Chapter 181: Blinded By Envy (3)
Although the Jin Mu-Won affair had thrown Heaven's Summit into turmoil, the organization decided to proceed with the selection of the Demon Hunters as scheduled. This decision was a calculated move to shift public attention away from Jin Mu-Won and back toward themselves.
To that end, Heaven's Summit announced the selection method and member count for the Demon Hunters, information that had been kept secret until now.
According to the announcement, the Demon Hunters would have fifty-six members. One commander would helm the organization, with five captains each leading a squad of ten.
Demon Hunters would be granted the authority to commandeer nearby sects' forces and conduct inspections within their assigned regions, and sects that received such a request were not allowed to refuse. Failure to comply without clear justification would result in severe sanctions from Heaven's Summit, or, in the worst-case scenario, expulsion from the alliance.
While expulsion might not significantly impact major powers like the Nine Great Sects, for small and medium-sized sects, severing ties with Heaven's Summit meant losing all support in the war against the Silent Night and almost certain destruction.
As depressing as it was, this was the reality in the current murim.
Conversely, if a martial artist from a small sect was chosen as a Demon Hunter, the sect could expect rapid growth. For this reason, the smaller sects did everything in their power to encourage their members to join the Demon Hunters.
Given that the Demon Hunters were responsible for the future and security of the Central Plains, powerful martial arts were an essential requirement. Ultimately, Heaven's Summit decided to select members through a grand martial arts tournament.
Originally, only those with recommendations from three or more renowned masters were eligible to apply. However, after the resolution of Jin Mu-Won's trial, the number of qualified applicants increased by several thousand, necessitating a change in the selection process.
Those without recommendations now had to participate in a separate preliminary round until their numbers were reduced to three hundred. They had to prove their martial prowess in a fierce competition with nearly ten-to-one odds. After that, the main tournament would begin, and they would be joined by martial artists who had received recommendations and skipped the preliminaries.
It was an unfair, rigged system. However, the participants who had barely managed to qualify did not dare complain, fearing that voicing any discontent might cost them the chance they had so precariously obtained.