Chapter 677 - 437: Shuyue City
"Haha, worthy of being Confucian Sect with a master overseeing... In recent decades, the Confucian Sect has been brimming with talent, even geniuses like Qingfeng are hidden among them..."
The old Daoist Zhenxu, holding a duster, stroked his beard and smiled as he spoke. It was hard to tell if he was marveling at the Confucian Sect’s flourishing state or expressing jealousy over their multitude of talents.
Beside him, the chubby Daoist Huayangzi was not pleased upon hearing this. He immediately replied to Zhenxu:
"Why care, Friend Zhenxu? Our Dao Sect has also recently had its moment in the spotlight! With a true peerless genius like Martial Venerable friend born in our Dao Sect, that’s far better than having several fledgling Super Innate Initial Realm cultivators!"
As Huayangzi spoke, his gaze swept past the Dragon Maiden Long Dao, standing close to Wang Zhifan, giving Zhenxu a tacit glance, as if reminding him that the geniuses of their Dao Sect not only possess formidable strength but also the capability to win over young female prodigies as partners, surpassing the Confucian Sect by several dimensions.
"Ahem, esteemed friends, it’s probably best to speak less on such topics."
Wang Zhifan was left speechless upon witnessing this, not expecting that the Confucian Sect’s retrieval would lead to a discussion involving him, promptly speaking out to halt their conversation.
Shortly after, a refined and genteel young attendant approached them, courteously greeted them, and led them towards a corridor at the top edge of Shuyue Pavilion.
Being an extremely large structure, Shuyue Pavilion didn’t just have a few corridors but over thirty convenient routes. Once Wang Zhifan and the others were led into one by the attendant, they discovered that entering this place was unlike ordinary buildings, as the corridor entrance wasn’t connected to complex passages but to an enormous book page.
The attendant moved closer to the page and spoke:
"Scholar, please arrange rooms for our four honored guests."
The response didn’t come from a person but appeared as a line of ink calligraphy on the page in front of him:
"Please have the four honored guests stay in Jia Fifty-Seven, Jia Fifty-Eight, Jia..."
Then a wide passage opened from the book page in front of them, allowing them to step through.
"Is this... a local version of artificial intelligence?"
Wang Zhifan, seeing this, couldn’t help but be amazed inwardly and followed the leading attendant into the passage.
After taking just a few steps inside, he noticed something peculiar: the accommodations they were assigned were remarkably close. Not many steps into the passage with the attendant led them directly to their destination.
"This isn’t due to our rooms being conveniently close; it’s because the passage opened by the so-called Scholar possessed spatial power, directly transferring us to our destination!"
Thanks to his extraordinary perceptual abilities, Wang Zhifan quickly discerned from the subtle spatial fluctuations just now that Shuyue Pavilion was far from simple and possessed the capabilities of an advanced magical treasure.
In contrast, those around him, including Long Dao and the two Daoists, seemed indifferent to this aspect, possibly having encountered similar experiences elsewhere.
"Esteemed guests, these will be your accommodations during the convention. Should you require anything, the Scholar can contact me. If you’d like to venture outside, the Scholar can arrange that directly. As personnel are not yet fully gathered, the convention is set to begin tomorrow at noon..."
After a brief service introduction, the attendant bowed and departed, leaving Wang Zhifan and the others to organize their affairs.
"This poor Daoist and Friend Zhenxu will stay in the other two rooms, leaving the two adjoining rooms to the young ones."
The chubby Huayangzi promptly began discussing room assignments, displaying an understanding of such matters by voluntarily letting Wang Zhifan and Long Dao stay next to each other while he and the old Zhenxu stayed farther away to avoid being the third wheel.
"Thank you, esteemed friends, for your kindness!"
Wang Zhifan didn’t shy away, genuinely wanting to stay next to Long Dao.
However, Long Dao didn’t seem to be pondering this aspect. She approached a wall-hung page of poetry and asked:
"Scholar, has Mieyue and Aotian arrived at this pavilion?"
The page quickly displayed writing:
"They have not yet arrived."
"Then please open the passage for going out. Fan and I wish to go out."
Long Dao spoke again.
"Exit is open."
As writing appeared on the page, an ink-formed portal emerged at the corridor’s end they were in, revealing the bustling scene of Shuyue City.
Then, Long Dao took Wang Zhifan’s hand and walked over. Naturally, Wang Zhifan couldn’t refuse and accompanied her through the portal, leaving Shuyue Pavilion.
Once outside, appearing on the street beside Shuyue Pavilion, Long Dao spoke to Wang Zhifan:
"It’s always better outside, as inside Shuyue Pavilion is not as interesting as your Black Tower. Shall we stay outside instead?"
It turns out she was not accustomed to the enclosed environment of Shuyue Pavilion, prompting her desire to go out.
"Let’s discuss it once the convention starts... For now, let’s explore the surroundings first."
Wang Zhifan suspected the Confucian Sect arranged lodging in Shuyue Pavilion for a specific purpose, like notifying them about the convention’s status in a timely manner, and didn’t immediately agree.
Long Dao, hearing this, didn’t say much further, and the two continued wandering Shuyue City. Being their first time in this grand city, they took in the sights, aware that once the great conflict arose, the place’s fate was uncertain.
Thus, for the next hour, they strolled around vibrant Shuyue City, occasionally eating snacks, drinking tea, listening to storytellers discussing the Calamity Realm’s situation, or watching scholars compete in poetry battles, allowing themselves a moment of relaxation.
Recently, Wang Zhifan had primarily focused on managing disciples or cultivating, with little free time. He decided to grant himself this leisurely opportunity, knowing that after this respite, he’d need to return to training diligently or risk not completing his intended cultivation plan before the conflict.
"Long Dao, these hairpins suit you perfectly; let’s get them all."
At that moment, accompanying Long Dao while selecting accessories on a street selling precious items for women, Wang Zhifan embraced the principle of quickly spending the silver coins allocated to him by the Martial Venerable Hall from Celestial Essence City.
This was not just to delight Long Dao but also because he understood that a great conflict would soon impact the world’s commerce, and even having money might not suffice then. Better to use resources wisely now.
While they leisurely shopped, a young couple happened upon them, also picking out accessories.
The young man wore a loose-fitting silver-white Confucian robe and a black scholar’s hat, while the young woman had the appearance of an affluent lady, elegantly dressed in gold, projecting opulence. Their intimate actions unmistakably confirmed they were a couple.
This kind of pair was not particularly unique, as they were but another part of the masses in this bustling city. Still, Wang Zhifan quickly took note of them, recognizing the young man among them.
"Mr. Zhang, long time no see, how have you been?"
He suddenly greeted the young Confucian, who was fully engrossed with his partner. Initially unaware of Wang Zhifan, he turned amidst the call, showing a surprised expression.
"You... You’re Mr. Wang?!"
"Haha! It seems Mr. Zhang hasn’t forgotten me, truly rare! Allow me to introduce, this is my Dao companion, Long Dao..."
"Pleased to meet you! Mr. Wang, this is my newlywed wife. Had we known earlier that Mr. Wang was around, we definitely would have invited you both for the wedding feast..."
This young man turned out to be Zhang Siqian, a local Confucian Wang Zhifan had first encountered in this world. Surprisingly, in the time they had not seen each other, he had married, and they seemed genuinely happy.
Wang Zhifan hadn’t expected to meet this local again, so he paused for a longer conversation with him, sharing the delight of their reunion.