As soon as the words fell, laughter erupted in waves.
The laughter held no malice, as if they were merely witnessing something rare and peculiar, simply curious and amazed—like a crowd watching two dogs climb onto a table to eat.
Meng Heze grew even more irritated because of it.
Turning toward the sound, he saw a group of young women sitting or standing beneath the lakeside willows in a waterside pavilion, chatting and laughing merrily. Another group of brightly dressed young men surrounded them, some fanning them, others offering fruits and pastries, while pointing and whispering about the two outer sect disciples.
Meng Heze’s face flushed red, his fists clenching tightly.
Song Qianji suddenly asked, "What did I just say?"
Meng Heze took a deep breath, slowly unclenching his fists: "On the verge of a breakthrough, guard against impatience and anger."
"If you find it difficult, you might as well head back first," Song Qianji advised, for his own good.
Instead, Meng Heze felt provoked, his competitive spirit ignited, vowing to use this as a test of his composure.
If Senior Brother Song can remain undisturbed by external distractions, can’t I do the same?
The two gradually walked farther away.
Laughter continued to echo from the waterside pavilion.
Chen Hongzhu, seated with her back to the lake, hadn’t clearly seen which two outer sect disciples were involved. Frowning at the remarks, she thought that if anyone else had spoken, it might have been an offhand jest. But the speaker sat directly opposite her, looking smug and triumphant, as if subtly mocking the Huawel Sect for its lack of discipline and poor management of outer sect disciples.
Although it’s said that family shames shouldn’t be aired in public, the various sects staying at Huawel Sect had already heard a little about the situation in the outer sect.
The Huawel Sect’s outer sect was notorious for being "unruly."
For the same dirty and exhausting tasks, outer sect disciples here demanded twice the pay before they’d agree to do them. These disciples lacked a spirit of devotion to the sect, reserving all their respect and admiration for one person alone.
Chen Hongzhu felt deeply frustrated; she knew exactly who was to blame for all these changes.
Yet, she was helpless to do anything about it.
She changed the subject: "Feng Ziyi, you just said you wanted to make a bet. Are you still in, or are you backing out? Don’t tell me you’re scared?"
The young woman sitting opposite her wore a purple dress, a silver bell necklace around her neck, and a vibrant Jade Bloom tucked at her temple.
She laughed so hard the flower trembled and the bells chimed softly, her radiance dazzling: "Of course, I’m in! This pearl is a Mermaid King’s Pearl from the Southern Sea, with the wondrous effects of parting waters and subduing sea beasts. I was fortunate to obtain this single one. Today, if anyone in your Huawel Sect has the skill, they’re welcome to take it!"
A pale green pearl was placed on the jade table, its interior seeming to swirl with emerald waves, illuminating the entire pavilion with a brilliant glow.
"I’ll add a prize for my junior sister. This cloud-patterned jade pendant is engraved with a small protective array that can block a single strike from a Golden Core cultivator," a young man behind her said with feigned humility. "It’s nothing valuable, just for everyone’s amusement."
With these two leading the way, representatives from other sects stepped forward one after another:
"I’ll add something too."
"Then I’ll also show my humble offering."
In no time, the jade table was piled high with an array of magical artifacts and rare treasures, not only practical and valuable but also exquisitely crafted and beautiful.
Though the Huawel Sect dominated the Western Sky Continent, appearing infinitely glorious, the Western Sky Continent was the smallest of the four great continents and had the thinnest Spirit Qi.
The other three continents were home to first-rate sects like the Azure Cliff Academy, Red Leaf Temple, Celestial Sound Sect, Purple Cloud Temple, and Dayan Sect, as well as deeply rooted cultivation families such as the Zhao, Liu, Wei, and Feng clans.
Whoever hosted the Grand Audience Assembly inevitably faced some "tests."
Before the assembly officially began, the younger generation would gather under the guise of casual fun, secretly competing to showcase both their wealth and their abilities.Chen Hongzhu was accompanied by seven or eight Huawel Sect disciples, all direct disciples of various elders and Peak Lords, who now brought out their own treasures.
While appearing bold and generous on the surface, someone transmitted a voice message to Chen Hongzhu: "Young Mistress, if we lose this, can we report the losses to Eldest Senior Brother for reimbursement?"
Chen Hongzhu angrily transmitted back: "If you lose, you still have the face to ask for reimbursement? This concerns the sect's honor! Anyone who loses will face the wall at Broken Mountain Cliff!"
How could the host lose?
This was an occasion led by young female cultivators. Even if things got a bit out of hand, they could simply say "the young girls don't know better and went too far," which wouldn't damage surface harmony or affect the bigger picture.
Yuan Qingshi hadn't come. Similarly, Ziye Wenshu, the Courtyard Overseer of Green Cliff Academy, and other prominent senior disciples representing their sects hadn't shown themselves either. They only sat in the lakeside pavilion, separated by half the lake, drinking tea and discussing cultivation while keeping a distant eye on the proceedings.
As for the Six Sages of Green Cliff, they hadn't come because they'd lost face at Song Courtyard's entrance and hadn't yet recovered their reputation, fearing they'd become laughingstocks.
"Now that we have the wagers, how shall we compete?" Chen Hongzhu said. "You decide the rules!"
Feng Ziyi smiled charmingly: "The Grand Assembly of Distinguished Appraisals already tests music, chess, calligraphy, and painting - we needn't repeat those. If we compete in talisman writing, none of us can match the junior and senior disciples from the Academy; in alchemy and deduction, we can't surpass Purple Cloud Temple; in spiritual beast taming, you can't compare to our Dayan Sect... Each sect has its specialties, so competing in those wouldn't be fair. Let's compete in something everyone can do, so no one has an advantage."
Everyone voiced agreement.
Chen Hongzhu said: "Then let's compete in the most basic cultivation method we've all learned!"
Feng Ziyi turned to look at the lake.
The sunset sky was ablaze with color, and Yaoguang Lake shimmered with golden ripples across its vast expanse. New clusters of lotus leaves sprouted beside the lakeside pavilion, swaying gracefully in the wind, slender and elegant.
She said: "Why don't we each send one person to compete in the Light Body Technique? Whoever first plucks a lotus leaf from beside the lakeside pavilion wins, and they can take all these winnings. Of course, no magical artifacts can be used to increase speed!"
Chen Hongzhu thought, this still gives your Dayan Sect some advantage - everyone knows your disciples practice the Light Body Technique extensively when first learning beast taming, specifically for escaping pursuing spiritual beasts.
But as host, she needed to show grace. She glanced at her companions: "Acceptable."
Among the disciples she'd brought today, she'd specifically selected those with unique skills in different areas. One Peak Lord's direct disciple excelled in fast sword techniques and also possessed remarkable movement speed.
The various sect members didn't need to discuss - they knew each other's capabilities well. In moments, they'd decided their representatives.
They emerged from the waterside pavilion, secretly circulating their energy and gathering strength, arriving beneath the lakeside willow trees.
※※※
Song Qianji walked slowly and steadily, already so close to the lake that his robe hem was damp. He occasionally stopped to pick up some gravel, crouched down to feel the soil, closed his eyes to sense something, then stood up and continued walking.
His expression remained focused, oblivious to the constant comings and goings along the lakeshore, as if he were alone with the lake.
Meanwhile, Meng Heze found himself overwhelmed by the spectacle.
Someone brought out a fluffy, snow-white, adorable three-tailed cat for a walk, and he thought how could there be such docile, affectionate spiritual beasts in the world - he wondered what breed it was. The spiritual beasts he'd fed during his odd jobs - were they really spiritual beasts? They all seemed ferocious and ready to bite at any moment.
Others showed off their magical artifacts to companions, flashing brilliant lights, and he proudly thought none could compare to the beauty of his red jade Buddhist beads.
Some exchanged elixirs, their medicinal fragrance carried by the wind, and he regretfully thought he had nothing to trade.Someone was reciting poetry, their voice not loud but carrying a forceful impact that made one's eardrums ache. Resentfully, he thought these must be allies—no, classmates—from Azure Cliff Academy and Liu Xian.
Others held talisman brushes, tracing patterns in the air. Where the brushstrokes passed, faint glimmers appeared in midair. Worriedly, he thought they must be talisman cultivators, and they all seemed quite skilled. Senior Brother Song had also signed up for the Calligraphy and Painting Examination, so why had he never seen him practice with a brush?
Not just within Huawel Sect—news of the Calligrapher Sage's arrival had spread, gathering talisman cultivators from nearly half the Cultivation World in Huawel City.
Just days earlier, when Song Qianji entered that shady shop, a single Qi Nourishing Talisman could be used as equivalent to two hundred Spirit Stones. But in this short time, the most basic talismans like Qi Nourishing and Qi Gathering Talismans had already begun dropping in price.
Meanwhile, the prices of talisman paper, cinnabar, and brushes had skyrocketed instead. Talismasters competing in their craft had unexpectedly created a trade spectacle in the Cultivation World, dubbed "Huawel's Precious Paper."
Meng Heze walked along the lakeshore, the dazzling scenes unfolding before him like a slowly unrolling scroll.
His heart held complex emotions. Though they clearly lived in the same world, were the same age, and walked the same immortal path, their cultivation resources differed as vastly as if they weren't even the same species.
He admired Song Qianji even more for appearing completely indifferent to these novel and strange sights.
Little did he know that others found them equally peculiar.
Two outer sect disciples meandered along, the one trailing slightly gaping like a villager seeing the city for the first time.
The one in front seemed to be searching for something, doing so with intense focus.
Meng Heze silently recited "focus the spirit, steady the breath, restrain the heart, endure nature" before turning his gaze to the crouching Song Qianji: "Senior Brother Song, what are you doing?"
"Looking for where the best silt is."
"Silt has grades?" Meng Heze blinked in confusion. "It's all in the same lake—it's all just mud!"
"Of course it does. Only the most suitable silt can grow the finest lotuses and produce the sweetest lotus roots." Song Qianji said.
Meng Heze exclaimed: "I'll go learn how to make lotus root soup!"
"Lotus root soup can wait." Song Qianji stood up: "This lake has abundant Spirit Qi, very suitable for growing lotus roots. From what I can sense, the deeper the water here, the richer the humus content." He pointed toward the center, "Look at the lakeside pavilion—the mud clinging to the roots of those lotus plants must be the best."
Meng Heze urgently responded: "No need for you to trouble yourself, Senior Brother! I'll get it for you!"
Before the words faded, he had already leaped into the air, darting across the lake surface.
Meng Heze's Light Body Technique and breath concealment art had been taught by Song Qianji at Broken Mountain Cliff. Relying on these two skills, he had remained undefeated through consecutive outer sect challenge matches.
Later, he had refined them to perfection. In terms of speed alone, even Foundation Establishment cultivators could hardly match him.
Yet the moment he launched himself, almost simultaneously, seven or eight figures shot out from beneath the weeping willows like arrows, charging toward the lakeside pavilion.
Then three or four more soared diagonally into the azure sky like falcons, starting later but arriving first, closing in on Meng Heze.
The lake surface instantly became chaotic with figures chasing each other, energy clashing, water churning violently.
Song Qianji was taken aback.
Seriously? They're going to fight over digging up some mud?
Is the competition for planting lotus roots this fierce?
Meng Heze flew across the water without touching it, suddenly sensing sharp winds behind him. He didn't need to look back to know someone was closing in.
He didn't know what these people wanted. But with the lakeside pavilion so close, he might as quickly collect the mud and leave the lake for them to fight over.
Nearing his breakthrough, his momentum was at its peak as he pushed forward with renewed energy. His long arm reached into the water, gripping a lotus stem like iron pincers, and pulled sharply.
Just as pulling up radishes brings up soil, pulling up lotuses does the same.Meng Heze dodged first, splattering mud all over the people behind him.
But a burst of cheers erupted from the lakeside.
Meng Heze, puzzled, turned back with a smile.
Song Qianji suddenly warned, "Watch out!"
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