contemporary romance
The twenty-eighth day of the ninth lunar month.
The fourth day of the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly.
Compared to the three days prior, today’s bouts were extraordinarily fierce.
The reason was simple: in today’s “discussions of the Dao”, they’d decide the top hundred!
Neither the monsters of the ancient era nor the geniuses of the present day dared hold back any longer. One by one, they revealed their strength, fearing nothing more than suffering a setback at this critical juncture.
In the end, as night fell, the top hundred emerged victorious, and the list of their names was finalized!
Mount Heavenbristle.
“My lord, here is the list of the top hundred.” Weng Jiu proffered a jade slip.
The middle-aged man in simple cloth robes skimmed it, then said calmly, “I was eager for some sort of miracle, but I have to say that the vast majority of those on the list were well-known and thought highly of even prior to their participation in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly. It’s not at all surprising that they made it into the top hundred.”
Monsters of the ancient era and geniuses of the present day accounted for ninety percent of the names!
The remaining ten percent had extraordinary origins and cultivations too.
This result was within the middle-aged man’s expectations.
“If you’re looking for a black horse, Fellow Daoist Su’s attendant counts as one,” laughed Weng Jiu. “In today’s competition, Yuan Heng defeated a monster of the ancient era and two geniuses of the present day, advancing into the top hundred in one fell sweep. He made quite an impressive showing. Who knows how many old-timers exclaimed over him and tried to uncover his origins?”
“Yuan Heng most certainly doesn’t count as a black horse.” The middle-aged man shook his head. “With a heaven-defying figure like Su Yi as his master, how could Yuan Heng possibly perform poorly? It would have been stranger if he hadn’t made it into the top hundred.”
He paused, and a strange light appeared in his eyes. “But did you notice? Three of the top hundred are from the tiny and remote Great Zhou: Yuan Heng, Yue Shichan, and Ge Changling.”
He looked at Weng Jiu. “There’s no need to discuss Yuan Heng or Yue Shichan, but just who is this Ge Changling?”
“My lord, I was just about to report on him.” Weng Jiu’s eyes flashed. “Ge Changling’s cultivation technique and combat skills seem to share an origin with Yuan Heng’s.”
The middle-aged man hadn’t anticipated this. “Do you suspect that Ge Changling is connected to Su Yi too?”
“That's what's so strange. Ge Changling doesn’t seem to know Yuan Heng,” said Weng Jiu.
“Forget it,” said the middle-aged man. “No need to discuss this. Who among the ancient monsters and modern geniuses doesn’t have strangeness and secrets about them?”
He paused to think, then ordered, “Ol’ Jiu, keep watch over Orchid Terrace tomorrow morning. Should Fellow Daoist Su grace us with his presence, you are to welcome him personally.”
“Yes, sir.” Weng Jiu nodded his assent.
That night, when the list of the top hundred was released, Nine Tripod City was livelier and more boisterous than ever.
“Who do you think will take first place in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly?”
“Is there any need to even ask? It’ll definitely be Huan Shaoyou. He’s defeated every opponent thus far in a single attack! He’s unbelievably strong! He fought three geniuses of the present day and a monster of the ancient era today, but he defeated each in one attack too, one after another!”
“Huan Shaoyou really is one of the favorites to win, but there’s also Zeng Pu, Chi Jiansu, Buddhist Son Chen Lu, and a few other top contenders. They too have a chance at the number one spot.”
“I have to say that the monsters of the ancient era are a bit?too?strong. Only a select few geniuses of the present day can stand shoulder to shoulder with them.”
As night fell, discussions about the upcoming competition took place all over the city.
Whenever Huan Shaoyou’s name came up, everyone, regardless of age and seniority, had to admit that the descendant of the Demonic Huan Family was one of the favorites to win.
Similarly, in terms of collective strength, the monsters of the ancient era were quite a bit stronger than the geniuses of the present day.
Only the most dazzling of the geniuses of the present day—Buddhist Son Chen Lu, Li Handeng, Wen Xinzhao, and Yu Wenshu—could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the monsters of the ancient era.
Azurecloud Court.
“Not bad, not bad! I didn’t expect you to make it into the top hundred,” said Su Yi. It was rare for him to praise someone like this.
Factions of cultivators from all over the continent were paying attention to the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, but only about ten thousand qualified to participate. Their ranks included no shortage of dazzlingly powerful monsters and geniuses.
Yuan Heng’s talent and foundations in the Grand Dao weren’t overly astonishing, yet tonight, he’d advanced step by step, fighting his way into the top hundred. It truly hadn’t been easy.
“Master, it’s all thanks to you for teaching me an unparalleled and miraculous technique and guiding me. Without your assistance, I couldn’t possibly have achieved such success today.” Yuan Heng scratched his head and broke into an earnest grin.
Inwardly, he was overcome with emotion. Just a few months ago, he still lived in the Great Zhou, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t break into the Origin Dao and become a true yao cultivator.
Now, just a few months later, he entered the top hundred of the Great Xia’s Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly. The disparity was so enormous that he felt worlds apart from his past self.
Was this what they meant when they said, “When someone obtains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to prominence”?
“The Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly is ultimately but a single step toward your pursuit of the Grand Dao. A much longer road lies ahead; whatever you do, don’t let this make you complacent,” ordered Su Yi.
Yuan Heng nodded solemnly, then hesitated, but in the end, he couldn’t help but whisper, “Master, today, at the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, Huan Shaoyou kept pestering Miss Xinzhao and Miss Shichan. He was incredibly shameless, and he announced that, before long, he’d make both girls his….”
He trailed off, but his meaning was already perfectly clear.
Su Yi narrowed his eyes and said calmly, “You cannot stop people from throwing their lives away any more than you can stop the rain. Tomorrow, I’ll visit the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly for myself.”
Targeting those around him? Who could possibly tolerate that?
Morning the next day, the twenty-ninth day of the ninth lunar month.
The sun had only just risen when Yue Shichan finished preparing a piping-hot breakfast. All manner of flavors and fragrances were laid out across the table.
As Su Yi enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, Yuan Heng hired a carriage, which waited outside Azurecloud Court until they were done eating.
Before long, the carriage brought Su Yi, Yue Shichan, and Yuan Heng east, to Orchid Terrace.
It was a crisp autumn day.
The leaves of many of the city’s trees were already tinged with yellow, and beneath the morning sun, they shone radiant gold.
The sun had only just barely risen, but the roads were already packed with carts, carriages, and bustling human traffic. Everyone was rushing east to Orchid Terrace.
When they were still ten miles from Orchid Terrace, Su Yi and company had no choice but to exit the carriage and walk the rest of the way.
There was nothing for it; it was too crowded to travel by carriage.
Every street and alleyway was so packed that you couldn’t walk without bumping shoulders. The sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see, with periodic waves of uproar.
This lively occasion only made Su Yi frown.
Different people enjoyed different things.
To Su Yi, this was noisy and unpleasant.
“Let’s go.” Su Yi shook his head, then led the way forward.
On the way, when others saw Yue Shichan, the swordswoman in white, they frequently exclaimed. Some were excited, some were reverent, and others were downright fanatical.
“Hurry up and look! That’s Fairy Shichan! A true genius of the Dao of the Sword!”
“She really is just as the rumors say. She’s as pristine as jade, like a celestial beauty from on high. Just looking at her makes me ashamed of my own unsightliness.”
“Shallow! Cultivators such as ourselves ought to care most about her unmatched talent for the Dao of the Sword! Don’t you think that’s the most enchanting thing about her?”
When Su Yi heard these discussions, his gaze turned a bit strange. He suddenly realized that after the past four days of the competition, Yue Shichan had become a dazzling public figure.
What surprised him even more was that quite a few people took notice of Yuan Heng and discussed him, too.
Indeed, the whole world is watching the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly. Anyone with sufficient strength could use it as a platform to ascend to prominence and spread their name far and wide,?thought Su Yi.
As they neared the entrance to Orchid Terrace, there was a disturbance amidst the crowd. Immediately afterward, a purple-haired, golden-crowned, handsome youth approached Su Yi and his companions.
“Miss Shichan, I’ve been waiting here for you for quite some time.” Huan Shaoyou greeted her from afar, a hearty, unrestrained smile on his face.
Yue Shichan’s painted eyebrows knit together.
Yuan Heng’s expression darkened.?This guy sure is a pest! There’s no getting rid of him!
“Are you Huan Shaoyou?” asked Su Yi.
Huan Shaoyou froze, looked Su Yi up and down, then burst into hearty laughter. “It seems none in Nine Tripod City would dare impersonate me.”
His voice was full of pride.
“Oh?” said Su Yi, but he couldn’t be bothered to waste words. He said casually, “If you don’t want to die, keep your distance from Miss Shichan and Miss Xinzhao. If you’re dead set on seeking out your own demise, I wouldn’t mind assisting you.”
Numerous nearby cultivators were watching this exchange. When they heard this, they gasped, and their faces filled with disbelief.
Who is that guy? Where did he get the guts to talk to the famously cruel and overbearing monster of the Huan Family?
They were near the entrance to Orchid Terrace, so numerous prominent cultivators had gathered here already.
When they saw this, they couldn’t help but look over, their expressions strange.
Someone dares threaten Huan Shaoyou like that?
Who is this blue-robed youth?
Why haven’t we seen him before?
The surrounding area had been lively just moments before, but the atmosphere was suddenly tense and stifled.
Huan Shaoyou was stunned too. It seemed he dared not believe his ears. He pointed at his nose and said, “Are you threatening?me?”
His tone was exaggerated, and he looked downright astonished.
Su Yi said calmly, “Is it a threat or not? You’re welcome to try me and find out.”
Huan Shaoyou’s eyes flashed, but after a brief pause, he broke into an unbridled grin. “Alright! Tonight, after the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly ends, I’ll be sure to pay you a visit personally and see just how you’re going to kill me!”
A hint of disappointment flashed across Su Yi’s face. “And here I thought a frenzied, unbridled descendant of the Huan Family such as yourself would attack without hesitation after such provocation.”
Huan Shaoyou’s smile faded, and a bloodthirsty, ruthless chill appeared in the depths of his gaze.
The surrounding area was increasingly stifled.
It was a crisp autumn day, and it was chilly to begin with. As Huan Shaoyou’s smile faded, an even more piercing chill silently spread throughout the sky. Those nearby felt their bodies stiffen, and their hair stood on end.
Everyone could see that Huan Shaoyou was furious!
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