Wenyuan Academy is located at the foot of Yuecheng Mountain, adjacent to Huanyang Lake, with beautiful scenery nestled against the mountains and by the water.
The moment Lu Zhaozhao stepped into Yuecheng, she was greatly impressed by the scholarly atmosphere that greeted her.
Perhaps because Wenyuan Academy was established here, the city's residents were also influenced by it and developed a love for poetry and books. Calligraphy could be seen everywhere along the streets, and the blue bricks and gray tiles added to the solemn atmosphere.
Walking along the main road, all the way into the mountains and forests, the appearance of the academy becomes clear.
Shaded by green trees, the courtyard is deep and secluded. Carved beams and painted rafters, with upturned eaves and corners.
Unlike the solemnity of Emperor Huizong of Qing, it adds a touch of approachability.
A number of people were already standing in the open space in front of the courtyard gate. Lu Zhaozhao had arrived early, and the Golden Palace Banquet had not yet started. Those who arrived early were temporarily resting in Yuecheng. Of course, the Golden Palace Banquet was a grand event, and many people had come early to scout out the location and observe.
"Times, Times, the latest edition of the Times! Hey, hey, hey, would you like to take a look, fairy? It has secrets of famous families, historical sites, and biographies."
A man dressed in brocade robes, with a small golden abacus at his waist, was weaving through the crowd when he spotted the newcomer Lu Zhaozhao and immediately went up to solicit customers.
"Is the fairy here to watch the competition? Or..."
"I'm here to participate in the competition."
"Oh, perfect! I only have one copy of the Records of Notable Figures left!"
The vendor slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming, and excitedly asked, "My lady, do you know who compiled this Record of Notable Figures?"
Lu Zhaozhao shook her head in agreement with him.
"This Record of Notables was written by Zhezhishanren. I imagine you've heard of him; he's the most well-informed person in the cultivation world! He spent ten years honing his craft, and every time the Golden Palace Banquet is held, his Record of Notables is completely sold out. This year, it hasn't even started yet, and I already only have one copy left."
The vendor, with his silver tongue, described the book as something that was both heaven and earth, arousing Lu Zhaozhao's curiosity.
"I'll take the one you have."
"Alright! Eighty spirit stones in total."
"Your book is really expensive. Eighty spirit stones is not cheap. You could buy some decent medicinal herbs and gems with that money." Lu Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the price. No wonder he had been weaving through the crowd for so long and still had some money left over.
"Oh my, fairy, this is the exclusive secret of this year's hottest contestant! If you can reach the top, it's worth a thousand pieces of gold!"
Seeing that Lu Zhaozhao was hesitant, the vendors immediately began to actively promote their wares.
"How about this, you buy this book, and I'll give you my exclusive interpretation as a gift. Although I, the Taoist Master Fu of Lingzhou, am not as famous as the Hermit of Zhezhi Mountain, I am still quite trustworthy!"
"This sounds interesting." Lu Zhaozhao took a bag of spirit stones and tossed it to him. The merchant quickly caught it, weighed it in his hand, and a fawning smile immediately appeared on his face.
He took out a book with a red silk cover from his pocket, opened it for Lu Zhaozhao, and explained page by page: "Look, this book is divided into two parts. The first part introduces the 100 strongest contestants in this year's competition, taking into account factors such as cultivation level, techniques, and sect support. The next part introduces the champions of previous years. It is said that the Golden Terrace has its own consciousness and will choose the champion it recognizes. Zhezhishanren has made a summary and analysis based on the characteristics of these champions."
After giving his general introduction, he flipped back to the beginning and gave a detailed introduction to the people inside.
"The most anticipated participant in this conference is undoubtedly Master Bai Yuan from Wenyuan Academy. He rose to fame at a young age and is playing on home turf, so he should not be underestimated."
As Lu Zhaozhao spoke, he pointed in a direction where Bai Yuanshi's name was prominently displayed at the top of the list. Zhezhishanren's comment on him was: Nascent Soul Realm, estimated to have reached perfection. Exceptional temperament and extraordinary talent, destined for greatness.
"The second place goes to Qinghuizong, who has been entangled with Wenyuan Academy for many years. Lu Zhaozhao, a disciple of Qinghuizong Yunxian Zhenren, will also participate in this conference. Her senior brother Ying Che once climbed the Golden Platform. In addition, Fairy Lu herself is also exceptionally talented and is said to be beautiful. Many people are waiting to see the duel between these two."
Listening to others introduce herself, Lu Zhaozhao wasn't embarrassed at all. She noticed the annotation next to her name: Mid to late Nascent Soul stage. Exceptional talent, but lacking in temperament, barely qualifying as second-best.
Looking at this comment, Lu Zhaozhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This hermit's words were truly venomous; he had clearly said something negative, yet he had ranked her second on the list, making it seem like her complaints were unfounded.
The names on the list are all familiar; they are mostly disciples who have become famous in various sects in recent years.
However, what surprised her the most was that Yaotong's ranking was outside the top five.
"I heard that Yao Tong from the Tianyin Sect has also reached the Nascent Soul stage, so why isn't she ranked in the top five?"
Upon hearing this, the vendor leaned closer and whispered, "The Heavenly Sound Sect, although nominally one of the three major sects, mostly consists of disciples who specialize in musical instruments and are primarily supportive, so their offensive capabilities are somewhat weak. In addition, this Fairy Yaotong is soft-hearted, so I believe she is unlikely to use her full strength, which is why I set this ranking."
What he said wasn't entirely unreasonable, but Lu Zhaozhao still felt that the seven-stringed zither wasn't as gentle as it seemed on the surface.
"Do you know anything about this person?"
Lu Zhaozhao looked at the third name on the list, the only one that was unfamiliar to her.
"Liao Chou of the Sword Tomb, he first distinguished himself at the Gathering of Heroes in the outer realms two years ago, and no one had ever seen him before."
The vendor spoke mysteriously, glancing left and right as if surveying his surroundings.
"A gathering of heroes?"
"This is a training ground outside the realm. Both sides place bets and send out a duelist, regardless of life or death. Anyone who can fight their way out of there is no pushover."
Lu Zhaozhao lowered her eyes. In her memory, Sword Tomb had always been a well-behaved sect. She had heard that many famous people had emerged from its ranks in the past, and after their deaths, their weapons would automatically return to the sect, most of which were swords, hence the name Sword Tomb. However, in recent years, while the old sects remained stable, new sects rose up unexpectedly, and Sword Tomb became increasingly obscure.
"Since he appeared two years ago, hasn't anyone investigated his past?"
In the cultivation world, there are very few geniuses who live in seclusion, because as long as a promising talent appears, all sects will investigate, whether to recruit him or to find out more about him.
"How could no one have investigated? Most of the sects went, but they couldn't find anything. He was hidden tightly by the Sword Tomb. He was nowhere to be seen except when he was on stage. Even the disciples of the Sword Tomb didn't know much about him."
The vendor wrinkled his nose, his face showing a mixture of emotions, making it impossible to tell whether he was more resentful or helpless.
"However, just because others can't find it doesn't mean I can't."
He abruptly changed the subject, a smirk playing on his lips, and stopped talking.
Lu Zhaozhao glanced at him and instantly understood what he meant. She then took out a bag of spirit stones and tossed it to him.
He accepted the spirit stone and immediately flattered, "You're so generous, fairy. What a coincidence! I happened to be there when he first appeared at the Gathering of Heroes."
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