33 Chapter 33

The next morning, Zhang Daoquan, who had gotten up early and ran to Linglong Tower to vote, unexpectedly bumped into the monks who were crowding together and running to vote.

Zhang Daoquan: ...

The other monks lined up in a long queue: ...

The scene was very awkward for a while, until the sound of Lan Xi coming out with a shelf full of magazines broke the silence. The monks finally came to their senses and rushed to take out their spirit stones:

"Give me five!"

"I want five too!"

“Give me a box!”

As usual, Zhang Daoquan gathered with a group of his fellow supporters of Liu Pianpian. A cultivator named Wu Wenyuan beside him frowned as he looked at the aggressive Wang Zhicai and his group across from him, his face filled with worry.

"Daoquan, last time we relied on numbers to barely hold our own against those extravagant playboys. Now more and more people are interested in Shangguan Huaijin. What can we do to fight them this time?"

Most of them are ordinary disciples and independent cultivators. They have to deduct the spirit stones they use for food, clothing and cultivation before they can use them for entertainment. As a result, they are definitely no match for the other side. If this continues, Miss Pianpian will always be in second place.

Zhang Daoquan was furious when he thought of Wang Zhicai, that arrogant bastard. He rejected the idea decisively, "Of course we can't admit defeat! How can we let Miss Pianpian come in second place? There must be a way!"

At this point, he stood up, frowning and thinking for a moment. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: "Last time, we relied on numbers to succeed. This time, we must find a way to attract more people!" He pointed at the spectators in the surrounding teahouses watching the excitement.

"Can't these people all vote? As long as we mobilize them, we can win!"

In addition to these monks who buy multiple copies at a time and obviously plan to vote, there are also some monks who don't care who to vote for but just want to read the magazine for fun, or those who have just arrived in the City That Never Sleeps and haven't figured out the situation yet. Although they usually buy one or a few copies at a time, the total number is still a huge number.

Wu Wenyuan looked embarrassed: "But...how can we..."

The streets are full of photo posters now. It's possible that these monks will be attracted to any of the contestants, right?

Zhang Daoquan lowered his head and sighed. When he looked up again, his face was full of determination as if he had made a great sacrifice. "There's nothing I can do. I was thinking of keeping it for myself, but for Miss Pianpian..."

He gritted his teeth and took out the spirit shadow stone that recorded Liu Pianpian's stage performance from his underwear, and placed it directly on the counter of the teahouse and turned up the volume.

"Come on, have fun, there's plenty of time anyway~

Come on, love, I have so much desire~"

The woman's soft and graceful singing voice instantly attracted a large number of spectators sitting in the teahouse. Although the Spirit Shadow Stone was only the size of a palm, the excellent eyesight of the cultivators allowed even the cultivators in the corner to see the woman's sexy and graceful dance on the screen.

"Fellow Daoists, welcome to vote for the most talented contestant in the Xiuxian Dream Factory—Miss Liu Pianpian. Our Miss Pianpian has had a difficult life..."

More and more monks were attracted by the bustle in the teahouse, and crowds of people gathered in three layers inside and outside the open-air stalls.

Ning Shu didn't know whether things would develop as Zhang Daoquan hoped. She only knew that the daily turnover of Hehuan Magazine was almost catching up with her pocket money for three months.

"Wow! Fans' money is the easiest to make! The fan economy is so high!" She happily showed off the account book to her mother, running under the albizzia tree like a happy puppy:

"Look, mother! There are so many spirit stones! More than the output of many spirit mines! Our Hehuan Sect will be prosperous in the future! If there is another old Taoist priest blocking the door and whining, we will use money to hit him to death!"

"Yes, yes, Shu'er is the best." The clan leader pulled his daughter, who had been running around, to sit down under a tree, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Spirit stones are secondary. Collecting love threads is indeed much easier than before. The number of love threads collected every day is almost 500. If this continues, the further growth of the sacred tree is just around the corner."

"Master, the cultivation of those disciples has increased, regardless of their popularity." Elder Bai Xuan, who has been responsible for taking care of those outer disciples recently, also showed a happy expression:

"Shangguan Huaijin is already showing signs of a breakthrough, but she currently wants to focus on the competition, so she's still consolidating her foundation. Other disciples like Liu Pianpian and Xiao Lihua have also completed their Qi training. By the end of the competition, we'll have several new Foundation Establishment disciples."

The outer disciples have only been in the sect for over a month, and there are already several foundation-building stage disciples. This is a miracle that has never happened before. Bai Xuan, who has been responsible for taking care of them, has been very proud of herself recently and doesn't even care about the fact that she can't find a good lover.

Bai Xuan: What's the point of having those fickle men? I might as well just make more fans in the future!

At this time, the elders were having a small gathering in the sect master's courtyard. Seeing the good news coming out of the Hehuan Sect in just one month, everyone couldn't help but smile. Zixiao looked at Ning Shu, who was so proud that her tail was about to rise to the sky, and covered his mouth with the round fan in his hand:

"Young Sect Master, some of those new disciples are almost at the Foundation Establishment stage. Why are you still hanging around in the Qi Condensation stage? Won't you be surpassed quickly if you keep going like this?"

"It can't be helped. After all, the main attraction of talent shows is the development of stars. The contestants are the real attraction." Ning Shu shrugged helplessly. "The host is destined to be unpopular and easily overlooked."

"But although the Hehuan Sect is important, Shu'er's cultivation shouldn't be underestimated..." The Sect Master frowned in annoyance. "Shu'er, why don't you arrange for yourself to be a contestant as well? We can find another disciple to be the host."

"No, no, this won't do!" Ning Shu shook her head repeatedly. "The contestants have already been decided, and they've gone through the auditions and the first public performance. My sudden inclusion is too abrupt. This won't endear me to the audience. They'll just gang up on me because I, a relative, took away other contestants' opportunities!"

"Then what should we do?" The sect leader frowned slightly. Although he seemed to have given up his previous idea, his eyes were still full of sadness when he looked at his daughter.

"I do have a way." Zi Xiao looked at the relieved Ning Shu and gave him a malicious smile: "Anyway, most of those disciples are liked by the audience because of their singing and dancing talents, right?

Young Master, why don't you perform a talent show before the competition officially begins? With so many people watching, you're sure to attract some admirers!"

Ning Shu opened her eyes wide: "No..."

"This method is wonderful!" The sect leader laughed and clapped his hands. "My Shu'er is stunningly beautiful. Once she dresses up, she will surely be a thousand times more charming than those disciples!"

"Do you want to put on makeup? I can send Lanxi to help you." Yun Zhi's brush was itching to be used: "I can also paint on the spot. I can put your beautiful picture in the magazine and spread it around."

Ning Shu: ...

Is it really reasonable to ask a host to perform singing and dancing?

Just as Ning Shu was practicing her dance moves with a bitter face, intending (to be forced) to amaze everyone at the beginning of the next episode, thousands of miles away in Qingfeng Sword Sect, the long-unseen chaos occurred on Yunyin Peak where the Grand Elder lived.

The Qingfeng Sword Sect is the most powerful of the five major sects of cultivation, and the Supreme Elder of the Sword Sect is even more powerful than the Sect Master. It's just that he has retired in recent years to concentrate on swordsmanship, which is why he is not well-known. But today, the usual tranquility there was broken and it became chaotic.

"Xuan Mo, although you are at the Jindan stage, this is your first time going down the mountain for training. You must remember not to easily trust those casual cultivators who say they can lead you to find secret realms. Be wary of those pitiful-looking monsters, and also..."

The supreme elder, Taoist Wufeng, was holding on to the door frame with one hand and chattering incessantly. He had a thousand things to say in his mind. He packed up piles of magic weapons and talismans that his obedient disciples used to eat and use. He wished he could turn into a small insect and follow his disciples down the mountain.

Alas, this is my gifted and daring disciple, whom I finally managed to pluck from the crowd! He's been my child since he was three years old. Taoist Wufeng has acted like both a father and mother to this little kid. He's already formed a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir just after he came of age, and he's on the verge of mastering the Wuyi Sword Technique and inheriting my legacy. How could this happen? How could this happen...

Taoist Wufeng slammed the door. "Those old fellas from the Tianji Pavilion! I think they're just bored! What do the stars in the sky have to do with my disciple? How did they calculate that he's in trouble because of the Seven Evil Stars?"

The sect leader beside him explained with a smile, "Master, the elder divine fortune teller of the Tianji Pavilion has never made a mistake. Since he calculated that Junior Brother will have a tribulation to go through, then this tribulation is most likely unavoidable. Besides, Junior Brother is getting older and his cultivation level is increasing, so he will definitely need to go out and gain some experience..."

Seeing his master, who always had an immortal demeanor, glaring at him, the sect leader turned away and coughed twice, "Ahem, little junior brother, when you go down the mountain this time, you must remember the master's teachings. Stay away from those petty thieves and thieves. Practice your swordsmanship and return home soon after your tribulation."

"Yes, disciple, I will remember the teachings of Master and Senior Brother. I will be more cautious after I go down the mountain and will not let the bad guys take advantage of me." Xuan Mo, who was about to embark on a journey of tribulation alone, was very calm. His black eyes were as bright as stars, and his sharp eyebrows were slightly wrinkled, showing a sense of seriousness. His thin lips were tightly pursed under his high nose bridge. He stood up and bowed.

"Please rest assured, Master and Senior Brother, Xuan Mo will be on guard against demonic cultivators, demonic cultivators, alchemy cultivators addicted to elixirs, and unscrupulous cultivators. He will work tirelessly and fear no powerful enemies, striving to attain enlightenment on the sword path as soon as possible and return from the calamity."

Looking at his disciple, whose every move was calm and polite, Taoist Wufeng finally breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good. Let me count. Magic cultivators, alchemy cultivators, demon cultivators, and casual cultivators... Why do I always feel like I'm missing something?"

The sect leader coughed lightly, looked at his junior fellow who was standing straight with a puzzled look on his face, and leaned over awkwardly: "Master, you left the Hehuan Sect behind..."

"That's right! How could I have left behind those evil women who I should have stayed away from the most? I almost missed something important!" Taoist Wu Feng slapped his forehead, held his disciple's shoulders tightly with both hands, and warned him earnestly:

"Xuan Mo, listen to me. If you're unlucky enough to run into those guys up ahead, you can still draw your sword and fight them. But those witches from the He Huan Sect are different. If you run into them, you must flee as quickly as possible! You absolutely must not get entangled with them!

Don't look them in the eye, don't talk to them, don't get along with them, and don't even look at their faces! If you encounter a woman with that kind of enchanting aura, run away! The farther away the better!

Xuan Mo was young and promising, still full of youthful ambition. He was puzzled: "Could it be that the female cultivators of the He Huan Sect are so powerful? Even Xuan Mo's Golden Core cultivation level can't withstand them?"

"It's not because of strength... this..." Looking at his disciple's innocent face, Taoist Wufeng couldn't open his mouth to bring up those dirty things. In the end, he could only make the final decision: "In short, you just need to remember what Master said! The female cultivators of the Hehuan Sect are more ferocious than tigers. If you meet one, you must stay away from them!"

【Author’s words】

＊Lyrics for "Itch"

Zhang Daoquan: For Miss Pianpian, I can only take out my private collection and sell it to Amway [dog head]

Yesterday, a member of the audience asked, "Our heroine is going to start performing today [scatter flowers]." Of course, it's just a simple talent show, and the heroine's real home is still in her future acting career (mainly because I can't write songs)...

And the male protagonist finally appeared. It's the combination of the young master of the Hehuan Sect who is devoted to his career and the junior brother of the leader of the Jian Sect who is obsessed with love. Cherish this male protagonist who still looks cold and aloof, because he will soon fall into the hands of the Hehuan Sect... [smirk]