"I want one, Senior Brother Gongming! I want one too!"
"Senior Brother, I'm not afraid to be called an Unfilial Son. I'd even call someone my ancestor!"
"As long as it makes those Chan Sect guys kneel, I'll do anything!"
"Exactly. Sure, this magic treasure is a little... well, you know."
"But it's still better than having those Chan Sect people look down their noses at us and then beat us up, right?"
"Losing face is a privilege reserved for the victor!"
"Look how perfectly Senior Brother Cihang is kneeling. That's what winning looks like!"
With Zhao Gongming clearing up the misunderstanding that he had casually refined the treasure,
the Interception Sect disciples around him didn't back down at all.
Instead, their eyes burned with excitement, and they looked ready to grab Zhao Gongming by the leg right then and there.
In the Primordial Era, strength was the only real argument.
If you could win, what did a little Social Death matter?
Besides, seeing those lofty Chan Sect Golden Immortals kneel before them—
that thrill was enough to outweigh any shame!
Zhao Gongming looked at his agitated junior brothers and sisters.
He was glad his brand had taken off, but he also found himself in a bit of a bind.
The system's new restriction was very clear.
The specified heavenly materials and earthly treasures had to be provided.
That word "specified" usually meant rare and precious.
They might even need to carry some special karmic connection.
Most of the disciples before him were Outer Sect disciples.
Quite a few were even registered disciples, with pockets emptier than their faces were clean.
How could they possibly come up with any decent divine materials?
But refusing them outright would make him, their Senior Disciple Brother, seem far too coldhearted.
Zhao Gongming's eyes shifted. At once, he struck a profound, masterly pose.
He held up both hands to quiet the crowd.
"Junior brothers and sisters, please be patient."
"Though I have the means to refine such conceptual magic treasures,"
"as the saying goes, even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice."
"Conceptual Level Magic Treasures seize the workings of Heaven and Earth and overturn Yin-Yang and karma."
"Ordinary copper, iron, or mortal metals simply can't bear such terrifying power of the laws."
At this, Zhao Gongming paused, his tone turning grave.
"To refine one, you must provide top-grade heavenly materials and earthly treasures imbued with a special Dao resonance."
"Each treasure also requires a fixed set of materials. They can only be obtained through a great karmic opportunity."
"It's not that Senior Brother is stingy. The materials are simply hard to find."
At his words, the restless crowd immediately calmed down.
Right!
This was a heaven-defying treasure that could make a Golden Immortal kneel.
It would be stranger if you could refine one with a random piece of iron!
"I see. We were thinking too simply."
"Top-grade heavenly materials and earthly treasures? Fine! For the sake of this treasure, I'll head into the depths of the East Sea and search!"
"I'm going too. I refuse to believe I can't find any!"
For a time, the Interception Sect disciples were not discouraged at all. They were more fired up than ever.
Now that the treasure had a high barrier to entry, it seemed even more precious to them.
Among the crowd, Golden Spirit Holy Mother had been quietly observing. Her lovely eyes shifted as she mused,
"Top-grade heavenly materials and earthly treasures?"
"Outer Sect disciples might not have any, but I'm a personal disciple."
"Master gave me quite a few fine things back then..."
"If I could get Senior Brother Gongming to refine one for me..."
"Even if the side effect is a little strange, it could still save my life at a critical moment."
Golden Spirit Holy Mother made up her mind. Once this farce was over,
she would find Zhao Gongming in private and have a proper talk with him.
Just then,
the figure that had been kneeling in the middle of the scene for so long finally stirred.
"Phew... phew..."
Bixiao had only just broken through to Golden Immortal.
Maintaining that state of extreme anguish and fatherly love was exhausting, too.
She had shouted herself hoarse. As her emotions eased, the long sword in her hand drooped slightly.
Buzz—
The power of the laws that had been relentlessly suppressing Cihang suddenly retreated like a tide.
"Wah..."
A soft, pitiful, teary whimper escaped Cihang's lips.
He had no desire to fight anymore. He simply slumped to the ground, covered his face with both hands, and trembled all over.
How humiliating!
This was so humiliating!
He had actually knelt on the ground while Bixiao humiliated him in front of all those fellow disciples for so long.
Cihang had always been a man with feminine features and a hint of delicate beauty.
As Zhao Gongming put it, he was the Primordial Era's version of Little Orchid and Yuanyuan.
Now his face was red with humiliation.
A few tears brought on by the shame glistened at the corners of his eyes.
To the people around him,
he looked strangely pitiful and adorable.
"Gotta admit, I don't think Senior Brother Cihang is bad at all!"
One reckless Interception Sect disciple muttered under his breath.
"Is this the legendary Little Nanliang?"
Cihang heard his fellow disciples talking.
His face flushed even redder, as if a pinch would make water seep out.
He got to his feet, wanting to throw out a few threats, but he didn't even know how to curse!
"Zhao Gongming, Bixiao, I'll remember this humiliation. Just you wait!"
His voice cracked with tears, making him seem all the more adorable.
The Interception Sect's rough-and-tumble disciples broke into even broader, doting smiles.
Cihang couldn't bear to stay another moment.
He grabbed Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun, who was standing beside him with the same stunned look on his face,
and fled on a beam of light. His retreat looked utterly wretched.
High in the sky,
Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun glanced at Cihang, who was still wiping away his tears.
His face was red as a monkey's backside.
Manjushri's curiosity finally got the better of him.
He hesitated, then couldn't resist sending a voice transmission.
"Um... Junior Brother Cihang."
"I know that was an awkward scene, but I still have to ask..."
"All those rumors going around... you and Bixiao..."
"And Zhao Gongming... is there really nothing between you?"
"After all, you knelt so naturally just now..."
Cihang, flying at top speed, suddenly stiffened and nearly fell off the clouds.
He turned his head and glared at Manjushri as if he wanted to devour him, then roared hysterically,
"Wenshu!!!"
"I told you, it was the magic treasure! The magic treasure was the problem!"
"There's nothing between me and them! Nothing at all!!"
"Ask me again, and I'll fight you to the death!!"
Seeing that Cihang had completely lost it,
Manjushri shrank his neck and dared not say another word.
The two of them turned into streaks of light and vanished on the horizon.
"Woohoo! We won!"
"Senior Sister Bixiao is mighty! Senior Brother Gongming is mighty!"
As the two Chan Sect disciples departed,
deafening cheers erupted across Qilin Cliff.
The Interception Sect disciples all held their heads high, as if it were a holiday.
Bixiao was especially triumphant as she brandished Father's Love is Like a Mountain Sword.
She looked like a young general returning victorious.
"Hmph. He's lucky he got away."
"If he dares come back, I'll make him kneel for a whole day!"
Zhao Gongming was thrilled as he watched.
After this battle, his name had truly spread far and wide.
Now he just had to wait for his fellow disciples, eager for a shortcut, to bring their treasures and beg him for help!
"Alright, alright. Break it up and get back to cultivating."
Zhao Gongming, in a great mood, called to his three younger sisters.
"Come on, back to Three Immortals Cave. We'll keep discussing the Dao and celebrate while we're at it!"
"Yay! I want to hear Big Brother lecture!" Qiongxiao happily linked her arm through Zhao Gongming's.
Yunxiao nodded with a smile, looking at her big brother with a little more admiration.
The four of them chatted and laughed as they rode off on the clouds.
Behind them, Golden Spirit Holy Mother still stood where she was, having not left.
She watched Zhao Gongming surrounded by the Three Xiaos.
Bixiao in particular was pressed close to Zhao Gongming, chattering excitedly.
Qiongxiao had her arm linked through his, while Yunxiao gazed at him tenderly...
Golden Spirit Holy Mother rubbed her chin.
Her gaze gradually grew more meaningful.
A knowing smile tugged at her lips.
"A family of four... tsk, tsk, tsk."
"Senior Brother Gongming, and you say you're not into incest?"
"This atmosphere looks pretty suggestive, even without that Unfilial Son Cihang..."
Before you continue