Your Dao Seeking Sect Has Gone Too Far!

After Yun Zhi became the Acting Sect Master, she paid courtesy visits to the other Four Great Immortal Sects according to custom, bearing a very special gift—she informed everyone that Daoist Buyu had entered secluded cultivation, and she was now in charge of the Dao Seeking Sect. When the four sects heard the news, they were overjoyed beyond words. At long last, they no longer had to deal with that lunatic. Moreover, Yun Zhi becoming Acting Sect Master meant she would no longer participate in disciple activities. The Five Great Immortal Sects periodically held joint disciple activities, sending disciples into ancient ruins and grotto-heavens to explore. Ever since Yun Zhi appeared out of nowhere, holding such events had become utterly pointless, putting the other four sects in an exceedingly awkward position—instead of organizing an event, they might as well hand the prizes straight to Yun Zhi and save everyone some time. Seeing Shangguan Yu, the woman of his dreams, Second Elder's eyes went completely straight. Even though Shangguan Yu had once rejected him, he still could not forget her pure, radiant beauty. Noticing Second Elder staring intently at Shangguan Yu, Qiu Jin'an took a step forward, blocking his line of sight with a grim expression. "When does the competition start?" Grand Elder said, "According to the schedule, we will first hold the opening ceremony and have a meal. The competition comes after that." *Quite formal and orderly,* Qiu Jin'an thought to himself. *As expected of Yun Zhi's arrangements, far better than that bastard Daoist Buyu.* During his last visit to the Dao Seeking Sect, Daoist Buyu had walked up, slung an arm around his neck, and said, *"Brother, let's go! I'll take you to the brothel to have some fun, my treat!"* Qiu Jin'an had shoved Daoist Buyu aside on the spot. Was that the sort of thing one said right to someone's face?! Shangguan Yu had been watching him the whole time! "Hmm? Where did that kid who understood ancient civilization go?" Qiu Jin'an had also wanted to discuss a few ancient secrets with Lu Yang, such as how the last mighty expert who mastered Words as Law had died, or whether Immortal Ying Tian was named so because he was born on a particularly clear day... Grand Elder explained, "He went to cook." "Oh." Qiu Jin'an did not think much of it. On the presentation stage, disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect and the Five Elements Sect stood together, watching the senior leadership address the crowd from the platform. Before long, they began dozing off. On the stage, Grand Elder was reading aloud from the draft Lu Yang had prepared: "In order to thoroughly implement the policy of the Five Great Immortal Sects advancing hand in hand, promote friendly exchanges between the Dao Seeking Sect and the Five Elements Sect, inspire our entire sect to deeply appreciate the bonds among the Five Great Immortal Sects, solidify our foundation, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, I have five key points to share regarding the theme of this exchange. "First, thoroughly implementing the policy of the Five Great Immortal Sects advancing hand in hand is a necessity of history and a demand of reality. With the advent of the ancient Golden Age and the successive resurrections of ancient cultivators, in the face of the Central Continent's grave situation and unpredictable risks and challenges, the Five Great Immortal Sects ought to, and must, achieve solidarity..." Qiu Jin'an was utterly stunned. Although he had expected the speech to differ greatly from the last visit, he never imagined it would differ this much. Last time, Daoist Buyu had said only two sentences: *"Welcome, Five Elements Sect. Everyone, enjoy your free time."* When it was Qiu Jin'an's turn to speak, he cleared his throat and projected in a resonant voice: "In this bright and sunny season when all things revive, the Five Elements Sect is deeply honored to visit the Dao Seeking Sect and witness the most advanced ideas and theories of the cultivation world, which has left a profound impression upon us..." Once the two rounds of leadership speeches concluded, a smattering of sparse applause rose below the stage. In Eighth Elder's words, it sounded like someone with urinary dribble. On the platform, the leaders of both sides shook hands. "Sect Master Qiu, please offer your guidance during this exchange." "Grand Elder jokes. We only hope the Dao Seeking Sect will show mercy." Grand Elder and Qiu Jin'an wore genial smiles, giving onlookers no hint whatsoever that they were furiously exchanging divine sense transmissions underneath. *"Qiu Jin'an, roll back to your Five Elements Sect! The Dao Seeking Sect doesn't welcome you! Look at your hypocritical face—did you forget how our Nine Scions of the Dao Seeking Sect beat you back then?!"* *"Nine of you jumping me alone, and your Dao Seeking Sect still has the nerve to boast! You think I care to visit your Dao Seeking Sect? A den of monsters and freaks! Just you wait—once I purge you demons, the news of our victory will spread across the entire cultivation world!"* In reality, both men smiled with utmost sincerity. "Sect Master Qiu, shall we head over for a meal?" "Haha, I have long heard that the Dao Seeking Sect's cuisine is one of a kind. Today I must broaden my horizons." The group made their way to the dining hall. Along the path, Qiu Jin'an saw a disciple pounding nails with a youtiao, producing loud clangs and flying sparks. He saw another disciple toss a freshly made pancake into the sky, which expanded instantly into a sheet that blotted out the sun. He saw yet another disciple preparing egg drop soup: the silver pot instantly blackened and gradually melted away, while in the process, the soup condensed into a single drop of green liquid. In a sense, his horizons were indeed broadened. *The Dao Seeking Sect wouldn't make me eat this kind of stuff, would they?* Qiu Jin'an's heart drummed with unease. He felt his sins were not nearly severe enough to warrant such punishment. Finally, the group arrived at an exceptionally luxurious dining room. From far away, an intoxicating aroma greeted their noses, and laid out before Qiu Jin'an was an array of delicacies complete with tantalizing color, fragrance, and presentation. "It seems I misjudged the Dao Seeking Sect," Qiu Jin'an muttered, breathing a sigh of relief. The Immortal Fairy wore a white apron and a tall chef's hat, looking quite the part. She introduced the dishes one by one: "Stuffed tofu, made from prime ice plains elephant back meat, with the tofu curdled using morning dew gathered from herbs in the Herb Garden. I combined the two using an ancient secret method, bursting with astonishing results." The Immortal Fairy wanted to see the diners' reactions. "Care to give it a try?" Qiu Jin'an lifted the cloche covering the plate. A beam of golden light shot into the sky, blinding him, while celestial music chimed endlessly in his ears. He turned his head and saw a group of people playing instruments nearby. "What are they doing?" "Playing music. For ambiance," the Immortal Fairy explained. Qiu Jin'an thought nothing of it. He picked up his chopsticks and pinched a piece of tofu. Just as he was about to bring it to his mouth, the tips of the chopsticks touching the tofu began sizzling with smoke and rapidly melted away. With a soft plop, the tofu fell back onto the plate. Qiu Jin'an blinked, wondering if he was hallucinating. The Immortal Fairy offered a helpful reminder from the side: "You'd better eat quickly, or the stuffed tofu will burn through the plate and the table in a moment." Qiu Jin'an suppressed the urge to flip the table and decided to try another dish. He lifted the lid of a small teabowl to reveal a milky-white fish soup, atop which floated two green leaves that highlighted the soup's freshness. The Immortal Fairy introduced, "Our sect's Tai Lake has a type of fish called the clearwater fish, an ancient remnant species. Once taken out of the lake water, this fish must be cooked immediately; if more than three shichen pass, it will spoil. At dawn today, I scooped one from Tai Lake and cooked it with meticulous care to preserve the fish meat's peak freshness. Have a taste." Then Qiu Jin'an watched as a small green fish swam back and forth inside the soup, even leaping out of the liquid and splashing back down, sending ripples across the surface and splashing a droplet of soup onto his cheek. "...Isn't this fish meat of yours a little too lively?" Qiu Jin'an once again suppressed the urge to flip the table. The Immortal Fairy said, "The fish you see isn't alive. It is a fish spirit I processed using ancient techniques, based on the clearwater fish's skeleton. Give it a poke with your spoon, and it will dissolve on its own." Qiu Jin'an carefully gave it a prod with his spoon. Sure enough, the little green fish dissolved, melting into the broth and elevating the richness of the white soup to another level. *So I really did misunderstand him,* Qiu Jin'an thought. He took a gentle sip, then immediately spat it out with a violent retch. "It's so salty! How much salt did you put in?!" The Immortal Fairy pondered seriously for a moment. "Twenty seconds." Qiu Jin'an slammed his hand onto the table, sprang to his feet, and roared, "Your Dao Seeking Sect has gone too far!"