World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 450: Six New Swords

"Calm down, Daoist Master Hua." Wang Sheng gestured for Hua Jinwei to put on his Daoist robe. "That's a little too gruesome; it will leave a bad impression. How about this instead?"

He ran a finger along Hua Jinwei's longsword, and the words "Sword Cultivator Fei Yu" appeared on the spine near the hilt.

"What do you think?"

Hua Jinwei blinked. He looked slightly disappointed at first, but his spirits soon lifted. He took the longsword back eagerly and stared at the words branded onto his treasured sword.

"This will do. Now I have a family heirloom!"

Finally calming down, he clasped the sword to his chest, saluted Wang Sheng with a Daoist bow, and turned decisively toward the mountain gate.

"What the hell?" Xi Lian frowned in displeasure. Still, she asked, "Did you really just come here for Fei Yu's autograph?"

Remembering the real reason he came, Hua Jinwei quickly turned back and laughed in embarrassment.

Wang Sheng said, "Daoist Master Hua, I'm already aware that you're at the mid-stage Illusory Core Realm. How long have you been cultivating?"

"Well, when I was in middle school, I came into contact with cultivation online. By chance, I obtained a fairly complete mental cultivation technique. Two years ago, I completed my Foundation Establishment Stage, and in university, I advanced to the Illusory Core Realm."

Xiaomiao tugged at Wang Sheng's sleeve and projected her phone's virtual screen in front of him. On it were a few news headlines about a college cultivator who cleverly defeated a small group of corrupt cultivators. There was even a report from the Special Investigation Unit, attached to which was a link to an announcement on the Righteous-Qi Alliance website.

Smiling, Wang Sheng nodded slightly. "Why don't you demonstrate a sword technique for me?"

Hua Jinwei quickly agreed. He was obviously nervous, but after a few deep breaths, he managed to steady himself. With his sword in hand, he began to perform a swift sword technique. He made it flow smoothly, linking each move seamlessly to the next.

Among modern cultivators, sword cultivators made up a considerable portion, second only to those specializing in talismans. There were more sword cultivators than spellcasters, who relied mainly on incantations.

Most unaffiliated practitioners learned whatever they could get their hands on, though. Sword arts, talismanic arts, and spells were all practical means of self-protection.

In the stable cultivation environment of the Hua Republic, real combat techniques were rarely used. Cultivation was all about one's immortal arts.

Still, being "cool" was a lifetime pursuit.

Between cultivators of equal realm, those who specialized in talismans, spells, artifacts, or formations naturally had the range advantage over those who wielded swords and other cold weapons. Moreover, cultivating in the Dao of the Sword was much harder than studying talismans or memorizing spells.

Except for Shu Sword Sect members, who practiced the Sword-Controlling Art, most sword cultivators had poor practical combat ability. Hence, those who could bring out even eighty percent of their cultivation through sword techniques were already considered a qualified sword cultivator among unaffiliated practitioners.

Among that circle, Hua Jinwei's sword technique was already quite outstanding. His moves, imbued with faint sword intent, flowed like water. Moreover, his Dao of the Sword slightly boosted his realm.

Still, Wang Sheng could not help but frown.

Xiaomiao nudged him with her elbow and whispered, "Big Brother, if you frown like that, the Daoist master will definitely get nervous. Smile a bit."

Wang Sheng quickly showed a faint, gentle smile, but it was too late. Hua Jing had slightly lost focus, causing a few missteps in his footwork.

After twenty-eight moves, Wang Sheng stood up. Hua Jinwei immediately straightened and tensed up a little.

Wang Sheng politely gestured at him. "Please wait at the side for a while, Daoist Master Hua. You're our first applicant, and we're only accepting a few off-heritage sect members. I'd rather not rush into making a decision."

Pending.

Hua Jinwei breathed a long sigh of relief, grinned at Wang Sheng, and bowed again. He then strode off to the side, afraid of delaying the cultivators behind him.

Wang Sheng hadn't even called for the next person when a middle-aged Daoist master hurried through the mountain gate.

Unlike in disciple recruitment, age wasn't important when choosing off-heritage sect members. If they one day succeeded on the immortal path, they would be given the same privileges as Jingyun, allowing them to accept disciples and pass down their Daoist heritage.

The Golden Core Realm Daoist had barely said a few words when Xiaomiao once again searched his name on her phone and showed several pieces of news to Wang Sheng.

Though not evil, he had a bad record, including several cases of forcibly buying and selling artifacts. The Special Investigation Unit had even officially reprimanded him for those incidents.

The internet made it hard for anyone with such a reputation to hide their history. A simple search revealed their past deeds.

"I—"

Shaking his head, Wang Sheng interjected, "That will be all, Daoist Master."

The Daoist's expression darkened, but he could only force a smile. Wang Sheng deliberately released his sword momentum, which put the applicant under enough pressure to make him turn and leave. He hadn't even passed through the mountain gate when he flew off, making Wang Sheng frown in displeasure.

"Big Brother, lend me your phone," Xiaomiao said. "You still have access to the government's core database, right?"

"I'm not sure," Wang Sheng answered. Still, he handed her his phone.

Xiaomiao typed quickly on the virtual keyboard and then let out a string of delighted exclamations. She looked like a poor thief who had stumbled upon a treasure vault.

Several more unaffiliated Golden Core Realm practitioners entered through the mountain gate, but for some reason, most of them had shady pasts. Even if they had no public record available online, the Special Investigation Unit had extensive records on them. Their shady acts all revolved around intimidation, theft, or bullying to get their hands on cultivation resources.

Wang Sheng sighed quietly to himself.

Although the Hua Republic seemed peaceful on the surface, the massive circle of unaffiliated practitioners was already steeped in survival-of-the-fittest struggle. Not only was it human nature, but it was also the norm of the cultivation world. Like bullying, it was impossible to eradicate.

Wang Sheng could not reform the cultivation world, but he could at least reject such cultivators. No matter how great their aptitude or how superior their cultivation, anyone who had oppressed the weak or robbed others would be refused.

Their ruthless methods would have likely made them formidable in an age of chaos. But to still act that way despite facing no external threats or corrupt cultivators in this peaceful era was simply going too far.

Xiaomiao took the time to look up Hua Jinwei's background as well. She found no record of misconduct, which brought Wang Sheng a sense of relief.

After interviewing a few Golden Core Realm cultivators, Wang Sheng decided to accept Hua Jinwei into the Pure Yang Sword Faction. Cultivators could mend their lacking cultivation or imperfect Dao of the Sword with time for as long as they had acceptable aptitude and comprehension. However, their moral character could never be corrected.

Wang Sheng soon realized just how hard it was to find the right people for their sect, especially now that they could immediately do a background check on the unaffiliated practitioners. Of the over thirty candidates he interviewed next, half were rejected immediately for having shady histories, while the other half were eliminated due to their poor aptitude.

Not one made it to even just the pending list.

Wang Sheng initially intended to recruit a few Golden Core Realm cultivators to increase the Pure Yang Sword Faction's overall combat power. To his dismay, he ended up lowering the realm requirement to early-stage Illusory Core Realm instead.

Golden Core Realm cultivators lived up to eight hundred years. Considering the Hua Republic's cultivation environment had strong qi meridians, anyone with a decent temperament and patience could eventually reach the Heavenly Abode Realm. Even if they failed to form a Nascent Soul, they could still reach the peak of the Heavenly Abode Realm.

Meanwhile, peak Illusory Core Realm cultivators could remain trapped at their realm's bottleneck for centuries, preventing them from forming a Golden Core. The difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth. Nevertheless, for the sake of the Pure Yang Sword Faction's future growth and harmony of its cultivation environment, Wang Sheng had to make compromises.

After interviewing a total of a hundred people, Wang Sheng finally put two more sword cultivators on the pending list. Both were around twenty to thirty years old, and one was at the Golden Core Realm.

Unlike Wang Sheng, who was a little disappointed, the thousands of unaffiliated practitioners waiting along the cloud road outside the mountain gate felt excited and nervous. From their perspective, his criteria for off-heritage sect members were completely unfathomable.

The Golden Core Realm cultivators who had seemed like obvious top candidates all left in disappointment, while three, who had looked unimpressive at first, were told to stay inside the mountain gate. From what they could tell, they still had a shot at having Wang Sheng choose them.

The cultivators at the foot of the mountain grew even more eager. One after another, they queued up to enter the mountain gate, though they restrained themselves well enough to avoid quarreling over their positions in line.

Xiaomiao cleverly activated her phone's automatic photo mode, which photographed the applicants and cross-referenced the pictures with the Special Investigation Unit's database. Before most of the cultivators even reached the table inside the mountain gate, Wang Sheng had already gotten his hands on their full profiles.

Xi Lian, who had originally planned to test the unaffiliated practitioners' temperament, could now only sit to the side as a full-time clerk, looking a bit bored.

The three worked with remarkable efficiency. On average, they rejected an unaffiliated practitioner roughly every twenty seconds.

By dusk, only a few hundred cultivators remained outside the mountain gate. Though they had already been screened out, they stayed since they really just came to watch the excitement anyway.

Xiaomiao had been too busy helping that she missed the chance to go down the mountain to find a cook, eat, and have some drinks with Mu Wanxuan and Chi Wen, who had to go in her stead.

Inside the mountain gate, twelve cultivators sat in the pending area. Wang Sheng held their profiles in hand, carefully comparing them.

One sword cultivator couldn't help but ask, "Great Master, are we going to spar with swords?"

"There's no need for that."

Wang Sheng had already decided on the next step. The trio stood up and bowed to the twelve sword cultivators before them.

Afterward, he smiled. "My master ordered us to only recruit four to six off-heritage sect members. I ask for your understanding as I determine who among you is best suited for our sect."

Hua Jinwei answered, "You are too polite. We all understand!"

Wang Sheng nodded. "Watching you all demonstrate your sword techniques gave me quite a few insights into the Dao of the Sword. Since it would be discourteous not to reciprocate, I'd like to show you a few sword techniques of my own."

The twelve sword cultivators' eyes immediately brightened with anticipation.

Wang Sheng took Spiritless from his Qiankun Ring, took three steps forward, and released a calm, full Dao Rhythm. It instantly enveloped all twelve applicants.

He began with the opening moves of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Sword Art, but after three moves, he changed his sequence. One of the sword cultivators exclaimed in surprise, then froze as though a sword had struck them. Watching every detail of Wang Sheng's movements with rapt attention, the applicant quickly realized that it was the same sword sequence that he had shown for his test.

Earlier, the twelve sword cultivators had each performed a sword technique before Wang Sheng. Now, he deliberately integrated and refined those techniques. He drew out their essence, perceived their sword intents, and extended them slightly to give insight back to their owners.

Though it was already amazing that Wang Sheng had managed to memorize all twelve techniques in such a short time, the sword intent and Dao Rhythm he now unleashed were far more remarkable.

He transitioned between techniques seamlessly and naturally, as though divine inspiration guided him. The sword intent imbued in each move opened the minds of the twelve sword cultivators, allowing them a glimpse of a broader horizon.

After a short while, Wang Sheng sheathed his sword and stood still. The twelve sword cultivators all seemed lost in thought and immersed in comprehension.

Wang Sheng quietly observed, waiting to see who would first emerge from their state of comprehension. Soon, he finalized his choice for the new off-heritage sect members. It took half an hour before all twelve awakened from their contemplation of the Dao of the Sword.

Wang Sheng clasped his hands. "Daoist Masters Hua Jinwei, Wang Zhihao, Qinglan, and Yang Aqi, would you be willing to join the Pure Yang Sword Faction and walk the immortal path with us?"

The four were stunned. Hua Jinwei, Qinglan, and Yang Aqi soon stepped forward in excitement, while Wang Zhihao, who shared Wang Sheng's family name, exhaled deeply. It was as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

The remaining eight Daoist masters were already feeling dejected when Wang Sheng added, "Daoist Master Zhang Weiyu and Daoist Master Shen Xiaomin, would you be willing to join the Pure Yang Sword Faction and cultivate within the sect?"

The only female cultivators among the twelve—both in their early twenties—immediately nodded. Their potential proved promising enough to pass. As a bonus, they also neatly balanced the Pure Yang Sword Faction's gender ratio.