On the red hill.
At this moment.
Lu Changsheng learned this lesson the hard way; lying is a very bad thing.
Someone once said that lying was like rolling a snowball. The snowball would only get increasingly bigger until it would get completely melted by the sun.
Should he blame Liu Qingfeng for what happened?
No, it was unnecessary. After all, it was Lu Changsheng who lied first.
The only thing he could do right now was to keep his act together.
This was also because people wouldn't want to believe that a man who had an elegant, poetic name, was in fact, a scam artist.
Hence, Lu Changsheng decided to ignore what happened in his mind.
He didn't want to waste his energy on it anymore. He only wished that the grand meeting would go smoothly tomorrow.
Time passed by quickly.
Soon, midnight came.
The grand meeting had a very clear arrangement.
At midnight, Lu Changsheng needed to take a bath and get changed.
Then, he needed to burn incense and pray at one o'clock.
He would spend the following four hours in the Zenith Palace.
At seven o'clock, he would worship Heaven and Earth at the altar.
The grand meeting would end at about nine o'clock.
Midnight.
In the Zenith Pool.
Lu Changsheng soaked his body in the warm pool, he released a sigh of relaxation.
The pool had unbelievable efficacy in treating injuries. It could help a severely injured man make a full recovery within two hours.
Also, soaking in the pool from time to time would help one accelerate his or her cultivation.
However, this pool was only allowed to be used by important members in the sect for important occasions. Lu Changsheng really wished that he could just live here.
"Senior Brother!" Lu Changsheng heard footsteps come towards him. It was Liu Qingfeng.
In the misty surroundings, Lu Changsheng watched Liu Qingfeng walk towards himself. He slowly asked the latter, "Did you spread that rumor?"
This question made Liu Qingfeng's smile freeze.
"Rumor? What rumor?" Liu Qingfeng indeed had no idea what happened yesterday. He was kept quite busy by his father after he went back.
"The entire sect believes that I'm ascending to the celestial world today. Don't you know about this?" Lu Changsheng wanted to know what Liu Qingfeng felt about the rumor.
"Ascend to the celestial world? Senior Brother, I didn't say anything! Please trust me!"
Liu Qingfeng wouldn't admit it, there was no solid evidence anyways.
Lu Changsheng had nothing else to say. It didn't really matter anymore.
"Why are you here then?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"Senior Brother, Sect Master Qing Yun asked me to bring you these clothes," Liu Qingfeng answered.
"You can put them over there," said Changsheng.
As the Eldest Senior Brother in the sect, he knew he should dress up a little bit. Ever since he joined the sect, he had been wearing a long robe exclusive to the Inner Sect disciples.
"I'll leave you alone now Senior Brother."
Liu Qingfeng waved his hand and a few jade boxes appeared beside the pool.
There were four jade boxes in total.
In the first box, there was a turquoise-white long robe embroidered with the pattern of a Qilin.
In the second box, there was a pair of boots embroidered with the pattern of clouds.
In the third box, there was a belt made of gold thread, which was also embroidered with the pattern of clouds.
In the fourth box, there was a hat made of the finest white jade, decorated with seven stars.
Lu Changsheng knew what they were.
They were a well-known set of clothes in Zenith Heaven. A hundred elders who specialized in Weapon Refining had to spend eighty-one years making them.
In terms of both texture and quality, they were exquisitely-made.
The Qilin on the long robe was embroidered by the most famous palace for sewing. Every thread used was made of the silk produced by an Ice Silkworm which had lived for more than ten thousand years. The value of a single thread was worth about a dozen thousand kilograms of spirit stones.
The long robe alone only could easily buy a third-class sect.
They could also be used as a set of exceptional armor. The cloud-qilin long robe could protect Lu Changsheng from a Nascent Soul cultivator's full strike by awakening the power of the qilin. The pair of boots only needed a wisp of Qi as its driving force to enable Lu Changsheng to move extremely fast.
The belt could help Lu Changsheng store the spiritual air between Heaven and Earth, this power could be pulled out when it was needed.
The jade hat which was engraved with seven stars could absorb the power of the Big Dipper and accelerate Changsheng's cultivation.
Each and every single of these items were invaluable.
This was how Zenith Heaven valued its Eldest Senior Brother.
An hour later, Lu Changsheng walked out of the pool. He didn't have to dry himself as the water on his body instantly evaporated.
Once Lu Changsheng raised his arms, as if the robe was intelligent, it flew towards Lu Changsheng and covered his body. He didn't even have to put it on himself.
Even though the long robe had two layers, it was still quite light. It would even provide the wearer warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer, the robe also gave off a refreshing scent.
The belt embraced Lu Changsheng's waist and the jade hat helped Lu Changsheng bind up his hair.
Lu Changsheng lifted his feet so that the boots could be put on.
Lu Changsheng was very satisfied with his looks, even though he thought that the clothes would shine.
Of course, Lu Changsheng wouldn't let his attire do that.
His demeanor shouldn't match anything too fancy.
Remaining low-key was the best strategy.
Lu Changsheng walked out of the pool.
Liu Qingfeng was waiting outside.
Upon hearing footsteps, Liu Qingfeng looked up.
This single glance at Lu Changsheng stunned him.
Liu Qingfeng's mind felt lost as he stared.
Misty air quickly filled the space.
Liu Qingfeng felt that he was in the celestial world.
Once Lu Changsheng walked out slowly, he was like a celestial deity landing in the mundane world. His face and figure were perfect. Once Liu Quinfeng looked at his eyes, it seemed that his Eldest Senior Brother's pupils had seen everything in this world. The light in his eyes looked distant.
In the cloud-qilin long robe, Lu Changsheng's demeanor was incomparably graceful.
With a sword in his hand, Lu Changsheng was a swordsman from heaven aiming to erase all devils and demons in the world.
With a book in his hand, Lu Changsheng was a saint Confucian scholar traveling carelessly throughout the world.
With a halberd in his hand, Lu Changsheng was the most brave and battle-wise commander.
The celestial aura around him was created by every word he said, every movement he made, and every glance he took.
Perhaps, this was what a celestial deity looked like.
Or perhaps, Lu Changsheng was even more outstanding than most immortals.
Liu Qingfeng now completely understood why the Sect Master chose Lu Changsheng to be the Eldest Senior Brother of the sect.
"My respects, Senior Brother." Liu Qingfeng bowed low to Lu Changsheng respectfully.
"I'll go and pray now." Lu Changsheng walked past Liu Qingfeng.
The grand meeting would be held in a few hours.
It was fine to act playfully during ordinary times.
But now, he had to treat the grand meeting seriously as to show his sense of propriety.