The Sect Master looked at Elder Bai and said, "Explain what's going on here."
"I don't know either. After sparring with Nie Zhengyu yesterday, all my hair just fell out."
Elder Bai quickly picked up his hat from the ground and firmly put it back on his head.
Elder Lin suddenly clapped his hands, "I get it!"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"What do you get?"
"Think about it. The Arhat Fist promotes kindness and is a righteous martial art."
"Where does evil arise from? From worries and troubles."
"In Buddhism, there's the saying of 'three thousand strands of troubling hair.'"
"By losing all those strands, you've shed your worries and can now fully embrace kindness."
"Senior brother Bai, you look like an enlightened monk right now!"
Elder Bai lunged at Elder Lin, but Elder Lin dodged, quickly moving to the side.
The Sect Master and the other elders ignored the two as they wrestled around.
...
Yuan Liang fainted immediately, and his pet, the One-Horned Caterpillar, started to cry upon seeing its unconscious lord.
Before long, Luo Xiangming and other disciples from the Pill Refining Faction carried Yuan Liang away.
On the platform, Nie Zhengyu closed his eyes slowly, the gleam on his bald head making it hard for anyone present to look directly at him.
A tall disciple standing by quickly announced that Nie Zhengyu was the winner.
As Nie Zhengyu walked down from the stage, everyone looked away, terrified that they'd lose their hair next.
One by one, the participants covered their heads protectively.
The competition was originally supposed to last three days.
But whenever contestants encountered Nie Zhengyu, most chose to forfeit.
For the few who still challenged him, they, too, ended up bald.
And thus, this year's competition concluded in just one day, with Nie Zhengyu crowned the champion.
Standing on the winners' podium, the top three contestants were all bald.
Some disciples who arrived late, thinking they were seeing things, felt they were at a Buddhist temple instead of the Great Love Sect.
Elder Bai was nowhere to be found.
Traditionally, the Sect Master would shake hands with the champion and remind him to continue diligent cultivation.
But, fearing he might end up bald too, the Sect Master assigned the task to the other elders.
The other elders, equally wary, decided to draw straws.
Elder Lin lost.
With a resigned sigh, Elder Lin approached Nie Zhengyu, shook his hand, and presented him with a box .
"This pill was refined by one of my disciples. They call it the 'Strength of Three Oxen Pill,' which grants the strength of three oxen upon consumption."
After handing over the small wooden box to Nie Zhengyu, Elder Lin made a hasty retreat.
Nie Zhengyu looked at the box in his hand, his face beaming with excitement.
...
The Great Love Sect owned various businesses that catered to every need and desire.
Giving it more the appearance of a commercial district than a cultivation sect.
Yuan Liang heard that the Great Love Sect hadn't always been this way.
In the past, cultivation was purely for cultivation's sake, without any of these unrelated activities.
But after the previous Sect Master and elder council retired, the new Sect Master and the eight new elders took charge.
The Great Love Sect transformed overnight, encouraging a balance between work and leisure.
Yuan Liang felt the sect's atmosphere was far from ideal.
He vowed to restore order if he ever reached the upper echelons of the sect.
At this moment, Baiwei Tower was bustling with noise as disciples came to spend after completing tasks.
They enjoyed gathering here to eat, exchange cultivation insights, and discuss their missions.
Although the sect provided a cafeteria, few wanted to go there.
Only those without money, needing to buy weapons, would resort to buying them from the cafeteria.
...
"The reservation was made in advance, Room Three on the second floor."
"Right this way."
The four of them were led to a private room.
Both Yuan Liang and Nie Zhengyu wore hats at this point.
Feeling guilty, Nie Zhengyu gave Yuan Liang his "Strength of Three Oxen Pill" as an apology.
Xiang Dun, Guan Yushu, and Yuan Liang were all curious; the food here smelled amazing.
The three of them began to drool, as it was the first time they'd been invited by Nie Zhengyu to eat.
The four soon sat down and started browsing the menu.
"Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow—made from the organs of dragons and phoenixes," Yuan Liang read with a frown.
"Braised Young Chicken with Mushrooms—prepared with tender, young phoenix meat and thousand-year-old mushrooms," Xiang Dun read slowly, word by word.
"Boiled Cabbage—made with water from the Fountain of Life and jade-like cabbage," Guan Yushu's eyes widened.
Seeing the prices, the three of them let out resigned smiles.
It was clear that such dishes weren't meant for poor disciples like them.
Lately, Yuan Liang and his One-Horned Caterpillar been surviving on bamboo shoots and leaves since these were free on Azure Bamboo Peak.
So much so that even Yuan Liang and his One-Horned Caterpillar felt nauseated at the sight of bamboo-based dishes.
"The prices here are steep, and we don't have much donation money left."
Over the past few days, they had only completed a few simple tasks.
Guan Yushu suddenly spoke up, "You're not planning to make us wash dishes, are you?"
"No way! I have plenty of money! My Spirit Stones are abundant!" Nie Zhengyu raised his head proudly. "Waiter!"
The waiter promptly entered the private room, looking at the four of them.
Nie Zhengyu slowly pulled out a black, gold-edged card from his sleeve.
The group was momentarily blinded by its dazzling glow.
"This is the legendary Supreme Membership Card of the Gold Coin Commerce Guild!"
The waiter's pupils shrank as he saw the black card, his whole body trembling.
"Please, don't tell anyone," Nie Zhengyu said, his tone calm, though inwardly he was bursting with joy.
'Yes, this is the reaction I wanted.'
Yuan Liang glanced at Nie Zhengyu, his face full of disdain.
'Watch me show off too.'
The waiter quickly left and returned with four rings.
These were high-quality storage rings, each filled with herbs.
"This meal's on me," Yuan Liang said, as he also slowly took out a small jade pendant from his sleeve.
The pendant bore an engraving of bamboo.
Seeing it, the waiter's expression tensed as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
This was the jade pendant exclusive to the elders of Azure Bamboo Peak.
Recently, Yuan Liang had voluntarily cleaned Elder Huo's quarters every day.
He'd even spent his own Spirit Stones to repair the buildings on Azure Bamboo Peak.
Deeply touched, Elder Huo gifted him the jade pendant.
"Please, don't tell anyone," Yuan Liang said, trying to keep his tone calm while inwardly grinning.
'Finally, my moment to shine.'
Nie Zhengyu shot a sidelong glance at Yuan Liang.
'I knew he'd try to imitate me.'
Just as Yuan Liang was basking in his success, Guan Yushu coughed, drawing everyone's attention.
Slowly, he took a black longsword from his storage ring.
The waiter stumbled, falling to the floor in shock.
"This is the Sect Master's sword from his youth!" The waiter pointed at the black longsword.
Everyone in the room gasped audibly.
Guan Yushu calmly put the sword away, saying, "I'll cover the bill this time."
He was grinning inside, satisfied by their reactions.
"Please, don't tell anyone," Guan Yushu said coolly to the waiter.
The waiter struggled to his feet and nodded.
Just when the waiter thought the show was over, Xiang Dun chimed in, "Will this pearl cover a few dishes?"
A black pearl had somehow appeared in Xiang Dun's hand.
"A Night Pearl! Impossible!" The waiter bolted from the room, and soon the shop owner appeared.
Beads of sweat dotted the shop owner's forehead as he quickly approached, seeing the Night Pearl. "Oh, no, we couldn't possibly accept that. Please, put it away."
This Night Pearl was a treasure of the Giant Tribe and was rumored to contain an ancient cultivation technique.
Xiang Dun nodded and tucked away the pearl.
Seeing everyone's reactions, he smiled slightly.
His Night Pearl was actually a fake; the real one was kept safe by his mother.
And so, this meal cost them nothing, and they even received free storage rings.