feed the uneasy mount.
Indeed, after eating the piece of meat soaked in ancient well water, the hawk-beaked beast became much calmer. At least, it would obey all the commands issued by the taming disciple.
"What kind of meat is this?" Wuchenzi's nose twitched as Lu Heng opened the paper package, and he asked, looking at the piece of meat in Lu Heng's hand.
"Secretly prepared pork," Lu Heng said to Wuchenzi beside him after putting the paper back into his bag.
"Oh, it smells good, but I can't tell what kind of pig demonic beast it's from."
"It was just a chance encounter with one, and it was the last piece."
"What a pity, such good meat was fed to that mount."
...
The disciples of Danyangmen were divided into six small teams, each heading in a different direction.
Lu Heng and his group followed a small team to a city closest to Qingcheng Mountain. In fact, academies never chose places too far from their own when recruiting disciples. Not all children had the conditions to cultivate; only those who passed the spirit stone test could cultivate. Therefore, the academy would send people down the mountain specifically to recruit.
"The cultivators from Danyangmen are here to recruit disciples again. Hurry back and have your child tested. I heard last year over a dozen children from near our city were selected!" an old woman preparing to enter the city said to another woman by the city gate.
"Eh, then I'll go back first, but it's not easy to be selected. My previous two children weren't selected, and their father said our family might not have that kind." The woman, who was originally going to sell her vegetables in the city, couldn't bother with it anymore.
"Hurry back. If this third one is selected, they'll be a cultivator, and they won't have to toil in the soil like us anymore."
"Alas! Let's see. I'll be going back now." After speaking, the woman hurried home.
As Lu Heng and his group entered the city, people passing by the city gate spread the news. After all, for ordinary families, having a cultivator in the family was a good opportunity to change their destiny.
Each city had a designated place for cultivators to recruit disciples, usually near the commercial streets. The main reason was to liven up those shops, as the recruitment of disciples by cultivators was quite lively. Besides families bringing their children for testing, a large portion of people came to watch the excitement.
As soon as Lu Heng followed the Danyangmen group and set up tables at the street corner, crowds of onlookers had already gathered around.
"Hey, why are there so many cultivators from Danyangmen here to recruit this year?"
"Yes, wasn't it just two cultivators each time? Why are there four this year?"
"Hmm, let's see. My child is still young, probably a few more years before they can be tested."
"What's the rush? You can only be tested after turning twelve. It won't work if you come too early."
"That's true, hahaha, but I couldn't be tested when I was young. I don't know if my child will be like me."
"Alas, have more children, and one of them is bound to be selected."
Lu Heng and Wuchenzi sat aside watching two disciples busy themselves, while he listened to the discussions around them.
It seemed that the practice of cultivating by absorbing magic crystals had been around for many years here. He wondered how this peculiar cultivation method came about.
In the apocalypse, people evolved supernatural abilities after the appearance of zombies. However, this phenomenon erupted suddenly after thousands of years of human development and evolution. To this day, humans have not understood why some people suddenly mutated into zombies and then infected other humans.
Soon, adults brought their children for testing. The disciples sitting at the table, who were responsible for recruitment, first had the child place their hands on the spirit stone. After the spirit stone changed and tested their aptitude, they would then register the children who could cultivate in the ledger.
The children registered in the ledger were directly kept and stood aside, waiting.
After the testing today, these children would be taken back to Danyangmen together. Therefore, when the adults brought their children, some would prepare a small bundle for them, containing one or two sets of clothes for changing.
Of course, those from less fortunate families were brought directly like this. After passing the test, they would stand directly behind the cultivators.