I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

The morning sun still shines on the top of Kunlun Mountain on time, and the snow reflects a dazzling golden light, making it almost unreal.

At exactly six o'clock, the cafeteria doors burst open.

Normally, the cafeteria would be busiest at this time. Students would line up for spirit rice porridge, excitedly discussing their cultivation insights from the previous night, or complaining about which course's incantations were too difficult to memorize. Even during the intense competition of the past few days, although everyone was in a hurry, there was still a lively atmosphere and people interacting.

But today, the cafeteria was eerily quiet.

More than two thousand students were like a group of ghosts who had lost their ability to speak.

They lined up quietly, got their food quietly, and then found a seat.

No one spoke; even the sound of chopsticks touching the rim of the bowl was deliberately minimized.

The most eye-catching feature is the row of long tables in the center of the cafeteria.

That was the usual spot where the second squad—Liu Yu's team—used to sit, as well as the area where several other severely damaged teams sat.

Today, many seats at the tables there are empty.

Forty-four empty seats.

No one sat in those empty seats, even though the rest of the cafeteria was already packed. People instinctively avoided them as they passed, their eyes filled with a complex mix of fear, sorrow, and a sense of shared grief. It was as if those seats weren't empty air, but forty-four unseen souls.

Liu Yu sat in the corner.

This once carefree and even somewhat arrogant sports student now seems to have had his energy drained overnight, aging him ten years.

His left arm was wrapped in thick bandages; it was from the bite he sustained yesterday while rescuing a girl from a demonic hound.

But he didn't seem to feel any pain.

He mechanically stuffed steamed buns into his mouth. One bite, two bites, without chewing, he forced them down, choking until tears welled up in his eyes.

"Liu Yu, have some porridge."

The surviving teammate next to him handed him a bowl of spirit rice porridge.

Liu Yu took the bowl, his hand trembled, and the scalding porridge spilled onto the back of his hand, causing a red and swollen patch, but he didn't react at all.

"It's my fault that they're in trouble."

Liu Yu suddenly said in a low voice, his voice hoarse as if he were chewing glass, "If I hadn't shouted 'Charge!'... if I had listened to them and formed the formation..."

"It's not your fault."

A steady voice sounded above his head.

Zhao Feng carried the tray over and sat down opposite Liu Yu.

"In that situation, it's inevitable for new recruits without combat experience to make mistakes. The only difference is that some mistakes can be corrected, while others... come at the cost of their lives."

Zhao Feng picked up the precious spirit egg from his plate and gave it to Liu Yu.

"Eat it. Your muscles are trembling; that's a sign of depleted spiritual energy. If you don't want to kill your teammates again, get yourself back in shape."

Liu Yu raised his head and looked into Zhao Feng's calm, almost cold eyes.

After a long while, he grabbed the spirit egg, didn't even peel the shell, and stuffed it directly into his mouth, chewing it up fiercely.

Click, click.

The eggshell pierced my gums, and my mouth tasted blood.

But he didn't vomit.

I swear.

Liu Yu chewed incoherently, tears finally streaming down his face as he swallowed the blood and eggshells. "I was lucky to survive. From now on, as long as I live, I will never let my comrades die before me again."

At this moment, the athlete who loved to show off was doomed.

A true vanguard of immortal cultivation has been born.

……

Time: 9:00 AM

Location: Wendao Square

The entire faculty and students gathered again.

This time, there was no live broadcast on a light screen, no cheers, only the mournful sound of the cold wind sweeping across the flagpole.

Gu Qing stood on the high platform, dressed in white, looking down at the formation below.

"Someone cried all night in the dorm last night."

Gu Qing's voice was calm, without any amplification, yet it clearly penetrated everyone's ears: "Some people wrote their wills overnight, and some threw the pills they were given into the toilet, saying they were poison."

Below the stage, several students whose thoughts had been exposed lowered their heads, their bodies trembling slightly.

"I understand you."

Gu Qing walked slowly with his hands behind his back. "You came to Kunlun to see a fairyland, to learn how to fly on a sword, to become superior beings. You think cultivating immortality means standing on the clouds and looking down on all living beings."

"But I didn't tell you that above the clouds, there are fierce winds and man-eating monsters."

Gu Qing stopped in her tracks, her gaze sharp as lightning: "So I'm giving you a chance."

He waved his right hand.

Rumbling--

The gate to Kunlun Mountain, which had never been opened outside of enrollment hours, slowly opened.

Outside the door, there is a surging sea of ​​clouds, which is also the staircase leading to the mortal world.

"Those who are afraid of death, want to go home, or feel cheated, can leave now."

Gu Qing's voice turned cold and ruthless, "I will erase all your memories of cultivation techniques, preserve the physical enhancements you've received during this time, and give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your lives."

"Step out of this door, and someone will be waiting for you at the foot of the mountain. From now on, you will be wealthy men, able to marry, have children, and enjoy your old age in peace."

"But never... ever set foot in Kunlun again."

The deathly silence lasted for a full minute.

Even the sound of the wind seemed to have stopped.

"I...I want to go home."

A faint voice broke the silence.

She was a girl at the second level of Qi Refining. Yesterday, her best friend was torn to pieces right before her eyes. Her face was pale, and her raised hand was trembling violently.

"I don't want to become an immortal anymore... I just want to see my mom."

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

"I'm leaving too." A boy gritted his teeth and stepped forward, taking off his Taoist robe, folding it neatly, and placing it on the ground. "I don't belong here. I'm afraid of dying. I'm a coward."

"I'm leaving too..."

Count me in.

Gradually, the crowd began to disperse.

The originally dense square formation gradually split into a stream of people, which headed towards the gate.

They either bowed their heads in shame, felt relieved, or wept bitterly.

Chu Tian stood at the front, watching the departing figures with a complex expression. He wanted to speak up and ask them to stay, to say, "We can become stronger together," but the words stuck in his throat.

He knew that those who were forced to stay behind would only be a burden on the battlefield, and might even cause the deaths of their comrades.

Ten minutes later.

The number of people standing in front of the gate has been counted.

Three hundred and forty-two people.

They account for one-eighth of the total population.

Among them were even some promising talents with good aptitude, already at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining. But in the face of death, aptitude does not equal character.

Gu Qing looked at the more than three hundred people, his face showing neither disappointment nor disdain.

Everyone has their own ambitions, and I won't force them.

He raised his hand, and a soft yet profound white light gathered at his fingertips.

[Supernatural Power: A Dream of a Thousand Autumns (Cut-down Version)]

A white light, like mist, enveloped the three hundred and forty-two people.

Their eyes gradually became unfocused, then vacant. Memories of the cultivation technique's operational pathways and those involving the core secrets of Kunlun were precisely and logically blurred.

All that remains is the impression that "a high-intensity, fully enclosed training camp was held on the mountain".

"Go."

Gu Qing waved his sleeve.

A gentle breeze swept up the more than three hundred people, carrying them out of the mountain gate and slowly down the cloud ladder to the foot of the mountain.

At the same time, Gu Qing crushed a communication jade slip in his hand, and a stream of light shot straight down the mountain.

That was a signal to Li Guozhong, the director of Bureau 749, who was guarding the foot of the mountain:

"The people have been brought down. Five million in each person's account; the aftermath is your responsibility. From now on, we are separated by the divide between immortals and mortals."

"also……"

As the last student who withdrew disappeared into the sea of ​​clouds, the mountain gate roared once more and slammed shut.

boom!

The loud bang seemed to strike the hearts of everyone present.

The remaining 2,100-plus people were in the square.

The air seemed to freeze.

This is a screening process, and even more so, a purification process.

Those who remained looked at the empty seats around them, and their expressions changed.

That was a resolute decision to "cut off all escape routes".

"very good."

Looking at the remaining people, Gu Qing's tone finally softened a bit, "Congratulations on making the most foolish, but also the most courageous, choice."

"You gave up stability and chose this path where you could die at any moment."

"Since you've stayed, from today onwards, Kunlun will no longer be a school."

Gu Qing's voice suddenly rose in pitch, booming like thunder, echoing among the snow-capped peaks, causing the accumulated snow to fall in a flurry:

"This is a military barracks!"

"Stop your student-like behavior, stop your affectation!"

"The assessment criteria have changed next month: each person must independently kill ten void creatures of the same level!"

"Those who fail to complete the task will not be expelled! They will be assigned to the menial labor section, responsible for cleaning toilets and feeding monsters, until the task is completed!"

"Did you understand?!"

"I understand!!!"

The roar of more than two thousand people erupted instantly, scattering the clouds overhead.

This time, the roar lacked excitement, replaced only by a chilling murderous intent.

That's the sound a wolf pack makes after they've seen blood.

[System notification: The host has completed the "filtering" event.]

The Kunlun faction's cohesion has been raised to the "Fanatical" level.

[The purity of the confidence pool has significantly increased: the current dominant emotions are "perseverance" and "awe".]

Gu Qing looked at the data on the panel and silently recited in his mind:

To those who have passed away, I wish you happiness.

Those who remain... will follow me to hell.