“Hehe, Feng, long time no see.”

Master Huang moved swiftly, turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing without a trace. Elder Sun was a bit slower, left behind to face Di Nvfeng, the renowned immortal of the cultivation world, and he was somewhat nervous.

“Elder Sun, indeed, it’s been many years.” Di Nvfeng arrived and, seeing only Elder Sun remaining, casually asked, “Where did Old Huang go?”

“He said his house was on fire.” Elder Sun scratched his head and shuffled his feet, “If there’s nothing else, I should go help put out the fire too.”

“Sit down.”

“Eh.”

At Di Nvfeng’s command, Elder Sun obediently took a seat, no longer daring to flee. The Elder of the Sword Transmission watched from behind, amused, and did not come over to intervene. Di Nvfeng’s relationship with these independent cultivators from the north and south was quite delicate, and it didn’t really concern the Shu Mountain Sect, so he didn’t interfere.

“The last time you two came to Shu Mountain was thirty years ago, wasn’t it? So many years without showing up, are you afraid I’d deal with you?” Di Nvfeng said to Elder Sun, not mincing her words.

“How could that be…” Elder Sun smiled amiably, “We’ve always missed you the most and have been wanting to visit. It’s just that we’ve been tied up with affairs and couldn’t come.”

“Cut it out, what could you two idle old men possibly be busy with?” Di Nvfeng rolled her eyes.

“The world is not at peace, how can we afford to be idle?” Elder Sun sighed.

“Anyway, now that I’ve caught you, you should leave me some benefits, right?” Di Nvfeng pondered for a moment, “Write an article praising me, one that’s thought-provoking and brings tears to the reader’s eyes, then have Old Huang publish it in the court newspaper.”

“No problem at all!” Elder Sun immediately agreed, but then added with a sly tone, “I just don’t know if Old Huang will agree, he’s quite biased against you in secret, you’ve noticed, haven’t you? His disciple who’s in charge of the Wind-Catching Hall is slandering you all the time, hmph…”

Since Master Huang was not there, Elder Sun diverted all of Di Nvfeng’s attention onto himself.

Stirring the fire like mad.

“Exactly!” Di Nvfeng clenched her fist in her palm, fuming, “The way they’ve tarnished my image over the years is simply criminal! I’ve been annoyed with Zhou Yijian for a long time, and one of these days, I won’t be able to hold back and will storm up to the Tian Shu Pavilion.”

“It’s about time, do they think you’re a pushover if you don’t get angry?” Elder Sun echoed her indignantly.

“That’s what I think!” Di Nvfeng nodded in agreement, “The more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

“I’m getting angry just putting myself in your shoes. Wait for me, I’ll bring Old Huang back for you to interrogate him in person!”

With that, Elder Sun stood up and also turned into a wisp of smoke, vanishing in an instant.

“Huh?” Di Nvfeng looked in the direction where the two old men had disappeared, blinking, as if she sensed something was amiss.

But she didn’t bother to dwell on it, as she was just there to watch Chu Liang’s competition. She had come over upon hearing that the independent cultivators from the north and south had arrived. Now, seeing Chu Liang win with ease, she was in a good mood and didn’t bother with the rest. The next day, she attended her favorite event, the Wine God Competition. It was the first time the Shu Mountain Conference had held this event, and not many people had signed up, with no preliminary or final rounds. Just one match.

Tables were set up with jars of strong liquor, and the competition was straightforward. The first round was ten jars of Drunken Tiger Wine, the second round ten jars of Fiery Brew, the third round ten jars of Drunken Immortal Brew, the fourth round…

The competition continued in this manner, with each round eliminating the majority of the contestants, and the last one standing would be the winner. An opportunity to drink on public expense, make a name for oneself, and earn money—how could Di Nvfeng miss out?

But upon arriving, she saw someone she didn’t expect.

“Aunt Tian?” Di Nvfeng’s eyes widened, “You’re also competing?”

“What?” The person was none other than the Elder of the Law in a black robe, standing among the contestants, with no one daring to look him in the eye directly.

“You, a dignified Guardian Elder, are also competing, this…” Di Nvfeng was at a loss for words.

“Who do you think suggested adding this event?” The Elder of the Law replied, “Who said a Guardian Elder can’t participate in a fun competition?”

“But who would dare to win against you?” Di Nvfeng muttered.

“If you can beat me, don’t hold back.” The Elder of the Law sneered, “Just afraid you’ve forgotten who taught you how to drink.”

“Heh.” Di Nvfeng returned the sneer with a mischievous smile, “Aunt Tian, times have changed.”

…

“Shu Mountain sure has changed a lot.”

The weathered man wearing a bamboo hat sighed deeply, gazing towards the continuous Shu Mountain range still thirty miles away, as if he could already see every blade of grass and tree on the mountain. He was holding the hand of a little girl who was struggling to break free from his grasp. This pair was none other than the Whale-Riding Immortal and the little girl who had emerged from the Immortal Marsh.

“Don’t rush, we can’t just go up to Shu Mountain directly. With so many eyes around, if we attract too much attention, I might not be able to protect you completely.” The Whale-Riding Immortal soothed, “Didn’t we agree? I’ll take you to find some fruits, and then you’ll obediently follow me back to the Holy Mountain, but you have to listen to me the whole time.”

“Fruits…” The little girl pointed towards the sky.

“You’re pointing in the wrong direction, huh?” The Whale-Riding Immortal was about to say how Shu Mountain couldn’t possibly be in the sky when he suddenly realized that there was a sword light streaking across the sky.

In broad daylight, a sword light high in the sky, just a faint wisp of green qi, almost invisible to the naked eye. But for these two, it was naturally no challenge.”Come down.” The Whale-Riding Immortal pointed towards the sky, lightly tapped, and the streak of azure qi rapidly descended, swooping down.

Midway, the sword cultivator seemed to struggle, slowing his fall, but with another downward gesture from the Whale-Riding Immortal, the sword light instantly dropped before their eyes.

“Playing with flying swords, I’m your ancestor; where do you think you’re running off to?” The Whale-Riding Immortal sneered.

The falling cultivator was not young, appearing middle-aged, with cultivation not high, seemingly at the early stages of the fourth realm. He looked like he might be a senior instructor from some minor immortal sect, sporting a pair of whiskers and a rather imposing face. But the two before him were not intimidated.

“This mountain was opened by me, this tree was planted by me, if you want to pass through here!” The Whale-Riding Immortal bellowed, “Leave the fruits behind!”

“Ah?” The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback.

Flying in the sky and suddenly being pulled down by an irresistible force, he knew he had encountered a top-notch expert, with no intention of resisting. He thought that whether the other party robbed him of wealth or beauty, he would comply. As long as he could save his life, that was enough. Who knew the other party would only ask for fruits. Where would he have any fruits?

“Two heroes, we can talk about anything, but where would I have any fruits?” The middle-aged cultivator was somewhat confused.

“Don’t have them?” The Whale-Riding Immortal looked towards the little girl.

The little girl pointed at the middle-aged cultivator, “Fruits… there are…”

“This… little hero, what fruits are you talking about?” The middle-aged cultivator suddenly became nervous.

Although the little one looked young, the moment she pointed at him, the bloodthirsty and powerful pressure made his spine chill and his legs tremble. Not only was the older one formidable, but the little one was also a top-notch expert! His horizons were too limited; had he encountered more powerful beings, he would know that these were not ordinary experts, but powerhouses of a great level!

“It’s a kind of red berry with golden stripes,” the Whale-Riding Immortal added, supplementing the little girl’s words.

“Ah!” The middle-aged cultivator suddenly remembered, and took out two finely packaged gift boxes: “Are you talking about this specialty from Shu Mountain?”

He had spent a good few sword coins on Shu Mountain for these gift boxes, originally planning to give them to friends in his sect. They weren’t anything precious, just not available outside, and not difficult to buy on Shu Mountain. He never imagined that they would be worth waylaying by two cultivators with unfathomable cultivation.

Whoosh—

Before he could finish his thought, he saw the little girl’s figure flash, and in an instant, she was in front of him, snatching away the two boxes of berries, and then flashing back. This speed… was enough to kill him back and forth ten times. The middle-aged cultivator’s cold sweat soaked through instantly.

“You shouldn’t take without giving something in return, here.”

The Whale-Riding Immortal tossed a sparkling stone, and the middle-aged cultivator caught it, feeling the surging spiritual energy. A small crystal stone contained such torrential spiritual energy. Could this be the precious Sea Spirit Stone? A stone of this size was worth at least a hundred Rosefinch coins, more than enough to buy ten boxes of these fruits.

“How could I accept this…” He instinctively tried to refuse.

“Just take it, no need to be polite,” the Whale-Riding Immortal waved his hand, and the middle-aged cultivator saw the scenery before his eyes change in an instant.

When he could see clearly again, he found himself dozens of miles ahead on his path. Such formidable divine power shocked the middle-aged cultivator, completely beyond his imagination. He dared not stay any longer and immediately set off for home.

Back at the original spot, the Whale-Riding Immortal looked at the little girl and smiled, “We’re in luck, someone actually delivered it to us. Now we’re set, right?”

The little girl suddenly pointed to the distant sky: “Fruits.”

…

“How sad, how sad.”

Atop the attic of Silver Sword Peak, Chu Liang sighed deeply. Who would have thought that a big drunkard who had been drinking for decades, nearly impoverishing his home, would be unable to drink at the Wine God Competition? His eyes were filled with disappointment. Liu Xiaoyu sat upright on a small stool beside him, looking serious, but in reality, she hardly understood what they were talking about, her little head just daydreaming. The Golden-Haired Beast lay outside, its large head resting at the door, ears perked up as if listening, afraid that the meeting’s content would involve itself. Meanwhile, Di Nvfeng sat in the corner, head drooping, a look of dejection on her face.

Listening to Chu Liang’s criticism, she stiffened her neck and muttered in defense, “Well… I didn’t expect that mixing several types of alcohol would get me so easily drunk. And who could have thought that Aunt Tian, as a Mountain Guardian Elder, would also participate… It’s unfair!”

“Alas,” Chu Liang shook his head.

Liu Xiaoyu and the Golden-Haired Beast also imitated him, shaking their heads, big and small.

Di Nvfeng was not one to take things lying down; after being scolded, she glared sideways, “Since when is it your turn to lecture me? Who is the master here?”

“Master, our expectations of you were just too high,” Chu Liang said. “We were hoping you’d set an example for Silver Sword Peak. And now? You were disastrously eliminated from the Mahjong Competition… and even banned for life for causing trouble, and you’ve also lost in the Wine God Competition. In contrast, look at us.”

He pointed at the large head, “The Golden-Haired Beast didn’t lose the Spirit Pet Combat Competition.” He then pointed at Liu Xiaoyu, “Xiaoyu didn’t lose the Mahjong Competition.” And then pointed at himself, “As for me, I haven’t lost a single competition I’ve participated in.”

“My failures all have reasons; it’s not that I’m weak, it’s that I was targeted,” Di Nvfeng argued with conviction.Watching Chu Liang’s deep gaze fixed on her, Di Nvfeng waved her hand and said, “Failure is the mother of success, so it’s only right that when I fail, you succeed.”

How about that? Losing and still taking advantage.

Chu Liang completely ignored her shenanigans and said, “Disciple just feels that, to motivate us to fight even harder, shouldn’t Master take some action to make up for it?”

“What action?” Di Nvfeng asked.

“Since we lost the Wine God Competition, how about we cut the drinking expenses of the entire peak by half from now on?” Chu Liang suggested.

Di Nvfeng’s eyes narrowed. The drinking expenses of the entire peak… But she was the only one on Silver Sword Peak who drank, so this was essentially persuading her to save on her alcohol expenses. No wonder this kid suddenly called for a meeting tonight; he had an ulterior motive.

The truth comes to light. Showing one’s true colors. She had been waiting here for half a day for this.

Di Nvfeng pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned around and exclaimed, “Oh my, I have a headache, my whole body and head are aching.”

…

Di Nvfeng’s experience in acting shamelessly was indeed too rich, and in the end, Chu Liang was defeated. Ultimately, it was because he was not as strong.

Di Nvfeng, with one hand each, threw all three of them out, and nothing they said mattered. It seemed that reasoning with an enemy stronger than oneself was just a beautiful ideal.

Chu Liang didn’t dwell on this. Since the time was about right, he had Liu Xiaoyu draw their opponent for tomorrow’s main competition. Liu Xiaoyu drew Shen Qiongguang from Jade Sword Peak for him. Now it was the quarterfinals, with one Five Elements Realm, six Golden Elixir Realms, and one Divine Intent Realm contestant. The only Divine Intent Realm contestant was Ling Ao from Lone Peak. Honestly, Chu Liang would rather face a normal Golden Elixir Realm opponent than meet him prematurely. This person was too unpredictable.

Among the remaining contestants were Xu Ziyang and Jiang Yuebai, so the lot Liu Xiaoyu drew was considered very good. Shen Qiongguang’s strength might be slightly inferior to Mu Yueting from the previous round, making him not a very difficult opponent for Chu Liang. Chu Liang felt the result was already good. But what he didn’t expect was that something even better was yet to come. Early the next day, he suddenly received news that Shen Qiongguang had withdrawn from the competition due to injury, and he had a bye!

“Ah?”

Upon hearing this news, everyone was quite shocked. How could he get injured at such a critical moment?

It turned out that in addition to attending the Shu Mountain Summit, Shen Qiongguang had also gotten to know a young lady from Nanyin Pavilion, and they hit it off well. Shen Qiongguang felt hopeful and was very attentive, even personally escorting the young lady when she had to return to her sect overnight. However, as soon as they left Shu Mountain, they encountered an accident. Suddenly, two bandits appeared, intending to rob them. Shen Qiongguang, wanting to show off in front of the beauty, thought this was an opportunity sent from heaven and immediately drew his sword to act. Then he was punched half to death. It was said that the assailant was a little girl who looked only a few years old.

It was fortunate that there were adults nearby to intervene. And what made it even harder for Shen Qiongguang to accept was that after sending him flying, the two bandits only stole a few boxes of Shu Mountain’s special berries from the Nanyin Pavilion young lady and then left. Ah, so it was just that? Why didn’t you say so earlier!

Although he was only punched once, the injuries, both internal and external, were severe, like a devastating blow that shattered his defenses. The big bandit even timely treated his wounds, but the loss of qi and blood was not so easily replenished, and he needed at least ten days to half a month of bed rest. Competing under such conditions was meaningless, so he chose to withdraw. His withdrawal meant that no one else could be selected to replace him. Since eight people were eliminated in the round of sixteen, and there was no ranking before or after, choosing anyone to replace him would be unfair to the other seven, so it was simply more convenient to give Shen Qiongguang’s opponent a bye.

Thus, Chu Liang got this opportunity.

The first of the four finalists of the Shu Mountain Summit was born!

Chu Liang was also very surprised by this… I was just eating hotpot and singing songs, how did I suddenly become one of the final four?

It really felt like a divine appointment.