It turns out, they were the main characters.

She casually asked again, "When did the competition start?"

"Your Majesty, as agreed, it will begin in one incense stick's time," someone respectfully replied from the side.

"If an incense stick burns, then I should still have time to go back and see him..." Luo Tan thought to herself.

She had already arranged for Mu Zhian to meet her in her bedchamber tonight, but she came to Zunyun Academy instead.

However, he shouldn't be going back so soon, in less than an hour... Thinking of this, Luo Tan was about to look away.

However, just as she was about to look away, her attention was suddenly drawn to a boy in the crowd.

Mu Zhian...

Beside Mu Zhian were two women, one of whom had a rather pure and lovely appearance, and it was not hard to imagine that she would grow up to be a graceful and beautiful woman.

The other woman wore a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a cinched waist, embroidered with plump begonia flowers. A ribbon outlined her slender, sexy waist. Her figure was alluring, and her temperament was like a ripe peach, as if waiting to be picked.

Xiao Shuixian and the Princess.

"How did they get here...?"

Luo Tan's casual gaze froze slightly, and she subconsciously muttered something to herself.

Moreover, shouldn't the princess be extremely disgusted with Mu Zhi'an? Why is she walking with him now?

Although she is only the nominal wife of the Great Roc Emperor, in the eyes of the world, this princess is already a married woman... In public, the princess should try her best to avoid suspicion...

Luo Tan's eyes flickered, and she gently beckoned to her personal maid beside her, then gestured to her.

The maid glanced at Mu Zhi'an, immediately understood, and quietly turned and left the platform.

……

Led by Xiao Shuixian, Mu Zhian and the princess passed through the crowd and unknowingly arrived at Flying Fish Island on the north side, where a white jade platform was set up.

There was no one on the high platform at the moment, but a number of cultivators had gathered below. Most of these cultivators were students of Zunyun Academy, and they all seemed to care a lot about this battle.

Mu Zhian scanned the cultivators and saw many beautiful female students among them, wearing skirts that revealed their long, slender, snow-white legs. Some of them even wore black stockings similar to those Luo Tan wore when he went to the Liangyi Sect that day.

Yuzhou seems to be much more open than other states. Logically speaking, it would seem a bit strange to dress like this in a cultivation world, but in Yuzhou, everyone seems to be used to this kind of attire.

"What is Young Master Mu looking at?" Xiao Shuixian's melodious voice suddenly came from the side, her beautiful eyes gazing at Mu Zhi'an with gentle concern.

Although she didn't dress up deliberately today, her looks are still top-notch... but when Mu Zhian arrived, his gaze wandered to other girls instead.

"I'm just noting that you guys seem much more open than other states."

Mu Zhian smiled, his gaze falling on Xiao Shuixian, and continued, "Actually, there's something I haven't said yet."

"What did you say?" Xiao Shuixian blinked, clearly having successfully attracted Mu Zhian's attention.

"While my visit to Yuzhou was at His Majesty Luo Tan's invitation, I also came to Zunyun Academy today because there are people I wish to see here."

Xiao Shuixian was stunned for a moment. Soon, under Mu Zhian's gaze, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. She lowered her eyelids slightly and casually combed her hair, but her pretty face was a little hot.

Mu Zhian stared at her quietly for a moment, then suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "Sorry, you're still blaming me for plotting to kill Xiao Hua back then, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shuixian hurriedly looked up and said, "What are you saying, Young Master Mu? If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have known that his spiritual consciousness had been devoured by the foreign demons... At that time, he would no longer be my younger brother, Xiao Hua."

When Xiao Shuixian got to this point, she lowered her voice again and said, "In fact, if it weren't for Young Master Mu, Shuixian would probably still be being deceived by him."

Mu Zhian was taken aback: "You're not angry with me?"

“I’ve already said that this matter has nothing to do with Young Master Mu. On the contrary, you’ve done Narcissus a great favor.” Xiao Narcissus gently shook her head.

"That's wonderful. I thought Miss Narcissus was still blaming me." Mu Zhi'an revealed a relieved and gentle smile. His bright smile still attracted the attention of many female disciples nearby in the night. They couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him, and their eyes lit up immediately.

"Senior Sister Shuixian, is this your friend?" A female disciple who seemed to know Xiao Shuixian stepped forward to greet her, her smile gentle, but her beautiful eyes involuntarily looked into Mu Zhian's eyes.

Even though he tried to suppress the innate allure of the nine-tailed celestial fox, Mu Zhi'an still couldn't help but attract women's attention and favor.

Xiao Shuixian's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she still maintained a polite smile: "Um... he was invited by His Majesty."

"His Majesty?"

The female disciple's eyes lit up, but before she could speak, a maidservant approached from a distance, glanced at the group, and whispered, "Young Master Mu, His Majesty requests your presence."

The princess glanced at Mu Zhian subtly, a playful smile appearing on her stunningly beautiful face beneath her veil.

Mu Zhian had only just arrived, and Luo Tan had already noticed; their reaction was really quick...

……

When Mu Zhian and the others arrived at the distant viewing platform, they found that there wasn't a single person in sight. It seemed as if an invisible array was covering the entire viewing platform.

"You can't see what's going on inside the observation platform from outside, but you can see what's happening outside from the observation platform... This formation is truly amazing."

Mu Zhian looked around and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration when he saw the outside world through the viewing platform.

"This is a fourth-grade formation. Through this formation, we can prevent outsiders from spying on everything here," Xiao Shuixian explained from the side.

After saying that, she quickly remembered something and hesitated, "I forgot to ask earlier, who is that woman who is with Young Master Mu?"

"The Princess Consort of Yunzhou," Mu Zhian explained.

"Your Highness?!" Xiao Shuixian's eyes widened slightly, somewhat surprised.

She had heard of this name before. This woman was His Majesty's close friend. She had heard His Majesty say when she was serving before him that this princess had once saved his life.

Unexpectedly, this princess also came to Zunyun Academy, and she even came with Mu Zhian.

"Did Narcissus come too?"

Just then, a woman's calm and pleasant voice came from not far away.

Mu Zhian looked up and saw the elegant and noble Empress of Yuzhou.

Her long hair was loose, and she wore a luxurious headdress with gold tassels swaying gently. A pair of snow-white boots embroidered with gold trim encased her delicate, fair legs. The boots tapped lightly on the floor, adding a touch of nobility to the empress's elegant demeanor.

She leaned back in her chair, her gaze lingering on Mu Zhian for a moment before turning to Xiao Shuixian.

"Your Majesty," Xiao Shuixian bowed respectfully.

Luo Tan glanced at the beautiful young woman before him, smiled, and nodded: "Hmm, it seems you're only one step away from becoming a sixth-grade alchemist. Not bad."

"This is all thanks to His Majesty's past guidance. I, Shui Xian, have always kept it in mind and have never dared to forget it," Xiao Shui Xian replied respectfully.

Luo Tan smiled and nodded gently: "If I remember correctly, you seem to be in charge of many matters concerning the inner courtyard disciples today, right? I'll stay here, you can go and get busy."

Xiao Shuixian glanced at Mu Zhian hesitantly.

"Don't worry, with me here, there's no need to worry about Young Master Mu." Luo Tan crossed her left leg over her right, and as her skirt swayed, a glimpse of snow-white skin on her thigh could be seen between her boots and the skirt.

That makes sense. With His Majesty here, even if there are foreign envoys in the academy, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble. There's really nothing to worry about...

Xiao Shuixian smiled and said, "Since Your Majesty has important matters to discuss with Young Master Mu, then I will take my leave."

Luo Tan smiled and watched Xiao Shuixian's figure disappear from the viewing platform before her gaze fell on Mu Zhian.

"Why are you so far away from me? Do you think I'm going to eat you?" Luo Tan chuckled, her tone slightly teasing.

"No, I was just thinking about something." Mu Zhian walked over and sat down next to Luo Tan.

"What are you thinking? You can say whatever you want to say. There's an array I set up here, so outsiders can't enter, and they can't see what's happening on this viewing platform either," Luo Tan said with a smile.

Mu Zhian smiled without saying a word, thinking to himself that people outside couldn't see it, but it seemed like they could hear the sound, right?

That being said, she meant that the place was safe and no one would come near?

Could the underlying meaning be... that new CGs can be unlocked here?

Mu Zhian suddenly realized that Luo Tan seemed to have something in mind when she said that, and couldn't help but secretly scrutinize the empress beside him a few times.

“Actually, I originally planned to bring you to Zunyun Academy, but considering you might not like these kinds of conflicts, I came alone.” Luo Tan glanced tenderly at the boy and continued:

"I'm sorry, I should have told you first."

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhian couldn't help but sigh softly, "Although I really have no interest in joining in the fun, Your Majesty should have said something... or it would have been better if you had brought me to the academy."

Luo Tan raised an eyebrow, surprised, and said, "What? Are you interested in the battle between the cultivators of Yuzhou and the foreign apostles? Or do you want to come to the academy to see your little lover?"

As she finished speaking, her tone was somewhat teasing, clearly indicating that she had noticed Xiao Shuixian's feelings for Mu Zhi'an.

"I'm not particularly interested in the fighting here, it's just..."

Mu Zhian gave Luo Tan a complicated look and said in a low voice, "During His Majesty's stay at the academy... some things also happened in the palace."

Luo Tan's previously calm smile faded slightly, and she hesitated before asking, "What do you mean?"

Just as Mu Zhian was about to speak, a gentle and melodious female voice suddenly came from afar, interrupting their conversation: "Luo Tan, there are so many empty seats here, you shouldn't mind having one more person sit, right?"

Luo Tan looked up and met the gentle eyes of the mature and beautiful wife.

She immediately flashed a charming smile: "Of course I don't mind, but I didn't expect you to come to the academy to join in the fun. It's quite rare."

Princess Consort moved gracefully to sit down beside Mu Zhi'an, and smiled gently: "I happened to run into Young Master Mu when I went out tonight, so I came with him to take a look. Anyway, there's nothing to do in Yuzhou."

Luo Tan nodded gently: "No wonder you were with him tonight, did you run into him on the street?"

Just as he was pondering this, a maid's voice rang in Luo Tan's ears from outside the viewing platform: "Your Majesty, the head of the inner court wishes to see you; it seems there is something important to discuss."

Here we go again… Luo Tan frowned slightly, somewhat displeased that her mood had been disturbed.

In the past, whenever Luo Tan came to Zunyun Academy, the female headmaster, who was obsessed with alchemy, would ask her for advice on alchemy. She never expected that the other party would already know about her arrival tonight, as soon as she arrived at the academy.

"Then you can sit here for a while. I'll come back after I've dealt with things there." After saying that, Luo Tan walked out of the viewing platform and disappeared from Mu Zhian's sight.

Mu Zhian admired the scenery outside the viewing platform, then glanced at the beautiful married woman casually and said, "Were you stopping me just now, not wanting her to know about this?"

“My affair with you was a misunderstanding. If you tell Luo Tan, it will only cause more trouble and may even create unnecessary misunderstandings and rifts between me and her.”

This time, she disguised herself as Luo Tan, and there's no way to explain it. If Luo Tan finds out, she'll probably think that she took advantage of Luo Tan's absence from the palace to impersonate her and seduce Mu Zhi'an into intimacy with her...

The princess paused, then continued softly, "Instead of doing that, let's keep this a secret between us."

As she said this, she added with a touch of emotion, "I just never expected... that she chose you because she was born to be a furnace."

“It’s not just for the purpose of creating a furnace for the gods.” Mu Zhi’an smiled. “I have a good rapport with Her Majesty, and she has mentioned this before.”

"Since Your Highness knows her so well, you should also know that she wouldn't just choose anyone as her Daoist partner."

"Although the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court is several times richer than that of the Nine Provinces, it is still not enough to help her ascend to immortality. It seems that she did indeed take a liking to your other merits," the princess said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhian couldn't help but ask, "You only sensed a trace of Heavenly Court spiritual energy earlier, yet you concluded that I couldn't help her ascend to immortality?"

"I am the Great Dao Princess, and I know perfectly well whether the Heavenly Court's spiritual energy can help her ascend to immortality," the princess said softly.

Mu Zhian shook his head and smiled, "If you could sense a more concentrated Heavenly Court spiritual energy, you might not say that."