At that moment, Feng Xi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up:
"Master, since Sect Master Baili has put it that way, it would be quite unreasonable if we didn't hold a master-accepting ceremony.
There's no time like the present—why don't we just hold it right here!
Since everyone is already gathered here, it saves us the trouble of visiting each sect to send out invitations."
Xiao Baidao wore a look of utter shock: "Disciple, stop talking nonsense! How can a master-accepting ceremony be treated with such utter frivolity?!"
Feng Xi smiled. "Master, holding the ceremony here means we have the heavens and the earth as our witnesses, along with the blessings of fellow cultivators from the Eastern Region. How can that be considered frivolous?
Even without a banquet, I am sure everyone will understand. After all, this was Sect Master Baili's suggestion."
Baili Muchen: "..."
What do you mean this was my suggestion?
I told you to hold a ceremony, but I didn't mean right now!
.
Chapter 24: Clear-eyed Foolishness
Xiao Baidao pondered for a moment. "Very well, let's hold it then!"
With that, he stepped onto a raised platform, cupped his fists toward the crowd, and announced: "Everyone, I, Xiao Baidao, recently took in a beloved disciple named Feng Xi.
I originally intended to hold a master-accepting ceremony at the Xuantian Sect in a few days, but Sect Master Baili of the Hunyuan Sect strongly urged me to hold the ceremony right now. I could not bear to let down his kind intentions, so I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to hold the master-accepting ceremony right here.
We shall begin preparations immediately, and in one hour, the ceremony will officially commence!"
Baili Muchen: "..."
What do you mean I strongly urged you?
Xiao Baidao, are these even human words coming out of your mouth?!
You master and disciple are singing the exact same tune, and it's crystal clear that you're trying to frame me!
Regardless of how furious Baili Muchen was, the people of the Xuantian Sect began to bustle about.
Aside from a very few individuals, everyone else in the Xuantian Sect had no prior knowledge of this sudden turn of events, so they were somewhat flustered and caught off guard.
Precisely because of this, nobody doubted Xiao Baidao's words at all. They all assumed he had been forced into a corner by Baili Muchen and had thus made the snap decision to hold the master-accepting ceremony on the spot.
The people of the Xuantian Sect cleared out an open space, built a high platform, and hung up a celebratory banner.
They also designated a viewing area for the guests and set up... a gift-registry desk.
Although Xiao Baidao was typically stingy, he understood the basic etiquette of reciprocal gift-giving, so the guests felt it would be improper to completely disregard his face. One by one, they stepped forward to offer monetary gifts and congratulatory tokens.
Some people murmured quietly, "We were originally supposed to go to the Xuantian Sect for a feast, but now look at this—we haven't even had a drop of water. It's all Sect Master Baili's big mouth!"
"Isn't that the truth? Xiao Baidao is a man who cares deeply about his pride. Being pressured like that left him with no choice but to do this. He was completely forced into it."
"Fortunately, Feng Xi gave us that generous gift of the Golden Suanni's roar earlier, otherwise we would have suffered a massive loss!"
...
Baili Muchen possessed profound cultivation, so even though the speakers kept their voices very low, he heard every word clearly and nearly coughed up blood from anger!
While he was fuming, his beloved second disciple, Lu Xiuhan, stepped up to him.
"Master, that stinky girl Feng Xi is simply too arrogant! Why don't you think of a way to send her into the Tianlv Secret Realm, and this disciple will take care of her once and for all!"
Baili Muchen was already in a foul mood. Hearing this made him both exasperated and enraged; he wished he could just slap the idiot across the face!
Previously, Feng Xi was merely a menial servant, so even if Baili Muchen suspected Lu Xiuhan might pull some tricks, he had simply turned a blind eye.
But things were different now.
Feng Xi was a core disciple of the Xuantian Sect.
No matter how much the Four Great Sects bickered and fought on ordinary days, there was a fundamental bottom line: none of them would ever touch another sect's core disciple.
If they did, there probably wouldn't be many core disciples left among the Four Great Sects at all.
If Lu Xiuhan's words were overheard by members of the other sects, the Hunyuan Sect would instantly become the target of public criticism.
During the previous master-accepting ceremony, he had already felt somewhat disappointed in this second disciple, and now he felt even greater disfavor toward him.
Lacking innate talent was one thing, but a person could not afford to be this utterly stupid!
He lowered his voice and grated through his teeth, "Calm yourself down! If you dare to act on your own accord, I will not spare you!"
Lu Xiuhan was rebuffed so hard he choked, and he retreated to the side with a flushed face.
Shen Zhilan gently consoled him: "Second Senior Brother, Master is in a bad mood right now, which is why his words were a bit harsh. Don't take it to heart.
Besides, Feng Xi is highly valued by Sect Master Xiao right now, so you'd better not provoke her, lest you bring some major trouble upon yourself."
Lu Xiuhan was already deeply irritated by Baili Muchen's reprimand, and hearing Shen Zhilan say this only made him loathe Feng Xi even more.
His eyes locked onto Feng Xi up on the platform with a gaze as venomous as poison.
At that moment, following the ceremonial director's guidance, Feng Xi was completing the master-accepting ritual.
Along with the cry of "The ceremony is complete!", the Golden Suanni let out a heaven-shaking roar that echoed across the realm.
To be fair, the atmosphere was certainly in place.
The Golden Suanni, forced to serve as a prop for atmosphere, was practically dying of anger!
You're treating me like some firecracker for a mortal celebration!
The very first thing Xiao Baidao and Feng Xi did after stepping off the platform was huddle together... to count money!
The eyes of both the old man and the young girl had curved into the shapes of Spirit Stones from sheer joy!
Holding a celebration truly was a lucrative business with a hundredfold return!
No, it was a zero-cost venture!
If they could pull this off eight or ten times a year, the Xuantian Sect would soon shed its title of being dirt poor!
The rest of the Xuantian Sect members, such as the four peak masters, though feeling that the ceremony was a bit shabby and bore a strong resemblance to begging for alms, couldn't resist the sweet aroma of Spirit Stones!
Thus, they simply abandoned their consciences and put on expressions of utter innocence.
After all, Baili Muchen forced this on us, so we are completely innocent!
Baili Muchen, who was left holding the blame, had his mind entirely occupied with how to turn the tables, and he soon came up with an idea.
He summoned Xiao Baidao, Hu Wankui, and Lu Zhenkuan together and said:
"The three of you, in the past, we merely ranked the disciples within the Tianlv Secret Realm without any rewards or penalties, which makes it rather lackluster.
How about we change the rules this time? The sect that ranks last must hand over one-third of the spoils they obtained within the secret realm to the top three sects.
Then, the top three sects will distribute those spoils according to a five-three-two ratio.
What do you think?"
Lu Zhenkuan and Hu Wankui exchanged glances and nodded with cheerful smiles, indicating their agreement.
They certainly wouldn't end up in last place anyway, so free benefits were too good to pass up!
Xiao Baidao's expression, however, was not looking quite as pleasant.
This was clearly targeted directly at their Xuantian Sect!
Even if he was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that the Xuantian Sect would undoubtedly finish in last place.
Yet he also knew the other three factions had clearly reached a consensus; even if he objected, it would be useless, and he could only swallow his pride and accept it.
His previous good mood vanished into thin air instantly.
Having weak strength was a fatal flaw!
Thinking of his youngest disciple's injuries made his mood grow even more sullen.
However, he was a sect master after all; even if he felt depressed inside, he could not show it, so he had to force a smile.
Feng Xi knew nothing of this. She was squatting in a corner, chatting away with Jun Wen.
"Fifth Senior Brother, I've prepared some good stuff for you. Keep it and use it inside the secret realm."
Jun Wen looked curious: "What kind of good stuff?"
Then he watched as Feng Xi handed him a large bag of chili powder.
Jun Wen: "..."
"Fifth Senior Brother, we're poor! We can't afford talismans, so we have to make do with whatever materials are at hand!
Use it sparingly—this was all squeezed out from between Master's teeth!"
Jun Wen: ...Master's teeth must have some really wide gaps!
Feng Xi kept chattering away: "Fifth Senior Brother, don't underestimate this chili powder. If you use it by surprise, it might yield fantastic results.
When you fight people, don't be too stubborn or narrow-minded. Make use of dirty tricks and schemes. In absolute desperation, even the honey-trap tactic can be deployed, seeing as you're somewhat decent-looking..."
Jun Wen: I really must thank you so much!
"Fifth Senior Brother, our Xuantian Sect lacks strength, so you must learn to leverage external force and engage in horizontal and vertical alliances..."
Jun Wen interrupted her: "Junior Sister, what are horizontal and vertical alliances?"
Just as Feng Xi was about to explain it to him, the Tianlv Secret Realm unexpectedly opened ahead of schedule!
Realizing time was running out, Feng Xi spoke in a rush:
"Vertical alliance means uniting multiple weaker states to attack a single powerful one, while horizontal alliance means serving a single powerful state to conquer the weaker ones. In short, it means adapting to the circumstances, uniting whatever forces can be united, and occasionally sowing discord and killing with a borrowed knife."
Jun Wen listened in utter bewilderment, his eyes holding a look of clear-eyed foolishness.
.
Chapter 25: The Secret Realm Opens
Feng Xi wanted to explain in more detail, but people over there were already urging them along, so she had to drop it.
Besides, given Jun Wen's brainpower, even if she explained it clearly, there was no way he could apply it flexibly. They could talk about it later.
The two of them ran over to the queueing area, and Jun Wen took his place at the very front of the Xuantian Sect's line.
The status of a core disciple was unshakable.
Feng Xi felt a tinge of regret. If her dantian had been repaired, she would have loved to tag along for a stroll inside.
But right now, only her fire spiritual root had sprouted, while her metal and earth spiritual roots had yet to show themselves. She was still a long way from a full recovery of her dantian!
Still, her psychological resilience was formidable; the moment of disappointment passed, and she was back to bouncing around cheerfully.
She gave Jun Wen a few more instructions before scampering over to Xiao Baidao's side.
She keenly sensed that her master was in a rather foul mood, though she didn't dwell on it too much—after all, the Xuantian Sect's results were bound to be at the bottom, and no one in his position would feel happy about that.
Right at that moment, ripples resembling water waves appeared in the spiritual energy of the stone wall ahead.
The Tianlv Secret Realm had opened.
Baili Muchen and the other three each produced a piece of a jade pendant and began forming hand seals.
The jade pendant fragments rose into the air and fused together.
Feng Xi squinted as she watched, vaguely catching sight of intricate patterns carved onto the jade pendant.
Immediately afterward, the jade pendant emitted a blinding radiance, and an entrance just wide enough for a single person to pass through appeared on the stone wall.
The Four Great Sects entered in order based on the previous tournament's results: the Hunyuan Sect went in first, followed by the Wanjian Sect, the Beast Taming Sect, and finally the Xuantian Sect.
Jun Wen turned back to wave at Feng Xi before stepping through into the secret realm.
Once everyone had entered, Baili Muchen and the other three prepared to retrieve the jade pendants and reopen the entrance when the secret realm was about to close.
No one expected an unexpected mishap to occur right then.
The light from the jade pendant suddenly shone directly onto Feng Xi. Feng Xi found that her legs were no longer obeying her will, and she "walked" straight toward the secret realm entrance.
She turned her head and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Master! Master, save me! Save me!"
Xiao Baidao was in the middle of forming hand seals with both hands and couldn't spare a hand to grab Feng Xi. Fortunately, Peak Master Gu and the others reacted swiftly and rushed forward.
However, they were all blocked by the jade pendant's light and could not get close to Feng Xi at all.
Feng Xi "walked" all the way to the entrance of the secret realm, desperately clawing at the "doorframe," but alas, she eventually vanished from everyone's field of vision.
At that moment, the light of the jade pendant gradually faded, and everything returned to normal.
Xiao Baidao was sweating profusely with anxiety, yet there was nothing he could do.
The entry quota for the secret realm was strictly limited, and there were also requirements regarding cultivation level. Neither he nor anyone else could enter the secret realm at this point.
Baili Muchen patted him on the shoulder: "That little girl Feng Xi has great fortune and a thick destiny; she'll be fine!"
Although his words sounded plausible enough, his expression carried a subtle trace of schadenfreude.
When the heavens decided to claim someone, nobody could stop it!
Xiao Baidao had no mood to exchange pleasantries with him; his brows were locked in a deep frown.
Peak Master Gu of the Eastern Peak offered consolation: "Sect Master, Feng Xi is clever and witty, and she knows how to avoid harm and seek fortune. Besides, Jun Wen is still inside with her, so she'll be fine.
Moreover, the secret realm wouldn't force her inside for no reason; perhaps this is her fortuitous encounter."
Hearing this, Xiao Baidao finally relaxed just a fraction.
To everyone else, Feng Xi was merely a minor interlude, and the primary focus of attention remained on the scoreboard.
Every disciple who entered the secret realm was issued a jade plaque, and these jade plaques formed a complete set of magic tools with the projection stones outside.
The projection stones could simultaneously display the types and quantities of spiritual plants harvested by the trial disciples.
This time, a total of seven core disciples from the Four Great Sects had entered the secret realm:
Hunyuan Sect: Lu Xiuhan, Foundation Establishment Level 6; Shen Zhilan, Foundation Establishment Level 3.
Beast Taming Sect: Yuan Zongheng, Foundation Establishment Level 4; Xing Wu, Foundation Establishment Level 3.
Wanjian Sect: Liu Shaobai, Foundation Establishment Level 4; Song Yudie, Foundation Establishment Level 3.
Xuantian Sect: Jun Wen, Foundation Establishment Level 3.
Oh, and now there was an extra Feng Xi whose cultivation barely counted as the Qi Condensation stage, though she didn't possess a jade plaque.
Although they had only been inside for a little over an hour, the Hunyuan Sect's numbers were already far ahead of the rest.
In particular, Shen Zhilan had slaughtered a Seven-Star Gale Leopard the moment she entered and harvested a stalk of earth-grade spiritual plant, the Purple-Leaf Iris.
A commotion rippled through the crowd.
"Although a Seven-Star Gale Leopard possesses strength comparable to a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, as everyone knows, when it comes to actual combat, monster beasts are far more formidable than cultivators.
This shows that Shen Zhilan's cultivation has already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Level 3 and will soon advance to Level 4, which is the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment."
"Her cultivation speed is simply heaven-defying! She truly lives up to having a supreme water spiritual root."
"Not only is her cultivation speed heaven-defying, but her luck is also defying the heavens!
The Purple-Leaf Iris is an earth-grade spiritual plant. Generally speaking, the guarding monster beast is at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage or even the Great Completion stage. Who would have expected the monster beast she encountered to be merely at the early stage of Foundation Establishment?"
...
Hearing the crowd's discussions, Baili Muchen's lips curved upward slightly—strength was the ultimate truth!
Aside from Shen Zhilan, Lu Xiuhan's performance was also quite stellar, given his cultivation level.
The performances of the other core disciples were quite standard as well. Only Jun Wen's numbers remained a permanent... big fat zero.
Though Xiao Baidao was currently worried sick about Feng Xi, seeing this sight still made him mentally curse his fifth disciple a dozen times over.
He was useless at everything except eating!
Little did they know that inside the secret realm at that exact moment, Jun Wen was frantically searching for someone.
The moment he entered the secret realm, Feng Xi had materialized out of thin air right in front of him and immediately started... lecturing him.
"Fifth Senior Brother, if this were a solo fight, that would be one thing—competitions like that merely test individual strength and luck.
But in a team competition like this, strategy is far more important.
Don't look at how our Xuantian Sect has the weakest strength; as long as we plan properly, we can at least secure third place..."
Jun Wen's eyes remained filled with a clear-eyed foolishness; he felt as though he were dreaming.
First, his Junior Sister appeared out of thin air right before him, and immediately followed that up with this lengthy monologue.
What on earth was going on?
When Feng Xi had first been forcibly teleported in, she had been flustered and even panicked.
However, upon discovering that her limbs were all intact and that she had been teleported directly to Jun Wen, her panic subsided.
Since she was already inside, she naturally had to stir up some trouble.
She had spent time in the Hunyuan Sect after all, and failing to send them a gift would be quite impolite, so she might as well hand them last place!
Seeing that Jun Wen still didn't understand, Feng Xi cut straight to the chase: "The Wanjian Sect and the Beast Taming Sect both desperately want first place, but they can't beat the Hunyuan Sect.
Therefore, what we need to do is unite those two sects to take down the Hunyuan Sect. As long as the Hunyuan Sect falls to last place, it doesn't matter which of the other two sects takes first—at the very least, we can secure third place.
Do you understand now?"
Only then did Jun Wen experience a sudden dawn of realization: "Junior Sister, if you had just said it like that earlier, wouldn't I have understood right away?! What should we do next?"
"Go find the core disciples of the Wanjian Sect and the Beast Taming Sect to discuss a partnership!"
Jun Wen felt rather unconfident: "Would they agree? Somehow I feel like that's a long shot!"
Feng Xi stood up: "We'll never know until we try!"
.
Chapter 26: What Feng Xi Said Turned Out to Be True
The Tianlv Secret Realm was vast, and an hour passed before they finally encountered Xing Wu of the Beast Taming Sect.
Xing Wu had always been on rather poor terms with Jun Wen due to a few minor friction points between them in the past.
Therefore, he had initially had no intention of paying any attention to Feng Xi and the others.
To his surprise, Feng Xi waved a enthusiastic little hand and took the initiative to greet him:
"Senior Brother Xing Wu, I've long heard my master mention you. He said you are the most talented core disciple in the Beast Taming Sect, and he often uses you to motivate my Fifth Senior Brother..."
Seeing the consternation on Jun Wen's face, Xing Wu swallowed Feng Xi's words hook, line, and sinker.
It seemed Xiao Baidao truly praised him quite often.
Being in a good mood, he found Feng Xi looking somewhat more pleasing to the eye as well.
Seeing his expression soften, Feng Xi continued chattering away:
"Senior Brother Xing Wu, I feel this secret realm trial isn't very fair. It's fine for us in the Xuantian Sect—after all, our strength is the weakest, so no matter how we compete, we'll finish last.
However, your Beast Taming Sect clearly has a chance to win first place this time, but the Hunyuan Sect is simply too shameless!
That Lu Xiuhan was supposed to participate in the previous secret realm trial, but he skipped it. The reason is obvious: he did it just to steal the spotlight and win first place this time!
He's already at Foundation Establishment Level 6, and none of us are his match. We can only watch helplessly as they take first place. It's simply infuriating!"
These words struck a chord right in Xing Wu's heart.
He let out a cold snort: "There's nothing we can do about it. What they're doing complies with the rules, so we just have to take it."
Feng Xi blinked her eyes: "Senior Brother Xing Wu, I actually have an idea. Why don't our three factions unite to deal with the Hunyuan Sect and eliminate all their people first!
Our Xuantian Sect has no grand ambitions; we'll be content just taking third place.
As for whether first place goes to your Beast Taming Sect or the Wanjian Sect, that's entirely your business.
The reason I came to discuss this with you first is because my master said that among all the core disciples, you are the most strategic and courageous. If you didn't dare to do this, nobody else would dare either.
So, do you dare to do it or not?"
Xing Wu sneered: "You think reverse psychology works on me? It's true that I find the Hunyuan Sect unappealing, but I have no desire to cooperate with your Xuantian Sect either."
Jun Wen thought to himself: See? I told you this trick wouldn't work.
Junior Sister, you're still too naive!
Feng Xi nodded:
"Fine then. Since you're unwilling, just pretend I never said anything.
No wonder Shen Zhilan looks down on you—turns out you really are inferior to Lu Xiuhan!"
Xing Wu's expression darkened instantly, anger surging within his eyes:
"What do you mean by that?"
Feng Xi shrugged: "Exactly what it sounds like! You should know that I used to be a member of the Hunyuan Sect, right?
Before that incident with the plundering of the herbs, Shen Zhilan and I were on pretty good terms, and she told me herself that she deeply admired Lu Xiuhan. She even said that among the Four Great Sects, you, Xing Wu, are the most useless piece of trash!
Because your Beast Taming Sect only knows how to rely on beasts, without any genuine skills of your own..."
Before Feng Xi could finish speaking, Xing Wu lashed out with a palm strike: "You're courting death!"
Unfortunately, he didn't even brush a single strand of Feng Xi's hair, because Jun Wen had already grabbed his arm.