"Dai Bufan must have given you some contribution points for that undercover mission?" Yun Zhi asked after the meal.
"Yes, quite a lot." Lu Yang was beaming with joy; he had the most contribution points among his batch of peers.
"Three days from now, the sect will hold a market fair, and most people will attend. If you're interested, you can go take a look. You might just come across something you like."
Lu Yang nodded. He had long heard that the sect's internal exchanges took the form of a market fair. In the past, Yun Zhi had forbidden him from attending so he could focus on his cultivation.
Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment and achieved some modest success in his cultivation, there was no longer any need to manage him so strictly.
The Dao Seeking Sect held a market fair every three months. There was bartering, purchasing with contribution points, food, drink, and entertainment—it covered everything.
When the disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect traveled far and wide on missions, they always encountered local specialties and all manner of novel curiosities. After acquiring them, some chose to keep them for their own use, while others chose to take them to the fair to trade for things they needed.
"Also, Master is currently meditating in peace. Do not go over to his place anytime soon," Yun Zhi instructed.
Lu Yang had no idea why, though he had never planned to visit Master anyway. Besides, Master would definitely come out after three days.
"Oh." In any case, following Eldest Senior Sister was never wrong.
...
Three days later, the market fair took place as scheduled. The Dao Seeking Sect had set up an arena, allowing disciples to spar freely.
Built from a special type of rock, the arena was practically indestructible and wrapped in formations on the outside to ensure the shockwaves of battle would not affect the spectators.
At that moment, two Golden Core senior brothers were fighting in the arena. Their Golden Cores were full, flawless, and completely natural—evidently the top-grade Golden Cores that outsiders could only dream of obtaining.
"Moon Shattering Slash!" a Golden Core senior brother bellowed. His broad saber swung down in a vertical chop like a crescent moon, driven by brute force. Lu Yang's eyelid twitched at the sight.
If Branch Master Chu had possessed this senior brother's strength back then, they would likely have fared far worse.
Not to be outdone, the other Golden Core senior brother radiated golden light across his entire body, coating his skin with a thin, golden film. "Buddhist Golden Body!"
No one knew where this senior brother had learned the Buddhist Golden Body, but he had already attained minor mastery in it, tanking the slash head-on.
The saber techniques and spells wielded by both men were consummate and transitioned seamlessly. Lu Yang watched with rapt attention; it was a rare opportunity to see top Golden Core experts clash.
In fact, Lu Yang had witnessed battles of an even higher level—a mighty cultivator against an immortal.
Unfortunately, Eldest Senior Sister's palm strikes had been so fierce that the newly awakened Immortal Fairy had been utterly powerless to fight back. It had been an entirely one-sided affair, and Lu Yang had learned nothing from it.
"The Immortal Fairy really can't be relied upon," Lu Yang sighed. If he could just learn half a move from Eldest Senior Sister, wouldn't he be able to run rampant among peers of the same realm?
"Wait, Eldest Senior Sister seems to have taught me Shrinking the Earth to Inches and Samadhi True Fire."
"Brat, I advise you to watch your mouth! What do you mean I can't be relied upon!" A woman's voice rang out inside Lu Yang's mind.
"Senior, you're awake?" Lu Yang was surprised. The Immortal Fairy had slept for several days; was she finally awake?
"Hearing you call me 'Senior' sounds quite nice," the Immortal Fairy said lazily. Lu Yang felt as though she were stretching.
"Let me tell you, I'm far from my peak right now and still need to recover slowly. That Yun Zhi could only beat me as I am now. Once I regain my strength, she wouldn't even beat me if I fought with one hand tied behind my back," the Immortal Fairy said fiercely. She, Huang Doudou, had shaken the world in the ancient era; how could she fail to beat a junior?
Lu Yang thought about it and felt the Immortal Fairy made a lot of sense. "I will relay that truthfully to Eldest Senior Sister."
"Wait, wait, wait, everything is negotiable!" The Immortal Fairy's tone softened instantly.
Lu Yang: "...Senior, can you actually be relied upon or not?"
By all rights, having an ancient immortal soul inside him meant he should be unstoppable, opportunities should come rolling in, leveling up should be as easy as drinking water, he should be invincible within the same realm, and slaying foes of higher realms should be trivial.
Yet the way the Immortal Fairy conducted herself always gave off an unreliable vibe. He would be much better off clinging tightly to Eldest Senior Sister's thigh.
"Heh. Who do you think I am? I am Immortal Fairy Huang Doudou!"
"Didn't you use to refer to yourself as 'this seat'?" Lu Yang still remembered the imperious Immortal Fairy from before.
The Immortal Fairy paused for a moment before starting again. "This seat is Immortal Fairy Huang Doudou... No, calling myself 'this seat' is way too cringe."
She explained, "Mainly, I heard from others that calling oneself 'this seat' makes one seem extremely formidable. When I first woke up, my head wasn't clear, so I wanted to see what it felt like. Now it feels too unnatural, so I'd better just stick to 'I.'"
Lu Yang was curious. "Who told you that?"
"Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, Immortals, all of them. After working so hard to reach the highest realm, people avoid fighting if they can help it. But without fighting, how do you know who's stronger? So someone started it, talking arrogantly as can be to bluff everyone.
"Then everyone thought this way of speaking was great. Every sentence out of their mouths was 'This seat was born to answer Heaven's call,' 'Those who defy this immortal shall be slain,' 'How dare mere mortals defy immortals,' 'This seat contains immense power within, do not force this seat to undo the seal,' and so on.
"Let me think who started it... Oh right, it was Immortal Ying Tian!
"Back then, I thought the way they talked was pretty amusing, so I jotted down their words and compiled them into a little booklet called *Quotations of Immortals*. I have no idea where that book got tossed to now."
Lu Yang: "..."
He felt he had discovered the real reason why the Immortal Fairy had been stabbed in the back.
"Let me show you an immortal's skills, lest you think I just bluffed my way up." The Immortal Fairy felt it was necessary to display some real power so that Lu Yang would hold her in higher regard and treat her with more respect.
"Come, hand over control of your body to me. I'll let you experience what it feels like to fight above your realm."
This was the Dao Seeking Sect's territory, so Lu Yang wasn't worried about the Immortal Fairy attempting body seizure. He willingly yielded control of his body.
At this moment, the arena was empty. Controlling Lu Yang's body, the Immortal Fairy leaped onto the platform, cupped her hands, and declared, "Fellow elders, heroes, and champions, I have gained some insights in my cultivation today. Would any senior brother or sister at early Golden Core stage care to come up and give some pointers?"
She explained to Lu Yang, "Ancient prodigies were just like this, challenging everyone and forging an illustrious reputation with their two fists to lay the foundation for their path of invincibility. Today I'll demonstrate for you, so watch and learn!"
"I'll do it!" A bald senior brother leaped onto the stage, his entire body radiating golden light of karmic merit.
The Immortal Fairy gasped. A supreme-grade Golden Core, karmic merit adorning his form, Arhat possession, and minor mastery of the Boundless Golden Body—how on earth was she supposed to fight that?
"S-Switch, let's switch to someone else."
The bald senior brother wasn't upset. He chuckled and hopped down, and another senior brother, a Confucian cultivator, jumped up.
Clad in a grey robe and holding a bamboo scroll, the Confucian senior brother wore an unhurried smile.
The Immortal Fairy froze once more. A natural Confucian cultivator, blessed by a mighty figure, his words carrying the weight of celestial decree, and wielding a supreme treasure—how was she supposed to fight this?
"Switch again!" the Immortal Fairy said through gritted teeth.
"I'll take the turn." The Confucian senior brother stepped down, and an honest-looking, chubby senior brother took the stage.
The Immortal Fairy could tell at a single glance: this chubby senior brother's core was formed of Five Qis, the very highest grade. Blessed by destiny and protected by bloodline, his cultivation technique was top-tier, without the slightest flaw.
Only then did the Immortal Fairy realize that among all the Golden Cores present, there wasn't a single one she could beat.
Chapter 118