If You're Not Sharp, Don't Join a Demonic Cult

By order of the examiners, whether one was Chi Xulong or a mighty dragon crossing the river, everyone had to stand properly in line. If you provoked the examiners, did you still want to join the demonic cult or not? Never mind how high and mighty these scoundrels acted on the outside; no matter how well you did out there, could you possibly compare to the demonic cult? The demonic cult possessed a cult master of unfathomable cultivation and ranks teeming with formidable experts. What did these rogue outlaws have? Only themselves, and the strongest among them was merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage. The three examiners had unfamiliar faces that none of the gathered crowd had ever seen before. Still, that was easy enough to understand. A demonic cult was far more mysterious than ordinary rogue demonic cultivators and never revealed itself lightly. It was only natural that no one recognized them. Even though the trial was taking place a full two hours ahead of the scheduled time, not a single person questioned it. This had to be one of the demonic cult's tests. Arriving early proved one truly cared about the cult, whereas those who arrived right on the dot were simply unworthy of joining. Lu Yang sat with his legs crossed, produced a brush and paper, and pointed at the first person in line. "Go ahead. Tell us: why did you choose to join our demonic cult, and what can you bring to the table? What are your personal plans for growth? And what expectations do you have regarding your monthly stipend?" "Huh?" The first man was dumbstruck. Bombarded with such a rapid-fire string of questions right off the bat, his mind went blank. *These are the entrance exam questions for a demonic cult?!* Shouldn't they be asking about cultivation realms, secret manuals, or what evil deeds he had committed? Seeing that the first man failed to utter a word for half a day, Lu Yang waved his hand in irritation. "'Huh' what? Hemming and hawing over our questions already! If the government catches you in the future, won't you spill all of the demonic cult's secrets on the spot?" "You're eliminated. Go on home." The second person was the leader of a minor gang. He had been thrown into prison numerous times; every time he was released, he would discover that his gang and his wife had been seized by his lackeys, and every time, he would fight tooth and nail to win both his gang and his wife back. He was a gang leader with remarkably rich life experience. "My name is Niu Mang, leader of the Azure Dragon Gang! I chose to join our demonic cult because I desire better prospects for future development. My philosophy regarding the demonic path shares many similarities with our cult, and I firmly believe we will get along swimmingly once I join! After entering the cult, I will diligently and conscientiously commit evil deeds, working alongside the cult to grow bigger and stronger and achieve new heights of glory!" "As for my personal development plan: whatever the demonic cult needs me to do, I shall do without a single complaint! After all, only when the cult grows powerful can I truly grow powerful!" "The demonic cult has graciously provided me a foothold; how could I possibly demand a monthly stipend? If anything, I should be the one paying tribute to the cult!" Growing emotional as he spoke, Niu Mang pumped his fist in the air, declaring that he would overcome every hardship to greet a radiant future. He delivered his speech with well-practiced ease—after all, this was precisely how he indoctrinated his underlings in the Azure Dragon Gang. "You're eliminated. Go on home." "Why?!" Niu Mang was thoroughly indignant. He believed his answers had been utterly flawless. Lu Yang snapped harshly at him, feeling that Niu Mang was a disgrace to the demonic path. "What is the demonic path? The demonic path is selfish and self-serving! How could someone like you, who only wants to selflessly serve the demonic cult without asking for anything in return, possibly be a demonic cultivator? As a member of a demonic cult, your mind must always be scheming on how to usurp power and stage a rebellion! If there's no internal strife, can you even call it a demonic cult?" "Besides, didn't you just say that you'd do whatever the demonic cult needs of you? Right now, the cult needs you eliminated. Beat it!" Dejected and disheartened, Niu Mang slunk away. The people behind him felt their horizons broadened considerably upon hearing this. So *that* was the theoretical framework of the demonic cult! As expected of the examiners, their comprehension of the demonic path was profoundly insightful! "Next," Meng Jingzhou called out. "I am Chi Xulong, at the Foundation Establishment stage," Chi Xulong stated, placing heavy emphasis on his cultivation level in hopes of gaining the examiners' respect. "Tell us then, what evil deeds have you done?" Speaking of this, Chi Xulong had plenty to boast about. "I was snatched away and raised by wolves in the mountains as a boy. When I was ten, I slaughtered the wolf that took me with a bone knife and went down the mountain to make my living. In the wild mountains, I took whatever I wanted by force, and I kept that same habit in the cities. Whatever I lacked, I snatched! Then the constables began chasing me, so I kept robbing all the way while the constables kept pursuing all the way. My footwork was extraordinarily fast, so none of them could catch me! When I committed robberies, I even took hostages, and I handily slaughtered several people who dared to block my path!" Chi Xulong spoke with immense smugness. Could a man who had committed every wickedness under the sun like him truly lack the qualifications to join the demonic cult? Meng Jingzhou shook his head. "In this day and age, the righteous path holds immense sway, so we of the demonic path must keep a low profile. Your conduct is far too ostentatious; sooner or later, you'll trip over your own pride. Look at yourself—how many people recognize you? Now look at the three of us. Does anyone recognize us? That is the difference!" "This is not cowering in the shadows; this is calculated infiltration, the supreme wisdom of the great hermit hiding in the bustling marketplace!" Man Gu watched Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou with a bewildered expression. Why did it feel like Brother Lu and Brother Meng were so familiar with the demonic path? Chi Xulong was deeply enlightened after hearing this. Realizing he had oversimplified the essence of the demonic path, he took his leave of his own accord. "I am Shen Jinyi," the fair-faced scholar, Shen Jinyi, introduced himself with a genial smile. After observing the previous rounds of questioning, he felt he had thoroughly grasped the examiners' playbook. Noticing the man was dressed as a scholar and was a fellow Confucian cultivator, Man Gu cheerfully posed a question that had continually puzzled him—one that even the Fourth Elder had failed to answer: "Since the word for 'mother' can be either *niang* or *ma*, does that mean I can address an unmarried young lady, a *guniang*, as an aunt, a *guma*?" Shen Jinyi froze for a long time. In all of his forty years of worldly experience, he found himself utterly at a loss for words. He had originally assumed the simple-looking examiner on the left was unremarkable, given that he had remained silent the entire time. Who could have imagined that the boy would strike him with such a baffling cudgel right out of the gate? Rather than admitting he didn't know, Shen Jinyi replied, "I am an assassin, not a Confucian cultivator." "An assassin? Have you studied criminal law?" Lu Yang asked with keen interest. "I have dabbled somewhat," Shen Jinyi replied modestly. In truth, he was exceptionally well-versed in criminal law, as becoming an assassin naturally required studying how to circumvent it. "Then let me ask you: criminal law defines the crime of intentional homicide as 'whoever intentionally deprives another of life constitutes this crime.'" "In that case, does committing suicide constitute intentional homicide?" Shen Jinyi took a second cudgel straight to the head. Seeing Shen Jinyi unable to answer, Lu Yang waved his hand in disappointment. "You can't even answer questions regarding your own field of expertise. Go on home." Within a mere span of five minutes, Shen Jinyi suffered the greatest setback of his life. Were these questions a normal person could possibly come up with?! *Could it be that only people with completely abnormal minds are fit to join the demonic cult?!* …… This recruitment trial was a matter of grave importance, and the Branch Master had to oversee it personally to put his mind at ease. To ensure proper preparation, the Branch Master had made a point of arriving an entire hour early. Along the path leading to the examination site, the Branch Master noticed a steady stream of fierce, murderous-looking figures walking away. They muttered to themselves phrases like "interviews are too hard," "the demonic cult isn't easy to enter," "so that is the true essence of the demonic path," and "I'll try again in thirty years." It was as if they had undergone a spiritual baptism and achieved sudden enlightenment. The Branch Master fell into deep thought. *I haven't even arrived yet. Who on earth is conducting the trial?* And then he saw the three figures of Lu Yang and his companions, lording it over the crowd and holding court with breathtaking audacity.