Heading to Azure Feather
The sect competition has a long history, and it was stipulated long ago that it would be held every ten years. The venue is set at the location of the previous competition's champion, and coincidentally, the previous champion was the Azure Feather Sect.
For a time, Hidden Sparrow City in Spirit Prefecture became a place that people from the Immortal Spirit Realm flocked to. If any cultivator from Spirit Prefecture looked up at the sky, they might even see countless flying boats flying overhead, heading swiftly towards Hidden Sparrow City.
Among them, of course, was a colorful flying boat exuding a warm fragrance. That flying boat was very eye-catching, shuttling far away among the clouds, making it hard to ignore.
Younger cultivators might not recognize her, but experienced cultivators would immediately recognize the flying boat's owner as Hua Yaoyu.
"Senior Sister Hua, how much longer until we reach Spirit Prefecture? I haven't been able to take a bath with Spiritual Liquid for two days. Look at my face, it's so dry it's practically peeling off!" The female cultivator from the Seven Emotions Pavilion, dressed in pink, complained to the woman in front of her.
The other person had an excessively beautiful face, as if even the most exquisite jewels would pale in comparison.
The woman addressed as "Senior Sister" returned her junior sister's reassuring smile, but even a fleeting glance was enough to make the pink-clad female cultivator blush slightly. "Junior Sister Lu, don't worry. In half a day, we'll arrive at Hidden Sparrow City in Spirit Prefecture. At that time, you can soak in spirit springs, let alone Spiritual Liquid."
Only after being reminded by her did the female cultivator surnamed Lu suddenly remember that the Azure Feather Sect possessed an extremely precious spiritual spring!
She was overjoyed, but still a little worried. "But Senior Sister, we are just disciples of a minor sect. Would the Azure Feather Sect really give us such a precious spiritual spring for bathing?"
Spiritual springs are top-tier treasures in any sect. They'd be reluctant to use them even for their own disciples, so how could they, as members of an outer sect, possibly have a share?
But Hua Yaoyu confidently said, "Don't worry, if I say it can be done, it definitely can!"
Upon hearing this, the female cultivator in pink immediately believed her.
If anyone else had made such a boast to her, the pink-clad female cultivator certainly wouldn't have believed it, but the one speaking was Hua Yaoyu, the most outstanding disciple of their Seven Emotions Pavilion!
In the Immortal Spirit Realm today, who doesn't know that Hua Yaoyu of the Seven Emotions Pavilion is unparalleled in beauty? Once she Seven Emotions Cultivation Method, she captivated countless male cultivators.
Even the flying boat beneath their feet was personally crafted for Hua Yaoyu by her admirers, who spent their entire fortune.
However, this was merely the least remarkable achievement in Hua Yaoyu's record. What truly made the people of the Immortal Spirit Realm remember her name was that in the previous sect competitions, she tricked the disciples of the Azure Feather Sect into disregarding their own sect and instead helping the Mara Gate to frame Ten Thousand Daos Born.
In that battle Azure Feather Sect and Ten Thousand Daos Born suffered heavy losses, and Ten Thousand Daos Born's ranking even dropped to fourth place!
Although she wasn't the only factor that led to Ten Thousand Daos Born's downfall, most people subconsciously attributed the credit to Hua Yaoyu, which made her and the Seven Emotions Pavilion quite famous in the Immortal Spirit Realm.
However, precisely because of this, the Beast Taming Sect felt that the Seven Emotions Pavilion had stolen their credit, and the two sides argued endlessly about it, almost to the point of no return.
If it weren't for the mediation of Mara Gate, the two sects probably wouldn't be able to sit down together peacefully even today.
Thinking of the Beast Taming Sect, the female cultivator in the pink dress couldn't help but frown. "I heard some news a few days ago that the brute from the Beast Taming Sect seemed to have secretly taken a few beasts to Yao Zhou, as if he had discussed something with the sect leader."
Although the female cultivator in the pink dress was not as powerful as Hua Yaoyu, she was still quite skilled in the Seven Emotions Cultivation Method, so naturally there were plenty of people willing to obey her commands.
It was precisely because of her exceptionally good information network that the Seven Emotions Pavilion dispatched her to accompany Hua Yaoyu in escorting the new disciples to Spirit Prefecture.
"Moreover..." the pink-clad female cultivator lowered her voice, "I've heard that the new Holy Maiden of the Mara Gate seems to be getting quite intimate with the Sect Master of the Beast Taming Sect!"
Upon hearing this, Hua Yaoyu's expression changed slightly.
She didn't know about anything else, but the saintess made her feel vaguely wary.
"Don't worry about them. They're just a bunch of brainless idiots. They'll never amount to anything!" No matter what she thought in her heart, Hua Yaoyu didn't take it to heart at all.
Although both factions were affiliated with the Mara Gate, they secretly fought fiercely over who would get credit, and often kept tabs on each other.
The Beast Taming Sect always disliked the Seven Emotions Pavilion for its bad reputation, feeling it didn't resemble righteous cultivators. In turn, the Seven Emotions Sect disliked the Beast Taming Sect's arrogance and hubris, believing they only knew how to fight and not how to use their brains.
Fortunately, both sect leaders are sensible people and generally wouldn't do something as foolish as infighting at a crucial moment.
Hua Yaoyu, who had received the Pavilion Master's instructions, said the same thing, "Our mission this time is to try to sow discord between the Azure Feather Sect and its vassals, and to use the Azure Feather Sect to cause trouble for Ten Thousand Daos Born, just like before."
This was a very simple matter in Hua Yaoyu's eyes, and she gave the order casually.
"For now, let's avoid conflict with the Beast Taming Sect. Don't worry, those brutes will eventually reap what they sow."
She thought of the demonic Demon Beast oppressed and driven by the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, and couldn't help but smile.
She's waiting for the day those fools get their comeuppance; that day is surely not far off!
The treasure ship, a hundred stories high, entered the sea amidst the anticipation of Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples. The treasure ship, crafted from the bones of a ninth-order Demon Beast, immediately released its oppressive aura, forcing the Demon Beast in the sea back dozens of meters away.
The young cultivators, dressed in cyan disciple robes, boarded the bow of the ship and waved towards the distant immortal mountains.
They knew that the people there could definitely see it.
"Alright, stop acting all sentimental. We're only going for a few months, it's not like we're parting ways forever!" Elder Gu, holding his sword, frowned, seemingly disapproving of everyone's whiny manner.
The Hongyi elder beside him still smiled, but his words were even harsher. "Yes, you're so reluctant to part now, but once you lose face in the competition, you probably won't want to come back."
Upon hearing this, the baby-faced disciple standing on the outermost edge grumbled in dissatisfaction, "It's one thing for the elders not to encourage us, but why do they have to discourage us from the very beginning?"
He was referring to Jiulian, of course.
"I was merely stating the facts," the Hongyi venerable one denied.
The baby-faced man Qi Ingestion, "What if it were Chief Sang standing in front of you?!"
Did they know that Elder Jiulian, with his extremely foul mouth, was most fond of his disciple?
As they expected, Jiulian's demeanor changed completely at the mention of Sang Ying: "If Sang Ying were here, knowing she would surely return victorious, she certainly wouldn't be as pretentious and affected as you all."
Baby Face:... Baby Face shut up completely.
Alright, after being rebuked by the two elders who had come specifically to escort them, the slight reluctance that had just arisen in everyone's hearts vanished instantly.
After all, if they didn't achieve good results, they would definitely be embarrassed to come back.
Having lost the will to wave goodbye, everyone hurried back to their cabins, intending to cultivate from the moment the ship set sail until it docked, just like Chief Sang.
This time, Ten Thousand Daos Born is definitely the strongest!
They firmly believed this.