Yunchi Mountain was so tall it pierced through the clouds, and so broad that it blocked their path through the sky. It was just like the person it was named after, Second Elder Su Yunchi. It was the second immortal mountain of the sect, subordinate only to Fengyun Immortal Mountain.
The mountain was rather busy as Su Yunchi's granddaughter, Prime Disciple Su Wuyou, was holding a banquet and meeting for the Wuyou Faction at Wuyou Hall. The core members and other disciples belonging to the faction were there.
It was more like a gathering than an actual meeting. After the agenda was run through, the youths began partying. Some danced, some chatted in the corners, some enjoyed the food and alcohol, and some simply messed around.
Lively young girls made up ninety percent of the attendees, all of them with impressive family backgrounds and gaudy dress, forming a wall of beauties. It was a beautiful view, indeed. It was no wonder that whenever any member of the Wuyou Faction wanted to form groups for training, disciples of the sect would flock to them in droves.
The merrymaking continued into the night. The one hailed to be the top beauty of the entire sect, Su Wuyou, sat in the seat of honor, showing off her long, beautiful legs. She let her hair fall freely behind her all the way to her waist. It was so lush and thick it resembled a black waterfall, and the fragrance it exuded made it even more unforgettable.
Her bright eyes were as clear as a lake. As she gazed at the partying youths, her refined facial features shone even more from under the white face covering she wore.
She sported a slender figure and was slightly taller than most girls, but that by no means meant she was powerless. Though she was the embodiment of beauty, she had a rather restrained character. People only fell for her charms when she unconsciously let them slip.
Yuwen Shengcheng quietly sat by her side, looking at her in a daze. He felt that she was truly deserving of the top beauty title. Even though every generation had a top beauty, Su Wuyou was the youngest and, in his opinion, most beautiful. Even so, he didn't dare bear any untoward thoughts towards her, for she didn't like him, but rather Yuwen Shendu. She had been pursuing him for the last five years.
In the eyes of many in the sect, they were the perfect couple, talented and pleasing to the eye. Though they should have been together from the very beginning, they had never ended up together. In the past five years, Yuwen Shendu hadn't interacted with her at all, but nobody knew why. Perhaps they thought Yuwen Shendu was merely ignorant of her feelings for him.
However, the people in question knew that wasn't the case. Before Yuwen Shendu managed to attain his goal, the Grand-Orient Sword, he couldn't afford to lose focus, so Su Wuyou merely waited.
The Realm Wars would begin when the Prime Struggle ended. She knew it wasn't that he didn't have any interest in her at all; the moment he succeeded, they would get together like they had agreed.
"Shengcheng, you have to be braver. Don't keep doubting yourself. Your brother and I will be able to help you in the future," Su Wuyou said with a sympathetic look.
"Sister Wuyou...." He looked down and thought about his pathetic loss a few days back, as well as his father's punishment, and his eyes turned bloodshot once more.
"Yuwen Zhenxing told me that this is a trial set by your father. You don't have to take this to heart. As long as you do your best to prove yourself to him, it’ll definitely turn out well," she consoled.
"I know. Brother Zhenxing told me that he sees me like his own blood brother."
"That's right. Your father has also tasked him to avenge you. That junior sect master will die without a doubt, so what's there to worry about? Don't tell me you're unhappy because you won't be able to exact revenge yourself?"
Yuwen Shengcheng nodded.
"Prime Tower is an opportunity. Usually, you'll be in trouble if you kill a disciple from Azure Dragon Sword Mountain. Had that not been the case, it would've been possible to arrange for you to end him. However, I think you don't really have to care, as long as the junior sect master pays the price. You're still young, so losing isn't really a big deal."
"Alright. Brother Zhenxing told me that he would make sure Li Tianming leaves this world in the most gruesome fashion."
"Now that's just great. You should be happier about it." Su Wuyou smiled, looking ever so detached from normal concerns.
"Alright," he said, nodding hard. He didn't dare to open his mouth, for he had lost all his teeth. He seemed no different from an old geezer now. Even so, Su Wuyou still noticed he hadn't cheered up.
"Sister Wuyou, is Li Qingyu part of your faction?" he asked.
"Yes. I heard she hasn't shown up for quite a while and I was about to kick her out, though."
"Let's not."
"Don't tell me you’ve fallen for her? Do you need me to create an opportunity for the two of you to meet?"
Yuwen Shengcheng gave it some thought and shook his head. However, his eyes still glowed with desire.
"Just let me know when you feel like it." She patted him on the shoulder and stood up.
Her movements could be described by no word other than 'graceful'. The way she moved and swayed caused many hearts to throb.
"Li Qingyu!" Yuwen Shengcheng mouthed when she left , his eyes bloodshot.
......
Wuyou Hall still seemed rather crowded even after Su Wuyou left. Her sister, Su Yiran, was still there, after all. They were surrounded by a bunch of disciples, forming a wall that no envious outsider would be allowed to enter.
Su Yiran felt a little worn out from the partying. Holding her wine jug and two cups, she went to a dark corner where a huge, bearlike figure sat. His head was shiny and bald, and his burly physique and height of two meters should have made him seem rather imposing. However, the face hidden in the shadows had rather refined features, with the exception of his reddish, bestial eyes.
He was a mix of nobility and savagery.
Su Yiran was just as pretty as her elder sister, but not nearly as reserved, choosing instead to put her beauty on full display. Her limbs were also rather powerful, despite their dainty appearance.
"Big Brother Zhenxing," she said as she entered the darkness and sat on the man's lap, filling the two wine cups.
"Cheers." His voice was rather deep. After the cups touched, he downed the whole cup of wine and put his large arms around her waist.
"Congratulations, Big Brother Zhenxing, for getting the elders' acknowledgement as the strongest disciple and skipping the second round of battles entirely. You can go straight to the Prime Tower now, right?" she coquettishly asked.
"It's no big deal. Even if I didn't skip the battles, I would've gone to the tower all the same."
"But it sounds really impressive, no? That also shows that the elders think you're the strongest one in the Prime Struggle, so you might be the only one who stands a chance at becoming a prime disciple." She put her arms around his neck.
"That's true."
"Big Brother Zhenxing, how are you going to deal with the junior sect master?"
"Even the elders won't be allowed to enter Prime Tower during the match. I’ll slowly toy with him and avenge my brother while getting rid of an annoying fly for my clan," he said with a savage glare. His eyes looked like a killer's.
"Then he's in for a lot of trouble," she said, chuckling.
"Hehe...."
"But Big Brother Zhenxing, you haven't seen the list for the second round of battles, right?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"The fights in the second round are determined by the ancient first and fourth elders. Guess who's going to fight the junior sect master? He might not be able to make it into Prime Tower at this rate for your revenge."
"Don't tell me it’s you?"
"Impressive. You're really smart."
The man gave it some thought and said, "Perfect. You just have to throw the match and let him enter the tower. You won't be able to enter the last fight anyway."
"Who said I can't? It'll be embarrassing to lose to him. I won't be happy with it," she said, cuddling up against him. Her seductive charm was enough to make any guy lose his cool.
"Stop messing around. Everyone knows what you're up to. What do you want? Just tell me straight."
"You sure know me well, Big Brother Zhenxing," she said, eyes glowing, "I want the treasure on the first floor of the tower. The top-grade terrestrial manna."
"Aren't you a greedy one?"
"No, I'm not. Your lifebound beast is already a third-order saint beast, so that manna will be useless for you. Not to mention, the treasure on the second floor is the one that was chosen for you. You can easily get it yourself," she said.
"But I want to leave it for Shengcheng...."
"That won't do. I'm afraid Uncle won't agree, either. Surely he has his own plans for him. It's time for Shengcheng to experience some hardship. I doubt you want to go against your uncle's plans."
"You speak sense."
"Just give it to me, Big Brother Zhenxing. I'll make it up to you."
"Alright. Tonight, then."
"No. We'll see once I get it. Who knows if you'll follow through on your word? I won't be tricked that easily."
"Haha, alright, you little vixen."
"Big Brother Zhenxing, my dad is really satisfied with you. Soon, he’ll come to arrange our marriage."
"It's better for me to get my dad to initiate it. However, it might have to wait until after the Realm Wars. You know how important that is to both of our clans, right?"
"Of course I do. By then, the whole sect will belong to our clans, and those annoying old rags can die for all I care."
"Alright, it's a promise. Just throw the match with the junior sect master, but don't make it look too fake. Otherwise, he’ll chicken out and won’t go to the Prime Tower."
"Don't worry. Acting is my forte. I'll make sure he comes out of the battle more confident than ever," she assured.