The scene of the sect ceremony.

On one side, the atmosphere was extremely low and oppressive, almost stagnant, while on the other side, it was relaxed and casual. If it weren't for respect, there might have been cheerful laughter.

Crown Prince Li, Ye Yixian, saw the dragon shadow in his eyes become much clearer than before, and he praised with a smile,

"The Eternal Immortal Sect truly deserves to be the number one sect in Little South Continent. The disciples under its banner each possess unique skills, a wide range of techniques, stable foundations, and very rich battle experience. Especially Wei Changkong and Fu Manman, they are truly the prodigies among prodigies."

He looked to the side at the Prime Minister of Canglang Country,

"I've heard that Fu Manman is the Seventh Princess of Canglang Country. Is that true?"

The Prime Minister of Canglang Country nodded slightly,

"Indeed, the Seventh Princess is young and has just entered the Immortal Path. It's fortunate to receive such praise. As the old minister, I thank Crown Prince Li on behalf of the Seventh Princess."

Not far away, Fu Manman, with a budding figure and an aura like a secluded orchid in the mountains, raised her head slightly while standing. At this moment, she wasn't thinking too much, nor did she care about how the Crown Prince of Great Li talked about her. She replayed the recent battle in her mind, wondering if there was anything she could have done better.

Mei Jinqiu looked at the guests chatting and laughing with Ye Yixian, creating a lively atmosphere. He felt very heavy-hearted.

Immortal Performance Peak Master Lin Xing spoke angrily,

"Is it really possible to be so blatant?"

Master of Fate Peak Qi Ming lowered his eyes,

"On the path of cultivation, strength is paramount. A contest of momentum is just a part of strength, isn't it? Now, even on our home ground, our momentum is inferior to others. There's no one to blame. If it were the past, even if we suffered a crushing defeat like today's disciple competition, we wouldn't say our luck was thwarted. Only when we have already shown signs of decline would it be like this. If we had always been strong, we wouldn't be targeted by hungry wolves."

The three Peak Masters actually understood the current situation of the Eternal Immortal Sect very well. Despite repeatedly emphasizing the importance of hosting this sect ceremony well, they ultimately couldn't ignore the shortcomings just to maintain appearances.

Enlightenment Peak itself manages the disciples' mentality, enlightenment, and disposition... Now that it's fallen, how could it not affect the sect's luck?

Fulu Peak's Zhang Jingwei shook his head and sighed,

"Sect Leader, the matter of Enlightenment Peak should have been decided long ago. You valued Brother Yushan's contributions too much and ignored the development of the sect itself. If you ask me, if we had reclaimed Enlightenment Peak and reorganized the sect's structure twenty years ago, it might have recovered by now. But you left it unattended, and even allowed Enlightenment Peak to receive funds for over a decade. How could that not affect the sect's luck?"

Over the years, a faction led by Zhang Jingwei within the sect had been targeting Enlightenment Peak, consistently advocating for reorganization while subtly sabotaging it. Mei Jinqiu had noticed it all but didn't say anything, for despite Zhang Jingwei's somewhat harsh nature, he ultimately had the best interests of the Eternal Immortal Sect at heart.

But reminiscing about the past glories of Enlightenment Peak, hoping for a day to reverse the decline and create another peak,

He merely turned a blind eye and did not make a firm decision to act.

Now, the various events during this sect ceremony made him more clearly aware than ever that the Eternal Immortal Sect had failed to sustain its momentum, and then waned,

"Could it be that Enlightenment Peak truly has no hope of rising again?"

Zhang Jingwei said,

"As it stands, those three disciples, Fu Ming, Fan Wubing, Luo Qingyao, who among them can become the pillars? None, right? Sect Leader, after this, we must decisively remove this diseased part. It can't be dragged on any longer. If it is, we might truly be replaced."

Mei Jinqiu furrowed his brows slightly, did not respond, and told the presiding elder,

"Announce the start of the feast."

The elder presiding over the ceremony then announced loudly,

"Now that the disciples' contest has ended, we imagine all of you are weary from your travels, both physically and mentally exhausted. The Eternal Immortal Sect has specially arranged a grand feast to rejuvenate and refresh everyone!"

As the words fell, the atmosphere in the venue began to change. Tables and chairs made of Spirit Plant Xuan Wood slowly descended into the venue, supported by wisps of fairy mist. The seating arrangement was determined according to the levels of each faction's power. Off to the side, soothing and enjoyable celestial music played, while beautiful dancers, like divine beings, performed. The spectacle was grand and dignified; just being there, smelling the sweet fragrance in the air, instilled a sense of calm and joy.

One after another, Crane Maidens brought in the dishes. They delivered twenty-seven meticulously selected feast dishes from Nourishing Spirit Peak, descending into the venue on immortal cranes and serving each dish one by one in the predetermined order.

As the celestial food entered the venue, the air filled with various delightful aromas.

However, upon seeing the appearance of the celestial food, everyone paused, engaging in conversations with those around them.

"What kind of dish is this?"

"It looks like steamed ham..."

"What's that?"

"It's a dish from earthly inns. But this one seems to have better color and smell."

Dish after dish was brought out, yet no one picked up their chopsticks.

These dishes looked good and smelled good, but... they just looked too much like mundane food, or rather, they were mundane food! Many dish types could be directly found in inns in Weiri City below the mountain.

There isn't a single cultivator who would willingly consume mundane food full of impurities. That would undoubtedly pollute their foundation.

"What does the Eternal Immortal Sect mean by this? Have they completely torn the veil of civility? Using earthly food for entertaining us?!"

"What do they take us for? It would have been better to not have a feast at all than to have a feast filled with mundane food. It's clearly an insult!"

Even though the dishes did, by their fragrance, resemble celestial food, almost everyone present were core figures of various major factions, people of high status, who've undoubtedly tasted celestial food before. They knew that celestial food was about delicacy and refinement. How could these dishes, served in large bowls and platters like tavern dishes, convince anyone that they were celestial food?

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