Chapter 446: Monarch's Arrival

"Is he Li Fei?"

"So young, only 18 years old."

"To think Martial Arts University actually sent him this time."

"."

Everyone's gaze turned toward Li Fei, and they began to whisper among themselves.

An 18-year-old in the Dao Foundation realm, with the fastest breakthrough speed in history, he was indeed quite legendary; even Martial Arts Masters couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

If such a person did not die young, their future achievements should at least start at the level of a Master!

"Are you the leader of this Martial Arts University delegation?"

Chi Xu looked at Li Fei with some surprise.

"Yes, thanks to the kindness of Principal Shi, the junior has been tasked with serving as the leader this time."

Li Fei said, neither humble nor pushy.

"Hah!"

Hearing this answer, the people around them showed expressions of astonishment.

Except for Nalan Zhi and others who had inquired about this beforehand, no one else had expected that the representative from Martial Arts University would actually be a student!

"Truly, the younger generation is to be feared."

Chi Xu fell silent for a moment and sighed with emotion.

He had some friendship with Professor Xiang Xiang Dongliang of Martial Arts University, and after chatting briefly with him, he took his leave.

After Chi Xu left, the eyes of those around still fell on Li Fei from time to time, and nine out of ten topics of conversation among the crowd were related to Li Fei.

More than ten minutes later, several buses drove into this flat area; the Great Luo Sect had arranged buses to pick up everyone present and take them away.

After everyone boarded, the buses drove out of Great Luo Town, and after driving for about thirty minutes, they arrived at the foot of Great Luo Peak.

Next, everyone needed to walk up the mountain.

At the foot of Great Luo Peak stood a white jade gate, inscribed with the three large characters: "Great Luo Sect."

Passing through the gate, there was a giant rock beside the mountain steps, engraved with four vigorous and powerful characters:

Ancestral Court of Daoism!

This stone was not placed by the Great Luo Sect itself, but was a gift from the founding Emperor of the Great Lan Dynasty!

Before the Great Lan Dynasty unified the entire Eastern Continent, Buddhism had always held more prestige and power than Daoism, with believers spread across the world, and in some countries, it was even designated as the state religion.

It was not until the establishment of the Great Lan Dynasty that the status of Daoism was gradually elevated.

To this day, it has completely surpassed Buddhism.

"I am Qingxia, representing the Great Luo Sect to welcome you all."

Beside the giant rock inscribed with "Ancestral Court of Daoism," a female Daoist priest wearing green Daoist robes, a Daoist crown, and holding a horsetail whisk, with an elegant and refined temperament, stood there smiling to welcome everyone.

This person was the Peak Master of Falling Glow Peak, True Person Qingxia.

Falling Glow Peak had always been responsible for the Great Luo Sect's external affairs, so this True Person Qingxia was the True Person who dealt with the outside world the most; many of the Martial Arts Masters present knew her and greeted her one after another:

"Greetings, True Person Qingxia."

"True Person, your grace remains as ever."

"."

True Person Qingxia also chatted very naturally with the various Martial Arts Masters, then turned to the side and made a gesture to lead the way:

"Everyone, please."

Thus, the group began to climb the mountain.

The people from the thirteen universities were all martial artists, so climbing the mountain was completely effortless.

Although True Person Qingxia, who came to welcome them, was not a martial artist, the Great Luo Sect valued techniques of nourishing life; as a True Person, she had spent years using true power to nourish her physical body, so her constitution was not poor, and she could easily keep up with everyone's pace.

After reaching the mountainside, everyone entered a patch of clouds and mist.

True Person Qingxia, walking at the very front, waved her hand, and the clouds and mist ahead actually retreated to both sides automatically, making the path clear.

It took only forty-some minutes for everyone to reach the summit, where they were then arranged to rest in different courtyards.

At the same time, everyone also received an invitation to the evening banquet:

Tonight, the Great Luo Sect would hold a Qionghua Banquet on this Great Luo Peak to entertain the representatives of the thirteen universities.

At that time, the Great Luo Sect Master, True Monarch Qingxu, would personally attend!

A banquet personally hosted by a True Monarch of the current age could be said to have reached the highest possible standard!

In the secular sense, a "Monarch" is the Son of Heaven, situated at the pinnacle of the secular world.

And the "Monarch" in True Monarch was meant to embody their nobility, holding a status equivalent to the "Sage" in Martial Sage.

One "Monarch," one "Sage"—both represent the pinnacle of the cultivation world!

Among the thirteen universities this time, except for Martial Arts University, the leaders of the other universities were all vice-principals, who were Martial Arts Masters.

Normally, if the Great Luo Sect sent a few True Persons or a Grandmaster to host the banquet and receive the guests, it would already be considered a sign of respect.

No one would think it inappropriate.

No one expected that True Monarch Qingxu would actually appear in person!

"I just heard a piece of news."

Inside the room, Ke Yan called Li Fei and the two professors together to share what he had learned:

"Every year, the Great Luo Sect refines a batch of elixirs for His Majesty in the palace to prolong his life. The elixirs are completed every August, and there has never been a mistake. But a week ago, the batch of elixirs the Great Luo Sect refined for His Majesty went missing."

"Missing? Where did they go missing?"

Professor Xiang Xiang Dongliang asked in surprise.

"That's the strange part; the elixirs were actually lost within the Great Luo Sect!"

Ke Yan's expression was strange.

The elixirs refined by the Great Luo Sect for His Majesty the Emperor were ultimately lost within the Great Luo Sect...

This matter was truly hard to justify.

This was the Great Luo Sect!

It possessed one True Monarch, one Martial Sage, and several True Persons and Grandmasters.

In such a place, could it really be invaded by an outside thief?

And if it were an inside job, the nature of the matter would be worth pondering.

To put it mildly, it was dereliction of duty; to put it severely, it was deceiving the Emperor!

"What is the reaction from the palace?"

Li Fei asked.

He had a hunch that this matter might affect the upcoming Martial Arts Exchange Tournament.

"There is no news from the palace yet, or rather, we cannot find out for the time being."

Ke Yan said bluntly.

When it came to matters at this level, even Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru might not be able to find out many secrets.

"So, is the reason True Monarch Qingxu is personally hosting this Qionghua Banquet tonight related to this matter, to show his attitude to the imperial court?"

Professor Xiang Xiang Dongliang spoke up.

"It's possible."

Ke Yan nodded; after all, since it involved a True Monarch, he dared not speak recklessly:

"I am just worried that the Martial Arts Exchange Tournament will have variables because of this."

"Even if there are variables, they are not something we can control; we should just take things as they come."

Li Fei said calmly.

"Xiao Fei is right."

Professor Xiang Xiang Dongliang smiled, "We should just focus on doing our part; if something really happens, the principal is there to handle it for us."

"Alright."

Ke Yan nodded, "I'll go and inquire some more."

Although he knew it might not be useful, he still wanted to do his best to complete the work he could do.

Afterward, Li Fei returned to his room to continue cultivating, quietly waiting for nightfall.

At 7:30 PM, the university representatives staying in the various courtyards walked out one after another and were guided by disciples of the Great Luo Sect toward a grand hall.

Tonight, the Great Luo Sect would hold the Qionghua Banquet in this hall.

True Person Qingxia, the Peak Master of Falling Glow Peak, stood at the entrance of the hall to personally welcome everyone, smiling as she ushered each representative into the hall.

This evening's banquet was for university representatives, so only Li Fei, the two professors, and Ke Yan went, while the two teams of Martial Peace Guards remained at the courtyard.

After entering the hall, Li Fei took a look around and saw that there were rows of tables and chairs arranged vertically on both sides of the hall, and a row of tables and chairs arranged horizontally at the main seat in the front.

He casually found a seat near the entrance and sat down, while Ke Yan and the others sat at the same table as him.

The table was set with exquisite pastries, fruit platters, and wine.

Li Fei sat silently in his seat, closing his eyes to rest his mind, manipulating the Blood Fiend Qi and the two types of Innate One Qi within his body to combine them, constantly optimizing the several types of force he had created.

About twenty minutes later, the representatives of the thirteen universities had all arrived and were seated on both sides of the hall.

"Welcome, Sect Master Senior Brother!"

Suddenly, True Person Qingxia's crisp voice rang out in the hall.

This voice immediately caused everyone to stop talking and stop what they were doing, and they all stood up!

Li Fei also ended his cultivation, opened his eyes, rose from his seat, and turned to look toward the direction of the main entrance.

True Person Qingxia bowed slightly toward the outside of the main gate.

A moment later, a group of people walked into the main hall.

The person in the lead wore a Daoist robe of the same style as True Person Qingxia, with a purple-gold Daoist crown on his head and long, flowing sleeves; he looked to be about forty years old, with a refined and elegant face, possessing an indescribable air of detachment from the world, as if an immortal had descended to the mortal realm.

There was no need for an introduction; the moment everyone present saw this person, they knew he must be the Sect Master of the Great Luo Sect, the number one person in the Daoist world, and a True Monarch of the current age—Qingxu!

"Greetings, Sect Master Senior Brother."

True Person Qingxia said respectfully.

"Greetings, True Monarch Qingxu!"

Everyone present, whether they were experts in the Dao Foundation realm or Martial Arts Masters, all cupped their hands and bowed to him.

A True Monarch is like a king in the cultivation world, a person who truly stands at the peak of the mountain looking down upon the human world!

This was also the first time Li Fei had seen one of these pinnacle figures among the "One Supreme, Three Evils, Five True Monarchs, and Seven Martial Saints."

"Junior Sister, there is no need for such formalities, and neither is there for everyone else."

True Monarch Qingxu first smiled and helped True Person Qingxia up, then spoke to everyone present.

Then, he led True Person Qingxia and the others who had walked into the main hall with him toward the main seat at the front, and they sat down in order behind that row of long tables:

"Everyone, please sit as well."

After everyone had taken their seats, Li Fei noticed a short, thin old man sitting to the left of True Monarch Qingxu.

Sitting on the right was a middle-aged man with a burly build, who looked like a martial artist at a glance.

True Person Qingxia sat in the second seat on the left.

The second seat on the right was likely also a martial artist; the aura of slaughter on their body was very heavy and undisguised.

"The person in the first seat to the left of True Monarch Qingxu is the Peak Master of Flying Cloud Peak, True Person Qingyun, who is in charge of the Great Luo Sect's discipline; his status in the Great Luo Sect ranks third."

Ke Yan sat beside Li Fei and whispered an introduction for him:

"The person in the first seat on the right has the Daoist name Grandmaster Qingfan, and he is a Grandmaster!"

"You already know the person in the second seat on the left, True Person Qingxia; the person in the second seat on the right has the Daoist name Qinglin, and he is a Martial Arts Master."

So, for this Qionghua Banquet tonight, the Great Luo Sect had sent one True Monarch, one Grandmaster, two True Persons, and one Martial Arts Master!

Li Fei looked at the seating arrangement, lost in thought.

As a Grandmaster, Grandmaster Qingfan sat in the first seat on the right, his status one notch lower than that of the Flying Cloud Peak Master, True Person Qingyun.

In martial arts cultivation, above the Dao Foundation realm is the Martial Arts Master, then the Martial Arts Grandmaster, and finally the Martial Saint.

As for spell cultivation, above the Great Mage of the Possession realm is the True Person of the True Spirit realm, and finally, the True Monarch of the True One realm.

It has one fewer major realm than martial arts.

Therefore, the level of True Person corresponds to two martial arts realms simultaneously; whether a contemporary True Person is comparable to a Martial Arts Master or a Martial Arts Grandmaster mainly depends on how their life-bound magic treasure is refined and how many life-bound magic treasures they possess.

The combat power of Flying Cloud Peak Master True Person Qingyun is naturally comparable to a Grandmaster, but this is not the reason why his ranking is higher than Grandmaster Grandmaster Qingfan.

The path of spells originated from both Buddhism and Daoism from the very beginning.

It can be said that the Daoism and Buddhism of this world both started by relying on spells.

The reason why those later evil sects all focus on cultivating spells is that spells are easy to use to bewitch people's hearts.

Of course, for the already established Buddhist and Daoist schools, it can no longer be called bewitching hearts; for them, it is called faith!

In view of this, whether it is the three Daoist sects or Mount Pudu Temple, although they emphasize both spells and martial arts, those who truly hold the power of discourse are the experts who cultivate the path of spells.

This is the reason why True Person Qingyun's status is higher than Grandmaster Grandmaster Qingfan's.

"Thank you all for taking the time to attend and coming to my Great Luo Sect for this gathering; on behalf of the Great Luo Sect, I express my gratitude to you all."

True Monarch Qingxu picked up the wine cup on the table, "I offer you all a toast."

Everyone raised their cups one after another.

After drinking a cup, the banquet for tonight was officially considered started.

The Great Luo Sect had not prepared any exciting song and dance performances for everyone to watch, so the atmosphere was slightly dull.

Seeing this, True Person Qingxia took the initiative to propose a few toasts, then began to toast the representatives of the thirteen universities one by one.

Soon, it was Wu'an University's turn.

"I heard that the team leader for Wu'an University this time is a student named Li Fei."

True Person Qingxia asked.

Upon hearing this, Li Fei took the initiative to stand up and bow:

"Junior Li Fei, greetings to you, True Person."

"Please, sit down quickly, no need for such formalities."

Qingxia said with a smile, "I have heard of your great name all the way up on Great Luo Mountain; your speed in breaking through to the Dao Foundation realm is the first in history, truly a formidable younger generation. With this cup of wine, I want to congratulate Wu'an University for recruiting such a peerless prodigy!"

Hearing this, Ke Yan and the other two professors also stood up and raised their wine cups together:

"Many thanks, True Person Qingxia."

True Person Qingxia had only toasted one cup to the other universities previously, but at this moment, she had no intention of ending it, instead smiling and continuing:

"The record that has been sealed in the martial arts world for many years has been broken, which shows that the development of martial arts is becoming more and more prosperous; this is a fortunate event for all martial artists in the world! Therefore, I propose that we all drink a cup together to celebrate the birth of this prodigy!"

Once these words were spoken, Li Fei was stunned for a moment.

This was giving him a huge amount of face!

He turned his head to look at Ke Yan, wanting to know if the other party had done their "homework" in private.

Ke Yan whispered: "It has nothing to do with me; it's all thanks to you."

The scene was somewhat quiet; True Monarch Qingxu was the first to raise his cup, and the others, seeing this, also raised their cups one after another.

Thus, one True Monarch, one Grandmaster, two True Persons, over a dozen Martial Arts Masters, and dozens of Dao Foundation realm experts drank a cup together once more—

Celebrating one person!

After finishing this cup, Li Fei immediately bowed to everyone:

"Many thanks to all you seniors for your favor; this junior is overwhelmed."

"No need to be overwhelmed; since you have set a record that is the first in history, you are indeed worthy of this celebration."

True Monarch Qingxu laughed.

Hearing this, Ke Yan and the two professors from Wu'an University felt honored, and many people present also showed expressions of envy.

After this Qionghua Banquet, Li Fei would inevitably become famous throughout the world!

"Many thanks, True Monarch!"

Li Fei bowed again.

Just at this moment, a voice suddenly rang out:

"True Monarch Qingxu, and everyone, I have a suggestion."

Everyone turned their heads to look.

They saw Nalan Zhi stand up.

Seeking monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)