Even immortals harbored worldly appetites. Drunken Wind Tower enjoyed a stellar reputation among low-tier disciples, yet Wei Yuan had only ever heard of it; he had never imagined he would actually dine here. The moment he stepped inside, an attendant guided him to a quiet courtyard where Bao Yun's celebration banquet was being held.
Three large tables were set up in the hall, and Wei Yuan was led straight to the main table. His cultivation progress was currently dead last in the class, so how could he feel comfortable sitting at the head table? He turned, intending to sit at one of the side tables instead, but Bao Yun's eyes lit up the moment she saw him. She rushed over, caught his arm, and pushed him down into the seat right beside her, so that even Cui Yu was seated one position away.
There were ten people at the main table in total. All five who had received the Patriarch's grace were seated here, while the other five either possessed extraordinary cultivation talent or hailed from illustrious families.
Wei Yuan now understood very well that an illustrious family was itself a first-rate cultivation talent.
Once everyone had arrived, Bao Yun rose and said, "Senior brothers and sisters, I'm delighted you could all grace us with your presence. I shall drink first to show my respect!"
The others hurriedly stood up and drained their cups together. Now that Bao Yun's visualization chart had manifested, a Heaven Tier foundation was practically guaranteed, and an immortal foundation was well within reach. The Bao family was a premier aristocratic clan, and Bao Yun had such immense talent. Having all awakened their wisdom early on, if they did not cling to this thigh now, when would they? A few years down the line, they wouldn't even be able to get close if they tried.
Wei Yuan tilted his head back and drained his cup as well. Immediately, a thread of fire slipped down into his belly, followed by an explosion of surging spiritual energy. Within his sea of consciousness, the visualization chart materialized, and a light drizzle began to fall once more as the ground expanded by a visible margin.
Wei Yuan was astounded. This single cup of wine was actually equivalent to thirty days of bitter cultivation! If he drank an entire bottle, wouldn't that equal a whole year's hard work?
Wei Yuan found it almost unbelievable. Looking at the dishes on the table, he could barely recognize a single one; he only knew they looked magnificent, with wisps of spiritual energy constantly wafting from them. Never mind eating them—even inhaling their aroma was beneficial to one's cultivation.
After proposing the toast, Bao Yun continued, "The main reason I invited everyone for this gathering is to prepare for the sect minor examination three years from now. I've already received word that this minor exam will pit us directly against the disciples of the Traditionalist Faction. We all know their numbers are several times our own, so I hear they already consider victory in the minor exam to be in the bag and are already discussing how to divide the sect's rewards! What's more, they even claimed they'll post the exam rankings for everyone in the sect to see."
At their age, none of them knew fear. The Traditionalist Faction was clearly looking down on them, and many present grew instantly infuriated.
Observing everyone's expressions, Bao Yun added, "They already sent someone to find me, saying that if we surrender, they'll make sure our defeat doesn't look too humiliating and will even forgo putting up the ranking board."
Cui Yu flared up at once, slamming the table heavily. "Arrogant fools!"
Xiaoyu maintained his usual aloof expression and asked, "Who said that?"
Bao Yun sighed. "Xu Yin'an."
A sliver of murderous aura suddenly surfaced around Xiaoyu.
Curious, Cui Yu asked, "Does this fellow surnamed Xu have any notable background?"
Xiaoyu kept a cold face and said nothing. Bao Yun replied, "Actually, he also passed the exam from Fengyuan Commandery, but he didn't attend centralized instruction with us. There's another matter: his family has constantly tried to propose a marriage alliance with mine."
Cui Yu understood immediately and fumed, "How overconfident! I was wondering why he specifically approached you to say such things, Senior Sister. Turns out he wants to use us to establish his dominance! Hmph, stepping on us to climb the ranks? He'd better check whether he has the ability!"
Xiaoyu remained silent, but he nodded heavily.
Bao Yun let out another soft sigh. "Although my father already refused him once, Brother Xu does possess talent, and the Xu family isn't too weak either. If they truly win a sweeping victory this time, perhaps Father might look upon him more favorably."
"He won't win!" Xiaoyu said.
Cui Yu chimed in, "I remember who this guy is now! Although the Xu family is counted among the Seven Clans, they've always been dead last, nothing more than seat-fillers. How could they compare to our families? If that Brother Xu of yours were some peerless genius, that would be one thing, but from what I see, his talent is utterly mediocre—far inferior to mine. With that, he dares propose to the Bao family? If I don't beat him into a pulp during this minor exam, I, Cui Yu, might as well stop showing my face!"
Someone nearby softly reminded him, "There seem to be four members of the Cui family on the Traditionalist Faction's side."
Cui Yu replied casually, "No matter! Only one of them belongs to the direct eldest branch, and even he is born of a concubine, with talent inferior to mine. If you run into them, beat them half to death. I'll take full responsibility!"
Bao Yun waited for the commotion to subside, then cleared her throat lightly. Once everyone quieted down, she said, "In truth, this counts as my private affair. Even if we lose, there's no way I would ever agree to him; at worst, I'll just have to endure him talking behind my back."
Cui Yu said gravely, "We study together as peers! Humiliating you is humiliating all of us! Besides, they intend to post the rankings, which means they want to treat us as stepping stones! What if we have fewer people? We cannot tolerate this! We'll fight them to the end!"
"Let's do it!" Xiaoyu said, as sparing with words as gold.
Youths of this age had hot blood running through their veins. They would rather die on their feet than live on their knees; how could they possibly surrender without a fight?
A smile finally graced Bao Yun's face. "Since everyone is determined to fight, let us draw up a plan and begin preparing from this moment onward. Since it's a faction confrontation and our numbers are few, every single person is crucial. However, some classmates don't have abundant cultivation resources, and their cultivation might be hindered as a result. That is why I want to establish a public fund. Those of us with the means can deposit some immortal silver into it, and any classmates who need resources but lack the silver can borrow from the fund.
"Of course, the immortal silver in the public fund is a loan, not a gift. Senior brothers and sisters may borrow as much as needed, as long as it is repaid within ten years."
Bao Yun's proposal sounded downright fantastical, yet the majority of the students, including Wei Yuan, felt their hearts leap. Aristocratic scions were a minority after all; most hailed from ordinary clans. For a modest family, providing the basic resources for a Palace of Grand Beginning disciple was already an immense strain. Thus, for most of them, immortal silver was never enough, and their cultivation progress was inevitably dragged down.
Over the course of ten years, the vast majority of Palace of Grand Beginning disciples would forge their Dao Foundations. Even with the lowest Mortal Tier foundation, they would still be capable of undertaking basic sect missions, earning far more than they could in the Body Casting Realm. Therefore, Bao Yun's condition of repaying within ten years was remarkably generous.
Seeing the eager looks around the room, Bao Yun said, "Since I proposed it, I shall naturally go first. I'll contribute thirty thousand taels of immortal silver!"
Thirty thousand?! Wei Yuan nearly slid off his chair.
A single contribution from the eldest young miss of the Bao family amounted to over two hundred years of his monthly allowance, sixty times more than the pocket money Perfected Fenhai had given him.
Not to be outdone, Cui Yu said, "I'll also put in thirty thousand!"
Xiaoyu said, "The same."
Then several other scions of major clans pooled together another ten thousand, bringing the total to a full hundred thousand taels.
Wei Yuan felt slightly numb, as if what these people spoke of was not immortal silver at all. Even if it were grains of cooked rice, a hundred thousand was hardly a small amount.
Delighted, Bao Yun said, "The public fund will be kept with Senior Brother Cui and jointly managed by Senior Brother Cui, Junior Brother Xiaoyu, and me. How does that sound?"
Xiaoyu waved a hand. "I won't manage it."
Cui Yu chuckled. "Junior Brother Xiao is wholly dedicated to cultivation. Never mind, I'll shoulder these trivial chores."
Bao Yun added, "The other side has twenty-one people who received the Patriarch's grace. Naturally, the few of us who received the boon must take them on, while the rest of our senior brothers and sisters can handle those without it."
Cui Yu nodded. "Twenty-one on their side, five on ours. Each of us just needs to take on four."
"Simple," Xiaoyu said.
Noticing that Wei Yuan had remained silent the entire time, Bao Yun asked, "Junior Brother Wei, is there an issue?"
Wei Yuan hesitated, then said, "My cultivation progress is a bit slow. I'm afraid I might drag everyone down."
Cui Yu was not from Fengyuan Commandery and had never participated in the martial test. Hearing Wei Yuan's words, he spoke up immediately, "Don't be afraid! If you can't beat your share, Junior Brother, then I'll just take on two more!"
Chapter 45