Volume 7, Chapter 390 – Drawing Lots (Part 1)

“I’ve decided, she will be my three hundred and twenty-second concubine!”

Lü Er spoke without turning his head, his attention completely captured by Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.

“As long as my grandson is happy, it is her fortune.”

Elder Zuo revealed a sly smirk. Any woman this little lecher set his eyes on had never been able to resist. After all, the Lü family’s Immortal Stele was not something mere mortals could contend with.

“Three hundred and twenty-two? At such a young age, your descendant already has that many wives and concubines?”

The man beside him, Ye Donglai, asked in astonishment.

“Young people these days, it’s normal for them to have a bit more fire in their blood.”

Elder Zuo dismissed the question casually.

“A bit more fire is fine, but it shouldn’t burn too fiercely. If a young man’s mind is filled with nothing but lust, it won’t be conducive to immortal cultivation.”

Ye Donglai began lecturing.

“Hmph!”

Lü Er turned his head slightly and spoke with disdain. “Nonsense. Without desire, where would the drive to grow stronger come from? Haven’t you heard the saying? Lust is the primary productive force!”

“You are too extreme, young friend. There are countless sources of motivation, not just the affairs between men and women. Such things not only cloud judgment but also drain one’s essence, energy, and spirit. That is why most cultivators remain single.”

Ye Donglai elaborated patiently.

“A pity, then, that I am not among the ‘majority’ you speak of.”

Lü Er turned back, his greedy gaze once again fixated on Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.

“Young friend seems quite confident! May I ask which sect you hail from, and what realm your main body has reached?”

Ye Donglai seized the opportunity to probe Lü Er’s background.

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Lü Er didn’t respond. A man who took four to five hundred years just to reach the Divine Realm wasn’t even worthy of speaking to him.

“No sect, no school, just a homebound rogue cultivator. Elder Ye must find this amusing.”

Elder Zuo smoothed things over with a perfunctory reply, though in truth, it was the plain truth.

“A rogue cultivator? Then Elder Zuo must be well aware of Cheng Hongling’s reputation, no? Even the emperor of the Western Radiance Dynasty couldn’t obtain one of her doppelgängers, let alone some rogue cultivator! Best advise your descendant to give up now before he meets an immovable wall.”

Ye Donglai’s tone was laced with mockery, his true intention still to pry into Lü Er’s origins.

“The emperor of the Western Radiance Dynasty? The territory under my family’s gatekeeper is larger than his!”

Lü Er didn’t even turn his head as he delivered the insult.

Seeing that the other party was only interested in boasting and had no intention of revealing anything, Ye Donglai had no choice but to drop the matter.

“Master, the opening ceremony is about to begin.”

At this moment, Steward Cai stepped forward to remind them.

“Then let it begin. Since this is your jurisdiction, you shall preside over it.”

Elder Zuo commanded.

“Understood!”

Steward Cai accepted the order.

“You should head down as well. If you happen to encounter Elder Ye’s personal disciple on the stage, be sure to… learn from them properly.”

Elder Zuo then instructed Lü Er.

Lü Er still didn’t respond, instead walking into the arena while keeping his eyes locked on his “prey”.

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“Oh? Your descendant is also participating in the Evergreen Conference of Yongning Province? Then where is his main body?”

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Ye Donglai pressed further.

“Didn’t come. Just his doppelgänger is participating.”

Elder Zuo answered honestly.

“A doppelgänger? Then which sect’s disciples is he joining for the competition?”

Ye Donglai continued his relentless questioning.

“Elder Ye need not be so tense. This was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision. He simply wanted to spar with the younger generation of the Western Radiance Dynasty’s cultivation world. He registered alone and isn’t affiliated with any sect.”

Elder Zuo had long seen through Ye Donglai’s probing and teased him in response.

“Registered alone? That’s allowed?”

Ye Donglai was stunned.

“Of course. While the Immortal Alliance has set an upper limit of ten participants per team, there’s no lower limit. If Elder Ye wishes, you can also have your personal disciple participate alone. If they win, wouldn’t that bring you great face?”

Elder Zuo goaded him.

“No, thank you! My Donglai Sect is poor, young and old alike rely on the Evergreen Conference for resources. We can’t afford to joke around.”

Ye Donglai wisely declined. Hearing that the other party was participating alone, the weight in his heart lifted. A lone wolf, no matter how strong, couldn’t possibly overturn the heavens, could he?

At this moment, Steward Cai stepped onto the central platform of the arena and, channeling his True Qi, announced:

“Fellow Daoists, the auspicious hour has arrived! The triennial Evergreen Conference shall now commence. However, before we begin, I ask that everyone gather close, there are some matters I must announce.”

The cultivators from various sects and factions quickly converged, creating a spectacular scene.

Qi Huang had already witnessed this scene in her dreams, so she remained relatively calm. However, her senior sisters were far more excited. After all, only the most outstanding disciples of each sect were qualified to participate in the Evergreen Conference. The fact that they could mingle among them was already a point of pride.

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“Everyone, since the Great Horror, resources in the cultivation world have grown increasingly scarce. The Immortal Alliance holds the Evergreen Conference every three years to select the most outstanding seedlings and provide them with support, only then can we ensure that the finest steel is used for the blade’s edge!”

Steward Cai delivered the standard opening speech before shifting his tone, feigning lamentation:

“However, it is a great pity that Yongning Prefecture has not produced any particularly remarkable geniuses in recent years. As the Immortal Alliance’s steward here, I feel deeply ashamed!”

As soon as these words left his mouth, the cultivators present all glanced toward Cheng Hongling, their faces filled with confusion.

“They say Cheng Hongling’s talent is extraordinary, yet in Steward Cai’s eyes, she doesn’t even count as a genius?”

“Nonsense! Steward Cai is an Immortal Alliance elder who has traveled far and wide, what kind of genius hasn’t he seen? Why would he spare her a second glance?”

“Exactly. I’ve heard that in the Central Continent, there are a few freaks who were on the verge of reaching the Divine Ability Realm at her age.”

Many female cultivators, driven by jealousy, didn’t even bother to hide their mockery.

“That Cai bastard is truly shameless, using his position to settle personal grudges and making veiled insults!”

Shen Yuan cursed under her breath.

“Exactly! How can someone so petty hold the position of Immortal Alliance steward?”

“His master, Elder Zuo, is no better. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”

Ruan Lingyu and Yun Fei also voiced their anger.

“Don’t be angry. As I said, the higher he jumps, the harder he’ll fall.”

Qi Huang quickly soothed their emotions. After all, she was a “man” here. She had to keep her composure.

Meanwhile, Elder Zuo on the platform subtly withdrew his gaze and continued:

“In order to improve the situation in Yongning Province, my esteemed teacher and I have decided to increase the rewards for this Evergreen Conference to nurture local talent. However, since this would be unfair to cultivators from outside, we have adjusted the rules this year. For this Evergreen Conference, regardless of household registration or sect affiliation, as long as you are under thirty years of age and wish to participate, you may do so.”

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“Tch! And here they claim it’s for the sake of Yongning’s seedlings. With no restrictions on household registration or sects, how are we supposed to compete with outsiders?”

“Right? Even the most average genius from outside could be at the Unity Realm or Incarnation Realm, strong enough to be elders or stewards in our local sects. How are we supposed to fight that?”

“This isn’t support, it’s outright suppression! For us local cultivators, obtaining resources will be even harder than before.”

Some local cultivators grumbled quietly.

“However, since this change will attract many outside cultivators, we have made further adjustments to the competition rules. Aside from retaining the team battle format, we have increased the maximum team size to ten members. This will allow the matches to conclude more efficiently, otherwise, we’d be waiting forever!”

Steward Cai added.

“What a flimsy excuse. If they just wanted to suppress Little Sister, why dress it up in such grand rhetoric?”

Yun Fei couldn’t help but sneer.

“Finally, I must remind everyone. Since there are only ten slots forprefectural-level immortal seedlings, only the first-place team will qualify to represent Yongning Prefecture in the subsequent national-level Evergreen Conference. I hope no one takes this lightly.”

Steward Cai concluded his speech with a final warning:

“For all other specific rules, you may refer to the notices posted on the walls. Violators will be immediately disqualified.”

“Now, let the drawing of lots commence! Participants with consecutive numbers will face off, and those who draw a bye will automatically advance to the next round. This will continue until the final victor is determined, the one who will represent Yongning Province in the national Evergreen Conference.”

With that, Steward Cai ordered the setup of tables and chairs on the platform for the lot-drawing ceremony.

“One last thing, the Immortal Alliance has always recognized tokens, not individuals. Once you receive your token, guard it carefully. Don’t come crying later, claiming your token was stolen or swapped.”

After this final reminder, the lot-drawing ceremony officially began.

“I wonder who our first opponent will be?”

Ruan Lingyu murmured, her voice a mix of anticipation and nervousness.