Lu Yang thought it might be better to just sell out Luo Hongxia after all. Walking beside Eldest Senior Sister put an immense amount of pressure on him.
Eldest Senior Sister had a tall, slender figure, exquisite beauty, and an aloof demeanor. She possessed an overwhelming charm for men and women alike.
As she walked down the street, gifted prodigies from all over turned their heads to steal glances again and again.
Of course, only outsiders dared to look back; who within the Dao Seeking Sect had the courage to stare at Eldest Senior Sister?
Lu Yang was nearly eighteen, stood at one point eight meters tall, and was half a head taller than Eldest Senior Sister, yet standing beside her, he felt as if he were the shorter one.
"Big-eater competition! Entry fee of one thousand spirit stones, ten participants per group!"
"A big-eater competition?" Lu Yang was slightly surprised. Cultivators could rapidly refine whatever they consumed; how long would a contest like that even take?
He turned his head to look, only to see mountains of Fasting Pills piled on the dining table.
Lu Yang: "..."
"Pill lottery! One thousand spirit stones or ten contribution points per draw! A top-grade pill guaranteed every ten draws, and a pill-cloud pill guaranteed every hundred draws!"
A senior brother from Pill Cauldron Peak shouted at the top of his lungs, catching Lu Yang's attention.
Lu Yang noticed that Eldest Senior Sister seemed slightly tempted, so he offered proactively, "I'm going to do a few draws. Eldest Senior Sister, would you like to give it a try?"
Eldest Senior Sister looked coldly at Lu Yang, fell silent for a moment, and said, "Alright."
When the Pill Cauldron Peak senior brother saw that it was the Acting Sect Master and Eldest Senior Sister, his attitude became exceptionally warm. "Eldest Senior Sister, please take a seat. Acting Sect Master, have a seat too."
"We're here for the lottery."
Hearing this, the senior brother wore an embarrassed expression. "The lottery? I'm afraid these pills of mine aren't worthy of your discerning eyes..."
"It's fine, it's fine. We're just having a bit of fun."
As an interpreter of Eldest Senior Sister's facial expressions, Lu Yang sensed that she had taken an interest in the activity. Naturally, he couldn't dampen her spirits.
"Ten draws first." Lu Yang paid one hundred contribution points without batting an eye.
The senior brother brought out a large pill furnace with an opening at the bottom.
"Slap it ten times, and ten pills will come out."
Lu Yang complied, slapping it ten consecutive times. Ten pills rolled out one after another. Nine were rather shoddy, lacking even a smooth luster, while only one possessed a flawless appearance—the so-called top-grade pill.
"What kind of pills are these?"
Lu Yang recognized common pills, but he didn't recognize the creations from Pill Cauldron Peak.
"These nine are Heaven-Earth Fortune Pills. Infused with the Dao of Time and born of the fortunes of heaven and earth, they are full of contingency. Even with my skills, I could hardly concoct a second batch. They are pills teeming with infinite possibilities."
Lu Yang was slightly surprised, and his gaze toward the nine shoddy pills changed.
Eldest Senior Sister glanced up at the Pill Cauldron Peak senior brother and coldly uttered three words: "Tell the truth."
The senior brother shivered. Not daring to act brazenly before Eldest Senior Sister, he had to confess, "A while ago, I was refining pills and stepped out for a bit. I lost track of time, and by the time I got back, the batch was ruined.
"I thought that with the festival going on, I might as well sell them off as lottery prizes."
"Do you know that one of the conditions for my permission to host an activity was not to damage our sect's reputation?"
"Rest assured, Eldest Senior Sister! To outsiders, I claim I'm a disciple of the Five Elements Sect!" the senior brother promised, thumping his chest.
"Hmm?"
"No, no, no! I meant I'll pack up my stall and leave right away!"
Eldest Senior Sister raised a hand, stopping the senior brother who was scrambling to pack up. "No rush. I'll test my luck too.
"Here are one hundred contribution points. I'll draw ten times."
Eldest Senior Sister gave the furnace a light tap, imbued with hidden force. The energy reverberated inside the furnace, striking it another nine times.
Together, that made exactly ten hits.
Ten pills came rolling out.
These ten pills were plump and full, and three of them were wreathed in pill clouds.
Seven top-grade pills and three pill-cloud pills.
Statistically, one would have to draw three hundred times to get three pill-cloud pills.
"Not bad luck." The corner of Eldest Senior Sister's lips curled up in an imperceptible arc. She picked up one of the pill-cloud pills and put it away, giving all the rest to Lu Yang.
She hadn't used any spells; it was pure luck.
Her luck had always been excellent.
The two continued walking, searching for the reason behind the Body Integration cultivators' disappearance while enjoying various games and stalls along the way. Gradually, Lu Yang felt none of his earlier stiffness.
A master and disciple happened to pass by and caught sight of Lu Yang and Yun Zhi.
"Master, Lu Yang is about the same age and cultivation level as me. How did he become Acting Sect Master and even get to preside over the sacrificial ceremony?"
The young prodigy harbored a subtle jealousy toward Lu Yang. He came from the Qi Control Sect, one of the nine super-rank sects, and his master was none other than the Sect Master of the Qi Control Sect. He had been invited to the Dao Seeking Sect's celebration not merely because of his sect background, but also because he was one of the finalists in the tournament.
Their status on paper seemed similar, yet the difference in standing was as vast as heaven and earth, leaving him unbalanced and dissatisfied.
"Shut up!" the Qi Control Sect Master barked in a low voice, reprimanding his disciple.
The young prodigy jumped in fright. His master had always been kind and gentle with him; when had he ever scolded him like this?
The Qi Control Sect Master didn't care about his disciple's reaction. Cold sweat was pouring down his face as he stared intently toward Lu Yang.
However, his focus was not on Lu Yang, but on Yun Zhi beside him.
Although he didn't possess the exalted status of the leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects, as the head of an established super-rank sect, his standing was transcendent as well, and he was privy to certain secrets.
For instance, he had heard that several hundred years ago, a certain disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect had single-handedly defeated the sect leaders of the Four Great Immortal Sects, including the long-renowned Master Jiesha.
Who was Master Jiesha? An absolute powerhouse even among Tribulation Transcendence experts, several notches stronger than the Old Ancestor of his own sect!
If even Master Jiesha had lost, one could imagine just how terrifying that person's strength was.
And that had been several hundred years ago. With so much time having passed, he didn't even dare imagine what heights that Dao Seeking Sect disciple's cultivation had reached.
"This is the true protagonist of the struggle of the Golden Age..."
With natural talent so transcendent, none could possibly match her.
"Master..."
Seeing the terrified look in his master's eyes and hearing his muttered words, the young prodigy followed his gaze—and saw Lu Yang, who was basking in the limelight.
He had never heard his master give anyone such high praise.
The young prodigy seemed to understand something and looked toward Lu Yang with newfound awe.
Sensing someone watching her, Eldest Senior Sister turned her head to look. Seeing that it was the Qi Control Sect Master, she thought nothing of it and drew back her gaze.
"Eldest Senior Sister, is something wrong?" Lu Yang asked, thinking she had discovered something.
Eldest Senior Sister's brow knitted slightly. She had indeed noticed something she couldn't make sense of.
"Strange. Why does it feel like there are suddenly so many unfamiliar Body Integration cultivators?"
In order to host this celebration, the Dao Seeking Sect had sent wide invitations to friends, and Body Integration cultivators from all paths had answered the call, making the event exceedingly lively. What baffled Eldest Senior Sister was that as they walked, they hadn't run into many familiar Body Integration cultivators, but had encountered quite a few unfamiliar ones.
If a few unfamiliar Body Integration cultivators had blended into a large crowd of familiar ones, it would have been hard to notice. But when unfamiliar Body Integration cultivators showed up out of nowhere while familiar ones were missing, it stood out starkly.
Chapter 479