Chapter 292: Criterion
“Li Lang, you’re finally awake!” Jun Ziyan urgently called out as soon as she saw her charge come out of his room. “You should hurry up. Everyone is likely waiting for you by now.”
“Relax,” the young leader of the Star Gem Academy replied as he tried to contain a yawn. “If they can’t even be bothered to wait a little, then they likely aren’t the type of people we want to recruit.”
“Of course, you have a million ways to deflect, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s your Star Gem Academy’s reputation that is at stake, not my Sword Saint Isle.”
Li Lang shrugged as he leisurely went over to the dining hall for breakfast. He wasn’t doing it to spite Jun Ziyan, but because he really meant what he said. One of the more promising methods of training willpower was extremely close to what he was having the potential recruits endure. No matter how much pain and suffering an exercise he devised could bring, knowing when it started and ended allowed many people to persevere. He believed that keeping people in the dark about when an ordeal would start and end was a great whetstone for willpower.
By making them wait, it was only giving them a small glimpse of what was to come.
Li Lang made his way over to the central plaza of Changjiao City once he had leisurely enjoyed his breakfast. He found the plaza quite crowded, but divided into two main groups. Those who were toward the center and those hanging around the perimeter. Naturally, those towards the center were the young children who were eager to be recruited and begin their cultivation journey, while the latter group was those who were here to watch the show.
“Look how many people you had waiting for you. Are you proud of yourself?” Jun Ziyan couldn’t help but dig upon noticing Li Lang’s sneer.
“Actually, quite so. I’m happy to see the residents of Changjiao City are so receptive to joining what should be an unknown sect to them. It means my efforts yesterday weren’t wasted.”
“You may have quantity here, but I doubt many will decide to stick around once they learn of their aptitude. They’re merely using you to test for their potential.”
“That I’m experienced with. It doesn’t matter, though. Aptitude isn’t the main criterion I’m looking for.”
“Yeah, yeah. Good luck peddling demonic cultivation to a bunch of kids that were taught how horrible it is for their whole lives.”
“Hm, you’ll see,” Li Lang lazily replied. “Once they learn orthodox cultivation isn’t a path they can take, they’ll settle for the alternative. “