The Oldest Disciple: Farming Intimacy to Become Immortal

Chapter 203: Meeting Mu Jiu’er Again

Who knows what Senior Brother might do to her…

With so many Inner and Outer Disciples gathered at the Martial Arts Peak, if her Senior Brother actually did something inappropriate to her right out in the open, it would be far too embarrassing.

Xue Ruyu soared into the sky.

Riding the wind, she flew directly toward the peak occupied by Li Meng and his entourage. The distance of several hundred zhang was covered in an instant.

Xue Ruyu descended, landing gracefully on the cliff edge next to Li Meng’s group.

“Junior Sister, why did you only arrive now?” Qi Wei asked, her face full of genuine curiosity. Junior Sister Xue had left Masked Moon Peak even earlier than she had, yet she had somehow arrived at the Martial Arts Peak later.

Xue Ruyu shot a quick, accusing glance at her Senior Brother. How was she supposed to answer that?

“Dong!”

Right at that moment, a deep, resonant bell toll echoed from the direction of the main peak. The heavy sound instantly silenced the bustling Martial Arts Peak.

The Inner Disciple Grand Competition had officially begun!

Just as the bell’s toll faded, a graceful figure wearing a vibrant purple rainbow dress rode the wind, soaring up to the massive Name List Stele.

The woman landed gracefully on the stone platform situated at the very top of the towering stele.

“It’s her?”

Looking at the woman standing atop the Name List Stele, a flash of surprise passed through Li Meng’s eyes.

It was Mu Jiu’er! She was the exact same hostess from the Market City auction fair held several years ago.

Standing high above the crowd, Mu Jiu’er offered a warm, gentle smile. Her graceful figure pirouetted, taking in the entire arena.

“Kongming Hall is about to open. The rules for this Inner Disciple Grand Competition remain unchanged from previous years. Winning three matches allows advancement to the next round. In each round, you may actively challenge others up to three times, and you must accept one challenge. The challenged cannot refuse!”

Her voice, amplified by Spiritual Qi, rang clear across the peaks. “Those who rank in the top five will obtain the qualification to enter Kongming Hall!”

“Furthermore,” her smile deepened, “the rewards for this year’s competition are far more generous than ever before. The top five will receive one high-grade Dustfall Pill. Those ranking in the top fifteen will receive one medium-grade Dustfall Pill. And those ranking in the top thirty will receive one low-grade Dustfall Pill!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire arena erupted into a deafening uproar.

“What?! Ranking in the top five gets a high-grade Dustfall Pill?”

“In previous competitions, only the absolute champion could get a high-grade pill! The top five only got a medium-grade, and the top twenty got a low-grade. Why are the rewards for this cycle so insanely generous?”

“Dammit! If I had known earlier, I would have signed up!”

“Why weren’t these rewards announced sooner?!”

Countless Inner Disciples wailed in absolute regret.

If they had known the rewards for this Inner Disciple Grand Competition were so heaven-defying, even if their cultivation hadn’t reached late Foundation Establishment, they would have stepped up to try their luck! Ranking in the top thirty was enough to get a low-grade Dustfall Pill! How could they miss such an opportunity?

Even if they didn’t need it for their own Cultivation, selling a Dustfall Pill would fetch an astronomical price.

Listening to the collective wails of the Inner Disciples, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Mu Jiu’er’s mouth. When she had first learned of this competition’s rewards, she had been just as startled.

The allure of the Dustfall Pill for Foundation Establishment cultivators was simply irresistible. It was a Fated Chance to assist in forming a Golden Core. Let alone a high-grade Dustfall Pill, even a medium-grade one was an artifact that Foundation Establishment cultivators saw only in their wildest dreams.

Since the Joyous Union Sect was founded thousands of years ago, hundreds of Inner Disciple Grand Competitions had been held. Yet, the rewards had never been as opulent as this.

“The 228th Inner Disciple Grand Competition officially begins. Those whose names are on the stele, please enter the arena to issue your challenges!” Mu Jiu’er’s voice rang out once more.

The Martial Arts Peak instantly quieted down.

“Haha! Let me open the stage for this competition!”

A male Inner Disciple laughed heartily. He soared into the air, riding the wind down toward the Martial Arena.

His robes fluttered wildly as he landed with a dashing, heavy thud on the arena floor. He cupped his hands in a bold salute towards the thousands of Inner Disciples surrounding him.

“Fellow disciples, don’t be polite! Those who want to challenge me, Yuan E, come up quickly!”

Standing at the cliff edge, Li Meng casually sized up the Senior Brother who had taken the stage first. “Late Foundation Establishment cultivation. Not particularly high.”

However, judging by the man’s robust and towering physique, Li Meng mused. Could he be a rare body cultivator? No… his Blood Qi isn’t that intense. Seems he’s just a naturally gifted brute.

Right at that moment, another figure rode the wind and descended, landing opposite Yuan E.

“Senior Brother Yuan, please enlighten me!”

Yuan E glanced at the challenger and grinned. With a sharp flick of his sleeve, a heavy long spear shot out from his Storage Bag and landed firmly in his grip.

“Junior Brother, take this!”

Yuan E exploded forward, charging directly at the challenger.

The challenger, another late Foundation Establishment Inner Disciple, didn’t panic at the sight of the heavy spear rushing toward him. He rapidly formed hand seals. With a sweep of his sleeves, 10+ blazing fireballs materialized out of thin air, hurtling toward the charging Yuan E.

Yuan E just grinned. He hurled his spear forward and formed a single-handed seal. The spear instantly began to spin at a terrifying speed, transforming into a whirling wall of steel that blocked the fireballs’ path.

“Boom!”

The fireballs collided with the rotating spear, detonating violently. All the fireballs were effortlessly blocked. For a moment, spiritual light flared brilliantly across the Martial Arena as rolling waves of scorching heat swept outward.

“A mere Fireball Technique? What can that possibly do to me?” Yuan E taunted, maintaining his hand seal.

The spear stopped rotating and shot back into Yuan E’s hand. Gripping the weapon, Yuan E rode the wind, continuing his relentless charge at the challenger.

The challenger hastily took to the skies, riding the wind to put distance between himself and the brute. Yuan E followed closely behind.

For a moment, the two chased each other in a dizzying aerial dogfight above the Martial Arena. The challenger was clearly a spellcaster, unleashing a dazzling array of techniques, while Yuan E excelled at close-quarters artifact control.

“Senior Brother, who will win?” Qi Wei tugged at Li Meng’s sleeve.

Li Meng looked down at his Junior Sister. With a sage-like smile, he affectionately ruffled her hair. “Their cultivation levels are similar. The real difference here lies in their Magical Artifacts. The spells the challenger is using are all basic Joyous Union Sect techniques. Don’t be fooled by the flashy display. He seems like an Expert in techniques, but in reality, his execution is incredibly crude. He’s doing it on purpose to lower his opponent’s guard.”

As if to perfectly validate Li Meng’s analysis, the fleeing challenger suddenly stopped mid-air.

He conjured a thick Spiritual Qi shield to forcefully absorb a heavy spear strike from Yuan E. The impact sent the spear ricocheting away, spinning out of control.

In the exact moment the spear was deflected, the challenger’s hands blurred through a complex series of seals. He summoned his true Magical Artifact.

It was a pure, white jade-like bottle.

The jade bottle erupted with a blinding, two-colored spiritual light. Its flight speed was terrifyingly faster than the spear. Before Yuan E could even attempt to recall his weapon, the jade bottle was already bearing down on him.

“What?!” Yuan E’s face drained of color.

He hadn’t expected his Junior Brother to suddenly shift to a high-tier artifact attack. Left with no weapon, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and pushed his Spiritual Qi shield to its absolute limit. A faint yellow-green spiritual light enveloped him.

“Bang!”

The jade bottle slammed solidly into Yuan E’s guard.

Spiritual light exploded across the sky above the arena. A heavy figure plummeted from the clouds, crashing onto the stone floor with a bone-rattling “Bang”.

Yuan E lay groaning in the crater. Above him, the challenger hovered in the wind, the jade bottle floating obediently in his palm.

Looking down at his defeated Senior Brother with a triumphant smile, the challenger bowed. “Senior Brother, I concede the match!”

Yuan E stared blankly at his Junior Brother hovering above. Refusing to stay down, he did a carp flip, snapping back to his feet.

“You sly bastard… forget it. A loss is a loss!”

Yuan E looked at his spear lying in the rubble nearby. Summoning it back into his Storage Bag with a gust of wind, he turned and flew away from the arena.

The challenger had no intention of holding the stage either. Having secured his victory, he also departed.

Almost simultaneously, Mu Jiu’er’s voice echoed from the Name List Stele. “Winner ‘Peng Guang’, one victory!”

On the giant stele, the name “Peng Guang” shimmered, and a horizontal tally mark appeared beside it.

Joyous Union Sect. Inner Disciple territory. Broken Cliff Peak.

On the upper viewing platform of a cliffside pavilion, two men sat facing each other over a tea table.

Su Zhe gave a cold, mocking smile. “Master, it seems Li Meng wants to go to Kongming Hall. A mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator… truly overestimating himself.”

The man sitting opposite him possessed a profound, thoughtful expression. He lifted his teacup and took a slow sip. “Wait for the result,” he said, his voice resonating the exact moment the cup clicked against the table.

Su Zhe took a sip of his own tea, his gaze turning toward the distant Martial Arena. “Master, the special envoy from the Upper Sect has already arrived, hasn’t he?”

A faint, enigmatic smile touched the older man’s lips as he looked toward Masked Moon Peak with a half-smile. “The special envoy from the Joyous Union Sect’s Upper Sect arrived long ago. Although there’s no direct evidence, the timing of that one’s appearance matches perfectly.”

The Upper Sect special envoy had arrived long ago?

A flash of genuine surprise passed through Su Zhe’s eyes. Following his Master’s gaze, he looked toward Masked Moon Peak. “Master, you mean that Supreme Elder from Masked Moon Peak?”

His Master merely maintained his gentle smile, offering no direct answer. Speculation was just speculation; having the idea in mind was enough.

A look of deep contemplation settled on Su Zhe’s face. If the mysterious Supreme Elder of Masked Moon Peak was indeed the Upper Sect special envoy, then Masked Moon Peak’s absurdly high status within the Sect suddenly made perfect sense.

The timing of that Supreme Elder’s appearance was indeed highly suspicious. That elder hadn’t cultivated up from a low-level disciple like everyone else. He had simply appeared one day, already at the terrifying Nascent Soul stage.

“Master, is there any news from the State of Yue?” Su Zhe asked, shifting the topic.

The Master looked down into his teacup, his expression turning subtle. His gentle voice echoed across the viewing platform. “Kongming Hall is the greatest Fated Chance in the Tianlan Continent. Every time it opens, the Upper Sects of the various factions across the continent will not be absent. Without Kongming Hall, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators in Tianlan would plummet by seventy percent, and the number of Sects would be cut in half. Local Sects without an Upper Sect backing them don’t even have the qualifications to glance at Kongming Hall.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing. “For Nascent Soul cultivators, ascending to the Upper Continent is a Fated Chance to reach Soul Formation. No Nascent Soul cultivator would voluntarily stay in a Spiritual Qi-barren wasteland like the Tianlan Continent.”

With a casual flick of his sleeve, the teapot rose into the air, riding the wind to pour fresh tea for the both of them.

“Zhe’er, if this Kongming Hall Fated Chance were entirely seized by a single power, what do you think it would mean for the major Cultivation families and local Sects left behind in the Tianlan Continent?”

Su Zhe’s eyes lit up. The cause and effect were instantly clear to him. He looked at his Master with burning ambition.

“A Fated Chance to establish one’s own domain!”

His Master smiled, neither confirming nor denying. He leisurely took another sip of tea before continuing. “Before Kongming Hall appeared in the world, although the Luck of the Tianlan Continent was far inferior to the Upper Continents, we still boasted over ten Soul Formation cultivators and several Void Refinement powerhouses. But after Kongming Hall manifested, those supreme beings all fled the continent one after another. Zhe’er, do you know why?”

Su Zhe shook his head, utterly bewildered. This forgotten history was bizarre. He had always believed Nascent Soul cultivators were the absolute peak of the Tianlan Continent. He had never imagined that in the distant past, Void Refinement cultivators walked this land.

“Master, why did they leave?”

The older man put down his teacup, his gaze drifting toward the Martial Arena, though his thoughts were anchored in an ancient past. “Kongming Hall is like a talismanic object suppressing the landscape’s Luck. Its presence usurped more than half of the Tianlan Continent’s natural Luck. Any Soul Formation or Void Refinement cultivator remaining here would be crushed by Kongming Hall’s pressure. In mild cases, they suffered Qi Deviation. In severe cases, they died a violent death, their Dao extinguished forever.”

A flash of absolute horror passed through Su Zhe’s eyes. He had never expected Kongming Hall to be something so terrifying. It could actually strip a continent’s Luck away, leaving a multitude of supreme-level powerhouses so helpless that they had to flee their homes just to survive.

“Master, is Kongming Hall a supreme treasure of doom, or is it a blessed land?”

If it was a blessed land, the convergence of Luck from two worlds would only benefit the Tianlan Continent, absorbing the blessed land into their world.

Facing his disciple’s burning curiosity, the Master set his cup down with finality. “It is both. Kongming Hall is the key to the blessed land.”

Su Zhe gasped in realization. Whoever controlled Kongming Hall controlled the blessed land.

“Master, so that means… if the Kongming Hall Fated Chance is successfully seized, and the current Joyous Union Sect migrates entirely to the Upper Sect… our Su Family would have the chance to become the new Joyous Union Sect?”

If the Fated Chance was taken, the talismanic object suppressing the Tianlan Continent would vanish. Nascent Soul cultivators could finally Breakthrough to Soul Formation, and the continent’s landscape Luck would recover.

The Master looked deeply toward the main peak. “It’s not that easy. Compared to the massive local Sects, the Su Family is still too weak. Once the Joyous Union Sect ascends, this territory will become a piece of meat in the eyes of the remaining factions. This meat is something our Su Family cannot swallow alone. We can only cooperate with other powers to become the dominant force within the newly formed Sect.”

Su Zhe frowned, a flash of deep unwillingness in his eyes. The Su Family had schemed in the shadows for nearly a thousand years. Were they really going to work this hard just to make a bridal gown for others?

But reality was harsh. The Su Family’s foundation was too shallow. They only possessed his Master—a single Nascent Soul cultivator. While they had a decent number of Golden Core cultivators, they couldn’t compete with the raw resources and power of a full-fledged Sect. To truly rise, they had to piggyback on a Sect’s power.

“Master, the demonic cultivators from the State of Yue are not trustworthy!” Su Zhe warned.

He had never trusted those fanatics. Once Kongming Hall was seized and the Upper Sects departed, the power structure of the continent would be violently reshuffled. Demonic cultivators who acted without restraint would become the greatest scourge, potentially plunging the mortal dynasties into an apocalyptic war.

His Master chuckled, a flash of supreme mockery in his ancient eyes. “It is merely mutual utilization, Zhe’er. No one trusts anyone.”

Su Zhe smiled, his anxiety fading as he put down his teacup. Since his Master had such a clear, calculated understanding, he could rest easy.

It was true. The Su Family and the Yue State demonic Sects were simply using each other. Without the resources supplied by the demonic cultivators, the Su Family wouldn’t have become a top-ranked family in the State of Zhao. And without the Su Family’s internal assistance, the demonic Sects could never have successfully infiltrated the five major orthodox Sects of Zhao.

Only now did Su Zhe truly understand. Everything his Master had done for centuries was leading up to this singular moment.

When the greatest Fated Chance in the Tianlan Continent was seized, the Su Family would ride the chaos straight to the heavens.