Chapter 133: Discussions in the Town
On the fourth day after the ceremony, after helping his younger sister and Jiang Wuyun finish handling the rental side-room courtyard on the Main Peak, Long Tao also went to Qixia Town and found a restaurant, planning to grab sothing to eat.
At this ti, the topics circulating among the townsfolk had already shifted.
Since there had been no heaven-shocking genius like Nan Yuchen this ti, the Disciple Recruitnt Ceremony had not caused much of a stir.
Everyone had discussed it for two or three days before gradually losing interest.
Aside from the ongoing lukewarm war with the Wuyi Sect, the biggest topic was the upcoming Grand Competition.
At the neighboring table, several locals were chatting animatedly.
“Hey, I heard the Wuyi Sect seems to be considering a ceasefire.”
“They were the ones who started the trouble in the first place. It’s only right for them to bow their heads and admit fault.” A lean man interjected, “This ti, we’ve got to make them bleed a little.”
Another elderly man with a goatee smiled and said, “I heard from my grandson that the Gong Clan Dragon Race launched a surprise attack in the Eastern Sea. The Wuyi Sect is fighting on two fronts and simply can’t keep up.”
“Those loaches are clever. They definitely won’t miss this kind of opportunity. We probably don’t want to escalate things too far either—most likely we’ll take what we can get and call it good.”
Long Tao sipped the tea that had just been served and listened with interest as various bits of news spilled from these mortals’ mouths.
The Gong Clan Dragon Race they ntioned was a Demon Race force in the eastern sea controlled by the Wuyi Sect.
It was said they had been entangled in conflict with the Wuyi Sect for at least several thousand years—a true mortal enemy.
The Wuyi Sect and the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect could occasionally sit down to negotiate and even maintained civilian trade over the years, but between the Wuyi Sect and the Gong Clan Dragon Race, there was only war.
They were called “loaches” not out of disrespect for the Dragon Race, but because the Gong Clan Dragon Race were not true dragons at all—just a group of flood dragons.
Though they possessed dragon bloodlines, to most humans, these calamities that strutted about in the waters all day held nothing sacred about them.
At this mont, the topic at another nearby table of young cultivators caught his attention.
“Oh right, I heard quite a few people are coming for this Grand Competition. Even the Hehuan Sect’s Saintess will be here. My senior brother personally saw the invitation card.”
“The Hehuan Sect’s Saintess?! That’s sothing new. I’ve never seen her.”
“Not just you—who here has? I heard she’s coming to find a furnace cauldron this ti. Everyone’s guessing she’s got her eye on Fang Wuqi or Nan Yuchen.”
“Good grief! Those two are treasures of our sect. How could they possibly go be soone’s furnace cauldron!”
“That’s not so certain. They’re both young n of that age. If they see the Saintess in person, who knows whether they’ll be able to hold themselves back.”
“I definitely wouldn’t be able to.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t—but the Saintess wouldn’t look at you either.”
“Hahaha!”
Amid the uproarious laughter filling the hall, Long Tao’s motion of lifting his teacup paused slightly.
The Hehuan Sect’s Saintess?
That was not good news.
The people here were definitely referring to the orthodox Hehuan Sect.
In terms of sheer influence, that sect was extrely vast, because they maintained intricate ties with almost every major force.
Contrary to what ordinary people imagined, the high-ranking female cultivators of the Hehuan Sect were never the coquettish, dust-of-the-world type.
On the contrary, most carried themselves with dignified poise.
Only the lower-level disciples needed to rely on outward appearance to charm others.
He truly felt a bit worried.
If that Saintess set her sights on Nan Yuchen, would that boy be able to withstand the test? As for him, Long Tao certainly could not claim to be the kind of cadre who could “withstand the test.”
“It’s not just the Hehuan Sect.” Soone from another table joined the discussion.
“The Sixth Imperial Princess of the Suhuang Heavenly Dynasty, Shao Yuezhu of the Heavenly Eye Sacred Land, the Saintess of the Guanghan Sacred Land, the legitimate daughter of the third branch of the Bai Clan of Qiling, that genius Chen Huaixiu from the Tai Cang Chen Clan—even a few of those flirtatious foxes from Qingqiu will be coming.”
“Good grief, is this a beauty pageant? Don’t let them steal all the spotlight from our Grand Competition.”
“They’re probably all here for Nan Yuchen. He only joined the sect three years ago. Though he has the title of genius, he’s hardly had any real chance to display his strength. This Grand Competition can be said to be his first public appearance. Naturally, quite a few interested parties will co to watch. If he truly satisfies them, I’m afraid many forces will propose marriage alliances.”
“Didn’t Fang Wuqi also have quite a few forces seeking marriage alliances back then? Sohow nothing ca of it later.”
“That’s because he chose the Red Blood Bridal Gown Art. A cultivation thod that at most reaches Mid Golden Core Stage—outsiders see that as cutting off his own Dao path. Sigh…”
Hearing this, Long Tao felt deeply uncomfortable.
He had always believed that a genius of Senior Brother Fang’s caliber was not soone ordinary people had any right to judge.
But at this mont, there was no way for him to step forward and argue.
If even half of what these people were saying was true, then this Grand Competition would be extraordinarily lively.
The nas just ntioned were all renowned young female cultivators of both talent and beauty.
And if male cultivators and others not yet ntioned were included, the Grand Competition might truly have its lilight overshadowed.
He only hoped it would not affect his task.
…
That afternoon, Long Tao arrived at the martial arena for the Grand Competition.
This arena was not located on any peak, but rather on a plain that passed through no Earth Veins at all.
This was to ensure fairness, preventing any Earth Vein attributes from clashing with competitors.
“Oh! Junior Brother Long, you’re here.”
“Senior Brother Fang, how’s the sound amplification formation set up?”
“All done. I just tested it with the Speech Pivot Pearl—no problems. The sound on the viewing platform is just right, not too loud, not too soft. You should give it a try as well.”
Long Tao took the Speech Pivot Pearl and cleared his throat.
“Testing, testing, one-two-three, three-two-one. Fellow disciples and Dao friends, welco to attend and observe.”
His voice instantly echoed throughout the arena, clear and full in tone.
He deliberately walked to several different spots to listen.
Just as Fang Wuqi had said, the sound in every corner was perfectly balanced.
As expected of Senior Brother Fang—when it ca to this sort of matter, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
However, Fang Wuqi frowned slightly.
“But I discovered a problem.”
“There’s still a problem?”
Long Tao’s heart jolted.
The Grand Competition was about to begin—nothing could go wrong now.
“Yes. If the two of us provide comntary from below, won’t it affect those competing? For example, if I comnt on a disciple’s mistake or analyze soone’s cultivation thod weakness—those things used to be whispered offstage, no big deal. But if we say them publicly and the people on the platform can hear them, that might cause issues.”
Hearing this, Long Tao imdiately realized the seriousness of it.
Indeed! That would definitely have an impact.
Even if they forced themselves to go through with it, it might still be fine—but since it concerned his task, he dared not gamble.
He had not forgotten that whether this task could be completed depended on whether the audience at ringside approved of his comntary.
If his and Senior Brother Fang’s comntary made the competition unpleasant to watch or disrupted the competitors’ performance, that would be troubleso.
“True, we need to think of a solution. Hmm… could we set up a sound-silencing formation on the platform?”
“No.” Fang Wuqi imdiately shook his head.
“Setting aside the fact that sound itself is an important component in combat, so people’s moves are tied to sound. We absolutely can’t do that.”
“Then… could we place several sound-isolating artifacts around the edge of the arena? That way, those on stage simply won’t hear what’s coming from outside.”
“That’s a good idea! It preserves the integrity of the match while shielding them from outside interference. Perfect! Let’s do that.”
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