"Oh? Has Fellow Daoist Chunze's cultivation improved once again?"
Wang Xianmao had no idea what was going on in Mu Chunze's complex inner mind. Seeing the deer antlers on Mu Chunze's head smoking, he simply offered a polite complint.
However, all he received in return was a cold glare.
You Wang Clan bastards really deserve to die!
"No. Let's just watch the race."
Mu Chunze couldn't exactly engage in a staring contest with Wang Xianmao. No matter how stifled and frustrated he felt, he couldn't openly admit that he had just suffered a long-distance ntal strike from Wang Yulou.
Having been inadvertently slapped in the face by Wang Yulou's achievents, Mu Chunze had no way to retaliate.
He could only tell himself that he had committed so many sins in his life, and this minor face-slap didn't even make up for half a percent of them!
Regarding Mu Chunze's coldness, Wang Xianmao rely smiled faintly.
When it ca to emotional stability, everyone in the Wang Clan was rock-solid. You can be as overbearing as you want, but as long as it doesn't harm my interests, if I waste my breath arguing with you, I'm the fool.
Above the preparation area of the racetrack was the main stage. Gao Jian's concubine dance troupe had already stepped down.
Zhong Ningyao gracefully walked onto the stage and took over the hosting duties for the day.
"Fellow Daoists, welco to the Clear Stream Market Talisman Master Competition!
"Our three judges—Senior Wang Xianmao of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom, Senior Mu Chunze, the Town Guardian Cultivator of Clear Stream Market, and Senior Wu Jinyan, Patriarch of the Foundation Establishnt Wu Family—have arrived.
"Now, please enjoy the unique horse racing of Clear Stream Market! This race is proudly sponsored by the Yang Clan of Dayeze.
"The Yang Clan of Dayeze has focused on breeding mounts and spiritual beasts for five hundred years, and can provide all Fellow Daoists with the finest cultivation partners!
"Let the horse race begin!"
With her command, the horses in the preparation area surged forward like mad, bolting past the starting line.
Yang Qi had thrown down a heavy incentive—any horse that ran faster than those two celestial armored horses would receive a massive reward!
Many of the cultivators invited today were watching a horse race for the first ti.
As the herd galloped fiercely, the stands vibrated along with them. The spectators watched the grand display with great relish.
The life of immortal cultivation could be exciting, but it was also incredibly dull.
When the path of ascension was tightly blocked, wanting to leap through the dragon gate and change one's fate beca an unattainable luxury.
Therefore, a certain amount of exclusive entertainnt tailored for cultivators could effectively numb the souls of those at the bottom, so the popularity of the horse races was hardly surprising.
——
On the other side, Yulou was coordinating with Zhou Yingxi about the upcoming performance.
"It's like this, Fellow Daoist Yingxi. After you finish playing the opening piece, do not leave the stage.
"When Ancestor Xianmao makes his entrance, I need you to use the seven-string zither to provide so background music for him."
Yulou's request wasn't overly complicated. Zhou Yingxi nodded.
"Understood. But should I stop playing when my father appears?"
Wang Yulou paused for a mont before replying.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi, our Wang Clan wouldn't dare show favoritism. It's just that for this Talisman Master Competition in Clear Stream Market, our Wang Clan has invested a massive amount of capital.
"Naturally, we hope the Patriarch can show off his divine might in front of the crowd to elevate the Wang Clan's reputation. I hope you can understand.
"Of course, Senior Chunze is also a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator with great divine abilities. If you wish to play so background music for his entrance as well, you are absolutely welco to do so. I won't object."
Being courteous and reasonable was the foundation. Since the Wang Clan had invested spirit stones, they naturally expected to see results.
Promoting the reputation of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion while simultaneously increasing the Wang Clan's influence in the vicinity of Clear Stream Market were their primary goals.
Yulou's frankness left Zhou Yingxi sowhat unsure of how to respond.
The Wang Clan seed to be monopolizing the spotlight, but Wang Yulou's reasoning was perfectly logical and fair. Moreover, he had even agreed to let her play background music for her father's entrance, which left her with no room to argue.
If she played it, it might make her and Mu Chunze look a bit too greedy for attention.
If she didn't play it, Zhou Yingxi subconsciously felt that she would be letting her father down.
"Yulou, sothing's happened. Co quickly!"
Wang Rongsheng's voice transmission talisman flew over. Upon hearing the ssage, Yulou's expression changed drastically.
He looked at the equally surprised Zhou Yingxi and said, "Fellow Daoist Yingxi, let's stick to the planned schedule. As for Senior Chunze's background music, you can decide on your own. A minor situation has occurred in the stands. I'll head over first."
Leaving Zhou Yingxi standing there blankly, Yulou rushed toward the southern stands.
——
Anyone who has managed large-scale events or projects knows that when an event reaches a certain scale, all kinds of unexpected incidents will inevitably pop up during execution.
Various problems you can think of, and plenty you can't, are completely unavoidable simply because there are too many unpredictable factors.
"What happened?" Yulou asked loudly as he noticed a crowd of cultivators surrounding his clan uncle.
"It's like this, Yulou. These Fellow Daoists also want to participate in the competition and want to sign up last minute. But the segnts and schedule of our competition are already fixed.
"With so many temporary registrations, it will throw off our established plans. How do you think we should handle this?"
Wang Rongsheng had actually already sent a voice transmission to the Patriarch, and the Patriarch's intent was to have Yulou step up and handle the crisis.
The old Patriarch's reasoning was very simple.
An unpolished jade cannot beco a useful vessel. Wang Yulou, go forth and claim your stage!
"Little Fellow Daoist, all of us here have a decent level of skill in talisman crafting, though we didn't necessarily think our skills were enough to win. We knew there was a talisman competition in Clear Stream Market, so we just ca to take a look, treating it as an opportunity to exchange pointers with fellow Daoists," one of the cultivators explained politely.
"But after arriving, we found out that even the top twenty will receive rewards, so we figured we might as well participate and give it a try. I wonder if you could make things convenient for us?"
Everyone here was a respectable cultivator; placed in the mortal realm, any of them could easily rule as kings or ancestors. Since these temporary applicants had explained their reasons clearly, Yulou knew exactly how to handle it.
"Uncle Rongsheng, let's change the format. Today will be the preliminaries, and tomorrow will be the finals. Since these Fellow Daoists want to participate, we naturally welco them. I must ask you to communicate this with the Patriarch. As for those two seniors... well, the Patriarch will handle it, you don't need to worry."
Halfway through his sentence, Yulou switched to voice transmission.
Hearing Yulou's arrangents, Wang Rongsheng nodded repeatedly. Indeed, since people had co to show their support, there was absolutely no reason to turn them away!
——
Following the end of Zhou Yingxi's entrance piece, the Clear Stream Market Talisman Master Competition officially began.
"Please welco Senior Wang Xianmao of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom to the stage!" Zhong Ningyao announced loudly, her voice filled with palpable excitent.
This was the biggest stage she had ever stood on in her life, acting as the host in front of thousands of cultivators. For her, everything today was so unforgettable that she would likely rember it for the rest of her days.
Before Wang Xianmao even appeared, his voice bood through the air.
"Fellow Daoists have traveled from afar. It is the Wang Clan's honor that you are all willing to support the competition we are hosting. During tomorrow's finals, I will select twenty Fellow Daoists from the audience, and each will be gifted a high-grade Qi Refining talisman as a token of our appreciation for your support."
Instantly, the entire venue boiled over. Twenty high-grade Qi Refining talismans!
Cui Baihao imdiately realized—with so many people from the Redwood Sect present, their chances of being drawn were incredibly high!
Then, as the entire audience looked toward the source of the voice, Wang Xianmao made his entrance.
Wearing a dark green, high-grade spiritual artifact Dharma robe, Wang Xianmao walked out of the VIP room and released the restraint on his spiritual aura. The surging spiritual resonance of the robe spread outward, and those who practiced wood-elent techniques instantly felt a powerful attraction.
With his sickly green skin and dark green robe, Wang Xianmao stepped down from the elevated VIP room of the racetrack.
With every single step he took, a green lotus blood beneath his feet—a suggestion provided by Wang Yulou. The essence of showing off in public lay in maxing out the prestige factor!
Following Patriarch Mangxiang's path to the Golden Core, the Mangxiang Lineage was now making its own voice heard within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect!
As Zhou Yingxi's background music echoed, the Patriarch's exclusive entrance BGM filled the arena.
Seeing Wang Xianmao's grand display, the spectators watched in absolute awe.
Was this the divine ability and magical power of a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator?
With every step the Patriarch completed, a green lotus remained frozen in the sky. By the ti he walked from the edge of the arena to the midair above the center, a heavenly path paved with green lotuses trailed behind him.
Wang Xianmao rely raised his left hand lightly and tapped the air a few tis.
The green lotuses fluttered toward the ground in the center of the arena. Then, under the dual activation of wood-elent arts and a formation array, a massive wooden platform arena rapidly grew into existence from the floor.
Wang Xianmao gracefully landed on the stage and offered a polite bow to the surroundings.
In the VIP room, Mu Chunze, who also cultivated wood-elent arts and possessed similar divine abilities, naturally saw right through Wang Xianmao's tricks.
His face darkened, and he cursed internally.
Xianmao, you really know how to put on an act! You really know how to put on a show! Those green lotuses were entirely a facade. They have no use, absolutely zero practical use. You did that purely to show off!
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