The drumming ceased, and the crowd was still shouting slogans declaring the certain victory of their respective sects. For a while, the venue was filled with loud clamor that seemed unstoppable.
Chu Lei slowly stood up and ascended the platform, his right hand executing a subtle wave. Just this one gesture silenced the entire venue so profoundly that one could clearly hear a pin drop.
Xuanji knew he was about to give some ceremonial remarks. The adults always liked to say such formalities before doing anything significant.
She had no interest in hearing these, so she simply pulled Linglong aside to tell her more gossip.
"I heard that when Valley Master Rong of Dianjing Valley was young, he was a rich man's son and had taken three wives and four concubines! But once middle-aged, he suddenly wanted to cultivate, so he resolutely abandoned his wives and children to come to Dianjing Valley. His three wives and concubines brought the children and chased after him, yet he actually had the heart to refuse to meet with any of them. Men... tsk tsk~~"
Linglong shook her head and swayed her tail as if she had seen it all herself.
Xuanji couldn't help asking, "What happened after that? Did he never see them again?"
While one ear listened to his master's formal speech, Du Minxing's other ear caught their gossip. At this point, he said in a low voice, "In the end, he did see them. Later on, two of the wives and concubines were actually persuaded by him and willingly stayed in Dianjing Valley to cultivate into immortals together. The remaining one... went back home with her children alone and is said to have died of illness in less than a year."
Xuanji fell silent.
Linglong scoffed coldly, "Men are all so selfish. He even thinks of becoming an immortal after abandoning his wife and children, I wonder if his dead wife would come to find him when he becomes an immortal!"
Du Minxing frowned, "Linglong, keep your voice down! How much do you really know about the disputes of the older generation?"
Linglong, yelled at, glared with wide eyes ready to retort, but considering the special circumstances, she had to swallow her anger and pouted without saying a word.
"Big brother..." Xuanji tried to appease him.
Du Minxing shook his head, "Whether Valley Master Rong's actions were appropriate or not, it's his own matter. Outsiders have no right to judge. Besides, he is now accomplished and highly respected among the experts of various sects. Everyone can stray in life, but at least he later followed the right path. How can we as the younger generation rashly judge?"
Xuanji knew her senior brother, who either remained silent or gave lengthy lectures, and the thought of discussing this issue with him for hours made her scalp tingle, so she quickly interjected, "Ah... look, big brother, father seems to have finished speaking!"
Indeed, Chu Lei had finished his ceremonial speech, and immediately after, the Kui skin drums sounded again. Valley Master Rong of Dianjing Valley brought out a squarely-shaped small box and announced loudly, "Now to draw numbers!"
Because of Linglong's earlier words, Xuanji couldn't help but take another look at him. She noted his silver hair, his brown satin robe delicately embroidered with intricate patterns, and indeed he had an aura different from others. Moreover, he had a youthful and handsome face, fitting the description of 'a young face with white hair'.
But she wondered whether those two wives who had followed him in cultivation were still present?
Glancing around the arena, Xuanji saw that soft stools were arranged in a circle at the inner field for the elders and hall masters of the sects. The six remaining hall masters of the Shaoyang Sect were all there, serving as judges for the matches at various arenas, holding the power of life and death over the results of the first to third matches.
After looking around for a while, Xuanji didn't see any women like those she imagined and gave up the search.
Now, everyone in the inner field took turns reaching into the box to draw numbers. The so-called numbers were sealed slips of paper folded and stamped with wax, from which each participant took one, opened it to check their number, and then immediately proceeded to register their name with Sect Leader Zhao of the Xuanyuan Sect.
The sixty young disciples quickly finished drawing their numbers, followed by the elders who drew lots for judging duties at the arenas.
Once the drawing was completed, someone brought forward a teak tray with the matchup list already arranged on it.
Dongfang Qingqi unfurled it with a light touch, scanned it quickly, and immediately reported with a clear voice, "A and Yichou, proceed to the Red Arena. Bing Yin and Ding Mao, proceed to the Qing Character Arena..."
In this manner, he enumerated the participants for the first seven matches.
Seeing that she did not recognize any of the competitors, Xuanji lost interest and considered going back to sleep. Worried about being scolded by her big brother and considering the matches were about to start amid a sea of people, she had no idea when she might be able to squeeze her way out.
So she simply leaned against the railing, burying her head in the snacks Linglong had brought over.
While she was stuffing beef into her mouth, she suddenly heard the sound of trumpet calls, indicating the matches had officially begun.
Zhong Minyan and the others watched with great excitement, cheering for one competitor and then feeling pity for another. After shouting along with them for a while, Linglong looked down to see her younger sister trying to eat furiously, not lifting her head even once, which left her both annoyed and amused. Pinching her face, she said, "You could at least watch! Our brother is up there!"
"Oh, which one is it?" asked Xuanji, her mouth full of oily snacks and her cheeks bulging, as she turned around with curiosity.
Zhong Minyan rapped her on the head firmly and berated, "You're really a pig, always eating, eating, eating, and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping! Look at the Zhe Character Arena! Brother Duanping is up there!"
She was of the Duanping Generation, far removed from my own; how would I recognize her? Even among my fellow Min Generation, not everyone is familiar to me!
Xuanji, completely bored, had a "let me just get through this" expression and lazily lifted her eyes to look over.
The Shaoyang Sect contestants didn't have a uniform attire, but their sleeve and collar edges were embroidered with the unique phoenix and phoenix pattern of Shaoyang. It seems that the tall man with a face full of pockmarks must be Brother Duanping; his weapon was a pair of short swords.
Short swords were a weapon Junior Master Huan Yang from the Xuyang Hall was adept with, so this Brother Duanping should be one of Junior Master Huan Yang's proud disciples. The pair of short swords truly became extensions of his limbs, flickering one moment up, the next down, at times like a dragon lurking beneath the water, concealing its edge, and at others, as unstoppable as a soaring jade phoenix spreading its wings.
The man in black he was competing against could hardly fend off the attacks and kept retreating towards the edge of the platform. Had there not been ropes surrounding the stage, he would have surely fallen off by now.
"He's got this in the bag!" Zhong Minyan exclaimed excitedly, sweating profusely as if he were the one on stage.
As Xuanji watched disinterestedly, covering her mouth to stifle a yawn, she noticed the man in black flick his wrist and a long, black object shot out from his sleeve, sweeping across the ground and raising a cloud of dust.
Oh, he uses a whip! Xuanji's interest piqued as she saw the man, backed into a corner, suddenly twist his waist and slip through a gap from an incredibly awkward angle. The whip in his hand seemed to have eyes of its own, lashing directly at Brother Duanping.
The crowd gasped in unison, but Duanping remained calm and collected. With a swift movement, his short swords crossed into an X-shape, snatching and pulling the whip with a swoosh, miraculously slicing it into two!
This move was executed with crisp precision, and Elder Huan Yang from the audience nodded continuously, brimming with pride.
"Which Sect does the whip user belong to?" Xuanji whispered to Linglong.
"He's a disciple of Daoist Jiang from Dianjing Valley, named Wu Tong. Due to his surname Wu, he uses black for everything, and he's somewhat well-known," Du Minxing kindly informed her. "Unfortunately for his whip, it's met its nemesis against the short sword, and it looks like this match will end in a miserable defeat for him."
Xuanji felt that despite this Wu Tong looking like he was constantly about to tumble and fall, he never quite did.
His evasion techniques were exceptionally bizarre, like a slippery loach that simply couldn't be caught no matter what.
Just as Duanping's sword was about to pierce his throat, Wu Tong suddenly threw his head back and inexplicably flipped over. Once he had steadied himself, he pulled out several pitch-black paper talismans from his sleeve.
"What is that?" Linglong cried aloud.
Du Minxing furrowed his brow as if he was recognizing something...?
"It's a talisman!" Zhong Minyan yelled out. "He's actually using talismans?!"
It was a profound Immortal Technique, seldom wielded by young cultivators because a single mispronounced word in the spell could lead to the caster being harmed by their own spell. Moreover, controlling the power of a spell was no easy task; an uncontrolled spell could lead to unpredictable consequences.
As everyone watched Wu Tong release the talismans into the air, the pieces of paper seemed alive as they lined up neatly in a specific formation. He recited the True Words and, indeed, the talismans began to rise higher and higher. In an instant, the previously clear sky darkened as ominous clouds surged from all directions, creating an eerie scene.
Linglong, witnessing the use of talismans for the first time, couldn't help but feel a bit frightened and shrank slightly behind Zhong Minyan, peering out with just her eyes.
"The Five Thunders Technique! That's the Five Thunders Technique! Get out of the way!"
Someone recognized the spell and began to scream. While Xuanji and the others were still clueless, people who knew the dangers were already scrambling over each other, desperately trying to flee.
The Five Thunders Technique invoked the Thunder Gods from all directions to strike down with myriad bolts of Heavenly Thunder, a fearsome and profound method to banish demons. Nobody expected it to be used at the Flower Pinning Conference. Although talismans had been used in previous conferences, they were only minor in scope. If the Five Thunders Technique were cast successfully, it would surely wreak havoc on the surrounding area. The experience of being struck by lightning was definitely not a pleasant one!
As Xuanji watched many people rushing out, about to ask what was going on, her arm was abruptly seized by Du Minxing. He gripped both her and Zhong Minyan, urgently saying, "Get out of here! It's dangerous!"
Xuanji, pulled along by him, had only taken a few steps when Elder Huan Yang suddenly let out a long howl from the audience. Before she could understand what was happening, countless streaks of white lightning descended, unbearably blinding.
Instinctively covering her eyes, she heard a sizzling and a thunderous rumbling; the ground began to shake violently. She stumbled, nearly falling, and then heard her mother's scream and her father's anxious shouts—a complete and utter chaotic mess.
As she was about to look up and see what was happening, her head shook as if struck by something. It wasn't painful or itchy, only a bit numb. Puzzled, she reached to touch it and found a bead flower had shattered right atop her head, falling into her palm charred and twisted, emitting wisps of blue smoke.
What had happened? She dropped her hand, looking around in bewilderment.
And she noticed that the ground was suddenly riddled with innumerable blackened holes, smoking just like her poor bead flower.
Many people lay on the ground clutching their heads, including Linglong and the others. Only she stood, holding the lightning-struck bead flower, unsure of what to do.