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The appointed day finally arrived, and forces from across the continent hurried toward the same destination.
At Shrek Academy, Flander had already departed for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, leaving only Lan Minghua, his disciples, and the other Shrek teachers behind.
When Lan Minghua finally woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, scorching his back.
Rubbing his drowsy eyes, he lazily muttered, "Huh? It's already noon? Oh right, we're supposed to head to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect today. Forget it, being late doesn't matter. After all, the main character always arrives last."
However, the moment he opened the door, he found Oscar and the others already waiting outside.
Oscar pouted and said with some annoyance, "Master, if we don't get going soon, we won't make it in time for the Soul Master Competition."
With complete nonchalance, Lan Minghua brushed his hair from his high forehead and teased, "What's the rush? Is there someone special over there you're so eager to see?"
Oscar froze for a moment before replying helplessly, "Master, what are you talking about? I'm just eager to test my current strength. Why else would we be waiting here so anxiously?"
Lan Minghua studied him carefully, confirmed he wasn't lying, and nodded thoughtfully.
By now, he had already deduced which god had taken an interest in Oscar.
The second-rank deity, the God of Food.
The reason was simple. The God of Food no longer had any interest in the current Ning Rongrong. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda restricted her future; for all her efforts, she would at most reach the Soul Saint level in her lifetime, making it impossible to earn a god's favor.
That earlier remark was, in truth, his way of probing whether the God of Food had secretly made a move on Oscar.
But judging from the current situation, he had not acted further.
Lan Minghua nodded, took out his flying sword, and said lazily, "Get on. We're leaving."
"Yes, Master," the four disciples replied in unison.
Yet, just as they left Shrek Academy, someone began spying on Wu Song from the shadows.
Wu Song sneered but ignored the insignificant small fry.
Meanwhile, the grand gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stood wide open. A red carpet, embroidered with golden threads, stretched across the white jade steps.
On either side of every step stood bronze crane-shaped lamps, each lit with a fist-sized night pearl. Even in broad daylight, the pearls glowed brilliantly.
As the mountain wind blew, the lamplight swayed, casting a dazzling brilliance across the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Rongrong, one of the central figures of the event, stood at the entrance of the great hall alongside Bone Douluo to welcome the guests.
She wore a moon-white, wide-sleeved immortal gown, its hem embroidered with pale golden cloud patterns that swayed gently in the breeze. Her chin was tilted slightly upward, her eyes carrying a trace of unwillingness.
Her marriage to Tang San was nothing more than a political move for the sake of the sect. If not for that, her temperament would have never allowed her to agree to such a union.
At that moment, the area below the sect gates was abuzz with excitement. Delegations from various factions arrived one after another, each in carriages drawn by different soul beasts, creating a dazzling and colorful spectacle.
"Yu Yuanzhen, Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, has arrived!" the Seven Treasure Sect's steward disciple announced at the top of his lungs.
Moments later, a dragon carriage wreathed in blue lightning descended from the sky with a thunderous crash, landing right before Ning Rongrong and Bone Douluo. Several direct disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect stood proudly atop the carriage, Yu Tianxin among them.
"Brother Gu Rong, please accept this small token of goodwill," Yu Yuanzhen boomed, his voice echoing through the mountains.
With a wave of his hand, Yu Tianxin immediately presented a sandalwood box. "Inside is a forty-thousand-year Soul Bone, a modest gift for my niece Rongrong."
The crowd at the foot of the mountain erupted in shock at those words. Soul Bones were incredibly rare; even a Soul Douluo might not possess one of that age.
Bone Douluo accepted it with a smile and said politely, "Brother Yuanzhen, you jest. How could a forty-thousand-year Soul Bone be a modest gift? I am truly unworthy, unworthy indeed."
The disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect then took the box and stepped aside.
Immediately after, the steward disciple announced again: "His Highness, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Heaven Dou Empire, has arrived!"
A beam of white light streaked through the sky, revealing a carriage drawn by three Ice Swans. Wherever it passed, the air temperature dropped noticeably. In the blink of an eye, it landed before Bone Douluo.
Xue Qinghe stepped down from the carriage and bowed. "Qinghe greets Your Excellency, Bone Douluo."
Then, his gaze landed directly on Ning Rongrong. "Congratulations on your joyous day, Sister Rongrong."
As Ning Fengzhi's disciple and the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, he was not someone Ning Rongrong could overlook. She quickly curtsied in return. "Greetings, Brother Qinghe."
With a light chuckle, Xue Qinghe had his attendants bring forward a jade box. "Inside is a forty-thousand-year Soul Bone, a congratulatory gift from my Imperial Father. It is a humble offering; I hope Sister Rongrong will not find it lacking."
"Thank you for such a generous gift, Brother. I will remember it," Ning Rongrong replied.
Soon after, the Haotian Sect arrived. However, as a reclusive sect, they remained far more low-key. After all, with Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall still around, disrespecting him would be asking for him to flip the table.
Spirit Hall followed suit, offering a fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone, which caused a stir before they fell silent. The truth was, Spirit Hall had little desire to bring glory to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If not for their aim to eliminate Lan Minghua and reclaim their Soul Bone, they would not have bothered to attend.
Next came Davis, the representative of the Star Luo Empire, whose arrival also created a commotion. After all, the Star Luo and Heaven Dou Empires were the only two powers on the continent worthy of the title.
Hidden in the shadows, Tang San and Dai Mubai fixed their gaze on Davis, already plotting how to eliminate him in secret.
But just as the banquet was about to begin, the most important figure had yet to appear.
"What's going on?" Tang San frowned, scanning the area. "Why isn't Lan Minghua here yet?"
Not only Tang San but also the Spirit Hall delegation, Davis, and others were searching for him. They all knew why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had invited him and wanted to see if Lan Minghua truly had the guts to attend with his group of burdens.
Standing near Spirit Hall's delegation was a tall man, Huyan Zhen, Sect Master of the Elephant Armored Sect. Noticing Lan Minghua's absence, he sneered, "Hmph, what a joke, this 'Heavenly Dragon Gang.' He's clearly too scared to even set foot in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. And he dares provoke Spirit Hall? Shameless."
He intended to demean Lan Minghua's Heavenly Dragon Gang to curry favor with Spirit Hall.
But Chrysanthemum Douluo shot him a frosty glare and said coldly, "Silence! You know nothing. Say one more word, and I will kill you where you stand!"
Sweat poured down Huyan Zhen's face. He shrank back miserably, not daring to show the slightest dissatisfaction.
Having witnessed Lan Minghua's strength firsthand, Chrysanthemum Douluo would never permit anyone to slander him. To insult Lan Minghua was to insult him, Ju Hua Guan.
Yet, as all the factions took their seats, Lan Minghua was still nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it, is he really not coming?"
Tang San's expression was so dark it could drip water. He had invested far too much in this day.
Bone Douluo, Tang Xiao, and Yu Yuanzhen also wore sour expressions, their frustration no less than Tang San's.
But the hour was growing late. Sword Douluo could wait no longer and prepared to rise and announce the start of the feast.
Just as he opened his mouth, a piercing sound split the sky. A colossal flying sword, like a meteor, came crashing down with a deafening boom, embedding itself in the center of the arena built for the Soul Master Competition.
Amid the swirling dust, five figures were faintly visible. The crowd narrowed their eyes, eager to see the reckless person who dared to offend the Upper Three Sects and still show up at their banquet.
Lan Minghua strolled out leisurely, his dead-fish eyes half-lidded, one hand rubbing his exposed belly.
He glanced around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Looks like I'm not late after all."
(End of Chapter)