Sect Master Lu and Young Cult Master Lu had fought to a draw, allowing the prodigies of the current age to hold their heads high at last, sweeping away the gloom that had weighed on their hearts.
The cultivators who had dispersed their cultivation to start anew, however, wore grave expressions. Ahead of them stood ancient prodigies from the Heavenly Court; behind them were the brilliant talents of the present age. Caught in the middle, they feared there would be no place for them when the final curtain fell on the struggle of the Golden Age.
Up in the stands, Qiu Jin'an withdrew his gaze, replaying the duel in his mind before letting out a slow breath. "The youth are truly terrifying."
Jiang Qun asked curiously, "Are you saying Sect Master Lu possesses such formidable combat strength at such a young age?"
"No. I'm saying he's even better at swindling people than Old Scoundrel Buyu."
"When Old Scoundrel Buyu was his age, his tricks were still clumsy. Of course, I was pretty green back then too, falling for his schemes time and time again."
"Lu Yang is different. This deception was seamless. He didn't just trick a handful of people—he fooled the entire world."
Jiang Qun: "..."
He felt profoundly fortunate to have been born late, spared from living in the same era as Daoist Buyu. How miserable would that have been?
"Still, the lad has one good trait: he only swindles outsiders and never screws over his own people."
"I need to make Bai Ming spend more time with Lu Yang. Bai Ming is talented enough and relatively sharp, but stacked against Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, he falls far short."
Yang Ding chimed in, "Tianzhi is even worse than Bai Ming—a bit of a stubborn blockhead. He needs to learn from Lu Yang as well."
Luo Hongxia, on the other hand, had no intention of letting her prized disciple get close to that boy. Get any closer, and who knew what might happen?
Master Jiesha likewise dared not let his disciple associate too closely with Lu Yang. Monks did not utter falsehoods; he could not have his disciple led astray by Lu Yang's bad habits.
The Immortal Fairy resumed control of Lu Yang's body, happily returning to the center of the judging panel.
"Is everyone busy? Shall we continue the matches?"
The tournament was only halfway through, with several divisions left to go.
The competition proceeded in an orderly fashion—the late Golden Core group, the early Nascent Soul group... From time to time, shocking cultivators emerged. It was not that their combat prowess was astounding, but rather that their ideas were truly mind-boggling.
The Luoshui Guards and the immortal sects quietly observed the competitors, watching for who might be an ancient cultivator who had dispersed their cultivation to start anew, who might be an expert playing the pig to eat the tiger, or what other strange anomaly might be lurking—like Kong Hao, who had an old Taowu sealed within him.
The Immortal Fairy and the sect masters also discussed suspicious contenders.
As the tournament drew to a close, a roster was finalized, leaving the remaining matters to the imperial court to investigate their life histories.
After ten long days of thrilling clashes, the tournament concluded, and the Dao Seeking Sect's celebration officially drew to a close.
"It's finally over."
Lu Yang let out a long breath. He had been running around for the entire celebration, while the Immortal Fairy hadn't helped in the slightest.
"Second-in-Command, well done!" The Immortal Fairy was generous with verbal praise.
Lu Yang dared not claim any credit, replying politely, "It's all thanks to Fairy's utter lack of personnel management, taking a single person and working him half to death."
"Sect Master Lu, when you visit the imperial capital in the future, you must come to my manor! I will entertain you properly!"
The Eldest Prince could tell Lu Yang was a capable talent who would be a tremendous help when the time came to shirk the imperial throne.
Not to mention, Sect Master Lu could casually call Yun Zhi "Girl Yun." He dared not even ponder the depth of that relationship.
***
With the celebration over, the final phase—dividing the spoils—was underway.
Flanked by the crowd, Luo Hongxia produced the tightly wrapped treasure box.
"Gentle now, don't damage the treasure box."
"...This is my Immortal Palace's supreme treasure, not your cosmetic case."
Luo Hongxia activated the box. It shot out beams of light, pulling everyone inside.
Within the treasure box, the Great Yu cultivators were still throwing themselves against the barrier. Three Tribulation Transcendence experts joined forces, their earth-shattering moves unleashing tremendous force, yet against a treasure box sealed by a single drop of Yun Zhi's blood, their efforts proved entirely futile.
"Don't panic, everyone! The Imperial Preceptor is still outside! A battle might already have broken out, and the Imperial Preceptor will come to save us!" Venerable Black and White rallied the others.
He had calculated the time; the celebration was drawing to a close, making it the perfect opportunity for the Imperial Preceptor to strike.
"Look, the seal is broken!" Venerable Black and White pointed at the light nearby, shouting in delight as hope rekindled in the hearts of the Great Yu cultivators.
To their shock, once the seal lifted, what greeted them was a flood of Great Xia cultivators plunging in like dumplings into boiling broth.
"My Lock Heart Sect contributed greatly during the capture! We deserve one Great Yu cultivator!"
"Hey, hey, Old Li, did you forget you lost all your Great Yu cultivators to my Void Shattering Sect during the tournament?"
"Watch your mouth! Gambling is illegal—who gambled with you?"
"...Do you have any shame at all?"
"Hear me out, everyone. Let's sit down and calmly discuss how to divide the Great Yu cultivators." As a newly ascended Tribulation Transcendence expert, Lu Baqian took the initiative to step forward and maintain order.
With everyone's interests at stake, arguments raged fiercely until faces turned red. Fortunately, Lu Baqian stepped in, successfully redirecting the crowd's attention.
The crowd focused their fire and gave Lu Baqian a good beating before Venerable Yiqi finally stepped forward to take charge of the situation.
Lu Yang yawned his way through the discussion, paying little heed to the outcome. He only knew that the strongest among the Great Yu cultivators, Venerable Black and White, was allotted to the Dao Seeking Sect.
As for the rest, he let them continue arguing.
"Right, Venerable, what did you decide to do with the old Taowu?" Lu Yang asked Venerable Yiqi before leaving the treasure box.
Back then, in his identity as Young Cult Master Lu, it had been inconvenient for him to show concern for Kong Hao's situation.
"The kid Kong Hao said he wants to keep the old Taowu sealed and live with it in peace. He believes he can eventually reform it and become friends."
"Fair enough. I suppose that's one way to go." Lu Yang felt a slight pang of concern for Kong Hao.
The old Taowu was nothing like the Immortal Fairy. The Immortal Fairy was lovely, kind-hearted, adored by all, completely harmless, and would never hurt him. An ancient beast like the old Taowu, on the other hand, was bound to plot against Kong Hao sooner or later.
Still, it was Kong Hao's own choice, and Lu Yang could hardly interfere.
Eldest Senior Sister carried Venerable Black and White and Lu Yang out of the treasure box.
"Come to think of it, where did the Imperial Preceptor go?"
Once out of the box, Lu Yang suddenly remembered that the Imperial Preceptor had never shown his face from start to finish, and Eldest Senior Sister hadn't found him either.
Lu Yang had assumed trouble would brew toward the end of the celebration and had stayed vigilant for half the day, yet nothing had happened.
"Strange. Did he sense something was off and slip away beforehand?" Lu Yang thought to himself that this Imperial Preceptor was truly difficult to pin down.
"Hm? We're at the barbecue shop?" Lu Yang looked up and found himself right outside the eatery. Master Liu and Master Gao were packing up the grill, the three ghosts Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Qi were clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, and the Cult Master was sweeping and mopping the floor, wrapping up for the night.
Lu Yang had hoped to grab a bite to eat, but seeing them like this, he didn't want to make them reopen.
"Lu Yang, you're here! Come on in!" The Cult Master warmly invited Lu Yang inside.
Within the Dao Seeking Sect, Lu Yang was their backer.
*Come to think of it, why am I so warm toward Lu Yang? Is it because he's Yun Zhi's junior brother? It feels like there's another reason.*
*Who was it that told me to be polite to Lu Yang—even more polite than toward him?*
*Who said that to me?*
Seeing the Cult Master zoning out, Lu Yang asked curiously, "Is something the matter?"
The Cult Master snapped back to reality, realizing his lapse in manners. "Oh, nothing at all. Please, have a seat."
Lu Yang glanced around, feeling someone was missing. "Where is the Immortal Celestial? At the breeding farm?"
"Who?"
Chapter 501