Preparations for the Soul-Formation Ceremony to celebrate Lord Daoist Xuanyin successfully advancing to the Nascent Soul realm took no less than several months. By the end of the preparations, almost all the guests had arrived.
Mo Tiange had been so busy that her cultivating time was cut to just six hours a day, and she wasnât alone; all other elite disciples were more or less the same. One of the reasons for this was that there were too many guests. It wasnât just major cultivation groups who were invited; even unknown, distant cultivation groups in eastern Kunwu like Yunwu Sect also came to give their congratulations.
With the arrival of so many cultivation groups, there was an increase in conflicts. Just like the two people welcomed by Mo Tiange before, there were some groups or cultivators with grudges between them who instantly blazed with hatred upon encountering each other there. It was trivial if they merely screamed and shouted, but they also came to blows sometimes. This kept Xuanqing School cultivators very busy. Fortunately, these people still had some self-restraint. Knowing that they were at Xuanqing School, they never went overboard with their fights.
After several months of hustling and bustling, the Soul-Formation Ceremony finally began.
On this fine, sunny day, more than 5,000 disciples at Xuanqing School in addition to several thousand guests who came to give their congratulations gathered on the square at the main peak of Mount Taikang.
Mo Tiange stood among the rows of elite disciples, watching the numerous cultivators standing in front of the main hall.
Advancing to the Nascent Soul realm was a matter of great importance. Furthermore, with several thousand guests in attendance, the reputation of the school was at stake. Therefore, all Xuanqing School Nascent Soul cultivators were present nowâLord Daoist Jinghe even obediently adorned the schoolâs Daoist robes. Most of Xuanqing School Core Formation cultivators also attended the ceremony. Mo Tiange saw almost everyone she could imagine aside from one person. All Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators who were on friendly terms with Xuanqing School and came to express their congratulations were also arranged and placed in the front, making the front of the hall completely jam-packed with people.
This could be considered the most spectacular gathering of high-level cultivators Mo Tiange had ever witnessed since she started cultivating. It was only now that she genuinely realized the formidableness of Xuanqing School.
This wasnât Mount Yunwu where she once lived. This was Xuanqing School, the second greatest cultivation group in the entire Celestial Pole, and in the future, it might even become the greatest cultivation group. These Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators were also the finest cultivators in the Celestial Pole.
Although several thousand people filled the school square, not a single voice could be heard.
Lord Daoist Zhenyang stepped forward while slowly running his gaze over the countless disciples in front of him.
Every disciple of Xuanqing School and low-level cultivators from other cultivation groups who came to give their congratulations sensed his gaze falling on their bodies.
âEsteemed guests and dear disciples, today is our Soul-Formation Ceremony to celebrate the advancement of Xuanqing Schoolâs Lord Daoist Xuanyin to the Nascent Soul realm. For this reason, we have to first offer our gratitude to our guests whoâve come all this way to attend this ceremony. Among you, some who have traveled tens of thousands of miles to be here; on behalf of Xuanqing School, I want to thank you. Furthermore, once again, welcome esteemed guests to Xuanqing School. Weâre honored to have you here with us.â
Lord Daoist Zhenyang nodded while cupping his hand towards the surrounding guests to express his thanks and greetings. Because of Lord Daoist Zhenyangâs status as a great cultivator in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, even ordinary Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators didnât dare to accept his polite gestures, not to mention Aura Refining and Foundation Building cultivatorsâone after another, they bowed to return his greetings.
âIâm not going to say any more superfluous words. Let us begin the Soul-Formation Ceremony.â
Right after Lord Daoist Zhenyang finished speaking, glorious music started to fill the air. Lord Daoist Xuanyin was wearing a Yin and Yang Daoist Robe and a pair of Eight Trigram Shoes. He passed through the crowd, slowly making his way to the front.
Lord Daoist Xuanyin had smoothly advanced to the Nascent Soul realm. He was now about 400 years old, but considering his realm, he was still very young. He also appeared much younger than before; in fact, he now looked like a man in his thirties. Moreover, he cut his long beard into a short one. He still looked dignified, but he also seemed to possess a youthful vitality.
Nevertheless, Mo Tiange was still quite surprised. She never paid real attention to this Martial Uncle Xuanyinâs looks. Now that she saw him clearly, she felt he could also be considered handsome. As expected of people from the cultivation world; once they recovered their youthful looks, they naturally looked beautiful.
Once Lord Daoist Xuanyin reached the stage in the front, under Lord Daoist Zhenyangâs guidance, he first worshipped the Three Pure Ones <sup>1</sup> then made a report to the Head Grand Supreme Elder, who then conferred the title of Grand Supreme Elder on him.
Soon afterward, he worshipped the master whoâd been teaching him and kneeled to accept his remarks.
âMy disciple Xuanyin, you are intelligent and have a steady temperament. Today, Master feels deeply gratified for your advancement to the Nascent Soul realm. From today onwards, I hope youâll never be arrogant or impatient and successfully achieve the Great Dao.â
As Lord Daoist Jinghe spoke, Mo Tiange finally realized that he never behaved inappropriately during matters of great importance. Now, when he stood with a solemn expression in his Yin and Yang Daoist Robe in front of several thousand disciples, he indeed had the aura of an esteemed master.
Lord Daoist Xuanyin kowtowedâthis would be his last formal kowtow as a disciple towards his master, Lord Daoist Jinghe. In the future, with his identity as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he would no longer need to kowtow to anyone.
âDisciple thanks Master for his instruction. Xuanyin will never forget the several hundred years of grace and teaching Master has shown Xuanyin.â
A gratified expression emerged on Lord Daoist Jingheâs face. âYou have entered the Great Dao, so from now on, you will be standing as a separate division; you no longer have to call me master. Itâs enough to hold the feeling of a master-disciple relationship between our hearts.â
âYes, Disciple will definitely follow Masterâs orders.â
Lord Daoist Jinghe then said, âThe master appreciation ceremony is finished; you may rise.â
Lord Daoist Xuanyin stood up according to Lord Daoist Zhenyangâs prompting. He took a place at the end of the row of Xuanqing School Nascent Soul cultivators, indicating that the ceremony was already finished.
The entire process was done in less than an hour. At that point, Lord Daoist Zhenyang transmitted an order, telling all the disciples to retreat, usher the guests to their seats and entertain them.
Although cultivators like them no longer needed to eat real food, a banquet was still the most important part of entertaining guests. On the entire main peak of Xuanqing School, several thousand jade tables had been arranged from bottom to top. The guests were invited to sit, and Xuanqing School disciples would also sit accompanying them.
Mo Tiange also received this errand. She was in charge of receiving the female guests.
Compared to male guests, female guests had to be given a bit of preferential treatment, so all of them were arranged to sit indoors. This was the first time Mo Tiange had ever been in a place with so many female cultivators; she couldnât help but feel dizzy!
It was for no other reason other than that their perfumes were too strong!
The female cultivators who were able to come to Xuanqing School to express their congratulations certainly had high positions in their own cultivation groups. Each of them believed themselves to be fairies. As fairies, they naturally wore unique fragrances which dispersed with every move.
It would be fine if there was just one, but there were a bunch of females there; all kinds of fragrances were mixing together there! Mo Tiange was so dizzy that she almost passed out! In the end, she simply used her spiritual aura to seal off her sense of smell and pretended there werenât any scents at all.
Nevertheless, this occasion actually opened up her horizons.
As it turns out, this is how female cultivators of the cultivation world look and behave like!
She used to pretend to be a man in Yunwu Sect, and later when she came to Xuanqing School, although she did spend time with female cultivators like Luo Fengxue, Xuanqing School was a Dao school, so most of its female cultivators also dressed like Daoists. Among the few people she was close to, there wasnât even one who didnât have simple and neat looks.
For this kind of important occasion, the other six great cultivation groups naturally attended without exception. Three female cultivators came from Tiandao Sect. However, all three wore different kinds of clothing. One was dressed as an ethereal fairy with clothes that fluttered in the breeze. One had black cloths covering only the important parts of her body, leaving a wide expanse of white skin exposed like she was a witch. The other one was dressed in an ordinary, modest, light-purple, white-lined sectâs uniform. Everyone said Tiandao Sect disciples were various kinds of people who came from all kinds of backgrounds. Seeing the way these three were dressed, the rumor was indeed proven to be true.
The next ones were the disciples of Gujian Sect. Gujian Sect specialized in sword cultivation techniques, so its disciples were dressed in a slightly simpler fashionâall of them were wearing a black top and white skirt, and each carried a long sword on their back. Because she previously had a conflict with Gujian Sect cultivators, Mo Tiange didnât have a good impression of Gujian Sect. Hence, these Gujian Sect female cultivators were received by a fellow disciple.
The third one was Zhengfa Sect. The headquarters of Zhengfa Sect wasnât located in Kunwu, but because it was the only great cultivation group in the northern area of the Celestial Pole, it was also a force to be reckoned with. Just like Xuanqing School, Zhengfa Sect was a Dao school. Its disciples were also in blue and white Daoist robes which looked simple and neat. However, the blue color of their robes was a kind of greenish blue. Furthermore, while the main color of Xuanqing Schoolâs Daoist robes was white with a deep-blue color only as an adornment, Zhengfa Sect had a set of greenish-blue robes and white coat.
The female disciples of Biyun Sect possessed a different kind of elegance. Biyun Sect was a very peculiar cultivation group. First of all, it recruited more female disciples than male ones. Secondly, no matter whether male or female, all its disciples were extremely good-looking. Lastly, its Law of Dual Cultivation was very famous. Biyun Sectâs uniform consisted of white robes. When these female disciples put them on, every one of them looked like ice-cold beauties who were as graceful as immortals.
In addition, there were also the female disciples of Lingshou Sect. Their sect uniform consisted of yellow robes. Although they didnât look as graceful as female disciples of Biyun Sect, they looked more charming and adorable. A Qilin was also embroidered at the hems of their robes. Reportedly, Qilin was a symbol of the founder of Lingshou Sect.
As for Danding School, because they sustained severe losses, only one female cultivator came. She sat silently in the corner, and there was nothing special about the way she was dressed.
In addition to them, there were also some substandard small cultivation groups. There were all kinds of beauties among their female disciples. Most of them didnât wear the uniforms of their groups and instead, dressed themselves to look like enchanting beauties. Mo Tiange surmised that the reason they wanted to appear more beautiful than the others was because their groups werenât as good as the seven great cultivation groups. In contrast, the majority of the seven great cultivation groupsâ disciples wore the uniforms of their respective groups, but whether it was their beauty or temperaments, they didnât lose out in the slightest.
What pleased Mo Tiange was that among such a huge group of female cultivators, she couldnât be considered outstanding although she was quite prettyâthis was perfectly in line with her wishes.
There were very few women who didnât like to look beautiful. However, she always knew that as a female cultivator, having looks that werenât too pretty but not too ordinary was best. By looking only slightly beautiful, people would indeed treat her well, but it wouldnât bring her any danger. Male cultivators wouldnât feel tempted to force themselves on her, and female cultivators wouldnât be envious of her.
There were too many good-looking people in the cultivation world. If one looked too ordinary, they would most likely be thrown into the ugly category. If one was still considered to be very beautiful in a group of beautiful people, they would certainly become the target of numerous high-level cultivators. Therefore, being moderately beautiful was best.
By now, these âfairiesâ had been invited to take their seats. These fairies naturally wouldnât talk loudly like male cultivators did, so this entire side hall was filled only with soft voices as they chatted to each other. The voices were soft and musical, but their discussions were somewhat filled with friction.
Sitting around Mo Tiange were female cultivators from some medium cultivation groups. An arrogant-looking female cultivator glanced at someone in front of her then said to a fellow disciple sitting next to her, âJunior Martial Sister, say⊠How can some people possibly have no self-awareness at all? There are elite disciples of every cultivation group here; how can someone with an ordinary aptitude, who was luckily able to advance to the Foundation Building realm due to protection and help from her ancestor, also have the guts to show up? People might laugh themselves to death if they realized this.â
The female cultivator sitting next to her nodded compliantly.
Nevertheless, the other woman whom that female cultivator glanced at just sneered, âSomeoneâs worldview hasnât shifted in the last 800 years. She thinks she has a slightly better aptitude and had a noble birth, so she always feels sheâs above everyone else. She doesnât even realize that people have overtaken her and left her behind; she still uses her old vision to judge others!â
âYouââ The arrogant-looking womanâs face seemed distorted out of anger. Obviously, she was used to being spoiled by others; she was quite good at mocking others, but her self-restraint wasnât that good.
The same woman who mocked that arrogant-looking female cultivator smiled and even winked at her. âSenior Martial Sister Yuan, donât you think Iâm right?â
This wink made the arrogant-looking woman infuriated. She slammed the table and said angrily, âHe Ruxuan! Youâre a shameless minx!â
The woman named He Ruxuan was indeed quite beautiful, but the more important thing was⊠she was exceedingly charming and flirtatious. On the other hand, although that arrogant-looking woman called Senior Martial Sister Yuan was also a beauty, her rigidness made her lose some of her charm.
Despite being cursed at, He Ruxuan wasnât angry. On the contrary, she even deliberately chuckled in a coquettish manner and said, âSenior Martial Sister Yuan, are you still angry with me? I have to tell you thisâitâs Senior Martial Brother Zhen himself who likes me. I never had those feelings towards him, so what are you angry with me for?â
She was obviously explaining, but her words were filled with irony, causing that Senior Martial Sister Yuan to be so enraged that her whole body trembled. âHe Ruxuan! You really consider yourself to be all high and mighty! Youâre nothing but trash that likes to sleep around on everyoneâs beds! I really donât know how many men youâve slept with!â
This time, what she said really broadened Mo Tiangeâs horizons.
As it turns out, these ethereal fairies will also say these kinds of coarse words married women of the secular world usually say when they fightâtheyâre not so different from male cultivators!
Upon hearing these words, He Ruxuanâs face finally changed. Anger flashed for an instant on her face, but she quickly covered it up and uttered another coquettish chuckle. âWhatâs Senior Martial Sister Yuan saying? Even if I sleep around, itâs because theyâre willing to sleep with me. Iâm not someone who lays naked on peopleâs beds but still gets kicked out of bed. As a woman, thatâs really hu-mil-i-at-ing!â With her raised eyebrows and a slight tilt of the head directed towards Senior Martial Sister Yuan, it was clear whom she was talking about.
Sure enough, Senior Martial Sister Yuan flushed. This was obviously a secret; she never expected it would be revealed in front of so many people. She immediately shouted, âWhat kind of nonsense are you spouting!?â
âWhether Iâm spouting nonsense or not, you know that the best, donât you Senior Martial Sister Yuan?â He Ruxuan covered her mouth and chuckled before gracefully lowering her head to drink her wine.
âYouââ Senior Martial Sister Yuan sprang up from her seat out of anger, prepared to enter a fight of magical powers at any time.
Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, Mo Tiange promptly stopped watching the play and stood up. âSenior Martial Sister, please forgive us if we havenât been good hostsâŠâ
âThis has nothing to do with you!â Before Mo Tiange could finish speaking, that Senior Martial Sister Yuan already cut her off. âI want to settle the matter between me and this shameless minx!â
Before Mo Tiange could say anything, He Ruxuan already butted in and said, âSenior Martial Sister Yuan, weâre in Xuanqing School now! The master of the person who just talked to you is Lord Daoist Jinghe, a noble, middle stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Heâs not like Martial Uncle Yuan, whoâs just an insignificant, early stage Core Formation cultivator!â
On the surface, she was talking about Mo Tiange, but the deeper meaning behind her words also highlighted Senior Martial Sister Yuanâs status, forcing Senior Martial Sister Yuan to suffer another loss silently. However, He Ruxuan also indicated that Mo Tiangeâs status wasnât ordinary, unlike the background-less small disciples whom she used to arbitrarily bully in her sect. Senior Martial Sister Yuan still had a bit of common sense, so she just âhmphedâ angrily and sat back in her seat.
A triumphant smile emerged on He Ruxuanâs face.
Mo Tiange just watched as the quarrel was concluded. She then smiled at Senior Martial Sister Yuan and said, âItâs good that Senior Martial Sister is so understanding. Weâll definitely compensate Senior Martial Sister if weâve been bad hosts.â
Fortunately, Senior Martial Sister Yuan wasnât an idiot. He Ruxuan pointed out her identity, so although she felt embarrassed, she still knew that with Mo Tiangeâs identity, Mo Tiange wasnât someone she could afford to offend. Thus, she stood up and bowed. âItâs me who was too presumptuous. I hope Senior Martial Sister is willing to forgive me.â
Mo Tiange smiled and put an end to this matter. âItâs only a small issue; no need to worry about it.â
Now that the space had returned to tranquility, Mo Tiange secretly cast a meaningful glance at He Ruxuan. She could clearly see that Senior Martial Sister Yuan had an arrogant and willful but simple character. Were it not for He Ruxuan provoking her, she never wouldâve forgotten her manners like this. Fortunately, He Ruxuan was a smart person. When she caught Mo Tiangeâs gaze, she returned it with a smile, allowing Mo Tiange to sigh with relief.
The squabble at this table was over, but Mo Tiangeâs ears caught some commotion at the next table.
Two female cultivators were comparing their beauty, mutually mocking and ridiculing each otherâs style.
One said, âBig Sister Zhen, the clothes youâre wearing today are pretty good. Unfortunately, theyâre too whiteâtheyâre so white that it seems like youâre attending your familyâs funeral.â
The other one retorted back sarcastically, âLittle Sister Wan, your clothes also look very pretty, but theyâre too redâtheyâre so red that people probably think youâre holding a Dual Cultivation Ceremony when they see you in them!â
âAiya! Big Sister Zhenâs too polite. This hairpin of yours is pretty good. Itâs yellow⊠Itâs as if youâre sticking a banana in your hair.â
âItâs still worse than the white jade phoenix-pair hairpin Little Sister Wan has. From far away, you look like you have a white radish on top of your head!â
The skill of one of the spectators wasnât high enough, so a âpuchiâ snort was heard. Those two women scowled angrily and simultaneously glared at that person. âWhat do you think youâre laughing at!? You have no manners!â
Fortunately, the person who laughed felt that this play was very amusing, so she didnât care for their comments. She just waved her hand, lowered her head and continued on with her muffled laughter.
The two women continued to âflatterâ each other.
âBig Sister Zhen, when did you change your bracelet? And here I thought you would wear that same bracelet until you died!â
âThatâs just because Little Sister Wan rarely pays attention. A good bracelet can naturally match with many different clothes. I just try a new one every once in a while, unlike Little Sister Wan who puts on a different one every day. Unfortunately, Little Sister Wanâs bracelets are just of secular world quality that canât even be considered spirit tools.â
âAlthough secular world things are cheap, finding them requires a lot of effort. This is the cultivation world; thereâs plenty spirit tools and the like. Mass produced goods with low quality arenât at all better than secular world thingsâsuch crude workmanship canât match any clothes! Ah! Big Sister Zhen, these clothes of yours mustâve been made of cloud brocade, right? So rare⊠Unfortunately, it doesnât seem to be the cloud brocade that can be made into spirit tools. Its quality is far below normal; if people donât look carefully, theyâd think your clothes were made of fish skin!â
âHow can they be worse than these pearl adornments Little Sister Wan has? I wonder what year these old pearls came from. Theyâre so murky that they donât have any luster at allâthey look just like fish scales! I say⊠Little Sister, if youâre running short of pearls, you can just tell me. We happen to have a lake around our house which specializes in producing pearls with spiritual aura. Those pearls can be made into spirit tools and magic tools!â
Mo Tiange glanced at the broth-steamed-fish on the table and instantly lost her appetite.
âI wouldnât dare to trouble Big Sister! Our clan isnât as big as Big Sisterâs clan, but weâve set up branch shops everywhere. No matter what kind of unique goods Big Sister Zhen wants, you can just tell meâno need to be polite!â
At that point, the two of them looked as if they were spewing fire from their eyes when they stared at each other.
âOur clan already has everything; thereâs no point in Little Sister Wan worrying about us like this!â
âBig Sister Zhen only has a few sets of clothes to rotate between in a year, and they look like outdated styles from several years ago. Little Sister naturally had to worry a little after seeing them.â
Their faces moved closer and closer towards each other as they spoke. Their gazes were filled with deep hatred.
The two female cultivators sitting at this table were both Aura Refining disciples, so the one in charge of receiving them was also an ordinary female disciple. That female disciple was still very young, so upon seeing the two female cultivators completely focused on each other with no regards to everyone else, she trembled without daring to step up to persuade the two of them to stop.
Mo Tiange, who saw this, stood up, walked towards the little girl from Xuanqing School, and softly put her wine cup on the table.
Upon noticing her arrival, the two female cultivators finally stopped shooting daggers from their eyes. When they realized she was a Foundation Building cultivator, both immediately smiled. âMartial Uncle.â
Mo Tiange raised her hand to stop them from standing up and said with a smile, âLadies, please forgive us for not being good hosts. Allow me to toast the two of you with this wine.â
How could they dare to decline a toast proposed by a Foundation Building cultivator? Both immediately stood up and drank their wine.
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With a laugh, Mo Tiange patted the young girl standing beside her on her shoulder, hinting at her to sit down and said, âLadies, please pardon us. This grand-disciple of mine isnât really good with words; I hope you will be kind and take care of her. Thank you in advance.â
She finished the wine in her cup, gave the two female cultivators a last nod, and turned around to leave. The young girlâs soft voice drifted after her: âMany thanks to Grandmaster.â
The two female cultivators revealed doubtful looks on their faces upon hearing her address Mo Tiange as âgrandmaster.â In the end, they stopped mocking each other and whispered at the young girl, inquiring about Mo Tiangeâs identity.
Once Mo Tiange was back in her own seat, she massaged the back of her neck. These fairies⊠they werenât so different from mortal women. Getting along with them was really exhausting!