Participating in a beauty pageant? Not for merit.

The day of the "Jade Terrace Immortal Gathering" in Purple Heaven Palace—or rather, the "Primordial Era's First Beauty Pageant"—arrived amidst an extremely bizarre yet fervent atmosphere.

On this day, the Chaos beyond the thirty-three heavens became lively once more. Unlike the solemn, vigilant, and even somewhat tragic atmosphere when the great cultivators came to listen to the Dao last time, this time, the streaks of brilliant escape lights seemed exceptionally... flamboyant?

Dressed in shimmering robes and adorned with flowing silks, with tinkling jade pendants and ethereal immortal music.

In the past, escape lights only sought swiftness and sharpness, but today they were all enhanced with various dazzling special effects: some stepped on seven-colored auspicious clouds, some had flower petal rain drifting behind them, and some were surrounded by starlight garlands... It was as if they weren't attending a "grand event" hosted by the Dao Ancestor, but were walking the Primordial Era's version of the "Victoria's Secret Show."

Queen Mother of the West still came. She rode in the Nine Phoenix Imperial Carriage, her retinue majestic, her expression as cold as ever, but her brand-new palace dress, woven from Ten Thousand Year Ice Silkworm Silk and adorned with Moon Essence and Star Gems, and the peach wood hairpin in her hair, which subtly flowed with Yi Mu Green Qi, all revealed meticulous preparation. She told herself this was for the sake of Jade Pool's reputation, absolutely not for the... Merit!

Empress Nuwa also came. She was the most composed, arriving on a Qing Luan, still with that compassionate and gentle Saintly demeanor, but she held a small, exquisite clay figurine in her hand, seemingly intending to showcase the "beauty of creation" on the spot at any time.

The rogue cultivators Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Wudang Holy Mother, Turtle Spirit Holy Mother, Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, Bi Xiao, and a group of other female immortals, encouraged (or rather, egged on) with the thought of "it's fine to go play, gain some face, and maybe win some Merit," came as a group, a flock of beautiful women with impressive presence.

Xi He (forced to participate, her face icy cold), Chang Xi (looking curious and speechless), and several alluring Demon Saints from the Demon Master Palace also arrived, their demonic energy and immortal light intertwining to form a unique spectacle.

From the Western Regions' sect, they even sent a few Bodhisattvas (female forms). Although their faces were filled with suffering, their Buddhist light was pure and their appearance solemn, attempting to interpret another kind of "beauty." Jieyin and Zhunti's idea was simple: Merit! It had to be Merit!

There were also the Dragon Girl from the Dragon clan, the Phoenix Maiden from the Phoenix clan, the Auspicious Maiden from the Kirin clan, the Rakshasa Maiden from the Netherworld Sea of Blood, Qing Feng Ming Yue (in her child form) from Wuzhuang Temple... and even some ancient female cultivators, Elves, and Goddesses who lived in seclusion and only appeared upon hearing of Merit... In the Primordial Era, almost all female great cultivators and cultivators with any renown and confidence in their appearance and temperament had come, more or less!

The riveted grand door of Purple Heaven Palace was open wider than ever before. The two yawning stone lions at the entrance had their expressions forcibly twisted into "smiles" by Xiao Kuang's authority today, making them look particularly bizarre.

Inside the palace, Xiao Kuang had also randomly remodeled it with his authority: flashing colored lights (simulated by Chaos Qi) were hung everywhere, red carpets (transformed from Fire Clouds) were laid out, and he even set up a crooked T-shaped stage (which he called the Dao Discussion Stage). At the front, a row of "judges' seats" was arranged, occupied by the expressionless Xi He, Chang Xi (forcibly seated there), and Queen Mother of the West (who looked like "Who am I, where am I?" and was dragged there by Xiao Kuang). The main seat, naturally, was Xiao Kuang's luxurious massage recliner.

The backstage was even more chaotic. Female immortals of all sorts were fighting over the best "dressing rooms" (temporarily designated small compartments), sizing up each other's attire. The air was filled with invisible sparks of competition and the rich aroma of various perfumes and spiritual medicines.

"Time's up! The first Jade Terrace Immortal Gathering officially begins!" Xiao Kuang announced weakly, lying on his chair and holding a microphone. "Next, let's invite contestant number one... uh, who was it again? Oh, fellow Daoist White Fox from Qingqiu Mountain! To demonstrate... her tail?"

A stunning woman with a fluffy white fox tail swaying behind her, enduring immense shame, walked onto the stage and began to display her smooth, glossy fur and her nimble tail dance...

The female immortals below the stage: "..." Is this a beauty pageant or a pet show?!

However, before they could complain, a giant, golden, glittering counter next to Xiao Kuang, condensed from Heavenly Dao Merit, with its rapidly changing numbers instantly captured everyone's attention!

[Current Talent Display Merit Reward: +100] A line of small text appeared.

Just displaying a tail earned a hundred Merit?! All the female immortals' eyes instantly turned red! Their complaints and shame were instantly thrown to the nine heavens and beyond!

"Number two! Who's number two? Hurry up and come on!" Xiao Kuang urged.

A female immortal, a Clam Spirit from the East Sea, immediately rushed onto the stage. Without a word, she opened her clam shell, revealing a dazzling, radiant pearl inside, its light illuminating the entire hall!

[Pearl's Radiance, Outstanding Visual Effect! +150 Merit!]

"Number three! Fellow Daoist Houtu of the Witch clan... Huh? Fellow Daoist, what are you demonstrating? Pinching soil with your bare hands?" Xiao Kuang looked at Houtu, who had come onto the stage (she didn't want to come, but was pushed by the other Ancestral Witches with the excuse of "bringing glory to the Witch clan and earning Merit").

Houtu smiled gently, said nothing more, and flowed the Breathing Soil in her hands, instantly shaping lifelike models of Primordial Era creatures. Creation energy flowed, and Dao rhythm formed naturally.

[Creation Divine Ability, Profound Meaning! +300 Merit!] (Xiao Kuang felt this skill could be used to make figurines later)

This completely ignited the entire venue!

Who cared if the event was absurd? Who bothered with composure anymore? Merit was the most tangible thing!

From then on, the style became completely unrestrained!

Some female immortals performed Samadhi True Fire-roasted spiritual fish on the spot, calling it "the beauty of culinary skill"! (+50 Merit, the fish was burnt) Some female immortals performed sword dances, their sword energy crisscrossing and nearly slicing the judges' seats! (+200 Merit, bonus for dangerous moves) Some female immortals directly began recounting their arduous cultivation journey, tears streaming down their faces! (+80 Merit, emotional points) The three sisters of the Intercepting Sect, Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao, directly set up a miniature version of the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation, causing immortal light to surge within the hall and nearly triggering chaos! (+500 Merit, grand spectacle award) The Bodhisattvas from the Western Regions' sect lectured on Buddhist scriptures on the spot, with heavenly flowers raining down, attempting to convert the judges! (+250 Merit, spiritual pollution fee?)

The entire Purple Heaven Palace completely transformed into a large, chaotic, yet glittering (with constant Merit distribution) bizarre talent show!

Xiao Kuang watched, yawning, and arbitrarily scored based on his personal preferences. He gave more to those he found pleasing and was stingy with those whose talents he found boring. When he saw beautiful young ladies, his eyes lit up, wishing he could give them more "beauty points."

The three "judges," Queen Mother of the West, Xi He, and Chang Xi, maintained blank expressions, their hearts long numb, only wishing for this farce to end quickly.

And below the stage, countless female immortals were frantically calculating how to perform on stage to maximize their Merit gains, even beginning to study Xiao Kuang's preferences.

"Does the Dao Ancestor seem to like fluffy tails?" "Is the Dao Ancestor interested in food?" "Does the Dao Ancestor prefer more lively ones?"

A "Dao Discussion and Beauty Appreciation" event that should have been serious had completely turned into a Merit competition where they tried to guess the Saint's (or the lazy one's) intentions.

The integrity of the Primordial Era, along with the continuously distributed Heavenly Dao Merit, was rapidly vanishing at a visible rate...

Heavenly Dao (in deep hibernation): Zzz... (Merit -100... Merit -200... Merit -500... Resource depletion warning... Ignore... Continue hibernation...)