Chapter 18
The contents of this year's Plum Immortal Assembly were not limited to a single event.
There were three main trials:
The first trial was a test of the mind.
Of course, in their words, it was called "comprehension."
The Sect Master of the Eastern Sovereign Immortal Sect, Lord Qingfeng, would personally inscribe a riddle for the disciples of various sects to decipher, with a time limit of one day and one night.
The second trial tested one's character and temperament. It involved layers of illusionary arrays, and the goal was to see who could escape the fastest, with a time limit of two days and two nights.
The third trial was combat. One-on-one sparring, taking the top 1,024 individuals based on their combined scores from the first two rounds. They would compete once a day for ten days to determine the ultimate champion.
Dan Feng relayed the compiled information and the key points they had extracted to the twenty disciples via a sound-transmission technique.
At the same time, Yu Shuang was also giving Fei Xing a general overview.
"In addition, there are seven secondary trials: qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers."
Of course, not everyone could participate in these seven categories. To be proficient enough to compete was a level beyond what most people could achieve as a mere hobby.
"So refined?" Fei Xing was a little surprised.
"Though they are side paths, they are not necessarily incapable of leading to the Heavenly Dao."
Yu Shuang sat on the bed. The white flower Fei Xing had placed in her hair last night lay quietly on the bedside table.
She had nearly forgotten to take it off when she went out this morning, and she still hadn't figured out why she was afraid of others seeing it. It was just a flower, after all.
"Three hundred years ago, a Chess Saint once played a game against the Heavenly Dao itself, using the world as the chessboard. He won and ascended. Five hundred years ago, the Heavenly Gate also opened wide for a Wine Saint."
Fei Xing couldn't fathom what it meant to use the world as a chessboard, but he was surprised. "You can become an immortal just by drinking?"
Yu Shuang said, "The Heavenly Gate opened for the Wine Saint for a night, but he ignored it. He drank himself into a stupor for the entire night, then left with a great laugh after sunrise and was never seen again."
Fei Xing was stunned, thinking that only someone thoroughly drunk could be so free and unfettered.
But whether it was the main trials or the secondary ones, none of this had anything to do with him.
"Master, do you know the origin of the young man who fought the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Frost Sect this morning?"
He was more interested in people.
"That is a disciple of the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect, Zheng Huairen."
"He must be quite extraordinary to dare to fight the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Frost Sect, right?"
"When you came to the island, did you see a tall, azure-white pavilion that pierced the clouds, carved with dragons and phoenixes?"
"I have some impression of it."
"That is the Azure Moon Pavilion. Every year, it publishes a 'Phoenix and Qilin Rankings.' It ranks talented young cultivators who have been cultivating for less than fifty years, using a grading system from Heaven, Earth, Profound and Yellow, followed by Upper, Middle, and Lower tiers."
Yu Shuang explained:
"Zheng Huairen, along with Qing Chen who is the daughter of the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect's Lord Qingfeng and the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Frost Sect, have all been ranked 'Heaven-Upper tier' for several years now."
So they were the best of their generation, dragons among men?
Only then did Fei Xing understand why the masters were so flustered this morning, and why even Master Yu Shuang looked so grave.
Yu Shuang looked at him and said seriously,
"With your aptitude, if you can be taught the Great Dao, it's not impossible for you to stand alongside them."
Me?
Fei Xing blinked.
"I have no interest in fighting and competing. Since we're cultivating immortality, shouldn't we be detached from the world, like you, Master? I just want to get rid of that demonic flower inside me, and after that..."
He suddenly realized he didn't seem to have any other wishes or future goals. He had grown accustomed to staying by Yu Shuang's side.
But the Master had said that once he finished reading those few hundred books, he could leave. Now, although he had learned immortal arts, once the demonic flower was removed, he would have no reason to stay by her side.
When the time comes, will the Master drive me away?
If he succeeds in refining that demonic flower into an immortal artifact, there will be nothing more I can do to help him. After that, he can go join a great sect, inherit the Great Dao, and it will have nothing to do with me...
Yu Shuang always believed that Fei Xing would not, and should not, shrink back in her small, sheltered world. He was meant to go out into the wider world and achieve great things.
Fei Xing fell silent, and Yu Shuang lowered her eyes.
Snow fell silently outside the building; inside, the air was heavy with silence.
We'll deal with what comes later when it comes.
Fei Xing shook his head inwardly and said,
"Master, after I broke through to the Heart Observation Realm, that demonic flower appeared in my Sea of Consciousness."
Yu Shuang's almond eyes sharpened upon hearing this.
"But I feel no discomfort, and the demonic flower isn't absorbing the immortal qi within my body."
Yu Shuang said gravely, "The Sea of Consciousness is of utmost importance. Once damaged, it is difficult to restore. You must not be careless. If that demonic flower secretly takes root in your Sea of Consciousness, it might seize your mind in one fell swoop."
"You weren't here before, Master, so I didn't dare to act rashly," Fei Xing said. "Now that you are here to protect me, I want to carefully probe it with my immortal sense and see if I can refine it."
Yu Shuang pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Although the situation is unclear for now, since the demonic flower hasn't absorbed your immortal qi, it probably can't cause much trouble yet."
Fei Xing nodded and closed his eyes.
"Stop immediately if you sense any danger."
After hearing this final reminder, his immortal sense sank into his Sea of Consciousness.
In a world of black and white, thick immortal qi was slowly overflowing from the Immortal Spring, drifting through the space.
Everything in the Sea of Consciousness was not real; it was merely a manifestation of his inner world.
A red flower was lying in his Immortal Spring.
Its petals were crystal-clear, like the color of fresh blood; its stem was translucent, like fine green jade. Like a beauty bathing in a spring, it was bewitchingly beautiful.
Fei Xing slowly guided his immortal sense closer and soon arrived at the edge of the Immortal Spring.
When it came time to act, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
If this place was damaged, he could become witless, or even fall into an eternal slumber.
Forget mutual destruction, even just a slight injury to his Sea of Consciousness would be unbearable for him.
Calm down, calm down…
His immortal sense stilled for a moment, then continued forward, landing extremely gently on the tip of a vibrant, dripping petal.
Stillness—
Fei Xing kept his immortal sense completely still, not daring to move a fraction more.
The Drunken Immortal Passion Flower showed no abnormal reaction, remaining still and beautiful.
Seeing this, he pondered for a moment and tried to use his immortal sense to nudge the petal.
The petal trembled, and as he nudged it, the central pistil swayed lightly.
Fei Xing was certain that the Drunken Immortal Passion Flower had perceived his immortal sense.
But… it didn't seem to be hostile to him at the moment.
He used his immortal sense to envelop it, bit by bit. After some time, he succeeded in completely wrapping the Drunken Immortal Passion Flower.
The next step was to attempt to refine it.
Everything had gone smoothly up to this point, but what came next was uncertain.
Fei Xing tried to probe his immortal sense into the Drunken Immortal Passion Flower's interior.
Suddenly, the moment his sense touched the pistil, it felt a powerful force of attraction!
A trap?!
Whoosh—
Fei Xing's immortal sense was seized by that gravitational pull!
Then, the blooming petals closed in, wrapping his immortal sense within them!
...
At that moment, in the outside world.
Yu Shuang's attention was entirely focused on Fei Xing.
Fei Xing's expression remained calm, which meant everything was proceeding smoothly.
Suddenly, a faint red mist began to seep out from his body—
Yu Shuang's expression tightened when she saw it.
Of course, she recognized it. She had suffered greatly because of this mist, even nearly losing her virginity.
The moment she saw the red mist, Yu Shuang immediately stood up and quickly moved away.
She looked at Fei Xing's expression; it was still as peaceful and natural as before.
No one knew what was truly happening in his Sea of Consciousness.
She stepped back to a corner of the room, but the red mist soon spread throughout the entire room, as if it would not stop diffusing until it found its target.
If she fled now, what would happen to Fei Xing if something went wrong later? Besides, if this red mist continued to spread, not only would it endanger others, but if Fei Xing's condition was discovered, someone would most likely try to kill him.
But if she stayed here…
Yu Shuang was in a dilemma!
But she didn't struggle for long. After only a moment's hesitation, she made up her mind and returned to the bedside to sit down.
As expected, once the red mist found its target, it stopped spreading, enveloping the two of them like a gauze curtain.
Her body gradually grew limp, but her Sword essence and immortal qi could still be mobilized.
Right now, she needed to maintain her focus on Fei Xing, so she naturally couldn't sink her sword sense into her body. She could only use the heart-calming and mind-stilling techniques of her sect to suppress the effects on her body.
Her pearly teeth bit into peach lips, and snow-like skin took on a cherry blossom glow.
After that immortal body, revered by mortals, had tasted the pleasure of carnal desires, her once-clear, cold almond eyes filled with lust again.
...
*****
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