The Four Ancient Celestials had frequently been invited by the Immortal Fairy as guests at her celestial residence to savor rare delicacies.
Because of the peculiar nature of the Immortal Fairy's cooking, the standards for both the ingredients and tableware were exceptionally demanding.
Chopsticks, bowls, tablecloths... all of them were indestructible through countless tribulations, having withstood the dual trials of time and the mortal realm. They were, in every sense, extraordinarily precious.
Inevitably, this tableware was imbued with the aura of the five immortals.
"This just goes to show how invincible we Five Ancient Celestials truly were! Without lifting a finger, just by sitting there, we could imbue objects with our aura so deeply that it hasn't faded even after three hundred thousand years!" the Immortal Fairy boasted shamelessly, showering herself with praise.
Or perhaps seeing an old relic had simply put her in high spirits.
Lu Yang: "..."
Still, thinking it through, it wasn't all bad. Securing an immortal's possession for a mere four thousand spirit stones was an absolute steal.
Besides, this cloth was indestructible—an absolute treasure.
"A pity, though. You can't use this cloth," the Immortal Fairy added regretfully, choking Lu Yang mid-thought.
"Why?"
"I refined this tablecloth back in the day. Even though I died once, the fact that it was refined doesn't just vanish, so only I can use it."
"So in the end, I spent four thousand spirit stones and asked Junior Sister Tao to bid on it just to buy you a tablecloth?!"
"Second-in-Command, I will remember your kindness," the Immortal Fairy said with utter sincerity.
In the real world, Tao Yaoye watched Lu Yang's expression after receiving the red silk. It shifted from excitement to disappointment, then reignited with hope, only to shatter again—a remarkably rich spectrum of emotions.
"Senior Brother Lu, what's the matter?"
Lu Yang sighed. "Nothing. Just got taken for a massive sucker."
As he spoke, he tried to store the tablecloth inside his identity jade pendant.
It failed.
"Fairy, do you mind letting your tablecloth enter my identity jade pendant?"
"Oh, sure."
Because the tablecloth belonged to the Immortal Fairy, it couldn't be placed directly into the identity jade pendant without her consent.
After the attendant handed Meng Jingzhou the spirit stones from auctioning the Twin Conjoined Lotus, he presented three talismans enclosed in a jade box.
Three Soul Formation-grade Directional Teleportation Talismans. They could allow someone to escape an attack by a Soul Formation-stage great demon, or banish a Soul Formation great demon straight to the Demon Quelling Pass to meet its doom, among various other applications.
"Let's go. Time to head into the dense forest for our training," Lu Yang called out to the group.
The four had not forgotten why they had come to the forest. Leaving the auction house behind, they set off straight into the dense forest.
This time, the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain did not accompany them.
Lu Yang had discussed it with the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain. The early to mid Golden Core demon beasts commonly encountered on the forest's outskirts posed little challenge to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.
If they truly wanted to gain meaningful training, they needed to venture deeper into the gathering grounds of late Golden Core demon beasts.
As a result, the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain lacked the cultivation to guarantee their own safety. Moreover, having operated exclusively along the perimeter for years, they knew little about the deeper reaches of the forest, meaning there was little help they could offer anyway.
"Senior Brother Lu, isn't jumping straight into fighting late Golden Core demon beasts moving a bit too fast? Shouldn't we start with late Foundation Establishment beasts first?" Tao Yaoye asked, looking somewhat worried.
She and Man Gu had only just reached late Foundation Establishment. They should be taking things one step at a time, starting with battles at their own level.
The peers Tao Yaoye had sparred with were either Lu Yang or the Five Elements Sect's strongest Foundation Establishment disciple, and she hadn't won a single match.
Furthermore, as the possessor of the Feathering Immortal Physique, she was supposed to be more gifted than single spiritual roots, yet she only ranked third in their cohort. Consequently, she had very little confidence in her own combat ability.
Lu Yang chuckled. "Have a little more confidence in yourself, Junior Sister Tao. You're one of the supreme prodigies of our generation. Scarcely anyone in Foundation Establishment could best you, and fighting above your realm isn't as daunting as you think.
"Never mind Foundation Establishment demon beasts—even against early or mid Golden Core beasts, you're guaranteed to win. If that's all we fight, it defeats the whole purpose of training."
Beside them, Man Gu came to a sudden realization. "And here I thought Brother Lu was heading into the forest depths just because you were worried about running into all those enemies you shaved bald back where we were, bringing on a heap of trouble! Looks like my thinking was far too shallow!"
Lu Yang: "..."
Why did you have to go and blurt out the blunt truth?
Right now, the forest's outskirts were swarming with Lu Yang's enemies. The moment he dared show his face, countless cultivators would chase him down.
"By the way, Junior Sister Tao, could you cast an illusion?"
"What kind of illusion?"
Lu Yang rubbed his newly sprouting stubble and gave an embarrassed smile. "Just an illusion that makes us perceive our hair to be as full as before."
Meng Jingzhou nodded along vigorously.
Tao Yaoye: "...Fine."
With a slight gesture, she drew all four of them into an illusion. The sole difference between the illusion and reality was that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou now possessed thick, luscious heads of hair.
"I'll find a late Golden Core demon beast first to let Junior Sister get some practice," Lu Yang said. Then, in his spiritual space, he asked the Immortal Fairy to expand her celestial sense and locate the nearest late Golden Core demon beast.
"Fairy, please."
"I can help, but I'd like to activate that little Barbarian kid's barbarian bloodline first." It was rare for the Immortal Fairy to see one of her own masterpieces, and she felt like lending a hand.
The Barbarian clan lacked detailed records of the Ancient Barbarian race; otherwise, Man Gu wouldn't have been completely unaware of the Immortal Fairy's existence.
Moreover, Man Gu had no idea how to activate his Ancient Barbarian bloodline, currently fumbling through gradual exploration.
In the past, the Ancient Barbarians relied on their bloodlines gradually awakening as their cultivation grew, which was far too inefficient.
With the Immortal Fairy's aid, the process of awakening the Ancient Barbarian bloodline could be drastically shortened.
"Once his Ancient Barbarian bloodline is awakened, this little Barbarian kid will have an overwhelming advantage against demon beasts, which will be a huge help to you all!"
Lu Yang considered it and thought she had a point.
"Man Gu, I'm going to tell you how to awaken your Ancient Barbarian bloodline now. Get ready."
Though Man Gu had no idea how Brother Lu knew how to awaken his bloodline, he trusted that Brother Lu wouldn't deceive him.
"Alright, I'm ready."
In the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy spoke a sentence, and Lu Yang relayed it to Man Gu word for word in the real world.
"The Ancient Barbarian bloodline originates from the Immortal Fairy; it is a celestial's blessing. You must spread your arms wide and shout, 'May the Immortal Fairy live forever!' Shout it three times, and your body will grow hot—that is the initial manifestation of your bloodline awakening."
Hearing this, Man Gu was astounded. He never imagined that their Ancient Barbarian race had actually originated from the Immortal Fairy.
"Next, you must sing praises of the Immortal Fairy's exalted status, hailing her as supreme, the leader of the Five Celestials, peerless and irreplaceable.
"You must sing these praises three times as well.
"Did you get all that?" Lu Yang had figured it out—this awakening ritual was practically just an exercise in flattering the Immortal Fairy.
"Uh... what was the first line again? May the Immortal Fairy pass away forever?"
"It's 'May the Immortal Fairy live forever'!"
Man Gu spread his arms wide and shouted toward the sky:
"May the Immortal Fairy live forever!"
"May the Immortal Fairy live forever!"
"May the Immortal Fairy live forever!"
Three heartfelt roars startled the birds in the surrounding trees into taking flight.
As the awakening ritual proceeded step by step, Man Gu felt the bloodline inside him boil as if catching fire.
His skin flushed crimson. Writhing in agony, his face twisted in a ferocious grimace, his teeth bared as soybean-sized beads of sweat broke out across his forehead. He felt as though his entire body was on the verge of exploding.
"Hoo... hoo..." Man Gu's bloodline gradually calmed, and the gut-wrenching pain slowly receded.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel brimming with power from head to toe!"
"Then that's—"
Before Lu Yang could finish saying "great," the rumbling thud of stampeding demon beasts reached their ears from not far off.
The noise didn't come from just one direction—it came from every quarter, all converging on this exact spot.
Boom!
Trees snapped and tumbled. A demon beast clad in heavy scales burst through, its eyes bloodshot as it locked its gaze onto Man Gu with deadly intensity.
Boom!
Behind the four, another demon beast charged out, glaring at Man Gu as though staring down a bitter nemesis.
One Golden Core demon beast emerged after another, encircling the four on all sides.
The demon beasts' objective was crystal clear: Man Gu.
"Senior Brother, is this what you meant by finding a late Golden Core beast first for me to practice on?" Tao Yaoye whispered, never having seen such an overwhelming scene.
"Fairy, what's going on?!" Lu Yang realized something had gone horribly wrong with Man Gu's Ancient Barbarian bloodline.
"Well, it seems the Ancient Barbarian bloodline wasn't fully activated. Instead of suppressing the demon beasts, it infuriated them... No worries, this is entirely within my expectations!"
"Fairy, look into my eyes and say that again."
Her conscience prickling, the Immortal Fairy let her gaze drift guiltily aside. "This is... a celestial trial."
Chapter 259