Chapter Seven: Searching for Him Among the Crowd

In the bustling city of Jingji, Kyoto, a crowd gathered in front of the "Immortal Seeker Tower," the scene lively and animated.

“Golden Blade Valley is recruiting disciples, limited to ten! Applicants must have awakened bodies before age thirty-five. Interested parties, please register quickly!”

“Let’s go, let’s go, take a look!” Several dozen people pushed toward the source of the call.

“Medicine King Valley is recruiting miscellaneous disciples, requiring a foundation in traditional Chinese medicine and awakened bodies!”

“Ah, Medicine King Valley is recruiting too! That’s even better!” Over half of the crowd shifted toward the other side.

Li Xiaoxue was jostled amid the bustling crowd, pushed left and right by a group of burly men busy with their own affairs. Normally, she would have kept her distance, fearing to sully her pristine self by stepping into such a muddy mire. But now, she had no time for such concerns. She continuously scanned the crowd, scrutinizing every passerby, afraid to miss a single person.

“Chu Linfeng is ambitious and proud, unwilling to sink into obscurity. Having left in anger, he must be planning to return someday after cultivation to exact revenge. If so, he will surely seek to join a sect for focused cultivation!” Li Xiaoxue’s mind replayed the image of the elegant young man, growing more resolute in her thoughts. With her keen eye, she wouldn’t mistake the right person, so this Immortal Seeker Tower was her first stop.

The Immortal Seeker Tower, a building seemingly imbued with celestial aura amidst the bustling market, was in reality just a middleman’s agency for exchanging and recruiting.

Cultivation usually took place in remote mountains, nurturing local spiritual energy, far from the clamor of the city and away from worldly distractions, to achieve the Dao. Thus, sects and urban life were fundamentally at odds.

Yet, sects thrived and martial arts flourished only by recruiting talent. On one hand, powerful cultivators wouldn’t lower themselves to visit cities; on the other, their presence would cause chaos. After negotiations between the Chinese Military Commission’s sect affairs department and various sects, a compromise was reached: Immortal Seeker Towers were established in major cities across China, serving as recruitment centers where awakened individuals could register and, after preliminary selection, join their desired sect.

Initially, these towers resembled large-scale job fairs, with sects sending elite disciples for face-to-face interviews. But after exhausting all the awakened talents accumulated over years in just a few years, subsequent awakenings were sparse and generally of poor quality. Gradually, major sects abandoned this channel, leaving only minor sects occasionally recruiting external or miscellaneous disciples as free labor.

Where there’s desire, there are those who exploit it. Today’s Immortal Seeker Tower was a chaotic mix of scalpers selling “priority” spots and fraudsters operating in gangs.

“Don’t worry! Leave it to me. If you can’t get into Jingji Academy, I’ll refund every cent!” a chubby man with a shaved head and a gold necklace boasted.

“But I searched White Degree Net. Jingji Academy is directly under the military and hasn’t admitted outsiders for over a decade. Students are selected secretly or must have strong family backgrounds. No, I won’t apply anymore. Refund my deposit now!” protested a young boy with a hooded mask covering his face, his eyes red with frustration.

“Huh~ I told you, Li Tiangang is my friend’s uncle! We even had dinner last night and talked about you! Ask him if you don’t believe me!” The chubby man pointed to a sleazy man in a suit wearing a green flaming skull watch.

“Fatso, refund his deposit! My uncle is upright. He scolded me last night for trying to use connections. I have status; I can afford the thirty or fifty thousand. I thought he had potential, so I wanted to help. Now you’re doubting me!” The sleazy man replied indignantly.

Li Xiaoxue, busy searching for someone, paused in surprise: no sign of the person she sought, yet she had accidentally picked up a cousin?

“Alright, agreed. If it doesn’t work out, full refund. I’ll transfer you the remaining thirty-five thousand now!” The boy trembled as he raised his communication device to transfer the money.

“Stop!” Li Xiaoxue blocked the boy’s device with one hand and grabbed the chubby man’s arm with the other. Though her father had instructed her only to search and not cause trouble, she couldn’t tolerate someone impersonating her father, Li Chenqian, a man known for his integrity.

“What nonsense—” The sleazy man was about to grab his “duck” but was stopped by a young girl; frustrated, he raised his hand to slap her.

“Stop!” The chubby man, whose arm Li Xiaoxue held, shouted urgently. The sleazy man looked at him confused. Suddenly, the chubby man’s arm was visibly dented an inch inward, likely crushed to pieces. Realizing Li Xiaoxue was no ordinary girl but a cultivator, the sleazy man instinctively moved his hand behind his head.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Li Xiaoxue turned to glare at him.

“Nature’s perfection, celestial maiden!” The sleazy man’s skin crawled under her gaze and he quickly changed his tune.

“Return his money!” Li Xiaoxue said, throwing the chubby man to the ground.

“Yes, yes, right away!” The chubby man gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain, and with one hand operated his device to transfer [Payment received: 15,000 yuan].

Li Xiaoxue then smiled faintly at the boy, transforming into Anti-Fraud Officer Li.

“Little brother, haven’t you learned about anti-fraud?

Cashback scams are fraud!

Impersonating acquaintances is fraud!

Requests for transfers are fraud!

Do not trust easily, do not reveal information, do not transfer money!”

The boy stood frozen, staring at the melodious, fair-skinned woman, thinking, “This sister is as beautiful as a jade and as kind-hearted as a bodhisattva. She would suit my brother well. If she could be my sister-in-law, that would be wonderful!”

“You look about fifteen, soI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.