Phoenix Essence Fire was a treasure for both alchemy and artifact forging. However, Meiqiu was still small; it could only spit out a few sparks when it opened its beak. Naturally, Nie Shiyun could not begin to press it into labor just yet.
Although cultivating within the jade pendant space was very comfortable, living there long-term was indeed a bit empty and dull. Considering that Meiqiu’s age, if converted to human years, was merely that of an infant in swaddling clothes, Nie Shiyun felt it was a bit pitiful. He suggested bringing a baby cradle from the outside for it to lie in.
"How can you compare me to a human infant?" Meiqiu chirped indignantly, as if deeply insulted.
"Then should I go pick up a bird's nest for you?"
The treatment took a sudden nosedive. Meiqiu hopped around in anger. "No! If you're giving me something, I want that one from before! The hot one, the very warm cover!"
Nie Shiyun thought for a long time and communicated for a while before he finally understood. Meiqiu was talking about the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover.
He placed the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover within the space and tentatively activated one of the fire dragons. Instantly, the golden cover was wreathed in flames. Meiqiu was delighted and dove straight into the cover. It had been roasted while it was still an egg and had suffered no damage, so Nie Shiyun wasn't worried now. He just felt a subtle sensation, as if he were watching an ingredient actively rush into an oven.
The Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, which would feel like the fires of hell to most creatures, was being used by Meiqiu as a sauna. Since its body was already pitch black, when it excitedly waddled out of the cover a moment later, anyone unaware would surely think the bird had been charred to a crisp.
"I didn't expect a mediocre human cultivator like you to have such a good item." Meiqiu felt that after being tempered by the Samadhi True Fire, not only was its body comfortable, but its cultivation also seemed to be faintly rising.
"I have things to do; I can't stay here holding a spiritual tool to play with you all day," Nie Shiyun said somewhat helplessly after accompanying Meiqiu through half a day of roasting. "In any case, I have no use for the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover for the time being. I'll inject a large amount of spiritual energy into it at once and leave it here. Call me when the temperature drops."
Meiqiu was having too much fun to think of home and nodded in agreement.
Nie Shiyun felt for a moment like a bathhouse worker adding coal to a sauna. After giving a few more instructions, he withdrew from the jade pendant space.
Although time flowed slower inside the jade, the ordeal with Meiqiu had still delayed him for quite a while. By the time he received Zhai Bairong’s message, the other man was already at a dinner gathering. Nie Shiyun couldn't quite gauge the situation, but since the "Great Buddhas" of the Yingyue Sect hadn't graced them with their presence yet, Zhai Bairong’s situation should be relatively free. Thus, he sent a reply to acknowledge it, stating that they would likely meet at the opening ceremony tomorrow and there was no need to rush now, lest any unnecessary mistakes occur.
However, Nie Shiyun also knew that Zhai Bairong was afraid he might misunderstand; otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his composure so rarely.
At the same time, he discovered that of the transmission crystals he had left behind, only a few remained. Items that were generally used as emergency communication tools had been used by them like instant messaging. Calculating the cost, Nie Shiyun found that their brief back-and-forth communications had already burned through over a hundred thousand spirit stones.
Zhai Bairong did not respond immediately. Nie Shiyun figured he hadn't escaped his obligations yet. He stared at his storage ring for a moment, and seeing no reaction, he went to cultivate.
He sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed, absorbing the spiritual energy of Pinyin Pavilion, which was completely different from that of Yunqing Pavilion or Fanhua City. Because the Northern Plains were cold and Pinyin Pavilion consisted only of female cultivators, the spiritual energy of this land had long leaned toward the feminine and soft. It was not actually the best place for his Gold and Fire spiritual roots to cultivate. However, thinking that the environment inside the Hantian Secret Realm would likely be similar, Nie Shiyun forced himself to get used to it early.
On the morning the opening ceremony arrived, Nie Shiyun sensed that the spiritual energy in the hourglass he had set to remind him of the time had run out. He ceased his cultivation and went to the mountainside to meet with the other disciples of Yunqing Pavilion.
"Did you rest well?" Nie Xing'an asked with concern.
Nie Shiyun and Qi Xuan'er both answered in the affirmative. The other disciples also seemed quite energetic; it appeared they had lived quite comfortably these past few days.
The group included disciples at the Qi Refining stage who could not fly on swords. Nie Shiyun and the others did not head out alone but instead went with the rest to the ferry point at the foot of the mountain. They boarded a small immortal ship provided by Pinyin Pavilion to travel from the guest peaks to the main mountain.
Nie Shiyun had never been to any of the four great sects; this visit to Pinyin Pavilion was his first. Although the book contained many descriptions, being there in person made him realize that the foundations of a great sect were truly incomparable to the long-declined Yunqing Pavilion. There were two main mountains—one for outer disciples and one for inner disciples—not to mention several dedicated mountains for growing spiritual herbs and receiving guests. According to Qi Miaohan, every disciple in the inner sect who reached the Golden Core stage was granted their own individual peak. Although the area wasn't large, it was indeed a grand gesture.
Passing through layers of mist, the group arrived at the main mountain.
The plaza of the outer court was already bustling with many cultivators who had arrived early. Although most were grouped by sect, this was a rare opportunity that occurred only once every fifty years. Since there were no other events where all the young cultivators of various sects gathered, many who were well-connected or belonged to friendly sects were now mingling to exchange sentiments.
Although Yunqing Pavilion had business dealings with many sects, most people only knew the elders or the few famous master smiths of the pavilion. They did not recognize the disciples who had come this time. Only a few people recognized Nie Xing'an and came over to say hello.
Nie Shiyun looked around and felt that the overall atmosphere of Yunqing Pavilion revealed a tendency toward working behind closed doors. If people from other sects didn't come over, they wouldn't take the initiative to greet others. While he understood the reasoning, seeing the aura of the great sects still left him feeling somewhat unwilling. Yunqing Pavilion was indeed weak now; ultimately, it was a lack of strength. The disciples were of mediocre talent, and there was no Deity Transformation Ancestor to oversee them. Nie Shiyun planned that once his own situation stabilized, if he had the capacity, he would certainly find ways to support Yunqing Pavilion.
The plaza was crowded with small and medium-sized sects packed together; such a dense crowd was rare in the cultivation world. Below the long stone steps extending from the plaza down the mountain was an even more crowded gathering place for rogue cultivators. Nie Shiyun had caught a glimpse of it from above while riding the immortal ship. He felt that the dense crowd below looked like a can of sardines. Of these hundreds of unaffiliated people, only a quarter would remain after the preliminary rounds over the next two days.
At the very front of the plaza was a high platform where everyone had instinctively left a large empty space. It was currently vacant, but it was obvious who it was reserved for.
"The class distinctions are truly clear," Nie Shiyun whispered with a sigh.
Qi Xuan'er whispered back, "It's already very good that we can stand here..."
Nie Shiyun smiled helplessly, his heart filled with mixed emotions. In a short while, Qi Xuan'er's biological sister would be standing at the very front under the gaze of thousands, yet she felt no resentment, only heartfelt joy for her sister. This junior sister of his had a temperament that didn't seek to compete, but in this dog-eat-dog world, she was almost destined for a life of obscurity.
A commotion broke out in the crowd. Nie Shiyun looked up and knew "that group" had arrived.
Chiyan Cliff and the Yingyue Sect arrived at almost the same time, as if by appointment.
Among the group, Nie Shiyun only needed to look up once for his gaze to be involuntarily drawn to one person.
If Zhai Bairong had been like a dusty jade when they met again in Fanhua City, he was now like a sharp sword reappearing in the world. However, that aura was hidden deep in his eyes, wrapped in a gentle and elegant demeanor. It didn't feel aggressive, yet no one would dare to approach him rashly.
Zhai Bairong wore a black robe with flowing sleeves. He stepped down slowly from his flying sword, nodding slightly to the surrounding crowd, and then led the other disciples of the Yingyue Sect forward. From head to toe, not a single flaw could be found.
Although Duan Mingyu wanted to stand beside him, he could not do so on such a grand occasion. He could only follow two steps behind Zhai Bairong.
The disciples of the small and medium sects at the back of the plaza fell silent instantly, the previous noise vanishing completely.
Unlike the Yingyue Sect, which maintained the traditional air of an immortal sect, Chiyan Cliff’s style was much more informal as they arrived with a grand momentum. The relationship between the two sides had always been somewhat tense, but with the connection between Xu Yehua and Duan Mingyu, although things were stiff, it was difficult for them to be openly hostile.
Xu Yehua had no intention of being discreet. He turned his head and gave Duan Mingyu a smirk. "Your Yingyue Sect arrived late. Once this is over, let's go down the mountain and have some fun together, shall we?"
He didn't use a voice transmission; the surrounding disciples heard him clearly. Although their relationship was an open secret, Duan Mingyu’s face still flushed. "I don't know what the arrangements are yet."
"That's true," Xu Yehua laughed, then turned to Zhai Bairong and asked as if making small talk, "Well? What does the person in charge of the Yingyue Sect have to say?"
His tone was provocative. Zhai Bairong’s expression remained unmoved as he responded with a fake smile, "My apologies, this is not the place for such talk."
Seeing that he was unresponsive, Xu Yehua had no choice but to shut his mouth for the time being. After a while, the disciples of Lingfeng Mountain also arrived. The group stood to the side without a word, seemingly having no interest in conversation. Rong Lü only cast a single glance toward Duan Mingyu, and they exchanged a look.
The disciples of Pinyin Pavilion had actually arrived long ago. However, as the hosts, arriving first to wait would have been a loss of face. Seeing that the other three sects had all arrived, they finally received the order and walked slowly up the steps at the front of the plaza. Several female cultivators couldn't help but glare at Lingfeng Mountain several times, cursing in their hearts that if it weren't for those loose and undisciplined men who gave Pinyin Pavilion no face, they wouldn't have had to stand in the back for half an hour.
Among the group of female cultivators, Qi Miaohan kept turning her head to look back, as if searching for the tracks of Qi Xuan'er and the others. Qi Xuan'er didn't dare to greet her under the watchful eyes of the crowd and could only keep chanting in her heart, hoping Qi Miaohan would turn back quickly. Soon, Qi Miaohan’s rather undisciplined behavior earned her a sharp, hidden poke from a senior sister, causing her to settle down with lingering fear. However, as she stood straight and looked forward, her peripheral vision could still see Duan Mingyu at the front, making eyes at more than one man. On one hand, she felt these men deserved to die; on the other, she felt they didn't respect Pinyin Pavilion, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, though she was helpless to do anything.
Standing in the back and taking everything in, Nie Shiyun thought to himself: four sects, five characters, all gathered together. Beneath the undercurrents, this was truly quite a show.
