"Neither of you go up there! Lu Yang, you've had so many experiences along the way; it's finally my turn for my luck to turn around!" Meng Jingzhou stopped Lu Yang and Zhao Po, who had never intended to step onto the stage in the first place.
Before Meng Jingzhou could step up, someone beat him to it. It was a rather composed middle-aged man with a long beard, looking refined and scholarly.
The long-bearded man was well-known locally, and someone in the crowd below recognized him. "It's Master Xiang of Tenglong Academy! He founded Tenglong Academy and has taught countless xiucai and even a juren. His disciples are spread across Huangzhou, and he even has students in the imperial capital!"
"That's not all! He's also an orthodox Confucian cultivator. I heard from one of his graduated students that he had already reached the early Golden Core stage five years ago. Who knows if he's broken through since then? Countless Golden Core clans want their descendants to study under him, offering lavish apprentice gifts, but he turned them all down!"
"What? He was already in the early Golden Core stage five years ago? Then how are the rest of us supposed to compete? There's no way Fairy Qingluo can beat him!"
The cultivation world loved using the word "Fairy" to praise a female cultivator's beauty, talent, and strength. After all, in common perception, there were no women among the immortals, so people could use the title however they pleased.
Lu Yang never used "Fairy" to compliment anyone. It wasn't because he was cautious with his words, but rather because he didn't feel it was much of a compliment...
"Don't panic! Fairy Qingluo possesses dazzling talent. She reached late Foundation Establishment at only eighteen years of age, making her the youngest sect master in the history of the Yuntai Sect. Against an early Golden Core cultivator, she might still put up a fight!"
"That's great... Wait, doesn't that mean we have no chance either?"
Standing on the martial stage, Master Xiang had an elegant smile on his lips. "Sect Master Qing, please."
Qingluo let out a long sigh. "Master Xiang, didn't you read the rules? Contestants must be under twenty years old. You're in your forties! Even if I'm looking for a husband, I should at least find someone around my own age, shouldn't I?"
Dealt such a blow, Master Xiang's poetic inspiration surged, and he composed two lines on the spot: "When you were born, I was not yet born; when you were born, I was already old. You and I were simply fated never to be."
"Indeed. So could you please step down? I only paid for one day's venue fee, and time is limited."
Dejected and crestfallen, Master Xiang walked off the stage.
The cultivators who followed were much more reasonable—all talented youths under twenty, including a fair share of young women roaming the martial world disguised as men.
"This Qingluo has a solid foundation. Even if there are flaws, reaching this level of Foundation Establishment under these conditions, without proper guidance, is remarkably rare. She either stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter, or she's a natural genius."
"She really is quite good. Even in our Corpse Driving Sect, she would qualify as a true disciple and compete for the top eight, or even the top four, in the sect tournament."
Lu Yang and Zhao Po quietly evaluated Qingluo's talent.
"Why not recruit her into your Corpse Driving Sect? It's a waste for a genius like her to stay in a small place like this," Lu Yang said with a smile.
"It depends on personal choice. I can give it a shot, but it might not work. I've seen plenty of people who refuse to abandon their own sects, saying it took them in and raised them, so they can't just cast it aside."
"Besides, because of our sect's cultivation techniques, everyone in the Corpse Driving Sect has a complexion as pale as a corpse dead for days. Some cultivators refuse to join us because of that and choose other first-rank sects instead." Zhao Po pointed to his own face, which was paler than a woman's. Whether they were orthodox corpse drivers or unorthodox corpse drivers, every one of them looked like that.
Lu Yang nodded in deep agreement. When he had first met Zhao Po, he had genuinely thought Zhao Po was a living corpse.
Just as the two had said, Qingluo's foundation was rock-solid, and she found few equals among her peers. Her art of cloud control was mastered to perfection, easily defeating one ambitious youth after another.
Finally, it was Meng Jingzhou's turn to take the stage.
Meng Jingzhou wore a confident smile and walked up steadily. Just standing there, he exuded an immense aura of pressure.
"Meng Jingzhou, disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect!"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's pupils constricted, and an uproar broke out beneath the stage as endless murmurs erupted.
"The Dao Seeking Sect? The Dao Seeking Sect that stands at the head of the Five Great Immortal Sects?!"
"I heard anyone who walks out of there is an unparalleled genius, and even their restaurant owners can found a sect and be revered as patriarchs outside!"
"Why does the name Meng Jingzhou sound so familiar?"
"Seems like the Meng Jingzhou from the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony."
Hearing Meng Jingzhou's name, Lu Yang's face shifted dramatically, and he blurted out, "You mean the Meng Jingzhou who had clearly formed his core, yet still joined the competition just to win the Core Formation insights offered as a reward?"
"I heard he simply enjoys bullying people of lower cultivation realms!"
"Didn't he go to the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony to wreck the place?"
"Nah, he had no grudge against Qingzhou. He just wanted to challenge the judges."
Taking advantage of the momentum, Lu Yang added, "And he couldn't even beat the judge, so he took the initiative to jump off the stage and surrender!"
The crowd buzzed with differing versions of the story, each piece of news slightly varied, yet every single one was true.
Qingluo had an odd expression, eyeing Meng Jingzhou with undisguised contempt.
Evidently, she had heard of Meng Jingzhou's great reputation as well.
After the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony, stories about Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had swept across the Central Continent like a whirlwind, widely circulating among low-level cultivators.
However, because the tales had spread so far and wide, discrepancies had crept into the rumors.
Hearing the chatter, dark lines formed on Meng Jingzhou's forehead. His reputation was being utterly dragged through the mud.
*A cultivator must maintain a steadfast Dao heart. The outside world's opinions are like floating clouds to me... Wait, why did one of the voices in that chatter sound so familiar?*
*Whatever, forget it. Win the fight first!*
Meng Jingzhou made a welcoming gesture, inviting Qingluo to make the first move.
Meng Jingzhou naturally met the competition rules, so Qingluo could hardly say anything. She attacked first, auspicious clouds surging behind her and morphing into eighteen types of sharp weapons—axes, halberds, sabers, and tridents—which shot toward Meng Jingzhou with blistering speed!
This single move alone had caused immense trouble for the previous challengers, defeating them on the very first strike.
"What an art of cloud control!" Meng Jingzhou's eyes lit up. Facing the barrage of eighteen flying weapons, he dropped into a fist stance.
"Collapsing Fist!"
Striking out with Twin Peaks Piercing the Ears, the eighteen weapons met his fist impressions and instantly dissolved into warm, fluffy white clouds.
It wasn't that Qingluo was weak; she was simply unfortunate enough to face Meng Jingzhou.
Let alone late Foundation Establishment, even if she had been in the Golden Core stage, she still would have been no match for him.
With just three punches, Meng Jingzhou forced out all of Qingluo's hidden trump cards, leaving her with no choice but to admit defeat.
"I lose."
Qingluo accepted her defeat. Looking at Meng Jingzhou, she gritted her teeth and said, "Ancestral teachings cannot be violated. According to our ancestral teachings, whoever defeats me shall become my husband."
Meng Jingzhou's eyes brightened. "Then..."
Qingluo's gaze turned resolute as she made a decision of monumental importance to her life.
"In that case, my only choice is to abolish this ancestral teaching!"
Chapter 419