Chapter 374: Chapter 374
The crowd automatically parted to create a passage for her. Everyone’s gaze suddenly converged on her, starting at her enchantingly beautiful face, then trailing down to the sword in her hand, all speculating about her origins.
"Whose daughter is this girl? She looks like a fairy; I’ve never seen her before! With such lineage, she must be someone extraordinary to attend this banquet!"
"Where did that sword come from? Such a large sword—where was she hiding it? Why did nobody notice, nobody confiscated it?"
Bai Qingqing’s pale face turned even paler, her lips quivering, her body leaning more closely against Wu Zongyu, tightly clinging to his arm without letting go, the fear in her heart growing wildly like weeds. She looked up at Wu Zongyu, only to see his gaze fixedly stuck on Lan Tian, her grip on his arm tightening even more.
Wu Zongyu had always known that Lan Tian was different from others, not just her beauty, her unparalleled medical skills, but also that mysterious aura surrounding her, which attracted him to approach. He just never realized how special she really was.
Lan Tian held the flying sword, her expression cold and detached, her dark eyes indifferent, her steps steady and firm like a war god, she moved forward step by step, ascending the steps, with a flip of her hand, the flying sword was concealed into her Dantian.
The people below had a feeling that the sword in the girl’s hand vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Senior." Lan Tian performed a formal greeting from the Cultivation World, then stood quietly at the side.
The red-robed male cultivator sitting upright and proper laughed. In that moment, it was as if he had seen the peach blossoms of March flourishing, a pink rain of petals everywhere, drifting and fluttering, ruffling the tranquil surface of the spring water. Without turning her head, Lan Tian knew that the women in the audience had fallen into that dreamy spring of peach blossoms.
Lan Tian rolled her eyes and turned her head, showing a disdainful expression when she faced the red-robed cultivator again.
"Young lady?" The red-robed cultivator swiped his sleeve, signaling Lan Tian to take a seat and talk.
Lan Tian did not decline; she had no place to do so. She performed a ritual greeting and took her seat, glancing inadvertently at the tea set and other items on the table.
They were all mundane objects, although of a higher grade than what she had used. That Purple Sand Pot was nearly a thousand years old. The tea leaves in the white porcelain jar were not Spiritual Tea but a superior mortal tea, Da Hong Pao. Despite the rarity and preciousness of Da Hong Pao, it was still a mundane item, incomparable to the Spiritual Tea she was used to. Official source ıs novel⁂fire.net
With a slight uplift of the corner of her eye, she glanced sideways at the person opposite her, demurely looking down at the tea table. She was evaluating the paraphernalia on the red-robed cultivator, the White Jade Crown on his head appeared precious and ostentatious, yet it was a mundane object. As for the red clothes, they were a magical treasure, not of a high grade, not even reaching the level of a Treasure, excluding the Lifebound Magical Treasure. Besides that, there were no other magical treasures on his person, and judging from this small observation, it seemed he wasn’t faring too well in this world.
"Bone age twenty, mid-stage Foundation Establishment, talent..." With a flick of his fiery Flowing Cloud Sleeve, Lan Tian felt a clear stream pour into her body from overhead, her body stiffening abruptly. This was the technique of a high-level cultivator, and his cold voice echoed in her ears.
"Three spiritual roots?" The tone seemed somewhat surprised, "From which family? No, from which plane? Little girl, how did you end up in this lower realm? The younger generation is indeed to be feared. With such forsaken potential, your family still provided resources for you to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage. The plane you came from must be of a higher tier."
Lan Tian: "..." There was no need for her to answer; the red-robed cultivator had filled in the blanks himself, heh...
Pretending to be mighty was nothing new to her; she also had someone powerful backing her. Remembering her nominal Master, who was a great entity in the Divine Realm, she regained some confidence and took on the airs of someone from the Divine Realm, "Senior, how long have you been in this realm?"
Lan Tian preferred a peaceful resolution and didn’t wish to resort to violence, especially since she was no match for him.
Of course, to put on a mighty front one needed the proper props. With a flip of her hand, she took out the best Spiritual Tea from her Sleeve Universe. Lan Tian felt a twinge of pain; she had only drunk it a few times herself due to its scarcity—the tea was harvested only once every five years, producing no more than two taels each time. She had always planned to enjoy it slowly, but now an outsider was reaping the benefits. This taught her that one should enjoy good things as soon as possible; otherwise, who knows who might benefit instead.
"It’s been quite some time, so long that I myself am unsure how long exactly," said the red-robed cultivator with melancholy. His time was running short, and he wanted to leave this worthless place as soon as possible. He did not wish to decay away here.
Somehow, from his words, Lan Tian sensed another meaning, as if he was making a final struggle, fighting to leave this realm if he won, and if he lost, the outcome would be less than wonderful. She paused for a moment, naturally grabbing the Purple Sand Pot, scooped a spoonful of Spiritual Tea into it, emptying the cup of its Da Hong Pao Tea and filling it anew. She looked up at the person across from her, "Senior, this is Spiritual Tea grown by myself. Please have a taste."
The red-robed cultivator paused mid-action while drinking tea, silently pouring away the Da Hong Pao from his cup, pouring himself some of the new tea and taking a sip. The abundant Spiritual Energy and the unique fragrance of the Spiritual Tea offered a nostalgically delightful flavor.
Since arriving in this rubbish realm, he had not had the pleasure of properly enjoying Spiritual Tea or Cultivation, as the Spiritual Energy was too sparse to meet his cultivation needs. If he hadn’t drawn Spiritual Energy from the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range to sustain himself, he would have perished hundreds of times over.
To compare oneself to others is to court despair; to compare goods is to cast them away!
Looking at the young girl, her potential was inferior to his; yet, he, born with the Heavenly Spiritual Root and nurtured by a Major Sect with the best cultivation resources, took thousands of years to reach the Mahayana Realm. He was on the verge of crossing the tribulation to ascend when he fell victim to a sneak attack, leading to his current downfall.
This girl, with three spiritual roots, had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage by age twenty, and her strength was not due to elixirs—her foundations were solid, her Spiritual Energy rich. In time, advancing to the Golden Core Stage shouldn’t be a problem. When he was fifty years old and established his Foundation, he was praised as a genius by his sect, and while he wore a stoic expression, he couldn’t help feeling proud inside.
Compared to this young girl, his potential seemed insignificant.
Falling from a Mahayana-level cultivator to a Golden Core Stage one, his injuries still hadn’t fully healed after hundreds of years of resting. The Spiritual Energy of this realm was only enough to maintain his injury recovery, not sufficient for cultivation, and his lifespan was nearly depleted, a stark disparity that nearly shattered him.
The girl was only twenty and had already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, with an endless future ahead of her. He had to admit, he was extremely envious, jealous, and resentful. With such wasted potential, she had cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Stage at such a young age; if it were him, he would have ascended to the Immortal World long ago.
Good, her body was abundant with Spiritual Energy, her essence rich—much better than any of the mortals below. She would make a perfect catalyst for his break into the Nascent Soul Stage, allowing him to leave this subworld. The mortals below shouldn’t go to waste either, as the chosen ones of this realm, they each had traces of Dragon Energy, which could be refined to shield him from the Heavenly Tribulation.
Lan Tian’s hair stood on end, though it was just for a moment, she genuinely sensed hostility—the red-robed cultivator’s malevolence towards her, terrifyingly so.