Hua Yulan led the way into the tunnel. If she was apprehensive or nervous, she didn't show it. She was still the righteous daughter of the order, even if this was her first time entering such a holy place.
A dim rose-colored light filled the stone passageway though there was no source. It seemed to emanate from the very walls. There was a heavy spiritual aura in the air, one that didn't seem entirely from a single immortal. This entire place was a large spiritual array, a place of cultivation.
They arrived at the end of the tunnel which had a small room and a small raised dais where a woman sat. She had her back turned to them and was in a meditative lotus position. There was nothing else in the room and the four visitors could barely fit into the place.
"I apologize for my inability to provide more hospitality." The woman spoke, her voice was gentle and melodic.
There was a certain irresistible pull to it, not quite due to spiritual energy but something else. Lin Qingcheng recognized it whilst the others might have not. It was because she was around other women often.
The immortal's voice was pure yet seductive, soft yet magnetic. It was the kind of voice that was capable of capturing the most desirable male client if she worked in a brothel. Lin Qingcheng did not voice these thoughts, of course. It wasn't wise to offend an unfamiliar immortal with such things.
"Immortal Royal Moon Jasmine, First Elder of Ten Thousand Flower Valley, greets immortal lady." Jasmine said, a bit stiffly.
This was the first time declaring herself formally to an outsider of the sect. There was a certain level of risk involved but they were here by choice and the situation was unavoidable.
Immortal Royal Moon was the title she chose for herself. It wasn't a name formally recognized by the Immortal Association since they did not know of her existence. Since it was customary for all human immortals to have one, she crafted one that best suited her. She originally wanted to go with Purple Moon but Chen Wentian talked her out of it, saying it was a little too obvious.
There was a swirl of spiritual energy and the woman turned around. Expectedly, her face was flawlessly beautiful. Her skin was pure like white jade, her eyes like sparkling pearls. Her sharp nose, oval face, ruby red lips, long brown hair... her features were all exquisite. She was uniquely beautiful, with perfect womanly features. It was impossible to tell her age but her appearance was not altered by any kind of spiritual disguise or body morphing technique. Yet beyond her appearance, it was her demeanor that vaguely reminded the visitors of a person they were familiar with…
The woman gave a gentle smile, "Sacred Daughter of the Virtuous Order of Chunzhen, Prioress of the Order for the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent, Immortal Glass Melody Gui Li greets Immortal Royal Moon Jasmine."
Both immortals greeted each other kindly, establishing a peaceful meeting.
"Daughter Hua Yulan, how is your master doing?" Gui Li asked.
"Prioress, Mother Dahlia is doing well. Ten Thousand Flower Valley helped us reestablish ourselves and we've gotten many recruits."
"Mmm, I have also heard of this. Lady Jasmine, thank you and please inform Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian of my appreciation."
Jasmine nodded slightly.
"Now, about the matter of the Sororal Order of Endless Love, please explain it to me clearly." Gui Li said.
Jasmine went straight to the point. She described the appearance of Abbotess Liang in the capital and her intent to take Long Yifei. She asked the prioress if the Virtuous Order would be able to step in and prevent this blatant crime of robbing disciples from happening.
Gui Li frowned, "Our two orders have some small similarities. The rank of abbotess is held by at least a Spirit King. A prioress such as myself is only a Spirit Lord. I am solely responsible for the whole subcontinent but it is not my place to fight against a Spirit King and throw away my life. Though our two orders do not see eye to eye, if we had to step in, I would have to call our own abbotess from the main continent. For that, I require a sufficient reason and I cannot find one here."
Gui Li shook her head, "Although, you have helped me personally, this matter is out of my hands. I am sorry."
This was expected and Jasmine was not disappointed. She had come prepared.
"Don't be so hasty," She said, "Hua Yulan told us that you hate losing potential disciples to the sororal order. Our sister, Long Yifei, is still a virgin and could be a potential member of your order. It would be a shame for a potential practitioner of your arts to be stolen by the enemy."
Gui Li again shook her head, "She already has a master in Lord Chen. It is his matter to deal with."
Jasmine smirked, "Your order has a rule that allows women who already have masters to study with you, provided they have enough talent. I was told you can administer a talent test through a droplet of virgin blood."
She took out a vial, "I have it here, could you test it before making your final decision?"
Gui Li shot Hua Yulan a look. The immortal lady was annoyed but she considered the help that Ten Thousand Flower Valley had provided. It was improper to deny such a small request and she acquiesced.
She got up from her dais, revealing an intricate rune array beneath. It was roughly circular with five sharp corners, like a pentagram.
"This is the Immaculate Vessel; it will conduct the virgin aptitude test." She said.
She then muttered and chanted a secret mantra under her breath and the pattern lit up in a rose-colored light. She waved her hands over it many times, injecting her spiritual energy. The array steadily gained in power and eventually filled the room with a peerless aura. It was something that far surpassed the Spirit Lord Realm and made even Jasmine uncomfortable.
"It's ready." Gui Li said.
Jasmine floated the small vial over.
Gui Li took it and carefully poured the few droplets of blood onto the center of the array.
Hoooong!!
A dull hum filled the small room. The stone dais vibrated gently and the intricate runic carvings pulsed intensely. This went on for a little while until…
Ping!
There was a distinct pulse and one of the corners of the pentagram lit up vividly.
"First grade, righteous daughter." Gui Li said, "They are lowest-ranking members of the order. They only have the talent to cultivate first-grade secret arts of the order and rarely reach even the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm. These virgin women are limited to the mortal world, like Hua Yulan. They will generally cultivate for a few years and then marry, passing on their bloodline to their daughters who will also join the order when they are old enough…"
Just as she finished her long-winded explanation, a second corner on the pentagram flickered into life. This meant that Long Yifei had at least surpassed the most basic grade. If she had not, Jasmine would have been sorely disappointed.
Gui Li raised an eyebrow, "Second grade, blessed daughter. They are the most talented among mortals. They will easily reach the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm but languish somewhere within the lesser realms, never reaching immortality. They will often take leadership positions within the order, such as Mother Dahlia, and may also study directly under a prioress such as myself. Still, it's not enough…"
The rune array did not dim. A third corner lit up and this time, Gui Li was impressed.
"Third grade, sacred daughter. It's the same talent as me. A sacred daughter will reach the Spirit Lord Realm without any accidents as long as they diligently cultivate our arts. This Long Yifei is certainly a virgin of tremendous talent. If one is particularly strong, they may even have the possibility of reaching the Spirit King Realm!"
She turned to Jasmine, "Lady Jasmine, I apologize for before. We will help, we cannot lose such a sister to that wicked order… Wait, hold on…"
A fourth corner lit up!
"Amazing!" She said, "Absolutely amazing! Holy daughter… her future is brilliant. She is the perfect woman, one that will enslave the heart of men. I have to contact the main branch. This is too big! This is too incredible!"
"Hehe, see, I told you Sister Long is talented!" Lin Qingcheng giggled.
She gave Jasmine a nudge, which earned her a wry grin. Their collective tension flowed away. With such amazing talent and potential, the problem of Abbotess Liang would be taken care of easily.
"AhhhHHH!" Gui Li suddenly screamed.
The others looked at her in confusion but she stood there, open-mouthed, in complete shock.
The fifth and final corner of the pentagram erupted in light. Then, the other four followed. Together, they filled the room with a phantasmal array of colors. Beyond just rainbow colors, there were hundreds, thousands, more than could be possibly described.
Ancient, unfathomable energy erupted. It could not be comprehended. It far surpassed anything those present could fathom. It seemed linked to the very world itself.
"Di… di… divine daughter," Gui Li whispered hoarsely, "The legendary constitution blessed by the heavens!"
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