Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
The governor took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kick his subordinate away.
"You put them in a cell, thinking they were from the Seek Tao Sect?"
He glared at his subordinate fiercely, "Go, invite the disciples from the immortal sects. There are still some guest rooms available in the mansion. Clean them up. Set up the Gathering Spirit Array where needed, and place the Heart-Nurturing Stones where they belong."
"Yes!"
Soon, three disciples from the immortal sects entered the government office—two men and a woman, all vibrant and exuding confidence from their eyes.
The governor nodded silently as he observed them, recognizing the exceptional caliber of immortal sect disciples, true paragons among men.
To achieve the Golden Elixir at such a young age spoke of terrifying talent.
The governor discerned that they had just formed their Golden Elixirs. According to the reply from their sects, these three were not yet eighteen.
Eighteen and already at the Golden Elixir stage, and all with first-grade elixirs—such cultivation speed was rare even in history.
These outstanding individuals were likely to play major roles in the great conflicts to come.
"Greetings, Governor. I am Lanting from The Moon Laurel Immortal Palace," said Lanting, slender and graceful in flowing white robes, her eyes sparkling like stars, her sash fluttering as she moved.
"I am Bai Ming from The Five Elements Sect," said Bai Ming, his expression as indifferent as ever.
"Suppress Hell Sect, Yan Tianzhi," said Yan Tianzhi, sparing with his words.
"The task of commenting on tomorrow's grand competition falls to you three," the governor said with a smile. Although the competitors were their peers, these disciples from the immortal sects had extraordinary insights, more than capable of providing commentary.
"We will do our best."
"By the way, have you met the people from the Seek Tao Sect?"
The three shook their heads. They had set off from their respective sects and met in Qingzhou, without encountering anyone from the Seek Tao Sect.
"That's strange. The Seek Tao Sect's reply stated they would send two people, one named Lu Yang and the other Meng Jingzhou, both outstanding talents of their generation. By my calculations, they should have arrived by now," the governor mused, puzzled by their absence.
Upon hearing the familiar names, Lanting recalled her days running a barbecue shop in Yanjiang County. She had received a mission from her sect to infiltrate the Immortal Sect, but due to a timing error, she missed their recruitment. She later met Lu Yang and his companions, learning that they had successfully joined the Immortal Sect.
In the end, she and Lu Yang's group worked together to take down the leader of the Yanjiang Gang.
Lu Yang's group even gained the appreciation of the higher-ups in the Immortal Sect, earning promotions, while she returned to her sect to report on the mission.
She wondered whether she should contact Lu Yang to offer help, ideally taking down another branch of their organization.
But less than two months later, news of the Immortal Sect's destruction spread.
She was stunned when she first heard the news, thinking it was a mistake.
Only two months had passed!
Although it was publicly claimed that the Seek Tao Sect and the imperial court had jointly taken down the Immortal Sect's stronghold, Lanting was certain that Lu Yang had played a part in it!
Later, at a meeting at the Seek Tao Sect, the eldest sister of the sect even suggested that she marry Lu Yang, which terrified her master so much that he dragged her away, fearing they would be left behind.
She couldn't understand why her master was so afraid of the Seek Tao Sect's eldest sister.
"I see…" The governor was worried but then let it go, reasoning that since the Seek Tao Sect's reply mentioned the two would come, they would surely arrive. Perhaps they were enjoying the festivities today and would go directly to the judges' seats before the competition started tomorrow.
That would make sense.
"By the way, The Floating Temple asked me to pass a message to you, Governor. They intended to send Brother Shi Chan, but he encountered an unexpected issue while spreading the teachings of Buddhism and couldn't make it. With so few people in The Floating Temple, it's difficult to send someone else."
Shi Chan was the true successor of The Floating Temple.
"Did he encounter danger? Should I send someone to assist?"
"It's not danger, per se. He's been unable to grasp the meaning of 'Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot,' so he joined a slaughterhouse to see if he could achieve enlightenment the moment he put down the knife."
The governor held back his words for a long while, not knowing what to say, and finally suggested, "It's getting late. You three should rest at the mansion."
After the governor left, Lanting suddenly asked, "Brother Bai Ming, your expression changed when the governor mentioned Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Do you know them?"
Bai Ming sighed, "More than know them, I've crossed hands with them."
"Lanting, you may not know, but four months ago, our Five Elements Sect visited the Seek Tao Sect for an exchange. During the Foundation Establishment competition, Lu Yang used various Five Elements spells like the Three Flavors True Fire and Earth Escape Technique. I pride myself on my mastery of the Five Elements spells, but Lu Yang countered me in every aspect."
"After my defeat, I had an epiphany and broke through my bottleneck, advancing to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. What I didn't expect was that Lu Yang had been holding back the entire time. When he saw my breakthrough, his demeanor and actions changed completely. Before I could even make a move, he defeated me with a single strike. If not for my master's timely intervention, I would have been dead or severely injured."
The five major immortal sects maintained a harmonious relationship, and peers addressed each other as brothers and sisters.
"That strong!" Lanting was surprised. She knew of Lu Yang's exceptional talent in spells, but she hadn't expected him to defeat Bai Ming in one move.
Yan Tianzhi's eyes widened in shock as well.
He had sparred with Bai Ming, who was proficient in both spear techniques and Five Elements spells, formidable at both close and long range. To be defeated in one move?
"According to my master, Lu Yang used an ancient and lost divine technique called the Water Avoidance Charm. Without a special countermeasure, this technique is unsolvable, capable of draining all the water from an opponent's body, leaving them desiccated," Bai Ming recalled the moment Lu Yang casually used the Water Avoidance Charm, still feeling a chill.
Given how effortlessly he wielded such an ancient divine technique, Bai Ming feared there were other powerful techniques waiting for him, should he have survived the Water Avoidance Charm.
"Not only that, but the Seek Tao Sect's Great Elder personally admitted that Lu Yang, with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, challenged those beyond his level."
Yan Tianzhi chuckled, unimpressed, as all three of them were capable of challenging those beyond their level, nothing to boast about.
Bai Ming said gravely, "He challenged across three major realms. During his Foundation Establishment stage, he defeated opponents in the Golden Elixir, Elemental Infant, and Divine Transformation stages!"
Lanting and Yan Tianzhi were speechless with shock. Surpassing three levels was practically unheard of.
Lanting thought back to the battle where they had killed the leader of the Yanjiang Gang together with Lu Yang, who had always seemed to have the situation well in hand. It turned out he had never fully exerted himself.
"I suspect that when he challenged beyond his level, he relied on favorable conditions like timing, formations, and elixirs," Bai Ming analyzed, unable to imagine how else someone at the Foundation Establishment stage could defeat someone at the Divine Transformation stage.
Still, being able to fight across three major realms was terrifying in itself.
At the very least, the three of them couldn't achieve that.
"What a pity, those two are nowhere to be found."
"Perhaps we'll see them at tomorrow's competition."
The second update will be at 10:30.