Zhao Yunxiao returned to his room after speaking to Hu Nan, using the few hours until the start of the banquet to meditate and calm his thoughts.
What happened earlier in the main hall had been a little too exciting, while what happened with Hu Nan was out of his expectations as well.
Even then, these events were not enough to faze Zhao Yunxiao's mental fortitude that had been refined through virtually living thousands of years and dying dozens of times through the Benevolent Wave Chessboard.
Although Zhao Yunxiao had been shocked and surprised at the time of incident, he was able to quickly calm down and accept the situation as well.
Rather than brooding over what had already happened, his priority now was on the contents of He Luoxuan's cultivation lecture at the start of the day.
In his head, Zhao Yunxiao tried to organise the many techniques in his head, as well as those that he had only heard of.
He wanted to come up with a list of techniques that he had to look into upon returning to Purple Plum Mountain, and eventually come up with a suitable training regime for it as well.
Initially, Zhao Yunxiao also wanted to take this time to have a look at the Heaven's Descent Bowl that he had gotten from Cha, but eventually decided against it.
While the Heaven's Descent Bowl looked rather ordinary, it was still supposed to be a high level treasure, at least if Cha's words were to be trusted.
Since he did not know enough about this item, he was afraid that any carelessness during the investigation process could end up drawing an unexpectedly huge reaction from the treasure, thereby revealing the fact that it was in his possession.
He Luoxuan was already extremely against him speaking against the Origin Lake Sect's past generals, so who knew what fate would befall him if it was discovered that he had one of the sect's treasures in his possession?
To be safe, Zhao Yunxiao still decided to leave it until after he returned to Purple Plum Mountain before doing so.
In fact, he did not even dare to store his other items in his newly obtained spatial pouch, choosing to hide the fact that he had it in his possession for now.
Time passed quickly as one was in deep thoughts.
A few hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already time to gather up for the banquet.
Zhao Yunxiao left his trusted backpack in his room this time, but kept his precious spatial pouch with him by hiding it in his long robes.
When he went out to the courtyard, he saw that Zheng Biru and Yu Hang were already there waiting.
"Senior Martial Brother Zheng, Junior Martial Brother Yu," Zhao Yunxiao greeted. "What have you guys been doing all day?"
"Junior Martial Brother Zhao," Zheng Biru returned the greeting. "We have just been exchanging some friendly pointers with the Origin Lake Sect disciples."
"Seeing how you look perfectly fine, I guess they are no match for Senior Martial Brother Zheng's prowess?" Zhao Yunxiao teased.
"You should have been there to see how Senior Martial Brother Zheng suppressed all those at the Essence Gathering realm!" Yu Hang chimed in excitedly. "The local disciples can't be more impressed!"
"It is just a friendly exchange, nothing to be proud of," Zheng Biru shook his head with a smile.
"Senior Martial Brother Zheng is too humble," Zhao Yunxiao laughed, not at all surprised by this outcome.
After all, Zheng Biru was not only at the Peak Essence Gathering realm, but he was also part of a group that frequently took up sect missions that involved slaying demons and monsters.
Zhao Yunxiao would have been more surprised if Zheng Biru was actually weak in combat.
"Enough about me. Did everything go well on your end?" Zheng Biru asked. "And did Senior Martial Brother Hu make things hard for you?"
While it was frustrating that Zhao Yunxiao had gone missing without a word last night, it was also a fact that Zhao Yunxiao had been shouldering the majority of the tasks on the trip as well.
Therefore, Zheng Biru had been worried the moment Hu Nan mentioned that he would be giving Zhao Yunxiao a good talking to regarding last night, afraid that the inner disciple would give him a hard time without considering his merits.
"What? Are you badmouthing me right now?" Hu Nan's voice suddenly sounded out from behind them.
Zheng Biru and Yu Hang jumped in shock, hurriedly turning around to see Hu Nan and Song Xiaoqiao walking over.
Zhao Yunxiao looked over as well, but he was not nearly as surprised since he had already noticed the duo before this.
"I wouldn't dare, Senior Martial Brother Hu!" Zheng Biru hurriedly bowed in apology.
"Don't worry, I didn't make things hard for your Junior Martial Brother Zhao," Hu Nan scoffed as he walked up to them. "That aside, we will be seated with core disciples of the Origin Lake Sect at the banquet later, so make sure you carry yourselves well and don't do anything to embarrass our Black Tortoise Sect. If you have nothing valuable to add, don't just cut into the conversation without thinking it through. Understood?"
"Yes, Senior Martial Brother Hu!" the three of them answered in unison.
"Sounds like everyone is ready," He Luoxuan pushed his door open and slowly walked over. "Let's not keep our hosts waiting then."
***
The Origin Lake Sect had spared no expenses when setting up for the banquet.
The welcome party for He Luoxuan's entourage had already been grand enough, but even that was incomparable to the setup for the banquet.
More than a thousand tables had been put up in the huge open square right outside the main hall, each capable of accommodating ten to twenty guests.
Unlike the cultivation lecture, the outer disciples would be allowed to join in on the banquet as well, which explained the need for a larger seating capacity.
Grand banners hung overhead, supported by pillars that were scattered across the square at regular intervals.
Each wooden pillar was made of spirit wood and had famous sayings of the ancient wise sages carved upon them. Just from that alone, each of them could be considered a treasure in its own right.
Bright lanterns hung from these pillars as well, each emitting a gentle yet enchanting light as though they were stars that had been plucked from the skies.
A grand stage had been erected at one end, adorned with beautifully embroidered cloths and silk.
By the time He Luoxuan's entourage arrived, the square was already packed with most of the seats filled by disciples of the sect.
A graceful melody could also be heard across the open square, adding life to the already bustling atmosphere.
"This way, please."
A beautiful young female disciple came to receive them upon their arrival, responsible for leading them to their assigned seats.
It was an open square without walls, but the tables were cleverly arranged in a way that showed a certain degree of segregation.
Nearest to the stage was the core region, where the upper echelons of the Origin Lake Sect were seated.
This included the sect leader, elders, protectors, and core disciples.
The banners hanging overhead were mainly red with golden seams, exhibiting an inexplicable grandeur.
Just outside of the core region was where the deacons and inner disciples were seated, the banners being blue with golden seams.
Beyond that was the largest region where the outer disciples were seated, which had green banners hanging overhead.
In such a way, the difference between each region was being made extremely clear despite not be explicitly stated.
The female disciple led the entourage past the outer regions and straight into the core region.
Along the way, every disciple of the Origin Lake Sect stood up and clasped their fists, showing their respect as they passed.
"Relax, Junior Martial Brother Yu," Zhao Yunxiao whispered to Yu Hang who was walking beside him. "All we have to do is sit back and enjoy the meal. We can just leave the talking to Senior Martial Brother Hu and Senior Martial Sister Song."
"Y-Yeah. Don't worry, I am not nervous or anything..." Yu Hang answered.
Zhao Yunxiao merely smiled in response.
Both Yu Hang's expression and tense tone were of stark contrast to his words, but Zhao Yunxiao did not call him out on that.
"Are you not feeling nervous at all, Senior Martial Brother Zhao?" Yu Hang asked, seemingly aware that Zhao Yunxiao had already seen through his current state of mind.
"How can I not be?" Zhao Yunxiao said with a bitter smile. "What I am telling you is also what I am telling myself right now."
After all, they were just outer disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect.
Even though the Origin Lake Sect was a subordinate sect, being seated with core disciples was almost like being seated with inner disciples of their own sect, something that they were simply not accustomed to.
While it might be rather unsightly for a disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect to feel this way, there was still a significant difference between outer disciples like them and the core disciples of the Origin Lake Sect.
This difference in level would naturally make it difficult to hold any conversations of substance.
And if they were seen to be incapable of even holding a proper conversation, how would the core disciples of the Origin Lake Sect see them?
How would they see the Black Tortoise Sect?
With the sect's reputation on the line, how could Zhao Yunxiao not feel nervous about tonight?
"Is that so?" Yu Hang let out a faint smile. "It makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one feeling this way."
"Yes, let's just try to maintain a low profile tonight and make sure we do not show an unsightly side of ourselves," Zhao Yunxiao lightly patted him on the shoulder.
"Understood, Senior Martial Brother Zhao," Yu Hang nodded. "Speaking of which, I really envy how relaxed Senior Martial Brother Zheng seems to be right now."
"He is impressive indeed," Zhao Yunxiao agreed as he turned his attention towards Zheng Biru who was walking just ahead of them.
No matter how he looked at Zheng Biru, the latter did not appear to be feeling the slightest bit nervous.
Zhao Yunxiao had heard that Zheng Biru's usual group for sect missions comprised members of the inner sect as well. Looking at how relaxed he was in the current situation, perhaps that was not far from the truth.
And if that was indeed the case, it would also explain why Zheng Biru had no trouble dealing with Origin Lake Sect disciples of the same cultivation level earlier.
"You are here, Elder He!" Dan Juexing stood up and greeted.
"My apologies for being late, Sect Leader Dan. I hope I didn't make you wait too long," He Luoxuan approached while returning the greeting.
"Not at all, we just arrived early, that's all! Come, take a seat!" Dan Juexing gestured to He Luoxuan's assigned seat right next to himself.
As the guest of honour, He Luoxuan was naturally seated at the main table together with Dan Juexing and the other elders of the Origin Lake Sect.
As for Zhao Yunxiao and the other disciples, they were arranged to sit with the core disciples of the Origin Lake Sect.
"Greetings, various brothers and sisters of the Origin Lake Sect," Hu Nan clasped his fists towards those at the table as they arrived. "We will be in your care today."
Seeing the arrival of the Black Tortoise Sect disciples, the core disciples of the Origin Lake Sect naturally stood up and returned the greeting.
As the prime disciple, Chen Pingxi was the first one who spoke up on their end.
"Your words are too kind, Brother Hu," Chen Pingxi said while showing off that beautiful smile of hers. "This banquet is not nearly enough to express our gratitude for what we received today. If there is anything you are dissatisfied with tonight, please feel free to let me know. As long as it is within our means, I will surely get someone to get it changed accordingly!"
The rest of the core disciples nodded in agreement.
Indeed, they had received too much today.
First, it was He Luoxuan's cultivation lecture that addressed everyone in general, giving them meaningful insights into the combat aspect of cultivators.
After that, they even received individual-specific guidance in the main hall, which directly enlightened them and pointed a way to push for greater heights.
Such benefits could be considered priceless to cultivators like themselves.
Not to mention a single banquet like this, they would not find it too demanding even if the Black Tortoise Sect wanted to stay here for another month to enjoy a similar treatment every single evening!
"Sister Chen is too kind," Hu Nan smiled. "Let's take a seat."
"You are right, we should take a seat indeed," Chen Pingxi agreed. "But before that..."
Chen Pingxi shot a glance to the other core disciples present, and they nodded in response, seemingly having come to a silent understanding.
The next moment, the core disciples simultaneously raised their cups towards Zhao Yunxiao.
"Thank you once again for the help earlier, Brother Zhao. We shall down this cup of wine as an expression of our gratitude!"
All of them spoke in unison.
And before anyone could react, the core disciples had already downed the cup of wine in their hands.
They did not control their volume, nor did they try to hide their actions.
Such a grand display of gratitude from all the core disciples at once naturally drew attention from every table at the banquet.
After all, these people had always been the stars of the Origin Lake Sect, so everyone had been paying attention to them from the start.
And with their actions, they had officially shifted all of that limelight over, shining it directly upon Zhao Yunxiao instead!
Zheng Biru: "???"
Yu Hang: "???"
The two of them immediately turned towards Zhao Yunxiao in shock, unable to believe what they just witnessed.
Hu Nan forced an awkward smile while Song Xiaoqiao looked curiously towards Zhao Yunxiao, seemingly wondering how he would react.
As for Zhao Yunxiao himself, he froze there for a moment as he felt the corner of his lips twitch.
He had just told Yu Hang that they should maintain a low profile tonight, but it seemed like such a thing might no longer be possible for him...