Chapter 993: Chapter 961: Recruiting Disciples Broadly

Before the start of the banquet, Lu Yuanshan gave a welcoming speech.

"Today, for my Cyan Mountain Sect, is a good day worth remembering."

"I, Lu, have been cultivating for nearly a hundred years, and finally welcomed my first offspring, Lu Nianmei. The birth of my little girl brings me great joy."

"I am truly grateful that everyone could take time out of their busy schedules to join us. It is indeed a blessing for our Cyan Mountain Sect. I feel very happy and relieved, and I thank all of you, on behalf of the Cyan Mountain Sect, for sparing the time to attend the banquet..."

Lu Yuanshan, with a face full of smiles and joy in his heart, delivered his speech clearly and orderly. After finishing, he officially announced the start of the banquet.

A wide variety of delicacies from the mountains and seas were displayed, whetting everyone’s appetite as they happily chatted and laughed.

Everyone’s focus was partly on Lu Nianmei and partly on Lu Ping.

As a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, many people were speculating that Lu Ping was going to break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, but it hadn’t been revealed when he would enter secluded cultivation.

Now, after a little inquiry, they received accurate news that Lu Ping was going to enter seclusion to condense his Primordial Spirit, and in admiration, no one dared to show any slight disrespect to Cyan Mountain Sect.

In the future, as long as Cyan Mountain Sect produces a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator, it would become the foremost Divinity Transformation Sect in Lingxi State.

Its powerful status would surpass that of the Dubhe Institute.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food,

As the day’s banquet, which lasted for a whole day, ended and guests gradually started to leave, Lu Yuanshan took a deep breath, feeling like his face was exhausted from smiling all day.

"Big brother, this banquet was even more lively than I expected. Many forces and cultivators who weren’t invited came to congratulate us of their own volition, showing that they do regard our sect highly."

Lu Changfeng said with a smile, not expecting so many people to attend the banquet.

If it weren’t for the strength of Cyan Mountain Sect itself, he would have really worried about someone taking the opportunity to launch a massive invasion.

"All the famous forces in Lingxi State came, and even some newly established cultivation clans joined in the festivities."

"Regardless of their strength or the extent of their influence, since they came, they are all guests of our Cyan Mountain Sect."

"In the future, when they hold banquets, Cyan Mountain Sect will also send people to participate."

Lu Yuanshan said seriously, not looking down on the newly established cultivation clans because of their weaker strength.

Reciprocity is something that should be followed.

Moreover, Cyan Mountain Sect should have some affability, connecting a bit with the common folk, so as not to let outsiders see it as something unattainable.

For sect establishment, disciples are the foundation of the sect’s development.

Only by attracting a steady stream of cultivators to join the sect and nurturing them well can the sect prosper and be passed down for a long time.

"Big brother, I’ve seen you smiling all day. You should eat something too."

"The ingredients Minghui prepared this time are quite good. All are some mountain delicacies. I haven’t eaten so heartily in a long time."

Lu Changfeng laughed heartily, having seen the smile on Lu Yuanshan’s face since the beginning of the banquet.

The guests continuously came to attend, congratulate, and Lu Yuanshan greeted and returned the courtesies with smiles, leaving him no time to eat.

This is basic etiquette, and Lu Yuanshan wouldn’t put on airs here.

After breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, it was the first time Lu Yuanshan felt so happy, though his face was sore from smiling, it did not stop him from smiling while eating.

In the following days, Cyan Mountain Sect’s full moon banquet quickly spread.

Regardless of how lively it was, the primary concern was which cultivators participated and which forces attended the banquet at Cyan Mountain Sect. These were the points of interest for cultivators outside.

A full moon banquet attracted numerous powerful figures, even the Dubhe Institute attended, demonstrating the significant influence of the Cyan Mountain Sect.

Ten days after the full moon banquet ended, Cyan Mountain Sect held a large-scale disciple recruitment event, opening its mountain gates to admit outstanding cultivators from all sides.

In addition, Song Minghui and Xuu Yi, among other disciples, led a large group of Cyan Mountain Sect disciples to hold spirit root testing events in various towns and villages in Lushan County.

Any child over the age of five could receive a spirit root test for free, and if a spirit root was detected, they could join Cyan Mountain Sect for cultivation if they wished.

This news instantaneously excited mortals and loose cultivators in Lushan County, who had heard of the renowned Cyan Mountain Sect.

Everyone who aspired to cultivation hoped to join Cyan Mountain Sect through this event.

This spirit root testing event lasted for over a year, covering all towns and villages in Lushan County, testing every willing child over the age of five.

The number of children tested reached over a hundred thousand, and among them emerged over a thousand budding talents.

This included two Celestial Spirit Root cultivators and sixty-six Dual Spirit Root individuals.

Cyan Mountain Sect did not despise anyone for having a low spirit root; even the weakest Five Spirit Roots could join Cyan Mountain Sect, starting as servant disciples.

The current development of Cyan Mountain Sect focuses on large-scale expansion of the number of disciples.

This disciple recruitment plan was actually part of Lu Ping’s strategy and proposed by him.

Unlike other sects with stringent admission criteria requiring at least Three Spirit Roots, Lu Ping’s plan wasn’t impulsive or unplanned.

He recently considered establishing a second Cyan Mountain Sect in the Central Ancestral Realm, that is, a sub-hall of Cyan Mountain Sect.

No one knows what it will turn into in the future; for now, it’s crucial to establish it first.

And to build a sect, Lu Ping is temporarily not lacking basic resources and spirit stones; what is really lacking, however, are disciples.

Compared to recruiting children and loose cultivators in the unfamiliar Central Ancestral Realm, it’s better to lead a group of disciples from the hometown Lushan County.

At least, cultivators from the same hometown with shared birth and bloodlines are more likely to maintain unity, being more cohesive in a foreign place.

These newly recruited children could be cultivated from a young age, fostering a strong sense of belonging.

Thus, large-scale disciple recruitment and the enhancement of sect bloodlines are very necessary.

Cyan Mountain Sect spent another year accepting these spirit root-bearing children and having them start their cultivation in the sect.

According to their different aptitudes, they were assigned different disciple identities.

With the passage of spring and autumn, time flies, and five years quickly went by.

Little Qiumei grew into a young girl, now able to run and jump around mischievously, a very lively girl with extremely bright eyes.

In her appearance, she somewhat resembles Liiu Qiumei.

She is very well-behaved and sensible. When Lu Ping asks her to call him grandpa, she smiles with eyes turning crescent-shaped, revealing two cute dimples, calling out Grandpa Lu Ping with a gentle smile.

This made Lu Ping burst into hearty laughter.

Everyone loves little Nianmei, treating her as a little treasure, the darling child of Cyan Mountain Sect, with a high level of popularity.