Seven days later, fueled by Jiao Xiuyuan's relentless promotion, a piece of news swept through the entire Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals in barely half a day.
The mysterious cultivator possessing the Tianling Flower was about to make another appearance.
At that time, he would host a Flower Appreciation Assembly, inviting cultivators across the world interested in the flower to come and appraise it.
The venue for the Flower Appreciation Assembly was none other than Tianling Province!
When the vast majority of cultivators heard this news, they found it rather baffling. After all, flower appreciation and appraisal were far removed from ordinary folks who toiled daily to earn contribution points, calculating when they could finally afford their coveted cultivation methods. If they had that kind of spare time, they would rather complete a mission or two.
Only those cultivators who still kept a close eye on the Tianling Flower stirred with excitement, beginning to pull strings and inquire into the mysterious cultivator's identity.
Yet, as branches of Thousand Li Hall across every provincial city in the Alliance began exhibiting replicated copies of the True Tianling Flower, things gradually turned into a frenzy.
"True Tianling Flower" was the new moniker coined by Thousand Li Hall for that sole Original Strain of the Tianling Flower in the world.
Even though numerous rumors had long circulated describing how marvelous and extraordinary the True Tianling Flower was, those fortunate souls who had personally laid eyes on it that day were few and far between.
No matter how vividly others described it, nothing was more convincing than seeing it for oneself.
Thus, when cultivators who had originally come merely to see what the fuss was about beheld the translucent petal inside Thousand Li Hall, their skepticism transformed into sheer wonder.
"Endowed with heaven's spirit, truly endowed with heaven's spirit! I used to think it was just hyperbole, but now..."
"Rumor has it that the charm of this translucent petal is not even a tenth of the True Tianling Flower's? If a replica is already like this, just how miraculous must the real flower be?"
"Alas, it can only be admired from afar, not possessed. A divine object like this will never fall into the hands of ordinary cultivators like us."
...
After catching a glimpse, most cultivators were indeed stunned and captivated by the exquisite beauty of the True Tianling Flower. Yet if it were nothing more than pure beauty, they would at most sigh in admiration a few times and retain a faint impression in their minds, which would eventually fade away with the passage of time.
Travel thousands of li to Tianling Province just to attend some Flower Appreciation Assembly?
The round trip alone would cost a significant amount of lifespan, not to mention the inevitable expenses along the way...
There were countless wonders in the world; what did it matter if one missed the Tianling Flower?
That was the mindset shared by the majority of cultivators.
However, as a series of unfathomable incidents followed one after another, the cultivators' perception of the Tianling Flower was utterly overturned.
It began when a late Golden Core cultivator, trapped by the Heavenly Calamity for years, felt a sudden resonance upon gazing at the translucent petal on display in Thousand Li Hall and inexplicably broke through his bottleneck. He advanced to Golden Core perfection, placing the Nascent Soul realm within his reach. On the spot, old tears streamed down his face, and he let out long, ringing roars that wouldn't stop.
Afterward, news of more and more cultivators achieving breakthroughs after seeing the Tianling replica with their own eyes arrived steadily from various provinces.
Some cultivators were even said to have comprehended various divine abilities from the wondrous scenery of Tianling within the petal.
As the tales grew ever more fantastical, people inevitably began to suspect this was merely Thousand Li Hall's hype machine at work.
Instant epiphanies and impromptu breakthroughs? All just an act, purely a tactic to artificially inflate the price of the True Tianling Flower.
Conspiracy theories always found an audience.
This skeptical narrative quickly resonated with many cultivators. They took the initiative to track down and investigate the identities of the cultivators who had supposedly broken through in Thousand Li Hall.
Yet after their investigation, an unforeseen outcome awaited them.
Every cultivator they managed to locate was genuinely someone who had been trapped at a cultivation bottleneck for years.
And recently, they truly had achieved breakthroughs. Each and every case was verified by relatives, friends, and numerous official records—there was no faking it!
Facts spoke louder than words, and the findings instantly set off an uproar.
The True Tianling Flower was not just beautiful—it could actually help cultivators break through bottlenecks and even comprehend divine abilities!
Pure aesthetic beauty versus tangible advancement in cultivation.
The difference in value between the two was beyond measure.
More importantly, treasures capable of aiding cultivators in comprehending the Dao were typically monopolized by powerful figures; ordinary people could rarely catch even a glimpse.
Yet now, the Tianling Flower was on display for anyone to admire for free!
Even if it was merely a replicated copy, it still possessed the effect of aiding Dao comprehension!
How could cultivators not be tempted?
Thus, before the news could spread even further, they rushed toward the nearest Thousand Li Hall.
In an instant, Thousand Li Hall was overwhelmed with crowds.
Queues stretched out like long dragons from the entrance, while Jiao Xiuyuan beamed from ear to ear as he maintained order.
***
"Young Master, was this also within your expectations?"
In the Beast Seed Realm, Liu San looked at the good news sent by Jiao Xiuyuan, his brows slightly raised as he asked in confusion.
"The True Tianling Flower certainly possesses something unique. But can those counterfeit replicas drawn by Young Master truly help cultivators comprehend the Dao?"
A flicker of doubt showed in his eyes.
"Perhaps it's simply because your natural talent is too low, Old Liu," Fang Zaiji's contemplative voice suddenly drifted from the golden eyeball hovering nearby.
"Why are you everywhere like an unbanished ghost?!" Liu San's face darkened with anger.
He snatched at the Eye of Shared Sight, only to grasp empty air.
"Tch, still trying to grab me? As if I'd make the same mistake twice!" Fang Zaiji said with a trace of smugness.
Xu Bai's avatar ignored Fang Zaiji's banter. Pausing his replication of the Tianling Flower, he turned back to look at Liu San.
"Leaving aside the fact that my replicas genuinely capture some of the True Tianling Flower's charm, even if it were a blank sheet of paper, so long as enough cultivators gaze upon it, a few are bound to realize something from it," he said with a smile.
"Hiss... So that's how it is. Sect Master, when did you become so cunning?" came Fang Zaiji's voice in disbelief.
Xu Bai's expression did not change. He reached out and made a grab.
This time, Fang Zaiji failed to evade, and the golden eyeball was caught firmly in his hand.
Fang Zaiji's voice cut off abruptly. Li Fan turned to explain to Liu San, "Elder Liu, your divine sense is still synchronized with the Eye of Shared Sight, which is why Elder Fang could sense your movements beforehand. As long as you temporarily sever the connection, you won't miss."
Liu San had a realization. "I completely forgot about that."
Xu Bai smiled faintly and let the matter drop.
Then, his expression grew somewhat solemn as he asked, "Elder Liu, how are the pills I asked you to concoct coming along?"
Liu San carefully retrieved a wooden box from his robes. "The Soul-Melting Body-Dissolving Pill is refined from over a hundred kinds of lethal poisons. Once swallowed, within less than a single breath, the body dissolves and completely vanishes from the world. Even Dao Integration experts are no exception."
"Young Master, are you..."
"It's prepared for myself. When the critical moment comes, it will make suicide convenient," Xu Bai said flatly.
Chapter 703