However, amidst the conversation, one name kept repeating in Luo Jiu's mind.
"When talking about the cultivation world, one cannot help but mention this Immortal Venerable Yan Ze."
The storyteller twirled his fan, drawing everyone's attention to a great extent.
Luo Jiu couldn't help but move closer, her innate gossip instincts stirring.
"This Immortal Venerable Yan Ze is the number one person in the cultivation world. His Frost Sword has cleaved several mountains in the Demon Realm, forcing those ugly demons to not dare to step into the border."
"Hey old man, you've told this story so many times, is there anything new about it? Tell me quickly."
The audience members below the stage were not satisfied, one of them with a peanut in his mouth, speaking with some impatience.
The storyteller smiled knowingly, took a slow sip of tea, and emphasized his point, whetting Luo Jiu's appetite.
"Then let's talk about the Immortal Venerable and the Demon Realm."
"Do you know why our human race can coexist peacefully with the demon race, and why cultivation sects even allow demons to come for trials and assessments?"
Luo Jiu shuddered upon hearing this. She touched her itchy head, afraid that her rabbit ears would inevitably pop out.
Demons can become disciples in cultivation sects? That's just too...enlightened!
Just a few minutes ago, Luo Jiu was thinking about how to pass the immortal sect's assessment...
I never imagined that everything in cultivation novels was a lie! This is truly a stroke of luck!
"Why? Old man, you can't keep us in suspense. Tell us what's new."
The storyteller smiled knowingly, expressing great satisfaction with the audience's reaction.
"This story begins twenty years ago..."
At that time, the atmosphere between the cultivation world and the demon race was still very tense, and they kept to themselves. In that year, Yan Ze was elected as the sect leader of the Xiuyun Immortal Sect. With his Xiuyun Sword, he could suppress thousands of troops and control thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, and for a time he was extremely famous.
"However, the Immortal Venerable was injured by a ferocious beast during a suppression, which caused his Dao heart to become unstable, and his temperament changed drastically after he returned. Legend has it that there is a supreme treasure in the demon realm that can nurture life and heal all wounds. It can also stabilize one's Dao heart and improve one's cultivation."
"Guess what?"
"Did the Immortal Venerable go to search for him?"
The storyteller calmly shook his head and slowly began to speak.
"The Demon King personally presented the Demon Realm's most precious treasure to Immortal Venerable Yanze."
The people present gasped in disbelief, their mouths agape enough to fit an egg.
This...this is unbelievable...
The storyteller was pleased to see the expressions on everyone's faces. It seemed that the newly composed story was a great success, and it also made sense that he had spent several months working on it, and that he had almost lost all of his remaining hair.
Why is that?
Luo Jiu couldn't stop asking questions. This was even more exciting than any novel she had ever read. The way Yan Ze Immortal Venerable was described by everyone was incredibly mysterious, which piqued Luo Jiu's curiosity. She looked at the storyteller with a question mark in her eyes.
"Ahem! What happens next in the story..."
The storyteller shook his fan, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, and then uttered those six words.
"To be continued..."
"Hey! You old man..."
There was a chorus of shouts and curses from the audience, but when they came to their senses, there was no one left on the storytelling stage.
The audience's appetite was whetted, but they received no response. The instigator on stage spoke slowly, and when he ran away, it was as if he had slipped on greased cloth, without even finding anyone to vent his anger on.
The storyteller, hiding behind the screen, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Hearing the shouts and curses behind him, he was too guilty to turn around.
As expected, anything concerning Immortal Venerable Yanze causes a sensation.
Why are you rushing me? Do you think I don't want to talk? I haven't finished writing it yet, so what am I supposed to say?
"gentlemen?"
The sound from behind startled the storyteller, who, without even turning his head, tried to run out the door.
He had witnessed firsthand how dedicated these people were to reading books; if they were arrested and taken back, he wouldn't be able to make up anything himself.
Unexpectedly, before he could take two steps, his collar was grabbed. The man was surprisingly strong; he couldn't break free no matter what he did.
"Sir, please let go. I really can't continue this story today. If you want to hear it, please come back tomorrow. Don't make things difficult for this old man."
The storyteller turned around with a smile and said a long string of flattering words. When he looked up, he found that there was a little girl in front of him.
"Are even girls this strong these days?"
The murmured words met Luo Jiu's large, slightly watery eyes.
The storyteller claimed to be an old man, but he wasn't very old; he looked to be only in his early forties.
He was wearing a dark blue long robe, with a drooping beard, and had a somewhat shady,江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him.
But those eyes stared at Luo Jiu for a long time. It was clearly an impolite act, but when Luo Jiu wanted to reprimand him, it seemed to be blocked by something. There was something strange about those eyes!
"Sir? What happened next?"
He muttered under his breath, but Luo Jiu didn't hear him and didn't intend to ask. Just by looking into those eyes, she knew he wasn't saying anything nice.
"..."
The storyteller fell silent, and a long-lost quiet settled in the air.
"If I said I made it up, and it wasn't finished yet, would you... believe me?"
"Then you won't believe me..."
After saying that, he took advantage of the gap, shook off Luo Jiu's hand, and ran several meters away in an instant.
"I'm leaving now... Hahahaha..."
No matter how fast a normal person runs, they can't outrun the storyteller. He had already become a blur and was about to fly away.
It seems this storyteller is quite something; he's actually a cultivator who knows magic?
Two days later will be the selection conference held only once every ten years in the cultivation world. Those with the right destiny will gain the favor of the Heavenly Dao, sever their ties with worldly affairs, and thus attain immortality.
The idea of becoming an immortal is of the highest esteem in people's minds. So much so that every selection event attracts a large number of people to try their luck.
Luo Jiu followed the flow of people, climbing the mountain step by step.
The mountain only had so much space, and countless people surged up, shoulder to shoulder, giving Luo Jiu a taste of the frantic rush to buy train tickets home for the Spring Festival – a truly heartbreaking experience.
If she weren't afraid of being trampled to death, she would have liked to turn into a rabbit; at least she would have four legs and be able to run faster.
The stone steps on the mountain seemed endless. With each step, fewer people were left, until finally only Luo Jiu remained.
She didn't know how long she had walked, but layers of white clouds began to appear beneath her feet, making it impossible to tell whether she was stepping on stone steps or clouds.
But with each step Luo Jiu took, she felt refreshed and invigorated, as if all the meridians in her body had been cleansed and purified. This was a comfort she had never experienced before.
A moment later, a plaque appeared at the summit where Luo Jiu had reached. The three characters "Cultivation World" appeared before his eyes.
Luo Jiu reached out and passed through the barrier in front of her, but was unexpectedly pulled in by a force.
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