Chapter 32: A Passerby Revitalizes the Cultivation World (32% complete)

The Lingzhou Grand Gathering, held every five years, is a great opportunity for disciples of all sects in Lingzhou to make a name for themselves. Before the grand gathering, all eligible heroes and talents in Lingzhou gather at Kunpeng Mountain to make full preparations for the upcoming competition. The towns at the foot of the mountain are bustling with activity for days on end.

The most popular area is the unassuming South Street, where crowds of people come and go in an endless stream.

After arriving in the town, Shen Suqi went shopping along the street vendors.

During such large-scale celebrations, towns near the foot of the mountain would flock to the area with many vendors. Amidst the mix of good and bad, there were plenty of good items, and she found many high-quality and inexpensive things along the way.

Having ventured out alone, she had gotten used to paying attention to her surroundings, and she was surprised to find that the most bustling place in the entire town was not the central street, but rather a remote corner in the south of the town where the most stalls and vendors gathered.

Seeing such an extraordinary spectacle, it's human nature to join in the fun, and even the most devoted cultivators are no exception. Besides, in order to participate in the Lingzhou Grand Gathering, she needed to purchase a large amount of materials, so she had planned to specifically go to areas with many vendors.

So she bought things along the way, wondering what good things were attracting so many people.

Has someone developed an amplification buff that can be used at the Lingzhou Grand Gathering? No, this is reality, not a dungeon.

But what else could be so attractive besides helping cultivators across the land improve their cultivation and make a name for themselves at the Lingzhou Grand Gathering?

After being distracted for a while, she turned around and found even more people surging behind her. At this moment, she couldn't go forward or backward, so she could only be pushed forward by the crowd.

After walking for a while, she stopped at a section of road bustling with noise, unable to move forward from any direction.

Her eyes searched through the crowd, and after a brief selection, she laboriously waved her arms, trying to attract the attention of a passerby who was struggling to retreat from the center of the bustling area.

The other person looked to be about the same age as her, the kindest and most approachable person she was, with an honest and easy-going appearance, making her a perfect candidate for gathering information.

Because of her height and the fact that she stood on tiptoe, she finally managed to push through the crowd and reveal her entire head.

She asked the other person, "Fellow Daoist, did you come out from inside? Do you know why there are so many people blocking the way up ahead?"

A passerby, who had just finished watching the commotion and was quite familiar with the situation inside, said: "There was a fight going on in the teahouse up ahead."

"Huh? That's it?" Shen Suqi asked, her eyes full of doubt.

The passerby patiently explained to her: "It's like this, today the storyteller told a story. He said there was an island in the center of the Four Continents Sea. He described it so vividly that it sounded like the truth. One of the listeners said that this matched the rumor that the Heavenly Evolution Dao Ancestor was going to open his mountain gate and take on disciples three years ago. Then the inner disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect jumped out and scolded them for talking nonsense, saying that their little school dared to use the Dao Ancestor's name to swindle and deceive people, and that they even colluded with the storyteller to spread rumors. Then a fight broke out."

"What does this have to do with the Flowing Cloud Sect?" Shen Suqi was completely confused.

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this," the passerby said in a low, enigmatic voice as he pushed his way through the crowd to her side, "You must have heard of the Flowing Cloud Sect."

“Of course, the famous sects of Yongzhou often cooperate with the royal families of the mortal realm, but I heard that they have had a falling out with the emperor of the mortal realm in recent years.” Shen Suqi said what she knew.

"Indeed." The passerby smiled mysteriously. "It all started in the mortal realm."

Since they were stuck in the street and couldn't move forward or backward, he started chatting idly: "The emperor of the mortal realm refused to continue cooperating with the Liuyun Sect, but other royal families were willing, so they still sent royal children to join the sect. However, the Liuyun Sect felt that the emperor's move had offended them. This big sect is used to being arrogant and is angry that mortals dare to look down on them, so they put pressure on the emperor. Guess what the emperor said?"

"How so?" Partly to pass the time, and partly because what he said was really interesting, Shen Suqi was happy to play along.

"He said what is the Flowing Cloud Sect! He already has a partner, the Heavenly Evolution Dao Ancestor who ascended ten thousand years ago! He even said that if it weren't for those short-sighted people in the royal family, he could have sent all the royal family members to study under the Dao Ancestor! Those people should regret it!" The passerby spoke with great emotion, perfectly imitating the expression and tone.

Shen Suqi raised an eyebrow: "Is that so? I only heard rumors three years ago that the Dao Ancestor was going to open an academy, but I didn't know that the news came from here."

A passerby chuckled and said, "Not entirely. The Liuyun Sect and the royal family members who had already joined the sect naturally wouldn't acknowledge it. They were unwilling and dared not acknowledge it. They also heard that the emperor was decisive and that the mortal court was reshuffled. The two sides completely broke off relations, and the Liuyun Sect eventually blocked the news."

"Since the news was being blocked, how did you find out?"

"Then we should continue. Three years ago, several outer disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect suddenly resigned, causing quite an embarrassing situation."

Shen Suqi nodded: "I know about this. Everyone says that the Liuyun Sect can't even keep its outer disciples. It's almost become a widely circulated joke. I remember that in the end, they let four people go."

"That's right. Under coercion and enticement, several disciples from the outer sect revealed the truth: they had accepted an offer from an academy. The sect leader of the Flowing Cloud Sect felt this was an insult to him and established a rule that anyone who left the sect must endure three hundred lashes of the Bone-Extinguishing Whip. Four stubborn mules actually endured the lashes—the four you know. But you may not know that afterwards, the sect leader of the Flowing Cloud Sect went back on his word and ruthlessly killed them."

"The leader of a sect doesn't even have this much magnanimity?" she asked in surprise. "What happened later? Did they escape?"

The passerby spoke with great enthusiasm: "In the blink of an eye! The academy that recruited them gave them a jade pendant, which suddenly released a defensive shield with the power of a Saint-grade item, giving the Flowing Cloud Sect a resounding slap in the face! And the Pixiu pattern on the defensive shield actually looks exactly like the contracted divine beast of the Dao Ancestor back then!"

"Thinking about the two things together, the turmoil within the Liuyun Sect led to some disciples who witnessed everything fleeing down the mountain in fear, which is how the ridiculous news was spread."

Shen Suqi suddenly realized: "The situation is indeed so complicated."

She was still eager for more after listening: "Fellow Daoist, your storytelling ability is better than any other storyteller I have ever met."

"You flatter me, you flatter me. This matter is rather special. I remember the whole process very clearly, so I explained it exceptionally well." The passerby was a little shy from the praise and wanted to raise his hand to scratch his head, but there were too many people and his hand was stuck in his sleeve.

He continued, "Now that you've explained the cause, you can imagine the consequences. In the end, it was just a rumor. Three years have passed and the academy hasn't actually appeared. The Liuyun Sect wasn't fundamentally damaged after the upheaval, but they can't stand hearing rumors about the academy anymore. The Dao Ancestor's academy is like a sword hanging over their heads; they're constantly worried that it will fall."

Shen Suqi smiled and said, "They probably think that even if this is true, the immortals who went to the Immortal Realm can never come back, so they acted recklessly."

"That's right. The Flowing Cloud Sect is used to being arrogant. They can't even tolerate a storyteller. Bystanders aren't blind. The storyteller knew nothing; he just happened to tell a good story. They were so sensitive that they wanted to silence him. The crowd, out of righteous indignation, escalated into a brawl. Many of those who knew what happened highly praised the Dao Ancestor, so the fight got fiercer and fiercer. Perhaps the Flowing Cloud Sect is actually feeling guilty." A passerby said with a hint of sarcasm, "They specially sent people from Yongzhou, probably hoping to salvage their reputation across the continents. Now they've tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. Serves them right!"

Shen Suqi scoffed: "What a joke. They unilaterally regard the Dao Ancestor as an enemy, but little do they know that the Ancestor doesn't even care about them."

The system will plan the best cultivation route for each tasker. In the calculations of the extraterrestrial objects system, the Heavenly Evolution Academy founded by the Dao Ancestor surpasses all other opportunities and is regarded as the only path to ascension that can allow them to break through the upper limit of spiritual energy.

The Dao Ancestor could have easily ignored the lower realms like other ascended beings, yet she still founded the Heavenly Evolution Academy to revitalize the cultivation world. Everything she did was for the sake of the cultivation world, and these people are still so eager to scheme and plot; they are truly unworthy of her.

After chatting for a long time, the crowded people finally dispersed a bit.

Shen Suqi was finally able to catch her breath. She thanked the passersby and planned to take a stroll around the streets after watching the excitement, going wherever there were crowds.

She thought to herself that mermaids are naturally clean and would probably be very resistant to crowds. She would go to other places later. The 10086 race was there, and it was impossible for it not to stand out. She wondered whether 1818 or she would find this conspicuous landmark first.

She thought for a moment, then slightly moved her fingers to produce a talisman.

This is a special talisman she learned from the forum, which can change the user's perspective.

The moment the talisman burned, the scene in her vision was split in two, allowing her to observe not only what she could see but also the surroundings from above.

Unfortunately, the field of vision is limited after using a low-grade perspective talisman. It would be much easier to find people if a mid-grade talisman could be drawn.

Shen Suqi was preoccupied with reuniting with her companions, so she didn't notice that the passerby who was moving slowly in the opposite direction raised his hand and started scrambling at the air after the crowd dispersed.

"888, I put a tracking talisman on my senior brother. Can you help me see where he is? There are too many people and I can't see the red dot location on the screen clearly."

"Xiao Wu!"

Before I could get an answer to my question, a familiar voice came from beside me.

A big smile immediately spread across his simple face: "Senior Brother Xu, I'm so glad to finally see you!"

Xu Lingyou forcefully pulled him out, catching his breath as he said, "Didn't you say you were going to the teahouse to gather information? What's going on here..."

Wu Ji chuckled: "I was just about to tell you this. Guess who I ran into at the teahouse?"

"Who? Brother Lin?" Xu Lingyou's eyes lit up.

Wu Ji looked at him speechlessly: "No."

Xu Lingyou was somewhat disappointed: "If Brother Lin could also come to the Lingzhou Grand Gathering, that would be great. I have made great progress over the years and will never give up my sword again."

Seeing that this person's mind was already wandering, Wu Ji continued, "I encountered people from the Flowing Cloud Sect at the teahouse."

"The Flowing Cloud Sect." Xu Lingyou's expression was somewhat dazed, unable to describe the feelings in his heart.

Since he was whipped three hundred times three years ago, he has severed all ties with his former sect, and every time they meet, he is always picked on and blamed.

Wu Ji said, "Let me tell you, today the storyteller told a story of an adventure on an island in the sea. When I heard that, I thought it was the location of the academy that circulated in the mortal world, so I said something. Who knew that we would run into enemies on a narrow road? When the Liuyun Sect saw me, they immediately started to talk back. When I looked, I saw that the one leading the group was actually the most protective of the sect, the Ghost King Yikun."

Xu Lingyou's heart skipped a beat; he knew all too well how ruthless the Flowing Cloud Sect was.

He hurriedly grabbed Wu Ji's arms and spun him around to check: "Are you injured!"

"No, no, Senior Brother, don't worry." Wu Ji let him inspect her, laughing smugly. "They angered everyone, so I ran away in the chaos, not giving them a chance to bully us. When they calm down and find that I, the one who started the trouble, ran away, and they're the only ones getting beaten up, they'll be furious, hahaha!"

"You..." Xu Lingyou breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both helpless and relieved.

He glanced at the densely packed crowd behind him and said, "Let's go first. Xiaomian and Xiaokui are waiting for us at the inn."

"Okay, okay, we'll buy some of their favorite osmanthus pastries on the way back."

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Author's Note: Silly Little Wu ×

Clever Little Wu√