Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength

The following morning.

"Have you all come to a decision? Come tell me your decision."

A voice rang in everyone's ears, that of True Lord Bai Yang.

Soon after, a majority of the students gathered in the large plaza, while the astute ones noticed those glowing points indicating students who hadn't arrived, with their locations clearly marked.

There was no escape, through Formation or stealth, they would be found.

"All right, this time I have attacked the Eastern Demon Sect and captured you all, planning to establish a school in the Outer Domain. The remaining thousand of you will be the seeds of my new school. Make your decision— who stays."

"True Lord, is it possible to select a thousand people, leaving the rest somewhere, giving them a chance at life? This way, even if the Immortal Sect tracks us down later, there is room for negotiation," someone pleaded.

"Ha, what I've done this time has openly slapped the face of the Immortal Sect. They certainly won't spare my life, nor will they be merciful. The reason for leaving behind a thousand people is that we need to cross the Scarlet Cloud Galaxy. We only have enough resources for so many, and the survivors among those left must show their worth, mustn't they?"

"True Lord, you wish to establish a school and prefer people with loyalty and righteousness. Why force everyone to commit such inhumane and unrighteous acts?" another student dared to argue.

"Inhumane and unrighteous?

Ha, don't say more. I have my considerations. Decide how to select that thousand. Any method is acceptable, as long as you select those thousand," he said coldly.

"Immortal Lord..."

"Any method is acceptable, I won't interfere. But, if ten percent of the people object, the plan is void, and we'll start over," Bai Yang laid out the ruthless condition.

"Ah!"

The people present were stunned.

"Lord True, does this ten percent refer to ten percent of the twelve thousand, or ten percent of those who are left?" someone asked.

"Ten percent of those who are left."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as everyone knew what that ten percent of the survivors implied.

Kill until only twelve hundred people remain, and naturally, the vote would pass.

"What if the vote still doesn't pass in the end?" asked another voice.

"Just keep a hundred people then."

"True Lord Bai Yang, you beast no better than pigs and dogs, you..."

A student stepped forward, cursing at the sky, only to be turned to ashes by a bolt of lightning the next moment.

"You damned son of a bitch, forcing us to slaughter each other..."

Another flash of lightning descended, and another student perished.

"I'll kill you, you..."

"Crack!"

A student stood up, cursing out loud, but relentless thunderbolts fell one after another, and sixteen students were struck down one by one, all turned to ash.

For a Nascent Soul Master to kill them was as easy as stepping on ants.

"In fifteen days, if your plan hasn't passed, I will only keep a hundred, and kill the rest," he declared with finality.

...

Outside the Martial Arts Miniature World.

"Mirror Twelve, you've left them with no choice!" someone accused.

"Have I? Ten thousand years ago, when we rebelled, we had no choice. Six thousand years ago, during the war, we had no choice. And now, these students have plenty of choices.

Look, didn't sixteen students curse at me? They had made their choice.

Look, aren't there students thinking? They are choosing as well!" Mirror Twelve retorted.

Without pushing the students to the brink, how could one refine true gold from the fire?

No, it was just a ruse, unrelated to the students. The outcome couldn't really change anything. All he knew was that after this commotion, the benefits directed at students would increase significantly over the next two to three hundred years.

Because of the Fifth Order Divine Instrument, this whole uprising went crazy.

...

Minor World.

Someone stepped forward.

"True Lord, I have three questions to ask, if I may?"

"Speak."

"You won't interfere with our selection? We can make any choice we want, right?"

"Correct."

"Then, does that include abstaining from voting and creating a random selection program to let the machine pick out a thousand spots, choosing a thousand people based on luck rather than strength, is that possible?"

The one who stepped forward was a frail-looking girl. Her appearance was very ordinary, even bordering on plain, but her strength ranked her third in this competition.

Zhuge Caihua.

Her master was the illustrious Master Lihua of the Immortal Sect, and she too was a true genius.

"That's possible, as long as no more than ten percent oppose it, it's allowed."

"How do we confirm it? Is it a secret ballot?"

"Everyone comes to the square each morning, we vote once, and it's passed with a show of hands afterward."

True Lord of Bai Yang said so and then closed his eyes.

...

The Immortal Sect's public channel was already in a mess.

"It's impossible, this vote will never be successful."

"Why not? If you kill all those who oppose, it will succeed."

"Stop talking nonsense, those are classmates, how could they be killed?"

That day, after Mirror Twelve went crazy, the related messages were posted on the Immortal Sect's public network. Normally, the broadcast would have been cut off, but after a meeting of the Sect's top brass, a decision was made.

To broadcast it live.

There were many things they could not do, but when someone actually did them, despite how violent, bloody, and socially damning they might be, they would still offer their support.

This is not a peaceful world. The losers die, and while compassion may be shown sometimes, at other times, it's necessary for everyone to witness.

...n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Will we die?"

Twenty-eight people… yes, Meng Yu's team now had four outsiders who came to join Meng Yu and others after today's meeting.

Indeed, the reason was that they had been plundered clean, left without any Alchemical Elixirs or raw materials.

"Those who attacked us were masked, but I know who they were!"

"To think I was so kind to him!"

"They're nothing but beasts!"

These four kids looked as pitiable as drowned puppies.

They were alchemists; they had been stripped of everything including their Protective Armor and Alchemical Elixirs. The reason they sought refuge with Meng Yu's group was that they knew Little Swallow.

The Immortal Sect's entrance exam competition was essentially a networking event. Countless kids were reminded by their parents before arriving to make as many friends as possible. Little Swallow originally wanted to get some better Alchemical Elixirs for Meng Yu, and they had a good relationship with these four, even managing to secure some.

"Meng Yu, you helped us, and we in Rejuvenation Valley won't let you down. As soon as we return, your sentences, prison terms…"

The leading man was making promises galore. Alchemists were often the wealthiest in the Immortal Sect, with vast connections; everywhere they went, people flattered them, including the countless who wanted to be their friends. Yet, today, they became the first to be robbed.

These poor kids hadn't yet recovered from the shock.

"Alright, thanks for your promises. Come, have something to drink first, don't think too much, and don't dwell on it anymore. Stay with me for tonight, and we will talk after you've had time to think it over, okay?"

Last night, a student cast the Illumination Technique and the entire island was bright with light, but tonight, except for the glow in the sky, it was pitch-dark.

The students who could perform spells didn't want to waste their magical power, and besides, no one was in the mood for it.

Hidden in the darkness, they were relatively safe.