A few seconds later, Daoist Chu nodded. "I rember reaching the finals. And I rember feeling that my opponent was far too strong for . So I forfeited. Very simple. Then he shrugged. "After that, I went to sleep. I must have been exhausted."
ng Bai exchanged glances with Lin Mu. "Do you rember who your opponent was?"
Daoist Chu looked puzzled. "No. Their strength was overwhelming. My senses could not perceive them properly. It is all a blur."
Lin Mu sighed under his breath.
So did Elyon.
Cattaleya covered her mouth to hide another fit of laughter.
They all realized what had happened. Daoist Chu's mind had completely suppressed the trauma. His own subconscious had built a wall between him and Mistress Tender Flower's existence. An act of pure self preservation. If he rembered everything, he might actually cry blood.
Lin Mu decided not to correct him. It was kinder this way.
With Daoist Chu fully recovered, life returned to its usual rhythm. The group resud their exploration of the local lands between Cattaleya's tournant matches. Ti continued to pass, and Cattaleya continued to crush every opponent in every ring she stepped into.
Finally, she won her last tournant as well, bringing her record in this region to a perfect streak. Her fa as the One Flick Woman now spread across several kingdoms and sect territories.
Rumors said she had defeated an eighth tribulation stage cultivator by clicking her tongue loudly. There were already paintings of her in local markets, most
exaggerated to the point where she was drawn as a giant titan flicking mountains away.
Now, with all her tournants complete, they had about a month until the Great Fist King Martial Tournant began.
They decided not to waste ti and chose to travel directly toward the tournant's location. The journey itself would take about two weeks, and they intended to enjoy everything along the way.
The path between their current resting place and the Great Fist City was dotted with vibrant towns, trading posts, scenic mountainous regions, and dozens of local clans and sects hosting mini events.
The atmosphere across the entire region was festive. Roads bustled with travelers, rchants, body cultivators flexing their muscles to impress strangers, Qi cultivators showing off their techniques for tips, and street perforrs reenacting scenes from past tournants.
ng Bai and the twins enjoyed the journey imnsely.
They sampled local food and bought nurous souvenirs. Elyon gathered information from every tavern, market stall and rumor board he ca across. And Lin Mu collected materials for his cores, tasting rare fruits or rare herbs whenever available.
But the most morable was a few arrogant body cultivators who picked fights with them for no reason before being sent flying by Cattaleya. It would be fine if it happened once or twice, but it happened five tis.
It was Elyon who gathered a few rumors and learned that it was all intentional. They actually didn't have any bad intentions either. In reality, they were rely Cattaleya's fans and wished to experience her strength before being flicked away.
Being flicked by her and surviving had beco sowhat of a status symbol among Body cultivators now and it just made Lin Mu sigh.
Cattaleya found it a bit flattering, while Daoist Chu sensed a business opportunity. They began charging Immortal stones for Cattaleya to flick people away and made quite a few and had to stop when the line grew thousands long and started to delay them.
Two weeks later, the skyline changed again.
A sprawling city appeared ahead of them, stretching across rolling plains. It shimred with pale blue formations and white stone walls. Unlike other kingdom cities, this place was not governed by any monarch or sect. It was built entirely by the Dongxu Clan and grew around them over the last few thousand years.
Dongxu City.
The birthplace of the Dongxu Clan's founder, the ho of Dongxu Ning, and the temporary destination of Lin Mu's group.
Cattaleya whistled. "This is impressive. They built all this themselves?"
ng Bai nodded as he took in the massive gates and watchtowers. "The Dongxu Clan is more powerful than I expected. I thought they were just so middling clan, but they have built a city that rivals kingdom capitals."
Lin Mu studied the surroundings and sensed how the land itself resonated faintly with earth and jade Dao. It was a well fortified location. Dense Array formations were buried under the soil, and he suspected that if an enemy ever tried to attack, the ground itself would rise to defend it.
Daoist Chu adjusted his robes. "It is an independent city too. That explains the size. They are effectively a kingdom without announcing themselves as one." Elyon added, "This location is strategic as well. We are very close to the boundary of the Martial Fist King Sect's territory. The Great Fist City is only five hundred kiloters from here. This city likely thrives on tournant
traffic."
He was right.
The air was filled with excitent. Thousands of cultivators from dozens of worlds had co here before proceeding onward to the Great Fist King Tournant. Inns were filled, markets overflowed with goods, and banners representing clans and sects swayed over every tower.
The Dongxu Clan had made their city the final resting stop for the countless participants and spectators traveling to the main event.
As they approached the gates, ng Bai looked around and asked quietly, "Do you think Ning is here already?"
Lin Mu nodded. "She is likely ho. And her father is certainly preparing for the journey to the Great Fist City. Let us et them first before exploring"
Cattaleya smiled wide. "Great. And maybe ng Bai will have another rivalry
mont with Ning."
ng Bai blushed imdiately. "Cattaleya, please do not tease . She is just a
fellow competitor."
Cattaleya ignored him completely.
Lin Mu shook his head fondly.
"Let us go."
With that, the group stepped into Dongxu City, unaware of the excitent, reunions and unexpected developnts awaiting them inside.
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