"After so many years of relative stability, the younger generation has never experienced the cruelty of the battlefield. They've gradually lost focus, setting their sights on internal strife instead!"

"Such behavior might seem harmless in the short run, but over time, it's bound to do more harm than good!"

"Why wait for 'over time'?" a powerful figure from Fuyao Cave Heaven said, shaking his head with a sigh. "Just a few years ago, we had the Saint Heir from Qingtian Cave Heaven. So much was expected of him, yet wasn't he driven mad by jealousy when his love rival surpassed him on the Golden Core Ranking? It led directly to his Golden Core shattering and his death. That's a living example right there!"

Hearing the discussions around him, the elder surnamed Hao looked down at the crowd and remarked sentimentally, "I never expected there were still young people who could see this so clearly. To not be burdened by vanity and to stay true to oneself… it's truly rare!"

Shen Buxing nodded in agreement. "The Sanqing Immortal Sect has survived great calamities, after all. They know better than anyone who our real enemy is. As the saying goes, children from poor families mature quickly. The same is true for the disciples of this 'poor' Immortal Sect. They're so sensible! The more I look at this boy, the more I like him! No, I must speak to the Saint Heir. After this trip to the Holy Academy is over, I absolutely must invite this successor of the Divination Sect to visit Mount Longhu!"

The faces of the onlookers twitched incessantly.

The elder surnamed Hao looked at him and said meaningfully, "Back in the day, I was on the battlefield fighting demons when a streak of light suddenly shot from the distance and struck my head! I was startled, but when I came to my senses, I found myself completely unharmed. I looked down, and do you know what it was?"

Shen Buxing shook his head. "How would I know?"

The elder surnamed Hao rolled his eyes. "It was one of your little abacus beads!"

PFFT!

The crowd burst into laughter.

Only Shen Buxing's old face turned red, but the determination in his eyes grew even stronger.

Such a promising prodigy. I have to at least try! Even if I can't poach him completely, inviting him to study for a while and forming a sort of half-mentorship would be a great outcome, wouldn't it?

This kind of arrangement was not common in the Immortal Alliance of the past. For instance, Yuheng Cave Heaven, which excels in Artifact Refining, once recruited a promising disciple talented in Body Refinement. So as not to waste his gift, they sent him to Qingtian Cave Heaven to be properly trained for a few years. Once his training was complete, he was sent back.

One disciple, two identities. He mastered the strengths of both sects while also serving as a bond to maintain the relationship between them, promoting the collective prosperity of the great family that is the Immortal Alliance's Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.

This was a fine tradition and custom, but it has become a rare sight in recent years.

...

Down below, in the crowd, Li Zuoyue was marveling at the sight of Wang Xiu teaching Zhang Yuge a lesson. He was already fantasizing about how he would boast about this incredible feat later.

Suddenly, he sensed something—the feeling of someone stealthily glancing at him. Turning his head, he met a pair of shy, flustered eyes that kept peeking at him.

A smug smile spread across Li Zuoyue's face as his heart began to race. Even his sword "perked up" and began to tremble.

Could it be? Is my love story about to begin? It has to be! Among our group, besides Junior Brother Wang Xiu, I'm the most handsome! And Junior Brother Wang Xiu has no shortage of female admirers, so it must be my turn!

The next moment, Li Zuoyue's heart raced even faster. A girl was walking toward him, her head lowered, nervously clutching her skirt with her cheeks blushing a faint red.

The sight left Li Zuoyue dumbfounded.

Oh, man! She's really coming over... What do I do? What should I say first? What if she asks me to be her boyfriend? How should I respond? Rejecting her would be cruel, but agreeing... that would be inappropriate. It would make me seem too casual! This is so difficult!

Just as Li Zuoyue's inner drama reached its peak, the girl finally stopped in front of him. In front of everyone, she said shyly, "Senior Brother, hello!"

Li Zuoyue lifted a hand, his eyes curving into crescents as his voice changed pitch. "Hey, hello!~ My name is Li Zuoyue. I'm twenty-one, and my birth sign is the Tiger, born on the sixth day of the sixth month in the year of Gengyin, AWOO AWOO AWOO—you can also call me the Mighty Little Tiger! Nice to meet you!~"

Everyone: "..."

The girl seemed taken aback. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Um… awoo? I just… wanted to ask… are you very close with Senior Brother Wang Xiu?"

"Of course!" Li Zuoyue replied without hesitation, only processing her words a second later. His smile gradually vanished. "What did you say?"

The girl's face reddened further. "I… I want to get to know Senior Brother Wang Xiu. Could you please pass this to him for me?"

With that, she bashfully handed him a sachet. Peeking out from its opening was a corner of a Jade Talisman. Li Zuoyue glanced at the runic pattern and immediately recognized it as the Messaging Mark from a Communication Token. With this mark, different Communication Tokens could be linked.

Li Zuoyue stared at the sachet in his hand, feeling his heart shatter into a million pieces.

He hadn't even fallen in love yet, and he was already heartbroken! The pain! It hurt so much!

Seeing his contorted expression, the girl asked in confusion, "Is it too much trouble? If it is, I can ask someone else..."

"No! Not at all!" Li Zuoyue clutched the sachet, his eyes welling with tears. "Junior Brother Wang and I are as close as brothers! I will definitely deliver this for you! But, on one condition!"

The girl blinked in surprise. "What?"

Li Zuoyue looked her in the eye and enunciated each word, "Do you have any other sisters you could introduce me to?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's face lit up with joy. "Yes, yes, I have lots of them!"

Li Zuoyue's eyes instantly turned into hearts. "Quick, take me to them!"

Li Zuoyue then followed the girl. She was a disciple of Huimoon Blessed Land, a place where most disciples were women, known for their delicate features and gentle, graceful demeanor.

When Li Zuoyue looked over, he saw dozens of girls standing together like a field of blooming flowers, each with her own unique charm. It was a beautiful sight to behold. He felt like he was on cloud nine.

The girl leading the way went ahead and announced cheerfully, "Sisters, this is Senior Brother Li Zuoyue, and he's very close to Senior Brother Wang Xiu. He volunteered to help us deliver our things to him! Come on, everyone!"

Li Zuoyue's expression froze.

As soon as her words fell, the crowd of girls buzzed with excitement.

"Really?"

"That's wonderful!"

"This is the jade pendant I've worn since I was a child. Please tell Senior Brother Wang Xiu that I'm willing to wait for him my whole life!"

"Out of the way, you flirt! Senior Brother Wang Xiu wouldn't like you! This… Senior Brother Zui, is it? This is my personal bodice. I've worn it for many years… it's my most intimate possession. Senior Brother Wang Xiu will understand my feelings with one look!"

"And mine..."

"Me, me, me..."

In that moment, Li Zuoyue was surrounded by countless young women.

However, he couldn't feel happy at all.

In fact, he felt like crying.

AAAAAHHHH!

I never imagined the biggest obstacle on my path to love would be my own Junior Brother Wang Xiu! How am I supposed to get out of this one? This is a problem I can't solve! I can't!

...

The atmosphere in the area seemed to relax quite a bit. Almost everyone's gaze wandered back and forth between Wang Xiu and the other disciples from the Sanqing Immortal Sect, as if searching for another hidden expert like him among their ranks.

To be honest, they had originally looked down on Sanqing, an Immortal Sect that had long been in decline. But the emergence of Wang Xiu made them realize that a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse.

...

In a dim corner, a disciple dressed in the plain robes of an ordinary sect swept his gloomy gaze over the crowd, his eyes finally settling on Wang Xiu in the distance. Slowly, he took out a Communication Token.

"Sanqing, Wang Xiu. Investigate."

The brief message was sent. He then raised his hand and crushed the Communication Token to dust before meticulously cleaning up all traces. Pretending nothing had happened, he blended back into the crowd.

...

A while later…

DONG!

A sonorous bell tolled from the sky. The Other Shore Ark began to emanate a halo even more dazzling than before.

A rumbling voice boomed from above.

"The time has come…"

"The Heavenly Gates open!"

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