Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 306 Overseas Immortal Sects
Several days later, the grand gathering of the Immortal Sect in the Sea was held as scheduled.

Ye Tinglan rode in a phoenix chariot, carrying Lu Xingzhou, A Nuo, and his apprentice, with various flying magical artifacts following behind, and a large number of people from the Tianyao Holy Land heading towards the sea.

The higher-ups of Tianyao were a little puzzled. In the past, when the sect leader went out with the group like this, she would usually gather the higher-ups in her carriage to discuss matters. But this time, she only brought a few people, who looked like a family of four.

But everything was fine; they were on the deck, not hiding in the cabin, so no one could tell there was anything wrong.

In reality, there was nothing fishy going on. Ye Tinglan was explaining the situation of the Grand Competition in the Sea to his "three disciples," including Dugu Qingli, who was hearing about this for the first time.

"Nominally, it's a competition to determine who is the king of the sea... Isn't that a bit strange?" Ye Tinglan asked with a smile as she brewed tea.

Lu Xingzhou said, "Within the known territory, including the known immortal sects overseas, Tianyao Holy Land is recognized as the strongest sect. Who would dare to raise such a banner and say that they want to decide who is the king? Wouldn't that be an open provocation against Tianyao Holy Land?"

Ye Tinglan gave her lover an approving look, then glared at her disciple.

They're all young people. Look how fast your master's mind works, while you just stand there spacing out.

Dugu Qingli didn't understand the meaning behind her master's gaze at all and continued to listen to the lecture in a daze.

Ye Tinglan said, "A long time ago, when the Tianyao Immortal Sect rose to prominence, it naturally didn't have any reputation as the number one sect or holy land. Those were all the accolades accumulated by generations of predecessors through victories in the struggles of the immortal path, in the storms of the martial world, and in various grand competitions. When you are truly the number one sect in the world, what will you do? Subdue them one by one, so that only your voice can be heard in the world?"

Dugu Qingli said, "Is that not allowed?"

Ye Tinglan smiled and asked Lu Xingzhou, "The Heavenly Sword Sect is already the de facto number one in Xia Prefecture, so why can't it bring all the sects in Xia Prefecture under its control?"

"Too many constraints and too much backlash make it impossible. The important thing is to maintain prestige and deterrence, so that Xiazhou will naturally only have the voice of the Tianxing Sword Sect." Lu Xingzhou paused, "Although the Tianyao Holy Land is not as afraid of this and that as the Tianxing Sword Sect, it is obviously constrained as well. In fact, the so-called number one in the world cannot create a dimensional difference with others, and it cannot achieve complete conquest and unification."

"Indeed... While a Super Grade sect can easily overwhelm a First Grade sect, it still has a chance of being overwhelmed in a pincer attack. So even if it's just a First Grade sect, multiple sects working together could pose a threat to us. Besides, no one knows if any sect is hiding a Super Grade sect, which makes it difficult to create a significant difference in power. We can't truly dominate the world." Ye Tinglan said calmly, "Therefore, what we need to do is still the same as the Heavenly Sword Sect did with Xiazhou: maintain our prestige and ensure deterrence."

Lu Xingzhou said, "And since you are not the demonic path, you will not bully people for no reason to intimidate them. Therefore, maintaining this grand competition that has lasted for ten thousand years is actually a declaration of strength."

“Indeed. Every competition like this is a way for the Tianyao Holy Land to show its strength. What we seek is not to win, but to demonstrate superior pressure... For example, our participants are younger than others, yet stronger. Whether in the sea or the Great Qian, those who want to become disciples and seek the Dao always yearn for the Tianyao Immortal Sect the most. That is it.”

Hearing this, Lu Xingzhou and Dugu Qingli understood what Ye Tinglan was trying to say.

She was still a little worried. It seemed that this year's Tianyao disciples were not very good, and they had fallen to the point where they had to rely on Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo to save face.

They possess the best "source of talent" in the world, able to select and recruit the finest individuals, yet they still cannot guarantee that every generation will produce geniuses, which seems somewhat awkward. Among them, Ye Tinglan, as the sect leader, must bear some responsibility for this, after all, she has devoted a great deal of energy to the power struggles within the Great Qian Dynasty and the battles against the demon race, inevitably neglecting the cultivation of her own internal talents.

Generally speaking, other sects would have a right-hand man to handle these kinds of matters. It's very likely that the one who initially promised was Yuan Muyu.
Putting aside other matters, Yuan Muyu was exceptionally skilled at teaching his disciples. Without revealing the secret techniques of the Tianyao Holy Land, and using only a patchwork of miscellaneous skills, he cultivated Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo's strength to a considerable degree. Even the powerful figures recruited by the Yama Palace were guided to further advancements. For instance, Ji Wenchuan's path to becoming a first-rank expert was entirely due to Yuan Muyu's guidance, and Ye Wufeng's rise to the top among the new talents wasn't solely due to his master, Tan Xinhong.

Yuan Muyu's departure may have also affected some of Tianyao Holy Land's strategies... Perhaps promoting Ye Wufeng to become the number one new talent is Yuan Muyu's way of challenging Tianyao Holy Land.

Ye Tinglan said, "Xingzhou has broadened my path, and I won't be too limited by the Great Qian Dynasty in the future... Once some things are resolved, I will focus more on internal training. That's a matter for later. In any case, this time, you not only have to win, but you have to win beautifully."

Lu Xingzhou pondered, "The situation in the sea is different from that in the Great Qian... The Great Qian only has the Tianyao Holy Land and the royal family as its publicly known super-grade sects. It is unknown whether there are any super-grade sects in the sea."

Ye Tinglan replied simply, "Yes. However, most of the immortal sects in the sea do not concern themselves with the mortal world, unlike us."

"Could there be any unexpected changes in such a major competition?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm... the ancient visitors venturing into the sects of the present world, Gu Zhanting's desire to suppress the Tianyao Holy Land, and Yuan Muyu's desire to humiliate the Tianyao Holy Land."

"The first two things happened before... but it wasn't Gu Zhanting back then, it was his ancestors." Ye Tinglan smiled. "The Great Qian royal family has always harbored resentment towards the existence of the Tianyao Holy Land, and it didn't start with Gu Zhanting. As for the last one, I don't know. Perhaps you know her better than I do?"

Lu Xingzhou absolutely could not admit this: "I was just saying... I have no idea what Yuan Muyu is thinking."

Ah Nuo ate her tea and snacks, stealing a glance at him, but remained silent. Ye Tinglan asked, "If Yuan Muyu really does appear here, what will you do?"

"..." Lu Xingzhou didn't know what would happen to him.

It's undeniable that Yuan Muyu is her unattainable love, and to say she's completely forgotten him would be self-deception. But when she actually saw him, she felt speechless, and it was better not to see him at all.

After all, I already have a lover now, so the so-called "white moonlight" is no longer meaningful.

What should I say when I see you? You're here too?
Or are we enemies in this competition?
Forget it, why think so much? We don't even know if the person will come, so why make trouble for ourselves?

After thinking for a long time, he gave what he thought was the truthful answer: "Even if we meet again, we will be strangers."

Ah Nuo glanced at him again, hesitating to speak, then lowered her head to eat the cake.

Ye Tinglan smiled and said, "I thought you would turn around and run away."

Lu Xingzhou asked in surprise, "Why would I be avoiding her?"

Ye Tinglan stared at him for a long time, and seeing that he genuinely believed it, she felt a little strange. "When I was talking to her through the jade talisman, I could smell her jealousy even from thousands of miles away. You really didn't know?"
I wonder what her reaction will be if she sees you and me being so intimate...

However, in this competition, with everyone watching, Ye Tinglan certainly can't show any intimacy with the young man, and Yuan Muyu probably won't be able to tell anything... It's just unknown what judgment the jade talisman communication stimulation from last time will leave on her.

Amidst their differing thoughts, a misty, ethereal fairy island appeared ahead.

As you get closer, you can see that there are more than ten distinct groups of people standing on the island, seemingly not interacting much, and the atmosphere between them is not very harmonious.

Of course, harmony was impossible. Lu Xingzhou had already sensed that several groups of people possessed a strong demonic aura... This even included demonic cultivators... and perhaps even sea monsters.

With such a diverse mix, harmony among them is impossible. But regardless of the individual perceptions of the other immortal sects, they will all share a common goal in this grand competition: to humiliate the Tianyao Holy Land.

Or rather, this grand competition is a way to test the true strength and weakness of the Tianyao Holy Land.

Once the prestige of the Tianyao Holy Land is shaken, it may be surrounded by wolves and raging storms.

Sure enough, as Ye Tinglan's palanquin descended, a sarcastic voice immediately rang out: "The Tianyao Immortal Sect always acts so pretentious, arriving last and leaving everyone waiting... The number one sect in the world is indeed Shezhe."

Ye Tinglan coldly replied, "If you are the number one sect in the world, I am willing to wait without complaint. If you don't have that ability, then you'd better keep it to yourself."

As the words were spoken, the imperial carriage suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

The light, like moonlight, gently shone on the source of the sound. The man groaned and was blasted back several feet, spitting out blood. Many people behind him quickly caught him, all looking at Ye Tinglan's carriage, daring not to speak out in anger.

Lu Xingzhou looked at this gentleman with surprise... She rarely showed such domineering behavior; she was usually calm and aloof. She never expected to witness such an almost demonic display of domineering power; his aura was almost unrecognizable.

Ye Tinglan transmitted her voice softly: "The Demonic Sect is arrogant, fearing power but not virtue, and doing whatever they want to do."

Lu Xingzhou grunted twice and then glanced at the group of people.

The provocation in "The Demonic Path" doesn't seem like something a truly stupid person would do. Could it be that he was instigated by someone?
After looking for a long time, I didn't see any familiar faces.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Transitional chapter. This chapter was written with an IV drip inserted; this IV needs to last five days. I really don't understand why enteritis is so difficult to treat.

(End of this chapter)