On the second day, the much-anticipated Flower Pinning Conference finally commenced.
Legend has it that the Flower Pinning Conference was originally an internal competition among the Seven Peaks of the Shaoyang Sect. A thousand years ago, the Shaoyang Sect was not as united as it is today; the seven peaks were divided territories, fragmented like loose sand.
It wasn't until five hundred years ago, under the leadership of Benyang Sect Leader, that the seven peaks were bound together in common cause, standing united against a foreign adversary—the Nanshan Xuanyuan Sect. At that time, the Xuanyuan Sect was at the height of its power, expanding outward from South Mountain, swallowing up dozens of cultivation sects, both big and small.
However, their unstoppable momentum finally took a heavy blow at the doorstep of the Shaoyang Sect.
Perhaps no one expected that the Shaoyang Sect, on the brink of peril and riddled with internal strife, would unite when it mattered most, as impregnable as a fortress of solid gold.
Naturally, the Xuanyuan Sect did not achieve their desires, and both the Shaoyang Sect suffered considerable losses, with both sides significantly weakened. It was from that time on that the long-standing grudge between Xuanyuan and Shaoyang was set in stone, unresolved to this day.
The two entered a phase of cold war.
Benyang Sect Leader, a man of great ambition and strategy, proclaimed to the world in an effort to restore Shaoyang's former prestige: henceforth, the competition of Shaoyang's seven peaks would be open to the public, inviting cultivators from all over to challenge them, promising that the victor could make a reasonable request to Shaoyang.
He also invited several venerable elders from Dianjing Valley to judge the contest and declare the winners.
Gradually, the reputation of the seven peaks' contest spread far and wide, with many eager to take up the challenge. Held once every five years, Shaoyang more often than not emerged victorious in these contests, and thus, the competition among the seven peaks became a chance for martial exchange among the world's great sects.
Since then, Shaoyang has regained its prestige. United from top to bottom, the seven peaks became one, and the internal disputes ceased to exist. The original contest was renamed the Flower Pinning Conference and evolved into today's competition, where the young elite disciples from the Five Great Sects could strive for victory, with the winner entitled to pin a peony flower on their chest.
The Xuanyuan Sect, on the other hand, never recovered from their defeat in attacking Shaoyang and has never expanded its territory or influence since then.
To date, the Flower Pinning Conference has taken place over a hundred times, with winners hailing from various sects, particularly the rapid up-and-comers from Fuyu Island and Lize Palace.
The victor of the last conference was a disciple from Fuyu Island, which meant that the disciples from Fuyu Island were exempt from the first round of competition this time, advancing directly to the second round.
At this moment, the Martial Arts Arena at the summit of Shaoyang Peak was neatly organized, with seven huge stages surrounded by colorful silks waving in the wind, creating a magnificent sight.
The Sect Leaders of the Five Great Sects sat on high-backed chairs outside the arena, conversing in hushed tones from time to time. While the others were manageable, only the Xuanyuan Sect Leader sat silent, with nostrils flared, paying no attention to anyone. Chu Lei was aware of their usual demeanor, so he did not bother engaging with them, instead smilingly conversing with the leaders of the other three sects.
In a clear space surrounding the stages, young disciples participating in the conference stood in abundance. While the other sects appeared ordinary, only the Lize Palace stood distinct, uniformly dressed in green-robed masks, drawing curious looks from many young disciples who had never seen such a spectacle before.
In another circle further out, the place was filled with disciples observing the battle and other outsiders. As the disciples of the Min generation of the Shaoyang Sect were not of age to participate, they could only join the onlookers, along with the watchful disciples from the other sects, craning their necks to peer into the arena, occasionally bursting into laughter and banter.
"Hey, look at that girl in the pink dress! Isn't she from Dianjing Valley? It's rare, Dianjing Valley producing a beauty!"
"Bah, a dog can't spit out ivory! All you know is to look at pretty girls!"
"Aren't you looking too? Oh... You don't look at beauties, you look at handsome men..."
"Drop dead! Be careful the Sect Leader hears you and cuts out your tongue!"
......
...
Xuanji listened as many behind her discussed which girl was prettier and which boy was more handsome, prompting her to raise her head and ask Du Minxing, "Big brother, who do you think is good-looking?"
Du Minxing gave a wry smile, "Don't learn from those boring people. For us cultivators, appearance is the least important. You'd be better off asking me who I think is the strongest."
"So, Big Brother, who do you think is the strongest?" Zhong Minyan's ears were sharp, and she immediately joined in on the conversation upon hearing them talk.
"Hmm…" Du Minxing pondered for a while, unable to resist glancing towards two figures in the inner field, one red and one white, and then added, "Last time on Fuyu Island, Pian Pian and Yu Ning with their Dual Swordsmanship were truly astonishing. It's just that they were young and lacked physical strength back then, so they lost to a senior brother from their sect. I think this time, the two of them have a high chance of winning."
"Where? Who's Pian Pian and Yu Ning? I want to see them too!" Linglong, holding a bunch of snacks in her arms, eagerly squeezed her way in, having just heard Du Minxing's words, and was immediately interested.
Zhong Minyan snatched a pack of five-spice beef from her and, while laughing and dodging Linglong's flailing punches and kicks, said, "Look, the two most eye-catching disciples from Fuyu Island, one in red and one in white, the handsome man and the pretty woman. Their Dual Swordsmanship is both powerful and beautiful. It's just that there's no one from Fuyu Island in today's first trial. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see them!"
Linglong leaned on the railing, squinting for a long time before pouting, "They don't look that great. But if we're talking about good looks, no one can surpass the madam from Fuyu Island."
Xuanji asked in surprise, "What madam?"
Zhong Minyan handed her a bag of roasted broad beans and then said, "That year I invited you to play on Fuyu Island, but you were too lazy to go, of course, you wouldn't know. The madam is Lady Dongfang, Dongfang Island Master's wife. However, nobody knows her name or where she's from. But her beauty truly surpasses all, when Linglong and I came back from there, we still couldn't stop thinking about her. Dongfang Island Master is truly blessed to have such a beauty for a wife."
Hearing him speak so highly of her, Xuanji couldn't help but start to yearn and, imitating Linglong, leaned on the railing and stretched out her neck to look around while asking, "So, has the Island Owner's Wife come to this conference? Where is she?"
Zhong Minyan pointed to where the Sect Leader was sitting, "Right beside Dongfang Island Master. Ah, she has a veil over her head this time... That's right, a beauty like her, if she doesn't cover her face, it would cause panic."
Xuanji looked intently in that direction and indeed saw a slender woman sitting beside Dongfang Qingqi, wearing a white veil over her head.
She was dressed in a light purple outer garment, her long skirt trailing on the ground, and her shoulder-length black hair hung down like silk. Without even revealing her face or making any movements, just one look at her was enough to make it difficult to look away, making the heart feel warm and ticklish, longing to take a few more glances at her.
Linglong whispered in her ear, "Lost in thought, huh? Sigh, you're already mesmerized just by her veil. No wonder Sixth and I were open-mouthed last time, almost smashing the tableware while eating."
At that moment, Xuanji was just hoping for a gust of wind to lift her veil so she could see what she truly looked like.
While she was staring absentmindedly, she saw a man walk over inside the field, wearing a white robe and boots, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a young man. He approached where the Sect Leader was, saluted and said something, then turned to leave when suddenly Lady Dongfang motioned for him to come over, as if summoning him.
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, but couldn't resist her persistent beckoning and eventually went over to stand by her side, perfectly still.
"Who is that man?" Xuanji, tired of looking, turned her head and stuffed a handful of five-spiced beans into her mouth, crunching loudly while whispering to Linglong.
"He's a Chief Steward from Fuyu Island; I saw him last time when I went to the island. He's quite good-looking! Except for the scar on his face, which is a bit scary. He's not a disciple of Fuyu Island and doesn't practice martial arts, but he manages daily life for Fuyu Island and is said to be very capable!"
Linglong, getting excited, simply spilled out all the gossip she had heard from all over about "celebrities of the world."
"See that one? The person in black clothes with white trim? That's a disciple from Dianjing Valley. He lost to Pian Pian and Yu Ning at the last Flower Pinning Conference and cried on the spot!"
"Ah, and that one! The bastard from Xuanyuan Sect, he lost to us in the last contest and then used a hidden weapon. Dad caught him red-handed, but he still argued fiercely! Hard to believe he's here to compete again this year. Nobody from Xuanyuan Sect is any good!"
Linglong gnashed her teeth fiercely.
As her words fell, the drumbeats around the Martial Arts Arena thundered, like thousands of waves crashing toward you wave after wave, nearly shaking one's heart out of their chest.
The crowd immediately became excited because everyone knew that the Flower Pinning Conference had officially begun.