A green light flashed in Lu Ping's eyes. He smiled bitterly at Ai Botao and said, "Brother Ai, you and your sister really hid it from me. Ai Shutao's' brother 'is actually a woman. What a brilliant camouflage technique!"
Lu Ping's "Three Pure True Pupils" minor magical power had basically been cultivated. When he looked at others, even if he didn't deliberately use this minor magical power, Lu Ping's eyes carried the ability to see through falsehoods. Often, even if Lu Ping didn't use his magical power, he could still see through some concealment and concealment techniques on others.
Just now, when Lu Ping was greeting the guests on the spiritual energy stairs, he saw Ai Botao and Ai Shutao, the two brothers he met before. However, Lu Ping immediately discovered that Ai Shutao had an extremely brilliant concealment technique on his body. Even ordinary Core Forging Enlightened Masters' divine sense couldn't detect him.
Driven by curiosity, Lu Ping used the "Three Pure True Pupils" and discovered that Ai Shutao, who had always been somewhat effeminate, was actually a woman. Thinking about the process of the two getting to know each other, Lu Ping suddenly had a feeling of enlightenment. No wonder he always felt that Ai Shutao's "brother" looked a bit strange. Lu Ping also once suspected that Ai Shutao was a woman disguised as a man, but Lu Ping couldn't find any flaws from her body.
When Ai Shutao heard Lu Ping's words, his excited expression suddenly froze, and then his face turned red. Ai Botao, who was at the side, stepped forward and cupped his hands to greet Lu Ping. He said, "After not seeing each other for a few years, Brother Lu's cultivation level has caught up. During the battle of Flying Thunder Island, Brother Lu really amazed everyone!"
Lu Ping smiled and said, "Brother Ai, you flatter me. I just barely managed to fight to a draw with Enlightened Master Li Xuanliang."
Ai Botao laughed and said, "Brother Lu is still so modest. Who in the entire North Sea doesn't know what the situation was like at that time? Three swords, one lightning, four minor magical powers. The title of 'Water Sword Immortal' can be said to be well-deserved."
Lu Ping smiled and said, "Brother Ai, you don't have to praise me anymore. Isn't Brother Ai also a famous figure on the 'North Sea Rookie List'? I heard that there's a female cultivator on the Ai Clan Island who isn't inferior to any man. Together with Brother Ai, they're known as the Ai Clan's Twin Stars. She's also a famous figure on the list. "
Ai Botao laughed and pointed at Ai Shutao, "Let me reintroduce Brother Lu. This is my third sister, Ai ShuYao. In order to travel in the cultivation world, she always disguised herself as a man. I didn't expect Brother Lu to be able to see through her disguise. It seems that after Brother Lu advanced to the Core Forging stage, your magical power has greatly improved. Third sister's concealment technique was personally used by my ancestor. Ordinary cultivators, even late Core Forging stage Daoist Masters, may not be able to see through it."
The Zhenling cultivator who received the Ai siblings heard Ai Botao's words and suddenly looked at Ai ShuYao in surprise. He thought to himself, "So this is the other of the Ai Clan's Twin Stars, Ai ShuYao, who is ranked 77th on the 'North Sea Rookie List'."
Ai ShuYao, who was previously known as Ai ShuYao, shyly stepped forward to greet Lu Ping and said, "Greetings, Brother Lu."
Lu Ping was also a bit embarrassed. He had met Ai ShuYao several times, but they had always referred to each other as brothers. It was somewhat difficult for him to adapt to the sudden change of "brother" to a woman, but he still returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, Miss Ai."
When Ai ShuYao heard Lu Ping address her as "Miss", it was obvious that he was distancing himself from her, and her face was a bit gloomy.
Ai Botao watched from the side, so he said, "Although Brother Lu had the upper hand in the battle with Perfected Li Xuanliang, you suddenly rose from a nobody to the 34th place on the 'North Sea Rookie List', which caused a lot of cultivators to be dissatisfied. Brother Lu, you have to be careful. I'm afraid someone will take the opportunity to make things difficult for you during your master's Dharma Characteristic Assembly. If Brother Lu loses to a cultivator whose ranking is lower than yours, I'm afraid your master will also lose face."
Lu Ping nodded gratefully, then smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you for your advice, Brother Ai, but I'm afraid trouble has already come."
Ai Botao was surprised. When he turned around and followed Lu Ping's gaze, he saw two Perfected Persons, led by Zhenling's welcoming disciple, walking up the Spirit Qi stairs. One of them, a tall, slender, second-stage Core Forging cultivator, walked up the platform. His eyes were like sharp swords, and he instantly stared at Lu Ping.
"Greetings, Perfected Master Lin Xuqing. Haha, how have you been, Brother Ouyang?"
The two Perfected Persons in front of him were Xuan Ling Sect cultivators who came to participate in the Dharma Characteristic Assembly. The middle-aged cultivator in front was someone Lu Ping had met once. He was Perfected Master Lin, who had appeared with Perfected Master Feng Xutao on the trip to Fei Ling Island. The other person was Lu Ping's old rival, Feng Xutao's proud disciple, Ouyang Weijian.
Perfected Master Lin Xuqing only nodded and walked past Lu Ping and Ai Botao. Perfected Master Lin was a veteran late-stage Core Forging cultivator. After Feng Xutao, he was one of Xuan Ling Sect's most promising candidates to enter the Dharma Characteristic Stage. He didn't care about the status of Lu Ping and the others at all.
When Ouyang Weijian walked past Lu Ping, he paused and turned his head to look at Lu Ping. "'Water Sword Deity', hehe, I haven't seen you in years, but Brother Lu's swordsmanship hasn't diminished at all."
Lu Ping raised his eyebrows and said, "Why, are you disappointed, Brother Ouyang?"
Ouyang Weijian chuckled coldly and followed Perfected Master Lin Xuqing to the island in the center of the lake.
When the two were far away, Perfected Master Lin Xuqing suddenly asked without turning his head, "How was it?"
Ouyang Weijian's earlier provocative expression disappeared. He said with a serious expression, "Strange, my 'Sword Heart Psychic' didn't sense any danger from him. Could it be that his victory over Li Xuanliang was really like the rumors say? That Zhenling and Li Xuanliang put on a show to help him gain fame?"
Perfected Master Lin shook his head and said, "According to our secret investigation, this Lu Ping and the Li family do have some enmity, but we can't rule out the possibility that the Li family will use this matter to lower their heads to Lu Ping. After all, this Lu Ping has a Dharma Adept backing him up."
Ouyang Weijian's expression was resolute. "No matter what, during this Dharma Assembly, I must fight with this Lu Ping. I lost to him a few years ago, but I've been training hard in swordsmanship and have had a few fortuitous encounters. My level of practice is no lower than Lu Ping's, and it's not like I haven't fought with mid Core Forging adepts before. I've already reached the stage of 'Unity of Practice and Sword', and I've mastered more than one minor sword technique. This time, I must humiliate Lu Ping during the Dharma Assembly and make Zhenling's Dharma Assembly the laughing stock of the North Sea."
Perfected Master Lin glanced at the excited Ouyang Weijian and said coldly, "Do you think the Dharma Assembly is something you can ruin? Even if you defeat Dharma Laozu's disciple, so what? Don't forget that your master is also Dharma Laozu, and he achieved Dharma before Laozu. Even if you defeat Lu Ping, you'll only be giving Zhenling some trouble. Do you think a small early Core Forging adept like you can challenge Dharma Laozu's authority? "
Although Perfected Master Lin's voice was low, it was like a nail, hammering each word into Ouyang Weijian's mind.
When Ouyang Weijian heard this, he immediately restrained his excitement and said, "I was too arrogant just now. Thank you, Uncle-Master, for the reminder."
Perfected Master Lin looked at Ouyang Weijian's clear eyes and nodded slightly. He said, "That Lu Ping is not a pure swordsman. Swordsmanship is only one direction of his cultivation. He must have other tricks up his sleeves, and I heard that he is also a brilliant alchemist. If you want to challenge Lu Ping at the Dharma Assembly, you have to insist that it is a competition of swords to liven things up."
When Ouyang Weijian heard this, he stopped in his tracks, his expression somewhat unwilling. He was a pure swordsman, but Lu Ping was not. If he used words to say that it was only a competition of swords, it would undoubtedly weaken Lu Ping's methods. Ouyang Weijian had always hoped to defeat Lu Ping in a fair and square manner, to wipe away his previous humiliation. However, Perfected Master Lin was doing this for his own good, but he was also telling him that Perfected Master Lin did not think that Ouyang Weijian had the confidence to defeat Lu Ping.
At this time, Perfected Master Lin looked at the surrounding scenery with a somewhat surprised expression.
When Ouyang Weijian saw Perfected Master Lin's expression, he asked, "Uncle-Master, did you notice something?"
Perfected Master Lin's expression was somewhat solemn as he pointed at the shore around the small lake. "The growth of these spiritual plants is very strange."
Ouyang Weijian followed Perfected Master Lin's finger and looked at the colorful flowers and trees. He saw that the entire small lake was surrounded by blooming spiritual flowers. The entire small lake was like a mirror decorated with fresh flowers.
Ouyang Weijian asked in confusion, "These are just some ordinary spiritual plants. But to be able to decorate the entire small lake with so many blooming spiritual flowers, it is already considered a big move by Zhenling. However, to make so many spiritual plants bloom at the same time, even if they are not wasted, their medicinal efficacy will be greatly reduced. Even in our Xuan Ling Sect, we would not be so wasteful."
Spiritual Master Lin's expression was solemn as he said, "No, these spirit grasses weren't forced to grow. I can sense that every single one of these spirit grasses is filled with vitality. Not only did the spirit energy and medicinal power within them not decrease, but they are even more abundant than normal spirit grasses."
Ouyang Weijian was shocked. "How is that possible? The process of spiritual plants blooming is usually extremely short. With so many spiritual flowers blooming at the same time, there must be at least tens of thousands of them. Could it be that the production of spiritual plants in Zhenling's spiritual garden has already reached such a large scale?"
Perfected Master Lin frowned as he pondered. No matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure it out. Zhenling's spiritual garden would never reach such a scale. Even if it did, Zhenling would not publicize it to the public. Could it be that Zhenling has already mastered an extremely rare spiritual herb growth technique? This technique can accelerate the growth of a large number of spiritual plants at the same time without damaging the roots of the spiritual plants?
This thought flashed through Perfected Master Lin's mind. Immediately after, a figure appeared in his mind. He then muttered to himself, "Could it be that she has returned? No, if she has returned, even if she has this kind of heaven-defying divine ability, there is no reason for her to use it at Liu Tianling's Dharma Conference. "
The two of them walked to the front of the lake suspiciously. Suddenly, two strange fish demons appeared in the lake. The fish demons gently waved their tail fins at the two of them, as if inviting them to come forward.
One of the two fish demons was at the early stage of the Blood Condensation Realm, while the other was at the late stage of the Blood Condensation Realm. One of them was at the early stage of the Core Forging Realm, while the other was at the late stage of the Core Forging Realm.
Perfected Master Lin and Ouyang Weijian looked at each other, then stepped on the two fish demons' bodies. Immediately, the two fish demons swam slowly towards the island in the center of the lake.
The two fish demons carried the two of them side by side, but their speed was not fast. It was as if they were taking tourists to enjoy the scenery of the lake.
At this time, many cultivators had already arrived at Chong Hua Manor. Because the Dharma Conference had not started yet, they stood on the surface of the lake with the fish demons, enjoying the scenery of Tian Ling Mountain.
At this time, there were thirty to fifty Core Forging Enlightened Masters on the surface of the lake. Occasionally, familiar Enlightened Masters would meet and greet each other. As Perfected Master Lin and Ouyang Weijian swam in the lake, they would also greet the cultivators they met. However, they did not stop exchanging pleasantries. Xuan Ling Sect and Zhenling had always been rivals in the North Sea. Now that everyone was in Zhenling's territory, they naturally would not joke around with Xuan Ling Sect cultivators in public.
However, at this time, Perfected Master Lin's brows furrowed even more. Ouyang Weijian also noticed something and said, "Uncle-Master, look at the fish demons on the surface of the lake. There are fifty of them now, and who knows how many more that haven't appeared yet. All of them are Blood Condensation Dao soldiers, and they are so well-trained that the two fish demons under our feet can be said to be at will. If there are thirty early stage Blood Condensation Dao soldiers, they can even fight against a late stage Core Forging cultivator who has yet to comprehend any divine abilities."
After hearing Ouyang Weijian's words, Perfected Master Lin's already gloomy face darkened even more. How could Perfected Master Lin not see that these Dao soldiers were so well-trained without the restriction of the Dao soldier formation? They were even more disciplined than the Demon Soldier Formation.
An idea flashed in Perfected Master Lin's mind. He spread out his Divine Perception and probed the bottom of the lake. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he quickly retracted his Divine Perception.
Ouyang Weijian had been paying attention to Perfected Master Lin. When he saw the change in Perfected Master Lin's expression, he hurriedly asked, "Uncle-Master, did you discover anything?"
Perfected Master Lin said helplessly, "I can't see the situation at the bottom of the lake clearly. It's as if the bottom of the lake is a huge Dao soldier formation. When my Divine Perception entered the bottom of the lake, it was blocked by the formation. I didn't discover anything."
The two of them suspiciously went to the island in the center of the lake and arrived at the Hall of Zhong Hua. At this time, most of the Core Forging Enlightened Masters who were participating in the Dharma Manifestation Assembly had arrived. The seat of honor in the center of the hall was naturally Tian Ling Laozu's seat. Below him were nine seats in a row for the other nine sects of the North Sea. Below them were dozens of seats for the various families, forces, sects, and famous itinerant cultivators who were participating in the Dharma Manifestation Assembly.
There were also hundreds of seats outside the hall for cultivators who did not receive an invitation but came because of the Dharma Manifestation Assembly. Those who came were guests, and Zhenling had no reason to stop them.
Three Dharma Gongs shook the sky. The time for the Dharma Manifestation Assembly had arrived!
The representatives of the various sects who had accepted the invitation sang and entered!
"Gulang Island's Wu Clan, nine three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs! Congratulations to Liu Tianling Laozu for advancing to the Dharma Manifestation Stage! "
"Wansang Island's Sunset Faction, one mutated spiritual material, a piece of thousand-year-old fire jade! Congratulations to Tian Ling Laozu for achieving immortality! "
"Cang Lang Sect, two bottles of half-step Dharma Manifestation Stage elixirs, nine three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs! Congratulations to Laozu for enjoying immortality forever! "
…
"Shui Yan Pavilion, one extraordinary Fog Pearl, one jar of mutated spiritual material, Hundred Flower Dew Nectar!"
"Xuan Ling Sect, one bottle of Dharma Manifestation Stage elixirs, three bottles of half-step Dharma Manifestation Stage elixirs, one Changle Fruit, and one Changle Palace."
Spiritual Master Lin stepped forward and handed the list of gifts to the Zhenling cultivator. Then, he entered the hall with Ouyang Weijian and headed for the seat next to Tian Ling Laozu.
Lu Ping realized that among the cultivators who had come to participate in the Dharma Manifestation Assembly today, the nine sects each sent a late-stage Core Forging cultivator and an early-stage Core Forging cultivator. Each late-stage Core Forging cultivator was famous among the Core Forging Stage Spiritual Masters in the North Sea cultivation world. It could be said that they were the most promising cultivators in their respective sects to advance to the Dharma Manifestation Stage. Each early-stage Core Forging cultivator was also the best among the new generation of cultivators in their respective sects, and they were all on the "North Sea Rookie List."
The independent sects and cultivator clans in the North Sea that were second only to the top ten sects also had this kind of arrangement. Of course, compared to the top ten sects, the cultivators' reputation and strength were undoubtedly much worse. This was also the advantage that the top ten sects had in being the best in the North Sea cultivation world.
After the various sects were seated, they stood up one after another and respectfully invited Tian Ling Laozu.
Amidst the congratulatory voices, Liu Tianling Laozu, dressed in a palace robe, appeared in the seat of honor in the center with a graceful and elegant air.
Everyone congratulated him again, and Tian Ling Laozu also stood up to thank him. Then, he said, "Everyone, you have come from afar. Chong Hua Palace is simple and crude, and the disciples are stupid. If they have been disrespectful, please do not blame them."
Everyone naturally said that they did not dare.
Bursts of buzzing sounds could be heard as a group of bees with purple heads and golden bodies, each the size of a fist, slowly flew in from outside the Hall of Zhong Hua. Each Amethyst Bee had an ink-colored bamboo cup on its head, and a faint and elegant fragrance immediately filled the entire Hall of Zhong Hua.
"These, these are Purple Crystal Bees?"
"Purple heads and golden bodies, they are indeed Purple Crystal Bees, and they are already mature."
"There are actually such treasures in the North Sea cultivation world?"
"Hiss, these Purple Crystal Bees have already been tamed into Dao Soldiers!"
"Wait, if there is a mature Purple Crystal Bee swarm, there must be a Purple Crystal Bee King that has advanced to the Blood Condensation Realm. Then, the legendary alchemy treasure, the Purple Crystal Royal Jelly, also exists?"
There was no lack of knowledgeable people in the Chong Hua Palace. When they saw the bee swarm, they immediately recognized that it was the extremely precious Purple Crystal Bees in the cultivation world. Everyone looked at Tian Ling Laozu enviously.
Tian Ling Laozu smiled and said, "Everyone, please have some tea."
The Purple Crystal Bees landed one after another, and a cup of hot tea was placed on every seat.
Everyone raised their cups in greeting. Only then did they realize that the bamboo cups in their hands were actually made of a high-grade spiritual material, Black Spotted Bamboo. At the bottom of each bamboo cup was a finger-sized Fire Jade Stone, causing the tea in the cup to be boiling hot, and the fragrance of the tea filled the room.
Using high-grade spiritual material to make teacups, and inlaid with high-grade Fire Jade Stones, Zhenling sure is generous!
Everyone thought to themselves.
But then, a cultivator said softly, "This is a top-grade spiritual tea, Curved Phoenix Tea? Didn't they say that this type of spiritual tea is extinct in the North Sea? This is a specialty of the East Sea. "
At this time, everyone's eyes turned to Lu Ping. Because it was said that this ninth disciple of Tian Ling Laozu had just returned from the East Sea after going missing, this Curved Phoenix Tea must have been produced by this "North Sea's rising star", the "Water Sword Immortal".
"It's not just Curved Phoenix Tea. After drinking the tea, the fragrance lingers in the mouth, and the spiritual energy contained in the tea far exceeds that of a top-grade spiritual tea. Clearly, there is also Purple Crystal Honey added to it."
A cultivator who had a penchant for spiritual tea said softly as he held the bamboo cup in his hand.
The Nine Great Sects looked at each other, their eyes flashing as if they were transmitting some kind of message. The spiritual power contained in the spirit tea in their hands was more abundant. Obviously, it was not Amethyst Honey that was added to the tea, but Amethyst Royal Jelly. Even if these Core Forging Stage cultivators drank it, the True Essence in their bodies would be stimulated, and their cultivation speed seemed to be a little faster.
A clear spring suddenly flowed in from outside the Hall of Zhonghua, passing by each cultivator's table. All sorts of delicacies, spiritual fruits, and spiritual vegetables were placed on jade plates and fell into each cultivator's table along with the flowing water.
At this time, Second Senior Sister Enlightened Master Li Xuanru turned to Lu Ping and said with a smile, "Old Jiu, you really have a lot of ideas. Junior Brother made a lot of arrangements for Teacher's Dharma Idol Assembly."
Fourth Senior Sister Wang Xuanjing obviously couldn't hold it in anymore. Seeing that Li Xuanru was the first to speak, she immediately asked, "Old Jiu, tell me honestly, why did the tens of thousands of spiritual herbs around the lake bloom at the same time? Also, I found that those spiritual herbs didn't have any secret techniques cast on them. On the contrary, the spiritual energy and medicinal power contained in the spiritual herbs are very abundant. It's clearly no different from normal spiritual herbs that have matured."
Lu Ping laughed and said, "This is because Teacher's good people are blessed by the heavens. Teacher has reached the Dharma Idol Stage, and even the heavens are congratulating Teacher."
At the side, Jiang Tianlin Laozu's fourth disciple, Perfected Master Xuan Sheng, laughed and said, "Kid, you still dare to lie? A few days ago, I saw you walking back and forth in the spiritual herbs around the lake. I don't know what you were doing, but you still won't tell me the truth?"
"There's more, there's more." Little Junior Sister Jiang Xuanxuan also jumped out at this time and said, "Ninth Senior Brother, the Dao soldiers in the lake have been reared by Mother for a long time, but the different types of Dao soldiers still can't cooperate with each other. Why can't you make them listen to you?"
Lu Ping laughed and began to pretend to be ignorant, causing everyone to ridicule him. Lu Ping also had no choice. Luan Yu was used up by him. Although the tens of thousands of spiritual herbs were some of the lowest level, Luan Yu was able to continuously use his supernatural power and almost exhausted his Qi. At this time, he was recuperating in the Golden House.
As for the Dao soldiers in the lake, this was easy. Samling was still in the lake commanding the reared Dao soldiers and playing happily. No beast dared to challenge the Green Sea Snake's royal bloodline. Moreover, Samling's cultivation level was unrivaled among the reared Dao soldiers.
Lu Ping didn't know how his arrangement made the cultivators who came to participate in the Dharma Idol Assembly feel. At least Perfected Master Lin Xuqing from Xuan Ling Sect had been sitting in his seat, his expression constantly changing.
At this moment, a loud voice sounded again, "Disciples of Tian Ling Laozu, please come forward and present your gifts!"
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