Central Plains, Tianyan Sect.
"Wow..."
"Wow..."
Sandong sat perched on Cui Hao's shoulders, staring unblinkingly at everything in Tianyan Sect while continuously letting out the ultimate one-word exclamation of wonder.
Whether it was the flood dragon coiling beneath the mountain peaks, the white cranes soaring through the skies, or even the Tianyan Sect disciples hurrying past on their way somewhere.
Most Tianyan Sect disciples, upon seeing Chu Xingchen's group, would stop what they were doing and offer greetings before continuing on their way.
Since there were so many people offering greetings, a simple nod of acknowledgment was sufficient in most cases.
Only Sandong would earnestly and properly return every single salute.
When Sandong looked at everything in Tianyan Sect, it was as though light danced in its eyes.
It had originally thought that within the sect at Wanhua Ridge, it had already seen what the world had to offer.
Cui Hao building a house with an openable roof, the pond water flowing from underground, the fish that looked very expensive, and all the senior cultivators with their impressive cultivation.
But having set out this time for friendly exchanges with other sects, it hadn't expected this to be just the first step in broadening its horizons.
Especially the density of spiritual qi here — at one point, Sandong felt as though it wanted to start absorbing the spirit stone it was currently cradling in its arms.
It was simply... too magnificent.
"Wow..."
Sandong looked at the mountain peaks that pierced straight into the clouds, at the great halls that floated in midair, and let out another sound of wonder.
Throughout the journey, the one most sensitive to Sandong's exclamations had been Qinghe.
Qinghe lifted its head with an expression of pure pride. "Little Sandong, didn't I tell you? Our great Tianyan Sect is what a true top-tier grand sect looks like!"
Sandong nodded its little head in enthusiastic agreement.
"It really is magnificent. But to Sandong, having everyone together is what matters most."
Chu Xingchen glanced at Sandong upon hearing this and smiled.
"Worthy of being this sect's mascot — you truly grasp the essence of what our sect stands for."
Cui Hao smoothly cupped his hands and chimed in. "I beg to report to Master, this disciple has a humble suggestion."
"Oh? What suggestion does my beloved disciple have?" Chu Xingchen responded with equally fluid banter.
Chen Baiqing, walking beside her own master, listened to this exceedingly practiced back-and-forth. A hint of a smile appeared on her face — Master sometimes had quite the mischievous streak.
Xie Lingyu gave a soft sigh, her gaze settling on the two of them.
Cui Hao cupped his hands with an expression of utmost righteousness and declared.
"Given Sandong's enormous contributions to the sect, and having just now spoken such golden words about uniting the entire sect from top to bottom, in this humble disciple's modest opinion, Sandong's position as mascot should be promoted by two ranks."
Sandong looked at Cui Hao with eyes full of pleasant surprise and gratitude. But to Sandong, having recognition was enough — rewards didn't really matter.
So it promptly declined.
"Being a mascot is already very impressive. Sandong is very satisfied."
Li Yingling glanced sideways, watching Sandong's genuine display of emotion. This little flower spirit truly hadn't improved at all over the years.
It hadn't realized at all that it had already been reduced to a prop for its master and Cui Hao to play out their tender master-disciple bond.
"Since there is merit, how can we withhold a reward simply because of contentment?" Chu Xingchen waved his hand grandly. "My dear disciple Cui Hao makes a fair point. But how exactly should we promote the title?"
Cui Hao cupped his hands and spoke again. "Naturally, it should be elevated to — the Peerless Under-Heaven and Above-Heaven Sect-Protecting Mascot of All Eternity."
"Excellent! This sect master approves!" Chu Xingchen nodded with a smile. He pulled a Moon Essence from his spatial ring and sent it floating over to Sandong with his spiritual energy.
"The sect's safety is now in your hands, Sandong. From now on, your daily offerings will include one additional Moon Essence."
At the word "offerings," Li Yingling perked up.
"The sect finally has offerings? Who do I go to collect them from?"
Chu Xingchen didn't even turn his head as he swiftly replied, "You still owe your master. When you've finished paying off your debts to me, that's when I'll notify you to collect your share."
Li Yingling's expression twisted. "If there's nothing to collect, then why even ask—"
"Hmm? What was that, my dear disciple Li?" Chu Xingchen's eyes shifted toward Li Yingling, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Li Yingling quietly cupped her hands. "I obey your command, Master..."
Sandong, clutching its Moon Essence, thought for a moment before curiously asking.
"Then where does Sandong go to collect its Moon Essence?"
Chu Xingchen answered with the most natural tone imaginable.
"Naturally, you ask Cui Hao for it."
"Huh?" Cui Hao pointed at himself in surprise.
Li Xingtian and Lin Luoyu walked at the back of the group, watching their master and Cui Hao exchange banter up ahead.
When interesting people gathered together, there was never a shortage of topics to discuss.
As long as the road was traveled in good company, no matter how far the distance, it always felt brief.
As if in the span of a simple casual conversation, the group had already arrived at the main peak of Tianyan Sect — Tianyan Peak.
Yanyun stood before the great hall doors, watching Chu Xingchen bring his entire sect along with him. She watched the figures of the group, especially Chu Xingchen, who was greeting her with the expression of an old friend he hadn't seen in ages.
Her state of mind was no longer as tranquil as before. The urge to give Chu Xingchen a punch felt particularly real.
But she quickly suppressed the feeling. According to what the sect master had said, Chu Xingchen might be staying at Tianyan Sect for a while.
Losing her composure right from the start would make Yanyun seem lacking in poise.
Yanyun stood firm. She first gave Xie Lingyu a slight nod of acknowledgment before speaking.
"Welcome, fellow cultivators."
Sandong reacted the fastest, being the first to cup its hands and speak.
"Greetings, fellow cultivator. Apologies for the trouble."
Yanyun's gaze shifted to Sandong, who sat atop Cui Hao's shoulders. For a moment, her eyes held a hint of wariness — why was this one being so polite?
With just one glance, Yanyun could confirm that this exceedingly polite individual was a genuine flower spirit.
Looking directly at it, the flower spirit's gaze was incredibly pure.
There was a kind of refreshingly artless quality to its foolishness. But Yanyun didn't believe for a second that this flower spirit was truly as simple as it appeared.
Ordinarily speaking, flower spirits had simple minds. But no matter how simple a flower spirit was, it couldn't withstand having a sect master named Chu Xingchen.
Forget flower spirits — even a wild boar spirit would probably end up infuriating people after spending a few days beside Chu Xingchen.
Li Yingling and the other disciples were slightly slower than Sandong to react, but they all cupped their hands in return as well.
Chu Xingchen merely gave a slight nod as his form of returning the greeting, while smiling as he spoke.
"We're all family here. No need for mundane formalities. Is Sect Master Lu inside?"
Yanyun shook her head gently. "Master still has important matters to attend to. Today, I'll be the one receiving you all."
"Please, let's continue this inside, fellow cultivators."
Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement.
Sandong looked at the magnificent palace and its exquisite decorations, letting out another soft — wow.
Yanyun led the group into the great hall while speaking.
"Tianyan Sect has prepared a new mountain peak for all of you."
Xie Lingyu frowned slightly upon hearing this, somewhat puzzled.
"Our numbers are few. Zhuji Peak should be more than enough to accommodate us."
Yanyun's gaze shifted to Xie Lingyu, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"For a short stay, it certainly wouldn't be a problem. But this time, you may be staying at Tianyan Sect for quite a while longer."
"It's always wise to be prepared."
"Besides, everything is within Tianyan Sect anyway. The distance between any two mountain peaks is only a few steps' walk."
Xie Lingyu nodded lightly at this. Yanyun's reasoning was sound.
Upon hearing this, Sandong quickly asked.
"Then does the mountain peak assigned to us have a place where we can grow spirit plants and spirit trees?"
Yanyun's gaze shifted to Sandong at these words.
This was in itself a trivial matter. With abundant spiritual energy, one could plant whatever one wished.
But the one asking this question was a flower spirit brought by Chu Xingchen...
If she got fooled by that innocent-looking gaze... her master would probably laugh at her for a hundred years.
She had to be cautious!
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