Chapter 495: First Hearing of the Immortal Sect

In the Rear Courtyard of Lan Yuan stands an old osmanthus tree, currently in bloom; tiny, golden-yellow flower grains hide among the dense green leaves, and whenever the wind passes, the entire courtyard is filled with a sweet fragrance.

Finally, the last day has been endured.

Today, no one practiced their combined drills.

Wang Ji had the steward set the evening banquet beneath the osmanthus tree.

Once night falls in Tianqi City, there is a slight chill, but the stone tables and stools under the osmanthus tree were covered with thick brocade cushions, and the wine and food, spread out in abundance, were steaming hot, so it did not feel cold at all.

Several lanterns hung from the branches, their candlelight diffusing through the thin paper and bathing the entire Rear Courtyard in a warm glow.

Huo Luan was the first to take a seat, reaching out to grab a glistening roasted chicken leg and stuffing it into his mouth, muttering with his mouth full of grease: "Wang Ji, you should have done this long ago."

"Practicing, practicing, practicing every single day, I've almost lost my appetite."

"Your own cook's skills are even better than those at the restaurants outside."

Gu Niangzi sat opposite him; for once, she was not wearing her usual outfit that jingled when she moved, having changed into a simple, moon-white long dress, her hair loosely coiled into a bun and held in place by a single jade hairpin.

She picked up her wine cup and sipped it in small mouthfuls, and upon hearing Huo Luan's words, she gave a light huff: "That's all the ambition you have. Tomorrow is the Martial Dao competition; if you eat too much grease tonight, let's see how you'll be able to run once you're on the field tomorrow."

Huo Luan did not take it to heart, tearing off another half a chicken and stuffing it into his mouth: "Don't worry, I, Huo Luan, may not have other skills, but I digest fast. I can eat three pounds of meat in one sitting, and I'll be faster than anyone when it comes to fighting."

This girl is truly bold and unconstrained; no wonder her heart is so broad.

Cheng Feng said nothing on the surface, but inwardly he chuckled.

Liu Yu sat at the corner of the stone table, a pot of warmed yellow wine before him, his cup never more than one-third full.

He ate very little, occasionally lifting his eyes to check the movements around the courtyard, and when he set his chopsticks down, they never made a sound.

For this past month, he had kept himself at his tightest, appearing as if he were ready to draw his blade even while eating.

Cheng Feng sat next to Liu Yu, his bowl splashed with a few specks of oil from Huo Luan's chopsticks.

He did not mind, picking up a few stalks of greens and eating slowly.

Wang Ji did not say much tonight, but he could tell that she had deliberately left some things for the very end.

"Tomorrow, the first round is a melee at the Tianqi City Great Drill Ground, starting at the hour of the Snake." Wang Ji raised her wine cup, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the three, her voice not loud, yet it drew everyone's attention.

"The Immortal sects will send people to observe the battle. Which sect exactly, or who is coming, I haven't been able to find out, but the news is confirmed and accurate."

She paused for a moment, the wine in her cup swaying slightly: "You should all know that the true value of the Martial Dao competition lies not in any ranking or reward, but in the favor of those who come from the upper sects."

"Any sect, any Elder or True Disciple—as long as they take a liking to your Root Bone and aptitude and take you back to be an Outer Disciple, it is a stroke of fortune that could not be cultivated in several lifetimes."

Huo Luan's chewing slowed down, and Gu Niangzi's fingers tightened around her wine cup. Only Liu Yu and Cheng Feng's expressions remained unchanged, but Cheng Feng knew in his heart that for someone like Liu Yu, being calm did not mean he did not care.

"That is why the first round is very important." Wang Ji set her cup down and tapped her fingertip lightly on the rim.

"Those people from the upper sects will not just look at the final. A melee is where one's instincts, reactions, and Root Bone are most visible."

"No matter how securely you huddle in your formation, if you don't show your face from start to finish, they won't notice you at all."

Huo Luan frowned and said: "So, Wang Ji, you mean we cannot just defend tomorrow?"

"Balance offense and defense," Wang Ji said. "In the first round, my position is at the heart of the formation, but this time I do not need you to wrap me up tightly."

"Liu Yu will be responsible for support, and the three of you will be at the front."

"When you need to charge, you must charge; when you need to show what you have, you must show it."

"You must let people see your strength, but do not throw your lives away."

Gu Niangzi gave a "che" sound, finished the wine in her cup, and said gloomily: "When all is said and done, it's still about gambling our lives for the favor of those Immortals."

"Wang Ji, I've heard that in the eyes of those upper sects, an Immortal Seed is just like a good sprout in a fertile field; once discovered, they will be taken away immediately."

"With your aptitude, if you stand on the field tomorrow, I'm afraid it will be more effective than all of us combined."

Wang Ji smiled, neither denying nor confirming it.

She simply poured herself another cup of wine, drank it down, and then said: "That is why you must fight even better."

"The upper sects only take away the seeds, but if the people around the seed are too poor, the people from the upper sects won't give them a second look."

Cheng Feng had been silent, and only spoke up upon hearing this: "Wang Ji means that if we perform well on the field, when you are favored by the upper sects, we might also have a chance to be brought along."

"Being 'brought along' is a bit of an ugly way to put it, but the meaning is about the same." Wang Ji looked at him, her gaze open and honest.

"Cultivators also need subordinates in the secular world. Even an Outer Sect Servant is better than rolling in the dust of the mortal world."

The stone table was silent for a moment. Osmanthus flowers fell from the branches, drifting down into the wine cup in front of Cheng Feng, floating on the amber liquid.

Huo Luan suddenly set down the chicken bone in his hand heavily, picked up his wine cup, and stood up: "Fine, Immortal Fate or no Immortal Fate, let's fight first."

"If anyone drops the ball on the field tomorrow, when we get back, I'll treat them to a month of mutton at the Zuixian Tower in West City, until they want to vomit the moment they see a sheep!"

Gu Niangzi giggled, stood up with her wine cup as well, her slender waist twisting into a beautiful curve under the lamplight: "If I drop the ball, I'll wash your socks for a month when I get back."

"Then count me in," Cheng Feng stood up, his tone not particularly heroic, but every word landed firmly, "I will not drop the ball."

Liu Yu was the last to stand, saying nothing, only downing the wine in his cup in one gulp and knocking the bottom of the cup against the stone table, which served as his agreement.

Wang Ji looked at the four of them, a faint warmth rising in the depths of her eyes.

It is not that there are no other suitable experts elsewhere, but to truly catch Wang Ji's eye and match Wang Ji's temperament, there are truly not many.

She poured her final cup, raised it toward the four of them: "After tomorrow, no matter the result, I acknowledge you four as my people."

The five clinked glasses, osmanthus flowers falling one after another, sticking to the surface of the wine, the sweet fragrance mixing with the scent of alcohol, as if to brew this night into honey.

The meal did not break up until late at night. Cheng Feng returned to his room, not in a hurry to sleep.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations for several more cycles until the Qi and Blood in his chest were steady and his mind was completely calm, only then slowly opening his eyes.

He brought up his Panmian and took a look. Dragon Snake Nine Transformations, First Transformation (461/800).

Three hundred and thirty-nine points remained until the second transformation.

The competition starts tomorrow; it is impossible to reach it tonight, and he no longer forced it.

This month of high-intensity combined drills and night cultivation had already honed his physical body and Blood Qi to a considerably sharp degree.

He took several bottles of medicinal powders from his Storage Ring and arranged them on the table by category: Recovery Powder, Hemostatic Powder, Clearing Heart Powder.

Outside the window, in the direction of the distant Great Drill Ground, came a few muffled drum beats; it was the final drum test before tomorrow's competition. The sound of the drums traveled through the night sky like the low breathing of a giant beast.

Cheng Feng gathered the medicinal powders one by one into the leather pouch close to his body, blew out the lamp, and lay down fully clothed.

Before he closed his eyes, the final image in his mind was the sight of the women in his home in Qingxi County holding their children, crowding the doorway as they gazed toward him.

Then he fell asleep.

He had no dreams throughout the night.