Jin'ao Island was bathed in clear skies and crisp air, with not a single cloud in sight for thousands of miles. Streaks of divine light occasionally streaked across the firmament as immortals traveled in groups of three or five, calling out to friends and companions in a lively scene.
Today was the day Tongtian was scheduled to preach the Dao, and the disciples of Jiejiao flocked to Jin'ao Island.
Luoxuan was naturally no exception.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
Along the way, other Jiejiao disciples passed by, greeting Luoxuan with great enthusiasm—a stark contrast to the days when he was completely ignored during the previous sermon.
This change was largely thanks to Luoxuan's efforts in visiting everyone recently.
Inside Biyou Palace, everyone sat upon their spiritual mats.
All had arrived, save for the empty space belonging to Dingguangxian.
Dong!
With the sound of a single chime, the gathered immortals instantly fell silent.
The void twisted, and Tongtian, clad in azure robes, stepped through the empty air to take his seat upon the cloud platform, his expression as tranquil as an ancient well.
Without further ado, he immediately began to expound the Dao.
Lotus flowers tumbled from his lips.
Everyone closed their eyes; some wore expressions of pure joy, others furrowed their brows tightly, and some scratched their ears and chewed their cheeks in concentration, all of them completely immersed in the Sage's Great Dao.
In the mountains, years pass unnoticed while quietly reciting the Huangting Scripture.
This lecture lasted far longer than the previous one, continuing for a full decade.
As the sounds of the Dao faded, the assembly finally opened their eyes.
Every face carried a look of joy, clearly having gained a tremendous harvest.
Tongtian chanted slowly:
"Red flowers, white lotus roots, and green lotus leaves; the three teachings were originally one family."
"Duobao,"
"Do you know what day today is?"
As the chief disciple under Tongtian's seat, Duobao was naturally well aware of the answer. He respectfully rose, cupped his hands, and replied:
"Reporting to Master, today is the day of the Three Teachings Assembly."
Tongtian nodded.
Yet the crowd of Jiejiao disciples wore looks of confusion, failing to understand what this Three Teachings Assembly was all about.
Luoxuan, however, had his suspicions.
Tongtian explained:
"Although your two senior uncles and I have separated our households, the Three Pure Ones are of one body, and our bond remains unbroken. This Three Teachings Assembly was decided upon long ago when we were at Kunlun Mountain."
"Its purpose is to allow the disciples of our sects to converse and spar, displaying the brotherly affection of the Three Pure Ones."
The crowd suddenly understood.
Luoxuan frowned slightly.
In the past, the Three Teachings Assembly might have been a matter of friendship first and competition second, but now that Yuanshi and Tongtian had fallen out, this competition would likely involve the pride and face of two Sages.
Sages were immortal and indestructible, and what they cared about most was their face.
No wonder Tongtian had preached for so long this time; he was giving them a crash course beforehand.
Tongtian mused for a moment.
Logically speaking, all disciples of the three teachings should participate in the assembly.
Yet the number of Jiejiao disciples was simply too overwhelmingly vast. If he were to bring them all, Yuanshi might just explode with fury on the spot.
Despite their differing philosophies, Tongtian still cherished their bond and had no wish to embarrass Yuanshi.
Therefore, Tongtian could only select a number of outstanding disciples to accompany him to Kunlun Mountain for the Three Teachings Assembly.
Even so, the number of Jiejiao disciples attending the assembly still reached over a hundred.
As a standout among the outer disciples, Luoxuan was undoubtedly among the entourage.
Tongtian waved his sleeve, and instantly, everyone transformed into a stream of rainbow light that pierced the firmament, heading straight toward Kunlun.
In an instant, mountains and rivers fell far behind them.
Meanwhile, at Kunlun Mountain, inside Yuxu Palace:
Taishang and Yuanshi had already arrived, and the disciples of both Renjiao and Chanjiao stood in rows on either side.
Only Tongtian was late in arriving.
Yuanshi's expression was displeased.
"After all these years, Tongtian is still the same."
"We have all arrived, yet he is nowhere to be seen. Does he expect us elder brothers to wait for him? Preposterous, truly preposterous!"
Taishang wore a helpless expression.
He advised:
"The hour has not yet arrived; why must Second Brother be so quick to anger?"
Yuanshi let out a cold snort, just as he was about to speak, when a vast and mighty Sage presence swept across the firmament—clearly, Tongtian had arrived.
The rainbow light descended, and Tongtian stepped through the void to arrive before Yuxu Palace.
The moment Yuanshi saw the dense crowd trailing behind Tongtian, his brow furrowed deeply.
"Third Brother,"
"I advised you long ago that taking in disciples should be done with careful selection. By taking them in indiscriminately on such a massive scale like this, your sect is filled with nothing but the dregs of society and those lacking blessed destiny."
Hearing this, Tongtian's expression sank instantly.
He let out a cold snort and said:
"Second Brother speaks wrongly."
"All living beings are equal; how can there be distinctions of high and low, noble and base? I founded Jiejiao precisely to carve out a sliver of survival for all living beings. Teaching without discrimination is the true Great Dao."
Yuanshi, however, remained unimpressed and let out a scoff.
"Such creatures born with scales and horns, or hatched from dampness and eggs—are they fit to be disciples of our Xuanmen?"
"Are they fit to seek the Great Dao?"
Tongtian flew into a rage!
As a master, how could he tolerate others so grossly insulting his disciples?
"Yuanshi, you go too far!"
"Just because your disciples possess deep foundations and extraordinary bone structures, just because your disciples are worthy of being Xuanmen disciples—why shouldn't my disciples be allowed to seek the Great Dao?"
"Today, let our disciples spar and determine the victor."
"Let us see whose disciples are truly inferior!"
Yuanshi sneered.
"A spar it is, then. Do you think I fear you?"
Caught in the middle, Taishang let out a long sigh.
The original purpose of holding this Three Teachings Assembly had been to ease the relationship between Yuanshi and Tongtian, but he never expected it to have the exact opposite effect.
Tongtian declared:
"Don't say this seat is bullying the few with many. However many disciples your Chanjiao puts forward, Jiejiao will match them."
Yuanshi wore an expression that said it was only right.
"It should be so."
Outside Yuxu Palace, Taishang lightly tapped the coiled-dragon flat staff in his hand.
Instantly, white light blossomed, and a massive arena materialized out of thin air in the center of the plaza.
With the three Sages presiding over the scene, any accidents during the spars could be promptly intercepted and stopped by them.
On Chanjiao's side, there were fourteen disciples in total: the Twelve Golden Immortals, Yunzhongji, and Antarctic Immortal.
Though Randeng was also part of Chanjiao, he shared the same generation as Tongtian and served as Vice-Master, so naturally, he would not participate.
As the leader of the Twelve Golden Immortals and possessing the cultivation of an Early Daluo Golden Immortal, Guangchengzi immediately leaped onto the arena first.
With an arrogant expression, he challenged:
"I am Guangchengzi of Chanjiao. Who dares to step forward and accept my challenge?"
During the earlier argument between Yuanshi and Tongtian, Yuanshi had repeatedly belittled the Jiejiao disciples, leaving everyone burning with anger. But since Yuanshi was a Sage and their elder, they could only suppress their fury.
Now, with a disciple-to-disciple spar, it felt like an outlet for their frustrations.
One after another, they scrambled to step up and accept the challenge.
Zhao Gongming cursed under his breath:
"Damn it, let me up there to smash those Chanjiao turtles to death and vent this stifling anger for everyone."
Yunxiao massaged her temples, utterly speechless at her eldest brother.
A smile played at the corners of Luoxuan's mouth.
Senior Brother Gongming's language was as colorful as ever...
Daoist Duobao smiled and said:
"Junior brother, hold on."
"Let me take the first match!"
As the chief disciples of their respective sects, Guangchengzi and Duobao were the most fitting opponents for one another.
Duobao flew onto the arena.
His cultivation had already reached Late Daluo, far surpassing Guangchengzi.
Since both were disciples of Sages, their divine arts and Spiritual Treasures were roughly on par. Thus, the only remaining metric for comparison was their realm of cultivation.
And Guangchengzi's cultivation was far inferior to Duobao's.
Therefore, the outcome held no suspense.
The two fought in the arena for a brief while before Duobao unleashed a single divine art, instantly inflicting heavy injuries on Guangchengzi, who spat blood and was blasted right out of the arena.
The first match: Jiejiao wins!