Pang Dahai said that someone would soon come to distribute some items to Lu Ye and the others, allowing them to make some choices. As a cultivator of the Righteous Gate, he undoubtedly knew the subsequent procedures.
Sure enough, not long after he left, all those who had passed the test and possessed jade tokens were gathered in one place.
There were over a thousand slaves who had been rescued earlier, but now only a hundred or so remained, a mere ten percent.
Everyone stood quietly there. A cultivator came over and distributed a piece of paper to each person. Lu Ye took his and looked down, seeing ten sect names written from top to bottom on the paper.
The Righteous Gate was at the top, followed by the Green Jade Gate, and some other sects that Lu Ye had never heard of. However, he saw the Moonburn Mountain and the Hundred Flowers Valley, which Pang Dahai had mentioned earlier.
These were likely the sects that had come to attack the Evil Moon Valley.
Behind each sect's name, their rank was noted.
The Righteous Gate and the Green Jade Gate were undoubtedly first-rank, while the remaining sects had a wide range of ranks, mostly from fourth to seventh.
Behind the ranks, there was a line of text indicating the sect's school, which was the information Pang Dahai had mentioned earlier.
At this moment, Lu Ye was somewhat grateful to Pang Dahai; otherwise, he probably wouldn't understand the content on this paper.
As he was carefully examining it, a cultivator at the front of the crowd spoke: "If you want to join a certain sect, come forward and draw a circle next to the name of that sect. You can choose up to three, but which sect you ultimately join will depend on your luck and the decision of the sect's officials. If you're lucky, you might even join one of the two first-rank sects."
After he finished speaking, the crowd was silent for a moment. Soon, someone asked, "Senior, do you mean that while we choose the sects, the sects are also choosing us?"
"That's right!" the cultivator replied indifferently, "So don't think you can achieve everything in one step. If your talent and potential are not enough, choosing a first-rank sect will be useless."
Another person asked, "What if none of the three sects I choose choose me?"
"Then you will have no chance of cultivation and will be placed with those who lack the potential for cultivation!"
This statement made many people who had harbored侥幸 thoughts secretly alert.
Earlier, many people had the idea of choosing both first-rank sects, but if they really did that, it would definitely not end well. Neither the Righteous Gate nor the Green Jade Gate would have low standards for accepting disciples. If they were eliminated by these two major sects, they would only have one last chance. If they failed that last chance, they would miss this opportunity.
For Lu Ye and his group, joining a sect for cultivation was undoubtedly the best path, and no one wanted to miss it.
At this moment, everyone's expressions became serious.
Lu Ye, however, held the paper in his hand, listening to the cultivator's words, and his expression became extremely strange.
How is this like filling out a college application?
During the talent test, the third senior brother of the Green Jade Gate recited the admission brochure to him. The jade token he received after the test was like an exam score. Each sect was like a university, and the schools were like majors. Now, everyone was filling out their applications.
There were first, second, and third choices...
Looking at the various sects on the paper, the top two were undoubtedly top-tier institutions. The fourth and fifth ranks were like ordinary first-tier universities, and the sixth and seventh ranks were like second and third-tier universities.
Lu Ye's gaze moved down to the bottom, and he was startled.
There was even a diploma mill!
The Blood Green Sect, ranked last, was a ninth-rank sect, which he had not noticed earlier.
The situation was now clear. The hundred or so people who had passed the test needed to choose three sects. Although it wasn't difficult, there was an underlying competition.
If too many people chose the same sect, some would definitely be eliminated.
Lu Ye held his jade token and sighed inwardly. His talent was so mediocre that he had no competitiveness in this matter.
But he had to try.
Considering his main attribute was fire and his secondary was metal, Lu Ye gradually had a plan.
The cultivator speaking had a table in front of him, with a few pens and an inkstone on it.
People gradually came forward, picked up a pen, and marked their choices on their papers, handing them along with their jade tokens to the cultivator.
Soon, the hundred or so people were reduced to about half.
Yu Xiaodie came over: "Big Brother Lu, have you made a decision?"
"Hmm... I have."
Yu Xiaodie said, "Shall we go together?"
"You go first, I'll think a bit more." Lu Ye had already made a decision, but thinking of his mediocre talent, he was still unsure.
Ten sects, a hundred or so people, on average, each sect could take about ten people, but this was the most ideal distribution. Lu Ye was sure that the Righteous Gate and the Green Jade Gate would only take two or three people, not more.
This meant that the other sects would need to take more people.
Lu Ye didn't expect to join the two first-rank sects, but if the competition was too intense, even choosing sixth or seventh-rank sects might result in his elimination.
He had been in the Nine Provinces for over a year, working as a mine slave in the Evil Moon Valley for a year. Although he had successfully opened his first spiritual acupoint, he couldn't find his second, so how could he cultivate?
If he could join a sect, it would be different. He could then seek guidance from the experts in the sect, so he didn't want to miss this opportunity, even if it meant starting at a lower level.
With this in mind, he walked forward, approached the table, took a pen, and first drew a circle next to the Blood Green Sect. The Blood Green Sect was the lowest-ranked sect, and Lu Ye estimated that no one else would choose it, so this was a safety measure to ensure he could join a sect.
After choosing the Blood Green Sect, he raised his pen to the Moonburn Mountain.
As he was about to mark it, he suddenly remembered what Pang Dahai had said to him last.
He had told him to set his expectations low and not to be indecisive, as this was the only way to achieve his goal.
At the time, Lu Ye didn't understand, thinking it was just advice, but now it seemed to have a deeper meaning.
Moreover, Pang Dahai didn't have high hopes for him. When Lu Ye asked him which sect to choose, he bluntly said that it didn't matter.
He was a cultivator of the Righteous Gate, and although he was a bit greedy, he had no reason to mock him. This meant that even if he chose other sects, he would likely not succeed.
Lu Ye closed his eyes. Every decision at a crossroads in life was crucial, especially this one.
He suddenly looked up at the cultivator in front of him and asked, "May I ask, Senior, what would happen if I only choose this one sect?"
The cultivator was looking at him with interest because no one had chosen the Blood Green Sect before Lu Ye, and it was predictable that no one would choose it after him, as it was too low-ranked.
But what the cultivator didn't expect was that not only did Lu Ye choose the Blood Green Sect, but he also asked such a question.
The cultivator stroked his mustache and smiled, "You'll find out when you choose."