Chapter 485: Chapter 344: Mount Tai Summit, Martial Arts Conference!
Despite his inner complaint, Xu Yang kept a poker face and asked, “Are there any posts about my Wanshou Palace on the forum?”
“Yes.”
Li Yuanchang said, “Martial world forums and major media outlets have related reports, but…they don’t mention the congratulatory envoys of the Ten Halls of Yama in the Netherworld and the descent of Venus Taibai.”
“Oh?”
Xu Yang’s eyes flashed, and he remained silent for a few seconds before saying, “Alright, I see. You can go practice now.”
This doesn’t make sense!
It’s very unreasonable!
My succession ceremony to the Heavenly Master was already a major event in the martial world, not to mention the huge spectacle yesterday! Saying it was “earth-shaking” or “shocking” would not be an exaggeration!
How could such an event have no heat?
How could there be no discussion?
The envoys of the Ten Halls of Yama in the Netherworld, Lord Cui of Fengdu City, and Venus Taibai…
Any random report would attract countless eyes and earn massive traffic, and those media outlets aren’t stupid. They wouldn’t not report it!
Among those who attended the “ceremony” from the martial world, there must be two or three who enjoy posting on forums, right?
Even if they don’t like posting…
What about Wang Hou?
Confused, Xu Yang called Wang Hou.
It took seven or eight rings before Wang Hou answered the phone, joking, “Heavenly Master Xu, why are you calling me so early today?”
Xu Yang laughed and asked, “Minister Wang… did you do anything yesterday?”
“What do you mean by ‘do anything’?”
Wang Hou’s voice raised a few notches, “Heavenly Master Xu, don’t slander me. After I left your Wanshou Palace yesterday, I went home and spent the night being romantic with my wife… I didn’t do anything.”
“…!”
Xu Yang said in disbelief, “Minister Wang, there’s no need for us to hide things from each other… Alright, fine, as long as we both understand each other. So what happened with Wanshou Palace?”
Wang Hou understood Xu Yang’s meaning and chuckled, “The spectacle yesterday was too big, and I was afraid that if the news spread, it would cause overseas forces to be wary… So I asked Venus Taibai and Lord Cui for help in altering and erasing many people’s memories.”
“I took the initiative to do this without consulting you, and I hope you can forgive me.”
Upon hearing this…
Xu Yang understood that Wang Hou might be up to something!
He laughed, “Actually, I thought about doing the same thing… Minister Wang, you know me, I’ve always liked to keep a low profile. I don’t really like all those flashy things.”
The two chatted for a moment.
Wang Hou suddenly asked, “Are you in Wu City, or are you still at Wanshou Palace?”
Xu Yang: “I’m still at Wanshou Palace. I plan to return tomorrow.”
Wang Hou thought for a moment and said, “Don’t go back yet. I’m planning to hold a martial arts conference, emulating the ancient martial arts, and elect an Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts… I want you to be that Alliance Leader!”
With the return of the generations of masters, the martial arts world of Da Xia will inevitably face chaos.
Due to the “agreement” signed between the Spirits Management Bureau and the martial arts world of Da Xia, Wang Hou couldn’t openly intervene in many matters. If the martial arts conference could be held smoothly and Xu Yang could win the position of Alliance Leader, then he could help restrain the martial arts world and prevent some bad things from happening.
“Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts?”
Xu Yang chuckled, “Minister Wang, with all the Divine Masters and Land Immortals coming out of hiding, not to mention you and Grandmaster Chengming in our Da Xia, there’s no way I’m qualified to be the Alliance Leader, from any perspective!”
“If even a Heavenly Master like you isn’t qualified, then who is?”
Wang Hou laughed, “Although your cultivation and strength may be a bit lacking, don’t worry. I will organize and plan everything, and I’ll make sure you become the Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts!”
Are my cultivation and strength lacking?
Xu Yang shook his head but didn’t say anything.
After hanging up the phone.
He took off his Daoist robe, changed into casual clothes, and took Liu Shishi and Yun Mengxi out of Wanshou Palace for a day of fun nearby.
In the evening, instead of returning to the Dao Palace, Xu Yang and his wives went to a hotel in Xishan Town.
Of course.
Before checking in at the hotel front desk, Xu Yang had changed his appearance.
I am now a Heavenly Master!
Especially since Xishan Town is located at the foot of Wanshou Palace… there are too many people here who recognize me. If a scandal about the “new Heavenly Master of Jingming Sect spending the night with a group of women in a hotel” spread, it would be terrible!
Xu Yang, Liu Shishi, Yun Mengxi, Yue Qiluo, Yue Yuluo, Yang Yin, Yue Niang, Long Xiaoxue, Tu Xiaoyu, Wan Qian, and Xiao Miao, ten “people” in total, booked four rooms.
However…
They soon moved into one room.
Wan Qian, who was meeting everyone for the first time, was a bit shy, so Xu Yang suggested they play games to break the ice… they naturally had to separate Xiao Miao before playing the games!
Xiao Miao, dressed as a cat-eared girl, protested and stomped her foot, “No, I won’t go… Why are you driving me away when I’m so cute?”
Yue Niang whispered a few words into Xiao Miao’s ear.
Xiao Miao angrily said, “Elder Sister, I’m not leaving… It’s just a shameful game, right? I’ve seen a lot of them in movies… Hmph, I’m over 50 years old; I’m not a minor!”
“Nonsense!”
Yue Niang gritted her teeth angrily and whispered a few more words.
Xiao Miao’s face turned red, and a hint of anticipation appeared in her eyes, “Really? If you lose the game, you have to do XX with Xu Yang…”
She seemed to realize that her current state might be too straightforward, so she quickly pretended to be hesitant, and finally bit her lip, “Since Elder Sister has already become Xu Yang’s woman, and I once promised Elder Sister that we’d be together forever… I’ll give it a shot!”
She looked at Xu Yang, her gem-like eyes full of provocation, “Man… are you scared?”
Xu Yang: “…”
That night…
It was a wonderful night.
Of course, this is from Xu Yang’s perspective.
For Xiao Miao, however, it was quite tormenting…
However hard she initially resisted, she eventually cried even harder. Thankfully, Yue Niang stepped in to replace her.
The next morning at 9 a.m.
They checked out of the hotel.
After breakfast, Yue Qiluo said, “My lord, we need to go back. Many matters in the Xi Xia Ghost Market and Fengdu City Ghost Market require our sisters’ assistance.”
There were countless ghosts in the two ghost markets.
Moreover, new ghosts flooded into Xi Xia’s Ghost Market almost every day, and Yue Qiluo and the others had to take care of everything.
“All right.”
“You go back first. After I finish the Martial Arts Conference, I’ll return.”
After sending the women away, Xu Yang received a call from Ma Long.
Immediately after connecting, Ma Long shouted, “Xu Yang…you’re so unreliable. How could you not tell me something as big as becoming the Heavenly Master?”
Clearly, Ma Long had seen the news online.
Xu Yang had indeed neglected to inform him, but he argued back fiercely, “How the hell am I supposed to tell you when I can’t contact you? How could you not show up for something as big as me becoming the Heavenly Master?”
This move was called “turning the tables!”
“Hehe!”
Ma Long’s tone immediately softened, and he apologized, “That’s my fault…my fault. I had a sudden breakthrough in my cultivation, so I closed off to practice and try to reach the Day Wandering Realm. I just came out this morning…How about this: when you return to Wu City, I’ll arrange for you to meet a pair of twin sisters? They’re from Crow Kingdom, and their looks and figures are absolutely top-notch!”
Xu Yang sternly refused and insisted that he should spend less time on women and more on cultivation.
While Ma Long agreed outwardly, he couldn’t help but ridicule Xu Yang in his heart.
Less time on women? As if you’ve got that restraint.
Besides, this is what we call “Purifying the Mind in the Mortal Realm”! It’s our lineage’s tradition. How could we cut it off?
Returning to Wanshou Palace, Xu Yang received a call from Wang Hou.
“Master Xu… The Martial Arts Conference has been confirmed. It will be held on the top of Mount Tai in three days. Be sure to attend on time!”
After leaving the message, Wang Hou hurriedly hung up and got back to work.
Xu Yang then found his grandfather and informed him of the Martial Arts Conference, but he did not mention his intention to become the “Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts”.
Upon thinking it over, Grandpa said, “It has been over forty years since the resurgence of the spiritual aura, and this is the first time the martial world of Da Xia has held a Martial Arts Conference… This is a grand event in the martial world, and we should participate…Choose three disciples, and we’ll set off for Mount Tai tomorrow.”
Grandpa had never attended a “Martial Arts Conference” either. Having encountered such an event in the martial world, it was natural to go and take a look.
“Huh?”
Xu Yang said, “Grandpa, the Martial Arts Conference is held in three days. If we set off tomorrow… won’t it be too early?”
Grandpa smiled and said, “The sect leader of Dai Temple at the summit of Mount Tai is my good friend. He was closing off to attempt to reach the Spirit Refining Realm during your Heavenly Master promotion ceremony and just emerged this morning. He even sent me a message… It’s a good opportunity to visit his Dai Temple.”
“Dai Temple?”
Xu Yang was pensive.
Since it was the “Spirit Refining Realm,” it meant that it was related to the Daoist lineage.
Perhaps his experience was too limited, but he had never heard of such a sect in the martial world.
However, since the sect leader of the Dai Temple had already broken through to the Spirit Refining Realm, it was evident that the Dai Temple was definitely not weak. At the very least, the sect leader was not inferior to the likes of Maoshan Sect and Dragon Tiger Mountain.
After searching online, Xu Yang learned that the Dai Temple was inherited from the Quanzhen Sect, located at the summit of Mount Tai, and had very few disciples who roamed the martial world. In ancient times, it would have been considered a “hidden sect”.
Xu Yang immediately gathered his disciples and selected three.
One was his younger martial brother of the “Yuan” generation, Wang Wei, the other was “Yu Yuanqing,” the unlucky guy who had just joined the Wanshou Palace and faced the dispute of the Daoist lineage the next day.
Xu Yang had great respect for “Yu Yuanqing.”
Technically, Yu Yuanqing hadn’t learned any Daoist skills from the Jingming Sect. His only connection was the oath he took in front of Master Xu’s portrait when he joined the sect. Because his master protected him during the battle over the Daoist lineage, he stood firm with Li Yuanchang and other disciples for the Jingming Sect for 20 years!
During these 20 years, he hadn’t practiced any Daoist skills, but he had studied the Daoist Collection in Wanshou Palace and developed a strong Daoist mind.
So when Yu Yuanqing started practicing,
his cultivation skyrocketed, and he reached the Dao within just a month!
Although he had great talent,
his experience during those 20 years was what mattered most.
The third person chosen was Wanshou Palace’s “Second Senior Brother,” Chen Fengyuan.
As for Li Yuanchang?
As the big senior brother of Wanshou Palace, he had to stay behind and guard it while Xu Yang and Xu Zhiyuan were away.
At the same time,
The news that the “Martial Arts Conference” would be held on the summit of Mount Tai on the 13th of Lunar August in 2023 spread quickly throughout the martial world of Da Xia. Excited, martial artists from all walks of life set out for Mount Tai.
…
2023, September 28, Lunar August 11.
The weather today was exceptionally refreshing.
Early in the morning, two auspicious clouds rose from Wanshou Palace and drifted towards Mount Tai.
Xu Yang, wearing his Heavenly Master’s ritual clothing, stood on the auspicious cloud with his hands behind his back, looking down at the magnificent Mount Tai. The following line of poetry appeared in his mind:
“On reaching the summit, all the other peaks look small!”
At the top of Mount Tai, clouds and mist enveloped the mountain.
Amidst the clouds and mist, an ancient Daoist temple stood tall.
“Xu Yang, we’ve arrived at Dai Temple… Let’s go down!”
Grandpa spoke up, and the auspicious clouds descended.
As Xu Yang set foot on the summit of Mount Tai, an odd feeling rose in his heart.
…
PS: Sorry for the late update of the first chapter since I had relatives visiting at home!
