Yun Xi still had no idea that Wei Yunqing was currently stranded in the Baohua Mountain Range. If she knew, she would have sighed on the spot. It was obvious that the Heavenly Dao had arranged this situation as a trial for Wei Yunqing—a forced opportunity to sharpen her combat experience. She would probably end up walking away with some rare spiritual treasures to boot.
If Yun Xi were nearby, she would have rushed over immediately and trailed behind Wei Yunqing, ready to snatch the fortune meant for her. Unfortunately, Yun Xi was still in the mortal realm. But they were already more than halfway through their journey, and it wouldn't be long before they returned to the cultivation realm.
While Wei Yunqing was plunged into the depths of her perilous trial, Yun Xi and her companions were resting in Jinyun City. After two days, they were just about to set off again.
Before they left the inn, however, the friendly innkeeper approached them with a smile and said,"Honored guests, Jinyun City is about to host a Flower Queen Contest. If you're not in a hurry, why not stay and enjoy the festivities?"
"Flower Queen Contest? Is that like a beauty pageant?" Yun Xi responded quickly.
"Yes," the innkeeper nodded. "The participants aren't just courtesans from the city's pleasure quarters, but also top picks from surrounding towns. Both men and women may enter, all of them reputable and clean in background."
"After participating, their value rises significantly. The winner—the Flower Queen of all Flower Queens—will be sent to the capital and might even have the chance to perform for the Emperor. That's why every ambitious courtesan dreams of this event."
Liu Haotian and Yu Qingcheng didn't seem the least bit interested. After all, Baihua Tower recruited disciples based on looks to begin with. Any one of their people could outshine mortals easily. So sticking around just to watch wasn't very appealing.
Xia You, on the other hand, had never been to the mortal realm before. She was curious and clearly tempted.
Yun Xi found the idea of an ancient beauty pageant intriguing, especially one held in person. She smiled and asked the innkeeper, "When exactly is this Flower Queen Contest taking place?"
"You've arrived at just the right time. The flower queens will be parading through the streets today—an official debut for all the contestants."
"In that case, let's go see the excitement for ourselves."
The innkeeper's eyes brightened. He immediately followed up, "Would you like me to hold your rooms for you? If you check out now, you might not find a room when you come back after the parade."
Yun Xi gave a knowing smile. So that's what he was angling for.
"Hold the rooms," she said cheerfully. "We'll head out for a look first."
"Very good. May you all enjoy yourselves."
The innkeeper personally saw them out, then returned to his inn grinning. He loved customers like this—easy to please, generous with their money, and free of drama.
Liu Haotian and Yu Qingcheng both assumed Yun Xi was just indulging her childish curiosity. Since she only wanted to join in the fun, they didn't argue. The four of them made their way to the main street, where they were soon swept up by the growing crowd.
Despite the crush of people, the four stayed close, never separated.
On the main avenue, carriages carrying the flower queens rolled forward in neat lines. Each courtesan had dressed to perfection, showing off their most dazzling looks. The men were handsome, the women stunning—one breathtaking face after another, a true feast for the eyes.
Around each flower queen's carriage, people shouted slogans, tossed copper coins and embroidered pouches into the crowd, trying to draw attention. These moments were also used to loudly boast about the talents and charms of their own courtesan, hoping to win more support.
The commoners lined both sides of the street, craning for a glimpse. The wealthy and influential, meanwhile, had already booked the upper floors of teahouses and taverns lining the road, watching from above and making casual commentary.
Yun Xi wasn't there to judge beauty; she just wanted to soak in the atmosphere. And it was delightful—fresh, lively, and novel. But while she enjoyed the parade, Liu Haotian and Yu Qingcheng's expressions grew increasingly strange. Even Xia You began to notice something was off. She sent a sound transmission to Yu Qingcheng:
"Yu Daoyou, is something wrong?"
Yu Qingcheng's gaze flickered. "I'll explain once we get back."
The parade wrapped up just before sunset. There would be a second part later: talent displays, where attendees could watch performances by their favorite flower queens. Afterward, Yun Xi and her group returned to the inn.
This time, it was Liu Haotian who pulled Yun Xi aside and shared what he and Yu Qingcheng had discovered.
After hearing them out, Yun Xi's mind started racing. She spoke as she pieced things together:
"So Liu Daoyou is saying these flower queens aren't just pretty faces. Most of them have special physique—women with pure yin bodies, men with pure yang. If I'm not mistaken, people with these kinds of physiques are capable of cultivation. And if they succeed in cultivation, they make ideal human cauldrons."
Yu Qingcheng nodded immediately. "Exactly as Wei Zhēnrén says."
"But how did you two notice this?"
That was what puzzled Yun Xi. As a Golden Core cultivator, her divine sense, when not compressed, could rival that of a Divine Transformation cultivator. There was no reason she should have missed something so critical while two Foundation Establishment juniors picked up on it.
Yu Qingcheng blinked, then explained with a smile, "Our Baihua Tower trains both demon and orthodox cultivators, including many who specialize in dual cultivation techniques. These methods require specific physical traits. I once traded for a dual cultivation manual from a demon cultivator, and it included a technique for identifying these special physiques.
Today, Senior Brother Liu mentioned that these flower queens all looked like they were walking toward their deaths. That made me suspicious, so I used the detection technique. As it turns out, many of the flower queens had unique physiques.
If it were just one or two, you could chalk it up to coincidence. But half the participants? That's no coincidence. If there's one thing cultivators don't believe in, it's luck."
Yun Xi and Xia You both finally understood. They really had just been there for the show, but Yu Daoyou and her brother had picked up on something much more disturbing.
Yu Qingcheng chuckled. "You two are still young. It's normal that you didn't sense anything off. If you're interested, I can teach you the detection technique."
"Heh, I wouldn't say no to that."
Yun Xi accepted without hesitation. Don't underestimate small techniques like these—they could prove vital when it counts.
Once the strange situation had been explained, they returned to the more pressing matter.
Yun Xi, drawing from all the cultivation novels she'd read, laid out her theory:
"Liu Daoyou, since you noticed this, are you thinking this is the work of evil cultivators? Picking out mortals with special physiques here in the mortal realm, then sending them to the cultivation world to be raised as cauldrons from a young age?
These mortals all have clean backgrounds, no connections to powerful clans. Once the cauldrons are ready, they could be handed off to cultivators with fading lifespans or bottlenecks in their cultivation.
That would earn them favors, allow them to infiltrate sects and clans, and gather information for use against us. Three birds with one stone."
The more Yu Qingcheng, Liu Haotian, and Xia You listened, the more disturbed they became. The schemes of evil cultivators were far more long-reaching than they'd imagined. If such plans succeeded, the entire Weiyu Realm could be in danger.
In fact, Yun Xi's guess was already alarmingly close to the truth. And it all traced back to the incident where they disrupted the evil cultivators' kidnapping operation.
Xiafei Valley had been one of the sites. The evil cultivators had even touched a direct disciple of Jiu Yue Zhēnjūn from the Xianmo Sect, prompting immediate backlash. No one wanted to see a carefully nurtured talent ruined, and everyone now viewed the evil cultivators with utter loathing.
As a result, sects and cultivation clans had increased protection for their promising disciples and began tracking the evil cultivators' movements. Some even formed secret alliances to wipe out nests of evil cultivators, forcing them into hiding.
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If you're curious and want to dive deeper into Human cauldron, and the Physiques, feel free to check out my glossary on Webnovel. Just head over to my profile and look for the book titled The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond. You'll find it covered in Chapter 21: Physiques, Body, and Its Practice.