Chapter 130: How Did He Hear It?
The distance to the secret realm was negligible now. From afar, the flying boats of the various great sects could already be seen suspended in mid-air.
By the time Feng Shi arrived leading the disciples of the Chongshan Sect, many people were already engaged in spars with one another.
The secret realm had not yet opened, making this the prime time for the sects to engage in silent posturing and tests of strength.
Feng Shi rarely left the sect gates and habitually concealed his true strength; consequently, very few people actually recognized him. Most had only heard his name, though a few female cultivators or idle wanderers had seen his portrait on the cultivation rankings.
Perhaps because they had never seen the man in person, that portrait bore almost no resemblance to him.
In fact, it would be more accurate to say it had absolutely nothing to do with the real Feng Shi.
The general consensus was that his position as number one was likely a result of people overhyping his reputation.
The reason the Sect Leader had appointed him as the team leader this time was precisely to allow him to show his face in the cultivation world.
The members of the Chongshan Sect were all clad in their disciple uniforms. As they drew near, disciples from the Yushui Immortal Sect, dressed in pale gold silk robes, recognized them and stepped forward to receive them.
Feng Shi handed over the command token the Sect Leader had entrusted to him.
After verifying the token, the disciple immediately bowed respectfully. “Please follow me, everyone.”
Although the Chongshan Sect was the number one sect, they usually maintained a low profile. They didn’t feel the need to flaunt their flying boats like other sects, nor did they try to squeeze into the center when space was limited.
For the disciples of the Chongshan Sect, simply standing there in their uniforms made them the ultimate “kings of posturing” without even trying.
Consequently, they drew many gazes along the way, with Feng Shi—standing at the head of the group—receiving the brunt of the attention.
The younger generation of cultivators whispered among themselves.
“Chongshan Sect didn’t bring many people this time. The leader looks very unfamiliar… is he an Elder?”
“Probably not. He doesn’t look particularly powerful. And look, he’s wearing a disciple uniform.”
Hearing this, the surrounding people couldn’t help but chuckle mockingly, their words dripping with derision. “What’s going on? Has the Chongshan Sect run out of people this year? Why send a mere disciple to lead the team…”
“Exactly. In past trials, they always took the lion’s share of the benefits. I think they’re in trouble this time. How much capability can one disciple have? Hahaha!”
“…”
Feng Shi glanced sideways, a faint smile on his face. His voice was calm and indifferent. “Gentlemen, I’m still standing right here.”
“If you want to talk behind someone’s back, at least wait until they’ve actually left.”
He infused his words with spiritual power, ensuring that everyone gossiping could hear him clearly.
The disciples who had been dissing them went silent, looking sheepish. However, their expressions soon turned strange. Once Feng Shi was far enough away, a few of them whispered in incredibly low voices:
“Weren’t we using Chuan Yin (Voice Transmission) just now…?”
“How the hell did he hear us…?”
The seal on this secret realm had originally been placed by several great sects together; naturally, it required the combined power of their Sect Leaders to open it.
Therefore, after the other disciples were settled, Feng Shi was led to meet the accompanying Elder of the Yushui Immortal Sect.
Unexpectedly, this Elder didn’t look very old. He was quite handsome and had clearly been a genius who formed his Jindan (Golden Core) at a young age.
The system indicated his cultivation was at the middle stage of Yuanying (Nascent Soul), but he was already over fifty years old.
Upon first seeing Feng Shi, a flash of amazement crossed the man’s face. It was unclear whether he was impressed by his high cultivation at such a young age or simply struck by his appearance.
However, the admiration in the man’s eyes was quickly suppressed, replaced by a smile that seemed somewhat forced for reasons unknown.
“Young friend Liu, I heard of your reputation as a genius of the Chongshan Sect long ago. Seeing you today, it is clear the rumors are true.”
It was all polite filler.
Feng Shi remained calm, bowing with dignified grace. “Thank you for the praise, Elder. It is merely empty talk.”
After speaking, he presented the command token, having no desire to linger.
Chapter 131: Practicing All Three
The Elder of the Yushui Immortal Sect was named Quan Xinghai.
At this moment, besides Feng Shi and Quan Xinghai, several Elders from other sects were present in the hall. From the moment Feng Shi entered, they had been sizing him up, some openly and others covertly.
Once Feng Shi handed over the token, their gazes became even more unrestrained.
Feng Shi disliked these types of occasions and had no wish to engage in superficial pleasantries with this group of scheming old men. After fulfilling the necessary etiquette, he prepared to withdraw.
However, before he could even exit the door, the undisguised mockery of those old fogies drifted from behind him.
“Hmph! A mere brat, yet so arrogant! I’d like to see how many of these Chongshan Sect kids actually make it out alive this time!”
“Indeed! Hahaha! Never mind some once-in-a-millennium genius—if he’s not careful and dies in that secret realm, wouldn’t it be a laughingstock?”
As they spoke, several of them burst into laughter. The malice in their words was obvious, and they didn’t care if Feng Shi heard.
On the platform, Quan Xinghai offered a few words of half-hearted mediation. “Elders, a joke is fine, but let’s not damage our harmony. I see that young friend Liu has extraordinary talent; his performance on this trip shouldn’t be too bad.”
Hearing him say this, several of them became displeased. The thick-browed Elder who had spoken first even slapped the table and cursed directly: “Quan Xinghai, quit acting like a hypocritical ‘good guy’!”
“And who do you think you are? You’re nothing but a lapdog for Yushui!”
Upon hearing this, Quan Xinghai’s expression instantly soured, and he struggled to maintain his smile.
At the doorway, Feng Shi slowed his pace as he listened to their dialogue.
The Chongshan Sect had held the position of the number one immortal sect for centuries. It was only natural for these perennial runners-up to be jealous. Usually, they wouldn’t dare speak out of turn due to the sect’s reputation and strength.
Now, seeing that Feng Shi was young and his cultivation didn’t seem high, they seized the opportunity to act tough and vent their frustrations.
But they didn’t know that Feng Shi was not the type to endure in silence.
Especially when facing people who were even “weaker” than himself.
“Qingqing, prepare the items,” Feng Shi said, a slight smile playing on his lips, though his eyes remained cold.
Qingqing materialized in mid-air. Without needing further instruction, its small hands flew across the interface.
[Understood, Host!]
[The following items are available for selection. Which one will give you the most satisfaction?]
Feng Shi glanced at the sales rankings.
The first one:
[Item: “Vile Demon! Reveal Your True Form!”]
[Function: Those affected by this item will be under the effects of “Truth-telling” + “Actions follow the Heart” for two hours.]
[Note: If you can’t stand a certain hypocrite, use this item to punish them severely! Guaranteed to make them show their most hideous side! Of course, it can also be used on a crush to see if they have feelings for you~]
“Mm, looks pretty good.” Feng Shi habitually scrolled through the reviews and photos.
Good heavens—White Lotuses, Black Lotuses, Black-bellied types, and even Vicious Villains all revealed their true colors.
Comment: “Very effective. Used it to crush the Male Lead and ended up with the Villain.”
“This is it. Give me a wholesale pack!”
[You got it!] Qingqing clicked ‘buy’ gleefully.
[Item ready. Does the Host confirm a group cast?]
Feng Shi smiled, his gaze sweeping over those sanctimonious old fools. His voice was as light as a feather. “Of course.”
Once the item was applied, he didn’t linger and returned to the Chongshan Sect camp.
Before long, all the participating sects had arrived.
However, even though everyone was there, the secret realm remained closed.
As noon approached and the sun grew scorching, the surrounding disciples couldn’t help but complain: “What’s going on? Where are the Yushui people?”
Feng Shi was leisurely eating fruit. He gave a cold laugh. “Those people are probably in total chaos right now. They don’t have time to open the secret realm.”
Just as he spoke, a commotion suddenly erupted not far away.
Feng Shi looked in the direction of everyone’s gaze.
In the air, two tiny figures were suspended.
One male, one female.
The male was the hot-tempered, thick-browed Elder from earlier, while the female looked young and was still wearing a disciple uniform.
Seeing this, Feng Shi immediately sat up straight. He snatched a handful of melon seeds from Shen Songhe’s hand and looked up with great interest. “Oh ho! I didn’t expect a Master-Disciple script! Spicy, spicy!”
Ruan Ping agreed. “Exactly! And he’s an ugly old cow trying to eat tender grass!” As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled out a notebook and started scribbling furiously.
Shen Songhe: “…”
At that moment, the two figures in the sky finally spoke.
Feng Shi heard them perfectly, but fearing others might miss it, he kindly bought an amplification item so everyone below could hear.
“Disciple, the truth is… your Master has had feelings for you for a long time…”
“Why?” The old man let out a lecherous giggle and rubbed his hands together crudely. “It’s because you’re just so… ‘stacked’! How could I possibly control myself…”
“Let you go? Never!”
“No, don’t die. I don’t want you to die…”
As he spoke, he lunged at the young disciple he had immobilized in mid-air and successfully buried his face in her chest.
The crowd: “…What a shameless old monster!”
Truly, his hideous side was on full display.
Feng Shi finally couldn’t help but burst into laughter, feeling immensely satisfied.
If you like gossiping behind people’s backs, then go ahead and say everything at once. And he wanted to follow the trend of Master-Disciple love? He should have looked in a mirror to see if he was worthy.
However, the show didn’t last long.
The item’s duration expired.
When the thick-browed Elder regained his senses, he was beyond humiliated. He grabbed his disciple and fled in panic, with a string of curses trailing behind him.
A moment later, the entrance to the secret realm finally opened.
The crowd, having enjoyed the drama, was satisfied and had plenty to talk about along the way.
In the sky, a massive array spread out.
As the power from the various Sect Leaders’ tokens was infused into it, a long, narrow rift was slowly torn into the sky.
Looking through the rift, one could see the scenery inside the secret realm—it appeared to be an ancient, empty city hidden within a dense jungle.
As the organizers of this trial, the Yushui Immortal Sect was responsible for a brief introduction.
This secret realm had existed for over three hundred years. Since its discovery, it had served as a communal trial ground for the sects.
The area was vast and filled with countless opportunities; every year, the sects would bring back different rewards.
The empty city seen inside was actually the residence of a powerhouse known as the Venerable Yuguang. There were nine doors within the residence, and only those with the “destined connection” could open them.
So far, only the third door had been reached, and even that had been forced open. It was said that the further in one went, the more difficult it became.
Feng Shi touched his face. Destined connection?
Who could have a better destiny than Liu Aotian?
Looking at Shen Songhe, who had been quiet by his side, Feng Shi thought to himself: Aside from the Yanluo sword, I need to scavenge some good things for my little darling this time.
Sensing his gaze, Shen Songhe turned his head, his clear eyes reflecting the sky.
Meeting Feng Shi’s gentle gaze, his heart couldn’t help but throb. He spoke carefully. “Shixiong… why are you looking at me like that?”
Feng Shi snapped back to reality and smiled, patting the top of the boy’s head. “Be good. Stay close to me in a moment.”
Shen Songhe blinked and nodded. Even if his Shixiong hadn’t said it, he intended to do exactly that.
On the other side, once Quan Xinghai finished speaking, the entrance to the secret realm was fully stabilized.
“Well then, it is time for our fellow Daoists to show their capabilities.”
With a proper, polite smile, Quan Xinghai moved away from the entrance.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Elders of two smaller sects rushed toward the entrance with their disciples, unable to wait a moment longer.
Seeing their unseemly behavior, a flash of disdain crossed Quan Xinghai’s face. He then turned toward Feng Shi and smiled. “Young friend Liu, please.”
Feng Shi was in no rush.
Under the collective gaze of the crowd, he unhurriedly pulled out a massive stack of talismans from his robes and distributed them to all the Chongshan Sect disciples.
There was a complete variety of talismans, all of excellent grade. Each person received dozens of them.
The surrounding area fell into a dead silence.
Nearby, the disciples from Yushui Immortal Sect, Tianshui Sect, and Taichu Sect looked at the talismans as if their eyeballs were about to pop out.
They knew the Chongshan Sect was wealthy, but they hadn’t realized they were this wealthy!
In this era where the path of Talisman Cultivation had declined, a single high-grade talisman of this quality would be hard for an ordinary disciple to afford even if they spent their entire life savings!
And they had so many… just how many spirit stones did it take to get them!
The crowd was green with envy. The people from the Taichu Sect looked particularly grim.
Their sect relied on talismans to maintain its position among the five great sects, but even they couldn’t produce so many high-grade talismans all at once!
Feng Shi saw their reactions clearly and sneered in his heart.
Next, he pulled out dozens of Qiankun bags filled with medicinal pills from his spatial ring and tossed them to his Junior Brothers and Sisters.
With both talismans and spiritual pills, not only were the other sects stunned, but even the Chongshan Sect disciples themselves were shocked.
As soon as Ruan Ping got his bag, he couldn’t help but open it.
The moment it was opened, a crisp, medicinal fragrance quickly filled the air.
Anyone who knew anything about pills could tell just by the scent that these were of exceptional quality.
When he saw the quantity inside, Ruan Ping’s eyes went wide. “Whoa! There must be hundreds in here! Shixiong Liu, you’re too generous! Heavens!”
The Tianshui Sect: “…”
The Taichu Sect: “…”
Yushui Immortal Sect: “…What are you showing off for? It’s just stuff bought with spirit stones. They’ll run out sooner or later…”
Hearing this, Ruan Ping couldn’t resist making a face at them. “Blehhh! You’re just saying the grapes are sour because you can’t have any!”
The Yushui disciples were nearly crooked with rage.
After distributing the items, Feng Shi called his disciples together, preparing to enter.
As he passed the disciple who had made the bitter comment, he raised an eyebrow and patted the man’s shoulder firmly.
Then, under everyone’s gaze, he gave a light chuckle. “This fellow Daoist—I’m so sorry… but these are things you can’t buy with money…”
He paused, his voice suddenly rising. “Talisman Dao, Alchemy Dao, Sword Dao.”
“I, your father, practice all three!”
(Goodnight everyone, the next chapter might be delayed for review, who knows when it’ll be out, sob sob)
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