Volume 4, Chapter 89 – A Lively Scene

The reason she returned to the training room was because nearly all the clothing stored aboard this flying vessel had been piled up there.

That in itself showed that this had originally been a privately owned vessel. Its former owner had probably died in some accident and passed out of existence, which was how the vessel had ended up in the hands of He Xian and the other two.

Those three were not the sort who could endure loneliness, either. The benefits of Shenwu Heaven had been right in front of them, and they had had little chance to cultivate aboard the vessel anyway, so after that, Bai Xiang was probably the only one who had entered the training room. That was why none of them had ever noticed that among the clothes stored in the room were quite a few robe-skirts.

Which meant that the vessel’s original owner had most likely been a female cultivator.

That made things convenient for Bai Xiang. She quickly picked out some clothes she liked from the room, stripped off her training robes, and changed into them.

Setting aside the closest-fitting inner garments, the innermost layer of the outfit was a black skintight suit that combined protection with breathability. It honestly looked even more like a full-body pair of stockings than an ultra-thin battle suit.

Bai Xiang had not originally intended to wear it, but the matching robes looked very strange in the mirror without it, so she simply put the whole set on. Then she found that having the thing wrap her entire body felt rather comfortable. After admiring herself alone in the mirror for a while, she accepted the arrangement with considerable satisfaction.

Over that, she put on a short inner robe, then an outer robe-skirt in white with golden patterns, broad-sleeved and cut in a grand, imposing style. The cuffs and hem of the robe-skirt were embroidered with phoenix motifs in gold thread. Paired with a brocade waist sash that was white at the edges and black in the middle, and white long boots likewise embroidered with golden designs, the whole outfit really did look valiant.

In any case, most of what she wore underneath was covered by that robe. Only her wrists, neck, and the portion of her calves above the boots showed at all. Bai Xiang then fixed her hair, using the Buddha’s-hand hairpin she had stored away to create a half-down hairstyle, added a pair of golden cicada earrings, and hung the sheathed Tianxuan Sword from her waist sash. At that point, the bearing of a Dao master emerged in full. Only then did she lead He Xian, Zhu Canghai, and Monk Zhuye aboard the Silver Eagle in response to the invitation.

The trip to the Silver Eagle was not complicated, because all of them were Immortal Venerables and could cross the void directly with their physical bodies. They needed no safety measures of any kind. They could simply leave their own vessel and fly up to the other one, which made the process extremely fast.

As they flew over, Bai Xiang paid close attention to their surroundings and saw that every direction was nearly packed with super-large flying vessels.

Every single one of those ships was ten times the size of a medium-sized flying vessel. At the moment, the fleet had clearly been given orders. None of the ships were moving at normal speed; instead, they drifted very slowly through the void.

Between the ships, aside from their own group, she could even see other people crossing back and forth. Most of them, however, still needed the help of some sort of safety vehicle. Along the way, those people were also drawn to Bai Xiang and her group. When they realized the four of them were flying directly through the void without any vehicle at all, every one of them looked excited and astonished. They immediately ran to find companions and began whispering among themselves.

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So Immortal Venerables really are rare goods.

Bai Xiang guessed those people were tourists.

Yes, the word felt a little out of place in a setting like this, but looking at their expressions and behavior, she truly could not think of what other identity they could possibly have.

If they really were tourists, then they were most likely disciples of great clans and great powers who lacked neither money nor time. The reason they were following along with the merchant fleet was simply to see the sights of the main world.

In other words, even in the Upper Realm, such people would count as broadly experienced. If even they got excited at the sight, then didn’t that itself prove just how rare Immortal Venerables were, and how seldom one got to see them in ordinary times?

“Exalted One.” Monk Zhuye seemed to possess no small degree of deductive ability. Seeing Bai Xiang first look in that direction and then sink into thought, he could not help reminding her, “Those people… may not necessarily be excited because they saw ‘Immortal Venerables.’”

“Hm?” Bai Xiang did not understand. “What do you mean?”

“Venerables are indeed rare. Unless there is some major event, it is usually quite uncommon to see several Venerables gathered in one place,” Zhuye said again. “But if you want to excite those people, an ordinary Venerable is not enough.”

So you mean the issue lies with me? That I’m rarer than an ordinary Venerable?

The claim felt a little strange. It was only when Monk Zhuye revealed the truth, pointing out that Bai Xiang was in fact already famous in the Void Realm and had made it onto quite a few rankings, that she realized she counted as something of a celebrity in the Upper Realm too.

But the spread of that news was clearly far weaker than that of the Dao-Void Martial Tournament. It was obvious enough from the fact that He Xian and Zhu Canghai knew absolutely nothing about it. As they listened to Monk Zhuye explain, their faces were blank with confusion, with only the occasional trace of chagrin appearing now and then.

If we’d known the Exalted One was this formidable, one of the heavenly prides and outstanding figures of the main world, why would we ever have tested her when we first met?

We really humiliated ourselves for nothing!

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Yet after their regret came a certain sense of relief.

There was a saying that strangers often only became acquainted after a clash. Of course, to apply that saying to them might be putting on airs a bit, but the principle was the same… If they had not offended Bai Xiang at the beginning, then they would never have had the chance to be taken in as her servants, and would have missed out on such a massive backer.

While those two vacillated there between gain and loss, Bai Xiang instead grew interested in the various rankings and took the initiative to ask Monk Zhuye about them.

“From the last update I saw, Exalted One, your ranking on the Venerable List was beyond the top thousand, and on the Heaven’s Pride List you were beyond the top hundred. But on the Heavenly Fragrance List alone, your momentum was astonishing. The instant you appeared, you shot straight to second place.”

Monk Zhuye had clearly not expected things to develop like this. As he spoke, a fine sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he feared that Bai Xiang might vent her anger on him.

He did not know much about Bai Xiang’s experiences in the main world, but from what he had observed in Shenwu Heaven alone, this was definitely not someone with a mild temper…

And indeed, Bai Xiang was somewhat dissatisfied, but the source of that dissatisfaction was not at all what he had imagined.

“The earlier rankings should just be delayed intelligence… but on the Heavenly Fragrance List, I’m only second?”

Monk Zhuye blinked, uncertain what expression he was supposed to wear.

At that point, the servant leading the way spoke up. “Venerable, you may not know this, but Fairy Mulan has held first place on the Heavenly Fragrance List for more than ten years. Even among the Venerable ranks, she has quite a few admirers. The… audience base is different.”

Translated, that meant the other side had an established fan base, while Bai Xiang did not. Under those circumstances, this result was perfectly normal. In fact, for Bai Xiang to rise to second in such a short time was already unbelievable.

Even as he spoke, the servant’s eyes kept shifting away. He did not even dare look directly at Bai Xiang’s face.

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Is this the effect of the Illusory God again?

Bai Xiang frowned and suddenly realized that, compared with before, the things drawing her attention had changed slightly.

In the past, she would never have cared about something as foolish as the Heavenly Fragrance List. But perhaps because she had spent so much time accepting her younger sister, and had grown used to some of that girl’s praise, she had unconsciously been influenced as well.

Or is it that I’ve begun to put a little thought toward appearances too?

Something this trivial… how could it ever compare to the Great Dao of longevity?

Warning herself not to let her thoughts dwell on such side matters, Bai Xiang said nothing more and followed the servant aboard the Silver Eagle. The moment she stepped onto the deck, she saw a handsome young man standing at the bow.

Unlike the other attendants, who all wore helmets and protective gear, this man, like Bai Xiang and the others, wore no protective equipment at all. His tall, slender body stood on the deck like a spear, his brows and eyes proud without losing their modesty. He could truly be called elegant and refined.

“Master Bai.”

The young man too seemed briefly struck by Bai Xiang’s appearance, but unlike the servant, he was not reduced to helplessly avoiding her gaze. He quickly recovered and saluted her with clasped hands. “I am Meng Qiaosheng. Welcome, Master Bai, to ride with us.”

That form of address alone revealed quite a lot. Or rather, not Meng Qiaosheng alone, but the Silver Sea Merchant Guild clearly knew more and denser information.

After all, Bai Xiang’s rankings on the lists that concerned strength and combat ability were not actually very high. If Meng Qiaosheng had been treating her as no more than a peer among heavenly prides, he would never have addressed her as “Master.”

That kind of title was generally reserved for the masters of major sects and Dao lineages, and carried the faint flavor of a subordinate reporting to a superior.

Yet Meng Qiaosheng had used it on first sight without the slightest burden. That meant the Silver Sea Merchant Guild ought to know her background, or at the very least, knew about the battle between her and Cui Yuanhao.

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One did not slap a smiling face.

Bai Xiang had come precisely to gather more information. Since the other side was courteous and lacked the arrogant air of a wastrel heir, she was willing to give face. After they exchanged greetings, the two of them began walking together while Meng Qiaosheng told her about various things he had seen and heard along the journey.

He was very talkative.

No matter the topic, he could turn the conversation smoothly, and he could even exchange a few words with He Xian and Zhu Canghai without seeming domineering.

If his strength was also solid, then the title of heavenly pride truly was well deserved.

“Meng! Where are you?”

“Get out here!!”

Just as the group was about to enter a corridor, a shockwave of sound suddenly came from outside, broad enough to make the entire great ship tremble and draw startled cries from many people.

“Here we go again…” Meng Qiaosheng showed a look of helplessness and turned to Bai Xiang.

“Venerable, please wait here for a moment.”

“Once I’ve dealt with this person, I’ll return and speak with you properly about the important matter.”