Chapter 577: Could You Please Count How Many Subordinates I’ve Recruited?

The entire training ground suddenly fell deathly silent!

Everyone stared at Liu Deshui as if he were a madman.

Yang Haoyu's gaze darkened. He looked coldly at Liu Deshui. "Kid, are you sure you want to become one of Cheng Yuan's subordinates?"

Liu Deshui's two Guardians were terrified. 'Has the young master lost his mind?'

'Why would he stand up and act like this?'

The two quickly forced smiles. "Third Master, our young master is just joking! Please don't take him seriously!"

But to their despair, Liu Deshui's attitude was unshakeable. "Elders, I'm not joking! I genuinely want to become one of Brother Cheng's subordinates!"

Cheng Yuan was stunned for a moment. He never imagined that Liu Deshui would be willing to become his subordinate.

After all, Liu Deshui had always acted high and mighty before, filled with a sense of superiority and constantly lecturing him.

Although he couldn't understand Liu Deshui's change of heart, he was the first to stand up. Cheng Yuan had no reason to refuse him.

"Good! Marshal De, from this moment on, you are my brother! Come on up!"

"Yes!"

Liu Deshui strode onto the stage and stood ramrod straight behind Cheng Yuan, meeting the gazes of Yang Qiuyu's subordinates without backing down in the slightest.

Yang Qiuyu tried not to laugh, but he couldn't hold it in.

"Cheng Yuan, is this the subordinate you found? Where did you dig up this riffraff? A mere Martial King dares to come on stage and make a fool of himself?"

Yang Qiuyu's subordinates joined in the jeering laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! Kid, you should go home to your mommy! We could kill someone like you with a single slap!"

"I really don't know if this kid's lost his mind. Isn't he just coming up here to die?"

"This is boring. An opponent like this is no fun at all. Kid, why don't your two Guardians come up? They might be a little more interesting."

Liu Deshui turned to look at his Guardians below the stage and said in a heavy voice, "Elder Jiang, Elder Zhou, what are you waiting for? Get up here!"

Elder Jiang and Elder Zhou looked at each other. They had no intention of following Liu Deshui to their deaths.

"Young Master—no, Liu Deshui, from this moment on, the two of us are leaving the Liu Family! We are no longer your Guardians! If you want to get yourself killed, go right ahead. It has nothing to do with us!"

Hearing their words, the jeers from Yang Qiuyu's subordinates grew even louder.

This made Liu Deshui burn with shame, but he didn't regret his decision.

'I'm going to be reckless for once! I'm going to stand with Cheng Yuan and be a real man!'

Cheng Yuan looked coldly at the two Guardians. "I hope you don't regret your choice."

Elder Jiang snorted. "Don't you worry, kid. We will absolutely not regret it! We have no desire to die alongside you two lunatics!"

'Lunatics?'

'Going to die?'

Cheng Yuan smiled. He pulled out a handful of Elixirs from his robes and shoved them into Liu Deshui's hands. "Marshal De, this is a little welcome gift for you."

Liu Deshui instinctively took the Elixirs and looked. He saw three Pill Patterns engraved on them. His scalp instantly tingled, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Liu Deshui frantically tried to return the Elixirs.

"Brother Cheng, Three Patterns Elixirs are too precious! I can't accept them!"

Cheng Yuan grinned. "Marshal De, don't worry, just take them. I've got plenty more where these came from. Just eat them as you please. When you run out, I'll just make more!"

WHOOSH!

The entire training ground instantly exploded in an uproar.

"Cheng Wangzhen is too extravagant, isn't he? He just gives away a handful of Three Patterns Elixirs? There must be more than a dozen of them!"

"Holy crap! Cheng Wangzhen isn't just a Divine Doctor! He's also an Alchemist? Just for the fact that he can refine Three Patterns Elixirs, becoming his subordinate is no loss at all!"

"No loss? It's clearly a huge gain, okay?"

"Cheng Wangzhen! I am Wen Changming, Manor Master of the Iron Sword Manor! I am willing to become your subordinate!"

"Cheng Wangzhen! I am Han Dongfang, Sect Leader of the Bishui Sect! I am willing to become your subordinate!"

...

Seeing the tide turning, Yang Qiuyu shot a pleading look at Yang Jian and Yu Fanghua.

Yang Jian let out a heavy, cold snort.

An immense pressure instantly enveloped the entire venue.

The powerful experts who had been shouting wildly immediately calmed down.

'There's still an Ultimate Martial Saint on the main platform!'

'Even if we successfully become Cheng Yuan's subordinates, will we leave the Jinling Yang Family's estate alive?'

Seeing that Yang Jian had intimidated the crowd...

Li Baizhan and Yang Qianhuan exchanged a glance. They knew it was time to step up and support their junior brother.

Li Baizhan and Yang Qianhuan stood up at the same time.

"I, Li Baizhan, Dragon Lord of Dragon Flame, am willing to become Cheng Wangzhen's subordinate!"

"I, Yang Qianhuan, Dragon Head of Dragon Flame, am willing to become Cheng Wangzhen's subordinate!"

Hu Yidao and Zhu Song stood up right after them.

"Hu Yidao of Dongshan is willing to become Cheng Wangzhen's subordinate!"

"Zhu Song of Dongshan is willing to become Cheng Wangzhen's subordinate!"

Danba wanted to stand up as well, but Cheng Yuan gave him a slight shake of the head.

After all, Danba was just a child with a special status, and Cheng Yuan didn't want him drawing public attention. ℴ

The strength of Hu Yidao and Zhu Song was nothing remarkable among the heroes of the world, but their actions were like pebbles dropped into a calm lake, instantly sending out ripples.

The assembled heroes were once again stirred into a frenzy.

'Li Baizhan and Yang Qianhuan are the Dragon Lord and the Dragon Head!'

'The two of them are the Old Dragon King's disciples; they represent his will!'

'If the Old Dragon King is backing Cheng Wangzhen, why the hell should we be afraid of Second Grandmaster Yang?'

"I, Xiao Feng of the Golden City Mandarin Duck Blade, am willing to become Cheng Wangzhen's subordinate!"

"I, Zhao Qiren, Sect Leader of the Divine Wood Sect, am willing to become Cheng Wangzhen's subordinate!"

SHUFFLE! SHUFFLE!

In total, more than fifty powerful experts stood up.

The weakest among them were at Martial Emperor Peak, and more than half were Half-Step Martial Saints!

These experts were a cunning bunch!

'Cheng Yuan is just a mere Martial King now, and he can already refine Three Patterns Elixirs. When he reaches the Martial Emperor realm, or even Half-Step Martial Saint, couldn't he refine Four Patterns or even Five Patterns Elixirs?'

'If there were enough Elixirs, they would definitely have a chance to become Martial Saints!'

'Compared to a Supreme Divine Doctor who is also a grand Alchemist, what does a mere Merak King Body matter?'

'Compared to the Old Dragon King, what does a mere Second Grandmaster Yang matter?'

For a moment, all the experts stared at Cheng Yuan with fiery gazes.

Cheng Yuan wasn't familiar with the world's heroes, but that didn't matter. He possessed the Double Pupil and could see through everyone's strength with a single glance.

Cheng Yuan saved four spots for Li Baizhan, Yang Qianhuan, Hu Yidao, and Zhu Song. Then, based on their strength, Cheng Yuan selected another 25 subordinates.

The experts who weren't chosen looked on with regret, while those who were selected trembled with excitement.

The 29 individuals withstood the terrifying pressure from Yang Jian and Yu Fanghua, strode onto the stage, and stood behind Cheng Yuan.

Cheng Yuan looked at the group with an incredibly majestic gaze. "I have only one requirement for my subordinates: loyalty! If anyone dares to betray me, I will hunt them to the highest heavens and the deepest hells to kill them!"

"We swear our loyalty to Cheng Wangzhen until death!"

Cheng Yuan understood the principle of using both carrot and stick. He grinned and pulled twenty-nine Small Jade Bottles from his robes.

"Here is a small welcome gift. Please accept it."

The crowd took the Jade Bottles, gave them a gentle shake, and their faces lit up with ecstatic joy.

'Cheng Wangzhen is so damn generous!'

'There are more than ten Elixirs in each bottle!'

After placating his new subordinates, Cheng Yuan turned to Yang Qiuyu with a blank expression and asked coolly, "Yang Qiuyu, didn't you just say I couldn't even recruit three subordinates? Do me a favor and count. How many subordinates have I recruited?"