Volume One, Chapter Sixteen: The Grand Gathering of Immortal Cultivation

Before dawn, the camp was already bustling with activity. The various sects and schools were up early, preparing for the Immortal Cultivation Conference, and Jin Guishan hurried to wake everyone. The Zhengjia Sect was particularly attentive; they had prepared an array of breakfast foods from both north and south regions. Yi Bing and Fat Girl were so delighted they could hardly close their mouths, sampling one dish after another. If He Lingchi hadn't urged them repeatedly, the two would surely have devoured everything.

Seeing the throng of people streaming up the mountain path towards the Palace of Welcoming Immortals, Jin Guishan quickly led his group to follow. Flags fluttered on both sides of the path, and every hundred meters a young Taoist guided the way. The palace gates were adorned with lanterns and flowers, with rows of Taoists standing in attendance. Three elders welcomed the guests, and each visitor was given a gift.

“May I ask, fellow Daoist?” Seeing the leading elder greet him with a cupped fist, Jin Guishan returned the gesture. “I am Jin Guishan, sent by my esteemed master, the True Immortal Tai Miao, to lead the disciples of the Mist Cloud Sect to seek the Way.”

“Ah… the distinguished pupil of Tai Miao! I am Wu Xu, and this is my junior Zhen Xu, and this is my junior Hua Xu! Our senior instructed us to treat you all well. Here is a token from our sect, please accept it with a smile!” He took the gift from his junior and handed it to Jin Guishan and his companions.

“Brother Jin, please come inside. We’ve reserved seats especially for you!” Elder Hua Xu stepped forward, smiling and personally leading the way.

A grand platform had already been erected before the main hall, standing more than five zhang high. Fifty tables were arranged in front of it. Jin Guishan and his group were seated at the very front, a clear sign of Zhengjia Sect’s respect. The table was laden with dried and fresh fruits, and Yi Bing and Fat Girl again beamed with delight.

“Hey, show some restraint! We are a reputable sect!” Jin Guishan couldn’t help but admonish Fat Girl, and Yi Bing quickly composed himself.

“Brother Mu, let’s see what gifts we received?” Fat Girl, unable to sit still for long, urged Yi Bing to unwrap them. Yi Bing, curious, hurriedly untied the package, expecting some Taoist artifacts, but instead found a gold leaf and a book titled “The Great Zhengjia Method,” a pamphlet promoting the Zhengjia Sect.

“Wow, Zhengjia Sect really has deep pockets!” Qi Yuanxiao exclaimed in awe. Jin Guishan frowned and remained silent.

“If you practice our great method, you’re sure to become immortal, subdue dragons and tigers, and nothing will be impossible…” Fat Girl recited with a grin.

“Stop reading!” Jin Guishan suddenly glared at her, and she fell silent, terrified.

After that, no one dared speak; all sat quietly, sipping tea. Though Fat Girl wore a serious expression, her mouth never rested, sampling every fruit and recommending the tastiest ones to Yi Bing.

Just as the two were thoroughly enjoying themselves, a sudden burst of ceremonial firecrackers and thunderous cheers erupted behind them. Turning to look, they saw Elder Fei Xu, surrounded by a crowd, drifting gracefully to the front of the platform. He bowed with both hands to the assembly, then soared upward, landing atop the platform amid a wave of applause.

“On an auspicious day, the Immortal Cultivation Conference officially begins. On behalf of my esteemed master, I wish you all swift success! Our sect hosts this conference to foster exchange and learning among fellow cultivators, and to contribute a humble effort to your early enlightenment! Our sect has always…” Elder Fei Xu launched into a grand account of Zhengjia Sect’s achievements, making it sound less like an immortal conference and more like a promotional event for his sect.

“Wow, he sounds impressive! Senior, is Zhengjia Sect really that powerful?” Qi Yuanxiao asked.

“Hmph! How should I know? You’ll have to ask Master when we get back,” Jin Guishan replied, curling his lip.

“To show our respect, our sect has specially chosen several disciples who have trained for just three months to demonstrate some minor skills—mere tricks, not worth mentioning, just for your amusement!” Before Elder Fei Xu finished, the crowd below stirred noisily, but he smiled without comment and turned to leave.

“What’s this?” “We came to compete!” “This is just a Zhengjia Sect promotion!” “Hey! You can’t do this!” Yi Bing glanced back to see many people banging their tables in protest.

At that moment, music and drums erupted from the platform. A puff of white smoke arose, and a group of young Taoist maidens leapt onto the stage, swords in hand, dancing gracefully. They were heavily made up, sleeves rolled to reveal pale arms, their collars slightly open, exposing soft skin beneath.

“Hey, hey, how can we not accept their goodwill!” “We have to give Zhengjia Sect some face!” “True, true!” Unexpectedly, most who had stood up earlier muttered as they sat back down.

When the dance ended, six young Taoist boys ran onto the platform. Five surrounded one, engaging in mock combat, but the one in the center suddenly sat down and chanted, spitting tongues of fire that forced his attackers to retreat.

The audience erupted: “Wow, so young and already mastering fire control!” “Worthy of a great sect!” “How do they recruit disciples?” “You want to betray your sect?” “No, just asking…”

Jin Guishan’s group stared in amazement. Though experienced in cultivation, none could spit fire like that. Yi Bing, however, thought differently: “Wow, if I learned this, roasting rabbits would be so much easier!”

Next, six young Taoist maidens ran onto the stage. They formed pairs, sat facing each other, chanting. Soon, jets of water sprayed from their mouths, soaking their opponents. Their thin robes grew increasingly transparent.

“Wow, that’s impressive!” “Go, go!” “Hey, don’t spray there!” The crowd was particularly enthusiastic.

“Senior, this really doesn’t seem like conduct befitting cultivators…” Fat Girl muttered, unable to contain herself. Jin Guishan frowned and remained silent.

“Brother Jin, my stomach hurts. I need to go relieve myself!” Perhaps from overeating fruit, Yi Bing suddenly felt a pain in his abdomen.

“Go on!” Jin Guishan nodded.

Yi Bing wandered about for some time but couldn’t find a latrine. Unable to hold it, he dove into the bushes beside the platform. The spot was perfect—he could see both the front and back of the stage without missing anything. Only then did he notice that Zhengjia Sect disciples stood guard all around, encircling the platform and preventing anyone from approaching backstage.

“Huh?” As Yi Bing relieved himself, he stared in surprise. The three Taoist boys who had just leapt onto the stage looked identical to three hiding behind the curtain below.

On stage, the three boys jumped and bounced, then sat cross-legged, lips moving. Before Yi Bing could react, the three on stage dropped through a trapdoor, while the hidden three rushed out.

The crowd cheered: “Zhengjia Sect’s Earth-Escape technique is amazing!” “So young and already so skilled!” “Worthy of the greatest sect in the world!”

Yi Bing stared at the three boys still hanging behind the curtain, thinking, “Is this Earth-Escape? Isn’t it just three pairs of twins?”

As he gawked, the heavily made-up maidens caught his eye again. They stood backstage in a row, with Taoists attaching something to their waists and repeatedly raising and lowering them—clearly suspending them with transparent cords.

With a bang, smoke billowed on stage, and the maidens rushed out. Amid the smoke, they danced with slow, graceful movements, pausing and smiling as if enchantresses had descended to earth.

“Tch, hope the cords don’t break!” Yi Bing scoffed and turned away. He’d been squatting too long; his legs were numb.

Sure enough, as soon as Yi Bing stood up, the maidens floated up from the stage to thunderous applause, which sounded particularly grating to him.

“Hey? Who’s there?” Suddenly a voice barked behind him, startling Yi Bing. Several Zhengjia Sect Taoists rushed over.

“I… I’m from the Mist Cloud Sect, here for the conference!” Yi Bing hesitated.

“Why aren’t you sitting properly? What are you doing here?” The Taoists blocked his way with swords.

“Relieving myself!” Yi Bing sidestepped; the Taoists happened to be downwind, and a foul stench assaulted their noses.

“Cough, cough… Hey! Why didn’t you use the latrine?” the leader complained.

“Couldn’t hold it…” Yi Bing scratched his head sheepishly.

“What did you see?” the leader stared at Yi Bing’s eyes.

He replied, blinking, “See what?”

“Nothing…” The leader glanced Yi Bing up and down doubtfully.

“See what? I was in so much pain I couldn’t stand up straight, how could I see anything?” Yi Bing grumbled.

“Don’t mind him, fellow Daoist! We were just being cautious to prevent any monsters from sneaking in. It’s all for your safety!” another Taoist rushed to reassure him.

“Heh, thanks for your trouble!” Yi Bing thought, “Monsters? You’re the monsters! Silly—so many cultivators here, what monster would dare show up and court death?” Then he remembered, “Oh no! Han Yu mustn’t show herself!”

Returning to his seat, Elder Fei Xu was still speaking on stage, now outlining the conference rules. He mentioned that the competition would mainly be among sect disciples, and the first prize was a thousand taels of gold. The crowd erupted in excitement.

Elder Fei Xu smiled, then continued, “Other contestants, though there is no gold prize, may stay in our sect for three days, during which our master will personally offer guidance to aid your cultivation journey.”

“Wow…” This news caused even greater joy. Hearing True Immortal Qi Xu lecture was a lifelong dream; even seeing him once was considered a blessing. In some ways, this reward surpassed the gold. Yi Bing, uninterested, hurriedly pulled Fat Girl aside, asking, “Where’s Han… the little white rabbit?”

“Little white rabbit? No idea!” Seeing Yi Bing’s sudden change in expression, Fat Girl quickly laughed, “Don’t worry, she’s here!” She began to untie her bundle to reveal the rabbit.

“No, no… Let me feed her some grass!” Yi Bing snatched the bundle and ran to the distant woods. When he was alone, he opened it, and the little white rabbit poked her head out.

“Don’t speak! Please, don’t say anything. With so many cultivators around, if…” Suddenly seeing Han Yu’s ears stand up, Yi Bing, knowing her pride, quickly added, “Aren’t you injured?” Han Yu’s eyes rolled but she remained silent.

After repeated warnings, Yi Bing returned to the platform. By then, the competitions had begun. Before he could sit, Fat Girl dragged him over: “These are disciples from the Pure Heart Sect and the Dragon Mountain Sect! The ones in green are Pure Heart, the ones in black are Dragon Mountain!”

On stage, a Pure Heart disciple leapt up, swinging his whisk down. The Dragon Mountain disciple retreated, raising his staff to block, but the whisk suddenly extended three feet, darting toward his brow. The Dragon Mountain disciple, realizing danger, tried to float backward, but it was too late—he was struck in the chest and fell heavily. Face flushed, he quickly got up, bowed, and jumped off the stage.

“Excellent technique!” someone shouted, and a figure flew onto the stage—a young man in white, with rosy lips and gleaming teeth, so handsome that several female cultivators gasped.

“This fellow Daoist…” the Pure Heart disciple sized him up with a forced smile.

“I am Ruzhen, disciple of the Jade Immortal Sect, here to seek your guidance!” The white-robed youth bowed with composure.

“Ruzhen? Heh… Let me teach you!” Before he finished, the Pure Heart disciple swept his whisk horizontally. Ruzhen instantly soared upward, a brocade fan appearing in his hand to deftly block the whisk. The Pure Heart disciple hesitated, then extended the whisk like a serpent, trying to wrap around the fan. But the fan grew larger as the whisk extended, blocking every attack.

“Well done!” The Pure Heart disciple retreated quickly, but Ruzhen pressed forward, wafting fragrant wind that nearly knocked his opponent off balance and down from the stage.

“Careful, fellow Daoist!” Ruzhen rolled his fan, sending the fragrant wind swirling to gently set the Pure Heart disciple on the ground.

“Thank you for the lesson!” The Pure Heart disciple, gracious, bowed in thanks.

“Brother Mu, that was amazing!” Fat Girl excitedly slapped Yi Bing’s arm. Yi Bing nodded, still dazed as he watched the white-robed youth, suddenly reminded of Senior Sister Bi Yi.

Afterward, the white-robed youth could not be stopped, defeating three or four challengers in succession. Just as Qi Yuanxiao encouraged Jin Guishan to take the stage, a dark figure darted out, leaping onto the platform after three steps.

“Zhengjia Sect disciple Ye Boyang, here to learn!” His voice and presence arrived together, sword in hand before Ruzhen.

“Greetings, fellow Daoist!” Ruzhen raised his eyebrows, thinking, “This one means trouble…”

“Please, after you!” Ye Boyang smiled and bowed. Ruzhen smiled but remained silent. The two stood on stage, neither willing to make the first move. The crowd grew restless, shouting encouragement.

“Guests first!” Ye Boyang gestured, inviting Ruzhen to begin. With no way to avoid it, Ruzhen advanced with his fan, and the two quickly engaged. Ruzhen struck hard, fragrant wind swirling, but Ye Boyang evaded lightly, leaping and ducking with ease. Ruzhen grew anxious, his fan suddenly expanding, while Ye Boyang formed a hand seal with his left hand and drew his sword with his right. Flames burst from the blade, instantly burning the brocade fan to its skeleton. Fortunately, Ruzhen retreated in time, or he would have been burned as well; even so, he ended up with a scorched face, losing all his earlier elegance.

“Heh heh! The pretty boy turned into a little black!” Laughter erupted below.

Ruzhen ignored it, seeing Ye Boyang approach with his sword, and he quickly waved the fan’s skeleton. Ye Boyang didn’t expect another blast of fragrant wind, and at the last moment pushed off his sword hilt, leaping high to avoid it. His sword flew past Ruzhen’s side.

Before Ruzhen could launch another attack, Ye Boyang formed a double hand seal as he fell. Ruzhen’s fan was halfway swung when he sensed a sudden gust behind him, instinctively rolling away just as the sword—almost alive—turned and aimed for his head. Though he dodged in time, it sliced off a lock of his hair.

Ye Boyang landed lightly, relentless, as his sword curved in the air and came at Ruzhen’s throat. Ruzhen hadn’t recovered before the sword tip was already at his neck.

“Wow…” The crowd gasped.

“Stop!” Elder Fei Xu barked, and the sword tip froze in mid-air.

“Show mercy whenever you can! How can you behave this way as a cultivator?” Elder Fei Xu scolded Ye Boyang.

“Master, your disciple knows his error! Lacking skill, I lost control in the heat of the moment. Please punish me!” Ye Boyang quickly sheathed his sword and knelt. He had intended to halt at the critical moment but was beaten to it by his master, so now he had to admit fault.

“Oh, young people! It was an accident. Let’s continue the competition!” Zhengjia Sect’s allies quickly smoothed things over and invited Elder Fei Xu back to his seat.