Li Shishi finally finished introducing the abbotesses. Altogether, there were thirty-four of them in total, a large number but it was still not all the abbotesses that the Order had in the continent. Some could not make the trip or were occupied with more pressing matters.
The amphitheater gave a round of applause to these women. They held power and prestige and they were the judges for the end-of-year examinations. The fates of the sacred daughters were in their hands.
"Very good. Very good. Hehe, looks like everyone is excited to get started," Li Shishi spoke again, "Don't worry. We'll start right away with our first event. But before that, I would like to introduce a special guest."
Murmurs of surprise spread across the crowd.
She smiled and raised her hands in the air, "Everyone, please welcome… Immortal Brush of the Prodigal Liu Haoxuan. Some of you may know her as The Southern Virtue of the Four Great Beauties. To us, she is simply Cardinal Liu!"
At her words, a peerless and mighty aura appeared in the sky above and slowly descended. It completely suppressed everyone below like a tigress stomping a nest of mice. A figure clad in shining white, as bright as the midday sun, flew down and landed beside Li Shishi.
All of the abbotesses leaped to their feet and bowed deeply. It was a cardinal, one of the most venerable positions within the Order, only one step below the pope. Even for them, it was an existence that they rarely saw, much less interact with.
As for the audience, they were silent and in awe. Nobody clapped as that would be a sign of disrespect. Instead, they gave this esteemed guest their complete attention. The position of Liu Haoxuan was unshakable in the continent. She was one of the biggest figures and everyone knew her name.
Chen Wentian eyed the person with great interest. She wore a veil around the lower half of her face so that only a pair of green eyes could be seen. Aside from that, the only other indication of her supposed beauty was an unremarkable figure that was quite slender. If one wanted to be overly critical, they could even call her too skinny.
He tried to compare her to Mao Tongxiao, the Western Smile of the Four Great Beauties. That woman had also worn a veil. The auras of the two were somewhat similar. Liu Haoxuan was also a Spirit Emperor. She was perhaps a little stronger or was it purer? This was probably because she was the oldest old virgin of the bunch.
He suppressed a laugh. He had no interest in such women. And, there was no doubt that these women didn't hold him in any regard.
Liu Haoxuan looked around and said softly so only the abbotesses could hear, "You can get up."
She then took a seat beside Liu Shishi as the abbotesses returned to their seats.
"Shishi, you can begin."
"Yes, master."
"Everyone!" Li Shishi's voice once again rang out, "Our end-of-year examination will consist of two parts as is tradition. First, our sacred daughters will compete on this stage before us in each of The Four Classics. In the end, we will crown a paragon for each classic. They will become our shining stars for the next generation. The second part, which will come right after the stage competition, will be a practical test for the sacred daughters and their acolytes. We will be heading into the central region to fight chaos and subjugate disorder. It is what we must do as righteous cultivators of humankind."
Another round of applause followed her words as well as loud cheers. The many immortal acolytes in the crowd finally became excited as it would be their opportunity to shine. After all, raising a sacred daughter was not just about her individual talent but also the ability of her acolyte to support her growth.
"Then… let us begin!" Li Shishi waved her hand toward the center of the amphitheater where a stage appeared out of the ground, with giant white marble blocks moving effortlessly as if they weighed as little as clouds, "First up, we have a song battle with some of our best singers of the year, here to perform one of the classics of our Millenium Mountains Campus, the Eastern Phoenix Awakens! Please welcome to the stage Wu Qi, Zhao Siyi, and Du Qianzhi!"
A round of polite applause welcomed three sacred daughters to the stage. They had already been ready and waiting, not sitting in the stands. Although the three were all dressed in the same white uniforms of the school, one stood out immediately. She was tall and pretty, with the handsome air of a tomboy rather than a shy beauty.
"Let me guess, that one is Wu Qi?" Chen Wentian asked.
"Mmm," Long Yifei assented.
"So… a strong competitor has appeared."
She chuckled lightly, "Not really. Her specialty is fire-attribute spiritual arts while mine is ice. The Eastern Phoenix Awakens is a powerful battle song for flame cultivators. It calls upon the might of a divine phoenix to empower her allies and improve their flames."
"Oh, interesting…"
"Shh, they are starting."
A small instrumental band started playing a light tune. The three sacred daughters took to their spots, forming a triangle that faced all directions. A swirl of fiery energy appeared at the feet of all three as they collected their spiritual energy and shaped it into a song.
"Day by day, watching the eastern horizon…"
"On wings so broad it fills the sky…"
"Higher and higher, near the cry of divinity, rising anew…"
Each person sang a verse, followed by the next, then the third, and back to the first singer. They alternated, letting their voices carry the mysterious arts of the song into the air with fiery intention. Each person's voice was distinct, their style and flavor as well as spiritual aura.
"Fly phoenix, fly phoenix…"
"Awaken…"
The lyrics of the song weren't important anymore, what was important was the sweeping aura of flames. Chen Wentian felt it, it gave him warmth, comfort, and a rousing fighting spirit. He had experienced such songs from Long Yifei many times, but hearing it from others was a first. It was a strange but pleasing experience.
He estimated that such a song could provide the same effect as a power boost pill to a person in the same cultivation realm. It was a strong support-type Dao and worthy of praise. At the immortal realms, perhaps it would have a similar effect which would be far more valuable. After all, power boost pills in the immortal realms were precious life-saving treasures.
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