Who Let Him Cultivate？

Chapter 66: Those With Inflexible Minds Are Not Advised to Join the Demon Sect

The examiners had issued their decree. Whether you were a local tyrant or a mighty dragon crossing the river, you were expected to stand at attention and keep your mouth shut.

Anger the examiners, and you could kiss your career prospects in the demonic path goodbye.

No matter how much blood these Rogue Cultivators had spilled in the mundane world, could any of it compare to the primordial dread of the Demon Sect? The Sect boasted a leader of unfathomable cultivation and a legion of followers as dense as a forest of blades. As for these independent cutthroats? They were lone wolves, their absolute peak capping out at the late Foundation Establishment realm.

The three examiners possessed unfamiliar faces. None of the assembled criminals recognized them. Yet, this made perfect sense. The Demon Sect was a clandestine monolith, far more enigmatic than any wandering demonic cultivator. They never revealed themselves lightly; it was only natural that they remained unseen by the masses.

Though the interviews had commenced a full hour ahead of the scheduled time, not a single soul dared to voice a complaint.

This was clearly a psychological screening. Those who arrived early demonstrated proactive synergy and cultural fit. Those who planned to arrive exactly on time were clearly lacking in dedication and unworthy of the Sect.

Lu Yang sat with his legs crossed, a pristine sheet of parchment and a brush resting before him. He pointed the tip of his brush at the first candidate. “Let’s begin. Why did you choose to apply to the Demon Sect? What actionable value can you bring to our organization? Where do you see your career path in five years? And what are your expectations regarding your monthly allowance?”

“Ah?” The first Rogue Cultivator stared, utterly dumbfounded.

He was paralyzed by the barrage of high-level performance metrics right out of the gate. Was this truly the entrance exam for a cabal of bloodthirsty murderers? Shouldn’t they be asking about his cultivation realm, his martial techniques, or the body count he’d amassed?

Seeing the man unable to formulate a sentence, Lu Yang waved his hand, his tone dripping with deadpan impatience. “Ah, what? If you stammer and freeze under basic interview pressure, what happens when the imperial magistrates capture you? You’d spill the Sect’s core secrets before they even brought out the torture devices. You lack the communication skills for this role. Eliminated. Go back.”

The second candidate was the chieftain of a minor syndicate. He possessed a remarkably rich, if tragic, life experience: he had been imprisoned multiple times, and upon each release, he discovered his underlings had usurped both his gang and his wife. He had subsequently reclaimed both, multiple times.

“My name is Niu Mang, leader of the Azure Dragon Gang,” he began, puffing out his chest. “I chose to join the Demon Sect because I am seeking robust career development. My personal philosophy regarding the demonic path aligns perfectly with the Sect’s core values. I believe I am an excellent cultural fit. Once onboarded, I will diligently execute evil deeds, synergize with the Sect to expand our market share, and drive us toward unprecedented glory!”

“As for my career plan: I will pivot to whatever role the Sect requires. I am a team player with zero complaints. After all, only by elevating the Sect’s overarching power can I elevate my own!”

“Furthermore, since the Sect is providing me with a platform for growth, how could I possibly demand a monthly allowance? I should be paying tribute to the Sect!”

Niu Mang pumped his fist, his eyes shining with the zeal of a man ready to conquer all obstacles and embrace a bright corporate future.

His delivery was incredibly proficient—after all, this was the exact motivational speech he used to brainwash the Azure Dragon Gang.

“You’re eliminated. Go back,” Lu Yang said flatly.

“Why?!” Niu Mang was indignant. His pitch had been flawless.

Lu Yang’s voice cracked like a whip, his aura radiating the icy disdain of a true demonic overlord. “What is the essence of the demonic path? It is absolute, unadulterated selfishness. How could a sycophant like you, who wholeheartedly serves the Sect without demanding a return on investment, possibly call himself a demonic cultivator? As a member of the Demon Sect, your primary KPI should be plotting treason and usurping the leadership! If there is no internal corporate sabotage, what kind of Demon Sect are we running?!”

“Besides,” Lu Yang added, his eyes narrowing, “didn’t you just state that you would do whatever the Sect requires? Right now, the Sect requires you to be eliminated. Get lost!”

Niu Mang slinked away in defeat. The Rogue Cultivators waiting in line exchanged awestruck glances, their horizons violently expanded. So *this* was the foundational theory of the Demon Sect! Truly, these examiners possessed a terrifyingly profound comprehension of the demonic arts.

“Next,” Meng Jingzhou called out, his voice echoing with aristocratic boredom.

“I am Chi Xulong, Foundation Establishment realm!” the man declared, heavily emphasizing his cultivation base to leverage a better starting position.

“Speak. What atrocities populate your portfolio?”

Chi Xulong puffed up with pride. “I was abducted by mountain wolves as an infant and raised by the pack. At age ten, I slaughtered my adoptive wolf-mother with a bone knife and descended into the mortal realm. In the primordial wilds, I took whatever I desired. I maintained this proactive workflow in the cities. If I lacked resources, I seized them. When the imperial constables pursued me, I simply continued my acquisition spree on the run. My movement techniques are unparalleled; no one can catch me. During my raids, I frequently take hostages and casually slaughter anyone who obstructs my path.”

Chi Xulong smirked. A man with his flawless resume of villainy was practically a shoo-in for the Demon Sect, right?

Meng Jingzhou shook his head, his expression one of profound disappointment. “The righteous factions currently hold the monopoly on power. We of the demonic path must operate with stealth and strategic subtlety. Your methodology is entirely too flamboyant. It is a massive liability. Look at your brand awareness—how many people know your face? Now look at the three of us. Does anyone here know who we are? That is the gap in our operational security!”

“This is not mere cowardice,” Meng Jingzhou lectured, his tone taking on a grandiose, philosophical weight. “It is premeditated infiltration. It is the supreme wisdom of concealing a leviathan within a puddle!”

Man Gu blinked, looking between Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou in genuine bewilderment. Why did it feel like Brother Lu and Brother Meng were seasoned veterans of the demonic path?

Struck by this paradigm-shifting revelation, Chi Xulong realized his understanding of evil was painfully shallow. He bowed his head and voluntarily withdrew his application.

“I am Shen Jinyi,” a pale-faced scholar introduced himself, a confident smile playing on his lips. Having observed the previous interviews, he felt he had successfully reverse-engineered the examiners’ psychological framework.

Seeing a fellow scholar, Man Gu’s eyes lit up. He decided to ask a profound linguistic paradox that had plagued his mind for years—a question not even the Fourth Elder of their righteous sect could answer.

“Since the characters for ‘niang’ and ‘ma’ both translate to ‘mother,'” Man Gu asked with utmost sincerity, “does that mean I can address a ‘guniang’—a young lady—as a ‘guma’—an aunt?”

Shen Jinyi’s brain stalled. With forty years of life experience under his belt, he was utterly paralyzed.

He had assumed the hulking, simple-looking examiner on the left was just the muscle. He hadn’t expected to be hit with a conceptual sledgehammer right out of the gate.

Refusing to admit defeat, Shen Jinyi pivoted. “I am an assassin, not a Confucian scholar.”

“An assassin?” Lu Yang leaned forward, his interest piqued. “Have you studied the imperial penal code?”

“I have dabbled,” Shen Jinyi replied modestly. In truth, he was a legal scholar; an elite assassin had to intimately understand the law to exploit its loopholes.

“Excellent. Let me pose a hypothetical,” Lu Yang said, his voice smooth as silk. “The penal code defines the crime of intentional homicide as ‘the deliberate deprivation of another’s life.’ Therefore, does the act of suicide constitute the crime of intentional homicide?”

Shen Jinyi took a second, devastating conceptual sledgehammer to the psyche.

When the assassin failed to produce an answer, Lu Yang waved his hand in disgust. “You cannot even navigate the core competencies of your own specialized field. Go back.”

In the span of five minutes, Shen Jinyi had suffered the most catastrophic professional setback of his life.

Were these questions something a sane human being could even formulate?

*Could it be…* Shen Jinyi thought, trembling, *that only those with minds utterly divorced from mortal logic are qualified to join the Demon Sect?*

…

This recruitment drive was a matter of paramount strategic importance. The Branch Leader intended to personally oversee the proceedings to ensure quality control.

To prepare, the Branch Leader arrived a full half-hour ahead of schedule.

As he approached the examination site, he witnessed a steady stream of vicious, blood-soaked Rogue Cultivators trudging away in a daze. They were muttering phrases like, “The interview process is brutal,” “The Demon Sect’s standards are insurmountable,” “So *this* is the true essence of the demonic path,” and “I must cultivate for another thirty years before I am worthy.”

They looked as though they had undergone a spiritual baptism, achieving a terrifying state of dark enlightenment.

The Branch Leader froze, his mind racing.

He hadn’t even arrived yet. Who in the heavens was conducting the interviews?

Stepping into the clearing, his eyes fell upon the examination table.

There sat Lu Yang and his two companions—commanding the winds and clouds, dictating the fate of the demonic underworld with the casual authority of supreme overlords.