It wasn’t long before news about Veluriyam’s wandering cultivator gathering spread. It even had an extremely domineering name: the Dragon and Tiger Meet.
Young lord Zhen had named the gathering to celebrate the crouching tigers and hidden dragons of the wandering world. Of course, it was a pity that they were all unaffiliated free agents. The Dragon and Tiger Meet was a way to discover these dragons and tigers, and to display their talents for the world to see.
Emperor Peerless, a t.i.tan of the wandering world, had rallied his brothers and friends to the Dragon and Tiger Meet. He even a.s.sured that a huge surprise was waiting for them.
The news spread like wildfire. It only took a few days for it to disseminate throughout the human domain. Even northern based factions like Pillfire City and Tilted Moon Region received the news.
Within the Moon G.o.d Sect, a few high level executives had convened a meeting. The three sectmasters and a few holy maidens were in attendance. The chief sectmaster was holding a confidential letter in her hand with furrowed brows. She pondered deeply before handing it over to the second sectmaster.
The second sectmaster had a slightly more bigoted personality and was Holy Maiden Qingxuan’s teacher. She was also the culprit that’d separated Jiang Feng and Xu Meng. Her mood soured after reading the letter. “Fame seeking miscreant! He’s getting too big for his boots!”
Scorn appeared on her face as she threw the letter to the third sectmaster. This sectmaster was a little more pleasant and the most sweet-tempered among the three. She was slightly taken aback after reading the letter. “Such a huge s.h.i.+ft has occurred in Veluriyam Capital? Dear sisters, this is a major news!”
Holy Maiden Qingxuan’s heart skipped a beat when she heard ‘Veluriyam Capital’. She had no feelings or attachment to that place in the past, but it was no longer the case. Ever since her parents had reunited, she no longer only had her mother. She now had a father and two brothers.
She’d actually known that she had a father and brother and had secretly sent men to the sixteen kingdoms alliance before to investigate. Unfortunately, they’d failed to bring back any findings.
Just when she’d accepted that Jiang Feng and Jiang Chen were long departed from this world, they suddenly barged into her life out of nowhere. The warmth of kins.h.i.+p filled her heart.
Her brother was currently in Veluriyam Capital as the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. A huge s.h.i.+ft in Veluriyam Capital? Is he affected? Fraught with worry, she couldn’t help but glance at the letter.
The third sectmaster smiled. “Qingxuan, do you want to have a look tii?”
Xu Qingxuan nodded without hesitation. “Isn’t Veluriyam Capital one of the strongest faction in the Upper Eight Regions? What could’ve possibly happened?”
The second sectmaster’s face darkened. “Qingxuan, you were never this enthusiastic. Why are you so concerned about matters related to Veluriyam Capital?”
Xu Qingxuan smiled playfully. “Honored master, you complain when I’m not interested in worldly matters, yet when I show concern, you say that I’m being too enthusiastic! Your disciple is at a loss!”
Xu Qingxuan had trained under the second sectmaster for many years. Naturally, she had her ways of dealing with her master. Most of the time, b.u.t.ting heads with the second sectmaster would only end in disaster. It was more likely to work if she took the opposite approach and spoke light-heartedly. After reading the letter, she pa.s.sed it to Holy Maiden Xu Shan in a seemingly unintentional manner.
Xu Shan had been in charge of taking care of the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree, and her Yin Yang Reverse bloodline had caused the tree various ailments. Jiang Chen discovered the crux of the problem and unearthed Xu Shan’s unique bloodline. He’d nursed the tree back to health and gave the sect a top notch genius with a unique bloodline.
Once widely regarded as trash, Xu Shan had leapt to the place of a holy maiden under the chief sectmaster. Her fame had even surpa.s.sed Holy Maiden Xiyuan, another one of the chief sectmaster’s holy maidens.
Because of that, Xu Shan was extremely grateful towards her savior, Sir Shao Yuan. Later, rumors began to spread that Sir Shao Yuan was actually Veluriyam’s young lord Zhen. The Moon G.o.d Sect had been skeptical at first, but after digging deeper, they verified that the rumor was actually true. It was a major shock to the sect. But to Xu Shan, her savior would always be her savior. His true ident.i.ty didn’t matter to her.
When she heard that a major incident had happened in Veluriyam Capital, she couldn’t help but worry. She looked at Xu Qingxuan gratefully when the letter was pa.s.sed to her. Without further ado, she immediately scanned the contents. Her frown grew deeper and deeper as her eyes scampered across the sentences.
A major power s.h.i.+ft had occurred in Veluriyam Capital. Emperor Peafowl was gone missing and the second-in-line, Emperor Shura, had attempted a coup, threatening Sacred Peafowl Mountain’s position.
In the most crucial moment, young lord Zhen turned the tides and led Sacred Peafowl Mountain to victory against Shura Retreat. Emperor Shura declared his departure from Veluriyam Capital soon after. The letter also mentioned that young lord Zhen was building a pill dao academy and was recruiting students from the entire human domain.
Other than that, Veluriyam Capital was also hosting a wandering cultivator gathering. All wandering cultivators were welcome to attend. Xu Shan was secretly worried for young lord Zhen after reading the letter. Hosting a wandering cultivator gathering was simply too much trouble for what it’s worth.
Holy Maiden Xiyuan had taken note of Xu Shan’s expressions. She was already incredibly unhappy about Xu Shan’s meteoric rise. However, her rage had reached new heights just now when Holy Maiden Qingxuan had pa.s.sed the letter to Xu Shan instead of her.
“Younger sister Shan’er, Why do you seem so worried for Veluriyam Capital when it’s on the other side of the world?” Holy Maiden Xiyuan asked with mock concern. The crowd looked at Xu Shan curiously.
She had unsteady foundations as she’d just recently risen to the rank of holy maiden. She lacked the confidence to defend herself. Thus, Xu Shan was extremely fl.u.s.tered when she was put under the spotlight.
“Let me guess. It must have something to do with young lord Zhen, right?” Holy Maiden Xiyuan flashed a harmless smile, but her heart was filled with all kinds of malicious intent.
It was common knowledge that holy maidens weren’t allowed to fall in love. Once they did, they would lose their position and their line in the succession. It was a long established rule in the sect. No one was exempted from it.
The sect cultivated quite a number of holy maidens and a majority of them would have a dao partner one day. However, they were never allowed to choose their partners. They were merely tools for creating marriage alliances.
Many factions in the Upper Eight Regions took pride in having a holy maiden as a bride. The Moon G.o.d Sect often capitalized on this and used a majority of the holy maidens for this purpose. Holy Maiden Xiyuan looked like she was making fun of Xu Shan, but she was actually pus.h.i.+ng the latter into the flames.
As expected, the chief sectmaster’s expression darkened. “Shan’er, it’s a miracle that you’ve escaped a life of mediocrity. Surely you wouldn’t waste this opportunity by falling prey to worldly temptations?”
Xu Shan turned as red as beet. “H-honored master… T-this disciple… doesn’t dare.” She stammered.
Holy Maiden Xiyuan laughed. “Hah! You dare say such things with cheeks as red as yours? I don’t blame you. Young lord Zhen is the future ruler of Veluriyam Capital, a peerless young genius, and a sensation in the cultivation world. Moreover, he was your savior! I’m sure that young lord Zhen holds an unrivalled position in your heart.”
Xu Qingxuan interrupted bluntly. “Holy Maiden Xiyuan, your imagination runs rather wild! Young lord Zhen has done Xu Shan a great kindness. Surely she has a right to worry about her savior? Why does it sound like a sin when it comes out of your mouth?”
Holy Maiden Xiyuan hated Xu Qingxuan just as much. The latter was the strongest holy maiden in the sect. Her popularity was much greater than Holy Maiden Xiyuan’s. Many young geniuses visited the Moon G.o.d Sect just to sneak a peek at Xu Qingxuan’s visage. Some even attempted to find out more about her through Holy Maiden Xiyuan.
A vain and narcissistic lady like Holy Maiden Xiyuan would never live this down and bore great amounts of hostility towards the other two holy maidens. One girl had stolen her limelight and the other threatened her position in the sect.
She lost her temper in an explosive burst when Qingxuan stood up for Xu Shan. “Qingxuan, this is a matter between sisters of the same faction! Why are you getting all agitated for?”
Xu Qingxuan was no slouch either. She laughed coldly. “Don’t kid yourself. Who wouldn’t notice your ruse? Matters between sisters? Who would ever want to be sisters with sc.u.m like you? Are they asking for eight generations of rotten luck?”
“Qingxuan, watch your mouth!” The second sectmaster immediately yelled as these words insulted the chief sectmaster’s faction.
Qingxuan stuck her tongue out at her master and giggled playfully. “Chief sectmaster, master, and third sectmaster, haven’t we gone off topic?”
The chief sectmaster had also noticed Holy Maiden Xiyuan’s ruse. “Alright, that’s enough.” She said with a bland glare.
She turned her gaze towards Xu Shan immediately after that. “Shan’er, there’s still no distinct proof that Sir Shao Yuan and young lord Zhen are one and the same. Even if they are, you have no business worrying about the debt that we owe him. You mustn’t let your dao heart waver, nor should you ever fall prey to worldly temptations. Understood?”
Xu Shan nodded obediently.
“Alright, let us freely discuss Veluriyam Capital’s matters. Second sectmaster, what is your thought on this?” the chief sectmaster asked as she s.h.i.+fted her gaze towards the second sectmaster.
“Do you really want my opinion?”
“Speak. Everyone is allowed to voice their opinions freely.” The chief sectmaster was very open minded.
“Then I’ll cut to the chase. Veluriyam Capital is on the other side of the Upper Eight Regions. We in the northwest while they’re to the south. There are so many factions and nations between us, I’m hard pressed to see how their matters would affect us. Surely there’s no need for us to discuss this?” The second sectmaster was the kind of person who would turn her back even on a friend. Her grat.i.tude wasn’t guaranteed even if young lord Zhen had saved the entire sect.