44 Chapter 44
"Wow... Why did they have to be eliminated..." The little junior sister sat in the audience crying with tears and snot, looking no better than Lu Wu, as if she was the one who was eliminated.
Senior brothers and sisters: ...
The little junior sister couldn't help crying while watching the show since Lu Wu gave her thank-you speech. The five contestants had already spoken, but she still hadn't recovered from her sadness.
"Don't be too sad, little junior sister." The third senior sister took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. "On the road to immortality, there are always people who have to be eliminated. Otherwise, wouldn't this girl group have thousands of people?"
The junior sister sobbed, "A few thousand people is fine. I'm willing to support all of them forever!"
Third Senior Sister: ...
Oh right, I forgot you are a fan of the group.
In the end, it was the eldest brother who successfully stopped the younger sister's tears by diverting her attention. He excitedly pointed at the stage and said, "Look, look! The awards are about to be presented! Everyone will receive a different prize!"
On the stage, Shangguan Huaijin, who won first place, held a trophy carved from colored crystal glass and deep-sea pearls, smiling and waving at the audience. Ning Shu also held a small box in her hand.
"Let's give Miss Shangguan a warm round of applause and congratulate her on winning the Immortal Cultivation Dream Factory Championship! From now on, Miss Shangguan will be the captain of our Hehuan Sect's first generation girl group - the Rainbow Girls!
This is the top-grade foundation-building pill given to you by the sect master as a reward. I wish you success in building your foundation, Sister Huaijin!
Because Shangguan Huaijin has been confirmed to be the sect leader's direct disciple, she is now considered Ning Shu's junior sister, and their relationship has become much closer. It is not wrong to call her sister.
Golden spots of light and celebratory ribbons fluttered down from the sky. Ning Shu awarded prizes to all the winning contestants in turn. The girls' eyes were filled with hope and dreams, and the familiar theme song slowly sounded.
"Everyone—let's have a blast on this night worth celebrating!"
Ning Shu left the stage to the newly formed group of colorful girls. Shangguan Huaijin, who was the first to react, followed the rhythm and sang the first line of lyrics.
"Stride forward and break free from shackles and discipline,
The ridicule and mockery are all yesterday."
Liu Pianpian performed an impromptu dance, and the end of the final seamlessly transitioned into a small concert.
"We are flowers growing wildly in the desert,
I don't listen to anyone's nagging and I don't depend on anyone for my existence."
The audience also waved their hands and sang along with the beat, and the entire venue fell into a carnival.
The young apprentice sister of Qingyun Sect finally burst into laughter. She took the hands of her fellow apprentice sisters and stood up, singing along:
"Crowns and scepters grow from the spotlight,
Where I bloom is the most dazzling stage!"
The eldest brother was also in a very relaxed mood. When he was about to throw himself into the revelry, the jade pendant in his arms suddenly lit up. He looked up and saw a paper crane struggling to fly towards him crookedly through the chaotic crowd.
What could possibly happen at this late hour? He raised his hand to take the paper crane, unfolded the paper, and saw the concise and concise words on it:
The leader has come out of seclusion, come back quickly!
Senior Brother: ...
Maybe this is the legendary "too much joy leads to sorrow".
With the all-night carnival in the city that never sleeps, the first talent show held by the Hehuan Sect came to an end. Judging from the results, this attempt was very successful. Ning Shu not only collected a lot of love for the sect, but also earned a considerable income for the sect.
"Unbelievable!" Zi Xiao, who had been in charge of financial management for the talent show project team, lowered his head and flipped through this month's account book over and over again, as if he couldn't believe his eyes at all:
"The spirit stones invested in the commercial street have actually paid off in just one month. Add to that the monthly magazine revenue... and our monthly income will almost cover the entire sect's expenses!"
There were so many brothels with slow business in the commercial street, but Ning Shu was able to turn losses into profits in just one month after buying them. Not only that, he was able to support the entire sect with just a few Qi training disciples. Is it really mysterious?
"Well, those brothels were on the verge of bankruptcy, so I didn't spend too much money on them. Besides, the fan economy is so profitable. It's normal for peripheral stores to sell paper with negligible cost for dozens of spirit stones. You'll get used to it in the future."
Ning Shu was clearly so proud that her tail was about to fly to the sky, but she awkwardly pretended to be used to it. She picked up the cup on the coffee table and took a sip happily:
"And making money is just a side effect! The greatest significance of this talent show's success is the development of a brand new way of cultivating the Way of Compassion! From now on, my mother will never force me to practice dual cultivation again! Yay!"
I've finally escaped the fate of being the heroine of a pornographic novel! From now on, I'll be the boss of an entertainment company with thousands of stars under my wing! If I get the urge, I'll invest in building a few snail noodle factories. Just thinking about it makes me happy!
Zixiao: ...
"You've gone to such great lengths to avoid dual cultivation! You've really put so much thought into this!"
Just as the two of them were leisurely hiding in the room enjoying their rare afternoon tea time, Bai Xuan suddenly walked in hurriedly. She had a happy look on her face and couldn't help but speak as soon as she entered the room:
"Young Sect Master! Zixiao! All five members of our Nishang Girls successfully established their foundation yesterday! There are only a handful of disciples who have successfully established their foundation within a few months of cultivation, and we have five of them at once!" Bai Xuan's personality has become much more lively due to the continuous good news these days. Two dimples appeared on her gentle and lovely face when she smiled:
"Everyone is preparing for the celebration now, ready to celebrate the Sect Master's acquisition of a talented disciple!"
You must know that often a talented disciple will be the confidence and support of the entire sect in the future. Now that the Hehuan Sect has many talented people, why should we worry about the sect's prosperity in the future?
"This is indeed a great joy!" Zi Xiao hadn't expected that all five of them had successfully established their foundations, and he sat up excitedly:
"We must carefully prepare for the sect master's disciple-taking ceremony and let those unreasonable old Taoist priests see for themselves! It's a shame for you to have a genius from the Hehuan Sect paired with a bunch of you idiots!"
"We need to prepare carefully!" Ning Shu excitedly picked up the brush beside him and began to plan frantically. "How can we miss out on such popularity? We can use this as an excuse to hold a concert, and then a fan meeting! Sell some handshake tickets and autographs, and then we'll reap both fame and fortune!"
Just as the three of them rolled up their sleeves and prepared to get down to business, there was another knock on the door. The maid Xiao Cui peeked in from outside: "Miss, the Sect Master wants to see you! He said there's something urgent and needs you to come over immediately!"
Ning Shu rubbed his head in confusion and turned to look at Zi Xiao and Bai Xuan: "The competition is over, what else could mother want to ask me? Why are you so anxious?"
Zi Xiao stroked his chin in thought for a moment, then smiled, looking pleased with himself. "This must be about your cultivation again, right? The disciples you recruited have all reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so it's a bit unreasonable for you, the Young Sect Master, to still be in the Qi Training stage, isn't it?"
Although Ning Shu also improved his cultivation with the support of some fans, he did not attract the traffic from the finals. He is currently stuck at the great perfection of the Qi training stage, which has made the sect leader very anxious these days.
Ning Shu was practically suffering from PTSD from cultivation. He was overwhelmed when he heard about this: "But, but now there are obviously better ways to cultivate. Mother won't force me to practice dual cultivation..."
"Well, I won't force you to practice dual cultivation!" Zi Xiao pushed Ning Shu's shoulders as they walked out. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't hold back his smile. "I'll just force you to sing and dance. Maybe the Sect Master will build a platform on the top of the Linglong Tower in the Nightless City and let you jump on it until you reach the Foundation Establishment stage before coming down!"
Ning Shu: ...
No, I can't. Mother wouldn't do this to me, would she?
Ning Shu came to the clan master's courtyard with trepidation. Fortunately, it seemed that her mother had no intention of hanging her on the top of the tower to dance. Instead, she brought her to the sycamore tree in the courtyard.
"Shu'er, this sacred tree seems to be acting strangely lately. The inner emotional veins are somewhat blocked. I've searched through the sect's ancient books, and this is a sign that it will grow further."
"Really? Is it going to evolve?" Ning Shu's eyes lit up, and he made a rough estimate in his mind. Since the talent show was held, the amount of emotions absorbed by the Amphibian Wutong Tree has been increasing day by day. Before and after the recent finals, the emotions that could be collected have skyrocketed exponentially. With so much nutrients gathered in a short period of time, it doesn't seem surprising that the current situation has occurred.
"What will the sacred tree look like? Will it get bigger?" Ning Shu's heart was filled with anticipation as he began to look around the yard that was already covered by the sacred tree.
"Is there enough space here for it to grow? Do we need to move to a more spacious area? Will a phoenix come? I've never seen a real phoenix!"
Yes, in this world of cultivating immortals, dragons and phoenixes are both ancient mythical beasts, and you can only see them in ancient books and legends.
"I don't know either. This tree has been growing since the founding of the sect until now, and no one knows what it will become as it continues to grow." The sect leader shook his head, took Ning Shu's hand, and gently touched the rough trunk with her:
"Mother has called you here this time to teach you how to sort out your clogged emotional veins. According to ancient texts, every time the sacred tree grows, its guardians must help it sort out its internal chaotic emotional threads and energy so that it can smoothly enter the next stage.
From ancient times to the present, the only guardian who can enter the sacred tree is the leader of the Hehuan Sect. However, this time the emotions inside the sacred tree are in turmoil, and my mother is worried that she is not strong enough and will delay the sect's plan if she is not careful.
Shu'er, you'll inherit my legacy sooner or later anyway, so why not take this opportunity to help me and learn how to sort out my emotions so I won't be so flustered when I take over."
Ning Shu had no objection to this matter. She was very happy to be able to share her mother's worries. "How can I do it? Can someone like me who is at the Qi training stage also sort out my emotions?"
"It has nothing to do with cultivation, but with the soul." The sect leader held Ning Shu's hand and began to emit golden light. Faintly, the tree trunk turned into golden silk threads and wrapped around them.
"Close your eyes, calm down and concentrate, and follow your mother's consciousness."
Ning Shu did as she was told, closed her eyes, concentrated her consciousness, and followed her mother into the interior of the sacred tree space.
【Author’s words】
*I saw a news report a long time ago that the owner of an entertainment company invested in a snail noodle factory because he loved eating snail noodles [laughing and crying] (of course, it’s possible that I remembered it wrongly)
And the Shenshu server is finally going to be upgraded [Spread flowers]
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