Fang Ziru's group of people chatted and laughed as they walked forward. Chang Zai was among them, listening to the "rumors and secrets" of the cultivation world along the way, and he was also very interested.
Some of the rumors they spoke of were recorded in detail in the Yaoyin Clan, but they were not what they said. But why did he feel that listening to these specious things was even more interesting?
Not long after, the crowd arrived in front of the first barrier set up by the three sects.
However, these barriers were not really used to stop people. They were like lantern riddles in the mortal world, only to add some fun, or to allow some cultivators who thought they had strength to compete with others of the same generation. There was no need to fight tit for tat, and it would also avoid harming harmony.
If you did not want to pass through this barrier, you could fly over, and no one would stop you. But if you ran away when everyone was below, it would clearly be admitting that you could not pass, and it would be inevitable that you would be looked down upon by others.
The majority of the people who came to watch the competition were junior disciples, and their age was not high even for ordinary people. Naturally, they would not be willing to do such a shameful thing.
Chang Zai looked around and found that most of the questions here were to test one's cultivation and ability to use spiritual power. It was not difficult, whether it was a sect disciple or a rogue cultivator, as long as one's foundation was not too bad, one could pass with some time.
But there were some that required several people to work together. For example, there was a barrier that blocked the sea, and one person could not break through it. It required several people to work together to break through. It was naturally better to travel in groups, but those who came alone could only delay for a while and find others to work together.
Because Fang Ziru had participated in the competition of the three sects before, he knew what to do, so his group easily passed through several barriers and arrived at a corridor. After passing through here, they would reach Tonghai Mountain. At this time, everyone received a jade tablet from the three sects' deacons. On the front was the seal script of the three sects, and on the back was a picture of a dragon circling the clouds. The dragon's body was complete with scales and whiskers, and it looked quite exquisite.
Fang Ziru reminded everyone, "Everyone, please do not lose this item. We are not disciples of the Sect, nor do we have an Elder to guide us, so we have to rely on this item to enter the Great Sea Mountains to observe the battle. Once this event is over, there will be another jade plate that will be bestowed to you. When these two items are combined, a technique will appear inside. If you are lucky, you may even obtain a superior technique."
When everyone heard that this item was so important and that there might be a spell within it, they all exclaimed in surprise and carefully put it away.
What Rogue Cultivators lacked the most now were not external objects, but cultivation techniques. These things could not be easily obtained.
Chang Zai kept it well. Although he didn't need the spell, this item was proof and couldn't be lost.
He followed the crowd and smoothly arrived at the beach outside the corridor house. When he raised his head, he couldn't help but hold his breath.
Standing here, he felt the grandeur of the Great Sea Mountains, connecting the sky above and the sea below. The huge green shadow seemed like it would topple over to where he was at any time.
Suddenly, there was a blur in front of him, and he felt a patch of white dots floating over from the mountains. After looking carefully, he saw that it was a flock of red-crowned cranes, each of them about ten feet tall, and they landed lightly in front of everyone.
Immediately, a cultivator flipped over and sat on it. The large crane let out a long cry, flapped its wings and flew up.
Fang Ziru also said, "Everyone, this red-crowned crane will bring me inside the mountain wall. We will meet again in the mountains."
Chang Zai saw that everyone was flying away on the cranes, and he also walked towards one of the red-crowned cranes. However, he felt that it was exceptionally intelligent and didn't immediately flip over and get on when he was in front of him. Instead, he cupped his hands and said politely, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist."
The red-crowned crane stared at him for a moment, and a gentle female voice said, "Esteemed guest, please take a seat."
Chang Zai didn't find it strange. The Yaoyin Clan often used these spiritual birds to travel, and it seemed that many of them had developed spiritual intelligence. When he got on the crane's back, he felt his body lighten, and then he rose into the air, heading towards the Great Sea Mountains.
The red-crowned crane flew like an arrow, and after about two hours, Just Now it was close to the Great Sea Mountains, and landed on a platform outside the mountain wall. The red-crowned crane said, "Esteemed guest, just walk inside. There will be servants inside to receive you."
Chang Zai thanked it, and saw that there was an open corridor on the mountain wall. On both sides, there were stone men holding lamps, and under their feet were large jade bricks. It was very smooth. He walked in, and after a moment, he passed the stone wall and came to a valley. This was a mountain within a mountain, and millions of pearls shone down like stars, illuminating all corners, as if it was a sunny day. Pavilions and temples were built along the mountain wall, climbing up layer by layer like stairs.
At this moment, the talisman in his sleeve lit up, and flew out by itself, and then hung motionlessly on a tower.
He flew up at once, and found that it was a spacious pavilion that could accommodate more than ten people. Inside, there were jade bead curtains and stone screens, and there were tables and mats, as well as lacquerware. All of them were painted with fish, birds, and flowers, and all of them were exquisite and gorgeous.
There was already a maidservant waiting in the pavilion. Seeing him enter, she came up and bowed, saying, "Esteemed guest, would you like to change the furnishings?"
"Change the furnishings?" Chang Zai asked, and found out that the people who came back to observe the dharma came from different territories. Some might be of different species, and some might have different hobbies. If they were not satisfied with the furnishings here, they could very well change it.
Although he didn't have to worry about his expenses in the Yaoyin Clan, he had never been so particular about it. He waved his hand and said, "There's no need, you can all leave."
The maidservant bowed and said, "Esteemed guest, you can call us if you need anything." With that, they left together.
Chang Zai first went to take a bath in the Earth Fire Warm Pool, and after he came out, he sat down on the comfortable soft couch. He could smell the fragrance of a few pots of bright flowers in the pavilion, and it was intoxicating, but he was secretly shocked. He felt that this place was very draining of his willpower. If he were to be intoxicated in this place for a long time, how much of his heart to cultivate Dao would be left?
When he thought of this, he couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and walked along a passage behind the pavilion, along a covered bridge, and a plank road, and then through a curtain of waterfall. After passing through, his field of vision suddenly widened. This was an incomparably spacious cave hall, and it looked like the whole mountain leading to the sea had been hollowed out, but the inner walls formed layers of spiraling walls. No matter where you were, you could clearly see everything that was happening in the center of the cave hall.
He nodded to himself. It looked like this should be the battle platform. Only such a spacious area could accommodate cultivators who could fly in the sky and dig into the ground to fight. If it was a cramped area, not only would it be difficult to travel freely, some techniques would also not be able to be used.
At this moment, the battle had not yet begun, and there was nothing to see here. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a sweet sound. He looked towards the sound and saw a few young men and women sitting on the ground, with wine cups and plates in front of them. A woman with her hair combed into a flying fairy bun was fiddling with the Chinese harp, and the sound was like pearls and jade rolling plates, dripping water into a stream.
He didn't understand music, so he listened quietly for a while, and then turned to go back.
There were few people here, and he didn't greet them, but they noticed him.
"That fellow Daoist has an extraordinary bearing, and his realm is similar to ours. I wonder if he's here to fight with us?"
Someone guessed, "Could he be a disciple of some big sect?"
"Haha, I'm afraid you're wrong. This person came and went from the Earth position, so he should be a rogue cultivator."
That person wasn't convinced, and said, "So what? There's no lack of outstanding cultivators among the rogue cultivators, especially since our cultivation is still shallow. If we don't rely on the talismans given by our sects, we might not be able to beat the outstanding cultivators with just our cultivation. "
Someone said carelessly, "Who cares? It's hard to cultivate normally, and it's rare to have such a grand event. We should seize the moment and enjoy ourselves."
Everyone clapped their hands in agreement, and after a while, the wonderful sound rang out again.
Chang Zai walked one round around the surroundings, and only returned in the evening. He happened to bump into Fang Ziru and the others. Because they had gotten the talismans together, their residences were next to each other.
Fang Ziru was a little confused when he saw his leisurely manner, and said, "Could it be that Brother Chang has arrived long ago? Didn't you encounter any obstacles along the way?"
It turned out that it wasn't smooth for them to come up, and they also encountered obstacles. Not only were there vines everywhere, there was also a slight magnetic force, making it difficult for them to fly, so they had to find their own way up. Because there was also a maze on the way, although it wasn't too dangerous, it still took a lot of effort to get here. It could be said that they were in a sorry state.
When everyone found out that Chang Zai actually didn't encounter any problems, they were also shocked and envious, and could only attribute it to his good luck.
Chang Zai understood in his heart that the celestial crane must have brought him up directly, and that was how he got around those barriers.
It was already the time of the banquet, and Fang Ziru invited him to drink with them.
Chang Zai didn't refuse, and came to the place of the banquet. Just Now, he sat down, and there was a light sound of drums. Pauline basins floated over with the clouds, landing in the stream of flowing petals, and then lingering in front of everyone's table. It was just that before these Pauline basins were opened, no one knew what delicacies were inside.
At this moment, someone reached out and took a bowl. Just Now, when it was opened, bursts of fragrance came out. Looking inside, it was a bowl of thick and fragrant porridge. The grains were full and translucent, giving off a jade-like luster, and there were traces of steam coming out of it. One could feel the softness and sweetness of the porridge even before eating it.
Fang Ziru's eyes lit up, and he said, "Daoist Brother Fei is so lucky. This is Ying Valley Rice, it has the effect of replenishing qi and increasing cultivation. I heard that this valley was personally planted by a few Yuanying elders of Taihao School, and it seems that there are only about a hundred vats of it every year. Other than the disciples of the school eating it, there is even less that is spread to the outside world."
When everyone heard this, they were instantly envious, and they also took out a lotus plate and opened it up to see if there was also a surprise.
Speaking of which, some cultivators at the Mystic Light Realm could already abstain from eating, but these weren't just delicious, there were great benefits to eating them, so naturally everyone scrambled for them.
After more than two hours, everyone ended the banquet and dispersed.
After Chang Zai left the banquet, he didn't return to the dormitory, but went to the stone platform outside to meditate for a night.
There was still half a month before the official competition, and he spent more than ten days like this.
On this day, when he came back from cultivating, he saw Wei Zihong sitting on the praying mat, and said in surprise, "Sect Master Wei?" He hurriedly went up to greet him.
Wei Zihong said with a smile, "How have you been staying these few days?
Chang Zai shook his head and said, "There are many people here who enjoy themselves to the fullest, not like a place for us to cultivate."
Wei Zihong looked at him for a while, and said with a smile, "Junior Brother can think this way, but you have passed this test."
Chang Zai was startled, and then reacted, "Could it be … this is also a test?"
Wei Zihong said with a faint smile, "For us to cultivate, if we don't advance, we will fall back. If our Dao heart is worn down by these sensual pleasures, and we indulge in pleasure, we will only become more and more used to it, and then neglect our cultivation."
When Chang Zai thought about it, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Although he was wary of this, he wasn't as diligent in his studies as before these last two days, and was a little perfunctory. This was also because everyone around him was so leisurely and lazy, so he followed suit and relaxed.
Wei Zihong sighed, "Junior Brother, there are many storms on the sea, and everything you see these days is all under the protection of the cultivators of the three sects. What do you rely on? What you rely on is your own supernatural powers! If you don't have these, everything in front of you is just a sand tower, and will collapse with a push. " He looked at Chang Zai and said, "I think you already understand. Come down for a few days, and watch the competition carefully." With that, he stood up and walked out.
Chang Zai also stood up, and casually put his hands together, and bowed deeply towards Wei Zihong's departing figure, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
… …
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