Has the Main Cast Arrived?

Lan Yue stood at the edge of the Martial Arena, clutching her pounding heart. Even now, she was still shaken.

Meanwhile, her eldest senior brother hung his head low in shame.

Li Bai had already sunk into deep regret. He had never imagined that his master's long beard was fake.

It must have been torn off back when his master came to blows with the other elders. He was utterly mortified!

At that moment, the entire Martial Arena was silent. They could even occasionally hear the cries of the cranes over on Spirit Beast Peak.

Everyone-the sect's elders, stewards, disciples, and even the spirit beasts following some of those disciples-could not help sizing up the Fifth Elder on the far right.

The Second Elder was the first to cough. "Fifth Brother, I never knew you had such a well-hidden secret. You actually kept it from us for so long."

His gaze fell on the other elder's long white beard again, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

Throughout the entire sect, aside from the rarely seen Grand Elder and Supreme Elder, the Fifth Elder was the sternest of them all. He was extremely strict about both routine assessments and accepting disciples.

The sole exception had been when the Fifth Elder came to blows with the other elders over Li Bai. That incident had shocked countless people and remained a talking point in the Southern Spirit Sect to this day.

The Fifth Elder's ethereal white beard, praised by everyone, had practically become his trademark.

Who would have thought he had secretly glued it on himself?

The Second Elder's eyes glittered with gossip-hungry delight. Had Lan Yue seen that look, she would have found it all too familiar. Those were the eyes of someone who had just gotten a juicy scoop!

Meanwhile, after heaving a string of sighs over her eldest senior brother's sword technique, she opened the Three Realms Gossip System again.

That was the spirit of a gossip-loving girl! Even after escaping death, she still had to get her gossip fix!

[Who exactly saved my life just now? That was so cool! I have to find them and thank them in secret!]

On the raised platform, the Fifth Elder's brow twitched. He was just about to send his disciple a telepathic message, but it was already too late.

The elders beside him were secretly listening as well, eager to hear how Lan Yue would react when she learned that the person who had saved her life was the Fifth Elder.

[Oh, so it was the Fifth Elder who saved both our lives. That makes sense. Eldest Senior Brother is his most senior disciple, so of course he had to protect him. I was probably just along for the ride.]

[But what spiritual artifact did the Fifth Elder use to save us? It was so pretty! I saw all these sparkly little flecks on it. What lovely decorations!]

On the raised platform, the Sixth Elder to his left curiously poked the Fifth Elder and secretly transmitted his voice.

"Fifth Brother, you decorated it? You certainly amazed our little Lan Yue."

The Fifth Elder went completely rigid and turned his head away.

[Oh, found it, found it! That spiritual artifact was actually the Fifth Elder's beard! He actually used his beard to save us!]

[Which means...]

The disciples below had already begun discussing it, their voices full of uncertainty and surprise. The Martial Arena, so silent a moment ago, began regaining its earlier bustle.

The Fifth Elder finally could not remain seated on the platform. He stood straight up.

"Silence! What is all this racket? Anyone who says another word will be punished according to sect law!"

His imposing voice swept across the entire Martial Arena, and the disciples who had been whispering among themselves hurriedly shut their mouths.

The inner voice that had been echoing throughout the Martial Arena also disappeared.

"Since all the disciples are here, let the sect's quarterly sparring competition begin."

"The matches will be organized..."

[Woo-hoo! Who would have thought that the Fifth Elder, who looks so stern, actually sprinkles gold dust on his beard in private? No wonder it sparkles so prettily!]

On the platform, the Fifth Elder's hand froze as he stroked his beard, and his eyelids twitched wildly.

"The matches will be organized by peak. Each peak will send twenty disciples to compete."

"In the end..."

[And there's more! Not only does the Fifth Elder decorate his beard every day, he even hides spirit food and spirit candy in it! No wonder it smelled so good just now. So that's why! That's why!]

"Pfft, hahaha! Hahaha! Who would have thought, Fifth Brother? You actually stash spirit food and candy in your beard! Don't tell me you're hiding even more fun things in there?"

The disciples desperately held back, not daring to speak openly, but the Sixth Elder had no such reservations. He was nearly laughing himself breathless as he mocked the Fifth Elder through voice transmission.

Had anyone else done something like this, he might not have found it so funny. But this was his Fifth Brother.

Apparently, even children could be frightened to tears just by hearing Fifth Brother's name. Who would have thought he had such a girlish heart in private?

It truly defied imagination.

If he had not heard Lan Yue's thoughts at the Martial Arena, he might have gone another hundred years without discovering this private side of his senior brother.

Snap! The Fifth Elder flicked the fly whisk in his hand. Finally unable to endure it any longer, he glared furiously toward a corner of the Martial Arena.

"Little Bai, what are you still standing there for? Bring your junior sister over to compete!"

Still dazed, Li Bai led his little junior sister into the Martial Arena.

Lan Yue also realized that something was off about the atmosphere. She hurriedly closed the gossip system in her mind and quietly followed her eldest senior brother forward.

Yet only when they reached the inner area of the Martial Arena did the two suddenly realize that neither of them had signed up to compete!

Li Bai was the eldest senior brother. All he had to do was supervise discipline from the sidelines.

As for Lan Yue, she was a hopeless little rookie who had failed to learn even sword flight after three months. The only reason she had insisted on getting up so early and coming to the Martial Arena was that there was gossip to be had here.

That was the spirit of a true gossip lover!

So what did their master-the Fifth Elder-want them for?

Both puzzled over this as they arrived at the seats at the very front of the Martial Arena.

"Little Bai, Little Yue, come here, you two. Sit here." The Sixth Elder waved them over eagerly, his smiling face blooming like a flower.

Lan Yue blinked, politely thanked him, and quietly sat down in the seat.

The sight of such a well-behaved little girl made even the Sixth Elder's hands itch to do something for her.

He casually stole two candies made from spirit fruit out of the Fifth Elder's beard. "Here, have some candy! Have some candy!"

Li Bai's expression stiffened. He secretly glanced at his master, then steeled himself and accepted them.

After accepting the spirit candy, Lan Yue thanked him again.

On the surface, she looked perfectly well-behaved, but inwardly, she was already marveling.

[Wow, so this is the spirit candy the Fifth Elder secretly stashed away. It looks so pretty!]

Beside her, the Fifth Elder glared at the Sixth Elder, veins bulging at his temples. "Go down there and preside over the competition!"

"Right you are! I'm on my way." Holding the last candy he had swiped, the Sixth Elder swiftly flew down.

"Sect Master, all the peaks are assembled. The competition can begin immediately." The Fifth Elder approached the elevated seat in the center.

Dressed in deep purple robes, the sect master sat with his eyes closed, seemingly dozing.

Yet the Fifth Elder could feel the sect master's Divine Sense examining the area around his beard.

The Fifth Elder: "..."

His lifelong reputation! Had it been easy to build that reputation over a hundred years?

For a moment, the Fifth Elder nearly burst into an old man's flood of tears.

"Ahem. Since everyone is assembled, the competition can begin. Sixth Brother, continue presiding." A strand of the sect master's Divine Sense was forcefully bounced back. Rather than becoming angry, he gazed at the Martial Arena with a smile.

At the same time, another strand of his Divine Sense was examining Lan Yue.

That strand of Divine Sense did not dare approach her. It could only cling secretly to a tree, skulking about as it trailed behind her.

"What a formidable immortal artifact. It can even intimidate my Divine Sense. No wonder, no wonder..."

"Sect Master, that immortal artifact is truly peculiar. It would be best not to provoke it lightly," the Fifth Elder could not help warning him upon hearing his words.

Yet as the sect master looked at the Fifth Elder's ethereal beard, a smile spread across his handsome face instead.

The Fifth Elder: "..."

What had he done to deserve this?

[I'm so bored. I wonder when the Protagonist Group will show up. I want to see the part where the female lead finds out she's the sect master's biological daughter.]

The sect master's brilliant smile froze on his face.