Chapter 501: Conclusion of the Celebration

As Sect Master Lu and Young Cult Leader Lu fought to a draw, the assembled geniuses felt a sudden surge of pride, completely sweeping away the stifling gloom in their hearts.

The cultivators who had dispersed their cultivation to start anew bore solemn expressions; caught between the prodigies of the ancient Heavenly Court before them and the geniuses of the present era behind them, they feared the climax of this grand age would leave no room for them.

From the spectators' stand, Qiu Jin'an withdrew his gaze, savoring the course of the battle just past, and slowly exhaled, "The youth are indeed to be feared."

Jiang Qun asked curiously, "Do you mean because Sect Master Lu possesses such formidable combat strength at such a tender age?"

"No, I mean he is even more of a deceiver than that old scoundrel Buyu."

"When that old rogue Buyu was his age, his tricks were still quite immature—though, of course, I was rather green myself back then, falling for them time after time."

"Lu Yang is different; his deception is seamless. He isn't just tricking a handful of people—he has hoodwinked the entire world."

Jiang Qun: "..."

He felt incredibly fortunate to have been born late, spared from sharing an era with Daoist Buyu, or else how wretched would his luck have been?

"But there is one good thing about this lad Lu Yang: when he deceives, he only deceives outsiders, never swindling his own people."

"I must have Bai Ming associate with Lu Yang more often. The boy's talent is decent and his mind is fairly sharp, but compared to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, he falls far short."

Yang Ding chimed in, "Tianzhi is even lesser than Bai Ming, a bit single-minded. He too needs to learn much from Lu Yang."

Luo Hongxia, however, would never allow her beloved disciple to get close to this boy Lu Yang—if they grew any closer, who knew what disaster might unfold?

Master Jiesha likewise dared not let his disciple wander too close to Lu Yang; those in holy orders do not speak falsehoods, and he absolutely could not let his disciple be corrupted by Lu Yang.

The Immortal Fairy re-assumed control of Lu Yang's body and returned to the center of the judges' bench with a cheerful countenance.

"Is everyone busy? Shall the tournament proceed?"

The tournament was only halfway through, with several groups of matches still to follow.

The matches progressed in an orderly fashion—the late Golden Core group, the early Nascent Soul group... from time to time, shocking cultivators would appear, remarkable not for their staggering combat power, but for their astounding ideas.

The Luoshui Guards and the Immortal Sects secretly observed those taking the stage, discerning who might be ancient cultivators restarting their paths, who might be mighty experts playing the pig to eat the tiger, or what other bizarre abnormalities existed, such as Kong Hao, who had the ancient beast Wuwu sealed within him.

The Immortal Fairy and the master of the Immortal Sect were also discussing the suspicious cultivators.

As the tournament drew to its close, the roster was compiled, leaving the remaining matters to the imperial court to investigate the backgrounds of these individuals.

After ten long days of magnificent rivalry, the tournament concluded, and the Grand Celebration of the Seeking Dao Sect drew its curtains closed.

"It is finally over."

Lu Yang let out a long breath; he had been bustling about for the entirety of this celebration, while the Immortal Fairy had not been of the slightest assistance.

"Second-in-command, a job well done!" The Immortal Fairy was not stingy with her verbal praise.

Lu Yang dared not claim credit, replying in haste and with forced politeness, "It is all thanks to your utterly inept management, Fairy, driving a single soul to the brink of death."

"Sect Master Lu, when you come to the Imperial Capital in the future, you must visit my manor so I may properly entertain you!"

The First Prince could see that Lu Yang was a man of rare talent, bound to be a great ally when it came time to deflect the imperial throne in the future.

Not to mention that Sect Master Lu could affectionately address Yun Zhi as "Girl Yun"—a relationship whose depths he dared not even ponder.

With the celebration ended, the final segment of dividing the spoils was underway.

Luo Hongxia, surrounded by the crowd, produced a tightly wrapped, precious treasure box.

"Move gently, do not damage the treasure box."

"...This is a supreme treasure of my Immortal Palace, not your personal vanity case."

Luo Hongxia activated the treasure box, which emitted beams of light, drawing everyone inside.

Inside the box, the Dayu cultivators were still desperately battering against the barriers; three Tribulation Transcendence experts combined their forces in world-shaking techniques, yet against a treasure box sealed by a single drop of Yun Zhi's blood, it was entirely to no avail.

"Do not fear, everyone! The Grand Preceptor is still outside. Perhaps a battle has already broken out out there, and the Grand Preceptor will surely come to our rescue!" the Black-White Venerable heartened the crowd.

He calculated the time; the celebration was near its end, making it the perfect opportunity for the Grand Preceptor to strike.

"Look, the seal is breaking." The Black-White Venerable pointed toward a distant light and cried out in pleasant surprise, rekindling hope in the hearts of the Dayu cultivators.

Yet, to their dismay, once the seal dissolved, what they faced was a torrent of Great Xia cultivators pouring in like dumplings into a pot.

"My Lock-Heart Sect contributed greatly during the capture; we deserve a Dayu cultivator!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Old Li, did you forget you gambled away all your Dayu cultivators to my Void-Shattering Sect during the tournament?"

"Watch your words, gambling is illegal—who gambled with you?"

"...Have you no shame?"

"Take my advice, let us all sit down and calmly discuss how to divide the Dayu cultivators." As a newly ascended Tribulation Transcendence expert, Lu Baqian stepped forward on his own initiative to restore order.

Where their own interests were concerned, everyone argued endlessly until their faces turned red; fortunately, Lu Baqian's intervention shifted the collective attention.

The crowd combined their efforts to give Lu Baqian a sound thrashing, and only then did Venerable Yi step forward to manage the situation.

The ongoing discussions made Lu Yang yawn incessantly; caring little for the final outcome, he only knew that the Black-White Venerable, the strongest among the Dayu cultivators, had been allocated to the Seeking Dao Sect.

As for the rest, they were left to continue their debates.

"By the way, Venerable, what have you decided to do with old Wuwu?" Lu Yang inquired of Venerable Yi before departing from the treasure box.

His identity at the time had been Young Cult Leader Lu, making it awkward for him to pay attention to Kong Hao's circumstances.

"That lad Kong Hao said he wants to keep Wuwu sealed and live in peaceful coexistence with him. He believes he can eventually move Wuwu through virtue and become friends."

"Very well, that is a choice as well." Lu Yang was somewhat worried about Kong Hao.

Wuwu fell far short of the Immortal Fairy; she was beautiful and kind, beloved by all, harmless to man and beast, and would never harm him, whereas an ancient demon like Wuwu might plot against Kong Hao at any given moment.

Yet this was Kong Hao's own choice after all, and it was not his place to interfere.

The Eldest Senior Sister carried the Black-White Venerable and Lu Yang as they departed from the treasure box.

"Speaking of which, where on earth did the Grand Preceptor go?"

Upon leaving the treasure box, Lu Yang suddenly recalled that the Grand Preceptor had not shown his face from start to finish, and even his Eldest Senior Sister had failed to find him.

He had expected trouble to brew at the tail end of the celebration, remaining on high alert for quite some time, but nothing had stirred.

"Strange indeed. Could it be he sensed something amiss and fled beforehand?" Lu Yang thought to himself that this Grand Preceptor was truly a slippery adversary.

"Oh? Have we reached the barbecue shop?" Lu Yang raised his head and found himself right at the barbecue shop. Master Liu and Master Gao were packing up the grills, the three ghosts Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Qi were clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, and the Cult Leader was sweeping and mopping the floor—a perfect picture of closing up for the night.

He had hoped to grab a bite to eat, but seeing them in this state, it was best not to make them reopen.

"Lu Yang is here! Please, come inside quickly." The Cult Leader warmly invited Lu Yang in.

Within the Seeking Dao Sect, Lu Yang was their pillar of support.

Come to think of it, why am I so warm toward Lu Yang? Is it merely because he is Yun Zhi's junior brother, or does it feel like there is some other reason?

Who was it that urged me to be thoroughly polite to Lu Yang, even more polite than to himself?

Who could have said those words to me?

Seeing the Cult Leader dazed, Lu Yang inquired with some curiosity, "Is anything the matter?"

The Cult Leader snapped out of his daze, realizing his breach of etiquette. "Oh, it is nothing. Please, take a seat."

Lu Yang glanced around and felt someone was missing. "Where is the Immortal of Eternity? Is he at the breeding farm?"

"Who?"

I highly recommend a book written by a fellow reader. It is one of the very few—perhaps even the only one on Qidian—to deliver a pure, unadulterated tale of rules-based cosmic horror. The author mentions that before even putting pen to paper, the entire chain of logic was thoroughly deduced into a flawless, closed loop. If this piques your curiosity, it is well worth your time.