Chen Wentian left Xuan Xina and returned to Long Yifei. She didn't ask him but he told her what happened between him and Xuan Xina. He was worried about what Long Yifei would think of him when another woman was so intent on getting into his pants.
"Don't worry, Fei'er. Xuan Xina isn't even that pretty. She has no affect on me." He reassured her.
"Master, it's alright. I understand."
Chen Wentian glanced at her and they shared a laugh, "Fine, back to more important matters."
He waved his hands and surrounded them with a small barrier of spiritual energy. Just in case, he didn't want anyone like Xuan Xina eavesdropping.
"How did you comprehend the eighth and ninth stages of Winter's Snow Dance? Have you tried to cultivate it before?" He asked.
Long Yifei shook her head, "I have read the texts in the past but have not practiced them. Throughout the school year, I have solely cultivated the four classics as the Order instructed. As you know, first-year sacred daughters must focus on their foundation. Their cultivation is not important, only the classics."
"Hmm… and you haven't shown Winter's Snow Dance to anyone?"
"No."
Chen Wentian thought about it, "Alright. Winter's Snow Dance is an exclusive cultivation art of Glacier Palace. Outsiders won't know its secrets. The number of disciples who have learned the last three stages is only a handful. But just to be safe, I will pass down a decree that disciples are not allowed to reveal the intricacies of the last three stages."
She nodded, "That is for the best."
"As for how you were able to comprehend them, I will have to think about it. It should have been impossible. A virgin couldn't... But since it happened, the simplest answer should be that your mysterious physique can bypass such restrictions."
"Bypass restrictions?"
"It's just my speculation. The world of cultivation is vast and endless. There are countless surprising things, too many heaven-defying secrets. Many cultivation arts have certain restrictions and requirements. The secret arts of divine beasts require their bloodline or their source of power. Humans can't cultivate those secret arts even if they somehow obtained the complete secrets. For dual cultivation arts, well… they are self-explanatory."
"I see." Long Yifei replied pensively, "That makes sense. But I have not experienced this before. The version of Winter's Snow Dance that I cultivated before your arrival was the incomplete version. Perhaps that's why I didn't experience such special effects then. And as for divine daughters, nothing I have read in the library hints at such power. From the records, they are extremely talented cultivators but still somewhat ordinary. They usually become the popes of the Order or the wife of some supreme overlord. Other than that, I can't say there was anything too special about them."
"Hmmm." Chen Wentian rubbed his chin.
He still had a lot of questions. Her breakthrough was a pleasant surprise but also added another difficult problem. He wondered why his disciples were all so talented and special in their own way. He was so lucky that he was buried by it.
"Let's just finish up with these exams first," He said, "When I come back, we can do some experiments to test out your physique."
"Yes, master."
Long Yifei rested for a while and recovered her stamina. After a short rest, they returned to the arena for the next round of the dancing duels. They were in the final four but their competition was weaker than before. Xuanyin Shujun was the only true rival. The others were good but nowhere near that level.
Abbotess Zhang stood and spoke to everyone gathered, "Our next duel will be between Long Yifei and Ma Qiuyuan. Since Long Yifei has reached the Lesser Realm of Spiritual Growth while Ma Qiuyuan is still at the 10th Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm, Long Yifei will have to wear the special restrictive robe."
Chen Wentian cut in right after, "We're not doing that. We're not wearing the robe."
All three judges glared at him as if he was a sinner. A torrent of spiritual auras and ill-intents from all around fell on him but he stood firm. The stone tiles beneath his feet cracked into countless pieces from the heavy pressure.
"Two times, there have been problems with your shitty robe. My sacred daughter is not wearing it." He said.
Abbotess Zhang's face morphed into one of barely contained fury but he continued speaking loudly, not giving her a chance.
"There is a simpler way that cannot be tampered with. Just have Ma Qiuyuan take a power boost pill. I'm sure the Order has some that can temporarily boost her cultivation to the first lesser realm."
Pa!
Abbotess Zhang's palm slammed against the table, smashing it into dust, "This is the end-of-year exams of the Virtuous Order. Is this somewhere you can bargain like a vegetable market? Who do you think you are?"
Chen Wentian didn't back down, "This is our stance. There has been too much cheating across these exams. The prior conditions are unacceptable. They must be changed."
"Insolent!"
"You dare?"
"Go back to where you came from!"
The various immortals in the arena made their displeasure heard. They all had a common target and that was him. Truthfully, he was in a dangerous position. Perhaps, people were already preparing to ambush him after he left the Millenium Mountains Campus. Maybe they would try to attack his other disciples as retribution.
But some lines couldn't be crossed. In the past, when he was a mortal, he had to struggle against young masters, powerful sects, and unfair and unreasonable situations. Each time, he emerged from the challenge and left a trail of devastation and ruined souls in his wake. He was not a good person. His path of cultivation defied the heavens and made him an enemy of the masses.
"Abbotess Zhang, Chen Wentian, please calm down." Xuan Xina chose this time to intervene. Her cooling voice silenced the rabble and made the abbotesses pay attention. "Chen Wentian, power boost pills that can cross a lesser realm are valuable. They are not like the common ones for the Spirit Initiate Realm. Taking one would also leave Ma Qiuyuan with internal wounds that take time to recover. It is not fair to her. However, we have also seen the irregularities with the special outfits for these duels. Fellow immortals, let's not act dumb. Chen Wentian's words are reasonable."
Xuan Xina paused to look around the arena and the judges. She had their full attention. She nodded approvingly. If she could help Chen Wentian out in this situation, perhaps she could start building his trust towards her. It would go a long way toward completing her mission.
"Everyone. I see one easy solution. This is a dancing duel. The preliminary rounds did not involve any combat and we don't need them for the final rounds either. Let us proceed with the dancing duel with the original rule in place!"
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