Melodious Sound Sect

A few days after that gathering, Ma Ping sent someone with a reply: the Wang Family had made their decision. They would have one of their own clan members cultivate that Spiritual Field.

The meaning could not have been clearer—

The Wang Family had not thought much of Jiang Fu'an, a mere mortal. They simply did not believe he could tend a Spiritual Field well.

Jiang Fu'an was not too disappointed by the result.

He still had a long life ahead of him. The family could be built up gradually; there was no need to rush now.

Besides, "Fu Yuan" would continue appearing in the Hall of Sacrifice. One day, they would have a Spiritual Field of their own.

The days that followed settled into a steady routine.

Every day, he was either practicing martial arts or burying himself in learning how to make talismans.

He never neglected hunting in the mountains either. Every few days, he would take Stone and Yue'er, his "lucky charm," into the woods bordering the Mizhang Mountains.

Stone's strength grew at an alarming rate, changing almost by the day.

Before long, he had become the mainstay of the Hunting Team, someone capable of carrying the burden on his shoulders.

During that time, a matter neither great nor small also occurred.

Half a year after holding Xu Lao'er's funeral, Xu the Elder finally got married.

With the reward he had received for helping deal with the Rong Family, he held the wedding in quite grand style.

Yet Jiang Fu'an watched coldly amid the bustle. Although Xu the Elder's face was piled with smiles, a layer of gloom hid beneath them.

In the blink of an eye, more than seven months passed.

The day to set off for the Melodious Sound Sect was nearly upon them.

Before leaving, Jiang Fu'an called Stone over and carefully instructed him.

"Stone, this trip will take your father at least a month.

"You're a big boy now, and your skills have grown. The safety of everyone at home is in your hands."

He gave these instructions deliberately because Stone's strength had now faintly surpassed his own.

Stone nodded hard, his eyes full of seriousness.

"Father, don't worry. After you leave, I'll sleep on the outer bed.

"If there's the slightest stir at night, it definitely won't escape my ears."

Seeing how dependable he looked, every inch the little adult, Jiang Fu'an felt more at ease and said no more.

He picked up the luggage his wife had carefully packed and walked out of the house.

For safety's sake, of the items he had obtained from the cultivator's cave dwelling, he kept only the Storage Ring hidden on his person.

When he reached the entrance to Peace Town, Sun Xiuyuan was already waiting there.

A carriage stood beside him, drawn by two exceptionally splendid horses. Each was half a head taller than an ordinary burly man, their coats sleek and glossy.

At the sight of Jiang Fu'an, Sun Xiuyuan hurriedly waved him over, his tone somewhat urgent.

"Brother Fu'an, hurry up. We've been waiting only for you. We need to set off at once."

"What? Brother Ma has already arrived?"

Jiang Fu'an was rather surprised. He had not arrived late.

"Not yet. We'll just take the carriage and pick him up."

Sun Xiuyuan waved a hand and pointed at the two tall horses beside him.

"I specially borrowed these Half-Spirit Horses. Not only are they fast, their endurance is beyond compare."

At the time, Jiang Fu'an merely nodded and did not think much of it.

But over the next few days of travel, he truly learned how formidable those Half-Spirit Horses were.

The two horses could run from sunrise to sunset with scarcely any rest, while maintaining the speed of a burly man sprinting at full force.

Jiang Fu'an thought that, if he had the chance in the future, he ought to raise a few himself.

The horses ran splendidly, but the three people in the carriage suffered for it.

The shock absorption of this wooden-wheeled carriage could not compare at all to the cars he had ridden in his previous life.

The so-called official road beneath their feet was pitted and uneven, far worse than even an ordinary cement road from his previous life.

The whole journey jolted and swayed, as if their internal organs had all shifted out of place.

Ma Ping was a cultivator after all. His expression remained unchanged, and he sat as steady as a rock.

Jiang Fu'an had always been physically sturdy, and after two solid years of martial training, although the jolting made him uncomfortable, he could still grit his teeth and endure it.

He had assumed that Sun Xiuyuan, a scholar by background and no longer young, would be unable to bear such hardship.

Unexpectedly, because Sun Xiuyuan's heart was fixed on his daughter, and the Melodious Sound Sect was drawing ever closer, not only did he not grow listless, his spirits rose higher and higher.

He even had the leisure to lift the cloth curtain over the carriage window and point out the scenery they passed to Jiang Fu'an.

"Fu'an, look quickly. This is Clear Water Town, the closest mortal town beneath the Melodious Sound Sect's mountain gate."

Sun Xiuyuan pointed outside the window.

Jiang Fu'an leaned over to look.

The buildings in town were much the same as those in Peace Town.

But the streets were clearly far more crowded.

Looking up, he also saw figures occasionally streaking through the sky, heading in one direction.

He asked casually.

"Brother Sun, could all these immortal masters in the sky be heading to watch the Melodious Sound Sect's Sect Grand Tournament?"

Sun Xiuyuan followed the direction in which those cultivators were flying. They indeed all pointed toward the mountain range where the Melodious Sound Sect stood. He nodded uncertainly.

"By the looks of it... probably."

At the mention of the tournament, Jiang Fu'an could not help recalling Miao Ruolan's earlier introduction to the Melodious Sound Sect.

It was said that the Melodious Sound Sect had been founded many years ago by a female cultivator whose heart had been thoroughly wounded by a faithless man.

Disheartened and cold at heart, that founding ancestor established a sect rule.

Only women could become inner disciples, and they were forbidden from forming Dao companion bonds with men for their entire lives.

This strict rule caused the Melodious Sound Sect to miss out on many cultivation prodigies. Moreover, most of the sect's techniques centered on the musical Dao, an art of rhythm and melody focused on support.

Thus, among the Song Kingdom's four great sects, the Melodious Sound Sect had always been regarded as the weakest.

But Miao Ruolan then changed the direction of her words, saying that the Melodious Sound Sect's position in the Song Kingdom was actually as steady as a great rock.

Even if the other three great sects weakened and perished one day, the Melodious Sound Sect would most likely remain safe and sound.

This unusual situation was all due to the current Grand Elder—Miao Yue True Person.

She had changed the founding ancestor's rule from "must not form a Dao companion bond with men" to "must not form a Dao companion bond with men who lack strength."

If disciples of the sect wished to cultivate together with someone, they had to report it to the sect, which would investigate the other party's background.

As long as they were strong enough, the sect would grant its approval.

The Melodious Sound Sect's cultivation techniques were rather special. The music they played could calm the mind and settle the spirit; listening to it for long periods could even help ward off the intrusion of inner demons.

Furthermore, most of the sect's disciples were beautiful and possessed an ethereal temperament. This made nearly every male cultivator harbor the thought of marrying a fairy from the Melodious Sound Sect and bringing her home.

As a result, among the Dao companions of the Melodious Sound Sect's female disciples were many powerful figures from all sides. Their web of connections was tangled and intertwined, exceedingly hard and unyielding.

And this Sect Grand Tournament, open to outsiders, was in truth an "exhibition" planned by Miao Yue True Person.

It was meant to showcase the sect's outstanding female disciples to powerful figures beyond the sect.

If a male cultivator took a liking to someone while watching the matches, and his own strength won the Melodious Sound Sect's approval, he might be able to forge a marriage bond.

To be fair, as a man, Jiang Fu'an could not help feeling a measure of curiosity and anticipation toward such an unusual "tournament."

But then he thought of how Yue'er might also be standing on that "display platform," subjected to the scrutiny of countless gazes, and the faint anticipation in his heart swiftly turned cold.

Along with it, he found it hard to form any favorable impression of those male cultivators rushing there in high spirits.