Chapter 206: Fourth-class Invitation
Zuo Qiu Ting’s brows showed worry. “What I fear most is right here. Who can guarantee that Ge Xian Tong and Luan Sheng Lin You only fought one match in Bing Zu Marsh and didn’t reach some consensus? For example, first eliminate the others, destroy Zuo Qiu, cut down Zhu Men, sweep through Lei Xiao and Long Men, and then have a peak duel.”
“If you regard Luan Sheng Lin You as just a troublemaker, then you are greatly mistaken. Your Excellency Mingyue Qixing, Zhu Huan’s death might very well be a gift Luan Sheng Lin You gave to Ge Xian Tong as a meeting present.”
“Only between strong practitioners can there be grounds for dialogue.”
Li Weiyi exhaled a long breath. If this were really the case, tonight would be too terrifying!
Zuo Qiu Ting thought for a moment and then said, “What you said, I have actually considered. But to achieve open alliance and hidden cooperation, it must be built on a foundation. That is, we must first hurt Ge Xian Tong, make him pay a price. Only then will he look at us properly and there will be a possibility of sitting down to talk.”
Li Weiyi nodded gently, believing that Zuo Qiu Ting’s understanding of top experts and the world situation was superior to his own, and his judgment would certainly be more accurate. He suddenly said, “Didn’t you say that only the number one under heaven has the mindset of a strong practitioner? How can you view the problem from the perspective of the number one under heaven?”
Zuo Qiu Ting smiled, “Have you forgotten that I have a sister? She is the one who truly manages the overall situation of the younger generation in the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse. She doesn’t take Ge Xian Tong and Luan Sheng Lin You seriously at all. She believes that being number one under heaven is not decided by everyone, but earned through battle.”
Li Weiyi said, “Is she that strong?”
“Otherwise, why would she be the Hidden Person of the Zuo Qiu Hidden Sect?” Zuo Qiu Ting said.
Li Weiyi asked, “How confident are you about tonight’s battle?”
Zuo Qiu Ting’s eyes were sharp as swords. “Honestly, I have no confidence at all. But only if we endure tonight, only if we teach the number one under heaven, Ge Xian Tong, a lesson, can we reduce the fear the Imperial Court has towards forces like Zhu Men, Lei Xiao Sect, and Long Men. If we lose, this Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival will be dominated by Ge Xian Tong and Luan Sheng Lin You!”
“Cang Li and Li Jiufu have arrived!”
Li Weiyi looked down from the tower and indeed saw their figures. “Are there no other ways to leave the tower?”
“Afraid to meet your brother-in-law?” Zuo Qiu Ting teased.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Li Ling is only sixteen years old, still a little girl. I don’t know which scoundrel spread this rumor and tarnished her reputation out of thin air.”
Li Weiyi felt that he had been greatly wronged by the rumor.
Cang Li arrived at the top floor of the stone tower and quickly found Li Weiyi, who was in a secret discussion with Qi Xiao. His eyes immediately turned cold as he walked over and questioned, “Li Weiyi, where is Li Ling?”
Li Weiyi sat on the chair without standing up. “Are you sure you want to discuss this matter here?”
Cang Li frowned, thinking that this matter involved a departed spirit possibly belonging to Zen Sea Observing Mist, and immediately ceased hostilities.
Yin Nine advised, “Let’s go, the main business is important.”
“You wait here, don’t go anywhere.”
Cang Li left these words and, along with Yin Nine, walked towards the west tower room where the three successors of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse were located.
How could Li Weiyi stay to listen to his lecture? He immediately got up to take his leave and quickly descended the tower.
If tonight’s battle is unavoidable, then it’s best to stay as far away from the top experts of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse and the Jiu Li tribe as possible. He, a martial cultivator in the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas Realm, choosing to protect himself, no one should criticize him, right?
Li Weiyi used the Disguise Art, changing his appearance and features, mingling among the many martial cultivators, listening to various information. At the same time, he pondered how to cope with the unpredictable changes of the future.
The hour of midnight arrived.
Above the Xuantian Stone Wall, within the thick Magic Energy Cloud, numerous peach blossom petals fell, like pink flower rain.
“These are petals from the ancient peach trees on Taoli Mountain!”
“They are as crystal clear as rosy jade. It is said that the wine brewed with these petals is comparable to a Precious Medicine.”
“It blooms for ten years, bears fruit for ten years, and ripens for ten years. On Taoli Mountain, there are three thousand such ancient peach trees. The Zuo Qiu Gatehouse monopolizes too many resources!”
…
Countless martial cultivators released Magic Energy and Mind Power Spiritual Light, collecting the petals.
Suddenly, gasps of exclamation arose. “The Immortal Masters from Du’e Temple have descended!”
Li Weiyi, along with everyone else, looked up.
They saw thirteen figures in Daoist Robes descending from the sky within the thousand-meter-high Magic Energy Cloud.
Each of them emanated myriad auspicious rays, stepped on clouds, and their skin was as crystal clear as jade. The men had Immortal Bearing, and the women were as beautiful as celestial maidens. To dare to descend from the clouds, their cultivation was naturally unfathomably deep.
The Immortal Master from Du’e Temple appeared to be around forty or fifty years old, with a Daoist bun and a wooden hairpin. Only a man with Crane-haired and Childlike appearance could be discerned, but his true face could not be seen clearly. The surrounding space was very distorted, and his cultivation was unfathomably high.
The other twelve people, six men on the left and six women on the right.
They were all very young, but their cultivation was beyond the Five Seas Realm. They stood in a line behind the Immortal Master.
The thirteen stood on the Xuantian Stone Wall, a hundred zhang from the ground, truly possessing the extraordinary transcendence, purity, and detachment of those who cultivate outside the mundane world, not consuming worldly food.
The young martial cultivators in the plaza below looked up with longing and admiration. Some whispered, “It is said that those who perform exceptionally well in this Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival may have a chance to be accepted into Du’e Temple. That would truly be a step to heaven!”
“Whoosh!”
After some exchange, two men and two women from behind the Immortal Master of Du’e Temple floated down from the cliff face to the plaza.
The four of them each took out a wooden plaque and hung it below the martial cultivators of the Third Class of the Four Territories.
“Below the Third Class are Grade B.”
“Each territory has twenty Grade B individuals.”
…
Li Weiyi was quite concerned about whether he could get an invitation, and continuously moved towards the area below the Xuantian Stone Wall.
The twenty Grade B individuals from the Southern Territory were being announced by a female Daoist priest from Du’e Temple, and nine wooden plaques had already been posted.
Dao Di and Mie Di from Coffin Mountain, and Shi Shishi from the Earth Wolf King Army, were among them.
Dharma Truth, this Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body, was ranked Grade B, clearly due to the loss of one arm, which severely damaged their combat power.
“Shi Shishi, this brat, is actually ranked so high. I suppose he’s broken through to the Seventh Sea!” Li Weiyi thought to himself.
Twenty wooden plaques, the number of spots is decreasing.
Even this B-grade is mostly for people who cultivate the Seventh Sea, or Great Mind Masters of the Calamity Fire Realm, and are renowned.
The Southern Territory Hell Arena is not just a saying.
The Zuo Qiu Gatehouse and the Jiu Li tribe occupied too many slots.
Reaching the nineteenth wooden plaque, Li Weiyi saw another acquaintance: Yang Yue, the young master second only to Yang Qingxi in the Sui Sect, who was a Nine Springs Supreme Person.
“Does Du’e Temple truly only select those with high cultivation?”
Li Weiyi was naturally disappointed. Just as this thought crossed his mind, his pupils contracted sharply, and in the hands of the woman in the Du’e Temple Daoist Robe, he saw the three characters “Li Weiyi.”
The twentieth wooden plaque was hung up.
As the two hundred spots were all posted, Xuantian Square saw some rejoice while others grieved.
Those who made the list were naturally proud and overjoyed.
The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is not held at any time; being on the list is enough for him to brag about for a lifetime. If someone on the list becomes a Longevity Realm Giant or Transcendent in the future, then his descendants will be able to brag for dozens of generations.
“It’s one thing that Luan Sheng Lin You wasn’t among the two hundred, but why is Ge Xian Tong not among them either?”
Li Weiyi searched around and, among the forty people in the First Rank, did not see Ge Xian Tong’s wooden plaque.
Just as he was wondering, the Immortal Master of Du’e Temple, standing above the Xuantian Stone Wall, sketched two names in the void with his finger.
“Luan Sheng Lin You!”
“Ge Xian Tong!”
Two spiritual lights, their names falling from above, heavily struck into the stone wall, directly imprinted to the upper side of two hundred wooden plaques, left and right, as if carved by sword.
You should know, this is the Xuantian Stone Wall.
The characters carved here will surely be preserved for thousands, tens of thousands of years, for later generations to admire.
What a glorious honor this is?
The Immortal Master of Du’e Temple’s vast voice resounded, “Luan Sheng Lin You and Ge Xian Tong possess the potential of a Young Son of Heaven, a sight seen only once in a thousand years. Naturally, they are destined to surpass all Martial Cultivators. First Rank cannot contain their names.”
“Boom!”
This remark sparked widespread discussion.
No one dared to retort; in fact, most agreed.
“That’s too much hate! This Immortal Master is going to make the two of them targets for all the First Rank Masters to contend for,” said a ranked martial cultivator.
77 Du’e Temple’s Immortal Master’s voice rang out again, spreading throughout the city: “Invitations for this Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival will only be sent to the 202 confirmed individuals on the stone wall. The date is the fifteenth of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. Cultivators on the list who wish to participate should release a beam of Magic Energy or a Spiritual Light from their brow.”
“Wow!”
“Splash!”
……
Countless magic energy pillars rose in the city.
Bright lamps of spiritual light bloomed on some Great Mind Masters of the Calamity Fire Realm.
Li Weiyi circulated his magic energy, and a beam of light rose above his head, causing many martial cultivators nearby to exclaim.
The Immortal Master of Du’e Temple observed for a moment, a smile on his lips. He ignored those who deliberately released their magic energy to cause trouble, and he knew every martial cultivator on the list like the back of his hand.
His Daoist Robe billowed, his large sleeves like clouds.
“Splash!”
Shining jade posts flew to various parts of the city.
More than 90% of these actually fell near Xuantian Square. Few did not come here tonight to participate in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival.
Li Weiyi took the flying jade post. It was only the size of a palm, as if cast from white jade, and could be opened.
It was empty inside, with nothing written.
A martial cultivator from the Eastern Territory who also received a B-Grade Invitation loudly inquired, “The jade post has nothing on it, where should we go to attend this grand event?”
The Immortal Master said: “The invitations for each level of martial cultivators are different. The location for the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival can only be found on the invitations received by the top ten masters recognized by Du’e Temple.”
That Grade B martial cultivator had a fiery temper, “What is the meaning of this from your Du’e Temple? Do you want us to participate or not?”
“We’re being treated differently. The other Grade B martial cultivators are also displeased. ‘I understand! Du’e Temple means we have to pledge allegiance to one of the top ten masters before we can participate in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. Our invitation is just a waste of paper.'”
The Immortal Master of Du’e Temple chuckled, “A B-grade invitation is indeed no different from waste paper, but at least it grants one the qualification to participate in this competition.”
“Among the Third Class invitations, there is a Dragon Bone Ticket. With this ticket, on the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, you can go to the Lantern Festival venue to redeem one Dragon Bone, to strengthen the physical body.”
“Inside the Second Rank Invitation was a Dragon Seed Voucher, which could be exchanged for one Dragon Seed.”
“Within the First Rank Invitation, there is one Dragon Bone Ticket and one Dragon Seed Ticket.”
“As for the Longevity Pills that everyone is most looking forward to, Du’e Temple will be offering twenty this time. However, only the invitations of the top ten Masters will contain Longevity Pill Vouchers. Depending on one’s cultivation level, some will receive one pill, some two, and some three.”
“Martial cultivators who receive a blank B-grade invitation should not be disappointed. This is because the time to redeem treasures is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which is still half a month away.”
“In the invitation, the more tickets a person has, the more dangerous the past half-month actually is.”
“The more you get, the bigger the challenge.”
……
The young martial cultivators in the plaza once again fell into heated discussion.
“Du’e Temple deliberately made us fight, pushing us into conflict.”
“I calculated, not including Luan Sheng Lin You and Ge Xian Tong. Du’e Temple distributed eighty Dragon Bone Tickets and eighty Dragon Seed Tickets.”
“A single Dragon Seed can allow a top-tier Martial Cultivator in the Five Seas Realm to break through to the Dao Seed Realm in a very short time, and their cultivation speed in the Dao Seed Realm will be extremely fast. Within a few years, they should be able to become a Strong Practitioner below the Longevity Realm Giant, competing with Prefecture Leaders from various prefectures.”
“A single casual move thrusts a large number of young masters into a greater vortex of contention for the world.”
Li Weiyi could only smile wryly. Only the top ten strong practitioners had Longevity Pill Vouchers and knew the location of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival venue.
This is going to be difficult!
Twenty Longevity Pills, indeed far exceeding many people’s prediction of ten. But which one is easy to obtain?
More importantly.
The names of the top ten martial cultivators were not announced, so one could only speculate.
The Immortal Master of Du’e Temple’s brow bloomed with dazzling spiritual light. He slowly raised his right hand, and instantly, a terrifying and unparalleled pressure descended from beyond the heavens.
The clouds and mist above Qiu Zhou Prefecture City violently shook, and an ancient rune, tens of miles long, floated within the clouds. It emitted no light, as if carved from a giant stone, appearing and disappearing within the rapidly flowing mist.
All formations within the city that surpassed the Great Mind Master’s deployment lost their luster.
The waterfall cascading down from Taoli Mountain converges into a river, which flows through the Southern City and towards Bing Zu Marsh.
At this moment, on the Qiankun River, which was more than twenty zhang wide, a slender jade hand lifted the beaded curtain inside the slowly advancing boat. A smile appeared on Chan Hai Guanwu’s incomparably beautiful face, which was difficult to describe with a painting: “Unlock the rune!”
Li Ling sat opposite her and asked, “Master, what is a character for liberation? Such strong pressure, it feels like it could crush the entire Qiu Zhou Prefecture City if it were to fall.”
“In short, formations above the Great Mind Master level are not allowed. There’s no way to hide, you can only resist with sheer strength. We haven’t returned too late, have we?” Zen Sea Observing Mist asked.
Li Ling said, “Regardless, I’ve returned before the end of the year.”
……
On the Xuantian Stone Wall, the Immortal Master of Du’e Temple began to read out the rules of this battle one by one.
（Alas, I feel it’s too hard to write an extra chapter a day. Can I just write 1000 words daily? Today’s 7000 words.）
