Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

Thousand Mechanism Pavilion meeting hall.

Zhang Ze spread out a sheet of paper, on which a simple plan was drawn, with two lines of text written in the blank space at the top.

[Plan diagram for the first high-level academy in Thousand Mechanism Town]

Zhang Ze placed his hands on the table, looking at everyone.

"The first year..."

"The first year, we'll establish the first high-level academy in Cyan Thorn," Lily said, hugging her big golden retriever.

"The second year, we'll recruit at least three hundred Thousand Mechanism Scholars," Chen Qin yawned, teasing her pet chick with a blade of foxtail grass.

"The third year, we'll cultivate and deliver at least seven hundred excellent graduates for the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion," Lily began bragging with her eyes closed.

"The fourth year, I can't make it up anymore. In short, we'll become big and strong and create another glory," Chen Qin decisively concluded, fast-tracking to the end.

The two girls, with their back-and-forth banter, finished the tall tale that Zhang Ze intended to spin.

The rest in the meeting hall applauded rather perfunctorily.

Most of these people were convinced by Zhang Ze's deception, and they had become immune to his spiel, learning to extrapolate from it.

Even Fuji was no exception.

However, the meeting still reached many consensuses, like having the school built in the scenic northern part of Thousand Mechanism Town.

Dan Dan would become the principal.

Essential issues like what equipment is needed for the opening ceremony.

However, the most crucial issue, the opening date, remained undecided due to unconfirmed teachers and lack of textbooks.

...

Thousand Mechanism Town, announcement pavilion.

These announcement pavilions scattered throughout Thousand Mechanism Town were one of Lily's rare brilliant inventions, without any gaudy dragon head decorations, instead very simple and grand.

Under the pavilion's cover, the array was activated, and on the light screen formed by Spiritual Qi, rolling news displayed the preparation to set up the Outer Sect of Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.

It solemnly refuted the rumor that entering Thousand Mechanism Pavilion would get you a wife.

However, it seemed to have no effect, as this group of people became more convinced that there's definitely some trickery involved.

Some quick-witted people also spotted business opportunities in this announcement.

A few days later.

A mysterious cultivator in black, moved through the crowd like a swimming dragon.

This person's technique was exquisite, and their hand speed was astonishingly fast.

Little cards printed with an address in Thousand Mechanism Town were stealthily slipped onto passersby by him.

No one noticed.

The card read, [Thousand Mechanism Technique Preview Class, real exam drills, internal experts lecturing, first-come-first-served, registration location...]

Fifty meters behind this black-clad cultivator, a male and female from the Demon Race, were slowly following.

"Boss, that place is already surrounded by the brothers, when should we act?" an Owl Race cultivator whispered to Hui Xue.

"Wait for him to return to that little courtyard, today we must take him into custody with evidence," Hui Xue replied, her brow furrowed, her whole wolf except the tail looking serious.

Wangyang City's Demon-slaying Bureau had long received approval from the Pavilion Master to come to Sword Hall for further training. Led by the Wolf Demon Hui Xue, a group of problem children had been bundled off to Cyan Thorn by Wei Changsheng.

After a brief training session, they began practical drills.

And fearless Hui Xue, just on duty, picked a big target for herself.

She aimed to personally apprehend the mysterious black-clad cultivator nicknamed [Pirate Emperor] among loose cultivators, who had been lurking in Thousand Mechanism Town for half a year.

Taking advantage of the news about the Outer Sect of Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, this Pirate Emperor was finally caught by Hui Xue's little trick.

Hui Xue relied not on cultivation but her nose, and having received genuine teachings from Sword Hall, she felt immensely powerful.

Leading her team, she tailed the target to a small courtyard in the southwest of Thousand Mechanism Town, where she connected with her companions who were already in ambush.

"Report, the Emperor is in the bag."

"Close the net!"

Upon receiving the signal, Hui Xue issued an inaudible wolf howl as a command, triggering the Wolf Pack Demon Suppression Array, which she had ingeniously created six days ago.

With the cooperation of her clan members, Hui Xue and the others stormed into the courtyard.

"Don't move, you... huh, where is he?"

The black-clad cultivator who had just entered the courtyard had vanished.

"Maintain perimeter vigil, split up to search!" Hui Xue commanded.

The team split up to search various parts of the house but found nothing. The courtyard had no hidden passages or escape arrays, yet the Pirate Emperor seemed to have evaporated.

Even the arrays set up outside the courtyard to block Escape Techniques had not been triggered.

Just as Hui Xue was puzzling over this, the Owl Race cultivator accompanying her seemed to have discovered something. He patted Hui Xue's back and said,

"Boss, you've got something on your back."

Saying this, he reached out and removed a sheet of paper from Hui Xue's back.

The paper read:

[I've escaped; you're not good enough; need more practice]

Though few words, the impact was large enough that Hui Xue's ears were bristling.

The cultivator had a similar cultivation level as hers, yet Hui Xue couldn't understand when he escaped or when the note was stuck.

"Boss, you guys search around the vicinity again, he might not have run far, I'll go call for reinforcements," the Owl Race cultivator kindly offered Hui Xue advice and started out of the courtyard.

Hui Xue, feeling a bit disoriented, didn't pay much attention at first but then realized the inconsistency.

The smell was off.

"Hold on, stop him!"

But it was too late, everyone was a beat slower, and that 'Owl Race cultivator' had already vanished.

"You chase, I'll go check on Old Owl!"