Chapter 469: The Increasingly Lively Anniversary Celebration

As these words fell from the lips of the Immortal Fairy, everyone present was seized with astonishment.

Truly worthy of being the Unspoken Daoist’s youngest disciple, dreaming of usurpation and power whilst merely in the Golden Core stage.

Even the Eldest Senior Sister cast a brief, sidelong glance in her direction.

Lu Yang covered his face, knowing well that no good ever came from attending a meeting in the Imperial Capital.

Fairy, cease this perpetual imitation of the Eldest Senior Sister; though you may mimic her speech, her capabilities remain far beyond your reach.

You wish to remain Sect Master forever, but even should Master agree, the Eldest Senior Sister never will!

Is that not so, Eldest Senior Sister?

Lu Yang turned his gaze toward her, only to find the Eldest Senior Sister wearing a look of deep contemplation, as though genuinely weighing the feasibility of the Fairy’s proposal.

The Xia Emperor let out a soft cough to steer the conversation elsewhere: "Ahem, let us speak no more of the Unspoken Daoist. We have already pried the Grand Preceptor’s location from the lips of the Great Yu Tribulation Transcension cultivator. Master Chen Tao rushed there instantly, yet alas, he was a step too late. The Grand Preceptor and his subordinates had already fled, leaving the grotto-heaven entirely bare—they even used storage rings to scrape away the very topsoil."

The Xia Emperor spoke with a touch of helplessness; the court’s swiftness had been beyond reproach, even skipping the rigors of torture to perform a direct soul-search upon the Dawn Venerable, ensuring they learned the Grand Preceptor’s location with the utmost speed.

Yet they had not factored in that the Great Yu faction was by no means inept, abandoning a perfectly good grotto-heaven without a second thought, fleeing with a celerity that rivaled the Immortal Sect’s own legendary evasiveness.

With the Nine Netherworlds Sect already thoroughly beguiled and crippled by the Heavenly Court Sect, the two successive Grand Preceptors of Great Yu undoubtedly posed the gravest hidden peril at present; to capture them a step earlier would lessen the court's burden by a fraction.

"The primary reason for gathering everyone today is to deliberate on the matter of ancient cultivators dispersing their cultivation to rebuild anew. In the past, our gaze was fixed solely upon those in the Body Integration and Tribulation Transcension stages."

"It is fortunate that Sect Master Lu, a primary witness, is present. It was only after the affair involving Huang Ming of the Corpse-Driving Sect that we realized our previous understanding was flawed. For the sake of the grand era's opportunities, these ancient cultivators are ruthless enough to attempt something as uncertain as dispersing their cultivation to rebuild."

"At present, they remain weak and pose no threat. But once given time to grow and mature, they will become a massive tribulation. They might well drive a blade into our backs at the most critical juncture, or perhaps leak vital, core intelligence."

Luo Hongxia frowned slightly, sensing the thorniness of the matter: "We recognize the problem, but is there any method by which we might resolve it?"

The Xia Emperor had gathered the assembly precisely because a few notions had formed in his mind.

"A method has occurred to me. I shall issue an imperial decree to summon the young cultivators of the realm, staging a grand tournament. It shall progress from the city level to the provincial level, and from the provincial level to the national level. All young cultivators must participate; no excuse shall be accepted as valid."

"Taking Qingzhou as an example, let Qingzhou conduct its own internal selection, choosing thirty individuals from each realm. These thirty shall represent the absolute pinnacle of Qingzhou’s youth. We shall then gather the young cultivators of all seventeen provinces for a grand tournament, allowing us to screen for any who might be ancient cultivators rebuilding their strength."

"What traits do such cultivators possess? Their combat experience is vast; the errors ordinary cultivators commit during their training are errors they will surely avoid. Furthermore, their style of combat differs from that of contemporary cultivators. Relying upon these two indicators, the probability of identifying them is exceptionally high."

It was indeed a feasible approach, yet Luo Hongxia found herself somewhat perplexed: "But what if these ancient cultivators simply concede halfway through? If they intentionally lose during the provincial matches, they will never appear before us."

The Xia Emperor shook his head: "Concede? Would a grand Body Integration cultivator of the ancient era, having chosen to rebuild, intentionally yield to an opponent of the same realm? Their pride would never permit it. Should they concede, a flaw would be rent into their mental state, rendering them incapable of achieving greatness even if their future cultivation bore fruit."

Lu Yang could well attest to this; back when he fought Huang Ming, the man had gone so far as to deploy techniques like the Spiritual Arrow in his desperation for victory. He had been willing to risk exposing his identity rather than suffer defeat at Lu Yang's hands.

"Why must it be young cultivators? Will the elderly not suffice?" The Fairy was somewhat bewildered, though she did not voice her query aloud, choosing instead to whisper it to Lu Yang.

"Think about it, Fairy," Lu Yang replied secretly. "What do these rebuilding cultivators seek? They wish to perfect every single realm before ascending to the next. How could they possibly choose to grow old while lingering in a single realm? There would be no profit in it."

"Reasonable. It aligns closely with what this Immortal was thinking."

Yang Ding, however, perceived a flaw in the design: "Then your imperial decree will be of no use. How do you intend to handle those rebuilding cultivators who simply refuse to come?"

"Those who have joined sects are easily managed. With the imperial decree hanging over them, even if they wish to refrain, the sect elders will force them to go."

"But what if we encounter those who, after dispersing their cultivation, conceal themselves within a grotto-heaven and refuse to leave, choosing not to emerge until they reach the Body Integration stage?"

"Against that, there is no recourse. If they hide within a grotto-heaven, none can discover them, and no imperial decree will avail. Yet such instances ought to be rare. To them, the Great Xia is a brand-new world. Could they truly withstand the temptation to explore this new world, to refrain from examining new theories of cultivation, or learning the distribution of current powers, focusing solely upon closed-door meditation?"

"Moreover, even if they remain hidden in a grotto-heaven and only emerge upon reaching the Body Integration stage, they would merely be solitary Body Integration cultivators. Unable to touch core intelligence, they would present no great threat."

Following the Xia Emperor's explanation, the assembly agreed that the method possessed merit. Though it could not unearth every single ancient cultivator rebuilding their strength, exposing a portion was better than none.

"Must the Immortal Sects dispatch disciples to participate?"

"They must. These rebuilding cultivators have pushed every realm to its absolute limit; ordinary cultivators may not necessarily best them. Surely we cannot allow these ancient cultivators to seize the championship?"

"The disciples of the Immortal Sects must serve as the final line of defense."

"Very well."

"It so happens that the Daoist Sect is about to hold a grand celebration. The final grand tournament—the national-level competition—could well be situated at the Daoist Sect. I wonder what Sect Master Lu thinks of this?" The Xia Emperor turned his head to ask Lu Yang.

"Of course, there is no issue," the Immortal Fairy agreed readily. She had just received Yun Zhi’s nod of approval, confirming it could be done.

The more people there were, the livelier the celebration would be, and the better it would demonstrate her capabilities as the Acting Sect Master!

Luo Hongxia, observing the gleeful countenance of the Immortal Fairy, offered a suggestion: "By the way, Sect Master Lu defeated the rebuilding Huang Ming while in the same realm, and Sect Master Qiu spoke of you with nothing but praise. I wonder if Sect Master Lu would be willing to display a fraction of your ultimate techniques?"

Though termed a display, her true intent was merely to teach Lu Yang a minor lesson; the chastisement would not be severe, and Yun Zhi would say nothing against it.

The Immortal Fairy assumed a look of hesitation: "The great bullying the small... surely that is unbecoming?"

She was a grand Immortal; to fight a Body Integration cultivator would mean battling across two entire major realms.

Luo Hongxia misunderstood the Fairy's hesitation, assuming she believed a contest between a Body Integration stage and a Golden Core stage to be inherently unfair.

She drew a small, circular box from her storage ring: "This is a supreme treasure of the Celestial Laurel Palace. It can adjust both your realm and mine to the exact same level, ensuring absolute fairness!"

As the master of the Celestial Laurel Palace and a pinnacle Body Integration cultivator, even if adjusted to the same realm as Lu Yang, she could still handle him with ease.

What did it matter if Lu Yang could defeat an ancient rebuilding cultivator? Only those with shaky foundations resorted to such methods; she was vastly superior to those ancient, rebuilding cultivators!