The Monolith Square was far larger than the lecture hall that the monthly cultivation lectures had been held at in the past, with multiple times the number of seats available.
However, some things always remained the same.
Most of those who had entered before them sat either in the middle area or at the far end of the square, with only a small group of disciples choosing to sit in the front rows.
Lu Zhiying recognised the group immediately.
It was the same during the previous monthly cultivation lecture, where everyone else avoided sitting around this small group in the front rows, at least until there were no other seats left in the lecture hall.
This was the group led by Hua Sheng – the unofficial leader of the outer disciples.
Back then, Zhao Yunxiao had cautioned her not to offend Hua Sheng in the future.
Perhaps everyone else shared these sentiments, which led to the rest of the disciples trying to avoid sitting around him as well.
After all, it would definitely be more difficult to offend a person from a distance.
But regardless of their internal thoughts, the first thing that everyone did upon entering was still to go forward and greet Hua Sheng.
Zhao Yunxiao's group was naturally no exception.
"Greetings, Senior Martial Brother Hua."
The quartet clasped their fists towards Hua Sheng, who was dressed in green as usual.
"Mm," Hua Sheng nodded in response. "You have quite the famous group gathered here."
"Senior Martial Brother Hua is too kind," Zhao Yunxiao answered. "Our accomplishments are nothing when compared to the true stars in the sect."
"You don't have to be overly humble," Hua Sheng remarked. "If forging a mythical tier treasure and making the sect change its traditional ways of conducting cultivation lectures are considered nothing much, then I don't know what is considered something significant. Note that sometimes, being overly humble can be mistaken for a form of arrogance as well."
"Senior Martial Brother Hua is wise. I will take your words to heart," Zhao Yunxiao nodded.
He was not surprised to see that Hua Sheng was up to date with all that was happening in the outer sect.
"Junior Martial Sister Lu, is it?" Hua Sheng turned towards Lu Zhiying. "It would appear that you are not just all talk. Forming a true spiritual meridian root shows that you have a potential for greatness. I hope that you don't waste your talent away, and continue to reach greater heights in the future."
"You don't have to worry, Senior Martial Brother Hua. I definitely won't let that happen!" Lu Zhiying answered confidently.
"I just hope that personality of yours does not eventually turn into careless arrogance," Hua Sheng answered calmly, seemingly having expected her confident response. "As for you, Junior Martial Brother Nie, it would seem that you have finally gotten your big break. Make sure you don't waste this chance. Ride the momentum and keep charging forward as long as you can."
"Thank you for the advice, Senior Martial Brother Hua," Nie Hanchang nodded.
"All right, go on and take your seats."
"Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Hua."
The quartet did not linger longer, quickly going to take their seats in the middle area of the Monolith Square before waiting patiently for the cultivation lecture to begin.
But not long after they had taken their seats, another familiar face appeared before them.
Ou Fengtian – a disciple who joined the sect around the same time as Lu Zhiying, and was a member of the prestigious Black Rose.
"Senior Martial Sister Lu!" Ou Fengtian walked up to her excitedly, but her excitement quickly dwindled as she got closer. "Wait, are you injured? What happened?"
Even though most of her injuries were hidden underneath her clothes, there were still some bruises and cuts that could be seen on the exposed parts of Lu Zhiying's body.
This naturally did not escape Ou Fengtian's keen observation.
"Don't worry about it, Junior Martial Sister Ou. It's just a small incident, but I'm fine now," Lu Zhiying greeted with a smile.
"Are you sure? Don't hesitate to let me know if you need any medicine or healing. I have plenty of those!" Ou Fengtian offered.
Zhao Yunxiao's ears perked up upon hearing that.
As expected of a member of the prestigious Black Rose, it would appear that she had plenty of resources at her disposal!
"Are you offering the medicine for free?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"I'm afraid the offer only stands for Senior Martial Sister Lu," Ou Fengtian answered with a gentle smile. "If I offer any to you, Senior Martial Sister Tu will have my head."
"I never said I wanted it anyway," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged, hiding the disappointment in his heart.
"Thank you for the offer, but there's really no need for that," Lu Zhiying politely declined. "Are you here alone? If so, would you like to sit with us?"
"Nope, I will be sitting with the other members of the Black Rose," Ou Fengtian said. "I'm just here to remind you that Senior Martial Sister Tu would like to speak to you after the lecture, in case you have already forgotten about it."
"How troublesome," Lu Zhiying complained. "Haven't I already told her that I won't be joining?"
"Well, I told Senior Martial Sister Tu that as well, but she isn't listening to me, either," Ou Fengtian shrugged. "Anyway, it's just a reminder. Don't feel obliged to talk to her just because of me."
"Shouldn't you be convincing her to speak to Senior Martial Sister Tu instead?" Zhao Yunxiao commented from the side. "Senior Martial Sister Tu is actually right. You really should give it another thought, Junior Martial Sister Lu."
"Yes, yes... I will talk to her later, then," Lu Zhiying answered nonchalantly. "You can be really naggy at times, Senior Martial Brother Zhao!"
"Mm, I agree," Ou Fengtian nodded in agreement. "Senior Martial Sister Tu is the same. Maybe this is what they call a generation gap."
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
What generation gap?
He might be a few years older than them, but they were still part of the same generation!
"All right, I shall go sit with the rest of the Black Rose members. See you later!" Ou Fengtian bade them farewell.
"See you later!"
Disciples continued streaming into the venue, but the number of seats in the Monolith Square was large enough to accommodate every last one of them.
It took a while, but the queue outside of the square eventually disappeared.
Just as promised, the Monolith Square was indeed large enough to allow every outer disciple to attend the cultivation lecture in person.
As the last disciple entered the lecture hall, he could not help but nod towards Lu Zhiying in gratitude.
Everyone knew that Lu Zhiying was the reason why the cultivation lecture was being held at the Monolith Square this time.
Had it not been for her, he would definitely not have made the cut to enter the small lecture hall in the Sect Library, and would thus be unable to attend the cultivation lecture this month.
Because of that, this disciple could not help but feel thankful towards Lu Zhiying!
He was not the only one, either.
Many other disciples who had been near the back of the line felt the same way towards Lu Zhiying for a similar reason.
It was just as Hua Sheng had said.
Her actions had resulted in great benefits for a large number of fellow disciples. Such a contribution was not insignificant at all!
Just as the last person got seated, Liang Wenshao stepped forward to stand in front of the stone monolith.
"Greetings, everyone. Elder Mo should be arriving shortly," Liang Wenshao said. "As always, I would like to remind everyone that there should not be any talking during the lecture, and to disable any talismans or treasures that could potentially cause any disruption to others."
Once again, some of those present started fumbling around after hearing Liang Wenshao's words, having forgotten to do just that.
"There is one more matter that Senior Martial Brother Hua would like to remind everyone of," Liang Wenshao continued. "Those who have been keeping track of the dates will know that the Four Symbols Mystic Realm will be opening next month. In preparation for that, the recruitment for helpers will begin tomorrow. Those who are interested in applying are advised to prepare themselves and free up their schedules accordingly. Thank you."
As Liang Wenshao returned to his seat in the front row, the outer disciples present immediately broke into a loud commotion.
Usually, everyone would be trying to maintain their state of mind right before the start of a monthly cultivation lecture. However, the announcement on the impending opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm still managed to send a wave of excitement through the crowds.
"What is this Four Symbols Mystic Realm?" Lu Zhiying asked curiously.
"The Four Symbols Mystic Realm is named as such because it has four stable gates connecting to the Four Great Symbol Sects," Zhao Yunxiao explained in a tone that was not much calmer than the others. "Because of this special connection, the Four Great Symbol Sects will simultaneously open the gates every year, allowing talented disciples to enter the mystic realm to widen their horizons and challenge their limits."
"Mystic realm?" Lu Zhiying asked. "Is that referring to a different world?"
She had heard of the term during her stay, but her understanding was still rather shallow.
"Why don't you start by explaining what a mystic realm is?" Gu Qiansi reminded.
"Ah, right..." Zhao Yunxiao laughed in embarrassment before continuing. "You can think of a mystic realm as a separate space that is both stable and large enough to be considered a world on its own. There are various types of mystic realms as well. Some are formed naturally while others are created by top tier cultivators. Some are flourishing with life while others are completely barren."
"Even among all the mystic realms, the Four Symbol Mystic Realm could probably be considered one of the most wondrous," Gu Qiansi added. "Not only is it extremely vast in size, it is also abundant with resources. It will not be an exaggeration to call it a huge treasure trove. Every time the mystic realm is opened, disciples who participate will always get significant rewards out of it!"
"And things don't just end there," Zhao Yunxiao continued. "Each disciple's performance in the Four Symbols Mystic Realm would be assessed accordingly, used to determine if they would get a chance to represent the Four Great Symbol Sects at the prestigious Duyuan Martial Meet. In a way, it could be seen as a competition among the most talented disciples from each of the four sects!"
"Oh...!" Lu Zhiying's eyes lit up upon hearing the explanation. "And the recruitment for disciples to join this mystic realm will open tomorrow?"
"Hmm?" Zhao Yunxiao quickly realised Lu Zhiying's intentions. "Don't get your hopes up. Outer disciples like us are not allowed to enter the Four Symbols Mystic Realm. What Senior Martial Brother Liang meant is that recruitment for the helpers will open tomorrow. Take note that the recruitment is for helpers, not participants."
"What? That's so unfair!" Lu Zhiying protested.
"Tell that to the sect administrators," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged, but quickly realised his mistake. "No, no. On second thought, don't tell that to the sect administrators. Please keep those comments to yourself."
He was afraid that Lu Zhiying would do a repeat of what she did during the previous cultivation lecture, voicing out her comments to Elder Mo Tianfeng.
Things ended on a good note for her last time, but there were only so many times that someone could get lucky!
If the elder ended up not taking it as well this time, who knew just how he would react to a question like that?
"I don't get it," Lu Zhiying said. "Why is everyone so excited when they can't even participate?"
"We might not be able to participate directly, but there are still plenty of benefits to be gained as a helper, in terms of both remuneration and recognition," Zhao Yunxiao explained. "Even if we disregarded that, just being able to witness the prowess of our senior martial brothers and sisters is a thrilling experience in and of itself!"
"Wait, would Senior Martial Brother Wei and that crazy woman Quan Hui both be participating as well?" Lu Zhiying suddenly asked.
"That's most likely the case. Most core disciples will participate unless they have a prior engagement," Zhao Yunxiao smirked. "If the two of them were to meet in the mystic realm, we would be in for a treat!"
"Oh! If it means being able to witness this, I'd want to join as a helper as well!" Lu Zhiying said excitedly.
"Then get ready to perform well tomorrow," Zhao Yunxiao said. "I'd need to do the same. Let's all pass the recruitment test so that we can see the crazy woman get pummelled in real time!"
"Okay, I will!" Lu Zhiying nodded profusely. "Let's see the crazy woman get pummelled in real time!"
Watching Zhao Yunxiao and Lu Zhiying bond over something like this, Gu Qiansi could not help but feel speechless.
And even if Wei Yuandi did meet Quan Hui in the mystic realm, what made them think that such an outcome would come to be?