Chapter 512 35: Self-Recommendation
Within a certain Secret Realm,
Verdant mountains and green bamboo stood beside a babbling brook, its sound like the music of the heavens.
Immortal Aura swirled, shimmering in concert with the rosy glow of the Immortal Mountain.
The Dao of the universe seemed to manifest in the mortal world, with the Circulation of Heaven and Earth bringing forth thousands of auspicious signs.
At this moment,
deep within the Secret Realm,
inside a spacious grand hall,
a figure sat cross-legged on a White Jade Meditation Mat. He faced a painting hanging before him, his expression one of intense focus.
On the scroll,
the colors of black and white intertwined, flowing across the pale-yellow paper as if they were alive, seemingly demonstrating the ultimate principles of the universe and explaining the origin of all things.
The figure was captivated by the Yin Yang Tai Chi Diagram before him.
The aura around his body
rose and fell, merging with heaven and earth in resonance with the Yin Yang Tai Chi Diagram.
After an unknown amount of time,
the figure's brow suddenly furrowed.
The void trembled,
and a streak of yellow light landed in his hand.
After briefly scanning the message within,
the figure's expression barely changed. He pondered for a moment, infused a message into it, and then flicked it away.
An identical streak of yellow light vanished into the void.
Having done this,
the figure on the White Jade Meditation Mat closed his eyes once more,
immersing himself again in the mysteries of the Tai Chi Diagram.
Meanwhile,
outside,
in a certain palace hall,
several figures had gathered.
If any other Immortal Sect Disciples had been present, they would have surely recognized those gathered as the followers of the Immortal Sect's Daoist.
It was true that anyone who could enter the Yuqing Immortal Sect was considered a peerless prodigy in the outside world, and each possessed the pride befitting a genius.
But,
the Daoist was the most talented and prominent figure of this generation in the Immortal Sect.
His strength was unmatched by any other Cultivator of his age.
He held a crushing advantage over the other prodigies within the Immortal Sect.
As a result,
within the Sect,
it was only natural that many sought to flock to his side.
"Well? What was the Daoist's decision?"
"No response yet. Let's wait a bit longer!"
"Sigh, the Daoist is at a critical moment in his secluded Cultivation. We shouldn't have disturbed him."
"What's the use of saying that now? The Daoist may be in seclusion, but it's not a life-or-death retreat. Only he knows the true gravity of the situation. If we delayed a crucial matter, do you really think you could bear the responsibility?"
In the grand hall paved with jade, someone paced back and forth.
The group argued amongst themselves.
Just then,
a ripple of energy spread through the air.
"It's here!"
Everyone's gaze shot over.
The young man in the lead reached out his hand, and a streak of yellow light leaped from the void, landing in his palm.
"Well?"
"What did the Daoist say? Are we to take action?"
They all crowded around him.
The leader didn't hide anything, directly displaying the message on the Communication Talisman:
"He has shamed me. That man must be taught a lesson."
"Handle it yourselves. Do not disturb me again."
The message was brief,
just two short sentences.
After reading it, the others fell silent for a moment.
"Well, everyone?"
After a long moment,
the young man in the lead spoke, his gaze sweeping over the others.
"That outsider is too arrogant! He dared to disrespect the Daoist, injured Senior Brother Lu Haoxuan, and I heard he even extorted a huge sum from Senior Brother Lu's master. Of course he needs to be taught a harsh lesson!"
"Otherwise, outsiders will think the younger generation of our Yuqing Immortal Sect is weak and can be bullied, that we don't even have the guts to retaliate!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
No one objected.
There was nothing to object to.
The Daoist had made it clear: he was to be taught a lesson.
They could only work toward that goal.
"But who should we send?"
"Senior Brother Lu Haoxuan is only at the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer Peak, but in terms of combat strength, he's definitely on par with a Soul Emergence Ninth Layer Cultivator from the outside world."
"Since that Shen Changchuan could defeat Senior Brother Lu Haoxuan so easily, his strength must be considerable..."
Someone said hesitantly, looking around at the others.
In truth, there was no shortage of experts among the Daoist's followers.
There were even some at the Middle to Late Stage of the Soul Emergence Ninth Layer.
Their strength was nothing to scoff at.
However, the Immortal Sect's centennial grand competition was about to begin,
so the most powerful senior brothers among the followers were in secluded, arduous Cultivation, training hard for the competition and trying to raise their strength as much as possible.
The closer it got to the grand competition,
the harder they trained, and the less likely they were to emerge from their seclusion for any reason.
This was also why
the mission to the Tian Nan Domain had been assigned to Lu Haoxuan, who was only at the Eighth Layer Peak.
The Daoist's followers who were still active were merely small fry.
Like the few of them present in the hall.
They all looked at each other,
a silent understanding passing between them.
"With our level of strength, I'm afraid we're not up to the task of dealing with that Shen Changchuan."
"In that case, we'll have to ask someone else for help."
"Ask who? Almost everyone is in seclusion right now! To defeat that brat Shen Changchuan, you'd need someone at the Soul Emergence Ninth Layer at the very least!"
"And individuals at that Cultivation Realm are all contenders for the top fifty spots in the upcoming grand competition, a position that grants an opportunity to advance to the Divine Travel Realm."
"With their entire future on the line, I'm afraid not even the Daoist could compel them to come out..."
someone pointed out.
As his words fell,
the hall grew quiet once again.
It was true.
If they wanted to teach that brat Shen Changchuan a lesson, his combat record suggested that no one below the Soul Emergence Ninth Layer could hope to stand against him.
But because of the grand competition,
almost everyone with the qualifications and strength to interfere was in seclusion.
For a moment,
as the Daoist's followers, they couldn't find a single suitable person to handle Shen Changchuan.
"Haha, what's so difficult about that? Just leave it to me!"
Just then,
a hearty laugh boomed from outside the grand hall,
and a figure flew swiftly in through the main entrance.
At the same time, an incomparably powerful aura swept through, creating a visible shockwave of air that made the entire hall tremble!
"Brother Cen, you've broken through to the Soul Emergence Ninth Layer Realm?!"
Among the crowd,
the leader's eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer, and he cried out in delight.
"Haha! A fortunate success!"
"I heard you all saying that this Shen Changchuan disrespected the Daoist."
"Perfect. Now that my Cultivation has broken through, I need a good whetstone to test my edge."
"Since that Shen Changchuan has some skill, let's consider him an appetizer to liven things up before the main course!"
The man with the surname Cen laughed boisterously.