Chapter Five: The Beginning of the Assembly

At the summit of Mount Emei, within the grand hall, the atmosphere was solemn.

"Due to time constraints, I will keep this brief," said Sang Kaitian, the head of Emei, addressing the assembled disciples and followers. "This year’s Talent Selection Assembly has been moved forward by ten days because of other business. Decide now who will lead the team and who else will participate in the competition." The moment his words fell, a cacophony of voices erupted below as the disciples broke into noisy debate.

On the main peak of Mount Shu, within its hall, the sect leader Li Xianyun addressed his followers with grave seriousness. "The assembly has been brought forward, ostensibly for another reason, but our objective remains unchanged—no, our objective is still to secure as many slots as possible. Last time, we won only five places. This time, we must strive to double that. Our slogan is—"

"Give it our all and do our best!" the disciples of Mount Shu shouted in unison.

"Excellent. Everyone, go prepare!"

Across the cultivation world, all the sects had received the news of the Talent Selection Assembly’s early start. Immediately, preparations were underway everywhere, as each sought to showcase their abilities and win a coveted place.

"Young Master Tang, let me offer you a toast." Hua Ruoxue raised a cup to Tang Yi.

"Miss Hua, calling me ‘Young Master Tang’ is too formal. I’m just a little older than you—just call me Brother Tang, it sounds much better," Tang Yi replied with mock displeasure, but downed his wine in one gulp. Seeing this, Hua Ruoxue also finished her drink and said, "Since Brother Tang insists, I shall obey. But if you call me ‘Boss Hua’, isn’t that equally distant? Please, call me Ruoxue."

"Very well, Ruoxue! Come, let’s have another drink!"

"Isn’t that Little Yao? What’s she doing here...? Wait, Little Yao, it’s me, Tang Yi! Hey... why are you running off? Where did she go?... Claire? Could it be I’ve returned again?"

"Brother Tang Yi, I missed you so much." Claire ran towards Tang Yi and embraced him.

"Oh, so soft!" Tang Yi’s hands grasped something. "Wait, that’s not right—aren’t these pillows? Where’s Claire?"

"Damn, it was just a dream!" Tang Yi opened his eyes to find himself still in the guest room of the Hundred Flowers Inn. "Strange. Wasn’t I supposed to dream of Hua Ruoxue? Why did both of them appear together? It’s still early; I’ll get back to dreaming... ha..."

The following morning—

"Brother Tang, why are your dark circles so heavy?" Hua Ruoxue asked as she saw Tang Yi off.

"Ah, last night I entered the realm of dreams and debated philosophy with the Duke of Zhou. We chatted so late, I lost track of time—hence this look. Thank you for your hospitality, Ruoxue. I’ll take my leave now." With that, he beckoned to Zhang Qiang, and the two, along with their horse, set out.

Three days later, a strange procession appeared on the official road: eight horses, but only two riders; the rest of the horses carried cargo. On the two ridden horses were mounted bizarrely-shaped bamboo chairs, each shaded by an oil-paper umbrella, and each seat occupied.

"Wow, Brother Tang, you’re a genius! Who would’ve thought of this? It’s fantastic!" Zhang Qiang exclaimed, popping grapes into his mouth.

"Of course," Tang Yi replied with no trace of modesty. "Do you know who I am? They call me a prodigy."

"Absolutely! In my opinion, you’re a true polymath," Zhang Qiang laughed. Whether he was genuinely simple or simply became this way after a few days with Tang Yi was unclear. After all, there’s that saying: ‘One takes after those they keep company with.’

At the very summit of Mount Tai, a thousand feet higher still, there was a region shrouded in mist, obscuring all within. If one could see through the clouds, they would discover a massive, inverted mountain peak—this was the legendary Talent Selection Peak. The surface was paved entirely with blue stone, divided into two zones. One area was filled with elegant buildings—not lavish, but exquisitely arranged, with pavilions and small streams and lakes where fish swam freely. This was where guests would rest during the assembly. The other area was the martial arena, dominated by a giant stone stele inscribed with the words ‘Martial Arena.’ The center of this zone was sunken, resembling a stadium; within were ten dueling platforms, each about ten meters square and ringed by intricately carved foundation stones. These stones were enchanted to prevent the battles from spilling over into the audience. It was said that the various sects spent ten years devising these formations. Indeed, the entire inverted summit was kept aloft by a giant suspension array, and had floated in the air for over a millennium.

"Wait for me, Brother Tang! There’s too much stuff, I can’t carry it all!" Zhang Qiang, laden with bundles, scrambled up from the mountain’s foot.

"Hmm, I didn’t realize we’d bought so much. We’ve already thrown away half and still have this much left. Xiao Qiang, stand still—I’ll get us up there." With a grip on Zhang Qiang’s wrist, the scenery before Zhang Qiang’s eyes blurred—and suddenly, they were atop the mountain, gazing out over a sea of clouds.

On the wide clearing before the cluster of buildings on Talent Selection Peak, a circle of light rose with a humming sound, five meters high and two meters in radius. For about three minutes the light shone, then faded, revealing a group of people. Before they could step out, other teleportation arrays began to light up on the ground.

"Master Lu, it’s been so long!"

"Master Sang, you’re still with us after so many years!"

"Ah, Master Li, it’s been ten years and you look twenty years older! Not easy!"

"Not at all, little Su, your hair is whiter than ever!"

As all the arrivals finished teleporting, greetings and jests filled the air.

Elsewhere, atop the summit of Mount Tai, a group of people gathered around a strange device.

"Young Master Zhao, all the equipment has arrived—once assembled, we’ll be ready for takeoff," reported a bearded old man to a young nobleman.

"Excellent. This time, we’ll finally uncover the secrets of Talent Selection Peak," the youth replied confidently.

"Young Master Zhao," the old man cautioned, "many have flown to the peak before. Though they’ve seen it, none were able to land—there’s some kind of spell at work. Please reconsider."

This old man was Master Zhu, renowned for his expertise in mechanics. Thirty years ago, he designed a flying machine on his own—so long as the weather was fair, it would fly. Now, he served as the imperial flight engineer, and this Young Master Zhao was one of the imperial princes.

"Throw it away, just throw it! Carrying all this is too much trouble," Tang Yi grumbled, though his thoughts ran otherwise: I’ve heard that in the cultivation world, there are spatial rings and such. I must get dozens of the biggest ones—then I won’t have to waste money by throwing things out.

"But it’s a waste! We paid good silver for these," Zhang Qiang protested, clinging to several backpacks.

"Fine, if you’re not tired, carry them yourself! I’m done," Tang Yi rolled his eyes and strode toward the crowd.

"Stop! Who goes there?" Several guards in livery barred Tang Yi’s path.

"Ah, so these are the prince’s men—well, he is a legitimate contender after all," Tang Yi deduced from their bearing.

"Gentlemen, I am Tang Yi, a friend of Young Master Zhao," Tang Yi called, waving both to the guards and to Young Master Zhao behind them.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zhao’s mind—one that felt both ancient and oddly familiar: the man waving at him was named Tang Yi, and was his friend. When had they met? It felt like ages ago, yet perhaps just now. Odd, but deeply familiar. Even Tang Yi’s odd hair failed to break the sense of familiarity.

"Let them through—Tang Yi is my friend," Zhao said to the guards, who promptly stepped aside and gestured them forward.

"Haha, Brother Zhao, it’s been so long—I’ve missed you terribly..." Tang Yi greeted him with a hearty laugh.

"What?" Master Cai Yunshan of Qingcheng slammed the table. "So the assembly was moved forward just like that? Why wasn’t this made clear when we were first notified?" Around the hall, the faces of the sect masters were grim, all eyes fixed angrily on Su Xiong. Cai Yunshan continued, "Little Su, you’ve gone too far. Just three more days and I’d have finished my chess game. Now I’ll have to start over. I demand five hundred spirit stones in compensation—no, a thousand, to soothe my wounded heart."

"Uh..." Su Xiong was at a loss.

"Exactly! If not for the assembly being brought forward, my Triple Essence Flame Blade would have been forged for another ten days—no, five would have sufficed—and its quality would have been a tier higher. You owe me at least a thousand spirit stones for that, Little Su," added Bi Desheng, the head of Kunlun.

"This..." Su Xiong was speechless.

Next, Sang Kaitian spoke up, "Ah, this makes me furious. I was on the verge of breaking through to the twelfth level in seclusion, and your sudden notice ruined it. You owe me at least two or three thousand spirit stones for my cultivation!"

Before he could finish, Li Xianyun interjected, "Exactly! Let’s talk about my case first. Moving the assembly up ten days cost me ten days of cultivation—not a big deal. But in those ten days, I missed thirty great meals—plus ten midnight snacks! That’s forty meals in total. At a hundred spirit stones per meal, that’s four thousand spirit stones. But since we’re old friends, give me a two percent discount—three thousand six hundred will do. What do you say—"

“Enough!” Su Xiong cut in. “I get it. You all just want a share of the new spirit stone mine my sect found. No need to make up these ridiculous excuses. I admit, this was my mistake—I acted rashly in bringing the assembly forward. To make up for it, Blood Fiend Sect will cover all expenses for this assembly. Will that satisfy you?”

Truthfully, Su Xiong regretted his impulsiveness. After all, Tang Yi hadn’t committed any serious crime. Cultivators often meddled in worldly affairs behind the scenes, so long as no lives were lost or major trouble caused—everyone turned a blind eye. It was only because Tang Yi acted openly that Su Xiong was provoked.

"Uncle Zhu, you’re a genius! If you add wings to the ship, it could glide to the ground even if the power fails," Tang Yi observed as he inspected the assembled airship.

Master Zhu paused, then exclaimed, "Young Master Tang, you hit the mark! Thank you!" He promptly directed his men to add two wings.

Zhao Songming, the prince, cupped his hands to Tang Yi, "Brother Tang, you have remarkable insight and imagination!"

"Not at all. Brother Zhao, how confident are you about reaching Talent Selection Peak this time?" Tang Yi asked.

"To be honest, not very. Ten groups have tried before, but none succeeded in landing. I’m just taking a chance. If it fails, at least I’ll have had an adventure on Mount Tai!" Zhao replied.

"Brother Zhao, you’re truly admirable—calm and content, never forcing things," Tang Yi praised him.

"Not at all, Brother Tang—you are the truly talented one!" The two sat on stone stools, eating, drinking, and exchanging compliments as the time slipped away unnoticed. Night fell, tents were pitched, and the night passed without incident.

By noon the next day, under Master Zhu’s guidance, the airship’s wings were ready. The craft resembled a flat-bottomed boat with four large wheels, ten steel pillars supporting a wooden frame, and three giant Kongming lanterns above. A set of propellers at the rear was powered by hand. Now, with its added wings, it looked like a giant bird with lanterns for feathers. Tang Yi was still bewildered by the world’s technological level—he’d seen mechanical pocket watches, heard of steam trains, and now this airship, powered by petroleum-based diesel. None of it made sense to him, but it hardly mattered; his true interest lay in the world of cultivation.

"All set—take off!" On Master Zhu’s command, the three lanterns were lit, and the airship slowly rose into the air. Ten people were aboard—Zhao Songming, Tang Yi, Zhang Qiang, Master Zhu, and six of Zhao’s men serving as the crew.

On Talent Selection Peak, the martial arena’s grandstand, which could seat five thousand, was already three-fifths full.

Lu Changsheng, with an air of otherworldly grace, leaped onto the platform, his movements exuding the aura of a true immortal. Clearing his throat, he announced, "Because the Talent Selection Assembly was moved forward, some friends are still on their way. In the meantime, to enrich the lives of our younger generation and to promote exchange and cooperation among cultivators, the six major sects have jointly decided to host a small trade fair and an auction."