The Three-Destinies Old Man was watching the imagery below intently and he was equally curious about the 'surprise' that Shen Yufeng had mentioned to the competitors.
Xuan Danfeng said unhappily, "Look at you. You are an old man already and you are still so excited about a tournament that is meant for the young cultivators? Why don't you look at me instead?"
The Three-Destinies Old Man frowned lightly as he turned to look at her, "Precisely because I am old that I am not interested in young beauties like you."
Xuan Danfeng: …
"You know. Do you think that I do not know that you have been staring at me?" She suddenly chuckled.
The Three-Destinies Old Man was stammering all of a sudden, "Of course not! You keep talking to me. Of course I have to return a look or two to you or you may think that I am being rude."
"Oh really?" Xuan Danfeng laughed softly.
While they were talking, there was an invisible distortion below the sky platform; it was Yue Lingxi and she had concealed herself with her profound aura as she quickly flashed out of sight.
Normally a seventh realm expert like Xuan Danfeng would notice the tiny distortion and the Three-Destinies Old Man was also no exception. However, as they were currently chatting, they had failed to notice the tiny distortion in the trial celestial array.
There were two more tiny distortions as Shen Yufeng and Qin Keqin returned quietly to their seats.
Shen Yufeng asked, "Great Benefactor, are you alright?"
Qin Keqin smiled weakly, "This is just a little injury. Don't let my Yun'Er knows."
Shen Yufeng sighed softly. Qin Keqin profound strength was of the negative attribute while the annihilating fire was of the positive attribute. These two attributes had always opposed each other. Earlier when Qin Keqin was in her weakened state, her body had been afflicted by the annihilating fire and her profound veins were injured.
To think that the one that had injured the Great Saintess Fan Yuqing was actually Lu Qingyun…
Qin Keqin forced herself to look casual while repeating softly to Shen Yufeng, "Don't let him know that he has injured me. It is not him…"
With another soft sigh, Shen Yufeng nodded.
She quickly regained her composure as she looked at the anticipating crowd before she put on an alluring smile as her voice echoed. "I did promise you all a surprise, am I right?"
She raised her hand as she dispelled the celestial array and the survivors had returned to the sky platform below.
At the same time, more than ten thousands of the 'dead cultivators' were also back at the sky platform. The 'dead cultivators' were in a state of daze as they found themselves back at the sky platform once again. Their curious gazes were soon upon the one hundred cultivators that had survived the trials.
"We are back at the sky platform now…"
"So it means that the trials have ended…"
"So who are the top celestials that have completed the trials?"
"They are over there…"
Nangong Yu nearly fainted from shock when he saw that Lu Qingyun was among the one hundred cultivators that had completed the trial. He nearly spurted blood on the spot!
Leng Qiuyue was secretly delighted when she saw that Lu Qingyun had completed the trials. "I know that he will surely be able to complete the trial."
Ling Chong was quite stunned to see that his sister Ling Xiu was among the one hundred cultivators…
Qiuxiang Huan and Qiuxiang Hanyu had a complex look on their faces. Shangguan Furong was among the one hundred cultivators that had survived the trials but where was Yue Lingxi?
Lu Qingyun had a weird look on him right now. It was because the instant that the trials had ended and he was back to his physical body, he could feel a burning sensation on him but weirdly enough, he also had a smoothing in his soul. Since he was little, he had always felt an affinity to the burning glow of the fire and that was why he was passionate in alchemy.
"Are you alright?" Ling Xiu asked him curiously when she had suddenly noticed that Lu Qingyun seemed to be thinking about something and his attention was not on the thousands of cultivators that were looking at them.
Even Qian Jingjing had a curious look on her, "Brother Qingyun, are you well?"
Lu Qingyun smiled, "I am well. I'm just thinking about something. By the way, thank you for all the help. I am really grateful to all of you."
Qian Jingjing shyly lowered her eyes, "I should be the one that ought to say thank you. Without you, I probably won't be able to pass the full tournament trials."
Ling Xiu nodded, "Same here. Brother Qingyun, your Sister Ling Xiu will never forget what you have done for me."
Lu Qingyun laughed, "This is really nothing to put in your hearts. We are all helping one another. Without the two of you…" Lu Qingyun sighed softly, "And Qiuyue, I will never be able to pass the trials as well."
Qian Jingjing pursed her lips, "So this is parting time now…"
Lu Qingyun smiled, "We will still be seeing one another in a month's time at the Moon Demon Forest."
"I have almost forgotten about that!" Qian Jingjing was suddenly spirited again as she laughed softly. "I hope that we may still have a chance to be in the same party."
Ling Xiu interrupted shyly, "I hope so too."
Lu Qingyun smiled, "Let's hope so. We have a nice synergy with one another."
His eyes were looking up the stage where Qin Keqin was as he thought, "Keqin, did you see my performance earlier? I am no longer the good-for-nothing cultivator now."
At this moment, Shen Yufeng's beautiful voice could be heard laughing in the ears of everyone. "I've actually wanted to offer myself to the trial heroes but the Heavenly Fragrance Villa has a strict rule about relationships. Therefore the surprise won't be about me, am I right?"
Everyone: …
Lu Qingyun was muttering as he sighed softly, "She is indeed so humorous."
"Therefore the surprise will be about you and not me." Shen Yufeng laughed.
Everyone was leaning closely with their ears, afraid to miss out what this surprise was about.
"One of you here will be taken in to be my core protégé for your outstanding performance. This is a pleasant surprise for the lucky person and you should all be glad for that person as well."
All of a sudden the thousands of cultivators at the tournament had a dark look and they were secretly cursing her.
There were thousands of them and Shen Yufeng was choosing only one core protégé. This was a joke on them!
The most likely candidate would be among the one hundred cultivators that had survived.
The men naturally had the most disappointed look because the Heavenly Fragrance Villa would never take in a male protégé. Men were forbidden to enter into the inner palaces of the Heavenly Fragrance Villa.
Many of the female cultivators were all looking at one another.
Was it Gongsun Ya, Fairy Ling Xiu, Shangguan Furong or Qian Jingjing? The four of them looked the most promising but many were also hopeful.
Shen Yufeng smiled as she announced, "Leng Qiuyue of the Heavens Ridge Villa, I pick you to be my core protégé. Will you accept me as your master and celestial teacher from now onward?"
During the trial, Shen Yufeng had observed that Leng Qiuyue's natural reaction was really quick and that her cultivation foundation was really startling. That was why she had the intention to groom her into her core protégé.
Everyone was startled, including Leng Qiuyue.
The thousands of cultivators from the mountain stages and at the sky platform were all looking at Leng Qiuyue. Everyone was now muttering and was talking at the same time.
Even the grand elders of the Heavens Ridge Villa were all startled by this sudden announcement.
Ouyang Xue had a look of disbelief on her as her one time rival had the honor of joining the Heavenly Fragrance Villa as a core protégé.
Qin Keqin was blinking her eyes as she looked at Shen Yufeng, "Are you sure about it?"
The reason why most of the celestials had startled was because Leng Qiuyue was not part of the hundred cultivators that had survived and she had in fact failed during the middle of the trial.
Therefore when her name was suddenly called, Leng Qiuyue had a stunned look. She looked up to Shen Yufeng and to the direction of Shi Guanyin her master.
Shi Guanyin nodded lightly and was smiling to her.
Leng Qiuyue turned to look in the direction of Lu Qingyun and had hesitated. It was because if she choosed to be a protégé of the Heavenly Fragrance Villa, this means that she would have to leave the Heavens Ridge Villa and she would not be seeing Lu Qingyun again.
Leng Qiuyue was saying bitterly to herself, "Isn't this my dream to join the Patriarch Clan one day? Now that I have the chance, why am I hesitating?"
"Senior brother's cultivation is advancing faster than I. If I stay in the Heavens Ridge Villa, he will surely shake me far behind and I will have no hope of ever catching up with him. I do want to be a golden celestial and if I stay in the Heavens Ridge Villa, I don't know if it is possible."
With a firm voice and raising her hands to bow at the same time, "Your protégé Qiuyue greets my Master Shen."
Lu Qingyun had a blank look on him as he muttered to himself, "Qiuyue is leaving and so is Xingyuan…"
Over the past few months, he had actually regarded them as his friends from the bottom of his heart. There was a sense of loss when he had thought that they were actually leaving for good and he could not describe this feeling of loss. This was the second time that he had felt in this manner. The first time was when his old master had passed away.
Shen Yufeng chuckled softly, "Good!"
With another chuckle, she added. "Naturally that is not the only surprise that I have for all the victorious competitors. The real surprise will be at the Moon Demon Forest. However as the place is dangerous, please say your proper farewell first before you come. Don't say I've never warn you."
All one hundred of the victorious cultivators, including Lu Qingyun did not know whether to laugh or cry when they had heard her humorous remark.
Some of them were thinking, "Is she serious?"
"She sounds serious…"
"I have got a very bad feeling about this…"
Shen Yufeng smiled, "The real trial is at the Moon Demon Forest. So you have better prepared well. If you don't want the Divine Profound Pill, you can choose not to come. There won't be another such a good opportunity to obtain the Divine Profound Pill next time."
Qin Keqin was looking at her quietly as she pondered, "This is too fishy. There must be something that is going on there. I must ask her later…"
All of a sudden Shen Yufeng's profound aura had turned extremely cold as she swept her gaze over to the sky platform below. She said with a soft yet cold and audible echo that could be heard by everyone, "Qiuxiang Huan, I will like to have a little word with you."
Qiuxiang Huan was startled and she had immediately turned ashen…
Ling Chong was also startled as he quickly walked to her, "Huan, what is going on?"
Qiuxiang Huan smiled weakly, "Don't ask please."