The village chief, whom he had only met a few times, stood beside the two cultivators, seemingly trying to curry favor, his expression extremely respectful.
As for who he was trying to please, it was self-evident.
It appeared this was a grand event involving the entire village.
After some consideration, Fang Ming understood why the village chief had specifically sent someone to notify him.
Clearly, it wasn't that the cultivators had taken a special liking to him, using divine calculations or physiognomy to discern his exceptional talent.
It was simply the idea of having everyone in the village participate since most had been summoned.
He wasn't the only one notified.
Or perhaps, because he was the only orphan in the village, with everyone else having parents, his information source might have been lagging, requiring the village chief's notification, while others were better informed and already knew what was going to happen today.
Putting his thoughts aside for the moment.
Fang Ming squeezed his way through the nearly a thousand villagers to a suitable distance—he needed to hear clearly what the two cultivators and the village chief at the center were saying.
Thanks to the memories and language of this body, although Fang Ming didn't understand the script of this world, communication in spoken language was not an issue.
Perhaps Fang Ming's position was just right, or perhaps the village chief and the cultivators didn't mind others overhearing, or even intentionally wanted the villagers to understand.
Fang Ming heard the following words.
"Esteemed immortals, my Longmen Village has a total of one thousand one hundred and thirty souls, all of whom have arrived. If you wish to take disciples, you may select from them all."
It was the village chief, with a respectful demeanor, speaking to a cultivator seated on a flying sword.
The cultivator on the flying sword clearly did not seem pleased, treating the village chief with disdain, his face showing obvious impatience.
"Cultivation is a path against the heavens to alter one's destiny. Not everyone is qualified to cultivate, hence the need for selection."
"But think about it, at seventy or eighty years old, sixty or seventy years old, are they still qualified to cultivate? Why would you gather the entire village and summon everyone?"
"Our Baiyun Sect controls the entire Yuanhe Commandery. While we are lower than the major sects, we are not so low as to accept seventy or eighty-year-olds or cripples as disciples."
The cultivator on the flying sword reprimanded him, word by word. The village chief broke out in a cold sweat, his face contorting. Finally, as if unable to bear the pressure, he knelt directly on the ground and kowtowed, "Esteemed immortal, please forgive my ignorance! It was my foolishness, my lack of sense, to summon the entire village."
In truth, the cultivators had not specified the rules before arriving, and the village chief was unaware of them. He had hoped that the more people who came, the greater the chance of someone being accepted into a cultivation sect. Thus, the village chief had summoned everyone—what if among those not summoned, there was someone with superior cultivation talent? By the time the immortals left, even if a person not called had high potential, it would be useless without anyone to test them.
To increase the chances of more villagers entering a sect, the village chief had gone to great lengths, not letting any person in Longmen Village be missed—the old, the weak, and the disabled were all notified to be present.
Even the disabled were to come.
Those with mental deficiencies or issues were also to come.
As for the elderly, they were certainly expected to be there.
Having summoned even these three types of people, it was only natural that he remembered Fang Ming, the orphan, and sent others in the village to fetch him.
Since the cultivators had not stated the rules beforehand, the village chief summoning the entire village was, in principle, not a violation.
However, the cultivators were disciples of a cultivation sect like Baiyun Sect, which held sway for hundreds of miles, while the village chief was merely the chief of an ordinary village under a county town within Yuanhe Commandery.
The disparity in status, position, and power was immense. The village chief dared not utter a single word like, "You didn't tell me the rules beforehand, how was I to know I couldn't summon the entire village."
If he had said that, even if he hadn't committed an offense, he would have been deemed guilty.
The village chief absolutely dared not, nor could he, argue with the cultivators.
Therefore, when the cultivator outwardly displayed his displeasure, the village chief had no choice but to kneel, prostrating himself on the ground and begging for forgiveness.
Seeing the village chief kneel, Fang Ming clearly observed that the expressions of quite a few villagers changed. The village chief's kneeling had indeed evoked emotional responses from them.
These villagers were not devoid of anger.
But it was evident that these villagers also understood the futility of confronting immortals. Even if they felt anger, they swallowed it down, their faces plastered with smiles and adoration for the cultivators.
The cultivator also scanned the surroundings. Seeing the respectful attitude of the villagers and the village chief's kowtowing, he seemed satisfied with their demeanor. He nodded slightly, and the trace of displeasure on his face vanished.
He declared, "Our Baiyun Sect is recruiting disciples."
"Those over twenty years of age will not be selected."
"Those under eight years of age will also not be selected."
"We will only select from children and youths between the ages of eight and twenty."
"Quickly have these children and youths line up so that my senior brother and I can make our selection."
"This matter must be settled within a quarter of an hour. Time waits for no one."
The cultivator once again adopted an arrogant tone, as if any failure on the village chief's part to arrange the children and youths in line within a quarter of an hour would result in his immediate departure, and no further waiting.
Though his words were spoken casually, they sent a jolt of alarm through the village chief. He quickly rose and began directing the village's youths and children to form orderly lines, awaiting the selection by the immortal masters.
The village chief was aware of Baiyun Sect's power, and he knew that the cultivator's words were no jest.
The commandery governed by Baiyun Sect had countless villages under it. It was for the disciples of Baiyun Sect to choose from villages, not for villages to seek out Baiyun Sect disciples.
This was merely one among countless villages. If he truly angered the immortal elder of Baiyun Sect before him, even if he wasn't killed, a mere wave of the hand from the elder would result in no punishment from the sect, but rather dire consequences for the village chief himself.
The cultivators did not care about this village, nor did Baiyun Sect, but the village chief cared about it.
Therefore, the village chief immediately leveraged his authority within the village, using his position to order the parents of the eligible youths and children to quickly organize them and form lines.
This was not a period of corvée labor, but an opportunity for immortals to take disciples. This meant that if their children were chosen, they might become immortals in the future.
For this possibility, the parents of these youths, young women, and children could not possibly resist the village chief's command. Instead, they actively cooperated with his directives, all in the hope that their children might achieve prominence and become superior beings in the future.