NOVPUBAlthough aided by the power of ley lines, the three had already rapidly left Banner Ridge State.
But they could still sense the huge roars and tremors transmitting through the flow of the ley lines.
It was like a massive wave crashing from behind. Even Lin Ling, protected by the power of the Leyline Ancient Tree, was forced to sway, directly deviating from the original direction of travel.
One could imagine how terrifying the situation in Banner Ridge State itself was.
Not only the adjacent state regions, but even the distant Misthaven Sea Realm.
Felt a slight tremor.
On Haixuan Island.
The Misthaven Cooperative Society, which already consisted of eighteen cultivators, was originally engaged in an enthusiastic discussion about the organization’s future plans.
At this moment, however, everything fell dead silent in an instant.
The members exchanged glances, full of apprehension and uncertainty.
"Hmm? Just now, that wasn’t just my imagination, right?" He Zhenghao asked with some uncertainty in his tone.
Daoist He was truly a man of the moment.
Although he missed the first chance to join the society, as soon as he confirmed the news that Pei Tuo had successfully advanced to Nascent Soul, he immediately visited Ji Shaoli again.
Even after being turned away from the door for seven long days, he never gave up.
Instead, he persevered, continuously sending messages, expressing his strong desire to join.
Ultimately, Ji Shaoli was moved by his sincerity.
And so, He Zhenghao became one of the eleven cultivators to join the second batch of the Misthaven Cooperative Society.
Ji Shaoli stroked his beard in silence.
Pei Tuo, the one with the highest cultivation base among them, looked toward the direction of Banner Ridge State with a grave expression, "This is no illusion. Even here, we can sense the earth trembling ever so slightly. It seems the matter is not a small one."
"Terrifying. Who knows how many cultivators will perish in this calamity."
"Could it be, has war broken out again?"
...
The members discussed among themselves.
In the end, Ji Shaoli, who always paid close attention to the movements of the Immortal Alliance, read out the official announcement as soon as it was available.
"An earth tremor occurred in Banner Ridge State; an Integration Cultivator arrived at the scene immediately."
"The tremor has gradually settled, and no cultivator fatalities have occurred so far."
"Upon preliminary investigation, further disasters are ruled out."
"No need for panic..."
After reading everything slowly, Ji Shaoli looked around at the people present, "Ladies and gentlemen, what do you make of this?"
Xiang Xin scoffed, "Such a big disaster, yet they say no cultivators have fallen. Who would believe that?"
Some cultivators agreed on the spot, "Exactly. In my view, the Immortal Alliance is just trying to gloss over the reality yet again."
"Is it getting worse, they don’t even bother to make up a decent story?"
...
The reaction of the crowd was within Ji Shaoli’s expectations.
If he and his group weren’t the instigators of the Banner Ridge State earth tremor event, he would likely never believe that such a horrific disaster could occur without a single cultivator casualty, as absurd as that sounded.
However, he did not intend to stand out and correct them.
With a faint smile, Ji Shaoli said, "Let’s leave the matter at that for now. It’s fine to discuss amongst ourselves, but outside, it’s best to keep our opinions to ourselves. Otherwise, it’s easy to attract unnecessary trouble."
None of the people present were fools. They all nodded in agreement right away.
Ji Shaoli then redirected the conversation back to the main topic.
"It’s not that the organization doesn’t trust everyone. However, this matter is of utmost importance, and a slight leak could mean that everyone present might not escape death," he continued.
"Therefore, I need everyone to make a vow before the image of the ’Crimson Compassionate Immortal’."
Ji Shaoli placed a red Contract Scroll, emanating an eerie aura, before everyone.
Without the slightest hesitation, Pei Tuo was the first to pledge his poisonous oath and carve his name onto the Contract Scroll.
The rest followed suit one after another.
Ji Shaoli nodded in satisfaction, and put away the red Contract Scroll.
He posed the question, "The Immortal Alliance’s Big Exam is coming up soon, how do you all see it?"
The crowd was momentarily stunned, unsure of Ji Shaoli’s intentions.
After all, everyone present had already taken up positions within the Immortal Alliance System.
Though the upcoming exam was making grand overtures, expanding to recruit half as many more positions, it was irrelevant to them.
Unless...
They resigned from their current positions now and re-applied as ordinary candidates.
Such things had happened before.
But only those who were extremely dissatisfied with their current duties and saw no hope for promotion in the long term,
and who were also cultivators with grand ambitions, would take such a step.
After all, the big exam was not easy, and who could guarantee that after resigning from their original positions, they could re-enter successfully?
Moreover, doing so would mean offending their former superiors.
If they could not successfully re-enter, they would probably need to consider fleeing far away and seeking refuge.
Without absolute confidence, nearly no one would choose such a drastic course of action.
Ji Shaoli saw that everyone was silent, and he chose not to explain further.
Instead, he handed out a Jade Scroll to each person.
After examining them, everyone’s brows furrowed.
Naturally, they could tell that the content in the Jade Scrolls was formatted like the exam questions of the big exam.
"Could it be..."
Their thoughts went to Ji Shaoli’s previous mysterious actions,
and the terrifying power that lay hidden behind the Cooperative Society.
A speculation inevitably arose in everyone’s mind.
"Is it possible?"
Soon, they all shook their heads in secret, dismissing the thought.
Exam questions for entry into the Immortal Alliance were amongst the most secretive of secrets.
Even if they occasionally griped about the decadence of the Immortal Alliance, over the many years, they had never heard of big exam questions being leaked.
Although there was definitely a major power supporting the Cooperative Society from behind,
But... 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
A deathly silence fell over the room for a moment.
It was Ji Shaoli who spoke out, confirming the speculation that was too audacious for them to even entertain in their thoughts.
"Unless there are unexpected circumstances, the content of this session’s big exam questions should all be contained within these Jade Scrolls."
His voice was soft.
Yet it struck the ears of the audience like thunder.
Instantly, quite a few cultivators stood up, staring at Ji Shaoli with wide eyes and speechless shock.
"Daoist Ji, are your words for certain?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Ji Shaoli responded decisively.
After a moment of silence, giving everyone time to gradually accept the massive shock,
Ji Shaoli looked at He Zhenghao and the others, noting their varying expressions, and spoke again, "Although with the organization’s support, everyone’s strength will certainly skyrocket in a short period. However, securing a promotion through this alone might still be difficult."
"After all, those willing to join our Cooperative Society likely do not have a robust background."
"Moreover, the Misthaven Sea Realm is a remote location and cannot compare to the bustling state regions of the Central Immortal Alliance."
...
After explaining the reasons for offering to help everyone,
He asked, "The true questions of the big exam are here. I wonder, which Daoists are willing to take this bold risk?"
As soon as he uttered these words, the room immediately fell into a silence as still as death.
From the expressions on everyone’s faces, one could see the dilemma in their hearts.
"This is merely assistance provided for you fellow Daoists. It is entirely up to you to make the decision, and I will not coerce you," Ji Shaoli added with a smile.
