Chapter 20
Had Fei Xing successfully refined the Drunken Immortal's Love Flower?
The answer was no.
So, had he failed?
You couldn't say that either.
As the crystal representing the Drunken Immortal's Love Flower absorbed his immortal qi, the flower-shaped inscription at its center gradually turned crimson. After the inscription changed color, the crimson hue broke through its confines and began to spread outward.
Finally, when a small ring of crystal around the inscription had also changed color, the crimson stopped spreading further.
And no matter how he gathered his immortal qi, the crystal would absorb no more.
Fei Xing sensed that a very shallow connection had been established between his consciousness and the Drunken Immortal's Love Flower. He also realized that with his current cultivation level, he could probably only refine such a small portion.
So then—
What exactly was its ability?
And how much of it could he wield now?
The answer was for him to discover on his own.
After returning to his room, Fei Xing began to experiment through the faint connection he had established with the Drunken Immortal's Love Flower.
Sensing his call, the Love Flower stirred its petals lazily, like a languid sloth.
It listened to him and moved. Good.
But there was no target at the moment. What would happen?
Fei Xing waited in anticipation.
The next moment, a red mist that he could perceive and control appeared before his eyes.
Hiss!
He gasped, waving his hand to retract the red mist back into his body.
This red mist obeyed his commands, but,
What use could it possibly have?
Cure mortal men of impotence and frigidity?
Fei Xing sighed, shaking his head helplessly.
He still had to continue raising his cultivation level, refine more of the flower, and unlock new abilities.
Otherwise, if a real conflict broke out, others magical treasures would flash with golden light, while his own would release an aphrodisiac. How embarrassing would that be?
...
A night of cultivation passed.
Fei Xing tried to activate the Drunken Immortal's Love Flower a few more times, and without exception, only the red mist appeared. However, the mist's effect on him had lessened considerably, far from the point of making him lose his rationality.
But in the process, he inadvertently discovered something rather important.
Generally, unless someone's immortal sense was deliberately focused on him, or the person using it was very close, cultivators below the Divine Power Realm found it quite difficult to perceive the immortal sense of others, at best having a vague feeling.
But Fei Xing discovered that he could clearly perceive the immortal sense of others.
Although not with extreme precision, he could grasp its general area of coverage.
This was clearly not an ability that came with breaking through to the Heart Observation Realm.
After much thought, he concluded that this must be the ability of the Drunken Immortal's Love Flower within him.
Could his own sensitivity to immortal qi also be its doing?
To know more, he would need to continue raising his cultivation and refining more of the Love Flower.
...
The next day, Fei Xing went to knock on Yu Shuang's door several times, but she never responded, even though he could sense she was inside.
...
Another day passed.
The Plum Immortal Assembly officially began.
The various sects and factions all headed to the central area of the assembly, a place called the "Proud Snow Precipice".
Fei Xing hadn't seen Master Yu Shuang for two consecutive days.
Since that night, Master Yang Chun hadn't come looking for him either; he didn't know where she was off causing trouble.
But today, Fei Xing finally had a chance to see Yu Shuang.
He came out of his room. The disciples of the Lingshu Sword Sect were already gathered downstairs, and Yu Shuang was among them.
"Master…"
Fei Xing landed lightly.
Before he could get close, Yu Shuang seemed to have sensed him first. She said to Dan Feng, "I'll take my leave first," and vanished from her spot.
Fei Xing sighed softly.
Dan Feng felt her senior sister was acting a bit strangely, though she didn't seem angry.
She came to Fei Xing's side and asked in a low voice:
"What did you do?"
Fei Xing blinked.
If he had to say, he hadn't really done anything, right?
...
A fine day under the frosty sky, unafraid of the biting cold wind.
Immortals gather on the treasured land, where winter plum blossoms cover the mountains and forests.
The Plum Immortal Assembly, held again after many years, had extremely generous rewards.
All sorts of spirit pills and medicines were available, and there was no shortage of spiritual beasts or magical treasures either.
It was even said that among them was a Heavenly-Grade magical treasure, specially refined by the Green Lotus Immortal Sect at the request of the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect, which even disciples of the Heart Observation Realm could use.
One must know that even many medium-sized sects did not possess a Heavenly-Grade magical treasure. With such generous rewards, it was natural for everyone to give it their all.
The young disciples gathered here could be said to be the most promising sprouts of the cultivation world, representing the future of their respective sects.
In a sense, the distribution of rewards from this Plum Immortal Assembly would determine the landscape of the numerous small and medium-sized sects in the Carefree Sea a hundred years from now.
For these sects, if they could cultivate a disciple who could rank in the Heaven Tier of the Phoenix and Qilin ranking, as long as they could cultivate steadily for the next hundred years, they would most likely become a mighty expert of the Divine Power Realm, and the sect would have a great chance of rising a level.
The Proud Snow Precipice was shielded from the celestial phenomena, revealing only a golden light shining in the clear sky.
The next moment, over a dozen figures appeared within the golden light, descending gracefully from the air.
At their forefront stood a man—
Tall and imposing, with dragon-like eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, a fair complexion, and a long beard.
He wore an Azure Dragon Coiling Clouds Crown on his head and a Phoenix Arriving from the East Sea Robe.
At his waist was a Red Flooddragon Fury Belt, and on his feet were Qilin Ascending Heaven Boots.
The figures behind him all shone with golden light, possessing an aura that could support the heavens and shake the earth!
The various sects and factions below all called out in unison to the leading man:
"We greet Lord Qingfeng…"
The Sect Master of the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect, Lord Qingfeng, had personally arrived at the Plum Immortal Assembly. Everyone below paid their respects with utmost reverence.
Many disciples from the smaller sects were extremely excited; this was their first, and possibly only, chance to see him in person.
It was said that he had reached the Mahayana Realm a hundred years ago, and the dozen or so people behind him were all experts of the Divine Power Realm.
The Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect relied on nothing but its strength to become the leader of the righteous path.
And its Sect Master, Lord Qingfeng, was the number one expert under the heavens.
With him presiding over the event, there was no need to worry about demonic cultivators or other nefarious beings causing trouble in secret.
"Our humble sect is honored by your presence. Today, we have invited all of you, fellow cultivators, to this immortal isle to appreciate the plum blossoms. It is a great honor."
Lord Qingfeng's voice rang out, sounding gentle, refined, and very humble.
After Fei Xing arrived with the Lingshu Sword Sect, he had been looking for master Yu Shuang.
Now, while everyone was standing still as Lord Qingfeng spoke, he finally found Yu Shuang ahead.
"This immortal assembly has three main trials and seven secondary trials. Our sect is small with few resources, so we have prepared some simple rewards to add to the fun. We hope all of you will do your best."
As his words fell, golden light flashed, and he and the people behind him disappeared together.
The next moment, a figure suddenly walked out from the air, as if there had been a canvas in the sky that had been concealing him all along.
It was an elderly man in fisherman's attire, holding a five-foot-long giant brush in his hand. Though his beard and hair were white, he was full of vigor.
Someone in the crowd shouted:
"That's the Painting Daoist, Xuan Yangzi!"
Daoist Xuan Yangzi was a famous master painter whose reputation had spread throughout the Carefree Sea. His Hundred-Forms Brush had painted all living beings.
They saw him lift his brush and make a stroke in the air—
In the distance, two of the plum mountains suddenly transformed. A black and a white dot appeared on their peaks, like two ink stains. Then, the black and white dots grew larger, gradually turning into two rushing waterfalls that fell from the summits, finally converging at the foot of the mountains to form a gray river.
"The first trial: please identify the object in the river."
After Xuan Yangzi finished speaking, he took a step back toward the spot where he had appeared, and his figure immediately vanished, as if he had walked back behind the canvas.
The crowd stirred, and numerous disciples rushed forward to participate in this first trial. Fei Xing had just started walking toward Yu Shuang's position when he saw Dan Feng and Chang Yi appear by her side. The three of them then moved forward together, disappearing from his sight.
The elders from the various sects also went to observe the river, and they moved much faster than the participating disciples, who were only at the Heart-Observation Realm.
Soon, only Fei Xing was left there.
He sighed, climbed onto one of the plum mountains, and slowly made his way toward the direction of the two peaks ahead.
All participating disciples from the various sects were being secretly recorded. Someone like him, who wasn't participating, was supposed to stay on the plum mountains and watch.
After a long while, he finally arrived before the two mountains.
Below, thousands of disciples were lined up along the extremely vast riverbank, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Fei Xing looked into the distance and estimated that the riverbank was at least twenty thousand meters long, which was indeed enough for these several thousand disciples to get a close look at the river.
The Golden Core realm elders were all treading the air above.
He climbed to the middle of a plum mountain, where some young people had already taken up the spots with the best views.
A few young men saw him, nodded at him in a friendly manner, and pointed to the spot beside them.
"If you don't mind, the view here is excellent."
"Thank you." Fei Xing nodded and walked over to sit down.
One of them struck up a conversation: "You have a remarkable appearance, fellow daoist. What realm are you in now?"
In the cultivation world, casually asking about someone's cultivation realm was actually considered rather impolite.
However, as time went on, the younger generation seemed to care less and less about it. Of course, using immortal sense to check was an even more rude act; no one would be happy if a stranger did that to them upon first meeting.
Fei Xing said, "I have just entered the Heart-Observation Realm."
"Then why aren't you participating in the trials, fellow daoist?"
"I don't belong to any sect. I'mjust tagging along with some people to watch the excitement."
A young man with a square head, round eyes, and a plain appearance, said, "Oh, then we are kindred spirits."
Fei Xing asked, "Are none of you affiliated with a sect either?"
Another person laughed, "We are idle, untalented fellows, and our ambitions exceed our abilities.
Fortunately, the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect is generous, and the Plum Immortal Assembly allows anyone to watch. To be able to see Sect Master Qingfeng today is truly the fortune of three lifetimes."
The others all nodded in agreement. It seemed the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect had a very good reputation even among these humble rogue cultivators.
Fei Xing's attention was not on the disciples below or the river; he kept looking up at the sky, searching for Immortal Yu Shuang's figure.
The young man with the square head and round eyes saw this, a smile spreading across his face as he said, "It seems you truly are a kindred spirit, fellow daoist."
The others also smiled without saying a word.
"Hm?" Fei Xing blinked.
"It's rare to see these elders on a normal day."
He leaned over, pointed at an Immortal in the distance above, and whispered:
"Look at Immortal Jichen of the Ice Palace Immortal Sect. She is as beautiful as a goddess, so graceful and extraordinary."
Even though they were only at the Heart-Observation Realm, their eyesight was countless times better than a mortal's. Although they were at least a hundred meters apart, it was as clear to them as if she were right before their eyes.
"Look, that Immortal from the Flower Valley Sect over there is so enchanting and graceful, it really makes one's heart stir."
"In my opinion, the one next to her is even more striking!"
"Isn't that a man?"
"I meant the one in front of her!"
"Isn't that a young girl?"
"Haven't you felt an aura of maternal dignity emanating from her?"
"You filthy fellow... that does seem to make some sense!"
Fei Xing remained silent.
The young man with the square head and round eyes laughed, "Since we are kindred spirits, there's no need to be so reserved. Just say whatever's on your mind."
Fei Xing smiled. He really had nothing to say.
Just then, a figure landed before him.
"Fei Xing."
"Immortal Dan Feng."
A graceful fairy descended with the wind, stunning the group of lechers.
"Senior sister was worried you might get lost, so she sent me to find you. So you're here?" Dan Feng said, looking at the young men beside him.
Fei Xing said, "These are a few... friends I just made."
Dan Feng nodded to them, and the young men quickly stood up and returned the greeting.
She said to Fei Xing, "Then just stay here. We'll come find you when it's time to head back."
Fei Xing nodded.
After she left, the young men continued to stare dazedly at her receding figure, only coming back to their senses after a long while.
Someone sighed, "If I could make a fairy like that smile, I could die without regret."
The young man with the square head and round eyes had a complicated expression on his face as he looked at Fei Xing and said, "Fellow daoist, to have such a beauty by your side, you are truly fortunate. It seems you are not one of us after all."
Fei Xing said, "You misunderstand, fellow daoist. I was just fortunate enough to be saved by them, which is why I am accompanying them to this assembly."
"Oh, even so, it is a great fortune."
"If such a fairy saved me, I would be willing to be her ox or her horse without complaint!"
Fei Xing looked toward another mountain peak not far away and said, "There are many young women over there. If you are looking for fair maidens, why not go there?"
The young men laughed and said:
"The will is there, but the courage is not."
"Cowardly and lecherous."
"Fierce in appearance but timid in heart."
The young man with the square head and round eyes said, "We can admire them from afar, but if we get close, we all become as quiet as cicadas in winter."
Fei Xing recalled how timid they had looked when they saw Immortal Dan Feng earlier. It was just as they had said.
After that, they chatted about the interesting things they had seen after arriving on Penglai Immortal Island. Fei Xing was quite interested in this and joined in, telling them about the battle he had witnessed two days ago between the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Frost Sect, Sui Ri, and Zheng Huai'en of the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect.
"Oh? To have witnessed such a rare event!"
"The Abyssal Sea Sword Sect actually sent people too?"
Fei Xing asked, "Is it strange that the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect is here?"
"Of course it's strange. Friend, do you not know the history between the two sects?" the young man with the square head and round eyes asked.
"I'd like to hear the details."
"Over a hundred years ago, the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect fought the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect for the title of the world's number one sect. In the end, they were defeated. That's why the entire sect went into seclusion deep in the sea, withdrawing from worldly affairs ever since, and they stopped participating in this Plum Immortal Assembly."
"So there's such a history." Fei Xing nodded.
Another person added, "And, the two sides in that final battle were none other than Lord Qingfeng, the current Sect Master of Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect, and Immortal Duanjiang the sect master of Abyssal Sea Sword Sect."
No wonder it was even stranger.
Someone asked, puzzled, "Then what is Zheng Huai'en's purpose in coming here this time?"
"Could he be here to spar with Lord Qingfeng's precious daughter?"
"Holy Maiden Sui Ri, Immortal Qingchen and Zheng Huai'en. These three are all gathered here, they are bound to end up fighting."
"I heard the fairy from the Green Lotus Immortal Sect is here too."
"Oh? But that great benefactor probably wouldn't get into a fight, right."
"Now all that's missing is the Mirror Flower Sect."
"Sigh, it's better if the Mirror Flower Sect doesn't make an appearance. Doesn't the world fall into chaos every time one of them appears?"
The group chatted animatedly. Fei Xing was quite interested in these great sects and wanted to ask more, when a slender, jade-like hand suddenly grabbed him from behind.
The group turned back to look, only to see a rather young and beautiful girl staring at Fei Xing, a mischievous and cute smile on her dirty face as she dragged Fei Xing away.
The young men stared dumbfounded at the scene. After a long while, the young man with the square head and round eyes shook his head and sighed:
"He truly is not one of us after all."
*****
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