Chapter 47: Forty-Seven Cuts "Developing Morality, Intelligence, Physical Education, Aesthetics, and Labor Skills"...
When Luo Mingshu entered Tianluan City, she was fuming.
Xie Changming was also fuming when he walked into Tianluan City with her.
Of course, although they had different reasons for their anger, they all had a common imaginary enemy: Wei Qing.
Wei Qing, who was determined to slack off and do nothing, never expected that his low-key demeanor would unknowingly attract the attention of Luo Mingshu and Xie Changming.
He didn't like his job, and he was completely bewildered when he first received the assignment.
“Wei Qing, in our immortal abode, only you and your companions are capable of undertaking this task.” That’s what his nominal master said to him at that time.
“I don’t want to go, Master,” Wei Qing said earnestly. “I just want to sleep in the Immortal Abode.”
“It’s precisely because you only want to sleep in the celestial abode that I chose you,” his master coaxed patiently. “The celestial realm is rich in spiritual energy, and everyone is busy absorbing it and cultivating. Only you have no heart for cultivation. So, you are capable of this great task of finding her in the mortal realm. Once you find your target and return, the celestial abode will naturally reward you.”
“Master, I’ve worked so hard to cultivate and ascend so I can lie here and sleep soundly,” Wei Qing said. “Don’t tell me I can’t lie down after I ascend.”
"Ah, this matter is rather complicated, but her departure from the Immortal Realm involves many things, and her identity is important, so we can only send people to search for her." His master rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Master, you can go by yourself." Wei Qing encouraged his master to go by himself.
"Everyone's vying for power. I've been in the lower realms for decades, so I've only absorbed a few decades less of spiritual energy. If my progress falls behind, my position as a Celestial Lord will be in jeopardy." His master sighed helplessly. "Didn't the Demon Lord of the Demon Realm kill a Celestial Lord a few years ago? If I fall behind and my cultivation is inferior to his, what will happen if I get killed?"
"So, in the entire Heavenly Realm, I'm the only one who doesn't mind the slowdown in absorbing spiritual energy, so you decided to send me?" Wei Qing asked slowly.
“Well… if you put it so bluntly, then that is indeed the reason.” His master was a respectable person, so he tried to use elegant language.
"Master, aren't you afraid I'll go and do nothing?" Wei Qing asked.
"Just go and take your time searching. Anyway, if something really happens, it won't just be our Heavenly Realm that's in trouble." His master patted Wei Qing on the shoulder, entrusting him with such a great responsibility.
However, Wei Qing was obviously lazy. After arriving in the lower realm, he tried his best to find his target by following the slightest clues given to him by the Heavenly Realm. He eventually arrived at the Yu Ling Sect, but later the clues were lost. He searched everywhere but could not find anything. His superiors were urging him to hurry up, and he really wanted to sleep. So he escaped into the Misty Star Sea to avoid his master's call.
Here's the thing: Wei Qing could have easily given up, but he just happened to run into Luo Mingshu.
"Sigh..." Wei Qing put his hands behind his back. He knew that there was a way to find the target his master had asked him to find once and for all, but they didn't even describe her appearance clearly.
"Actually, I don't really know what she looks like. The last time I saw her, it was when Immortal Lord Jade Candle carried her to Immortal Island of Time Void. I remember that Immortal Lord Jade Candle was carrying an egg. It should have hatched later, and it should have taken human form in another hundred years. But who knows what she will look like after she takes human form? Oh dear, this is really troublesome. You tell me, is it impossible?"
Wei Qing had only a few clues; it would be strange if he could find them. Recalling the past, he sighed and walked into Tianluan City.
At this moment, the sullen Luo Mingshu and the sullen Xie Changming had arrived at the Xuantian Mansion in the center of Tianluan City, where the rest of the people were waiting.
Having met Wei Qing before, Luo Mingshu found Shui Qingnian and Lu Yaoyao to be quite beautiful in comparison.
She wasn't very motivated when facing them, but Shui Qingnian jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on as soon as she saw her.
“Stunning goddess, how dare you be late! You’ve completely disgraced the Wuji Palace!” Shui Qingnian said, pointing at Luo Mingshu.
"Your side isn't all here either?" Luo Mingshu said matter-of-factly. It wasn't until she entered the hall that Shui Qingnian noticed Xie Changming's presence.
"Didn't you say that your security captain was missing? How come he is back? Super beautiful goddess, why are you so insidious and cunning?" Shui Qingnian pointed at Xie Changming and questioned Luo Mingshu again.
If she hadn't thought Xie Changming was gone, she would never have dared to challenge Luo Mingshu to a fight.
"What, you won't let them come back, or are you trying to take advantage of us and challenge us to a duel just to bully us because we're outnumbered?" Luo Mingshu was naturally no less skilled in arguing than her opponent.
She walked straight into the hall and saw Shui Qingnian occupying the central seat. Without any hesitation, she walked over and said, "Make way, let me sit."
"I was here first, why should I give it to you?" Shui Qingnian was used to looking down on others and had no reason to give it to Luo Mingshu.
Luo Mingshu plopped down and squeezed into a chair with Shui Qingnian: "If you don't want to, then we'll just squeeze in."
Shui Qingnian wanted to oust Luo Mingshu, and she even wanted to start a war right now, but with Xie Changming around, she was a little timid.
Luo Mingshu would never say that Xie Changming wouldn't make a move for the time being; she just wanted to scare Shui Qingnian.
At this moment, Lu Yaoyao sidled up to her, sat sideways on the armrest of Luo Mingshu's chair, and whispered to Luo Mingshu, "Senior Sister, when can I get my green bracelet back?"
"It's impossible to return this green bracelet to Lu Yaoyao," Luo Mingshu glanced at her and said, "The green bracelet made a mistake and I've confiscated it. You shouldn't miss it."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yaoyao was about to cry. She grabbed Luo Mingshu's arm, looking aggrieved, and said, "Senior sister, you promised to return it to me."
If the green bracelet had nothing to do with Luo Mingshu herself, it would not be a problem for Luo Mingshu to return it to her, but the green bracelet was obviously targeted at her, so Luo Mingshu refused.
At this moment, three people were already crammed into the chair in the middle. Xu Qian, who was sitting at the lower end, saw that the armrest of the chair next to Shui Qingnian was still empty. She also saw that Luo Mingshu was sandwiched between Shui Qingnian and Lu Yaoyao and looked a bit embarrassed. So, out of concern for her ally—or perhaps out of a desire to join in the fun—she went forward and plopped down on the armrest next to Shui Qingnian, making the chair completely full.
Shui Qingnian was completely stunned. She protested loudly, "What are you doing? This is outrageous! You're making Wuji Palace lose all face!"
"Kick us down if you have the guts." Luo Mingshu tried hard to push Lu Yaoyao away. She held her chin and said calmly.
Having witnessed the situation unfold to this point, Xie Changming could no longer stand it. He desperately wanted to bring Luo Mingshu out, but she was clearly enjoying herself.
When Meng Weifang saw this scene, he felt that this exploration scene was abnormal and he even wanted to go up and get involved.
Not long after, Wei Qing and Amo arrived at the scene. As soon as they walked into the hall, they saw the main chairs crowded together.
Wei Qing: "..." What is this all about?
He swore it was the strangest exploration scenario he had ever encountered.
When Luo Mingshu saw Wei Qing coming, he sneered and became more motivated.
At this time, Wei Qing was still pretending. Lu Yaoyao had spent so many days with him, but she still didn't recognize him. Lu Yaoyao was still clutching Luo Mingshu's sleeve and crying, "Senior sister, please give me back the jade bracelet quickly."
Everyone had arrived, and according to the rules, the fight should have started now, but Shui Qingnian chickened out.
She didn't know that Xie Changming would not take action, so she was sure that if they were to compete in strength today, they would definitely lose.
Outside Tianluan City, so many dual cultivators are watching. If they are at a disadvantage in the battle of Tianluan City, they will lose the opportunity to unify the Heavenly Realm. After all, the weak are not worthy of having the power to lead the entire Heavenly Realm.
She had to find another way. Luo Mingshu was not panicked. She wanted to see what Shui Qingnian could do.
"Should we fight?" she urged Shui Qingnian.
"Shall we compete in something else?" Shui Qingnian racked her brains, trying to find an area in which she was good at, but after much thought, she seemed to have nothing particularly outstanding except her noble bloodline.
The main reason is that the Silver Dragon is similar to the Yinglong, and is also an extremely powerful race. It takes a long time for it to evolve into an adult.
Like Luo Mingshu, she had a long growth period, and her own cultivation had stagnated at the Nascent Soul stage for a long time.
However, these phenomena are all secrets within the race and will not be known to the outside world. People like Luo Mingshu, who know very little about their own race, are exceptions.
"What are we competing in?" Luo Mingshu asked, raising an eyebrow. "We can't win a fight, so we're coming up with some other tricks, right?"
She has always been magnanimous and has never been afraid of anyone in any field. Apart from physical strength, she also wants to crush others in other aspects.
So she didn't care what method of fighting Shui Qingnian would propose.
“You brought two security captains with you, you shameless people…” Shui Qingnian said through gritted teeth.
“Fine, bring them if you want. If you’re so capable, recruit two yourself,” Luo Mingshu said.
At this moment, Lu Yaoyao, who was sitting on the armrest of the chair next to Luo Mingshu, spoke up. After leaving the system, she was actually much smarter than Shui Qingnian.
“As the ruler of the Heavenly Realm, one must develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and practically in an all-round way,” Lu Yaoyao said. She knew that Luo Mingshu could do everything, even speeding, but there were some things that she would definitely disdain to do.
"This character is naturally left to the judges of the Heavenly Realm," Lu Yaoyao said, clearing her throat. "As for intelligence, I think everyone's about the same, equally rotten."
Luo Mingshu: "?" Keep cursing.
"Physical ability, well, it's pretty much a competition of strength," Lu Yaoyao said. "And beauty..."
Before she could finish speaking, Luo Mingshu flicked a strand of hair and said, "You mean this needs a comparison?"
"It refers to the ability to discover beauty, to our artistic abilities. After all, the Heavenly Realm has a history of tens of millions of years and countless cultural heritages that need to be passed down," Lu Yaoyao quickly explained.
"The final task is to test your hands-on ability." Lu Yaoyao began to talk nonsense. "Whoever will rule the heavens in the future must be strong in these five areas. Let's see who wins the most in the end. How about that?"
Her suggestion was actually clever. It essentially treated the competition that was purely about strength as one of the smaller events, leaving more room for maneuver in other events that didn't test hard skills.
Especially the word "labor," Lu Yaoyao didn't believe that the lazy and gluttonous Luo Mingshu could win in this aspect.
Luo Mingshu also felt that fighting was a bit boring, and Lu Yaoyao's suggestion really piqued her interest.
"I think it's okay, but we still need to discuss the specific competition details for each sub-project," Luo Mingshu agreed.
After all, their duel today was just a show for the cultivators in the Heavenly Realm, a demonstration of their strength to see who they would choose to follow.
When this suggestion was put forward, even Shui Qingnian readily accepted it. She thought that since she seemed to know nothing, the other party might not know anything either. If they all rotted together and struggled in the mud, their chances of winning would be higher than in a real fight.
Luo Mingshu found it amusing, and Xu Qian and Meng Weifang were also prone to stirring up trouble. As for Xie Changming, he was simply there for the fun.
The only ones who were puzzled were Wei Qing and A Mo, who had experienced many exploration scenarios in the Misty Star Sea. In all the exploration scenarios they had participated in, the competing teams were so fierce that they wanted to fight to the death, so they had no time to care about all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics and labor.
They were stunned. Amo even touched her own face and asked Wei Qing nervously, "Do you think that because I can't see my face, I'm at a disadvantage in the beauty contest?"
Wei Qing: "?" Didn't you say you were quitting slacking off? Why did you suddenly decide to participate? Do you still want to quit?
He was in a state of confusion because the thought of participating in five projects was giving him a headache.
Meanwhile, the other somewhat eccentric cultivators in the hall had already begun discussing the specifics of the competition.
"Virtue?" Luo Mingshu said confidently, "Is there anyone with better virtue than me?"
Shui Qingnian pointed out her poor character: "You are the most shameless person here."
"As for morality, let the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm vote. A cold fairy who keeps a male favorite from the Demon Clan doesn't seem to have much morality either, does she?" Luo Mingshu retorted, not to be outdone.
"Everyone knows that you and your former security captain have an ambiguous relationship!" Shui Qingnian turned her head to glance at Xie Changming, "Super beautiful goddess, you are not much better, right?"
"Heh, that depends on how the celestial cultivators view it. Without further ado, let's start a seven-day 'moral exemplar' voting campaign tomorrow in the 'Celestial Gossip Gazette' and 'Celestial First-hand Real News.' Cold Fairy, you wouldn't be too afraid to even vote, would you?" Luo Mingshu was very confident in the popularity of her tabloids. Her previous efforts were finally paying off.
"A moral exemplar?" Shui Qingnian was clearly confident in herself. "Sure."
Lu Yaoyao was about to break down. She tugged at Shui Qingnian's sleeve: "Cold Fairy, aren't you too confident in your image?"
"How about it?" Shui Qingnian glanced at Lu Yaoyao. "I won't lose to her in this."
Luo Mingshu had access to news talent and wasn't afraid of voting, so the first competition topic was decided.
Their argument centered on "intelligence," because they seemed to have little confidence in their own intelligence.
"History questions are not allowed."
"You can't give math problems."
"Even short essays are not allowed."
At this moment, three victims of the Yingtian Palace exam spoke in unison.
"Then what should we do?" Luo Mingshu asked, unsure of what to compete in this area.
Fortunately, Xie Changming was the best at having fun, and he offered his suggestion: "Why don't we send two people from each side to give each other questions, which will then be answered by the teams from both sides? As for the content of the questions, the format will remain the same."
Xie Changming was actually quite malicious, because the test questions might be absurd trials like running a hundred laps around the heavens.
However, both sides were looking to trick each other, and they wouldn't miss the opportunity to create difficulties for the other. So, once the proposal was made, everyone accepted it.
"Okay, is that it for the second item?" Luo Mingshu knew how wicked this suggestion was, but she was confident that the question she came up with would be even more vicious than the one from Dongzhi Wonderland.
As for the third item, "body", it is the easiest to decide. Since Xie Changming is not planning to take action, both sides will send three people to compete, and two out of three will be enough.
Luo Mingshu and Lu Yaoyao disagreed on the issue of "beauty".
Luo Mingshu thought she was pretty, so she decided to use the literal meaning of the name and just compare who was more beautiful. After all, she herself was called the Super Beautiful Goddess, so she had the upper hand in terms of name.
Lu Yaoyao knew that if Luo Mingshu said it, then Luo Mingshu and Xie Changming could win with an overwhelming advantage.
So she joined forces with Shui Qingnian to reject Luo Mingshu's suggestion: "Super beautiful goddess, don't be so vulgar. You don't understand the true meaning of 'beauty' at all. It requires the cultivators who will lead the celestial realm in the future to have eyes that can discover beauty and to have unparalleled appreciation abilities."
"Appraisal, huh? What kind of treasure do you want to appraise? Let me see it." This suggestion happened to coincide with Luo Mingshu's specialty. She even felt that she didn't need to do anything and could just let them "appraise" it slowly.
“This won’t do either!” Lu Yaoyao immediately refused. Of course, she knew that Luo Mingshu had a keen eye for discovering all the treasures in the world.
"Then what do you want?" Luo Mingshu asked. "Appreciation won't do, beauty pageant won't do, why don't you just announce that you've won this category?"
"How about this..." Meng Weifang, who had read extensively, had a vivid imagination. "Why don't we just paint or sculpt each other, or create artworks based on our assigned opponents? You see, since we're all opponents, if we can discover the beauty in each other, it's not a bad thing to have 'eyes that can see beauty'."
"It's kind of funny, but you have an invisible person on your side, while I have two stunning beauties on my side. Do you think that's fair?" Luo Mingshu raised an objection.
"This is also an inherent weakness within your team!" Shui Qingnian retorted, not to be outdone. "Super Beautiful Goddess, in the first test of virtue, your tabloid sold cheaper and more people bought it, so you already had an advantage. Now you won't even let us take advantage of it?"
Luo Mingshu thought about it and agreed. In the competition, she would not take advantage of her opponent, so the competition item of "beauty" was temporarily settled.
As for the last item, "Labor," everyone had their own opinions. Luo Mingshu was more interested in fighting, so she suggested that they could have another round because "Labor" tests practical skills.
"Super beautiful goddess, do you just understand the meaning literally?" Lu Yaoyao said. She remembered that before she came to the Yuling Sect, when she was cultivating alone, she had also cooked some side dishes, such as scrambled eggs with tomatoes and other delicacies.
So she confidently said, "Labor is the most glorious thing, and food is the most important thing for people. How about we test our cooking skills for the last 'labor'?"
"Have the people of the Heavenly Realm all abstained from grains and returned food to the people as the most important thing?" Luo Mingshu laughed. She couldn't cook, so she firmly opposed this idea. "Are you showing off your cooking skills in the void?"
"So, do you want to have a dishwashing competition?" Lu Yaoyao asked.
Just as Luo Mingshu was pondering whether washing dishes was a good idea, Xie Changming lowered his head and whispered something to her.
This statement made Luo Mingshu immediately agree to Lu Yaoyao's suggestion.
"Alright, a cooking competition isn't out of the question." After all, she can't cook, and neither can the Cold Fairy.
Moreover, she had just secretly told Xie Changming's cheap husband that he was a good cook, so even if he didn't participate in the competition, he could still give her guidance from the sidelines. She didn't believe she couldn't learn to cook.
Thus, a total of five competition items were decided. Of course, this was only the initial result of their discussion, and the details still needed to be written down and discussed later.
Since the two sides participating in the competition represent Wuji Palace and Dongzhi Immortal Realm respectively, the determination of their competition results is entrusted to the third most authoritative force in the Heavenly Realm—that is, the Xuantian Mansion of Tianluan City where they are located.
Luo Mingshu still remembered the "time limit for the Misty Star Sea Trial" that Wei Qing had told her. She wanted to win as soon as possible and get the results, so the competition time was set within five weeks. The first week was for the selection of "Celestial Moral Exemplars".
After reporting to Xuantianfu, for the next week, the newsletters issued by Wuji Palace and Dongzhi Immortal Realm will have an extra voting page at the end. The two candidates are Cold Fairy and Super Beautiful Goddess. Whether the celestial cultivators like it or not, they must choose a celestial moral exemplar from the two of them.
Xuantian Palace will collect these voting pages a week later. Each cultivator has only one vote. After the votes are tallied, "Celestial Moral Exemplars" will be selected based on the number of votes.
As for how they will win the support of the celestial cultivators, that will depend on the statements in the tabloids of both sides and the performance of the two candidates over the next week.
In order to win the honor of "Celestial Moral Exemplar", Luo Mingshu even became more civilized and polite.
Upon returning to Wuji Palace, she saw Hanyu and greeted her with a professional fake smile. She said to Hanyu with a smile, "Little fairy Hanyu, thank you so much for helping to manage Wuji Palace over the years."
Han Yu was flattered, and Luo Mingshu quickly asked Xu Qian to write it down: "The super beautiful goddess cares about the little fairy in Wuji Palace. Fairy Han Yu is deeply moved. The super beautiful goddess is a role model for us all."
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