Death... and me

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Malo looked at the kids who failed the test first, telling them, "You did well to come to our sect to participate in the exam. Don't worry; we know how hard things are for most of you and your families at the moment. Our Freedom Sect will provide you with some clothes and food for you to bring back to the place you live. If you don't want to leave the island, we can let you take residence in Freedom City. I hope you will be back next time we open another wave of recruitment."

The kids and their parents or guardians were delighted to hear that. A lot of them didn't have much. That's why they decided to take this sect gamble. "Thank you, Sect Master."

Malo nodded with a smile after hearing that. "The same has been provided to those who failed the first test, so you don't need to worry about them looking at what you have. The city lords from the towns you came from will also make sure nothing will happen."

After that, Malo looked at the ones who passed the second test. "Now then, 1587 participants understood the trick behind the Spiritual Energy Pressure Test and are standing here now." He then looked at a girl and a boy before saying, "Carvan Fusols, Mariana Tulis, come forward."

The girl and the boy couldn't help but feel nervous when Malo called their names. However, their parents quickly pushed them forward nonetheless.

"H-Here. I'm Carvan Fusols."

"I-I'm Mariana Tulis."

Malo smiled at them, saying, "You two were the first ones to understand the Spiritual Energy Pressure Test. Naturally, you were the first to pass the test as well. Unlike the Marathon Test, you will get a reward. Each of you will get 100 Sect Points, which can be used in several facilities in the sect, like the Spiritual Energy Gathering Formation Tower, pills from the Alchemist Hall, weapons from the Blacksmith Hall, and so on. Don't look down on this number. This is a lot more than you would usually get through a mission at your cultivation level."

The other kids couldn't help but ask, "Does this mean the test is already over?"

Be it the kids or the ones accompanying them, they all thought that there would be a lot more. After all, would just two tests be enough?

Surprisingly though, Malo nodded as he said, "Yes, that's all." He knew what they were thinking, of course. "You want to understand why there are only two tests, right? That's quite simple. Our sect has just taken roots, and most of you don't even have cultivation. More tests could be made, but we already obtained what we needed. Don't worry. Many other trials await you here."

For the first sect recruitment, Roan deemed it to be enough. The rest could be worked out later. He didn't know what would happen in ten months when they entered the Bestial Sacred Land, so he wanted to leave the sect's foundation complete, and so did Rean.

Of course, although it went against everyone's predictions, those who passed the tests were delighted to hear that.

Malo continued, "Alright, that's all for now. For those who failed, our disciples will send you back to Freedom City. You can then decide whether or not to head back to the cities you came from. The airships will be waiting for you there."

"The kids who passed the test can head to the sect's office on the back. Your parents can't come with you, though. This is the limit to how long they can stay inside the sect. I know you also want to stay with your mothers or fathers, so the sect disciples will help them take roots in Freedom City. You can visit them later if you prefer. You have three hours to say your temporary goodbyes before heading to the office if you want."

The parents or the guardians of the kids then took their time to ask the sect disciples about the life in the sect, bid them farewell, and much more. Obviously, many new disciples preferred not to enter the sect and head back to their parents instead...or so they wanted. However, every single one of them was rebuked after voicing those thoughts. Their parents obviously understood the great opportunity behind this recruitment. They wouldn't let such a chance pass up for sure.

Freedom Sect already had its own badge from the time they lived in the Demon Beast Continent. Naturally, they made a lot more for the new disciples. They could hold each disciple's ID and mark their achievements as well as their Sect Points. Not to mention that only those with Rean's authority badges could make alterations to it, preventing disciples from trying anything idiotic.

The kids arrived in the sect's office one after another and had their badges delivered. Soon after, they were sent to a new building in the sect called 'school.' This was also another new thing that Rean and Roan added to the sect. In fact, Rean and Roan took a bunch of smart and older disciples before it even became a sect and taught them a lot. Reading, writing, basic arithmetics, and other fields. After these past few years, those disciples could now be teachers themselves and received quite a good amount of Sect Points to hold classes to the younger ones.

This sect really stood out from others on this point. That's because everyone could both read and write. Even the babies in the past, who were already eight years old or above, knew how to do that.

Education! Both Rean and Roan knew very well what such a foundation could bring to the disciples in the future.

At this point, the ex-slaves and the Demon Beast Continent's kids weren't too different. More than 97% of them didn't know how to write and read, and most of those who knew had poor foundations in this category. Obviously, they needed to start to frequent the school as well. For that, the sect had already made all the necessary preparations.

Last but not least, the kids were told to meet Roan.