tkworld Chapter 168 Banquet
Chapter 168 Banquet
Chapter 168: Banquet
In the resplendent and magnificent embroidered building, Princess Longyi raised her head slightly and gazed at the vast sky outside the window. The starship that Qin Muling was riding on drew a bright streak of light in the sky as it accelerated and went further away.
She sighed softly and said in a melancholic tone, "Aunt Su, did I make a mistake?"
A gentle and composed voice came from behind the screen, "Your Highness, if you have the intention, it's not too late to make adjustments now. The grand gathering of immortals will only begin tomorrow, and he will stay in the Daoist Court for a long time. You have ways to bring him over."
Princess Longyi pursed her lips and fell into silence.
A woman in a deep blue dress, with serene eyes, walked out slowly. She gently looked at the young girl she had raised with her own hands. As Emperor Qing Huan's confidante, she had exceptional skills in observing and understanding people's thoughts. She had long noticed that Princess Longyi had regrets, but due to her usual pride and aloofness, she was reluctant to easily change her mind.
As the only daughter of the Emperor, her status was noble. Since childhood, she had always gotten what she wanted. It was rare for her to desire something and not be able to obtain it.
Thinking of the Emperor's instructions, the beautiful woman decided to push a little further and said softly, "Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace is one of the forces that Emperor Qing Huan has decided to support in the orthodox lineage. He will most likely be the next generation's head in the future. You will have a long time to interact with him, which will be beneficial to both the public and private interests. You can get closer to him. It will be helpful for Emperor Qing Huan's grand plan."
This reason was impeccable, and no one could find fault with it. The more communication and interaction there were between men and women, the stronger the foundation of their relationship would naturally be.
Princess Longyi's expression relaxed, "Aunt Su's words are very good. Let it be so! By the way, you need to keep an eye on things. If some ignorant people take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble, show them some color!"
The beautiful woman smiled, "I understand. There won't be any problems."
The second generation with astonishing backgrounds and a disdainful attitude couldn't forget about the princess. If they were to learn about Qin Muling being summoned alone, besides feeling jealous, they would inevitably resort to some underhanded means. Aunt Su had seen many such things and naturally wanted to be prepared in advance to prevent those people from causing trouble at the residence of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.
Princess Longyi continued, "My true body is still in seclusion. Since I am planning... would it be more appropriate to meet him in person when the time comes? Otherwise, he might be displeased."
Aunt Su pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, your true body has been in seclusion all year round, absorbing and refining the ancient Phoenix True Blood. It is about to achieve great success. Coming out of seclusion prematurely would hinder your cultivation. It would be better to wait a little longer. I will find an opportunity to explain to him privately. He won't have any objections."
"Alright, let's follow Aunt Su's arrangements."
Princess Longyi said that her true body had already reached the peak of the Mysterious Immortal level before going into seclusion. After coming out of seclusion this time, she would definitely make further progress and break through to become a Golden Immortal, firmly establishing her position in the Extreme Void Starry Sky.
A Golden Immortal was considered a prominent figure in the entire Extreme Void Starry Sky. If it were a weaker Supreme Orthodoxy, such cultivation would already be enough to succeed as the head.
Aunt Su pondered for a moment and began to seriously consider the timing of the next invitation to Qin Muling. At that time, she would also need to carefully plan suitable programs. As someone highly valued by the Emperor, she couldn't simply entertain him like an ordinary guest.
On the other side, after half an hour of rapid travel, the starship landed again at the temporary residence of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.
All the senior sisters came out to greet Qin Muling when they heard the news. When they saw Qin Muling walking down the starship unharmed, Xue Bingxuan and the other senior sisters finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were really worried that the princess would do something inappropriate, disregarding her status. They had been uneasy all along.
"How was it? Did she give you a hard time?" Qi Yalan asked eagerly as they returned to their palace.
"Not really, we just met and talked for a while," Qin Muling briefly recounted what happened. The senior sisters finally relaxed, thinking that with Bingyuan Tianjun and Yueyi Tianjun watching over her, Longyi Princess couldn't have done anything too outrageous.
"Alright, let's discuss the matters of the Immortal Gathering," Qin Muling said, handing the jade token in her hand to the eldest senior sister. It contained various arrangements for the Immortal Gathering made by the sect.
Xue Bingxuan's expression became serious as she carefully read the contents of the jade token. She then activated the array formation in the entire palace with a wave of her hand. A brilliant projection of magical light appeared in mid-air, forming a dense pattern of characters and images in front of all the senior sisters.
"It seems that there are some differences compared to previous gatherings," Su Yunmo glanced at it and said, "The rewards are quite generous, even Acquired Spiritual Treasures are being offered. And there are Heavenly Rank elixirs, cultivation techniques, various treasures for refining the Dao Foundation, and so on. The sect is really willing to spend money."
Luo Wanqing snorted, "That's not the main point. The value of the ancient and mysterious Cave Mansion left behind by the Dao Venerable is... the sect's high-level really spared no expense!"
It was impossible to determine the cultivation level of the Dao Venerable, but any inheritance left behind by a Quasi-Saint Emperor was invaluable and couldn't be measured in terms of specific resources. Moreover, this was a Cave Mansion left behind by a quasi-saint from ancient times, so the precious opportunities inside must far exceed ordinary people's imagination.
However, the sect's high-level had opened it up and announced it to the public. Any cultivator who entered and explored the Cave Mansion for their own opportunities could choose to keep whatever they obtained inside, and the sect wouldn't take a single cent.
Yu Lingzhou said lightly, "Since the sect has ambitions to become the master of the Extreme Void Starry Sky, it naturally needs to invest. The participants of the Immortal Gathering are the elites from various major Supreme Dao forces. Haven't they seen any good things before? If they only offer some insignificant benefits as bait, they will be looked down upon. After two or three times, no one will be willing to participate anymore."
"That's true," Qin Muling agreed. No matter how great the opportunity was, it had to fall into the right hands to be fully utilized. Otherwise, if it was just locked up in a storeroom, what would be the point? The sect's high-level indeed had great vision and generosity. Other ordinary Supreme Dao forces wouldn't be so magnanimous.
Xue Bingxuan nodded gently, "Alright, let's discuss and come up with a specific plan on how to earn as much benefit as possible for the sect."
Tomorrow would be the first day of the Immortal Gathering. The young elites from all forces, including the talented geniuses from grassroots backgrounds, could participate in the Immortal Banquet held in the Dao Palace. Moreover, the sect's high-level treated everyone equally and there would be no preferential treatment.
Next, it is the essential swordsmanship competition. These days, the proud seeds can participate in the name of their sect or family, while the grassroots geniuses participate as individuals. As long as they are among the top 500 strong, they can be listed on the Tianjiao Ranking of the Daoist Court and receive generous rewards according to their ranking.
Those geniuses who are willing to join the Daoist Court afterwards will receive great preferential treatment, and no matter how big a mistake they have made in the past or how terrible a force they have offended, the Daoist Court will choose to accept them and provide them with powerful protection.
As for the restrictions, the participants' bone age must be under a thousand years old, and they cannot use weapons, talismans, Daoist puppets, etc. that exceed the level of Middle Grade Law Treasures. They also cannot use temporary strength-enhancing elixirs.
In this way, the cultivators who participate in the swordsmanship competition can only rely on their own strength, and cannot rely on the abundant resources of powerful forces behind them. This is particularly rare for geniuses from grassroots backgrounds.
The benefits that the top thirty seeds on the ranking can obtain are even envied by Qin Muling at the moment. Especially the first place, not only can they obtain two custom-made Acquired Spiritual Treasures, a bottle of twelve Heavenly Rank Spirit Pills, choose three suitable martial arts classics from the secret library of the Daoist Court, but also have the opportunity to bathe in the blood of an ancient primordial dragon and temper their body to perfection.
If the top thirty winners are willing to join the Daoist Court, they are eligible to choose an Emperor as their mentor, receive the full support of the Daoist Court's resources, and be appointed to important positions, thus gaining high status and power.
Such conditions are particularly attractive to those grassroots geniuses without background or origin. Therefore, in previous gatherings of immortals, the Daoist Court has gained a lot of new blood, and its influence has steadily increased.
Although many Supreme Daoist forces are extremely jealous, they are helpless. Even if they can offer the same generous conditions, they simply cannot offer them to outsiders. They must prioritize their own direct descendants. This is the fundamental reason why the Daoist Court is becoming stronger and stronger.
"...This swordsmanship competition, Junior Brother cannot participate."
Yu Lingzhou said with a serious expression, "The responsibility of competing for rankings will be entrusted to you girls. I believe no one can surpass you."
Xue Bingxuan and the other five senior sisters did not find it surprising and nodded in agreement. Qi Shuyu and Su Yunmo looked at Qin Muling thoughtfully, but did not say anything.
"Okay, then I won't participate."
Qin Muling had no objections to this arrangement. His situation was too special. It was not that his bone age was too old, but rather too young. He had no confidence in hiding it from the detection methods of the Daoist Court. Once this secret became widely known, not to mention those Supreme Daoist forces, even the three Great Emperors would not let him go and would thoroughly examine him.
Moreover, his cultivation at the True Self Realm was not advantageous compared to those well-known monstrous geniuses. Most of those guys had already reached the Immortal Transformation Realm or Immortal Ascension Realm, and there were even a few who had achieved Origin Immortal. Qin Muling currently had no chance of winning against them unless he exposed all his cards, but that would be too much of a loss.
Anyway, even if Qin Muling himself didn't participate, Xue Bingxuan and Qi Yalan, with their cultivation at the mid-stage of Origin Immortal, had no problem overpowering everyone and winning first place. Luo Huan, Cheng Yulan, and Luo Wanqing would also have no difficulty securing a place in the top thirty. Whether they obtained the benefits or he obtained them, there would be no difference.
As for the following tests of alchemy, refining, Spirit Medicine cultivation, and divination abilities, Qin Muling also didn't need to try.
Only the action of entering the Cave Mansion secret realm of the Profound Dao Venerable and seeking opportunities for immortality was allowed for Qin Muling. With his extraordinary destiny, he would most likely have a stunning performance inside without revealing his secrets to others.
The next day, in the main hall of the Dao Palace.
Thousands of starships gathered like migrating deep-sea fish, converging from all directions and landing on the square in front of the main hall, delivering guests from different Supreme Daoist forces, super clans, and ancient tribes one by one.
When Qin Muling and her senior sisters disembarked from the starship, they were momentarily amazed by the towering and majestic Dao Palace before them. The magnificent and colorful nebula spread across the sky, showering the square with a myriad of colorful starlight, enveloping it in a hazy brilliance. The ethereal and mysterious aura of the Dao permeated the air, as if it were the scene of the opening of heaven and earth, giving Qin Muling an unprecedented and wonderful experience.
"Fellow Daoists of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, please follow me this way!"
A large group of welcoming messengers had been waiting on the side. Whenever a starship landed, a team of messengers would come to greet them and guide them up thousands of steps until they reached the magnificent main hall at the end of the jade steps.
A cold snort could be heard from afar. Qin Muling turned her head and saw that a few hundred steps away, the Bright Moon Sword Sect's group had just landed. Lin Shengqing, the young master of the sect, had a grim expression on his face as he glared fiercely at Qin Muling's senior sisters, his eyes almost spewing fire.
"Just a bunch of insignificant people!"
Qin Muling chuckled and turned to leave with Qi Yalan. This guy was still only at the Immortal Ascension realm, facing senior sisters who had long reached the Origin Immortal Realm, he would only end up being crushed to pieces.
"Why bother, Brother Lin?"
A gentle voice came, and Lin Shengqing turned his head to see that it was the group from Jade Pearl Star Palace. Yan Lingji, the first disciple of the sect's sect master, Yan Qinyang, was walking towards him.
"So it's Brother Yan, long time no see!"
A smile appeared on Lin Shengqing's face. Due to the alliance between the two sects, they had known each other before and had some acquaintance.
Yan Lingji patted his shoulder. "Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has been gaining momentum in recent years. It seems that they have obtained some extraordinary opportunities, which has led to rapid progress in their cultivation. But it doesn't matter. As long as we join forces and plan well, we will definitely give them an unforgettable lesson in the Cave Mansion secret realm of the mysterious Dao Venerable in the future!"
Lin Shengqing pondered for a moment. "It's a bit difficult. Their cultivation levels are indeed quite formidable, and we..."
"What's the problem?" Yan Lingji smiled. "The number of disciples in Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace is not large, and they are not strong enough to influence the overall situation. We have an absolute advantage in terms of numbers, and I have also invited some powerful allies this time. I will introduce them to you later. If we all join forces, we will surely be invincible!"
He had long been displeased with Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. The old accounts in the Illusory Mist Secret Realm had not been settled yet. Now that he had the opportunity, there was no reason not to retaliate fiercely.
"Very well, let's advance and retreat together!"
Lin Shengqing agreed with a gloomy face.
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(End of this chapter)