A True Gathering of the Elite

Shi Tiexin had attended some so-called elite gatherings in other Worldlines as well.

Wang Dafa had once taken Black Venerable to certain occasions, and after Shi Tiexin himself had begun to make a name for himself in Tumubao, he had also interacted with some scions of prominent families. He had thought he had a fair grasp of such elite gatherings.

But now, he discovered that the customs and ways of life in different Worldlines truly varied greatly.

In Black Venerable's Worldline, all of Japan was gripped by panic and declining with each passing day, while the external environment was hardly safe. Everything was relatively simplified. Besides, the people who organized those gatherings were not, at the end of the day, born of truly wealthy and powerful families. Calling them elite gatherings would be less accurate than calling them dinners for a bunch of crime bosses, where desire was displayed more directly and with none of the proper class.

The scions of prominent families in the Main Worldline, meanwhile, might have had more class, but their gatherings were relatively freewheeling and somewhat more worldly.

Perhaps Tumubao was simply a small place, lacking in worldly knowledge. More likely, it was because power in the Main Worldline rested with the individual, and Heavenly Gifted Golden Light followed rules that bestowed favor upon the worthy. The entire society thus leaned toward efficiency and directness. People gathered when they said they would, and once the gathering was over, it was over. Status was secondary; one's own cultivation and ability were what mattered most.

Without ability, even a scion of a prominent family could not hold his head high.

With ability, even someone not born into such a family could still drink and laugh together with them.

Take Shu Wangzhou, for instance. Though he came from