Time passed quickly, and Lu Zhaozhao learned the basics of the spell, memorizing the rest.
A powerful force appeared and pushed her outward.
Using the momentum, she leaped into the air, flipped several times, and landed steadily outside the Golden Platform.
The Golden Platform, which opens only once every ten years, has closed once again. The next time it will reopen will be ten years later when another exceptionally talented disciple will be selected.
Take a deep breath and exhale slowly.
Lu Zhaozhao slowly walked down.
The heavenly steps stretched endlessly, and she pondered the things on the star chart as she did so.
As the figure slowly appeared, the crowd below stirred again.
The disciples of the Qinghui Sect shouted "Senior Sister Lu!" and waved excitedly. This was a big deal. For at least the next ten years, their Qinghui Sect could be considered the number one sect.
The three sects were vying with each other, and the Golden Palace Banquet was of great significance, so it was given special importance.
Unlike ordinary disciples, the sect elders or some core figures value more the items that the winning disciple brings down from the Golden Platform.
The inheritance of a sect is extremely important, and the key to inheritance lies in its foundation.
"I wonder what kind of help Emperor Huizong will receive this year." Qing Songzi sighed, still feeling resentful about Bai Yuanshi's defeat. He knew his junior brother's strength very well; in theory, he shouldn't have lost, but he came down severely injured, and even his weapon was destroyed.
He specifically asked about the situation at the time, and Master Bai Yuan said that there was nothing strange about it, so it could only be attributed to the difference in weapons, since ordinary weapons are ultimately too fragile.
What he didn't know was that Master Bai had concealed the fact that Lu Zhaozhao had used the Formless technique to temporarily enhance her strength, which made the outcome of the match seem controversial. But if he revealed it, it would inevitably cause more trouble.
“But that’s not necessarily true, Yunxian… Who can predict the future?” Xian Ji hesitated for a moment. Yunxian’s situation was indeed sudden. According to him, something went wrong when he went to the Western Territory to check the barrier. But everyone present was shrewd and most of them guessed the truth of the matter, but they didn’t say it out loud because of their pride.
"He's lucky; his two disciples, Ying Che and Lu Zhaozhao, have given the Qinghui Emperor a second chance. But what about the western border..."
Xian Ji's eyes held a mixture of envy and worry.
"I sent my disciples to investigate. Everything is stable. Although those demons have shown signs of restlessness in recent years, they ultimately dare not be too presumptuous."
Qing Songzi's tone was also solemn.
Over the years, the garrison in the Western Territory has been rotated among the three major sects. In recent decades, frequent riots have made it even more necessary for those with profound cultivation to guard the territory regularly.
Yunxian used to go there in person, but now that he's in this situation, the guard team is bound to be weaker, which will put even more pressure on the other two sects.
All of this was unknown to anyone except them; all the disciples were immersed in the joy of the conference.
With the Golden Palace Banquet competition over, the real excitement begins with the social interactions.
Lu Zhaozhao came down, and she was surrounded by many disciples, but out of courtesy, she greeted Yunxian first.
Yun Xian spoke as usual, but Lu Zhaozhao felt that he seemed to be forcing himself to stay awake, but she didn't know the specifics and therefore couldn't investigate further.
After Yunxian left, she looked at Yingche and nodded to him, indicating that she would write down the techniques she saw on the stage and send them to the library.
Ying Che was relieved at this moment. They hadn't had a chance to tell Lu Zhaozhao about this before, so they couldn't help but worry that they would return empty-handed this year. Fortunately, Lu Zhaozhao was smart and saw the other cultivation methods on the stone tablet and realized the usual practice over the years.
Yao Tong ran over, took her hand, and said with a smile, "There's a celebration tonight, you're the star, you absolutely have to come!"
Lu Zhaozhao smiled and said, "What celebration? Another party?"
His gaze fell on Liao Chou, who was following behind Yao Tong. He was somewhat surprised, as Liao Chou had been following closely behind Yao Tong the whole way, which made him quite curious.
Yao Tong noticed Lu Zhaozhao's gaze, and since Liao Chou didn't like to talk, she answered for him: "His health problem is too serious. I asked my master to inform the Sword Tomb. After the Golden Banquet, he will come back to Tianyin Sect with me first."
"I see." Lu Zhaozhao nodded.
Seeing that the two were having a good time chatting, Ying Che informed them and left.
After Ying Che left, Yao Tong felt awkward for a moment, then whispered in his ear, "Was that person your senior brother?"
Lu Zhaozhao nodded, glancing at the blush on her face, and thought to herself that this was bad news. In the original book, Yao Tong fell in love with Ying Che, which led to her tragic death.
The book doesn't say when she fell in love with Ying Che, but judging from the current situation, it must have been foreshadowed long ago.
Lu Zhaozhao asked calmly, "Haven't you and your senior brother met before, senior sister?"
"I've met him, but... we haven't really talked much. Senior Brother Ying became famous early on. When I was young, I traveled with my master and saw him in the Southern Frontier. He defeated the most famous person in the Southern Frontier at that time. He was very dashing, so I remembered him."
There's a history between us, Lu Zhaozhao thought to herself, gritting her teeth. This is going to be difficult.
"Master Yun is away most of the year, so Senior Brother Ying handles the sect's affairs. I've met him a few times, but we've never spoken."
"Zhao Zhao." Yao Tong suddenly called her, and Lu Zhao Zhao subconsciously responded with a "yes."
"Could you tell me... what kind of person is your senior brother?"
Yao Tong's face flushed, her eyes sparkled, and she looked at Lu Zhaozhao expectantly.
Lu Zhaozhao was speechless for a moment.
In his memory, Lu Zhaozhao lived with Ying Che for more than ten years, and it can be said that Lu Zhaozhao was raised by Ying Che. As her senior brother, he took meticulous care of her, taught her knowledge, and guided her in cultivation, a process that was beyond reproach; as the sect leader's first disciple, he handled all matters within the sect in an orderly manner and managed the relationships between various sects properly, a part that he also devoted himself to.
Aside from that previous argument, Ying Che could be considered a fairly perfect person.
But Lu Zhaozhao was unwilling to say that. She knew about Yaotong's future, so she hoped that Yaotong could avoid it, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything bad.
"Senior brother, he is a good person."
That's all Lu Zhaozhao could say.
Yao Tong smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said, "I knew he was a good person."
Her cheerful and smiling appearance made Lu Zhaozhao feel sorry for her, and at the same time, it hurt another person.
Liao Chou followed behind, taking in Yao Tong's reaction, and couldn't help but feel depressed.
That Ying Che looks frail and weak, and he's not as good as these two people make him out to be.
He muttered to himself, not daring to glance at Yao Tong, and could only frequently look at Lu Zhaozhao.
Lu Zhaozhao was also frustrated. She hadn't expected Yaotong's feelings to surface so early. She had previously thought that keeping the two of them apart would help avoid this situation, but now things were different.
This is really difficult...
Two of the three were preoccupied with their own thoughts, while Yaotong was in a rather good mood.
After the competition, there will naturally be a closing ceremony.
As everyone gathered at the opening ceremony, thinking that the sect leaders and elders would be giving speeches, they drifted off into their own thoughts.
I don't know where we were talking, but suddenly a voice came from behind.
"I had intended to give you a perfect banquet, but unfortunately this formality is too long."
"Um?"
The moment someone spoke, everyone's attention was jolted, and even the speaker on the stage paused.
Everyone turned their heads to look back, focusing on the speaker, eager to see which young man was so reckless as to act crazy at such a grand ceremony.
But what his gaze was directed at was—
Mulberry Bank!
This reclusive cultivator, who disliked socializing and talking, was someone no one expected to say such a thing.
But Lu Zhaozhao immediately frowned. She knew this person's true identity, and when he said those words, Lu Zhaozhao immediately sensed that something was wrong.
His hand had already quietly rested on the hilt of the sword.
Sangpan's face changed without him realizing it, and Cheng Sangji's face appeared. His aura was no longer hidden, and his oppressive aura spread out, which was very intimidating.
"Demonic energy! It's demons!"
Qing Songzi shouted loudly, and everyone immediately became alert.
The term "demon race" was too ancient for them, so ancient that they had only seen it in books. When it actually appeared in front of them, they couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
The weapons were summoned all at once.
Cheng Sangji remained calm, standing there quietly watching the tense-looking humans.
"How dare you! There was a long-standing agreement between humans and demons that you were not allowed to set foot on human territory. What is the purpose of your actions now?!"
Xian Ji shouted loudly, his eyebrows raised in anger.
"Didn't you send people to guard it? The barrier in the western border hasn't changed."
Cheng Sangjie chuckled lightly, looking down at the crowd.
Xian Ji turned to look at Qing Songzi, who shook his head; there was no news from the Western Region.
Cheng Sangjie walked slowly, and as he walked, demonic energy emanated from his body.
A feeling of suffocation filled the air, and the cultivators felt difficulty breathing.
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