Because of Nie Shiyun's sudden return to the sect, the long-dormant Yunqing Pavilion became briefly lively. Having not seen him for three years, Nie Li and the others had much to say to him. Even Nie Xing’an, who usually disliked idle chatter, paid him a visit to express his gratitude for the various ores and metals Nie Shiyun had sent him several times, displaying a fine example of brotherly harmony.
Even though Nie Shiyun had plenty of interesting anecdotes from his time running a shop and gaining experience alone, he grew weary after three to five days of storytelling. Finally, he closed his doors to guests under the pretext of needing to cultivate.
When he had left the sect, he had only just formed his Golden Core. Returning after just a few years, his cultivation was nearly at the mid-Golden Core stage. Take Nie Xing’an, for example; he was already a standout among the younger generation of the sect. As a fellow dual-root cultivator, his cultivation had seen little progress in the ten-plus years since he broke through to the Golden Core stage. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was the norm.
Looking back, Nie Shiyun’s skeletal age was thirty-five. In about seven years, he had shot up from the Qi Condensation stage in one breath. This meteoric pace was on par with single-root cultivators, which was truly sensational. Fortunately, there were those "once-in-a-century cultivation geniuses" from the book acting as a shield in the spotlight, and Nie Shiyun was tucked away in a small sect like Yunqing Pavilion, so he didn't attract excessive attention.
The transition from Golden Core to Nascent Soul was a major hurdle. Nie Shiyun estimated that, no matter what, he had to seize the immortal artifact in the Hantian Secret Realm. Before that item was in his hands, he absolutely could not draw too much attention—especially from the Nascent Soul seniors and Soul Transformation patriarchs of other sects. Otherwise, something like the Chaos Space might be even more coveted than an immortal artifact.
However, unless necessary, Nie Shiyun had no interest in playing the fool. Anyone who looked into it would know that the original owner of this body was no humble soul. The Great Cultivation Assembly would be a place of many voices and rumors. Nie Shiyun had long been planning what attitude to present to the world and how to skillfully conceal his brilliance so that those with ulterior motives wouldn't notice anything amiss.
Consequently, the "secluded" Nie Shiyun did not actually devote himself entirely to cultivation. Instead, he delved into the remaining artifact refining manuals in the pavilion. Since his formation mastery had also improved and he had accumulated several years of practical experience, returning to these obscure and difficult Spirit-grade manuals felt suddenly much easier. Although he couldn't grasp everything in one go, he benefited immensely. After three months of tireless study, his artifact refining level approached the Spirit-grade, nearly reaching the same level as the pavilion's elders. Currently, within Yunqing Pavilion, he was perhaps second only to Nie Li and Nie Mingde.
Not long after he emerged from seclusion, he received a summons from the Sect Leader, saying it concerned the Great Cultivation Assembly six months away. Naturally, Nie Shiyun headed there immediately.
Over the years, the scale of Yunqing Pavilion had not changed at all, though several elders had taken on a few more inner disciples. When Nie Shiyun entered the assembly hall, he scanned the room; they were all Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, and he didn't recognize a single one. Sitting at the very front were Nie Xing’an and Qi Xuan’er. There was an empty seat between them, and Nie Shiyun consciously walked over and sat down.
"Senior Brother, you’ve finished your seclusion."
Hearing Qi Xuan’er’s soft inquiry, Nie Shiyun nodded. "But there wasn't much progress."
Qi Xuan’er sighed and gave a helpless smile. "Senior Brother’s cultivation is already advancing by leaps and bounds. After only a few months, you still want more progress? You’re really making the rest of us feel hopeless."
It was rare for Qi Xuan’er to joke with him. Nie Shiyun didn't continue talking about himself but instead praised her for her steady rise in cultivation. Qi Xuan’er, who wasn't used to being complimented, hurriedly told him not to overpraise her.
Nie Xing’an sat to the side, silent, but he felt very gratified in his heart.
A moment later, Sect Leader Nie Mingde arrived. As everyone rose, he waved his hand to signal they could dispense with the formalities. They didn't have as many rules as the great sects. Although Nie Mingde was the head of the pavilion, if one truly had business with him, he was accessible at any time. His relationship with the disciples was more than a little closer than that of a great sect’s leader.
"I presume you all know why I’ve called you here," Nie Mingde said, flicking his sleeves as he sat at the front. He briefly explained the purpose of the gathering to the Yunqing Pavilion disciples.
The host of this Great Cultivation Assembly was Pinyin Pavilion. Since their last Soul Transformation patriarch had passed away, the only Soul Transformation cultivator left in Pinyin Pavilion was the current Sect Leader, Jiang Baixiang. Nowadays, most sects were led by Nascent Soul cultivators, while Soul Transformation patriarchs did not manage daily affairs. However, Pinyin Pavilion had shown signs of decline in recent years. The Nascent Soul cultivator who was supposed to succeed as Sect Leader died unexpectedly in a secret realm over a decade ago, and since then, no disciple had managed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Coincidentally, it was now Pinyin Pavilion's turn to host the Great Cultivation Assembly. Naturally, they were putting in extra effort, hoping to use this opportunity to boost the sect's reputation and maintain the appearance of a great sect’s abundance. If they could recruit some promising talents, that would be even better.
"In addition to spirit stones, the first-place winner of the competition will receive the Spirit-grade magic treasure, the Cold Ice Sword. The top four will receive Spirit-grade Bone-Refining Pills, and the top eight can enter the Medicine Garden to pick any ten Spirit-grade herbs."
The disciples gasped in surprise. Pinyin Pavilion was being quite generous. Although Yunqing Pavilion was a sect founded on artifact refining, that didn't mean just anyone could own a Spirit-grade magic treasure. The Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover that Nie Shiyun had snatched from the secret realm was also a Spirit-grade magic treasure.
Though they knew the Great Cultivation Assembly would be full of talent, hearing such rewards made everyone indulge in a bit of fantasy. Nie Shiyun, however, was not surprised, as he had already read about these rules and rewards in the book.
The three words "Cold Ice Sword" were practically engraved with "For Duan Mingyu's Use."
Nie Shiyun had no intention of vying for first place. He was willing to seize opportunities in secret realms because they could be taken without anyone knowing. If he clashed with Duan Mingyu at the Great Cultivation Assembly, he would be making himself a living target.
Nie Mingde continued, "Yunqing Pavilion has never had excessive demands for its disciples. We only ask that you do not bring shame to the sect and do your best. In the matches of the Great Cultivation Assembly, there are always those who go too far. You must remember not to lose your reason. Nothing is more important than your life. Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded. Although every Great Cultivation Assembly strictly forbade killing and looting, accidents occasionally happened. While he didn't think any of these Yunqing Pavilion disciples were the combative type, Nie Mingde still emphasized the point.
Once Nie Mingde finished his instructions, he departed. The disciples filed out of the assembly hall in small groups, discussing in low voices. Some looked excited, while others seemed disinterested.
"I’ve never been to the north. I heard the scenery at Pinyin Pavilion is beautiful!"
"We’ll probably only be able to look at the scenery. Sigh, we were born at the wrong time..."
Nie Shiyun brushed past them and heard someone lamenting so.
Though it sounded discouraging, it was the truth. Foundation Establishment cultivators were always the largest group at the Great Cultivation Assembly. With the age limit set at fifty, there might be a few Golden Core cultivators who practiced hard and had solid foundations, like Nie Xing’an. But this time, never mind ordinary Golden Core cultivators—just among the younger generation, there were the famous Zhai Bairong and Rong Lü at the mid-Golden Core stage, and even Xu Yehua, whose cultivation had already reached the late-Golden Core stage. In the original book, Duan Mingyu should have also been at the mid-Golden Core stage. Perhaps because Nie Shiyun had stolen the Spirit-Cleansing Pill, he hadn't reached it yet, but his cultivation speed was still enough to shock people. As everyone said, "It’s as if geniuses aren't worth anything when they all show up at once." These Foundation Establishment disciples might have been able to compete in another era, but this time, they were destined to be mere background characters.
Nie Shiyun had no memory of the book mentioning any Yunqing Pavilion disciples distinguishing themselves at the Great Cultivation Assembly, so the hopeless attitude of these disciples was likely correct. However, while his cousin Nie Xing’an couldn't compare to those geniuses, he hadn't even made the top eight in the original work, which puzzled Nie Shiyun. But cultivation level didn't represent everything. Nie Shiyun decided to avoid interfering with plot points unrelated to the main story as much as possible; he would see the reason for it when the time came.
During the remaining preparation time, Nie Shiyun did not try to push for the mid-Golden Core stage but instead suppressed his cultivation. Because he had been struck by heavenly lightning much harder than most when advancing to the Golden Core stage, his physique had been thoroughly tempered. If it really came down to a fight, Nie Shiyun was confident he could suppress a mid-Golden Core cultivator.
Yunqing Pavilion was not close to Pinyin Pavilion, and the journey would take many days. Two months after the instructions were given, once the disciples were mostly prepared, a group led by a sect elder boarded an "immortal ship" floating in the sky and set off for Pinyin Pavilion.
They had agreed to meet again at the Great Cultivation Assembly.
Roughly calculating, if one didn't count that brief message when Zhai Bairong emerged from seclusion, the two had not been in contact for a year.
Over the past six months, Nie Shiyun had not heard any rumors about Zhai Bairong and Duan Mingyu of the Moon-Reflecting Sect falling out. Given the speed at which gossip traveled between great sects, there had likely been no change. Although he had expected this, Nie Shiyun still felt a faint unease in his heart. During the journey, he took out the spirit sword he intended to give Zhai Bairong and looked at it several times, thinking that everything could only be known once they met.
About fifteen days later, the Yunqing Pavilion group arrived at the immortal ship docks of Lingtian City at the foot of Pinyin Pavilion's mountain.
Lingtian City was more crowded than ever. Disciples from various sects, rogue cultivators hoping to catch a sect's eye, and merchants looking to join the fray were all gathered in this largest city in the northern part of the cultivation world. The streets of Lingtian City were teeming with horses and carriages. Nie Shiyun took a deep breath; the cold air sent a chill through his lungs, shaking him out of the leisure of the journey and making him instantly more alert. Having grown accustomed to a quiet life, the thought that what followed would be no less tense or calculating than the time in the Misty Secret Realm made him sigh softly. He followed the others from his sect off the ship, passing through Lingtian City to report to Pinyin Pavilion.
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 35 | Preparing for the Assembly | Novela.app | Novela.app
