For a moment, the clamor in the martial arts arena subsided as everyone turned to look. They saw a group of over a dozen people flying in from a high place, dressed in extremely peculiar attire that was not of the Central Plains style. Even more bizarre was that each person was riding various spirit birds and beasts.
The leading man appeared to be in his forties, with strong, bare arms and a long, wide, and luxurious belt. His face was quite handsome, though there was a hint of sternness between his brows. The crowd was astonished to see him riding a giant scarlet centipede spirit several meters tall.
Mr. Zuo Qiu’s face lit up with a hint of joy as he quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, “Mr. Shen, it is an honor for the East Sea Wanxian Association to come to our academy for the selection of new disciples.”
The name of the East Sea Wanxian Association was not known to all immortals, but those who did know were greatly surprised. It was well known that the mountain and sea factions had never intersected, and the academy’s cultivation methods were of the mountain faction style. It was indeed strange for the East Sea Wanxian Association to come here to select disciples.
Mr. Shen leaped down from the back of the centipede spirit, which obediently lowered its body and remained still in the corner of the martial arts arena. No one knew how they managed to tame such a monster so obediently; the sea faction was indeed extraordinarily peculiar.
“Mr. Zuo Qiu, it has been decades since we last met, hasn’t it? My mischievous daughter has caused you quite a bit of trouble. I brought her to apologize to you,” Mr. Shen said, returning the salute with a smile, his previously stern expression softening considerably.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman in red, none other than the long-missed Miss Ajiao. Today, her attire was still peculiar, not revealing her shoulders but instead showing a section of her fair, slender forearm, which drew the furtive glances of many young male disciples nearby.
She giggled at Mr. Zuo Qiu and whispered, “I finally convinced my father.”
Mr. Zuo Qiu merely smiled and invited the members of the East Sea Wanxian Association to take their seats.
They were indeed here to select disciples! The various immortals were greatly astonished. What was the academy planning? To unite the mountain and sea factions? The cultivation styles of the two factions were vastly different; how could this be easily achieved?
Some with keen minds thought deeply and immediately understood the deeper meaning. Perhaps the selection of new disciples was just a pretext, and the academy intended to unite the mountain and sea factions to jointly oppose the Sea Abyss. This had been attempted before, but it ended in disaster. Why was this being brought up again now?
Master Dongyang pondered for a moment and suddenly said, “Girl, you can go wander around for a bit.”
Li Fei was somewhat stunned, watching him walk towards Mr. Zuo Qiu—did this immortal not want to take her to the Wuyue Pavilion?
She looked around blankly. Lei Xiuyuan and Ji Tongzhou were surrounded by people wherever they went, causing a commotion. In contrast, her side seemed a bit desolate.
She had no choice but to wander along the edge of the martial arts arena. Many small immortal sects she passed by were quite sincere in their recruitment, each with a friendly demeanor.
After walking for a while, she suddenly smelled a strong fragrance. It made her sneeze several times. Looking up, she saw five or six extremely glamorous women sitting or standing not far ahead, each with a very low neckline, revealing a large portion of their fair chests. The male disciples around couldn’t help but glance their way, and the women exchanged flirtatious glances and smiles, very alluring.
Seeing Li Fei, a little girl, staring at them, one of the women approached her and said softly, “Little sister, you have such a lovely appearance. Would you like to join our Yao Yu Sect? We don’t care about spiritual root attributes, as long as you’re a pretty girl.”
Li Fei saw that her neckline was almost down to her navel, and the strong fragrance made her eyes sting. She hurriedly shook her head, “I… thank you, but I’d better not…”
The woman leaned closer to Li Fei, noticing a faint, fresh fragrance on her, and was even more delighted. She grabbed Li Fei’s arm and wouldn’t let go, saying repeatedly, “You’re so young and already so good at making perfumes. What fragrance are you wearing that’s so pleasant? Little sister, you must come to our Yao Yu Sect.”
Li Fei kept retreating until she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Lei Xiuyuan’s voice sounded above her, “Yao Yu Sect? Can I join too?”
The woman saw Lei Xiuyuan’s handsome appearance and liked him very much, smiling as she said, “Yao Yu Sect doesn’t accept men, unfortunately. But if this little girl joins our Yao Yu Sect, you two can still be together often, and you might not be able to separate even if you wanted to.”
She giggled, her expression ambiguous.
Lei Xiuyuan quickly pulled Li Fei away, saying, “Then forget it. She must join the same sect as me.”
He dragged Li Fei far away, and only when the women of the Yao Yu Sect were out of sight did he release her arm, frowning, “You… want to join that sect?”
Li Fei hurriedly waved her hand, “How could I! They were the ones who wouldn’t let go of me!”
Lei Xiuyuan added, “That Yao Yu Sect is known for dual cultivation, and its reputation isn’t great. It’s best not to go.”
Dual cultivation? What was that? Li Fei wanted to ask, but seeing Lei Xiuyuan’s expression that didn’t want to discuss it, she just smiled and said, “You’re quite popular. I thought you wouldn’t be able to get away for a while.”
Lei Xiuyuan said indifferently, “Aren’t you going to the Wuyue Pavilion? Why are you wandering around?”
Li Fei smiled bitterly, “It seems Master Dongyang doesn’t think much of me. He’s talking to Mr. Zuo Qiu, so I’m just looking around.”
Lei Xiuyuan shook his head, “Even immortals can be blind. Come with me.”
He pulled Li Fei’s sleeve and led her through the crowd, where they saw dozens of immortals with celestial demeanor sitting opposite. Each immortal had a male and female disciple standing behind them, their attire very elegant, with black edges on the sleeves and collar, the rest a light white, appearing very pure.
“These are the other elders of the Wuyue Pavilion,” Lei Xiuyuan said, pushing Li Fei forward, “Why must you join Master Dongyang’s sect?”
Li Fei took a few steps forward, and the immortals’ gazes lingered on her for a moment before all fell on Lei Xiuyuan behind her… It was obvious, the difference between an ordinary disciple and a popular one.
Li Fei mustered her courage and approached a middle-aged woman with a kind face, bowing, “Disciple Jiang Li Fei, wishes to join the Wuyue Pavilion.”
The female immortal smiled slightly, “Child, your talent is average. I’m afraid the Wuyue Pavilion may not be suitable for you…”
Seeing the disappointment on Li Fei’s face, she felt a bit of pity and added, “You can ask Elder Guangwei next to me; perhaps he would be willing to accept you.”
Elder Guangwei? Wasn’t he the master of Hu Jiaping, the powerful immortal who used the Sharp Edge to slay the Taotie?
Li Fei looked at another elder beside her. Elder Guangwei smiled and turned to a robust old man beside him, “Elder Baifu, would you take this disciple?”
Before he could finish, Elder Baifu shook his head repeatedly, “This child’s physique can’t withstand the training in my sect. My sect is full of strong men; let her find someone else.”
Li Fei suddenly felt a bit angry, but more so, she felt frustrated. She wasn’t a ball to be kicked around. If it weren’t for her senior brother being in the Wuyue Pavilion, she wouldn’t have tolerated this and would have left long ago.
Suddenly, a deep, mellow voice from afar laughed, “Why do you all have to be so snobbish?”
As the voice fell, a man in white walked gracefully over. He appeared to be in his thirties, his appearance only average, but his eyes were extremely bright and captivating, as if they could speak, possessing a transparency entirely different from Mr. Zuo Qiu.
Elder Guangwei smiled wryly, “Chongyi, why do you have to say that?”
The Wuyue Pavilion, being a prestigious sect, had many branches and divisions, with ordinary disciples as numerous as cattle. They had long stopped accepting new disciples and only planned to select one or two prodigies from the academy this year. With so few spots, Jiang Li Fei’s unremarkable talent naturally made everyone reluctant to waste a spot on her.
Immortal Chongyi walked up to Li Fei, smiling as he looked her over. Unlike Mr. Zuo Qiu’s blinding gaze, this immortal’s gaze was so full of worldly understanding and humor that it was hard to look away.
He suddenly patted Li Fei’s head gently and said, “I think this child is quite good. Little girl, would you like to come with me to the Wuyue Pavilion?”
Li Fei was stunned that an immortal was willing to take her into the Wuyue Pavilion.
She thought for a moment and then asked, “Disciple’s aptitude is not good. Why would the immortal…?”
Immortal Chongyi laughed, “Do you think you’re not good because others say so? Do you think I’m helping you out of pity?”
Li Fei was immediately embarrassed, her thoughts exposed, and she opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
Immortal Chongyi continued, “In my opinion, your aptitude wouldn’t even get you into the Chufeng Academy, yet you not only got in but also came to participate in the new disciple selection. This shows that aptitude is not always accurate. I don’t know what your strengths are, so I want to take you as my disciple and find out.”
For the first time, someone spoke to her like this, and Li Fei didn’t know what to feel. Although she always said she wanted to become immortal and cultivate well, she didn’t know what her strengths were. Was it her special physique? Or her unique cultivation method? These were secrets not easily spoken of and couldn’t be considered strengths. True strengths should be more tangible, like Lei Xiuyuan’s exceptional attack power or Golin’s agility and adaptability.
In her academy training, she passed every test but wasn’t outstanding in any. Her main water and secondary earth spiritual roots meant her healing nets and defensive walls were adequate but not particularly impressive. Even though her cauldron was larger than most, it didn’t seem to bring any special benefits, except for slightly slower spiritual energy consumption. Her spellcasting and spiritual energy circulation showed no extraordinary traits, though her swordsmanship was a bit faster, which could be considered a highlight.
Based on her displayed abilities, she wasn’t outstanding, and her unique physique was a top secret that couldn’t be revealed. No wonder the prestigious Wuyue Pavilion didn’t think much of her.
Li Fei was lost in thought for a while before saying, “Disciple doesn’t know… what my strengths are.”
Immortal Chongyi couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s why you need a master to help you find them. So, do you think I can be your master?”
She thought for a moment, then suddenly bowed and said softly, “Disciple Jiang Li Fei, wishes to be under your tutelage.”
There was an uproar around them. Immortal Chongyi was considered the most eccentric elder in the Wuyue Pavilion, having gone a hundred years without accepting a disciple because he couldn’t find one to his liking. Many prodigies didn’t catch his eye, and his criteria for accepting disciples were extremely peculiar. What did he see in this little girl?
Lei Xiuyuan, who had been silent, suddenly said, “Senior Chongyi, disciple Lei Xiuyuan, wishes to be under your tutelage.”
This statement truly shocked everyone, and the other elders of the Wuyue Pavilion could no longer sit still.